Page 55 of The High Price Of Loneliness

Gray looked over at Angelica, who was studying the fleet of other planes and the airport lights. “Ready to go, Kitten?” he said, holding his hand out for her.

Angelica looked thoughtfully at him with big innocent eyes and suggested, “Shouldn’t we be polite and wait?”

Edward looked quizzically at her and asked with a slight shrug of his shoulders, “For what?”

She smiled and, with a nod towards the back of the plane, and said, “For everyone else to get off first?”

Gray shook his head smiling and said, “Let’s roll.”

The Captain greeted Edward and Angelica personally as they exited the Gulfstream. As they descended the stairs from their jet, they saw their driver was waiting to greet them, holding a “Mr. Gray” sign on a backlit LED screen. Gray raised his hand only slightly to gesture the driver over, who promptly responded, rolling a luggage cart behind him.

Angelica looked back at the flight attendant who was still at the top of the jet ladder, waving goodbye. Angelica waved in return, and said to Edward, “The crew was so nice, and the entire flight was simply amazing! I see why you like flying private so much.”

Gray circled her waist with his arm comfortably, as they both were starting to grow accustomed to, and walked her to their next awaiting ride in a large black Suburban SUV. She liked the feel of his arm around her waist and the feeling of Edward keeping her safe and right by his side. She may not have grown accustomed to all the luxury and jet travel yet, but his arm around her waist felt safe like no home she had ever known.

It was no accident that the drive into Washington, D.C., was impressive, if not even intimidating. The scale and enormity of the buildings and monuments were designed by the early leaders of the young republic, newly separating with their independence from England, to represent a great power emerging. The entire metropolis of D.C. was designed and built at enormous expense to create the world’s most fantastic home court advantage, a strategy designed to impress world leaders visiting the newly minted America when negotiating trade deals and treaties. The empire capitol was all fancy stuff for a nation often living in simple log homes or squatting on lands that had never seen roads before. You might even call it the most fantastic game of “fake it until you make it” ever successfully pulled off on the global stage. So, Angelica’s wide-eyed gawking and pointing as they drove into town was not a testament to the charm of her slight naivety, but to the founders’ vision who designed this evening’s drive into Washington to amaze. And it was still working its magic.

Their driver, updating the two of them, said, “We are arriving at the Washington, D.C., Ritz Carlton, located less than a mile from the White House and famous Dupont Circle. Mr. Gray, will you be needing the car service any further this evening, sir?”

Edward looked over at his excited and wide-eyed Angelica, awake and percolating with newfound energy, and gazed down her body to her waiting hips and legs. Edward’s deep voice said calmly, “No, that will be all, but thank you for checking. We will be staying in this evening.”

As Gray’s hand slipped over onto Angelica’s inner thigh, she felt a knowing squeeze of what lay ahead. Instantly responding to Gray’s hand on the inner slope of her thigh, she placed both hands over his, briefly pressing him to linger then sliding them ever so slowly upward. Looking longingly into him, she opened her thighs ever so slightly then smiled and moved his hand away before they were discovered.

Just at that moment, the uniformed valet opened her door to greet them. “Welcome to the Ritz Carlton!”

Before they exited the SUV, Gray whispered in her ear, “You’re a tease.”

Feeling sure and full of herself for getting a rise out of the all-powerful Mr. Gray in the limo, she had that confident girl power smile as they walked into the opulent hotel lobby. She was already immune to all the glitz and glamour of Washington at the moment, as she looked straight ahead, feeling Edward’s gaze admiring her curvy, feminine frame. Doing her best Marilyn Monroe-style walk right through the hotel lobby, she turned heads left and right as they arrived, while not openly flirting with any other men. She did not want to have that misunderstanding ever again. She used her peripheral vision to see how many eyes admired what the fortunate Mr. Gray had his arm around. Perhaps this was her chance to restore the balance of power in their universe just a bit.

As Edward was busy with the front desk checking them in, a group of Japanese businessmen arrived at the check-in desk next to theirs. Angelica could feel their appreciative gaze looking her over from a distance. She had felt that heat many times before. Men were always looking at her at the grocery store or a restaurant or club when she was with friends. Men seemed to be poring over her, inch by inch, perhaps fantasizing about having their way with her. She waited until Edward had their room keys and all the luggage details were settled before making her move.

