Lorna's Gigolo Read online

  “Oh...having sex in an airplane while two hundred passengers watch...or having sex on the top of a mountain in the snow...with a Sherpa.”

  “Pardon me?”

  Lorna giggled. “Ask a stupid question...”

  He pulled back slightly and looked down at her. “You're too realistic for your own good,” he remarked. One side of his mouth pulled upward in a grin. “What if I laid you down here on the floor and fucked you real good?”

  “What if?”

  His hands reached for the negligee and pulled it from her body in one quick movement. Then he snaked one arm around her waist and pulled her down to her knees on the tiled floor.

  Lorna tipped her head back to look into his face. There was amusement in his handsome dark features. She smiled, on the verge of laughing out loud. “I think I smell something burning in the kitchen,” she said.

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  Chapter 4

  “You toy with my emotions, you Italian Casanova,” Lorna remarked, easing her bare butt onto the wooden kitchen stool. She had decided she wanted to play—to be reckless for once in her life. The thought gave her goose bumps.

  Ramon chopped salad ingredients at the island, his black hair swishing across his naked shoulders as he maneuvered the large stainless steel knife across the butcher-block cutting board. A large pot of noodles simmered on the stove and a pot of spaghetti sauce bubbled, emitting a tantalizing aroma into the air.

  “You've been a busy boy,” Lorna told him. He had filled her champagne glass and left it on the counter for her. She picked it up and took a sip, feeling the bubbles tickle her nose. “Are you trying to get me drunk?”

  “Alcohol impedes the senses,” he remarked, not bothering to look away from the work at hand.

  “Fucking does not improve with booze.”

  “You've had enough,” Ramon announced. He put aside his knife, wiped his hands on a towel and proceeded to snatch the wineglass out of Lorna's hand. “I don't believe you're a drinker.”

  “Really. And what else do you believe?”

  Ramon strode to the refrigerator and retrieved a cruet of salad dressing. Giving it a hefty shake, he dressed the salad he had assembled.

  “I think you're in need of a good time.”

  Lorna let out a long sigh and propped her chin on her hand. “You're right.”

  Ramon glanced over his shoulder at her as he gathered china from a cabinet across the room. He sat the table quickly and came to the island to escort Lorna to the small breakfast table.

  “First you eat, and then we play.”

  Lorna didn't object when Ramon took hold of her hand and pulled her off the stool. Perhaps if she'd eaten something during the day, she wouldn't be so inebriated. Her head felt dizzy and when Ramon helped her off the stool, she leaned against his chest to balance herself.

  “How much are my friends paying you?” she asked with a giggle in her tone.

  “Far more than you can imagine,” he replied, wrapping one arm around her bare waist to steady her body.

  “Are you an expensive stud?”

  “Very expensive.”

  Lorna halted her feet and stared up into his face looking for a hint to her question. How expensive could he possibly be? Had her employees taken up a collection to pay for him?

  For a second, a tremor of dread filtered through her insides. If they'd taken up a collection to pay for him—then everyone employed by her knew how pathetic her life was. Everyone knew Lorna had to buy sex!

  “How much?” she demanded.

  He shrugged one bare shoulder and smiled at her. “Twenty-five hundred.”

  Lorna's eyes almost popped out of her head. Her mouth gaped open. “And what do I get for that ridiculous price?”

  Ramon laughed suddenly and tugged her toward a chair at the table. “Whatever your heart desires,” he replied. “If there's something you want me to do to you—”

  “You mean you'd spank me if I wanted?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Lorna giggled, and then slapped one hand over her mouth in a show of embarrassment. “Would you fuck me on the countertop?”

  “Yes.”

  She raised her eyes and locked gazes with him. “Are you very good at sex?”

  “My sweet Lorna,” he said, skimming his hand across her left breast. “Sex is what I do best.” He lowered her into a chair at the table and quickly drew up a chair for himself beside her. “You are a very sensual woman,” he murmured.

