Loving Vivienne: The Publicist, Book Six Read online

  Vivienne pressed her fingers over his lips. “No talking,” she whispered and stood up. As she did, she dropped her dress to the floor and stood before him in her bra and panties, holding out her hand.

  He paused for a heartbeat, the longest heartbeat of her life. Then he took her hand and followed her into her bedroom.

  The faint light from outside illuminated the room, and on the bed was a gift bag that said: To Vivy and Daniel, open immediately. Vivienne unwrapped it and pulled an enormous box of condoms, with a note saying: We have a day trip planned tomorrow, and we’ll be staying overnight and returning the next morning. Have fun! We love you, Sam and Evie.

  She set the box on the nightstand and turned to him. Without saying a word, she reached around, unhooked her bra, and let it drop to the floor. Then she took his hand and put it on her.

  He cupped her breast, playing with the nipple between his fingers. When she shuddered and moaned, he put his mouth on her and sucked at her nipple, and then the other, her skin like a furnace under his exploring palms.

  She tugged on his shirt, and he stood up so she could finish unbuttoning it and opening it to reveal the perfect chest she remembered. She ran her fingers over it and up to his face, then she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him again. He wrapped his arms around her, lifting her onto the bed. She had her eyes closed, relishing the riot of sensations he’d set off everywhere, until she heard the rattle and clank as he unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants, letting them drop to the floor.

  She opened her eyes wide. He was hard all over. Every inch of him was hard. As he dropped the final piece of clothing, she almost gasped at the size of him, hard and ruddy with desire and waving at her jauntily.

  He lowered himself on top her, his mouth on hers, his tongue playing with hers. Then he skimmed his lips along her throat, along her jaw to her ear, humming and murmuring. She felt the dual stimulation of the stroking lips and the vibration of his hum, and she hissed out a breath and clutched at him, the only anchor in a spinning world.

  His hands drifted down her body, past her breasts to her flat tummy, and then below. First to her thighs, and then center stage. His lips and tongue trailed down her body and she moaned, clinging to him while his tongue trailed farther down.

  When he softly licked her quivering bundle of nerves the first time, she almost came right then and there. She gripped his hair as he licked her, gently at first, and then his tongue was inside her, tasting her. He spread her thighs wider, and she moaned out his name.

  He was so hard he ached with a desire that slammed into him. He wanted to be inside her. But he waited, wanting to hear her pleasure, wanting her to feel more amazing than she’d ever felt in her life. He kissed her inner thighs, then licked them, then kissed them again. Then he worked his way back up her body. She grabbed his face and kissed him, savoring the taste of her still on his lips.

  He’d taken care of protection and was over her now, hovering, while she savored that one sweet moment before he plunged into her.

  She arched her back. “Daniel,” she whispered, her voice deep and heavy with desire. He slid into her, gently at first, then she rocked into him and lifted her hips up to meet his, the friction so hot and smells so intense her entire body clenched with longing.

  He kissed her deeply while he moved inside her. She could hear herself whispering his name. She was close, so close… When his hands gripped her hips hard and shifted her, changing the angle so he could go even deeper, she burst into a thousand pieces.

  He was right behind her.

  13

  Daniel couldn’t get enough of her. They made love a few more times that night and the next morning in the shower. All the while a voice echoed in his head to tell her. But if he told her, everything would change. And he didn’t want this—whatever “this” was—to change, at least not yet. He wanted it to last as long as possible.

  He’d told her the truth last night. He had fallen in love with her, which wasn’t like him at all. He liked control. He needed control. Daniel never let himself go too far or get in too deep. He kept relationships, especially those with women, at arm’s length. After all, he had school and work, plus a dysfunctional family past that wasn’t helping matters.

  But then one look at Vivienne changed all of that—one whiff of her hair, one kiss, and he was a goner. Which was counter to who he’d always thought he was. He was careful, measured. But when he met this amazing creature, it all went out the window.