“Ready to go, Kitten?” said Edward, as she turned fully towards Gray, pressing into his chest, and glancing over her shoulder to the onlooking Japanese businessman. Catching him still staring at her, Angelica flashed a condescending smile for an instant, as she caught the interloper looking at her backside. Then, channeling her inner Marilyn, she turned to Edward, kissing him softly on his cheek and said, “In case I forget to tell you later, I had an amazing time tonight.”

Gray blushed for the first time she could remember. Then, clearing his throat as they walked to the lobby bar, he said, “Not that I don’t appreciate the attention of the most beautiful woman here, but may I ask what that was all about, dear?”

She wrapped his arm tightly around her waist as they walked across the marble lobby to the bar. Confiding in her man, she said, “Men look at me everywhere I go. It doesn’t matter the time of day or what I’m wearing. They just do, and it gets annoying. So here I was with my powerful man, and they were still doing it, and I wanted to make it clear that I belonged to Mr. Gray. And when I glared at the guy, so he knew he was busted for staring at my backside, he looked away like a coward.” She explained, “I would never have the courage to do that if I were alone or at home where we might run into them again. But here we are, out of town, and I feel so safe and secure with you that I finally had the courage to put a stop to it just once in my life.”

Edward looked at her with new eyes. He had never thought about what it must be like to have men ogling you or making uninvited comments everywhere you go. He thought about what she had shared before he asked, “How did it make you feel?”

Smiling brightly at him, she said, “Powerful. I hope you don’t mind?”

Shaking his head and laughing ever so slightly, Gray said, “No. Not at all, especially since we just arrived in Washington, arguably the global seat of power. And power belongs in the hands of those who can wield it. If not you, who?”

They entered the gorgeous and elegant bar filled with solid royal blue leather couches. The room looked majestic paneled in dark blue wood with ceilings that soared. Edward seated Angelica on one of the bar stools and stood next to her while they were promptly greeted by the attentive bartender. They watched as he mixed their craft cocktails with some style and flair. All the while, the growing sexual tension between Angelica and Edward continued taking its new twist.

Sensing Angelica was feeling her oats this evening, he leaned closer while waiting for their drinks and asked discreetly in her ear, with a sly smile, “Are you going to be a good girl and do what Mr. Gray tells you this evening?”

Glancing at him with a new seductive “I could tear you up maneater smile,” she leaned into his ear and inquired, “What if I don’t want to be a good girl tonight? What if I feel a little bratty?” She looked into his surprised gaze with her smile lingering. As her hand circled behind him to squeeze his muscular, toned ass, she leaned into his ear and with a sexy, sultry voice whispered, “Are you going to bend me over and just settle for punishing your submissive? Or are you going to take a chance on letting me rock your world for a change?”

Edward sat down at the barstool next to Angelica’s to conceal his sudden, rock-hard arousal. Surprised by his newly discovered vixen, he cleared his throat, but for a rare instance, he did not speak.

Sensing her opportunity, she pressed her advantage over him a bit further, leaning in again and asked, “What’s the matter, sir? Cat got your tongue?” Just as her hand slid up the leg of his trousers to find him fully engorged and aching hard, she gave an entire handful of his manhood a firm but playful squeeze. Right before their drinks arrived, she released him to turn nonchalantly back to the bar; perhaps a bold move in the 5-star hotel full of guests.

Edward, managing to smile, responded moderately, “Let me recover for just a minute or two, and we can continue this conversation upstairs.”

Angelica turned towards Gray, sitting sideways on her bar stool, and replied, “Oh? Do you want to cool down for a minute or two? What if it stays rock-hard all night, Edward? Don’t you want to see just a little peek of what’s inside these sexy panties you bought me? You paid for them. You might as well find out right here in the lobby bar. Want to bet if they are creamy-wet already or not?” Picking up his hand from the bar and drawing it towards her aching pleasure mound, she added, “Why not come feel for yourself.”

Edward allowed her to guide him all the way to her already moist panties for one brief stroke upward, but it was enough to feel her warmth and wetness before he pulled away. Edward said, still slightly startled by this newfound facet within Angelica, “I see you have discovered your inner ‘switch.’” He turned to his drink for a moment to gather his composure.

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