  A plate of food appeared before Lorna but before she could think about eating, Ramon reached one hand to her head and tucked her long hair behind her right ear, then trailed his fingertips down the arch of her throat to her right nipple.

  “Food has sensuality as well. Let me show you.” He plucked a long strand of spaghetti from her plate and brought its end to her mouth.

  Red sauce dripped from the spaghetti strand across Lorna's belly and left thigh, causing her to follow the movements closely with her gaze. Ramon brought the end of the spaghetti to her lips and she opened her mouth to receive it, her senses on high alert. She'd heard of lovers engaging in sensual play with food, but she'd never quite understood the arousing effects it could have.

  The sauce was warm and began to run across her flesh almost as soon as it landed. The end of the spaghetti strand she held between her lips dangled across her chin and onto her left breast. Ramon took hold of its end and wound it slowly around her nipple, his fingertips igniting a ribbon of fire onto her skin. Lorna sucked the spaghetti into her mouth, feeling the erotic effects as it traveled slowly up her body.

  Ramon bent his head and nibbled on her right shoulder as he toyed with her breast. Lorna closed her eyes and savored the incredible feel of being touched while she sucked and chewed the tasty spaghetti.

  “I've heard of using whip cream in sex play—but never spaghetti,” she said, amused and turned on all at once.

  “Whip cream is passe,” Ramon muttered, his mouth busy latching her shoulder. He flicked his tongue across her chest onto her collarbone, and then continued in a downward path onto her breast, where he proceeded to lick off the traces of spaghetti sauce from her skin.

  Fire burned through Lorna's veins, pure and lustfully hot. She caught Ramon's head between her palms, halting his actions.

  “Allow me to pleasure you.”

  A tremor of unadulterated need surged through Lorna. Her crotch was on fire. She'd never needed a man as badly as she needed Ramon at that moment. Maybe it's the effects of the champagne. Her efforts to halt Ramon's tickling tongue falling short. Or maybe it's just the fact that a man was touching her naked body...

  “I need for you to take me to bed,” she confided, her voice aquiver. “Right now!”

  At once, Ramon stood up, pulled Lorna to her feet, then lifted her into his arms and strode from the kitchen

  The thought that she had asked Ramon for sex spun around in her mind. Amber had already divulged her need for distraction. It didn't matter that she had just reinforced the fact she was horny. She giggled in spite of herself. After their night was over, she'd never see Ramon again. Besides, his fee was astronomical. Why shouldn't she have sex if she wanted it?

  It all made perfect sense—didn't it? She was moments away from coupling with a stranger and looking forward to it.

  “Do you believe in fate?” she asked as Ramon laid her down on her bed.

  “If you want me to,” he replied. He settled her in the center of the bed then turned to the nightstand to open a condom.

  Lorna's gaze followed his movements, spying the numerous packages lying on the bedside table. Ramon had been a busy boy since he'd arrived. While she'd soaked in the tub, he'd cooked dinner—a meal they hadn't eaten yet—and discovered where her bedroom was.

  It seemed so impersonal all of a sudden. Hell. She didn't know Ramon from Adam. Or vice versa, for that matter. She looked up at him. He could be the most handsome man she had
ever laid eyes on. A shiver of total abandon raced through her insides as she took in the breadth of his shoulders and the trimness of his hips.

  Ramon rolled the condom on and set one knee on the bed. Within seconds, he would be plunging his hard length inside her.

  “Wait a minute,” Lorna murmured, raising one hand to her forehead. The flash of memory was fleeting—the sight of Mary's limp body being taken from the wrecked auto—but still so vivid. “I can't do this.”

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  Chapter 5

  Lorna stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Her gaze looked haunting—sallow skin, glazed eyes, and a mouth that had almost forgotten how to smile. She hung her head as tears sprang to her eyes.

  She'd almost had sex with Ramon—in the final moments before he joined her on the bed, she had suffered a recurring memory of Mary and the car crash.

  “Nothing kills a romantic mood more effectively than a sudden recollection of tragedy,” she mumbled.

