Second Chances Read online

  “Too funny,” she chuckled.

  Tom eyed her quizzically. “What?”

  Lexa shook her head and smiled at him. “Nothing. Give me twenty minutes to finish dressing. I’ll meet you out front.”

  “I think you’re perfect just the way you are,” he quipped. “See you in twenty.”

  Laughing, Lexa let the drapes fall back into place and turned to slip into her dress. She slid her feet into her favorite pair of stilettos, the thin belt around her waist and went to fix her hair. Nothing fancy today, a quick blow dry of her bangs—tie half of the wavy mass back with a clip, and done.

  Lexa applied liner to her eyes, brushed a dusting of bronzer over her cheeks and skimmed her lips with a clear gloss. Giving herself one final look over, she turned off the light and walked down to the kitchen.

  Her bag sat on a chair at the small breakfast table. Reaching inside, she pulled out a slim packet of paper from the inner pocket. For three weeks the pages had been sitting in her portfolio but she hadn’t built up the courage to hand them to Barry. Now, with her career about to take a jump for the better and Tom’s obvious mutual interest, the time had come to put the dead horse of her marriage to rest.

  She set the bundle where she knew Barry would find it—in front of the coffee machine.

  Butterflies took up residence in her stomach as she looked at the pale blue exterior page. She’d done it. Now all she needed was Barry’s signature on the divorce papers. Then she could file them and move on with her life.

  The sound of a key turning in the front door lock drew Lexa’s attention. She turned, surprised to see her housekeeper arriving on a Friday morning.

  “Oh,” the pretty redhead exclaimed and stopped in her tracks. “Mrs. Porter. I didn’t expect you to still be here.”

  Lexa cocked her head to the right. “I could say the same, Carissa. You’re supposed to come on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Is there a reason you’re a day early?”

  “Barry, um, Mr. Porter asked me to come by today instead.” She bit her lip and looked down the hallway. “I can come tomorrow if you want but, I’m already here.”

  “No, it’s fine,” Lexa said. She picked up her bag, keys and purse. “You go ahead. I’ve got to get going. Make sure he… Forget it. I’m sure he’ll pay you well enough.”

  The maid nodded and Lexa exited without her morning cup of tea, or breakfast. Great, she thought. I let the little hussy chase me out of my own house.

  Making her way down the front steps, Lexa shook her head and laughed softly. What did she care about her soon to be ex-husband and the maid getting it on while she worked? As soon as Barry autographed the divorce papers she would be a free woman and the hunt for a cozy little apartment of her own would begin.

  A sleek, silver Lexus pulled up to the curb and Tom smiled at her from the driver’s seat. He climbed out and, coming around to her side, took her bag to place it in the backseat.

  “Your chariot, milady.”

  “Why, thank you, kind sir.” She laughed and climbed inside.

  Lexa smiled and shook hands with the CEO of Watts & Associates. Tom stood to her left, his hand firmly in their boss’ grip. Their presentation had gone off without a hitch and met with a rousing round of approval from everyone present. The account, Mr. Watts had announced almost immediately, was theirs.

  Messrs.’ Page and Butler took Lexa and Tom out for a celebratory lunch at one of the most expensive restaurants in town. As she had expected, they announced her promotion to senior account manager, effective immediately. Tom smiled proudly at her from across the table.

  So far, the day had been a banner one for her but, Lexa couldn’t help waiting for the other shoe to drop. Four o’clock rolled around and still, nothing. She gave the artwork on her desk one final look over and decided to call it a day. The photographs wouldn’t get any better no matter how long she stared at them.

  Shutting down her laptop, Lexa gathered everything she’d need to get some work done on the weekend and placed them in her bag. A soft knock at the door made her look up. She smiled at Tom as he leaned against the frame.

  “Looks like you’re ready to go,” he said.

  She nodded and zipped the bag shut. “Yep. I was hoping I could entice you into playing hooky with me for the rest of the day. We deserve it.”

  Tom grinned, leaned down and showed her the briefcase he’d stashed out of sight. “No enticing needed. I was planning the same thing.”