  Vivienne was drying her hair while Daniel put on his pants and his now very wrinkled shirt. He walked into the bathroom and wrapped his arms around her bathrobe-clad body. She stopped the hairdryer and turned to kiss him.

  “I was thinking,” he said.

  “Again?” she smiled.

  Heat flushed Daniel’s cheeks and neck. “Yes, that, of course, but maybe later. How about breakfast and a surprise trip? I don’t have to be to the orphanage until four this afternoon.”

  “Where?” Vivienne said, stroking her hand down his shirt, fiddling with the buttons.

  “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

  . . . .

  After they stopped by Daniel’s place so he could change and fill a picnic basket with some goodies, they were on their way. They talked the entire time. Vivienne told him about her book—writing it, watching it become a success. She even talked about losing her parents when she was very young and how she knew all too well the tragedy that had shaped her life. She told him about her travels around the world while she tried to move through the pain of losing them.

  Daniel talked about his determination, quite early on, to become a doctor. His grandmother had been a nurse, and he thought it was in his blood.

  He didn’t tell her the biggest piece of that story yet, about who his grandmother was, or, more specifically, who her son was. He’d leave that for another time. Tonight, he promised himself. He’d invite her to dinner and tell her then.

  Just a few more hours, he told himself.

  Daniel veered off the paved road they were on and took a bumpy dirt road into the jungle.

  “Where are we going?” Since he was driving, Viv sternly resisted the urge to jump him. The sight of him all rugged in a T-shirt and jeans made her heart flip-flop.

  “It’s still a surprise.” He winked and then pulled off the road, put the jeep in park, and said, “We have to walk the rest of the way.”

  The path to their final destination wasn’t far, less than half a mile. The jungle was thick and the path narrow, forcing them to walk single file. The air smelled sweet, a mix of exotic flowers and the intense green of the jungle. It was also blazing hot, and the air was dense and wet with humidity. As they rounded a bend Viv spotted a clearing, and what she saw next took her breath away.

  It was a waterfall cascading into a large pool of crystal clear water. It was like standing in a postcard or a National Geographic image.

  “Daniel, this is…” she was so awestruck, she couldn’t finish her sentence.

  “Unreal, isn’t it? I stumbled on while hiking. And I’ve never encountered anyone else here. I’m guessing it’s so far off the beaten path it’s missed by most tourists.” Daniel turned and took her hand. “Follow me.” He led her across the rocks surrounding the large pond and set the basket down on a grassy area.

  Vivienne was enthralled, “Daniel, I still can’t believe this. It’s absolutely stunning.” Flowers popped up in clusters around the pond, and the grass they were standing on was thick and lush.

  “I come whenever I can,” Daniel said, sitting down, and Vivienne followed his lead. “The peace and beauty helps me regain my perspective.”

  . . . .

  Vivienne gazed out across the water, studying the hint of a rainbow at the base of the waterfall. She stared at it for what seemed like a long time, thinking about her life and being here with this incredible man and how lucky she was.

  Daniel’s arm went around her shoulder and he pulled her in for a kiss.
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br />   “I want to go for a swim,” she said when he pulled back.

  Daniel frowned. “Have you been in the water since?” He didn’t finish the sentence.

  She shook her head, “I haven’t, but I think I’m ready.” She stood up.

  “I didn’t bring any swim trunks.”

  She lifted her blouse over her head, exposing her breasts. “We’re alone here, right?” she asked while she stepped out of her shorts. Daniel could only nod, feeling his little head swell, eager and willing to take over the helm.

  She let her satin panties fall to the ground and walked over to the water. “You coming?” She winked over her shoulder, as blatant and irresistible a come-hither as he’d ever seen.

  He yanked his T-shirt over his head and slid off his jeans and underwear together.

  Vivienne looked him up and down and smirked. “You sure you can swim like that? You won’t sink?” She nodded at his dick, which was so hard it was sticking straight out.

  Daniel sauntered toward her, his flagpole bobbing. “It’ll help me float,” he said with a straight face, “and it makes a great keel.” He held out his hand and they walked toward the water, both snickering.

