Fates Tied, page 5
Suzanne looked out over the crowds of well-dressed researchers. She smiled to herself as she realised how well things were going but then spotted the suited man at the top, hovering near the stage. Her smile turned into a frown as she realised that he was one of the speakers and he was waiting to talk to the guests who were showing no sign of taking their seats. She quickly gave a signal to one of the nearby hotel workers and watched as people began to hurry to their seats, clutching new glasses of wine. The chairs squeaked and rustled as people made themselves comfortable and the noise died down, broken only by the occasional cough or sniff. Suzanne grabbed an event leaflet and flicked to the itinerary, familiarising herself with the event’s timetable. Tiffany had done an amazing job.
Heels clicked on the stage as a tall, well-built man walked across the stage. He smiled at everyone as he took his place by the microphone.
“Is this thing on?” He said in to it. People tittered with amusement. “Ok good. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for attending our wonderful event. I am Christian Large, CEO of Genesis Research. It gives me great pleasure to be here tonight, talking to you all…”
Suzanne began to blank the introduction out. Instead she focused her attention on the order of the food and drinks courses, the table arrangements which she had had time to print out and the entire design of the room. She was satisfied that nothing else would go wrong tonight and the things that Tiffany had believed needed to be finalised had already been sorted. Suzanne realised that if Tiffany worked like this for all the events that she organised she could possibly be even better than her one day. She was pleased with the young woman, happy and overjoyed that she had put in so much work and done so well.
“And now I’d like to introduce our keynote speaker,” Christian was saying. Suzanne was barely paying any attention. “He is the man that has made all of this possible. Without him our work and our research would not be anywhere near the level it’s at. Ladies and gentlemen please give a big round of applause for Edward Connor.”
The room erupted into applause and one or two cheers.
Suzanne though jerked in shock, almost falling off her chair as she watched Edward stand from his seat and walk across to the stage, waving and smiling at the cheering crowd.
He was just as handsome as she remembered. She cursed herself for not paying more attention to the name of the company, who the event was being organised for. She knew that the name Christian had said in his introduction had rung a bell, something had niggled at her and told her that she knew it but she hadn’t put it together, having decided earlier that day to put all thoughts of Edward from her mind. Normally she would know the names of their clients, normally she paid attention even if she wasn’t directly involved. But she had wanted to show Tiffany that she trusted her and had tried to remain as far away from things as possible. It didn’t excuse it though and she knew that she should have known.
“Thank you Christian for that marvellous introduction,” Edward said, smiling at the other man. He turned back to the crowd and unclipped the microphone from its stand. “Ladies and gentlemen, just as Christian has said, thank you so much for being here tonight. It warms my heart to see so many brilliant minds gathered in the same room to listen to what I have to say.”
Suzanne barely heard the rest of what he said. She just stared at him in shock. She knew her mouth was hanging open and she knew that he had seen her.
The twinkle in his eye and the small dimples that appeared on his cheeks as his smile widened told her all that she needed to know.
He had put this event together to try to get closer to her even though she hadn’t been directly involved. He was going to enormous ends to get closer to her, trying harder than she would have imagined. As she watched him talking, pacing back and forth across the stage and using his hands to emphasise a point, she remembered why she had felt drawn to him in the first place. She knew as she watched the passion on his face and listened to the passion in his voice as he talked about his work that he was equally as passionate elsewhere.
Her heart pounded, her pulse raced and she found her mouth suddenly dry. She grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and downed the entire thing, putting the empty glass back on the tray of the shocked man. What was she going to do?
The event continued with more speakers from Genesis Research and further words from Edward.
She picked at her food and as soon as the plates were cleared from the table she made her way over to the bar. She knew that it was unprofessional to be drinking at an event that her agency had organised and that she was technically there to oversee but she needed the drink. She had managed to put thoughts of Edward from her mind for the most part and now here he was, almost larger than life and right in her face.
Edward smiled as he watched Suzanne hurry across the room. He had spotted her reaction as soon as his name had been said and he knew that she had had no idea what was going on. That was a good thing. He hadn’t asked for her specifically, nor had he continued to pester her even though he wanted to.
But they were in his territory now, surrounded by people that he knew and she was surprised and off balanced. He needed to talk to her, he realised as he watched her order another drink. He needed to explain how he felt and try to get her to talk to him again. He missed their conversations and he needed them back in his life.
He strode through the crowd, accepting handshakes and pats on the backs from people that spoke to him. Now and then one would stop him, trying to get a deeper conversation going and he would direct them over to Christian.
His focus was entirely on Suzanne and he saw the moment she spotted him heading in her direction. He quickly hurried over to her, looking down at her slightly out of breath.
“Hello Suzanne,” he said softly.
Suzanne only gawped at him, still in shock.
“Are you ok?” Edward asked, reaching out to place a gentle hand on her bare arm, worried about her lack of reaction.
