Destroy (A Standalone Romance Novel) Read online

  “There you are, ma’am,” the bartender said, sliding the martini toward me. “Shall I put it on your room tab?” He looked at me staring at him.

  Jeff smiled and said, “That will be on my tab, if you don’t mind. Suite 2506.”

  “Very well, sir,” the young man mumbled, turning toward the computer register. I looked at the screen as he punched the price. That martini could have paid for a six-pack back home. Ridiculous! Yet, I was determined to say nothing. There were no more “butts” to come between us…or were there? A pleasant thought indeed. I smiled to myself

  As Jeff caught my grin, my eyes staring into space; he asked, “So, did you say you were going home for the holidays?”

  I nodded and turned to him. I lifted my glass in a toasting gesture. He did the same. As our glasses clinked, I said, “Cheers. And yes, I am going home. I wish my parents lived somewhere else than Nebraska, though. If only they had chosen to live in Hawaii or somewhere warm like that, I would be looking forward to the trip.”

  “Don’t you like seeing your folks?”

  “Oh it’s not what you think. I love my mom and dad, don’t get me wrong, but they always think New York is too big for me. Mom is worried that I’ll fall into the traps.”

  “What sort of traps are those?”

  “Oh, the usual, I guess. I reached the age of consent a few years back, but they still think I’m fourteen or something. In a way I am very glad they care, but when it comes to check on my calendar or the company I keep, they’re a bit too protective.”

  “You know, Heather, I might be a man, and one who passed the age of consent not a few, but many years ago, and my dad is still checking on me. But for him it has a lot to do about seeing a grandchild bouncing in his lap before he goes six-feet under.”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean. My mother is like that. She married my dad when she was younger than I am right now and she’d like to have my dad walk me down the aisle as soon as possible.”

  We talked for a while longer and then, all at once, Jeff was on his feet.

  “Where are you going?” I asked, taken aback.

  “Come on, it’s time we get something to eat.”

  “Really? Is there a McDonald around here?”

  Chuckling, Jeff helped me down from the stool and, taking my arm gently, led me out of the bar and toward the restaurant.

  “Jeff, please,” I pleaded, “I can’t afford it. Truly, I can’t.”

  He stopped a few feet from the wide-open door and turned to face me. “I know, Heather. But put it down to a first date, if you like, or just a Christmas present from a total stranger, I don’t care, but don’t fight me on this anymore; okay?”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. But I’m really not used to all this”—I waved my arm around—“and receiving gifts like that. I am just not used to it. That’s all.”

  “Okay, Ms. Williams. As I said, take it anyway you like, I don’t care. But you and I are stranded in a New York airport on a blizzard night; why not make the best of it?”

  I nodded twice and bowed my head. “Alright. And to tell you the truth, I’m hungry too.”

  Looking much happier now, he took my arm again as we went to stand in front of the maitre d’. He smiled benignly and invited us to our table.

  The dinner was nothing short of superb. I ate a little of everything I liked and smoothed each dish down with a delicious glass of wine. Although I could never afford such things at that time, I knew what I liked and what I liked was generally out of my price range.

  When the waiter brought the tiramisu to the table and deposited a glass of cognac beside each of our plates, I gasped. I had mentioned in passing that tiramisu was my favorite dessert, but I didn’t expect to see one to end such a fantastic feast as the one we just enjoyed.

  Jeff looked absolutely pleased with himself. He knew it. He could see it on my face. I more than appreciated the gift. I was living a dream, and he was the wizard who had made it happen. I can’t remember what I said, but I must have babbled something to the effect that I was overwhelmed.

  “You know,” I said a while later when I was reaching the bottom of the snifter, “there are two things in life that I love most.”

  “Oh yes?” Jeff said encouragingly. “What’s that?”

  “Well, I love good food—as you probably guessed. And I don’t mean McDonald’s either. I mean good cooking and good wines.”

  “Okay, and what’s the second one?” he asked, leaning to the back of his chair.

  “I don’t know if I should say it here.” I looked around me. The restaurant was practically empty at this point. “The walls may have ears.”