  “Well, then,” she laughed, picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. “Let’s go. No point in hanging around here when there are much better things to do.”

  He stepped aside to allow Lexa to lock the door to her office. When she turned, Tom leaned in.

  “Like each other?” he whispered in her ear.

  Lexa shuddered, a zing of desire skidding down her spine. She nodded and smiled up at him.

  “Yes, exactly.”

  Tom laughed and the two of them headed out of the office.

  Lexa stood with her back to him while Tom prepared a light supper for them. Something in the back yard had caught her attention and he glanced out the kitchen window to see what might be out there.

  Across the yard, on the steps leading down from her patio, several suitcases and boxes sat waiting for someone to come get them. He shook his head, rubbed his eyes and looked again. Yep, still there. What the hell?

  “Am I seeing right, Lexa?” he asked.

  She nodded. “I never would have expected it from him.” Lexa shrugged. “Can’t say I’m totally shocked though. I did serve him with divorce papers this morning. Wonder which box or bag they’re in?”

  Tom gaped. “You what?”

  “I served him with divorce papers. This morning.” She turned to face him. A sheepish smile curved her lips. “I’ve been holding on to them for a while now. This morning just, I don’t know, felt right. Guess this means I need to speed up my search for somewhere to stay.”

  Putting down the knife he’d been using to chop mushrooms, Tom crossed the room and wrapped his arms around her. He hugged her gently and brushed a loose curl from her cheek.

  “You can stay with me,” he offered. “I have plenty of room in the garage to store your stuff and a guest bedroom, if you want it.”

  Uncertainty flashed through her eyes. “I don’t know.”

  He gave her an encouraging smile. “Come on. Let’s get the boxes in the garage and your bags in the house. You can think about my offer while we’re moving stuff.”

  She nodded and he gave her an enthusiastic kiss. Mother Nature took the opportunity to punctuate the caress with a thundering boom and flash of lightning.

  “Oh, shit,” he said. Releasing Lexa, he moved to the patio doors and yanked the sliding glass panel open. “Let’s get that stuff inside before it starts to pour.”

  Lexa dashed outside and Tom hit the garage door opener button beside the door on his way through. He quickly followed her across the yard and joined Lexa in moving boxes and bags.

  They were down to the final four boxes and her five suitcases when the skies opened on them. Tom looked up at the steel gray clouds above and cursed. He picked up two boxes and ran for cover. Lexa passed him on her way out of the garage as she ran for the last two.

  Several minutes later, soaked to the skin and laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation, Tom deposited the largest suitcase on the dining room floor. Despite their mad dash to get everything in the house, the water dripping off the bags formed a large puddle on the tiles.

  “Oh well,” Lexa giggled. “The stuff inside will dry. They should only contain clothes.”

  Tom nodded, his gaze travelling over her waterlogged dress. The thin material moulded to the curves of her breasts, showing off nipples pebbled by the cold rain. He swallowed the lump suddenly blocking his throat and stepped closer. She met him halfway.

  She reached out, bringing her hands to rest on his chest. One by one she slowly undid the buttons on his dress shirt.

&nbs
p; “Lexa?” he asked, the tone in his voice uncertain.

  “Shush,” she replied. “I’ve been waiting all day to get my hands on you and I’m not going to let being homeless keep me from getting what I want.”

  He chuckled softly and let her nimble fingers continue their path down his stomach. She pulled the bottom of his shirt out of his pants and quickly finished unbuttoning it. Chilled by the rain, her cold fingertips brushed his skin and set off a cascade of goose bumps.

  Tom lifted a hand to caress the full sweep of her lower lip and he noted the way she trembled. He caught one of her hands in his free one and took a step back.

  “Come on,” he urged. “We’re both freezing and I have the perfect solution.”

  Tugging gently on her hand, Tom led Lexa down the hall to the bathroom. He stepped inside the glass walled shower and turned the water on to warm up. Steam began to billow in the bottom of the enclosure and he swivelled back to face Lexa.

