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  He was hungry for Lark and was having a hard time controlling himself. Her warm, wet canal hugged his penis tightly and the sensation was causing his army of men to march to a climax. The more he tried to hold back, the harder it became. Dash held on to the headboard as his back arched and beads of sweat sprouted onto his forehead. He exploded into the condom and then collapsed onto the bed next to Lark.

  After catching his breath, he said, “I’m so sorry about that.”

  “About what?” Lark asked, lying back on the pillows.

  “For not giving you a chance to come first. Just so you know, I’m not a selfish lover. I’m a pleaser.”

  “I already know that. You more than pleased me back in Florence.” Lark eased to the side of the bed and climbed out.

  “Hey, where are you going?” Dash said, gently tugging her by the arm.

  “I should get back to work,” she said.

  Dash glanced over to the nightstand at his sleek timepiece, which looked more like a flute than a clock. “It’s late. You might as well stay the night.”

  “What about work?”

  “Nearly all of the designs are in the system. The fabric will be shipped by the end of the week. So we’re on schedule.” Dash rubbed her naked behind. “Besides, I haven’t gotten enough of you.”

  “We just made love.”

  “I wouldn’t call that making love—that was a quickie. Now we need to really relax and enjoy ourselves. We’ve been working nonstop. A few hours away from the office won’t hurt,” he said, gently pulling her closer and closer toward him, until she was back in bed.

  “One second,” Dash added, hopping to his feet.

  After a few minutes, he returned with an ice bucket filled with champagne, two flutes and a red-and-black box tucked under his arm.

  “What’s that?” Lark asked.

  “A board game,” he said, putting the box on the bed.

  “A game? I thought we were gearing up for round two.”

  “Oh, we are. This isn’t just any game. It’s a provocative board game for adults only,” he said, pouring them each a glass of champagne and handing her a flute.

  Lark took a sip. “Do tell.”

  “My friends Warren and LaDonna created this game called Secret VII. It’s designed to intensify foreplay.” Dash opened the lid, took out the game pieces, which included colored cards, a pair of dice and an audible timepiece, and assembled them on the bed. “There are four different colored cards—blue, yellow, red and black—ranging from mild to wild. The colors signify the intensity of the sexual acts to perform. The blue cards are mild, with suggestive words like ‘Blow in my ear.’ The yellow cards are for medium heat. The red cards are for wild intensity, and the black cards are blank, designed for you to create your own sexual fantasy.”

  “Oh, I like this game already.”

  “I thought you would. Now we each pick seven cards and then roll the dice. The person to roll a seven picks first,” Dash explained.

  Lark put her glass on the nightstand, took the dice in her hands, blew on them and shook them onto the bed. “Oh, shoot!” she exclaimed, looking down at the eight she’d rolled.

  “My turn.” Dash rolled snake eyes.

  They continued rolling the dice until Lark got the lucky number. “Bingo! A seven! Now what?”

  “I have to choose a card from your hand and do whatever it says for two minutes.” Dash picked one of her pleasure cards.

  “I see you’re starting off mild,” she said, referring to the blue card he had selected.

  “Yep. I don’t want to turn you out on the first round,” he teased.

  “So, what does the card say?” Lark asked anxiously.

  Dash read the card. “For me to stare at your naked body with my most sensuous look.”

  Lark didn’t hesitate. She leaned on the headboard, bent her knees and cocked her legs. “Can you see?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Dash set the audible timer and moved closer to get a better look, leaned on his elbow and smiled slyly. He gave her his best come-hither look, staring intently at her nakedness.

  “Am I making you hot?” Lark asked.

  “You most certainly are,” Dash answered, without breaking his concentration.

  After the timer sounded, they resumed rolling the dice until Dash rolled a seven and it was Lark’s turn to pull a card from his hand.

  “I’m skipping yellow and going straight to red,” Lark said.

  “Okay, Ms. Caliente, what’s the next task?”

