Story Notes:
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
“I don’t want to hear it, Todd.”
The words rolled off Evangeline’s tongue too easily for his liking. He gazed at her from the bedroom doorway, his body stiff against the frame. She was shoving her arm into a charcoal colored suit jacket as she haphazardly stepped into her 3-inch business heels. He noticed her form-fitting dark mid knee-length dress got even shorter as she bent down to retrieve her purse from the foot of the bed. The simple motion made her wince. Her muscles were still tender from the workout she had last night.
With Todd Manning.
“I don’t want you to go. Not yet. I went and brought us breakfast.”
Finger combing her hair, her eyes darted to his. “What did you do that for?”
He shrugged. “You have to eat.”
“I’ll pass.” Where the hell were her panty hose?
Todd watched her continue to search the room for her missing tights. He saw them peeking from under one of the pillows that had been launched from the bed during their second round of erotic satisfaction. He didn’t bother to tell her though. She could hunt and while she did, he hoped she would stumble upon her warm demeanor and effervescent attitude. Because she seemed to have misplaced those as well this morning.
“Fine. I’ll be downstairs.”
Once she felt his presence gone, Evangeline let out the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. When she awoke ten minutes ago, entangled in silver Egyptian cotton, she felt cold…barren, because he wasn’t there. But on her body, he was. From her bruised, swollen lips to her tight, worked inner thighs, Todd Manning was stamped on her entire person. And that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing.
If she wasn’t with Cristian Vega.
And he wasn’t trying to reconcile with Blair Cramer.
But they were. And in the midst of making their relationships work, something…happened. She grew tired of placating the insecurities of an inactive painter and he grew tired of making a square relationship fit into a round hole. So she would call him and he would call her, each encouraging the other to not give up and to endure. And they did.
Until last night.
Evangeline had to work late and after receiving a belligerent phone call from Cristian about their ruined dinner plans, she hung up on him and proceeded to review the deposition on her latest case. Across town, Todd ordered Blair to put her red teddy back on after a very elaborate striptease. She clearly did not understand the meaning of “taking things slow”. And in anger (and embarrassment), she took Jack and Starr over to Dorian’s for the night. Or maybe three. How long does it usually take for Blair to get her “dignity” back?
After she was done taking notes on the night in question, Evangeline didn’t feel like going home. It was nearing 10pm and the last thing she wanted to think about was her impending argument with her boyfriend. But as soon as she slid into her White Range Rover, her cell phone rang. The familiar name flashed across the face plate and she immediately answered, not sure if her shaking was due to excitement or apprehension. He wanted to see her and apologized if he was interrupting something. She told him he wasn’t and that she was on her way. It had been two weeks since they were face to face anyways. She needed to lay eyes on one of her friends. And he needed his best friend. So when Evangeline finally walked through the penthouse door, it seemed all was right in Todd’s world.
Until…
Hours of talking and three beers each later, the floodgates opened. Todd didn’t know how much more he could take of pretending and Evangeline didn’t understand how one man could be so unsure of himself. But after trading jabs about each other’s partners, Todd suggested swapping.
“Maybe Blair could give Cris some of her self-esteem. She’s convinced every man wants her.” Todd joked.
“She has enough confidence for herself and half the free world. I’m sure that would do Cristian some good.” Evangeline giggled.
“They’d be perfect for each other.”
“Two polar opposites…that just need to attract.”
They laughed…until the realization of their indirect conversation hit them. Silence hung in the air. A pregnant pause between the clink of a beer bottle and a table and the swish of suede couch fabric. A pale manicured finger tipped her mahogany chin up to make her brown eyes meet with his blue irises.
“What will it take for us to attract?”
His whisper caused her corneas to dip to his plush lips and back up again. And that was the only sign he needed. One kiss led to another…which was followed by fervor of suppressed sexual hunger that neither knew they had. Their union began on the desk downstairs. It was quick, fast, and swift, as if something would wrench them apart before their luscious release. But nothing did. The world was in tact and they were still in each other’s arms. Then came their second copulation. They were in his bedroom now, he had carried her there, and this time things were taken painfully slow. Languid, meticulous, and deliberate. As if they wanted to memorize every inch of each other in case something like this were to never happen again. But it did happen again. And again. And again. All the while, no words were spoken. Sighs, pants, and gasps took over for expression. Long, smoldering looks and electric touches were full conversations.
And not once did they think about the significant others in their lives. For tonight, it was just them. And no one else.
But now, it was the morning after.
And realities…and consequences needed to be faced.
Finally seeing her panty hose, Evangeline grabbed them and put them in her purse. She hadn’t meant to be standoffish but it was the only way. Given the chance, Todd could have busted his way into her world. Hell, he already did…
From the front, the back, on his side…
They couldn’t let another night like that happen again. And it wouldn’t…if they were logical and safe about this. But nothing about Todd Manning was logical or safe. Closing her eyes, Evangeline collected herself and left the bedroom.
As she drifted down the stairs, delicious aromas assailed her nostrils. Warm cinnamon from plump dough, fresh sweetness from juicy produce, and brewed vanilla from hot dark liquid wafted through the luxury domicile. The smells cast a hypnotic spell on her senses and once she came to, Evangeline was in the kitchen. An island separated them from each other as Todd sliced into bright, red flesh.
“What are you chopping up?”
“Watermelon.”
“I love watermelon.”
“I know.”
