'What ---what time is it,' she murmured sleepily.

'Very late,' he replied, lifting her from the settee into his arms and carried her upstairs to his bedroom.

'But --- did you have dinner?' Her one arm automatically wound around his neck, her cheek nestled against his warm chest.

'Yes. We had a working dinner and now I'm exhausted,' he gently laid her on the bed.

She was wide-awake now. Her eyes rested on him disappointedly. She had tried to stay awake to talk to him.

Could he be very tired?

'Not that exhausted.' He misread the disappointment in her eyes. She was in an attractive black silk negligé under the unbelted robe. His eyes darkened, lazily traveling from the top of her breasts, down her curvy waist and the length of her shapely legs as she lay on her side, looking up at him.

'I thought we could talk,' she pulled the gown together, hoping to divert his already distracted mind.

He knelt on the bed. Without a word, he expertly stripped her of the offending gown. 'I know I've neglected you tonight, but I'll make it up, hmm,' his lips ravished her breast. His tongue teased her rosy nipple, his palm trailed up her thigh.

'Xanthus ---,' she tried to create some distance between them.

He was having none of it. He pinned her under his body. 'Tomorrow.' His lips burned the satin skin of her throat. 'I'll take you to a fancy restaurant. We'll talk tomorrow. I promise,' he assured huskily. His fingers were wreaking havoc just outside her lacy briefs. Involuntarily her hip angled towards his. His mouth sought hers. She whimpered, closed her eyes and responded to his hungry kiss.

In the morning, Haley was barely awake when she heard Xanthus speak softly in her ear. He pressed soft butterfly kisses on her mouth and throat, as he said goodbye. His spicy cologne tickled her nose. He reminded her that they were going out to dinner as he'd promised the previous night and murmured the restaurant they would go to. She sleepily mumbled goodbye, wanting to enjoy the extra hour, before she needed to get up for work.

        Distractedly, Haley answered her landline as she was editing the latest chapter of her new book. Immediately she was attentive to the excited tone of her publisher's voice. She smiled as she heard the squeal of excitement. Then the smile died on her face when her publisher told her a leading TV Channel in LA wanted to interview Haley.

'We leave tonight!' Haley dissented unhappily.

'Don't sound so enthusiastic about the incalculable publicity this is going to be as a springboard for the new book release,' the publisher scolded.

'But I have plans!'

'Pray tell me what plans can be more significant right now than this opportunistic launch pad for the new book?' The publisher was barely concealing her impatience.

My life! My future! We have a dinner date.

Haley summoned a smile and politely asked what time their flight was. With disappointment weighing her down like a ton of bricks around her neck, she called Xanthus and informed him she had an unscheduled trip and would be away for two days. He teasingly instructed her not to look at any other males. She immediately instructed the same command, only she meant it with all her heart. She did not want Xanthus' attention diverted to any other woman. She wanted him to be hers only as she was exclusively his. Not that they had had such a conversation. Astutely she deduced, Xanthus was a man of the world. He indulged in a relationship with a lady for as long as she held his interest, and when that interest frayed, he diplomatically ended things and moved on. She would be wise to remember, he had made no commitment, no promise of a future, so she should not expect longevity, ... but a girl could hope, couldn't she?

Haley's publisher's networking skills proved legendary. She had Haley slaving over a jam-packed itinerary. Before Haley knew the time of day or that she'd spent her first night alone, without Xanthus, she'd been whisked from one network's prime time slot to another and another. Hayley had done a one hour slot on a radio channel as well as a respectable business magazine featured her on their acclaimed professional's column.

Still Haley found the time to miss Xanthus, as they waited in the VIP lounge of one of the TV channels. She'd missed his arms around her last night... missed his passionate whispers in her ear just before he climaxed. She missed his powerful presence. She missed him.
I love you so much.