Neither of them could hide the response to the feelings that that simple touch evoked in them both. It felt as though an electric current shot through them both from that point of contact, starting every nerve tingling and jolting with excitement as the current spread through their bodies. Edward looked at Suzanne, saw the surprise but more importantly the desire that was in her eyes. He licked his lips, saw her gaze follow the movement and swallowed.
“I wasn’t expecting you to come,” he said quietly, his voice dry and rasping. He swallowed his drink and ordered another. “I thought it would be that blond colleague of yours, Tiffany.”
“She… she…” Suzanne tried to say. She coughed, cleared her throat and took a large gulp of wine. “She had an emergency in her personal life and asked if I could fill in for her.”
“That’s not very professional,” Edward said with a frown, disapproval obvious in his voice.
“She’s usually very good about this sort of stuff,” Suzanne said defensively. “She never does this normally so I was happy to help her.”
“Ok, ok,” Edward said, holding up his hands in surrender.
They lapsed into silence, both staring at their drinks and glancing at each other. It was awkward, uncomfortable, nothing like the conversations that they had shared until so recently. They opened their mouths and began talking at the same time.
“I’ve missed you,” Edward said.
“How’ve you been?” Suzanne said.
They both stopped talking and blushed as they fell into silence once more. Edward looked around and noticed people watching them, coming closer to talk to him. There were other men looking at Suzanne too, with considerable interest and desire.
“Would you like to go outside and talk in private?” He asked quickly, looking at Suzanne at last.
She looked around and saw the way that men were looking at her, the way that women were looking at Edward. She turned back to him and smiled.
“I think that’s an idea,” she said gently.
Edward let her go first, guiding her wordlessly with a hand on the small of her back.
They slowly made their way through the crowd, stopping now and then so that Edward could greet people before making his excuses. Eventually they reached the corridor, the door shutting behind them and cutting out most of the sound. Now there was only a quiet rumble of voices from the other side, the odd clink of glasses colliding or a sudden barking laugh. Suzanne turned to look at Edward and waited for him to speak.
“Let’s go outside properly,” he said quietly. “I don’t usually smoke but I really need one right now.”
“You never mentioned that you smoke,” Susanne said as they walked down the quiet corridor.
“I don’t normally but I’m a bit on edge,” Edward said with a guilty smile, “I don’t really like public speaking much, it makes me stupidly nervous.”
“You and me both,” Suzanne said smiling.
They stepped out into the coolness of the night air. Suzanne hugged her arms around her body against the chill. Edward quickly shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around her.
“I’m sorry, I forgot how cold it was out here,” he said, smiling gently and pulling her close to him.
They stood in silence for a few moments, staring up at the stars and listening to the traffic going around the ring road.
“I’ve missed you,” Edward said quietly as he smoked his cigarette, “I’ve missed emailing you and texting you. I’ve even missed seeing your name appear on my phone.”
Suzanne twisted in his arms to look up at him.
“Is that why you used my agency to create your event?” She asked firmly.
“I was hoping that you’d be the one arranging it yes,” Edward admitted, “I just wanted to see you again, to be sure that you were as beautiful as I remembered and that it wasn’t all in my head.”
“And?” Suzanne asked, expectantly, nervously.
“You are even more beautiful than I remembered,” Edward said quietly.
He tossed his cigarette to the side and began to run his hands up and down her arms, “And the connection between us is still here, it feels even stronger than I thought. Can’t you feel it?”
Suzanne closed her eyes and focused on the sensation of Edward’s hands running up and down her arms. She could feel the rough patches on his skin, the strength in his fingers as he gently squeezed her flesh. More importantly she could feel the currents rushing between them, the way that her skin seemed to spark everywhere that he touched. She could hear him breathing, a sudden increase and heaviness to it, the heat from his body radiated out and warmed her.
She felt the same and when she opened her eyes she wasn’t surprised to find him mere centimetres from her face. She looked up at him, at his wide brown eyes, the fine lines of his face. Then her gaze dropped to his mouth and she found herself transfixed. She licked her lips and Edward gave a barely audible groan.
“Do you feel it?” he whispered.
“Yes,” Suzanne said.
Her gaze dropped to his mouth once more and before she realised what she was doing she leaned forward, standing on the tips of her toes and pressed her lips to his. He gave a start of surprise but wasted no time in wrapping his arms around her, burying his hands in her hair.
Their mouths slanted together, first one way and then the other. Suzanne groaned gently in the back of her throat, her hands coming up to clutch at Edward’s shoulders. His lips were like velvet, playing and moving against hers with such skill it took her breath away. She could feel his pleasure against her, the strength in his arms barely restrained as he pulled her closer to him. She twisted her hands into his hair, feeling the soft brown strands tickling her palms. She found herself pulling him closer, practically wrapping her body around him and she gasped in surprise as he gently lifted her off her feet.
Edward took that for the opening that it was and slipped his tongue into her mouth. She moaned again, felt herself going limp and pliant as a rush of heat filled her at that first touch. She pressed her tongue against his, feeling the two winding around each other. Suddenly she wanted more, needed more and she pulled her head back in shock. Edward lowered his mouth to her neck, gently nipping and placing soft sucking kisses against the pale smooth skin.