She couldn’t leave like this. They were friends. They needed to remain that way and something told her if she left right now, they wouldn’t.
“Todd, last night can’t even happen again.”
“Are you gonna tell him?”
“Are you gonna tell her?”
“I asked you first.”
When she didn’t reply, Todd looked up and saw the tears forming in her eyes. Good. He had already cried on the way to the bakery this morning. But not for himself, for her. From their first kiss, he was ready to call it quits with Blair to be with her. But he would be kidding himself if he really thought that was the beginning. Last night was long overdue. And she succumbed because she knew it too. A part of him wished that Blair would have walked in on them, mid-thrust. By now, everyone in the Western Hemisphere would know they had slept together and Blair would be the victim, just how she liked it. Todd could have handled it. Evangeline probably couldn’t but he would have been by her side to help her. But it didn’t happen that way. And for all her moral grace, Evangeline would keep this under wraps so as to not hurt that low budget Rocky. And that didn’t sit well with him.
“You know I can’t do that, Todd. It would hurt him too much.”
“Him. What about me?”
“I would never do anything to hurt you.”
“You’re hurting me now.”
To his surprise and pleasure, that made her cry even more. Her hand shot out to grab onto the island and her fingers covered her eyes. Her loyalties clearly lay with him no matter how hard her brain tried to tell her different. She just needed to see that.
“Come here. Have something to eat.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Sure you are. You had to have worked up an appetite with all the things we did hours ago.”
“Todd…”
He was enjoying this too much. And he was breaking her heart and making her laugh in the same breath. It was unbelievable the emotions he arose in her. With Cristian, things were either this way or that, one extreme or another. With Todd, it was a rollercoaster ride. And with each climb, she never knew what was waiting at the end of the drop. That unpredictability terrified her. And she didn’t think she would ever be able to overcome that fear.
“Todd, I’m going to leave now and I have to know that things are okay between us before I walk out that door.”
“You and I both know that nothing will be okay unless you stay with me.”
“Why are you making this so difficult?”
“It doesn’t have to be.”
This time only one tear drifted from her eye. His finger itched to brush it away but he kept his hands at his sides. The ball was in her court now. She knew where he stood. So while she thought, he popped a slice of watermelon into his mouth.
Perhaps she needed a little persuading.
Deep in her reverie, her downcast eyes rose up and connected with his. Never breaking contact, he lifted his fingers and offered the fruit to her.
“Eat.”
She didn’t move. She stayed rooted to her place but her body wavered. Her heels did a shuffle against the tile as she leaned on the wooden partition. She couldn’t take her eyes from him.
“I know you’ve hungry.”
Boy, was she. For the fruit, a meal, him, and so much more. But to his shock, she turned away. Her hands flew to her eyes to wipe away her tears. And then, she laughed. She couldn’t walk away from him even if she tried. Turning around, she bore her gaze back into his. The delectable manta still hung in his fingers as juices cascaded down his hand. Chewing on her lower lip, Evangeline made a slow waltz to stand directly in front of Todd. She knew this man could satiate her longing while creating a desire for him that she was sure to be a slave of for years to come.
Holding his fist, her mouth carefully bit the ambrosia. The delightful substance meshed with her teeth and tongue and Todd watched every movement. Taking another piece from the plate, he fed it to her, outlining her lips with the intoxicating morsel. She grabbed his arm with both hands this time and inhaled the delicacy from his hand, licking each finger in the process. Causing his yearning to stir, Todd plucked one more indulgence from the platter and decided he was ravenous as well…for her. In one quick move, he pulled Evangeline fully against him. A hand splayed on her spine, his nose inches from her, he painted a savory trail down her skin. A succulent, sticky potion on her lips, over her chin, down her neck, and in between her breasts. Once done, his lips followed the journey, eliciting a barrage of moans from her throat. As he sipped the nectar from her body, she clung to him, feeling every muscle in him clinch from her soft sounds.
The reverberations coming from her drove him to pure insanity. Like a wild man, Todd quickly scooped Evangeline from the ground and sat her atop the island. Gripping her face, he drank kiss after kiss from her mouth. His hands freely roamed her body, touching every part of her. As he bit her lips, she gasped and immediately wrapped her legs around his waist. He leaned her back and swiftly slid her panties from her bottom. She went to kiss him again but he pulled away. They stared at each other and the only thing that could be heard was their frantic breathing.
“You can’t go back to him.”
“You can’t go back to her.”
“As soon as I saw you walk through that door last night, I wasn’t planning to.”
“As soon as I heard your voice, this was the only place I wanted to be.”
Her last words hovered in his mind and he leaned his forehead against hers. She ran her hands up and down his back until his lips fused with hers again. They kissed until they couldn’t breathe, thinking about the hearts they had to break and the ones that were finally mended now that they were together. As their bodies became one, they held each other and gasped at how comfortable each felt. Her warm wetness sheathed his thick masculinity and both thought they could stay in this position as long as time would permit. They admired each other, stroke for stroke, and when their ardor took over; they entwined their shaky limbs and basked in the ecstasy they created.
Kissing her forehead, Todd gathered her close as he ran his neat fingers through her hair. Evangeline laid her head on his shoulder and laced her arms around his middle.
They deceived others last night but for the first time in their relationship, they were actually honest with themselves.
It would be brutal, hurtful, and distasteful once all was revealed but neither would have it any other way to sustain dulcet bliss like this.
~/~ The End ~/~