An Education in Pleasure (closed)

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Alexa walked into the ballroom, trying not to stare up at the ceiling. It was crafted using steel beams, all supporting the huge windows looking up at the perfectly clear and starry night sky, but the steel was inlaid with what looked like millions of little filigreed gold etchings, all catching the starlight and the light from the opulent crystal chandelier to fill the space with a soft, sparkling yellow glow.

A waiter approached her with a tray of champagne flutes. She accepted one thanking him graciously, and continued to try to blend in. She would never have been invited to an event like this on her own; but she was the least senior person at her new office having only been hired three months ago. Her senior editor couldn’t go, and she had decided to give her invitation to Alex as a nice thank you for the work she’d done since she arrived, which was incredibly generous of her. She had even allowed her to borrow the dress and shoes she was wearing, which was a good thing, since there was a very good chance that her car cost less that her outfit. The black material managed to “hang alluringly from her frame while still hugging to her curves”, was how her boss had put it. She was more than a little self conscious about the expanse of her neck and collarbone that was completely naked, in her experience you needed to wear some sort of jewelry in those situations, but her editor had insisted that was what this dress was FOR, to show off a pretty neckline.

All of that meant that Alex was left to stand on her own in one of the most elegant settings she had ever seen, sipping champagne, by herself. The party was being thrown by some company or another, some sort of annual fundraising gala. Alexa obviously didn’t have anything to contribute, so she wasn’t quite sure what her responsibilities were. She had been a college student less than a year ago, and not a particularly well off one at that. She had spent her entire college career corresponding with Tanya, the woman she now called her boss. She had sent her a letter of intent when she was still in high school, explaining how she wanted to come work for her at Grand Ark Publishing in New York once she had gotten her bachelor's degree. Tanya had appreciated her pluck and kept in touch, and once she had graduated had sent her a job offer to move to the city and become an assistant editor. The pay wasn’t amazing, but it was enough for a small apartment and living expenses, and it gave her enough time to work on her own first novel. Still, it was hardly a lifestyle that left much room for attending grand balls.

She started to fold her arms, but caught herself, not wanting to put out a closed energy. This obviously wasn’t a place she’d go to meet someone, but she could at least APPEAR available. God knew it had been a while since she’d had any sort of romantic contact with anyone, what with the move and the new job. It was a big city, and she knew it wouldn’t be hard to meet someone if she ever gave it some real effort. If she was honest with herself, her ongoing single status had more to do with just how new and exciting and scary her life in the city was. There just wasn’t space for a guy in it yet.

She sipped at her champagne, watching a few of the older couples dance in the middle of the room for a moment, admiring how good they looked together, before she slipped from the room and walked out onto the veranda, looking down at the city far below...

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Gabriel van Thorne had arrived fashionably late. Dressed in an impeccably stylish, tailored Armani suit, which emphasised the perfect V shape of his broad muscular shoulders and slim hips, he could feel many hungry female eyes on him as he entered. Events like this were unfortunately a boring necessity for someone in his business, after all his company worked for some of the most powerful and influential people and organisations on the planet. Rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous was simply just another part of his work, one he enjoyed far less than most others.

His uncanny ability to understand human motivation and personality and to predict behaviour made him one of the highest paid consultants worldwide with a wide variety of assignments from peace negotiations, hostage situations, corporate takeovers to jury selection and beyond.

Gabriel understood people. This was highly lucrative and interesting professionally and yet it made his personal life decidly more complex and somewhat boring. He was rarely surprised by others, conquests far too easy to bring satisfaction. Due to this predictability of standard relationships, he had over time discovered a darker desire to keep himself interested. How far could he push a woman's mind and body through the skillful application of pleasure? Gabriel had long ago given up the idea of an equal, of an actual challenge, instead passing the time with stunningly beautiful women he cared nothing for, the last of which he had let go of last night. Time for a new project to pass the time...

His eye travelled across the ballroom, scanning the crowd. Many eyes met his, trying to engage his attention and yet he was left entirely cold. There was entirely no fun in corrupting the already corrupt further. And then he saw her, a young beauty in a long black dress, with an air of something different, a sense of freshness and vibrancy to her that Gabriel found rather appealing. Corrupting a morsel like this might even be fun.

Gabriel smiled to himself, watching her move across the room to the balcony. She had seemed a little nervous, unaccustomed to such functions, standing alone within the crowd of New York's finest. With graceful strides he followed her, observing his prey like a feline predator would, noticing every gesture, the way she moved, the expressions on her face, piecing the information together to a preliminary profile of this woman, of his target.

