The Ten Year Affair Read online

  The Ten Year Affair

  By Hope Raye Collins

  Text copyright © 2013 Hope Raye Collins

  All Rights Reserved

  Special thanks to my good friend Jo who provided me with so much research material and my wonderful husband Dennis for sharing our home with so many books!

  I love you both.

  Table of Contents

  The Ten Year Affair

  By Hope Raye Collins

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  “What an arrogant, SOB. What an arrogant, gorgeous, sexy son-of-a-bitch.” Alex couldn’t stop those unwanted thoughts from going through her head no matter how hard she tried. She glared at her victorious opponent without any hint of admiration yet those thoughts kept going through her head. Alexandra Morgan often despised Creighton County’s star deputy prosecutor, Ian Foster, once she looked beyond the package. In addition to being one of the most beautiful human beings she knew he was also a top-notch prosecutor, one she had as of yet been unable to defeat.

  Ian glanced over at Alex and she felt the heat rise in her face causing her to blush, as if he could read her thoughts. By the smirk on his face she didn’t doubt at all that it was possible for him to be reading her mind. How Alex wished she could have wiped that irritating smirk off his handsome, bronze face today but it wasn’t to be. He’d beaten her again.

  Alex approached the prosecutor’s table determined to graciously accept defeat once more but she was afraid her graciousness was wearing thin. She swallowed and offered her hand to Ian.

  “Well, prosecutor, I hate to admit it again, but another fine job.” My how she hated this part. Ian clasped both his hands around her outstretched hand.

  “Damn him,” Alex thought. “He knows...he knows what he does to me by touching me like that.” Her heart began to race. She wanted to forget how she despised him right now and where they were and throw herself in his arms.

  “Thank you once again Alexandra. But your choice in clients makes it rather easy for me.”

  Any racy thoughts that had been running through Alex’s head stopped abruptly. Furious, Alex jerked her hand free from his.

  “Ian, why do you always have to be such a jerk?!”

  Ian knew why he felt the need to keep his distance from Alexandra Morgan by acting so offensive and making her angry. It was his only way to fight the attraction he felt for the sexy defense attorney. The same attraction he had felt since kindergarten. Well, not quite the same but he knew what he felt for Alexandra Morgan was dangerous; dangerous to his aspirations. Ian was well on his way to becoming the next County Prosecutor of Creighton County due to his huge success as its star deputy prosecutor. Ian was recognized by the American Bar Association as one of the top prosecutors in the country based on his conviction rate. His record and the respect he had garnered nationally were sure to win him the position as County Prosecutor which was his next stepping-stone to an eventual judgeship and who knew what could happen after that? He didn’t want any relationships getting in the way of what was important to him. But he kept finding it harder and harder to fight his attraction for Alex. Part of the attraction was the fact that she fought so hard to deny her attraction to him as well. It was fun whenever he was able to get Alex to let down her shield and give into her feelings. They’d both been fighting their attraction to each other for over ten years; ever since the night of their senior prom ten years ago; the night when Ian had taken and Alex had oh, so willingly, given him her virginity.

  Alex turned with a huff and stalked off. In the middle of the courthouse rotunda she bumped into her colleague and good friend, Peter Grainger, in her haste to get away from Ian.

  “Hi, beautiful! What’s your hurry?”

  Peter always seemed to be there when she needed him with his gorgeous, self-assured smile. Peter stood about six foot with beautiful, soft brown hair with golden highlights and alluring green eyes that many women longed to have focused on them. Yet, no matter how much Alex tried to discourage Peter he still seemed to only have eyes for her. She dearly loved Peter and even considered him her best friend. Even though she knew most women considered her to be crazy, she couldn’t return the feelings he had for her. Alex’s grandmother, Julia Fairchild, was one person in particular who thought Alex was crazy. Grandmother never balked at any opportunity to encourage a relationship between Alex and Peter.

  “Peter you always seem to show up at the right time when I need a shoulder to cry on. He’s done it again. That darn Ian Foster beat me again.”

  Peter tried to suppress his grin but to no avail and Alex scowled at him.

  “I’m sorry honey. I’m not smiling because you lost. I’m just smiling because, to quote an old cliché, you’re so beautiful when you’re angry. We knew when we decided to take on this case it was going to be a tough one to win. Let me make things better by taking you out to dinner. You can tell me all about the great Ian Foster’s latest victory.” Alex relaxed her scowl and grabbed Peter by the hand.

  “Peter, I love you. Thanks for being willing to listen to me whine about my loss. If you’re sure you can take it, I’d enjoy having dinner with you tonight. It’s been awhile since we’ve had the time to talk about something other than work so I promise I won’t go on about my defeat for too long.”

  “Well, I’ve won half the battle. I got you to tell me you love me. Now all I have to do is get you to show me how much you love me.” He winked and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “I gotta go. I have a hearing in five minutes. I’ll pick you up at 6:30. The Landing sound okay?”

  “Sounds good. See you then Peter,” Alex shouted after him as he hurried off to his courtroom. Peter responded with a smile and salute that lifted her spirits. He really did have a way of making her feel better. Why couldn’t she love him the way he wanted her to?

  Alex turned to leave the courthouse but as she walked by one of the attorney conference rooms a hand reached out to grab her by the wrist and jerk her into the room. The door slammed shut and Alex’s back was shoved roughly up against the door. It all happened so quickly and she was terrified until she was finally able to focus on her abductor and then she was furious.