Suzanne loved the feeling of his mouth on her, surety of his movements. She dug her fingers into his hair, clutched at his shoulders and moaned softly.
A sudden burst of laughter came from nearby, bringing the two back to an awareness of where they were and what they were doing. Edward pulled away, gently setting Suzanne down on the ground before he stepped back and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to bring back some semblance of order. Suzanne picked up his jacket and wrapped it around herself before she looked at Edward. They were both panting, both rumpled, Edward’s hair was in complete disarray and his lips were swollen and red from her lipstick. She took a step towards him, swaying slightly in place as her fingers itched to get back in his hair.
Somehow his shirt had come undone slightly, a shadow of chest hair peeking through the gap.
Suzanne found herself wanting to open more buttons and run her fingers and her mouth across his chest, letting the soft hair tickle her skin even more. Another burst of laughter came, making her jump in surprise.
She almost fell, knocked off balance by her heels and her thoughts but Edward reached out and grabbed her, pulling her close to him again. She gasped in shock as she felt his arousal against her stomach.
“Will you come to my suite?” He asked her quietly.
His breath was hot on her ear and he couldn’t resist gently running his tongue around the shell. Her breath stuttered and she moaned so softly it was almost inaudible. She didn’t need to think to know the answer to his question, and the word was out of her mouth before she could stop herself.
“Yes,” she said.
Edward pressed his mouth against hers again, a quick hard kiss with a gentle nip of her lips, before he pulled away and took her hand to lead her back inside.
The door clicked open and a hand sneaked through to turn on the light. The room was bathed in a warm yellow glow and Edward opened the door fully to let Suzanne through.
She walked in slowly, meekly, with her hands clutching her bag in front of her. Edward followed her, eyes locked on her slim figure as he shut the door. He stood there for a moment, watching her and leaning against the door. She turned to him and smiled. That was all he needed. He stepped forward quickly, his long legs easily covering the ground and wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her to him firmly and covered her mouth with his.
She dropped her bag and wrapped her arms around him, her hands rushing up to bury themselves in his hair once more. The bag thudded to the floor heavily and the room was filled only with gasps and moans and the wet sound of kissing.
Suzanne’s hands danced across Edward’s front, undoing the buttons of his shirt, his waistcoat, confidently tugging his tie down even as their mouths remained locked together. Edward shoved his jacket from her shoulders and ran his hands up and down the bare skin of her back. He pulled her against him, hard, making her throw her head back and moan softly as she felt the evidence of his arousal against her stomach. He attached his mouth to her neck, gently walking her backwards across the room until she felt the bed against the back of her knees. She fell back on to it, bouncing in the sumptuous quilt and then began to shuffle further up the bed.
Edward grinned and knelt on the foot of the bed, crawling towards her. She smiled and lifted one leg, the skirts of her dress falling back to reveal long slim muscles clad in smooth creamy skin. She pressed her heel against his shoulder, holding him in place. He grinned again and began to pull of her shoes. He ran his hands up her legs, making her giggle and moan as he found sensitive spots that set her heart racing. He surged forward, covering her body with his and began to push her dress up.
Suzanne pushed him away, sitting up and kissing him again as she pulled off his shirt, trapping his arms and revealing the broad muscles of his chest with their covering of downy hair. She leaned forward, tracing his muscles with her lips, her teeth, her tongue.
He shivered and moaned as she sucked at one of his nipples and then he fought with his clothes, tearing them off before pushing her back and laying on top of her once more. Suzanne giggled and then moaned as he kissed her deeply, his hands once more tugging at her dress.
She could feel his arousal, the hard solid ridge of his cock pressing against her and her hips began to move and flex against him. Edward groaned, pulling back to undo his trousers and push them down. Suzanne twisted and turned, pulling at the dress’s clasps and zips until finally she got it off. She laughed again as Edward was forced to sit back and pull off his socks.
When he turned back to her the breath left his body in a shuddering pant of desire, she lay there clad only in delicate bits of lace, her hair spread out across the pillows. He groaned, ripped off his boxers and threw himself on top of her again. He couldn’t wait, he had to have her. Suzanne didn’t fight him, she lay back, her hands running across every patch of skin that she could reach.
She grasped the firm muscles of his buttocks in her hands and pulled him against her, kissing him hard and moaning. She threw back her head as Edward tugged off her underwear and then gasped in surprise and pleasure as, without warning, Edward thrust himself inside her.
They moved together as one, their bodies bending and flexing. Suzanne moaned out her pleasure as she felt him thrusting against her, inside her, every movement sending sparks of desire running through her. Her nails dug into his back as her pleasure grew, she began to whimper, her entire body shaking. She had never felt anything like it, even with her ex-husband, and she began to cry out as the pressure inside her grew higher and higher, reaching for release. Edward covered her mouth with his, kissing her and sharing the same air as he gasped for breath. She was exquisite, warm and wet and tight.
It felt as though she had been made just for him. He grabbed her hips firmly, pounding into her as his desire grew stronger and stronger.