He joined her on the balcony, acting non-chalently, as if he too had just felt the desire for fresh air.

"It seems I am not the only one who longed for the pure beauty of the true stars", his rich, masculine voice said, almost caressing the exposed skin on her body with its baritone. "Gabriel van Thorne, a pleasure to meet you", he added, resonating the word pleasure in a way that would send shivers up most any straight woman's spine.

"Work obliges me to be here, but you look far too delectable to have been in these circles for long. What fortunate turn of events has brought you here for me to find", he asked, his steelblue eyes holding hers, a mysterious smile on his sensuous lips.

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Alex rested the palms of her hands against the stone wall surrounding the edge of the building. At this height, the wind buffeted them pretty aggressively, so there were metal railings mounted in the stone to keep them from being blown off. She hadn’t paid attention to which floor they were on, but looking out at the other buildings around them, she knew it had to be several dozen, at least. A triny whirring sound caught her ear, and she perked up her head, smiling as she watched one of the small drones that seemed to buzz around the city occasionally. She wanted to wave so the person on the other end would see her, but for all she knew it was some student making a movie, and she didn’t want to mess up his footage, so instead she just leaned against the railing, enjoying the view of the skyline...

"It seems I am not the only one who longed for the pure beauty of the true stars"

She looked behind her, her hands wrapping around her bare arms, suddenly feeling very exposed. She wasn’t in a private space, she knew it, and it wasn’t like the person was intruding at all… but the way he SAID it, it seemed immediately invasive, like he was completely filling her awareness all at once. It was as if her mysterious visitor somehow had a sense of exactly how to cut inside her personal bubble. She knew she needed to be polite, but still was fully prepared to tell him to leave her alone. Her breath caught in her throat, however, the second she saw him. He was absolutely stunning. The shape of his jaw, the sly cut of his smile, the intelligent, flirtatious twinkle in his eye… she faltered completely in her attempt to send him packing. “H...hi…” she offered, realizing she was looking down at the way his body seemed to be sculpted from granite like a Greek god, but feeling completely powerless to stop herself.

"Gabriel van Thorne, a pleasure to meet you"

She gulped. He had a tiny bit of an accent, but she couldn’t place it at all. It was lost in the dense, sultry baritone of his voice. It resonated right into her skin, carrying itself through her bones into her pelvis… she could feel his voice right in her… She blinked, moving her legs in what she hoped was a subtle repositioning just so she could rub her thighs together for a moment, needing to find a way to handle the pulse of sensation that seemed to swell in her at the sound of his voice.

She cleared her throat, collecting herself. She was very proud of the fact that she had graduated from the ranks of lovesick schoolgirls and become a confidant professional… it would take more than this… intensely… sexy guy to shake her confidence. She offered him a hand and a sweet, friendly smile. “Alexa Dalle.” She said, taking his firm hand in hers and having to restrain the forced exhale that fought to come from her as her body trembled at the sensation of his big, firm, powerful hand taking hers, the calluses from some unknown activity feeling aggressive and at once soothing against her tiny palm.

"Work obliges me to be here, but you look far too delectable to have been in these circles for long.’

She blinked at that. ‘Delectable’? She didn’t even know what to do with that… no one had ever called her anything even CLOSE to that in her life. Some part of her felt intensely demeaned by it… it was something you’d say about FOOD. but then… she could feel her body almost unfold itself to him in response, as though he was speaking more to her womanhood than to her personally. None of it seemed to deter her from continuing to let him have her hand.

“What fortunate turn of events has brought you here for me to find",

For him to find? How… “I’m from Apsara Publishing.” She offered, still not sure how to react to the way he was talking to her as if she was something he’d just acquired for himself. “Diane Weistwood is my head editor, and she wasn’t able to make it.” She slowly withdrew her hand, not quite sure what to do with it, so she simply held her small clutch purse in front of her with both hands, trying like hell to simply hold his eyes and not continue to admire his body in that suit. “Do you know her?”

She swallowed at his reaction. She wasn't usually this useless in conversation, she took a huge amount of pride in the way she was able to handle herself when meeting people for the first time. Something about this guy was stripping her of her ability to THINK properly, let alone talk to him. "So... what... do you do, Gabriel?"

