HuxleyI’m convinced it’s going to be the longest ten days of my life, but in the end the time passes pretty quickly. We’re having some renovations carried out on two of the meeting rooms at the club, and we also close the restaurant for two days to have it completely repainted. Even though it’s an obvious loss in revenue, the result is stunning, a vast improvement on the original, and Victoria and I are really pleased with it.Despite the work going on, the club is busy. The available meeting rooms are mostly booked all day, the workrooms are bustling, the bars are packed in the evenings, and the calendar for functions is becoming nicely full. We get a great review on one of the top New Zealand business websites, and the biggest bank in the city contacts us to say they’re interested in using us for their international AGM in September, which would mean huge business for us.Although I’m cautious about jinxing it, I have to admit that the club has been successful, more than I’d hoped,
We put our bags in, get into our seats, and buckle ourselves in. Then we both pull on our headsets and adjust the microphones. I run through the safety procedures and standard checks, and then when we’re all ready, turn the helicopter on.Some people might find it strange that I don’t mind flying when I’m afraid of heights, but as long as I don’t look directly down, for some reason I’m absolutely fine, and I actually enjoy it. Titus, Mack, and I took helicopter flying lessons a couple of years ago, and I fly regularly enough that I’m comfortable doing it now. I open the throttle to increase the speed of the rotor, pull up on the collective, and depress the left foot pedal to counteract the torque as the pitch of the blades changes. When it gets light on its skids, I grip the cyclic and nudge the helicopter forward, and slowly we rise, head out over Waitemata Harbour, and fly east.“Are we going to Waiheke Island?” Elizabeth asks. I’d kept it a secret up until now.“Yep.”“Oh…” Her fac
She comes to stand beside me. “It’s a gorgeous place. Thank you so much for organizing it.”“My pleasure.” I turn and slip my arms around her waist. She rests her hands on my chest again, and she gives a little shiver. “Are you cold?” I ask.“No.”Aw. I kiss her forehead. Then her nose. Then, finally, her mouth.She sighs and lifts her face to me, and we exchange a slow, gentle kiss that sends a frisson running down my back. It would be so easy to turn and direct her back into the bedroom, strip off her clothes, and throw her straight onto the bed, but I don’t want to do that. Even though that’s why we’re here, and we’re not strictly on a date, I want to romance her a little.“Come on,” I say. “Let’s walk slowly down to the vineyard. We can have a drink before we eat.”She blows out what I think is a relieved breath. “Okay.”We lock up the villa and head out into the sunshine. The path leads around the buildings and then along the top of the ridge, with the Pacific sparkling to our le
ElizabethIn the flickering candlelight, Huxley’s eyes are filled with the buzz of adventure. He’s gorgeous when he’s like this—excited and full of energy, no doubt fueled by his self-styled ‘no-nut ten days’. The guy could light the whole of the island on his pent-up sexual energy.He looks young, handsome, and wealthy today in his smart-casual clothes. As always, he carries himself with an attractive insouciance and an inner confidence that gives me goosebumps.He must have shaved earlier today; his jaw is stubble-free and smooth. During the day, he usually wears a lighter aftershave, but he’s wearing his evening fragrance now—dark and sensual, with a mouthwatering touch of blackcurrant and a sensual undertone of jasmine and musk. It smells expensive and sexy.I have the sudden, irrational thought that he’s sprayed himself with pheromones. Maybe that’s his secret?The deck heater is warm, and he slips off his jacket and hangs it on the back of his chair. His shirt emphasizes his sho
I shake my head, and Huxley says, “No, I think we’re done with food. Maybe a whisky to finish?”“Of course.”“What’s the best you’ve got?”“We have a thirty-two-year-old Bowmore.” He names the price of a single shot.My eyebrows rise, but Huxley just nods. “Oh yeah, we’ll have two glasses of that, please. Doubles.”The waiter smiles. “Of course. Are you happy staying here, or would you like to come inside? There’s an open fire.”“That sounds great,” Huxley says, so we rise and go inside, over to the sofa in front of the log fire. He sits in the right-hand corner, and I sit in the middle next to him. He puts his arm around me, pulling me right up to him, and I lean against him, tingling at the notion of being so close.Even though I’m still nervous, the wine has done its job. My joints feel loose, and my spine has relaxed. He’s right. I should just accept that we’re going to end up in bed together. There’s no point in fighting it. I can’t resist him, and I think he knows it.I give him
Is he saying that’s why he went with her? I wonder whether he broke it off, or if she left him to go back to her husband. I remember her introducing her husband at the table, and Huxley shaking hands with him. That must have been hard. “Did she break your heart?” I ask softly.He gives a rueful smile. “No. You’re the only one who’s ever done that.”My eyebrows rise. “What do you mean?”He looks into his glass and doesn’t reply.“Do you mean when we were nineteen?” I ask.He stretches out his legs, sliding down on the sofa a little. “Six months after Joanna was born, when I asked you out and you said no, I went around Victoria’s apartment, and I was so angry I swung one of her golf clubs at a tree and bent it.”“Really?”“It was a 5-iron, I think. Maybe a 4-iron. Anyway, she called Mack and Titus, and they brought a bottle of Laphroaig around and sat there while I drank a third of it and then passed out on the sofa. Victoria said I snored so hard her flat-mate thought there was a pneum
ElizabethHuxley wasn’t joking when he said he likes kissing. His mouth barely leaves mine as he gradually walks me backward through the living room and out onto the deck.When he does finally lift his head, it’s to look out at the view, where he stops for a second and stares. I follow his head and inhale at the sight of the stars popping out on the dark velvet sky. There’s little light pollution here, with Auckland behind us, and the celestial sphere is reflected on the vast expanse of the Pacific, making it look like an endless diamond-scattered carpet. The moon is half-full to the west, and with the stars provides more than enough light to see by.“Normally I’m not a lights-out kind of guy in the bedroom,” he says, “but I might make an exception tonight.” He looks back at me, cups my face in his hands, and strokes his thumbs across my cheeks. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”I’ve watched Huxley turn his charm—his inner light—on so many people over the years, but I’ve never been the f
I’m breathless with how quickly I’ve been maneuvered. I prop myself up on my hands and look down into his gorgeous gray eyes that have almost been taken over by his huge pupils.“You know that gigolo training you said you had…”He laughs, slides a hand to the back of my head, and kisses me.Ohhh… the delight of having his arms around me, his fingers brushing over my skin, his hot mouth claiming mine. He’s so laid back normally, so relaxed and mellow, even when he’s busy—he’s like the embers of a fire, eternally warm and comfortable. And so I hadn’t expected this fierce heat, like a blow torch singeing me from top to toe.Despite his obvious desire, he takes his time to kiss me, his tongue playing with mine, his hands roving slowly over my skin, fingers trailing from my shoulders down my back to my bottom, then stroking up my sides. Mmm… it’s wonderful, but I want to explore him, too.I push myself up to a sitting position astride him, and he watches me as I skim my hands down over the