  “Come on, tell me,” Jeff said, advancing his body against the edge of the table. “I won’t repeat it. I promise.”

  “I love s-e-x.” I paused to peer into his eyes. By this time I was a little more than tipsy, I was getting ready to jump from the edge of sobriety into the ravine of drunkenness.

  He took my hand, stood up and helped me do the same. I might have drunk a little too much, but I still knew how to maintain a smidgen of dignity. I laced one arm in the fold of his elbow and walked out of the restaurant as if I was ready to make a grand entrance at the debutante’s ball. As we stepped into the first elevator, and as soon as the doors closed on us, Jeff took me in his arms, caressed my back and kissed me feverishly. Oh God, finally! I had been waiting for that moment ever since I first laid eyes on the man. I didn’t want to admit it until that moment, but I wanted him. Every part of me was screaming for him.

  As the elevator doors opened, we rushed to the room as if there was a fire pursuing us. There was: a fire of lust and sexual desire. When he closed the doors of the suite on us, he lifted me off the floor and carried me to the bedroom. I could not have been happier than I was at that moment; or so I thought, but I was wrong. Real pleasure was yet to come.

  He took his jacket off and then took my shoes off one at a time. His caresses and gentle rubbing of my feet sent vibrations throughout my body. I was caught in his web, and he knew it. Climbing on top of the covers, he rolled me over and unzipped my dress. As he unclasped my bra, he passed his tongue along my spine, all the way down to my lower back. I couldn’t resist the desire to turn around.

  As I did, he pulled back and unzipped his trousers. His erection was obvious. He seemed proud of it. He shed his shirt as I took my dress off. My gaze didn’t leave his penis. I wanted it. I wanted him to long for the pleasure of feeling the inside of my vagina. I wanted to suck him; to have him all to myself; to give him as much of a dream night as he had given me so far. He came to stand at the edge of the bed, naked. God all mighty, the man looked good! Ravishing. Desirable. As I put his cock into my mouth, he moaned. I knew he would moan a lot more in a few minutes yet.

  I sucked the head of his penis delicately, twisted it around my mouth, and then plunged it as far as it could go to the back of my mouth. He caressed my breasts and pinched my nipples a couple of times. I repeated the tease until I knew he couldn’t stand it anymore.

  He pulled out and I was ready. He bent down and took my nipples one at the time into his mouth. The sensation sent me onto yet another road of superb delight. I parted my legs as he fell to his knees. While he massaged my thighs with one hand and caressed my belly with the other, he began licking my clitoris. I could have screamed with relief. His tongue going in and out of my vagina felt divine. He knew how to make dreams come true. The man himself was a dream. He continued to tease me until I grabbed his shoulders and pleaded for him to take me.

  He looked up at me and said, “Not yet, Ms. Williams. There’s more to come.”

  He had me where he wanted me. He knew I was on the verge of having an orgasm. And I wanted it more than I had wanted anything in my life. As if obeying a silent command, he took my clitoris in his mouth again and sucked on it. That’s all he had to do. The orgasm I experienced at that minute sent me moaning with pleasure and tremors of satisfaction.

  As t
he sensation abated a little, and while caressing my lips with his, he turned me over gently. He climbed onto the bed and spread my legs. Still feeling a bit groggy, he began caressing my ass and passing his fingers between my cheeks. It felt great. Once again, I wanted more of the same, or more to the point, I wanted him, his penis, inside me. I raised myself in a doggy position, which was an open invitation to get in there. I was impatient. I wanted him to penetrate me until I screamed with ultimate bliss. I knew he would be giving me the best of himself while enjoying every minute of it.

  As he fondled my breasts, twisted my nipples between his fingertips, and then inserted his penis into me, the sensation was absolutely incredible. It was as if I had never experienced sex before that night. He slid his cock into my vagina very slowly at first and then slammed it to the depth of my being with such fervor; I thought I was going to have another orgasm right there and then. But no; he wanted me to linger. He wanted me to languish with desire. He was smooth and gentle one minute and then rough the next. But it felt as if a feather had caressed me. His regular motion in and out of me increased my enjoyment tenfold. I wanted him to come. But he wasn’t ready; he took his penis gently out of my vagina and inserted it again when he knew I couldn’t take the waiting anymore.