In the moonlight this young woman truly looked even more breathtaking than he had imagined, her large eyes and full lips stirring an unfamiliar longing inside him to posess her and make her his. Yes, she was beautiful and yet, there behind these eyes that seemed wise beyond her years was something else, something interesting, alive, drawing him closer.

The way she responded to his intrusion showed him that he was likely dealing with an introvert, a sensitive dreamer who enjoyed her own company. She had been polite before she saw him and yet there had been a core of determination, a hidden strength as well. Very intriguing indeed. Her response to his physicality amused him. It was immediate, direct and for lack of a better word innocent in its intensity.

"H..hi", she had said in her soft melodic voice as she had taken in his face and body. Gabriel had to fight to hide a laugh but as the formidable poker player that he was his face gave nothing away, only his eyes sparkling with amusement.

It was obvious he was affecting her and yet she pulled herself together to offer him her hand. Her handshake was suprisingly firm for a woman of her size.

"Alexa Dalle", her voice said with a slight tremble. Oh what a deliciously responsive creature he had found here. So far, he had only looked at her. Gabriel could only imagine how she might respond if he touched her, running his strong, skilled hands along her slender body, caressing every inch of her, setting each nerve ending aflame with sensation, drinking in her fragrant softness.

How beautiful would her moans and pleas sound as he brought her to the brink, never quite letting her find fulfillment until she had begged him desperately enough. Gabriel could feel his cock harden slightly at this train of thought. How unusual. He normally was Mr. Calm and collected, always in charge of a situation and yet this young woman had an effect on him, just as he had on her.

"Defender of mankind", his resonant voice said. At her questioning look, he added: "That is the meaning of your name. A heavy burden indeed to carry. I wonder if you have ever dreamed of putting these responsibilities down, to simply be and feel, if just for one delicious moment, living life only for your own delight", he added, his steel-blue eyes holding hers, seemingly looking for the deep dark secrets he imagined she hid there, waiting for her answer.

"What fortunate event has brought you here for me to find", he had asked, noticing the confusing effect he had on her, her mind seemingly objecting to him whilst her body and feminine nature almost seemed to purr. He smiled as she tried to use her tiny clutch bag as a small shield against him, apparantly unsuccessfuly.

So she was an assistant editor for an established publishing house, was she? Working under Diana? God have mercy on her soul.

"Yes, I do know her well", Gabriel said, somehow making the word know sound dirty and forbidden.

"So...what...do...you...do,..Gabriel", she asked hesitantly, her large eyes looking expectantly into his. He liked the way she said his name, as though he was a dark hero of an ancient fairytale.

"Well, it seems you start off with the deep questions", he said with a small smirk, teasing her lightly. "I find out what people need badly enough to be willing to give me whatever I want", he added darkly, his eyes on her conveying the double meaning of his words. "For some reason people like to give me what I want", his voice teased huskily as he took a step towards her, his hand slowly adjusting one of the straps of her dress that had slid down to expose her shoulder, his fingers slowly sliding along her exposed skin as he did so.

"Can you imagine why that is", he asked, his breath now close to her ear as he leaned in a little closer. "What do you need, Alexa?" He wasnt really asking, the tone of his voice suggesting he already knew whatever was in that deepest darkest place inside of her, aching to be met.

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"Well, it seems you start off with the deep questions"

There was something in the way he looked at her that was bringing an unmistakable flush of heat that seemed to settle right into her neck, even though they were standing out on the balcony , dozens of floors up, buffeted by the breeze. It wasn’t attraction. It was something else entirely.

"I find out what people need badly enough to be willing to give me whatever I want", he said as he reached up and slid a strap of her dress back up into place. She swallowed, not sure that she liked that. There was something intensely familiar about the gesture. It implied and intimacy and comfort between them that shouldn’t be there, not at all. It made her stomach twist, thinking about just how casually he had assumed that he would be allowed that access to her. And yet, she didn’t move, or say anything to stop him…

"For some reason people like to give me what I want," He said, His voice slicing right through her. She was feeling more on edge all the time, just listening to his voice. "Can you imagine why that is?"

She inhaled, realizing that he had completely moved himself into her personal space without setting off any of her senses. The breath she drew was full of the smell of him, something organic and raw, yet with an age and clarity to it that seemed to set off parts of her she didn’t fully understand. He was standing so close she got the distinct sense that the only thing keeping him from touching her was his own amusement. She released the breath she had drawn, feeling her shoulders shudder under his gaze, and her lack of control. “You’re…” She said softly, offering him a raised eyebrow, making the statement a question with her inflection, “you’re just a person that must bring that I out of people…”

"What do you need, Alexa?"

