Simone: Second Chances Read online

  Simone: Second Chances

  Lenise Lee Publications

  www.iamleniselee.com

  www.mixedmedialove.com

  Also Available from Lenise Lee

  An Angel For Ms. Right

  Love Before A Wedding

  After the Sunset

  Simone: First Encounter

  New Sensations

  Brave World Chronicles

  Instinct

  Impulse

  Simone: Second Chances. Copyright © 2011 by Lenise Lee. All rights reserved.

  All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts to be used solely in a review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part by print, electronically, mechanically or by any means is strictly forbidden without the expressed written permission of the author.

  The unauthorized reproduction of this copyrighted work is illegal.

  Federal copyright law prohibits unauthorized reproduction by any means and imposes fines up to $250,000 or up to 5 years in prison for violation.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents have no existence outside of the author’s imagination and are purely fictitious. Any similarity to actual events, locales, or people, living or deceased, is coincidental.

  Lenise Lee Publications

  Visit us at www.leniseleepublications.com

  Intimate Details by Lenise, Lenise Lee Publications

  WARNING: The material included in this work is intended for adult readers 18 years of age and older. Please store this material in a safe place where underage readers will not have access to view it.

  Author’s Note:

  This is a work of fiction. Although the characters in this fictitious writing engage in unprotected and experimental sexual acts, the author does not endorse unsafe sexual practices in real life situations.

  Simone’s Second Chance at Love

  How often does a second opportunity to win over our heart's desire come long? In real life, probably not as often as it should or as frequently as we hope for. In Simone: Second Chances, I have granted such a wish to my leading lady and the man who has secretly loved her for quite awhile.

  This new tale from my wandering thoughts also gives me a chance to pursue the same. Before this story, it had been far too long since I desired to become wrapped up with love and all of its curiosities and rewards. When my attention turned to my second go-round with Simone, there was finally a spark to return to the sweet and spicy side of romance. While drafting this piece, I had to learn to fall in love all over again with the wonderful possibilities and the tender affections that true love can offer.

  The object of my affection? Flowers, all kinds, but mainly roses. Why? Their quiet allure can stir up provocative emotions and innocent longings in one rousing and blissfully sweet scent. My rose sketch attached to this post was perhaps one of my greatest inspirations for pushing forward to completion. Simple and serene, this is the physical manifestation of the sincere love and sensuality I wanted to pour into Simone. I needed to return to the lost art of falling in love and this was the symbol that kept my heart glued to that goal. So much more may lie ahead for my characters but, for now, they will get the second chance at love we all deserve to experience.

  As always, thank you for your time and your support, Dear Reader. True love and happiness to you all..always..LL ♥♥

  From Lenise Lee

  www.iamlenise.wordpress.com

  Excerpt

  …From favorite movies to most annoying habits, we shared a lifetime in one extended exchange. He was so easy to connect with and no subject – except one in particular – seemed to be taboo or too insignificant to flow freely between us.

  I was reluctant to say goodbye to a wonderful man, a delightful evening, and a delicious after-hour’s breakfast, which had been the most heartfelt meal I had experienced in a long while. When a small yawn worked its way up from my belly, I knew that was the signal for the extreme lateness of the hour.

  “I should go.” I said the words but was far from actually meaning them.

  “Wait…not yet.”

  Daniel’s eyes pleaded with me and I almost gave in to his request. Would another hour truly make much of a difference? Truly it would…

  Simone: Second Chances

  By

  Lenise Lee

 

  Another crimson rose awaited me this morning. I tried desperately not to be swept back into the forbidden and carnal moment, but was helpless to resist the urge to relive every thrilling and sensuous touch.

  The scarlet colored flower was placed at the exact center of my desk. It was a vivid reminder of my lurid encounter with a man whom I should not have allowed myself to become swept away into a sea of passion with. A small white card, tied around the long hunter green stem, accompanied the perfectly crafted rose. Although my fingers itched to snatch up the tiny card, there was no hurry for me to read the note enclosed. I had already memorized the message waiting on the inside of the folded note. Fourteen – the number of roses and the number of notes I had received over a span of two weeks. The sender was always the same and so was the brief, yet apologetic, message.

  I removed the baby blue jacket to my skirt suit and placed it around the back of my chair. Afterward, I trailed my nervous fingers through my layered and feathered ear length hair. Unable to resist the urge any longer, I quickly snatched up the card and slowly flipped it open. A man’s handwriting was printed across the center of the slip of paper. My dark brown eyes traced every curve of every letter and replayed the phrase again and again in my mind. Forgive me. The cards were always signed simply as D. Almost instantly, as if he were standing right behind me, the image and the presence of Daniel Kade was suddenly wrapping me up in a steamy and illicit memory of his masculine hands caressing the generous curve of my hips. Although this was most certainly the wrong time and definitely the worse place to replay my intense affair with one of the directors at the accounting firm I worked for, my mind refused to shake the rich details away as they ran across my thoughts and sent a wave of heated shivers down through the center of my body. I relived every moan, every whimper, every sizzling spark that had slivered down my thighs and flooded my moist nether region as my one time lover gripped me in his arms.

