Sin for Love Read online

“Tessa”

  The entire ride to the airport I was a bundle of nerves. I had never been on a plane before and had no idea what to expect. It wasn’t so much that I was scared of flying, but once again, I found myself buzzing with questions. What if I do the security line wrong? I’ve heard friends talking about how they were frustrated when people didn’t know how to do the line. Does it come with instructions or a manual? What if I get motion sickness and have to use one of those little tiny bags that I’ve seen in movies? I’ve puked before, you know. TV, you aren’t fooling me. There is no way in hell that tiny bag will hold all the room service that I put away for breakfast! Oh, those yellow things that fall down from the ceiling! I don’t know how to use those!

  Reese must have mistaken my fidgeting for being scared of planes. I never said that I was scared of them, just that I’d never flown before. With concern in his eyes, he said, “Don’t worry, Tessa. Planes are very safe. We are more likely to die in a car crash than on a plane.” His rationalization for why planes were safe made me laugh and lightened me up a bit.

  We almost made it through airport security without incident, and then the conveyer belt stopped and backed up until my bag was back under the screen. Then the lady watching the screen called her supervisor over and they whispered to each other for a few moments while pointing to the screen. The supervisor picked my bag up and very seriously asked me to accompany it over to a screening table, where he proceeded to unzip the bag.

  As soon as he had it open, I saw what they must have seen on the screen. Right on top of my clothes sat BOB. I will never forget the look on the supervisor’s face when he realized the only weapon I was packing was one that aimed to please.

  Reese had purchased first-class tickets so we got to board the plane before the crowd, and he helped me get my bag up into the overhead compartment. Then he had to buckle my seatbelt for me because I had the damn clasp part turned around. Right when I turned to question Reese about why he’d bought first-class tickets, the flight attendant stopped by our row and interrupted my question by handing me a flute of champagne. It was only eight in the morning but I wasn’t about to say no. I mean, this was first class and she didn’t ask for my order, just brought it to me, so they must have expected me to drink it.

  Thirty minutes and three champagnes later, I was really liking this whole flying thing. Takeoff had been amazing. It had given me butterflies so strong that they’d ended up making my clit tingle like when I was a teenager riding the roller coaster at the carnival. That had the only good thing about the carnival that year. I had to remind myself to focus on the good and not think about the bad. It was too painful. Missing her was too painful.

  Needing something to quickly take my mind off of that horrible night, I turned to Reese and said, “You never told me where you live.”

  “I have a place in Mission Beach. I’m not really there much because I spend most of my time at the shop. It sits right across the street from the beach.”

  “We’re going to the ocean?” I asked with my jaw dropped. “I’ve never seen the ocean.”

  “Baby, you will be able to see the ocean before you step out of bed in the morning,” Reese said as he raised my hand to his lips and kissed it.

  Okay, I had now decided that, while airplane takeoffs were amazing, landings…not so much. When we touched down, it felt like we bounced all over the place, and the way the nose of the plane dipped when we slowed down made me sure we were going to flip over. I had a death grip on Reese’s hand and had to apologize for the half-moon nail marks in his skin after the plane had turned and headed for the gate. Reese shook his head and laughed when he was pulling my bag down from the overhead compartment, no doubt remembering the concern that the TSA had had over the weapon I was packing.

  When we walked out to the pickup area, I was immediately met with the salty smell of the ocean that refreshed my senses. Reese took my bag and led me toward a man who was dressed in a suit with one of those funny-looking driver hats and leather gloves. He was holding a sign that read Mr. Nichols. I realized at that moment that I had never asked Reese what his last name was, and I wondered what it said about me that I would spend this much time with a man I really don’t know anything about.

  Before I could question it any further, Reese was handing my bag off to the man in the funny hat and helping me into the black limo. Once Reese slipped inside to sit next to me on the seat, he laid his head back, closed his eyes, took in a deep breath, and said, “It’s good to be home.” A few minutes passed before Reese opened his eyes, rolled down the windows on both sides of the limo, and said, “You’re going to want to see this.”