She took a step back, her back pressing into the stone wall of the railing separating her from the expanse of nothingness only feet away. The wind whipped up the side of the building, turning her hair into a torrential halo for for a brief moment. She rested her hand against her throat, uncertain what to think or do here. He was a complete stranger, exactly the sort of person she worked so hard to avoid. True, he was perhaps the most beautiful man she could remember ever being this close to… he only got more perfect the closer he got. She could perceive the way his body seemed to move within his clothing, seeing the subtle play of muscles against each other, the way the expensive fabric draped over what seemed to be a marble-solid frame. And he moved with a supple ease that suggested he had a degree of control over himself that she could barely fathom. If a man like this were to get it into his head that he wanted to please you…

But that was almost it. There was nothing in him that seemed interested in pleasing anyone. He COULD do it, that was so clear it made her body ache… but the way he looked at her… she felt like a plaything. Like a mouse a cat toyed with. And yet, there was more to it even still. He wasn’t just looking at her like a toy, but… rather… a toy that he was delighted with.

She breathed softly, the moment between his question and her answer hanging between clock ticks like a drop of water sitting precariously, ready to drop into a pool of water and send it’s ripples off to the horizon. She could FEEL his delight. It wasn’t just interest… it was…

He was ENJOYING this.

“I don’t know…” she said truthfully… the only answer she could possibly give. “But… I suppose you do?”

The internal conflict between her body's desire for him and her thoughts of propriety and independence was painted clearly on her beautiful face. He was pushing her, cornering her with his words and his presence, giving no quarter. Gabriel was acting faster and more obviously than he normally would, a sign how much he felt drawn in by something about her he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Yes, she was prey and she was delicious, a ripe and beautiful girl just waiting to be plucked, devoured and turned into the deeply sensual, wanton woman that was flirting with the idea of him. And yet there had been many women like that, why was he trying so hard to ensnare this one?

"For some reason, people like to give me what I want. Can you imagine why that is", he had asked in his sexy voice almost directly into her ear so she could feel the breath as well as his words caress her being.

"You're just a person that must bring that out in people" she had answered with a blush, her eyes averting. He wanted to grab her then, push her against the wall and kiss her.

"Especially in people like you", he whispered into her ear.

He had asked her what she needed then and the honesty and vulnerability of her answer had made him hesitate. Did he really want to corrupt a woman like this? A woman of decency, not yet tainted by greed, cycnicism or arrogance? Had he really found one of the few remaining "innocents" in this corrupt town he loved so deeply?
In the end he wasn't a good enough man to walk away from her, the invitation in her last statement too tempting for him to resist.

"Your need is in every movement, every word, every glance from your eyes. The way your body responds to my presence screams your desires out to me. People like me can always spot people like you from a mile away. It's as though your being is calling out to a man who is strong, determined and skilled enough to take you on an unforgettable journey into your own desire nature to unleash the dormant vixen inside. Every woman has one, just waiting for the right man to come along. I just might be that man for you, Alexa", he whispered huskily.

"It's about letting go of control", he said, grasping her wrists and holding them easily behind her back, pulling her against his body, bending her slightly backwards so her large eyes met his. "Feeling the vulnerablility of being utterly in your feminine nature, surrendered, helpless to resists that which you have never been courageous enough to admit you need before." His hand held hers, gently enough that she could have pulled away if she had chosen to do so.

His mouth found her neck, his soft lips finding her pulse point and running his tongue and lips slowly along the elegant line of her throat, teasing her soft flesh skillfully, right here out in the open where anyone might walk in on them.

After a moment, he laughed out loud as the next song came on. Sade's "smooth operator" sounded with it sexy saxophone. He let her go, only holding one small hand, pulling her with him to the dance floor.

"Dance with me", he not quite asked, one hand firmly on her lower back, his other hand grasping hers, ready to lead. He moved effortlessly and gracefully with the rhythm of the song, leading her so clearly it was easy to follow the more and more showy and complex figures he brought her into, always setting her up to succeed whilst challenging her.

Their bodies were close, some dance moves quite risque taken out of context, giving him the opportunity to run his hand along her body in myriad, always casual seeming ways that however felt anything but casual.