  Lorna raked her fingers through her hair, pushing the dark tresses over her shoulder. Ramon has probably packed up his little black bag and left. Well, why should he stay? She wasn't interested in playing. She let out a long sigh and tightened the belt on her robe. Her friends had just wasted twenty-five hundred dollars. She laughed slightly and shook her head. Why in hell had they paid for a male escort for her in the first place?

  She turned toward the door of the bathroom. She'd slip into her bedroom and dress, then, in the event Ramon was still around, she'd make her apologies and send him on his way.

  Hastily pulling on shorts and a t-shirt, she padded barefoot down the hall to the kitchen, however, surprise filtered through her insides when she stepped into the room and spied Ramon seated at the breakfast table, eating.

  Pulling in a steadying breath, she crossed the room to the table. The plate of spaghetti he had served her earlier still sat on the opposite side of the table. She slid into the chair and picked up her fork.

  Lorna felt his dark gaze on her as she began to eat and words to describe her nutty behavior completely left her mind. What woman in her right mind would say no to sex with a gorgeous hunk like him? “I guess you think I'm nuts,” she mumbled, her mouth full of spaghetti.

  “Why? Because you're eating cold spaghetti?” Ramon remarked.

  “It's delicious,” she complimented. “Really.” And it was. The flavors in the red sauce were a delicious combination of spice and sweetness. “Did this come out of a jar? The sauce, I mean.”

  “No. It's a family recipe.”

  “Your family recipe?” she echoed, halting her chewing.

  He chuckled and put down his fork. Clasping his hands together, he leaned forward on his elbows. “Maybe I should have just come over and cooked for you,” he said, smiling.

  His smile was disarming and for an instant Lorna forgot the sexual situation they almost had on the bed. For a few seconds she just stared at him, unable to look away. His face was angular, set off by dark brows and midnight-black eyes. He had a small cleft in his chin, which only served to enhance the tiny dimple in his left cheek. And those full lips—

  “What are you doing in a profession like this?” she blurted out, then slapped one hand across her mouth. “I'm sorry,” she mumbled. “I didn't mean to make my thoughts known.”

  “You're not the first person to ask that question,” he said. He picked up a glass of red wine and took a sip. “I'm retiring,” he announced. “You're my last client.”

  Lorna blinked her eyes at him. “Because of me?” Holy crap! “It wasn't your fault that I couldn't have sex with you, Ramon. It's that damn—”

  “Lorna. It's not because of you.”

  She let out a relieved sigh. “Well, thank God! For a second, I thought I'd managed to put you out of business. You know—given you an inferiority complex or something.”

  He leaned back in his chair and stared at her, chuckling. “Would you like a glass of wine?”

  She nodded and he rose to get the wine. She watched him cross the room to the fridge, noting that he had dressed in jeans and t-shirt while she had been in the bathroom. She pulled in a deep breath. He looked every bit as good in the tight jeans as he had in the spandex shorts he wore when he arrived at the house. Curiosity suddenly mounted inside her.

  “Could we start over?” she inquired, her gaze latching onto his face as he turned from the fridge. It was then she spied the birthday cake he held. “You brought me a cake?” she yelped, almost jumping out of her chair.

  “It's your birthday, isn't it?” he replied, before laughing. He returned to the table and set the cake down, then went to get serving plates.

  “Happy birthday, Lorna,” she read, admiring the pink lettering arched across the small chocolate cake. “Did you bake the cake, too?”

  “No,” he replied, then laughed.

  Ramon returned to the table and cut two pieces of cake, then slid into his chair and gazed across the table at her. “Since you're the last woman I'll ever service in the male stud capacity,” he began, one corner of his mouth pulling upward in a teasing smile, “I think I deserve an explanation about what happened in your bedroom.”

  Lorna grimaced and put down her fork. “It wasn't anything you did...or didn't do.” She felt heat rise to her cheeks. To think at the last moment she had actually stopped him from having sex with her... “It's something personal.”

  He nodded at her and took a bite of birthday cake. “You have hang-ups about sex.”