  The moment he came, just feeling his warm and sweet love pouring into me, sent me onto another plain of pleasure. This had been a dream night with absolutely beautiful sex to conclude it.

  What am I saying? No, that wasn’t the conclusion. I got up in a rush and ran to the bathroom. He followed me. The man was incredible. No falling asleep for this God. He turned on the taps and let the water run down our bodies. He grabbed the soap bar from the dish and began soaping my chest and nipples. I massaged his butt, turned him around and rubbed his back with the soap bar he had passed to me. In a moment, as the water and soap ran slowly between us, I could feel his cock lodging itself between my thighs. I felt its gentle rubbing against my clitoris – that’s all it took for me to slump in Jeff’s arms and succumb to another wonderful orgasm. He penetrated me soon afterward and while we rinsed our bodies linked to one another, we laughed with untold sexual delight.

  Chapter 3

  When the alarm on my phone woke me, I opened my eyes to a sight I had not expected. Jeff was standing beside the bed, a towel around his waist, a bowl of cereal in the one hand and a spoon in the other. Obviously, he already had a shower for his hair was wet. I looked at him goggle-eyed.

  “Goodness, Ms. Williams, you look as if this is the first time you’ve seen me. Good morning, by the way.”

  Yes, I admit, I was staring at the god-like human being towering over me. “Good morning,” I blurted, lifting myself on my elbows. “What time is it?”

  “A couple of minutes past five,” Jeff replied distractedly. “I got you some breakfast. I hope you don’t mind. It’s all ready on the dining room table.”

  “Thanks, but what’s the rush? Aren’t we catching the same flight?”

  I sat up, grabbed the robe at the foot of the bed and slipped into it.

  “No, we’re not, I’m afraid.”

  That answer stopped me in the middle of what I was doing. I looked up at him.

  He smiled. That was one of his disarming and oh so attractive smiles.

  “Would you care to explain,” I asked, slipping my arm in the other sleeve.

  As he chuckled, the towel dropped from his waist. I averted my gaze from looking at his penis. He grabbed the towel and almost lost his grip on the bowl of cereal as he did.

  “Hum, well, yes…,” he said, regaining a bit of his composure while I got out of bed and tied the belt around the robe. “I got a call late last night, this morning actually, and something’s happening at home. I’ve got to get back. So, you won’t have the pleasure of my company on this flight. I’m sorry,” he added, slurping the last of the milk and turning away from me.

  I hated him at that moment. It sounded very much like a set up. He had spotted me at the airport, and, there and then, he decided to have a one-night-stand with gullible me. Come to think of it; I never heard him say who he was visiting in Nebraska. Whether it had been a set up or he was telling the truth about the emergency at home, I would have to revise my behavior in the future. No more one-night of dreamy sex with strangers, I told myself as I went to see what sort of breakfast he had ordered for me.

  As soon as he was dressed, Jeff came to sit across the table from me.

  “I’m sorry, Heather. I just hope you don’t think I set you up…”

  “Actually, I do, Jeff,” I flared. “The whole thing was absolutely delightful, but I have a hard time believing that you’re called away all of a sudden.”

  “Yes, if I were in your shoes, I would not believe me either. Anyway, I better get going.” He got up and planted a kiss on my forehead before heading out the door.

  I felt terrible. Yet, I couldn’t erase the memory of the evening we had spent together. I’ll put it down to “a night to remember”, I concluded as I finished eating my bowl of cereal and fruit cup.

  And then there was my eye to consider. As I looked at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, I noticed that it and my cheek had changed colors yet again. From yellow to purple and every shade in between—these were now the natural hues of half of my face. I shrugged–there was nothing I could do to erase the damage–and went to turn on the taps in the shower. As I soaped my body down and washed my hair, I couldn’t avoid thinking about Jeff and our wonderful lovemaking. The man knew exactly what to do, and when to do it. Once again, I couldn’t escape the thought that even though it had been a one-night-stand, and that I would never see him again, it had been a fantastic night.