  “It’s one of my favorite numbers—sixty-nine!”

  “And one of my favorite positions,” Dash remarked.

  They each put their cards on the nightstand and quickly assumed the position. The intensity of their mouths’ movements increased, bringing them both to the brink of orgasm. Neither could talk, but their moans were speaking volumes.

  He stiffened his tongue and stuck it as far as he could into her moistness. Dash could taste Lark’s juices as they oozed into his mouth. He withdrew his penis from her mouth and ejaculated onto the sheet.

  “I love Secret VII! That was awesome!” Lark said, panting. She turned her body around and rested her head on his hairy chest.

  “Yes, it was!”

  Dash closed his eyes. Instead of falling asleep, he envisioned a life with Lark. She was everything he wanted in a woman—sexy, smart and compassionate. In his mind’s eye, he saw them traveling around the world, finding inspiration for their designs and making love on different continents. Dash had always been attracted to older women. He admired their style and maturity. Until now, he had never dated one. Dash opened his eyes, gazed over at Lark and knew that she would be his now and forever.

  Chapter 15

  Lark and Darcy were having lunch at a hip French bistro in SoHo. The restaurant was bustling with businesspeople, models, ad execs dining on expense accounts and Ladies Who Lunch. Lark and Darcy were ensconced in a cozy corner booth away from the fray, compliments of the manager, a friend of Darcy’s. Spread before them was a seafood tier of mussels, clams on the half shell, escargots and oysters.

  “How was Florence? I called your office when you were out and your assistant told me you were in Italy for business,” Darcy said, sipping a champagne cocktail.

  Lark’s face lit up at the mere mention of her Italian adventure. “It was molto bene!” she answered, gesturing her hands in the air.

  “Oh, so you’re Italian now?” Darcy joked.

  “I’m bilingual.” She giggled. “I picked up a few words here and there while I was in Italy.”

  Darcy eyed her friend curiously. “Did you learn the language from your new lead designer? Didn’t you say he’s Italian-American?”

  “Yes, I did. He taught me a lot,” Lark answered cryptically.

  “Really?” Darcy leaned forward. “What else did he teach you?”

  Lark exhaled, deciding whether or not to divulge her romantic rendezvous to Darcy. During their last outing, she and Darcy had discussed how detrimental workplace liaisons could be. Lark was nearly bursting at the seams. She wanted to shout to the world that she had found the perfect man, but she hadn’t told a soul. Lark quickly weighed her options and decided that if Darcy was her friend, she wouldn’t be judgmental.

  “Well, if you must know, I crossed the line with Dash. We’re not simply coworkers any longer.” Lark sipped her iced tea and waited for Darcy’s reaction.

  “Why would you do that? Didn’t you say he’s in a relationship?”

  “Initially, I thought he was. The woman in the picture was his ex. He assured me their relationship is long over with.”

  “Are you sure? You know how some men can lie at the drop of a dime to get you into bed.”

  “Dash isn’t like that. He’s honest and doesn’t play
games,” Lark said, immediately coming to his defense.

  Darcy shook her head as if in disapproval. “Even if that is the case, do you think it’s a wise idea to get involved with one of your employees? You have enough on your plate with the upcoming spring/summer show. If it doesn’t work out, you’ll have to see each other on a regular basis, and since you work so closely together, that could be quite uncomfortable. Trust me, I know from experience.”

  “I understand the odds are against workplace romances, but this is different. For once, I went with my heart instead of my head. The moment felt right, so I said...‘Why not?’ Darcy, I know your philosophy of hanging back and letting the man do the pursuing. In the past that’s worked out well, but the years are swiftly rolling by and I can’t afford to sit on the sidelines anymore and wait for a man to pick me. I don’t want to be a spinster with nothing but work to occupy my time.”

  “You mean like me?”

  Lark hadn’t wanted to hurt her friend’s feelings, but that was exactly what she had been thinking. “Well, you can still get married if you want to, but...”