  He was right. As soon as I looked outside, we were starting to cross a bridge. There was crystal blue water on each side, and the beach was lined with real fucking palm trees that were so tall it was as if they stretched up forever.

  After driving a few more blocks on the road that followed the beach, we stopped and the driver opened the door of the limo. When I stepped out, I stood facing the ocean. The sky was so clear and such a light blue that there was a hard contrasting line where it kissed the dark blue ocean on the horizon. I could see so far out across the water that I could actually see the curve of the earth.

  See? It really is round! I exclaimed silently.

  I could hear seagulls squawking in the distance as they fought over treats that had been left behind in the sand and the gentle sound of waves crashing on the beach.

  My quiet observance of the majestic ocean was interrupted when Reese touched my elbow. “Let’s go inside. We’ll come out and walk on the beach later and you can put your toes in the ocean if you want to.”

  I turned to follow Reese, expecting him to move toward the modest beachside condominium building that was to our right, but I stopped dead in my tracks when he opened the gate that led to the monstrous house that stood tall on the corner.

  “This is where you live? Do you have a bunch of roommates or something?” I asked, causing Reese to stop and turn back toward me.

  He looked back at the house and said, “Nope, it’s just me. I like my space, and it had the garage I needed. Why? Don’t you like it?”

  “I just wasn’t prepared for it to be so…” I hesitated, trying to find the right word. “So big.”

  “I think that makes two things that you didn’t expect to be so big,” he said with a grin.

  Two could play at this game. I popped my hip out, put my hand on it, and said with as much attitude as I could muster, “Yeah, well, don’t go getting a big head about it, buddy. Are you going to show me around your big house or not?”

  As we entered the house, the first thing I noticed was that it had the most amazing curved glass windows that provided a panoramic view of the ocean. I dropped my purse on the coffee table and walked past the half-circle couch to stand in front of the windows that stretched from floor to ceiling. I’d thought the windows in my apartment were the best I’d ever seen. I’d been wrong.

  The sound of Reese’s voice broke me from my awe. “The windows in the master bedroom upstairs are the same, but you get a better view.” I jumped with joy and ran up the stairs as fast as I could.

  Reese was right. From up here, I could see the entire ocean. I could get used to this. Shut up, Tessa. Don’t do that to yourself. Just enjoy the few days that you spend here and pretend that you are in a hotel. You can’t keep this. Remembering that this was only temporary sobered me up a bit. I didn’t want to admit that the thought also made me a bit sad.

  I looked up to see that there were no treatments on the windows and turned to give Reese a questioning look with my eyebrow raised. “Oh, special glass. You can see out but not in. Even at night when it is dark outside and the lights are on in here.” That was all I needed to hear before I ran towards him, jumped, wrapped my arms and legs around him, and began kissing his amazing lips.

  We were lying in his king-sized bed recovering from our midday romp when Reese said, “Ready to see the rest of the hou
se now? If you tackle me in every room, this could take a while, so we might want to get a move on.”

  I smacked his arm and got up to put my pants back on. We moved around the house, and I learned that it had four bedrooms, six baths, and a kitchen that would make Paula Deen’s panties wet. When Reese led me up another staircase to the roof, I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. Up here, above the street, higher than the surrounding buildings, was a private dreamland that spread across the entire roof. Reese said that we needed to go to dinner soon, so we didn’t have time to linger, but he promised we would come back and he’d show me how the firepit worked.

  “Reese”

  Tessa’s reaction to my home wasn’t like anything I had expected. I could see the awe in her that I’d first felt when I found this place a few years ago. I had just cashed out a lot of stock that had skyrocketed and needed something to the put the money into. I had also been outgrowing the personal space that I kept for myself at the shop and needed somewhere to put my projects. I had almost given up on finding anything, and I hadn’t been about to settle, considering the amount of money I had been prepared to spend when I got an early morning call from my real estate agent telling me that a new place was going to be put on the market and that she could get me in to see it before the listing went public. It had a five-car garage, so that had taken care of one of my requirements, but it hadn’t been until I’d stepped onto the roof that I’d known I had to have it.

