Page 11 of Pursued by the Player

Chapter 4

That night, Mel lay awake in her bed, unable to sleep, her head too full with thoughts of the absolutely crazy day she had. The adrenaline had worn off and the reality that she was lucky to be alive settled in. And all because she was desperate to get away from a sinfully handsome man in an elevator. Maybe she needed to reevaluate her priorities -- had Marc left her heart so damaged that she was willing to risk her life to get away from a prospective date? She hadn’t realized quite the impact his betrayal had had on her until that moment. Sure, the guy was laying it on thick and a little persistent, but was that anything to run into oncoming traffic for? Get it together, Mel.

And then there was her mystery man, he was a different person when she came to in his arms, face filled with concern. Genuine concern for her. She still couldn’t believe she fucked him in the back of his limo – that so was unlike her – but despite her head telling her she should, she didn’t regret it. She started to think about the way he felt inside of her, making her feel so alive after her near death experience…

She let her hands start to trail over her body as she thought about the way he made her feel. Running her hand down her torso, she slipped her delicate fingers, so unlike his rough, strong ones, under the hem of her pajama shorts, rubbing them over her mound until she slid one finger in between her slick folds. Finding her clit, she started to rub circles over the sensitive nub as she ran her other hand up under her shirt, massaging her breast and rolling her nipple between her fingers. Her heart rate started to quicken as she closed her eyes, imagining the hands on her body belonged to the beautiful man with the piercing blue eyes…except her touch was too gentle to be his. Remembering the way her skin lit on fire when he scraped his teeth over her neck, her breast, she pinched down hard on the nipple between her fingers as she added pressure to her clit, switching between rubbing hard circles and flicking it under her touch. But it still wasn’t enough. Sliding the hand between her legs down further, she slid a finger inside, then two, crooking them to reach the ball of nerves that she knew would send her over the edge. Head tossed back, she continued to pinch and roll her nipples between her fingers, giving a jolt of pain with her pleasure as she moved her fingers in and out, faster and faster, curling them inside to rub her most sensitive spot until her breath came in quick pants and her whole body tingled all over. Adding a third finger as she remembered how he slammed into her, hard, she pushed herself over the edge with thoughts of her mystery man floating through her head.

Body exhausted, she was finally able to slip into sleep, but her dreams were filled with limos, love bites, and pink sparkly shoes.

* * *

"What's going on?" Liv asked the next day when Mel finally arrived at the coffee shop on the first floor of the Black Tower building.

"I don't even know where to begin.” Mel motioned for her to wait a second while she ordered her smoothie.

"Begin with what happened yesterday,” Liv said as Mel slid into her chair. “You sounded upset on the phone."

"I was upset." She took a sip of her purple coconut-berry fusion. "Did you read the papers?"

Liv shook her head. "Sorry. I've been busy. The deadline for my column was this morning. I'm only just now coming up for air." She stirred the straw in her thick, green concoction and considered Mel for a moment before continuing. "That was why I couldn't talk to you last night."

"I totally understand." And Mel did understand. While she might not have writing deadlines, the fashion industry was difficult, with its own sets of rules and deadlines.

"So, what happened?"

"I almost got hit by a taxi."

"You what?" Liv's eyes widened as a few others in the cafe turned to stare.

"Shh, keep it down," Mel said. "I'm perfectly fine."

"How can you almost get hit?"

"I wasn't watching where I was going." Mel sighed and took another sip of her drink. "After I went to see you yesterday, I met this guy in the elevator, and he threw a bunch of really lame pickup lines at me."

Liv chuckled. "He should know better. Stuff like that doesn’t work on you."

"I know." She leaned back in her chair. "Anyway, he was persistent, even after I gave him the cold shoulder. He followed me out of the elevator."

"In a creepy stalker kind of way?"

Mel thought about that for a moment. "No, he wasn't all intense, or scary. I didn't feel as if my life was threatened or anything. He was just trying to get my phone number."

"Then why didn’t you tell him no?"

"I did."

"And he followed you?"

"He thought he could change my mind." Okay, this was sounding rather lame. "He was rather insistent that we follow up the conversation at some later point."

"Over dinner?"

"In his bed." Mel pressed her lips together, trying to hold back a laugh.

"I take it that he didn't succeed."

"No, no he didn't." Mel chuckled and poked her straw in her energy drink. "But in my . . . obsession with getting away from him, I ran out into the street and into oncoming traffic."

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