  “...it’s too late for me to have children. I’ve never told anyone this before, but that’s my biggest regret in life. I was laser focused on my career during my childbearing years, thinking I had all the time in the world to get married and have babies. If I knew then what I know now, I would have taken the time to cultivate a meaningful relationship. I let so many good men slip through my fingers over the years. Men who would have made good fathers. Do you think your guy would be a good dad?” Darcy asked.

  “Yes, I do. We haven’t broached the subject of marriage and kids, but I can see he’s a kind and caring man. He would make the perfect husband and father.”

  The second Lark spoke those words, she wanted them to materialize into reality. There was no denying she was falling for Dash and falling hard. In the past, she would have pumped the brakes and slowed things down, but time was no longer on her side. If she wanted to have a child—which she did—she needed to be proactive. Lark loved Darcy dearly, but she didn’t want to end up alone, with no one to snuggle up to at night.

  “Lark, I hope you’re right and this isn’t just a work fling. I can hear it in your voice that you truly care for this man.”

  “I really do. Darcy, what we have is the real deal. I can feel it in my heart.”

  “I’m happy for you, Lark. Let’s all go out for drinks soon so I can meet him. Once I see the two of you together, I’ll know if he’s genuine or not.”

  “Darcy, you sound like an overprotective big sister.”

  “We may not be related, but I consider us family, and I look out for my people.”

  “Point taken.”

  As they were talking, Lark’s cell phone rang. “Hello?...WHAT!...You’ve got to be kidding...Okay, I’m on my way.”

  “What’s wrong?” Darcy asked once Lark had disconnected the call.

  “That was my assistant. The fabric I ordered in Florence is stuck at customs!”

  “Why? You get shipments from Italy all the time.”

  “I don’t know what the problem is. I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to cut our lunch short and head back to the office.” Lark quickly grabbed her tote and kissed Darcy on the cheek.

  “No worries. I totally understand. Let me know if I can do anything.”

  “I will. Talk to you later.”

  Lark rushed out of the door, walked to the corner of Broadway and hailed a taxi. On the way back to work, she called Dash. His cell phone rang and rang before going to voice mail.

  “Where are you? We have an urgent problem. Call me as soon as you get this.”

  She then called the office and asked her assistant to put her through to Dash’s office. Again his line rang without an answer. Lark disconnected the call without leaving a message. She gazed out the window, wondering where Dash could be. It wasn’t like him not to answer her call.

  “Can you speed it up?” she asked the taxi driver, anxious to get back to the office as soon as possible.

  “No problem.”

  The driver stepped on the gas and began weaving in and out of traffic, nearly having an accident or two along the way. Within minutes, he was pulling in front of Randolph on the Runway. Lark tossed him a twenty for his valiant effort and hurried inside.

  Upstairs, she walked swiftly through the floor, passed her office and made a beeline to Dash’s. She needed to speak with him as soon as possible to find out if he knew about the delay in customs. The company had never had a problem receiving goods from Europe, and for the life of her, she couldn’t understand what the issue might be.

  Maybe Marco’s people didn’t fill out the paperwork properly, or maybe customs has our shipment mixed up with another company, she thought.

  Lark was ready to bombard Dash with a litany of questions, but she was stopped in her tracks by the sight before her.

  She stood there and watched through the glass wall of Dash’s office as the blonde from the picture on Dash’s tablet planted a juicy kiss on his lips. From what Lark could see, Dash wasn’t resisting the beautiful woman’s advances. The blonde had her body pressed against Dash’s and her arms draped around his neck. Lark couldn’t believe her eyes. She was frozen in shock for a moment. Before Dash could catch her staring, she quickly composed herself, swiveled around on her heels and headed to her office. She was walking so fast that she nearly tripped over her feet.

  Lark brushed past Angelica, who was trying to speak with her about the customs issue.