  That Tessa was as overwhelmed with it as I had been when I first saw it made me feel like I was on the right track. And I hadn’t felt that way in a long time. But I couldn’t get my hopes up too high. We still had a long way to go. I knew I’d feel better once tonight was over. Either I’d have the next two days to just enjoy Tessa or we’d be headed back to the airport sooner than originally planned.

  We had just finished dinner at an Italian restaurant that provided family-style dining where you ordered dishes to share. I’d ordered about eight dishes too many, saying that I just wanted a little bit of each one. Some of them I hadn’t even touched. Tessa simply shook her head, asked the server to box up all of the leftovers, and then asked for directions to the nearest women’s shelter.

  There it was. The reaction I had been waiting for. I knew right then that empty displays of excess wouldn’t sway Tessa. She lived in a world filled with booze, sex, and money, yet she remained untouched by the greed of it all. I hated putting her through these trials, but it had to be done. It was the only way I would know for certain.

  I figured she had earned herself some of her beloved Tequila-O’s, so we climbed into a cab and headed to La Bête in downtown San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter. Tessa was stunning in a short yellow dress that only went up over one shoulder and hugged her amazing ass and black high heels with a strap around the ankle that made me want to fall to my knees.

  “I’ve heard La Bête is amazing. They won the Best Nightclub Award this year,” Tessa said when I told the cabbie where we were headed.

  “I think they are going on the fifth year in a row for that one. I went to college with the owner, Marcus Beaumont. I think he is in town this week, so we might run into him while we are there. It’ll be great to see him. It has been a while,” I said.

  We pulled up to the club at around eleven and the line was already wrapped around the block. After we stepped out of the cab, Tessa looked from her feet to the long line and frowned down at her feet before she said, “I’m sure glad I wore my comfortable shoes tonight.”

  I let out a chuckle, grabbed her hand, and led her to the front of the line where Bruno—I swear that was the name his parents had given him—was standing with his clipboard. The guy was built like a tank, and I was pretty sure that his shirt was in pain from having to stretch around his huge arms.

  He looked up just in time to see us approach. “Well well, if it isn’t Reese Nichols!” he laughed. “Where the fuck have you been, man? We haven’t seen you in months!” he said while giving me a manly half hug.

  I pulled Tessa up next to me to introduce her. “Bruno, this is Tessa. Tessa, this asshole is Bruno.” She reached out her hand to shake his, but he pulled her into a tight hug instead. That’s right—big bad Bruno was a hugger.

  When he released her and both of her feet were safely back on the ground, Tessa said, “Nice to meet you, Bruno. You have big muscles.” Her hand went up to cover her mouth as Bruno and I looked at each other and then both doubled over laughing. She slapped my arm. “Shut up! They are big!”

  When Bruno and I had composed ourselves, he gave us each one last hug and opened the rope to allow us access into the club. Marcus sure knew what he was doing. As soon as we walked through the door, our senses were taken over. The club was dark with macabre lights flashing every few seconds, and the haunting voice of Marilyn Manson’s Sweet Dreams was being piped through the speakers. When we got to the balcony overlooking the main dance floor, we looked down to a sea of black leather, chains, and sweat-slicked body parts. The bodies crash into each other like waves in the middle of a dark storm.

  I looked back up to see Tessa standing next to me. Her bright yellow dress a stark contrast against the darkness of the club, she lit up the room like a lighthouse calling fishermen safely home. Knowing that there was plenty of time for us to make our way to the dance floor, I led her around the balcony to the bar, where I was happy to see Marcus serving up drinks.

  “Hey, Tessa. See that guy tending bar? That’s Marcus, one of my oldest friends. Do me a favor and order your favorite drink,” I said with a wink.