  His words surprised her. “No,” she defended. She picked up her glass of wine—amused somewhat that she was eating chocolate cake and washing it down with Merlot. “It was nothing to do with sex.”

  He ran his hand through his hair, as though suddenly frustrated. “Then tell me why we didn't have sex.”

  Lorna leveled her gaze on him. “Are you afraid you won't get paid?”

  “I've already gotten paid. I'm curious.”

  “You've been paid already?” she questioned, her brows drawing together in a frown. “Who in hell gets paid before the job gets done?”

  He chuckled at her. “I do. I always get paid in advance.” He stared across the table at her, his mouth slanted in a smile. “Why don't you tell me what's really bugging you?” he insisted.

  Lorna leaned back in her chair and heaved a big sigh. “I'm sorry.” She felt tears threaten the back of her eyes. The situation of Mary's death and the recurring dreams were making her crazy. “I shouldn't have said what I did.” She got up from the table and strode to the deck. Sliding the glass doors open, she pulled in a refreshing breath of nighttime air. The ocean hissed softly as it lapped against the beach.

  “Your friend said you had been under a terrible strain.”

  Ramon's voice sounded very near and suddenly his hands were on her shoulders, kneading her taut muscles with gentle strokes as he urged her body to lean backward into the long, lean length of his own.

  The darkness seemed to engulf them, hid the tears staining Lorna's cheeks and for the first time in what seemed like ages, gave her permission to let down her guard.

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  Chapter 6

  He was a stranger—rented for the night. A feeling of noncompliance took root inside her. She could speak, tell him her words, and no one would be the wiser. The darkness would conceal her identity from curious eyes. And then, come morning, all would be forgotten because he would be gone. She'd never see him again.

  “I had a car wreck—an accident—last winter,” she began, her eyes closing to prevent herself from crying again. “My best friend in the whole world was killed.”

  Ramon kneaded her shoulders, his thumbs working along her backbone, coaxing the tightness from her muscles. His warmth penetrated her shorts and t-shirt and was heating her back quite nicely.

  “I keep thinking about it. I have nightmares when I sleep. It's interfering with my ability to
concentrate at work.”

  Ramon laid his chin on the top of Lorna's head as he brought his arms around to curl across her chest, settling her body more closely to his own.

  “I worry all the time that there must have been something more I should have done...I just didn't think of it at the time.” Her throat was on the verge of choking up. She tried to swallow down the lump, to no avail. A muffled sob broke through.

  Ramon's arms tightened about her shoulders. “It was an accident, Lorna. You're not to blame.”

  “I shouldn't have been driving so fast.”

  “You were speeding?”

  “No. But I must have been going too fast for road conditions. It was storming and visibility was poor.”

  “Stop beating yourself up,” he insisted. He slid his hands along her waist, lowered to her hips, and then pulled her buttocks back against his crotch.

  The unmistakable firmness of his erection pushed against her butt, sending a surge of wanton need rippling through her insides.

  He turned her in his arms suddenly and the next thing Lorna knew, she was tipping her head for his kiss. His hands grasped her buttocks, pressing her belly tightly against his erection as his mouth greedily devoured her lips.

  Lorna released a hungry moan and wound her arms around his neck. The taste of his tongue melding with hers and the feel of his big body pressed so tightly to her own, sent her mind spinning out of control.

  Ramon snaked one hand up Lorna's back and delved his fingers beneath the hem of her t-shirt. His fingers massaged her spine, inching along the tiny vertebra to her shoulder blades. It was obvious when he discovered she wasn't wearing a bra. A guttural moan escaped his throat as he gave her shirt a quick yank over her head, freeing her upper body for his eager hands.

  His palms covered her breasts, warm and exploring as Lorna tried to make sense of it all. Don't think. Go with the feeling. Live for the moment.

  She pulled her hands from Ramon's neck. With trembling fingers, she released the button on his jeans. At once his fingers tangled with hers as he opened his fly and shoved the denim material down the length of his legs. In a moment he was undressed, clasping the waistband of Lorna's shorts in eager hands, ready to push them off her hips.