  She smirked sexily and spread the already unbuttoned sides of her dress. Dark pink lace encased the creamy swells of her breasts. The puckered, brownish tips were visible through the thin material and his cock bucked in response to the visual stimuli.

  “God,” he said in a low voice. “You’re beautiful.”

  Her cheeks and the tops of her breasts colored with a soft blush. Tom reached out and slid the dress from her shoulders. He bent to press a kiss to the curve of her neck as she reached up to slid his shirt off. The material, tailored to fit him perfectly, bunched around his elbows and trapped his arms to his side.

  Tom chuckled, kissed her and stepped back to shuck the garment.

  “Don’t move,” he ordered and began stripping while she watched.

  Hunger and desire darkened her eyes with each piece of clothing removed.

  Taking his time, Tom undid his belt buckle. Lexa’s eyes tracked every movement as he slid leather through metal and let the sides hang loose. He moved on to the button on his pants and popped it open.

  A swift tug undid the zipper and revealed his naked erection to her.

  “You went commando?” she asked breathlessly.

  “Yep,” he replied with a cocky grin. “Figured you shouldn’t be the only one walking around bare assed.”

  Lexa laughed huskily and his shaft bucked in response. He dropped his pants, toed off his socks and stepped out of the pile of clothes.

  “Come here,” he beckoned. “You’re overdressed.”

  The room had been relatively quiet while he stripped. Behind him, thick glass muted the shower’s spatter against the tiles. Clothing had rustled during their removal and exile to the floor. All of the sounds were quiet compared to the suddenly loud beating of his heart.

  He skimmed his hands over her ribs, sliding them around to caress the curve of her lower back. Encountering the damp material of her dress, he pushed it down over her rear and dropped it to the floor.

  Bending to lay a series of kisses along Lexa’s shoulder, Tom glanced down the line of her back. Dark curls tumbled down over smooth, creamy skin. The hot pink garter belt she had on barely covered the rounded swell of her rear. Hands down, it was the best ass he’d ever seen.

  “Tom?”

  He shuddered, closing his eyes for a moment. Her warm breath against his chest zinged lust straight to his groin.

  Lexa brushed a thumb over one of his nipples and he pulled back to look at her.

  “Sorry,” he said. “You’ve got me feeling like a teenager with his first girl.”

  She chuckled huskily and nipped at his chest. “You’re definitely not a teenager and, that I can make you feel this way… it’s a huge compliment.” Lexa smiled at him. “What I wanted to say though, was that I accept your offer. I’ll stay here until—.”

  He cut her off, a wide grin spreading over his lips. “You can stay as long as you want.” Tom cupped her face between his hands and leaned in close. “Now, shush and let me show you how a woman’s supposed to be loved.”

  ~*~

  Cursed

  The Erotic Adventures of Sidony Tassen

  ** All chapters are linked to the table of contents, to return there simply click on the underlined chapter name.

  Chapter One

  Sidony reclined against the smooth silk pillows that crowded the head of her king sized bed. She arranged her dark curls to fall artfully around her and waited for tonight’s playmate to enter her bedroom.

  In the century since her twenty first birthday, the day she’d been found in the King’s bed and cursed, Sidony had a different lover, or two, in her bed every night.

  This night’s entertainment had dropped onto her radar at the bakery down the street from her office. A seductive smile, a flash of cleavage and he’d been ready to accommodate her every whim. Then again, they always were – her curse ensured that she would always be alluring to the opposite sex. Problem was, the sorceress hadn’t been clear if her savior would be one of the men of her race or a human male.

  "My lady?" The door swung softly on the plush carpet, the dimness in the hallway brightened the soft candle light in the room. Sidony glanced up and her inner sex kitten purred. Hello, lover.

  Her eyes focused on the large vampire in front of her. She took in every detail of him. Jason’s blonde hair gleamed a burnished gold and his skin, soon to be under hers, had been kissed and caressed by the summer sun. Gods, I love my life - sometimes.