  “You okay so far?” he asked.

  “I am with you here.” Vivienne dipped a foot in the water. Her heart raced, but she wasn’t sure whether it was because of being back in the water, or because of the hot, hard man standing next to her.

  She turned to him, and he said, “You going to swim?”

  She smiled, “I wasn’t planning on it,” and then knelt down in the somewhat shallow water and took him in her mouth. His head fell back and he moaned. Her tongue flicked around him as she sucked deeper.

  “Oh, God, Vivienne,” he moaned again, looking down, watching her. Then he needed her. That instant. He needed to be inside her. He lifted her up and carried her back to the grassy area and lay her on her back. In one swift move he was on top and inside her, gently rocking her while he made love to her in the most magical place either of them had ever seen.

  14

  After spending the afternoon at Daniel’s secret spot, he drove her back to her hotel and then headed to the orphanage. Daniel promised Marie he would meet with a donor they’d been trying to get on board. After that he would pick Vivienne up for dinner.

  That’s when he’d tell her.

  The meeting went well. Actually, better than well. It was a full-blown success. The donor, who had been on the fence for nearly a year, agreed to send a large sum as soon he returned to the U.S.

  “Well dat was a successful meetin’,” Marie said from the doorway. “And from da looks of tings, I’d say you’re having a good day all ‘round, and not jus’ because of dat donation.”

  She winked at him and he grinned back.

  He sat up a little straighter. “Am I that transparent?”

  “You haven’t stopped grinnin’ since you got here. Dis is because of dat sweet girl, Vivienne, yes?” She walked further into his office and Daniel sat down.

  “It is,” he nodded.

  “See? I knew she’d take da news well. A boy can’t help who his parents are, she knows dat.”

  Daniel looked at the pile of papers on his desk, then out the window and then back down at his desk,

  “I, um, well…”

  Marie stood and braced her hands on his desk, “Ya did tell her, right?”

  Daniel leaned back and blew out a breath, “I meant to. I did! I just…”

  “Daniel,” she said, in a tone that sounded more mother-like than anything. “Da girl needs to know.”

  “I’m telling her tonight.” He met Maria’s look head-on. “I’m serious. I’m not going to wait another day. I plan to tell Vivienne tonight.”

  “Tell me what?” Vivienne said from the doorway.

  Daniel blinked and Marie spun in her chair. Daniel stood up and walked over to her, “Vivy, I’m glad you’re here, but weren’t we meeting at your hotel?” He leaned in and kissed her.

  Marie stood up, “It’s good ta see ya, Vivienne. I need to be going.” And with that she made a speedy escape out the door.

  “Tell me what?” Vivienne cocked her head to one side, “Daniel, is everything okay?”

  He rested a hand on each of her arms. “Yes, but maybe I should ask you that. Weren’t we meeting at your hotel?”

  “Yes,” she sighed, “but I have to cut my trip short. My publisher and sister-in-law Kate just called me. I was supposed to do an Oprah interview in a month on her OWN Channel, but they had a change in schedule and want to move it up. I have to fly back tonight. I have the cab outside, waiting to take me to the airport. If I don’t do it now, they can’t do it at all. I’m so sorry, I know we were just getting to know each other.”

  He bent down and kissed her. “It’s all right. Of course it’s all right. I have to fly back to New York in three days, so I’ll see you then.”

  Vivienne wrapped herself around him, beaming up at him impishly. “I had a great time, Daniel.”

  He stroked her face. “I did, too, Viv, and I’m sorry it has to end so abruptly. But I’ll see you when we’re both back in the city.”

  Something twisted inside her, she wasn’t sure what. Kate said the Oprah thing was now or never. With the movie in production, she needed to keep the buzz going about her book. But the truth was, Viv didn’t care about any of it. She did interviews because she had to, not because she enjoyed them. If she had her choice, she’d rather blow it all off. But she knew writing the book was only half of the battle.

