This is my fifth Tuesday Tales, where writers are invited to create a story based on a prompt. This week's prompt was "boyfriend" but it has been changed to "lies". Both prompts work well for my story, and my are there plenty of lies in this week's chapter! My Tuesday Tales are part of a serial I've entitled "The Artifact". It's romantic adventure/suspense. Make sure to read all back issues before reading this one. Below is my list of previous Tuesday Tales. Enjoy!
The Artifact
By Elizabeth Black
Chapter Six - Secret
Why do I have to choose one man or the other? Why can't I have them both?
Don gripped her upper arm like a vice, simmering over Julian's presence. His closeness made her tremble, sensing how exciting it was to have two men sniffing at her and fighting over her like a couple of randy wolves.
"Vic, come here. I want to show you something." Julian grinned, dimples emerging in his cheeks. Victoria walked to the desk with Don following closely behind her. She stood a safe distance away from Julian while Don pressed his hand against her back, claiming her as his own. When she refused to step closer to him, he raised his eyebrows, amused at her fears.
He played with her.
"Look at the statue's hair." He closed the gap between them with two steps. The closer Julian came to Victoria the tighter Don's arm wrapped around her shoulder. Both men's faces were so close to hers they could engage in group kiss. Victoria smelled his spicy cologne beneath his sweat. It clashed with the fresh herbal scent Don wore. Her head spun amid the animal magnetism that pulled her from one man to the other. She stared at the statue but did not see it. All she saw was Julian's powerful jaw and Don's massive shoulders. Her heart raced, its thunder roaring in her ears, masking all other sounds. Could both men detect her secret desire? Her wish to take them both? Would they please her or fight over her? Her body screamed for them to tend to her needs. She had gone without love and physical affection for far too long.
"Uhh... what about the statue?" Don't sound so breathless! They'll wonder what's wrong. Nothing's wrong. Everything's wrong! I can't believe I'm sitting in my office with the three of us pretending to be interested in this damned statue. When she asked her next question, she wondered if she was talking about the statue or the potential menage erupting in her office. "What am I supposed to see that's right in front of me?"
He stared into her eyes and flashed a smile. Her heart melted into her shoes. "See the curls in her hair? Only these three. They're counter-clockwise. Look at this photo of the statue." He slid the photo over the desk and slid his other hand under the table to squeeze her knee. As he scooted closer to her Don kissed her neck.
"What was that about the hair again?" She gasped, not caring one whit about the statue. Amazing; the statue was a fake but its reputation for inspiring lust had not changed. Maybe the copies had their own power.
"Three curls, turning counter-clockwise. In this photo of the real statue, those curls turn clockwise. And her anklet has an extra strand - four instead of three." She barely heard him as Don nibbled on her neck, her pulse pounding against his lips. When she turned her head to face Julian, he lowered his to kiss her on the lips; a gentle brush, a promise of things to come. "It was common for Romans to make copies of their favorite Greek statues. It's actually an honor that a Roman sculptor made such a beautiful replica." Lips brushed her cheek. "The Romans appreciated beauty as much as the Greeks had." Don's fingers squeezed her breast. "Who knows how many copies were made? Could be dozens. Hundreds." Cool air blew on her chest and shoulders as Julian unbuttoned her blouse. Don slid the silken fabric down her arms until her bare skin glowed in the filtered sun.
"You should call the Greek consulate and complain." He licked beads of sweat that rolled past her collarbone to her breasts as Don pinched her nipples.
"To hell with the Greek consulate." Victoria wrapped her arm around Julian's shoulder as Don took one nipple into his mouth. "I can't stand it anymore. Both of you take me right here on my desk."
----------
For more stories from other authors, please visit the Tuesday Tales web site. Next week's prompt is "kiss". Look for "The Artifact" to continue in the next installment.
....WOW. This story gets better and better every week! It looks like it's about to be a lot more fun. :)
ReplyDeleteOh yeah! "Kiss" is next week's prompt. I think you can guess what's going to happen next. :)
ReplyDelete