  “Ms. Randolph, I’m so glad you’re back. What are we going to do about customs? I’ve been trying to get them to release the shipment, but I haven’t had any luck. You’re going to have to call the supervisor and speak with him.”

  “I’m sorry, Angelica. I can’t talk about that at the moment. I’ll have to get back to you.” Lark couldn’t think straight. She needed to collect her thoughts, so she went into her office and shut the door.

  For the first time since the renovation of the office, Lark wished for a solid wall between herself and the rest of the office. She was on the verge of tears and didn’t want her waterworks to be on display.

  Lark walked over to the window and stared down at the people milling about. She instantly thought back to Darcy’s earlier comment: ...some men can lie at the drop of a dime to get you into bed.

  Lark had emphatically defended Dash, but judging by what she had just witnessed, he and the blonde were still very much involved. Why else would he let her kiss him in his office for everyone to see?

  With her back to the door, Lark allowed the tears she had been trying to suppress to fall. She had totally misjudged Dash, and now she regretted letting herself get involved with him. Obviously he wasn’t as mature as she had thought. He was a young man, still sowing his oats.

  Chapter 16

  Dash peeled Heather’s arms from around his neck and stepped back. He was appalled. “What do you think you’re doing?” he asked with an angry expression on his face.

  “Giving you a congratulatory kiss. Randolph on the Runway is lucky to have such a brilliant designer,” she said, gazing lovingly into his eyes.

  “How did you know about my new position?” Dash asked, brushing off her flirtatious advance. His feelings for Heather had long faded.

  “There was a mention in the trades about you replacing Sebastian. What a deal for you. I know you always wanted your designs to be part of a major collection.”

  During college, before they had started dating, Heather and Dash had been friends and had shared their dreams of one day designing for a world-renowned fashion house.

  “Thanks. I am excited about debuting my designs in the spring/summer shows.”

  “The article was nice, except there wasn’t a picture of you, so I couldn’t see your fabulous smile, which
I miss. I decided to come here in person and congratulate you in the flesh. You’re as handsome as ever.”

  Dash took in his former girlfriend. Her formerly long blond hair was now extremely short, and her slinky emerald-green jersey dress hugged her curves to perfection. She was still a knockout and most men would fall all over themselves trying to date her. But he no longer desired Heather. That ship had long ago sailed and sunk.

  “Thanks, but a text message would have sufficed.”

  “Sometimes texting can be so impersonal. Remember back in college how we used to stay up late at night designing clothes? Our collaborations were so on point. We had sketch pads full of collections for men and women and could have gone into business together right after graduation.”

  “Of course I remember. I still have my old sketchbooks.” Dash couldn’t deny that he and Heather were a good design team.

  “Does RR have any other designer positions open? I’d love to work alongside you again.”

  “Afraid not. All the positions are filled.”

  “Oh, that’s too bad.” Heather paused for a moment and then rubbed her hair. “You haven’t said anything about my new haircut. Thought I’d try something different. I think it’s sassy and sexy. Do you like it?”

  “It’s nice. Heather, I don’t have time for small talk. I’m in the middle of work. I’m going to have to cut this visit short.”

  “Dash, I miss you... I miss us,” she blurted out.

  “Where is this coming from? I haven’t seen or heard from you in over a year. What we had ended long ago and I’ve moved on. And even if I hadn’t, I told you before that I’m not into that poly-whatever thing. I don’t share my partner or my body.”

  “Polyamory. Anyway, I’m not a polyamorist anymore. Stacy and I broke up. I moved out months ago and have my own place in the West Village, which is big enough for two people. Dash, I made a huge mistake and I’m sorry. Being apart from you has made me realize how important you are to me. Let’s start over. Move in with me. This time, it’ll just be the two of us, I promise. Dash, I’ll never forget when you took me to Italy. It was my first time overseas and you treated me like a princess, showing me all over Florence and introducing me to your family. We could have traveled throughout Europe like you had planned if I hadn’t spoiled everything. Can you ever forgive me?” she asked, nearly in tears.