“Are you purposely trying to kill me?” He groaned.
“No, of course not. I need you alive. I’m hardly through with you, Mangum.”
She walked him to the door. Tiffany stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Thanks for coming to my rescue earlier,” she whispered. “You saved me a lot of time and headache.”
Ivan placed his hand under her chin and tilted her face to meet his. “I’ll always come to your rescue.” He kissed her a final time and left.
The void Tiffany felt at his departure was instantaneous. It was as though a warm breeze had dissipated, and in its place, nothing but cold air remained. She locked the door and padded into her bedroom to undress. She wanted to be done with her shower when Ivan called her.
Tiffany shuddered. She’d just had the best orgasm of her life. She would be crazed when they finally made love without any interruptions. She didn’t know if it would be before or after Ivan returned from Venice, but one thing was clear: Tiffany wanted Ivan with a vengeance, and when they finally came together, it would assuredly be worth waiting for.
Wearing a huge grin, she strolled into the bathroom.
*
Ivan tried Tiffany again, but got her voice mail. He left a message and hung up. She was probably asleep. He was tired, too. It had been a long day, and thanks to Tiffany tempting his thoughts, it would be an even longer night. He had tasted the pleasures that awaited him, and that preview had only made him want her more. When his cell phone rang, he answered it on the first ring.
“There you are. I thought you’d gone to bed.”
“Not without talking to you one last time,” she assured him. “I’m glad you’re home safe and sound.”
“I’m safe, but not sound. I have you to thank for that.”
“I know, but now I have something to remember you by,” Tiffany purred.
“One night soon, I’ll be giving you a lot more to remember me by.”
“I wish it were right now.”
“So do I. I’m sorry work got in the way.”
“It’s okay, Ivan. I understand that sometimes work takes precedence.”
“Yeah, but I’d prefer it wasn’t like that sometimes. You get that, don’t you?”
“Of course. You’re admirable, dedicated to work, sexy as hell, and now…exasperating.”
He chuckled at that. “I’ll make it up to you. That’s a promise.”
They hung up a few minutes later, then Ivan lay on his back with his arms folded behind his head. He was too wired to sleep, but going for a run right now was not on his list of priorities. At the moment, he wanted to remember, in exact detail, every square inch of Tiffany’s body that he had probed, kissed, touched and tasted. There was a lot more territory left undiscovered. He hadn’t even left on assignment yet, and already he was eagerly anticipating his return.
His cell phone rang ten minutes later. When he saw the number, he grimaced.
“Hi, Debra. It’s kind of late to be calling. Are you okay?”
“Hi, Ivan,” she replied. “Yes, I’m okay. I wanted you to know that I received your check this month. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Was that all you needed?” he asked when she remained silent. “It’s late, and I have to get up early.”
“I was hoping we could get together soon and talk?”
“About what?”
“You know, old times. It’s been so lonely here since Brian died. I really miss him,” she said tearfully.
Ivan sighed. “I know. I’m sorry, Debra, but the next few weeks are going to be hectic for me. I don’t think I’ll be able to travel up there, but we do need to talk. There’s another thing I’ve been meaning to discuss with you.”