  She gazed at him and then nuzzled his neck. “Daniel, what did you want to tell me?”

  Daniel took a long, deep breath. Something odd settled in her stomach. Uncertainty? He’d tried several times to tell her something last night, and now it was more than clear that he felt it was important to say it, whatever it was. But what?

  “Yes, I do, but it will keep until we’re both in the states. You have a cab waiting, and this isn’t something I want to rush.”

  She frowned, “Daniel, should I be worried?”

  He kissed her gently, “No, not at all. I just want to start this relationship off on the right foot.” Talk about irony. That ship had already sailed.

  There was that alarming twinge inside her again. “I’ll see you in New York, yes?” she asked, and then felt pathetic for asking.

  “Of course. I’ll call you the minute I land.” He kissed her again, but there was something, a shift that Viv couldn’t quite put her finger on.

  Something had changed. She just wasn’t sure what it was.

  15

  Once back in New York, Vivienne was fired up with inspiration and writing like the devil was chasing her. The story, her next book, just poured out of her. She wrote during the entire flight home and then spent her first two days back pretty much glued to her laptop. But then something happened.

  Or didn’t happen, actually. She didn’t hear from Daniel.

  The days ticked by until one day turned into two, and then four, and then seven.

  Now she’d been back a week and crickets.

  Not a good sign. In fact, it was the worst possible sign.

  Sam had been bugging her to call him. She and Evie had managed to coax their friend out for a drink at their favorite watering hole the night before.

  “She can’t call him, Samantha. That looks desperate,” Evie countered.

  “She could fake an injury, and we could take her to the emergency room!” Sam winked, sipping her wine.

  They’d gone back and forth on the call/don’t call dilemma, but Vivienne knew she wouldn’t reach out. She would wait. If he didn’t call by the following Monday, then she might seriously consider Sam’s idea of faking an injury to get into the NYU emergency center.

  The next day, all set to put any thoughts of Daniel aside, Vivienne was on her way to Kate’s office to go over the new book. The Oprah interview had gone better than she expected and would air some time later that month. Things were going great, actual
ly. Her book sales had ticked up again, the paperback edition was due out in a month, and soon comps for the movie/book tie-in would begin.

  But running beneath the positive things happening with this book and the next, Daniel was never far from her thoughts. Vivienne hated that she thought about him so much, especially since he clearly wasn’t interested in her. He had managed to wiggle his way into her mind and heart, and he’d done it so effortlessly it scared her. She didn’t let people in easily, a holdover from losing her parents when she was a kid. She was close to Nick, and now Kate, but that was it. Yes, she had close friendships with Evie and Sam, but she only let them in so far before the walls went up. Where the hell were her walls when it came to Daniel?

  “Hi, Annie,” Vivienne forced herself to smile, even though she didn’t feel much like smiling.

  “Vivienne, hi! Loved the Facebook pictures. The trip looked fantastic!”

  And there it was, a reminder of Costa Rica, and, of course, Daniel.

  “Is Kate in her office?” Viv said, trying to sound happy but busy. Too busy to tell her all about the trip.

  “Yes, she’s ready and waiting for you.” Annie smiled again and returned to her work.

  Viv walked to Kate’s office down a long hallway. She remembered when Mac had his office there, and she was semi-forced to work with him on her first book.

  Mac. Gross.

  Vivienne shook it off and rounded the corner.

  “Hi, Kate,” she said from the doorway.

  Lulu, Kate’s right hand and now and Editor herself, spun around in her chair, “Viv! How’s my favorite author?” Lulu jumped up and gave Vivienne a big hug.

  “I’m good—great, actually.”

  “We’re sorry we had to cut your trip short,” Lulu said. “From the pictures it looked amazing.”

  Suddenly, Viv despised all social media and vowed to kill all her accounts the minute she got home.

  “Well, I know you need to meet with Kate, so I’ll go, but it’s great to see you!” Lulu gave Vivienne’s arm a gentle squeeze before she left the office and closed the door. Kate walked from behind her desk to hug her.