  The next thought made me cringe. There was no eluding the fact that Daniel Kade was my direct supervisor. The note dropped from my fingers with urgent quickness as if the paper was engulfed in flames. The card landed with a soft patter as the stock paper collided with the hard surface of my desk. I tore my gaze away to stare blankly at the red tinted petals of the flower once more. Two weeks ago to the day, I had immaturely tossed away every care, every shred of common sense, and every ounce of responsibility to give myself over to one instance of slippery temptation.

  Before that fateful encounter, my attraction to him had been slowly simmering. His cool blue eyes, wavy blond hair, and maturely handsome features must have been my downfall. His mutual passion for me had also been well masked. One touch was all that was needed to ignite the flame between our two bodies. When his strong physique was pressed hard to mine, I had never before felt so completely whole and exotically fulfilled. Nevertheless, I had violated the cardinal rule of any workplace, no sex in the office. Daniel had made no attempts at holding this indiscretion over my head. He only seemed to be genuinely apologetic for our discreet rendezvous. Whenever we chanced a glance at one another over these last strained weeks, at the very center of his blue tinted irises, I always saw what looked to be the flame of desire still burned bright for me. Even so, my eyes could have easily been deceiving me into to seeing the wishes of my own heart reflected back at me.

  The soft padding of feet on the industrial carpet br
ought my thoughts back to the present. The office floor that served as the residence of the firm was practically deserted at this early time of morning but a handful of newcomers were starting to filter through the main entry. Fast fingers picked up the rose and tucked it gently inside one of my drawers. For now, I did not want anyone asking too many questions regarding my secret admirer. Thus far, I had succeeded in keeping these morning deliveries a hushed secret. When the office emptied near lunchtime, I would do as I had done with every one of these gifts. I would make the short drive back home to place the elegant flower in a slim vase filled with water. At home, I could freely admire its beauty and its meaning for another day or so.

  A female voice teased from somewhere close by. “I’m starting to think that you spend the night here. Lately, you’ve been here long before the maintenance crew arrives.”

  I managed to close the desk drawer containing the secret rose only seconds before Tammy slid half of her ample bottom up onto an open space at the edge of my desk. She was the only coworker here I would ever consider placing into the friend category yet even she had no clue regarding the slick affair which had taken place within these four spacious walls.

  The chill in the autumn air had caused her peachy cheeks to blush deeply. Her gray shaded eyes and smile were easygoing and cheery as she stared across at me at. When I saw a slight glimmer of mischief lurking behind her irises, a twinge of nervousness shot through me. Had she seen the flower I was holding so delicately and had rushed to slip away before her arrival? Strawberry colored lips arched upward and my heart pounded as I awaited her to speak her next sentence. This was it, the moment I had been dreading. I was seized with a stab of guilt and was frantically trying to think up an excuse for whatever intrusive question that was most certainly headed toward my direction. Panic paralyzed my thoughts and my mind went blank as I held a shaky breath in my lungs.

  “I don’t know what it is, Simone,” her eyelids lowered as she studied me keenly, “but there’s definitely a glow hovering around you.” She leaned down a little and her smile perked up another notch. “Is there a new guy you haven’t told me about?”

  Caught. I had always been a terrible liar and the word yes was on its way to fumbling across my lips when I was suddenly cut short by a penetrating male voice. The sound of the mighty tenor sent a tiny shiver between my thighs.

  “Morning, ladies,” was his greeting. The waves from his rhythmic voice rolled over me.

  Daniel – Mr. Kade, I had to mentally scold myself as a reminder to keep my thoughts of him as formal as possible – spoke as he strode by in a direction aimed toward his office at the rear. He was dressed in a navy blue suit that was tailored to every broad angle of his developed physique. A lapelled suit jacket was cut perfectly to accentuate wide shoulders and a trim waistline. Long legs, belonging to a man six foot two or higher, moved at a casual and sophisticated pace. One burly arm carried a newspaper journal tucked away in its crook, while the other cradled a lengthy and neatly pressed dark overcoat. Even his black dress shoes were shined to perfection. The tips and side of the expensive footwear gleamed bright, even under the dim overhead fluorescent lighting.

  Tammy’s attention was immediately stolen away. While still seated at the corner of my desk, she crossed her skirted legs and arched her back forward a half an inch or so. Her strawberry smile was turned on in full flirtatious force. A set of eager gray eyes as well as a pair of timid brown ones were locked onto a breathtakingly handsome man with wavy blond hair and a stunning sapphire gaze.