Xanthus had called her just as she'd climbed into bed. He'd demanded to know if she was alone. Haley had laughed. As if she'd be able to talk to him, if she'd had another man in bed with her. The thought of another man, any other man making love to her repulsed her. She doubted she'd ever allow another man to touch her intimately ... after Xanthus. She had reservations about making love to another man, not when Xanthus had schooled, her on the art of pleasing a man and enjoying that very same pleasure.

But she was not a fool. She did not harbour any notions that Xanthus took their relationship seriously. He was out for a good time. She was the flavour of the moment and soon, he would become bored, would want to move on and he would definitely end their relationship. It was not a matter of if but rather when he gave her, her marching orders.

Perhaps it was wise then, for Haley to engineer more of this distance between them, so she could prepare herself when he would cut ties with her. She purposed when she returned home, that she would instruct her PR people to intensify the out of State campaigns, so she could wean herself off Xanthus. It would be for her own good.

       Xanthus stared out the towering floor to ceiling window of the sky scraper his office occupied. He could hardly say he was distracted, more to the point of his mind being totally preoccupied by one, long-legged, sultry, brunette. When had she managed to inveigle her way into his heart? This was unheard of for him. To him women were companions... a temporary factor in his life. He liked it that way, short sweet and over before they become emotional and territorial. He preferred his relationships brief, so there was no mistaking that they meant anything in his life. It was just physical, lots of sex, exchange of body fluids and luxurious parting gifts to compensate for him terminating the affair.

Only this time with Haley, he did not relish the idea of ending things. In fact he found the idea of not having her in his bed any more, abhorrent. He was not done with her, not by any margin. In fact he was not letting her go not any time before eternity. What they had was special. She had to feel it too. There was no way she was not enjoying their relationship, or why would she still be with him. He knew she felt the potency of their attraction. He saw it in her eyes. Saw the way her eyes dilated whenever he took her in his arms. Felt the way she came apart, when she reached that point of no return every time they made love. She was wholly beautiful, desirable ... and all his. He could just taste her soft mouth on his lips, the sensual scent of her skin, the fragrance of her hair. When they kissed, it was spontaneous mouth combustion. And when their naked bodies touched, it was fireworks, explosions of volcanic proportions.

The pen in his hand broke in two. He cursed at the evident arousal inside his pants. His erection was so strong, it hurt. When Haley returned tonight, he had plans, plans to keep her tied to his bed for one whole week, no make that a month.

      When her plane landed back home, Haley texted Xanthus the minute she cleared the airport and gave him the address of the trendy coffee shop that she requested he meet her at. There were anxious butterflies running riot in her tummy. On the one hand she ached to be in his arms and in his bed, but on the other hand, she knew she had an urgent matter to settle, so best she not go to his place, because she just knew Xanthus would carry her to his bed and then all attempt at conversation would be aborted. So best she meet him at the coffee shop, fill him in on all the gory details of how she engineered their initial meeting and then he could decide about their future. Haley hoped he would be forgiving and not break up with her because she loved him too much and would not want to be broken hearted, but on the other hand, caution warned her that Xanthus would not be merciful after being played a fool, not that that had been her intention.

After having dropped off her luggage at her apartment, a quick shower and a conservative shift dress, she made her way to the coffee shop. Deliberately, she had dressed down for her meeting with Xanthus. She did not want him distracted and she did not want her attire to relay any attempt at seduction. She was all focused on spilling the beans and one of two things were going to happen, either she was going to spend the night in his bed, or he would be giving her, her marching orders. She prayed it would be the former. She did not want to end their relationship. She did not want a future that excluded Xanthus.

Haley drummed her fingers on the table, as she checked her wristwatch. She longed for a glass of wine to calm her nerves, but she'd opted for a glass of sparkling water. She needed a clear head. The waiter had twice appeared at her table, wanting to take her order, she apologetically, requested more time as she was awaiting somebody.

Come on Xanthus. You are twenty minutes late. Where the hell are you?

                                                                       -        end chapter eleven-