********
Dan lay on his back staring at the same ceiling he had been staring at for 3 years but the bed was different. A naked woman straddled him. She had long black hair, chestnut brown eyes and kissable lips, pale soft skin contrasting his Latin bronze. She moved her hips smiling down at him. Then she rolled her head back, eyes closed in ecstasy and sighed in bliss.
Dan placed his hands on her moving creamy hips, her breasts like two ripe fruits ready to be eaten. Her nipples so pink and hard with arousal. The woman was so familiar but he couldn't place her.
But just as the woman leaned down, her mouth tantalizingly close to his, he heard a faint beeping that grew louder. It became so loud that Dan's eyes flashed open to find that it had been a dream. Damn... he was sporting a semi-hard on.
He rolled over, letting the rays of heat to warm his back. He felt the cold space beside him. Dan heard his wife, Karen, in the bathroom already getting ready for her day. He wished to go back to sleep, back to that dream. It had been a year since he and Karen had sex.
It wasn't her fault. Karen was incredibly attractive with beautiful green eyes, soft wheat colored hair and fair skin. Daniel Ferrera himself was quite good looking with blue eyes and having Latin blood gave him an exotic look. Karen was a major publisher who had been trying to find the next George R.R. Martin and Dan was busy at this law firm. Sex just slipped under the radar. The bigger issue was that they both seemed fine with it.
"Honey, you up yet?" Karen called out.
"Almost," Dan sighed. Their German Shepherd, Rocket, jumped onto the bed giving Dan his slobbery kisses. Not the good morning kiss Dan wanted.
"Remember you're going to meet with Evangeline Blackwood today for lunch," Karen walked out of the bathroom wrapped tightly in her white silk kimono robe, her hair in a messy bun. She was lithe and flexible. Dan was still hard from his sex dream. If Karen was up for it he would give rip the kimono off but he knew when his wife was not up for a tussle.
"Your new big author?" Dan rubbed his eyes trying to think of something to get himself soft.
"She's still on the fence about leaving her old publisher," Karen searched her closet for an outfit. "The girl is 27 but she's no fool. Insult the wrong people and you get blacklisted..."
Dan was barely listening after that. He breathed deeply as images of the woman faded into the gray of reality.
*****
Dan sat at the café with his coffee going over some contracts while the hustle of New York City hummed outside. A few women passing by outside gave him "Hey you" looks. He was 37 and one of the youngest partners at his firm. He was used to getting a few looks for his fancy watch and good looks. Occasionally a few women flirted with him but he was never serious. He didn't know if it was commitment to Karen or perhaps they weren't his type. They were always younger or older women who tried too hard.
He checked his watch. Evangeline Blackwood was supposedly the next Danielle Steel in romance novels. She sold millions of copies of her first book, The Duchess's Secret worldwide. There was even talk of turning it into a movie and blow 50 Shades of Grey out of the water.
Dan didn't read many novels but for research he read Miss Blackwood's book and it wasn't bad. Perhaps that was what made him have those dreams.
"Mr. Ferrera?"
Dan looked up and was stunned. It was the girl from his dream... not quite but now he realized why his dream woman was so familiar.
"I'm Evangeline Blackwood," she said, her voice was a bit breathy but musical, a tenor but feminine. In one graceful movement Evangeline sat down opposite Dan, crossing one leg over the other, laying back in a seductive pose that would have seemed obvious to some but she had such poise and oozed confidence and sensuality that drew Dan in like a moth to a flame.
"Yes... I'm Daniel Ferrera." He gave her body a bold, sweeping gaze.
She wore a tight wrap black dress that showed a modest amount of cleavage and her curvy figure. It contrasted her pale skin that made her look younger than 27. Her long black hair was loose, draped over her shoulder while displaying one of her dangling silver earrings. Her eyes were two glittering chestnuts set in a round face with pink lips. She was something straight out of a Romance Period painting.
"Sorry I'm late," Evangeline's eyes had some sort of secret knowledge, her smile would outshine Mona Lisa's. "I almost didn't come."
"I'm glad you did." Dan couldn't help but smile.
Evangeline's eyes were her most outstanding feature. They were bedroom eyes that Dan imagined glazed over after a night of passion twisting in the sheets. They talked about business and other things for an hour.
Dan could feel his skin itch, urging him to touch her. Sometimes their hands were inches from each other. Dan could feel the heat of her skin so close to his own.
Evangeline tilted her head to the side whenever she asked a question and contemplated Dan's answers. She didn't want to miss a thing. She studied his face and gestures. Dan was afraid she would hear his heart hammering or sense his desire.
Evangeline tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear after she giggled at a joke he made. Dan wanted so badly to do that. His fingers yearned to touch her, his mouth to taste her. What was it about this woman that awakened such lust in him?
He nestled his foot against hers. She didn't seem to mind. In fact she seemed to pin his ankle against the table. Evangeline acted cool the entire time. She rested her head in her palm, leaning on her elbow, pulling back her foot to Dan's dismay.
Then Evangeline said, "I still don't know... Loretta gave me my start."
"I've read over your contracts with Miss Loretta Stevens," Dan leaned in, his hands folded on the table. "You should be getting more money. Your books are making her a profit but they're your babies. You deserve a fair percentage of the profits."
Evangeline tilted her head again, the sunlight catching the sheen of her dark hair, highlighting the strands into bronze, chestnut eyes glittering with curiosity. The corner of her mouth curved up as she watched Dan who felt himself flush.
"Maybe...," she said softly. "Your wife seems like a nice woman."