  Her lips curled up into a playful smile as she walked up to an open spot at the bar a few feet away from Marcus with me standing right behind her. She slammed her hand down as hard as she could while yelling, “I want a Tequila-O!”

  Marcus’s head whipped around so fast that I thought he was going to break his neck, and Tessa burst out laughing. I stepped up to the bar, and when Marcus saw me, I said, “Well you heard the lady. Don’t just stand there with your mouth open. Give her what she wants.”

  When Marcus had recovered from Tessa’s outrageous demand, he grabbed a bottle of Patron from the shelf and walked over to us.

  Tessa caught his hand before he could pour the expensive tequila into the glass. “Um, do you have Jose? I like my Tequila-O’s down and dirty.”

  Marcus smiled a big grin, put the Patron out of the way, and poured her the perfect double of Jose with salt on the rim and a lime on the side. She took the shot like a champ and slipped the lime in her mouth while letting her eyes close and her head fall back, enjoying the shudder coursing through her body. My cock stirred to life. Fuck, she was beautiful.

  While Tessa was working on the second shot Marcus had poured for her, he grabbed me for a hug above the bar. “Where the fuck you been, man?”

  “Out of town opening another shop up in the mountains. I had to pull Myles in to help me with this one because I couldn’t give it all the attention it needed,” I said while tipping my head toward Tessa, who seemed oblivious to our conversation, lost in her third Tequila-O.

  Marcus nodded. “Looks like you’ve got your hands full there. Nice to see you, man. Don’t be a stranger.” And with that, he was off to help the rest of the waiting customers piled up along the bar.

  “That was fun! Did you see his face when I slammed my hand down on the bar? Priceless!” Tessa laughed, her smile made my cock stir to life. Then she put her hand in my front pocket and gave it a little tug. “I want to dance.”

  She didn’t have to tell me twice. I took her hand and led her downstairs to the main dance floor, which was still covered in bodies. Rob Zombie was playing and I could hear the moaning of a woman’s pleasure on the track. Knowing that being on the outside wasn’t going to satisfy Tessa, I moved her in front of me so that I could keep a good hold on her hips while I pushed us into the middle of the crashing sea. When we had been swallowed by the crowd, Tessa turned around and wrapped her arms around my neck, her entire body lining up to m
ine like they were made to fit together.

  This was where most of my past relationships had ended before they had really even started. None of them made it much further past this point. There was something about Tessa that made her different, that made me think I’d finally found what I had been looking for. I closed my eyes and memorized the way her body felt against mine.

  We began moving to the music, and within minutes, a light sheen of sweat covered our bodies, our breathing had quickened, and our hearts were pounding. Tessa turned around and shoved her amazing ass into my hips, pressing up against my hardening erection. I wanted nothing more than to lift up her dress and claim her by pounding into her right here on the dance floor, not caring that we were surrounded by strangers. Watching her dance on stage had taken my breath away. When she had ground down on my cock in the private room with me unable to touch her, it had been sweet torture. But here, in this dark club, she was mine. I didn’t have to play by the rules or watch from the shadows.

  My hands moved from her hips up her lean body to curl around her breasts, her nipples hard beneath the thin material of her dress. Knowing what she needed, I kept my left hand just under her breast and moved my right one slowly down, traveling over her stomach. When my hand was just below her navel, I pulled her hard against me to make sure she knew exactly what she did to me and continued to move my hand down lower. Her head had fallen back against my shoulder and I could see that her eyes had closed.

  I put my lips to her ear and growled, “I’m going to touch you now. I’m going to feel you come.”

  With her trapped against me, I continued my path down her body until I reached the top of her short dress, slipping my fingers underneath until I found the wetness between her legs. The sexy gasp she let out was almost enough to make me come in my pants. Slipping my hand under the thin material of her barely there panties, I pinched her clit between my index and middle finger and began to rub slow circles. She arched her back and pressed herself against my hand until we found the pressure she needed.