  Mr. Kade's flawless complexion was a wonderful mix of toasty peach combined with a gorgeous Mediterranean tan. His age was hard to pinpoint. The light dab of gray at his temples hinted that he may just now be touching his forties, but his youthful smile pulled him back to no older than mid-thirties perhaps. Either way, he was both the cover image for any upscale men’s fashion magazine and would have no problem being tapped for the feature article of any business journal. Every woman in this office had exchanged muted whispers – at least once, twice, or more – as they fantasized for a chance to capture his undivided attention – strictly on a non-business level, of course. Every man here silently brooded with envy at him.

  As he approached, at first, it appeared that Mr. Kade would continue on without pause. My breath was stalled in my lungs. Despite a conscious effort to pull my sight away, my eyes were pinned to him with a simmering desire. A flash of our afternoon together whipped across my vision. His mouth was again pressed to mine in a heated frenzy. His rosy lips lapped with hunger at my creamy delight then his manhood dug deep inside my slippery thighs. As the encounter replayed itself at lightening speed, my body burst to life in a rush of aching need that caused my breasts to heave upward. I snatched in a lung full of moist hot air.

  At the very height of my veiled arousal, he stopped. He didn’t halt mid-stride or make an overly dramatic pause. As always, his motions were smooth and refined. His movement was so evenly paced, I was left wondering if he had truly perceived the tail end of my inner erotic episode or had that also been another result of my over stimulated imagination. The attraction that was whipping up within me was relentless, even during this intense intermission. Again, another vivid image of how we were entangled in one another’s fiery embrace flashed in my mind. It required a great effort to pull my gaze away from him and force my eyes to seek out another object to focus on.

  “Tammy, great work on the in-house presentation the other day.”

  Mr. Kade's resonating baritone floated across my skin and my eyes instinctively returned to admire him once more. While he nodded an approval to my coworker, I slowly folded my palms and clasp my hands tight. My fingers were nervous with a need to run traces through his silky tresses as I stared deep into his hypnotic blue eyes.

  “Simone.”

  My name on his lips stunted my waking fantasy at the exact second before our lips would have cascaded together. I felt my eyelids widen slightly at being spotlighted during such an inwardly intimate moment. Only absolute willpower kept my bottom plum tinted lip from quivering in response to having his ocean hued irises watching me closely. He was unblinking and casual while he spoke. There was no hint of any type of attraction or muted arousal directed at me. Had I truly been only a one-timer for him? A temporary fling to be discarded and never thought of as a possible romantic interest? If so, then the daily delivery of red shaded roses served no true significant purpose. Were they meant only as a means to keep my silence or hold his guilt at bay for a day longer? The terrible possibilities jabbed my racing thoughts.

  “Simone.” He said my name again, with more emphasis and a slightly higher tone this time, which meant my distraction must have been obvious to any one who had their sight trained on me. I smiled politely to acknowledge him but no words would push through my lips. “When you have settled in for the morning, I need to speak with you privately.”

  He nodded cordially then moved on without awaiting my response. Tammy’s attention swung back in my direction without hesitation, and there was curiosity floating behind her stare. I could almost visualize the speculations wandering across her thoughts. I was left speechless and silently wondering if I had thrown away my entire professional career for the sake of allowing myself to get tangled up in one lurid rendezvous.

  “I wonder what that could be all about.” Tammy took a chance at fishing for details about the meaning of that quick exchange.

  Although her voice was muffled behind the pounding of my frantic pulse thudding away in my ears, I could feel her intensely sharp eyes glued on me and awaiting a reaction of some type. If a sudden confession was what she was poised to receive, she would be sadly mistaken. It was enough that two people within one hundred feet were aware of my indiscretion; there was absolutely no way I would allow a third to have knowledge of my blushing secret. I shrugged off the thousand questions she was waiting to barrage me with.

  “He probably wants to see if I’m up to taking on a new assignment. I’m su
re that’s all.”

  To add to the hint that this particular conversation was concluded, I turned face forward and started my login into my workstation PC. After seconds of dead silence, Tammy finally smiled and eased her round cheeks off my desk. She smiled knowingly – or had I only imagined the dash of mischief hovering around her eyes? – and then departed on six inch black heels toward her work area.

  “See you at lunch, sweetie…unless you already have plans?”

  “None…I’ll be there.”

  I yelled out my answer quickly, perhaps with a little too much anxiousness in my voice.

  Tammy turned her face slightly and it was at just the right angle for me to catch a glimpse of her sly grin.

  My mind was a rambled mess as I tried to fumble through my morning routine. After twenty minutes of staring blankly at the photo editor project posted on my screen, I knew there was no use in trying to hold back the inevitable any longer. I had been thoroughly unsuccessful at accomplishing even the simplest task. Emails and IM’s remained untouched while that harsh and accusing red indicator light on my office phone’s voicemail continuously flashed at me with urgency. My thoughts refused to move past what would be awaiting me the instant I stepped over the threshold of Mr. Kade’s doorway.