  He stepped inside the room and stood just beyond the doorway, helmet tucked under an arm thick with muscle. Her playmate was a foot taller than her and not even the obsidian centurion’s uniform he had on could hide that he was very well formed.

  “Come in.” Sidony’s eyes wandered past the embossed breastplate to the short leather skirting and the bare legs below it. He’d left off the sandals. Bad boy. She shifted against the pillows and let the cream-colored sheet fall to her waist. "Tell me soldier, what brings you to me?"

  His sky blue eyes flashed with desire and followed the silken material as it slid over her breasts. Hunger darkened his eyes and the way his fangs flashed when he smiled moistened Sidony’s core.

  "I have been assigned as your new personal guard m'lady. I am never to leave your side."

  "Do you like what you see soldier?" She stepped from the bed and its puddles of slippery sheets. The fingers of her left hand toyed lazily with the pebbled nipple of her breast as she drew closer to him. "Come; let me show you what your duties entail."

  He tossed the helmet aside and pulled her against the cold metal covering his chest. “This really gets you off?”

  The filigreed emblem on the uniform abraded her nipples and forced a moan from Sidony’s throat. “I hope so.”

  Jason reached up to unbuckle and she slid her hands over his sides to help. The uniform fit his large frame better than she’d expected.

  “This thing is a perfect fit. Almost as if it was made for me.”

  Sidony hid the startle his words caused behind her hair. She tossed the breastplate aside and looked back up at him with a coy smile. “This old thing?” …was made for the man who will finally give me what I’ve been cursed never to have again...release.

  His upper body was a delicious expanse of hard muscle under golden skin. He wasn’t a battle scarred warrior like the men who’d originally worn the uniform. No, he’d been trained for a far different kind of war - one Sidony was excited to let him win. The battlefield of her body his to plunder at will.

  The leather skirting followed the rest of his outfit to the floor.

  His swollen cock was thick, the head a velvety purple declaring his arousal. A dewy drop of moisture beaded and spilled over to coat the satiny skin that Sidony’s mouth watered to taste. Inch upon rock hard inch of him sprung from the golden thatch at his groin and strained past the hollow of Jason’s navel. The man was glorious.

  “Gods, that’s beautiful.” Her words were a whisper as Sidony took in the size of her bedmate.

  Sidony licked her lips in anticipation and drew a fing
er over his length. The steady movement of her hand a mask hiding the tremor of hope inside. Was this it? Was he the one? "You’re perfect."

  Jason knelt on the bed and pulled her beneath him. He dipped his head to nip at the underside of her right breast and Sidony dug her fingers into the thick waves of his hair as his fangs grazed her skin. “Mhmm, and you’re about to find out just how right you are – repeatedly."

  A ragged moan slipped past Sidony’s lips as she ground herself against him. His heavy chest vibrated with a chuckle. He pressed back against her moistened core and pushed her that much closer to the ever elusive orgasm she craved. Freedom was so close she could taste it. "You’re an eager one."

  "It’s been a hell of a long time since a man like you has been in my bed. Eager is an understatement, soldier."

  His strong, firm hands slid between them. Fingers roughened by calluses traced up her legs to thighs parted and trembling with anticipation for his invasion.

  "So soft and warm. I can feel your heat from here."

  Jason’s thumb found her clit and rubbed a slow circle around it. He sheathed two thick fingers inside of her and Sidony arched into him as a rush of heat flooded her veins.

  “When you scream my name,” he whispered. “Scream Jason - not Soldier.”

  Sidony dug her nails into his scalp and grunted as she tried to take in even more of him. “If you can get me off – I’ll call you whatever you god damn want.”

  “If I can?” Jason licked up the column of her throat. “Baby, you’re about to come so hard you’ll forget your own name.”

  “Prove it.”

  ~*~

  The next afternoon the phone on Sidony’s desk rang and snapped her out of a vision. She listened for the intercom buzz from the outer office and tried to shake the images of chocolate covered flesh from her mind. She stopped short of answering the call and then jammed down on the button anyway.