  While getting dressed, my thoughts turned to my family, to my dad still working hard although all of us kids, all three of us, had left home by now. I guess both he and Mom were thinking of their retirement. I knew Mom was thinking of quitting her part-time job but “Not before I get a little one to look after,” as she always said. Meaning one of my brothers would have to get married, and his wife would have to get pregnant before Mom would leave her job. And they all probably think I should be the one getting married. There was no chance of that happening anytime soon.

  I was a medical student, just graduated from med school and on my way to an internship in some New York hospital. In reality, I hoped it would be a New York hospital. I wasn’t sure yet. Applying for internship in view of obtaining a residency some day was like playing chess with a couple or three unknown adversaries. You hope, or even count on, one of them making a particular move and then they write you a letter, throwing your dreams or plans right off the rails.

  As I was applying a new coat of “paint” on the one side of my face after I had dried my hair, I thought about Jeff again. The guy definitely had left a mark on my psyche. I couldn’t get away from thinking about his face, his eyes, and that body of his, not to mention his enticing and pleasurable moves.

  When I reached the airport, I was faced with the madness again: thousands of people trying to check-in and thousands of others rushing to their departure gates or lounges. I decided to ignore much of the kafuffle and make my way through security patiently. In fact, patience is what you need when you are lining up to pass the security checkpoints. You think about everything that could get these guys to stop you in your willful progress toward your awaiting aircraft. In my case, I knew they would ask me to open my carryon, because of my laptop. They would need to verify that it wasn’t a bomb, but a computer. The irony is that if any laptop, tablet, or computer was a genuine detonator for a bomb placed somewhere in the airport, the moment I would log in, the bomb would explode. But, I’m sure these guys try their best not to have any of us blown to smithereens or shot on sight.

  Getting to the gate, I noticed the same faces looking at me again. They were all of the people I had seen the day before. They all had seen me with that man, and now I was alone. I plopped down on a vacant seat and dragged my case beside me. When I took my Ste
phen King novel out of my purse, the thought of Jeff raced through my mind. I looked down at the book in my lap and shook my head. Images of our night together jostled for first place at the forefront of my brain. I had Jeff on the brain. Stop that! I told myself silently. He’s gone and that’s that. When the attendant called the passengers to the gate, I closed my book and placed it in my purse. I followed the sheep into the hull and took my seat after heaving my carryon in one of the bins overhead. As luck would have it, there were two women sitting beside me. For the next three hours or so, I was to hear all about their families, their recipes for turkey stuffing and pumpkin pies, and every anecdote they could think of about their grandchildren.

  I tried concentrating on my reading, but I did not succeed; my left ear seemed honed on the ladies’ conversations. I didn’t want to butt in, but on a couple of occasions I felt like screaming, “Shut up for heaven’s sakes” before throwing a tantrum that the whole plane would never forget. But, in the end, I retreated as far back into my seat as I could and shut my eyes. Sleep never came, of course, but I had made it nonetheless without incident or igniting a riot in mid-air.

  If one wanted to describe a typical holiday season in America, I am absolutely certain they would pick my family and my parents’ house as their backdrop. Our home is generally the pride of the community. And this year was no different. Dad had pulled out all the stops on the outside decorations and lightings by adding some intermittent music to the show. As the taxi came to a stop in front of the house, I was in awe. Even the cabbie asked me to congratulate my dad for “A great job. Looks good, lady!”

  As for the inside of the house, Martha Stewart had nothing on my mother. Of course, Mom had many years experience in that domain. She did not need Martha to tell her what to do or how to do it. It was all lovely.

  After spending a week with my parents and a few days with my brothers and their girlfriends, I was ready to go home. My Christmas present, a new beanie and gloves that Mom thought would be useful in the cold New York winters, came handy when I ran from the door to the cab. It was freezing out there. Minus fifteen was nothing to laugh about. If Mom thought I would be cold in New York, she needed to get out in her own backyard for a bit. She did, I’m sure, but coming from her, it sounded as if New York was located above the sixtieth parallel or something.