  “Forgive me?” Ian whispered against her lips. Then he crushed his demanding mouth on hers. He could hold back none of his hunger for her. A hunger that had been spurred on by the exchange he’d witnessed between her and Peter. Jealousy had raged inside him as he watched the touching display between the two colleagues.

  Alex did her best to fight her own hunger that was rising inside her. But Ian’s hands and mouth were everywhere demanding a response and her long-deprived body couldn’t resist. She grew warm and wet as he stroked her body and found herself responding with the same desperate desire as Ian. Oh, how she had ached for this for so long. His tongue greedily claimed hers as his thumbs softly grazed her nipples bringing them to hard, erect points. He grabbed her bottom and lifted her so that she could feel his magnificent erection against her own sex. Alex wrapped her legs around Ian’s waist and Ian groaned as her stockings and garters were revealed to him. He gently thrust his hips against her in a slow yet forceful rhythm. She couldn’t take his fierce, yet tender caresses
any longer. It had been too long. She needed to feel his hard length inside her. Just as she was about to urge him to meet those desires she remembered where they were and found the strength to push him away.

  “Ian we have to stop. Stop! Now! Not here.”

  Ian gazed into her eyes his desire so very apparent.

  “I know you both despise me and lust for me Alex. I believe you happen to lust for me more.”

  His lips found hers again and feasted. He continued to press his throbbing manhood against her and she could no longer hold back the desire he had invoked.

  She responded with the same uncontrolled hunger and urgency as Ian. It had been months since she had felt his hands on her. When his hand reached down between them and found the tiny nub beneath the soft triangle of silk and stroked her moist folds it was not long before she shattered. Alex gasped and gazed into Ian’s heavy lidded eyes, both angry and amazed at how her body had so shamelessly betrayed to him her desperate need to be touched. She tried to hold back the moan that arose in her throat but Ian quickly muffled it by clasping his hand on her mouth.

  “Shhhhh, baby, shhhhhh,” he whispered in her ear yet he continued to massage her most sensitive nub extending the convulsions. When she finally collapsed against him he removed his hand from her mouth and from between her legs. He gently stroked her back and she became even more listless. He kissed her tenderly on the top of her head and she fit her head under his chin and melded into his body. And what a body it was. All six foot five inches of hard, bronze muscle capped off by jet black, slightly too long, hair and startling clear blue eyes.

  Alex couldn’t believe how her body responded to Ian, and only Ian. Ever since their first night together over ten years ago Alex only found such passion with Ian, a man she didn’t even like most of the time. She felt ashamed of how she had just behaved but she also had never felt such glorious excitement. It was sinful to want someone as much as she wanted Ian. Especially when she didn’t even like the man. Again, the realization of where she was finally came to her and she felt a rush of embarrassment.

  She went to unwrap her legs from Ian’s waist and pull away from him and regain some decorum but he eased her back in his arms.

  “Don’t Alex. Please? Stay where you are. I just want to hold you.” In the state she was in she found it impossible to protest.

  Ian reveled in the warmth of her body. She was his no matter how hard she fought to deny it. But how long would she be satisfied with what they shared? How soon before she would demand more from him than he was willing to give? He clung to her and squeezed her tight. The thought of being without her frightened him. Frightened him so much he felt the need to force himself on her like he had just done; to prove to her that she wanted and needed him and no one else, as much as he did her; to make her see that she needed him and that marriage and children didn’t matter. Guilt suddenly flushed through him.

  You are such an idiot Foster! How can you keep asking her to forego a normal life for you? How selfish can you be? For ten years now the couple had continued their on again off again lusty affair and Ian hoped it would continue another ten, maybe twenty….hell, he wanted it forever but with no strings attached. He had too many goals yet left to accomplish. Yet he knew that Alex would some day move on. A never-ending affair was not what Alex wanted or deserved.

  He didn’t want to let her go but they had been lucky up to this point that no one had needed the conference room. He eased her away and her body slid down his own arousing him even further. He looked deeply into her eyes searching for forgiveness.

  “Forgive me?” he asked again while helping to smooth out her clothing. She couldn’t help but smile at him despite her embarrassment.

  “I always do, don’t I? I forgive you for both embarrassing me in the court room, once again, and for manhandling me and continuing to embarrass me further just now.”

  Ian lovingly brushed a strand of Alex’s curly blonde hair behind her ear. She wore it down today. Just the way he liked it. He imagined it spread beneath her across the deep blue silk sheets of his bed and wound around his body. Imagined her long, slim, sun-kissed, athletic legs wrapped around his waist while he rode her to that little glimpse of heaven.

  “You’re a very fiery, passionate woman Alex. That shouldn’t embarrass you. You’ll never understand how much that passion unmans me. You never have.”

  Just in time to stop him from confessing any more to her the door opened against her back and someone’s head peeked around the edge.

  “Excuse me Ian…Alex. I didn’t realize the room was occupied. I’ll go down the hall,” the gentleman said with a knowing grin on his face as he shut the door.

  Alex cringed and let out a slow moan as she buried her face in Ian’s chest.

  “There is no end to my embarrassment today! Was that Nathan Daniels? How do I look? Do you think he knew we……?” Alex stammered.

  “Baby you look wonderful. Don’t worry about Nathan. Let’s get out of here. I’m starving. Now that we’ve had our little appetizer let’s go have a real lunch now,” he teased.

  “Very funny Ian.”

  As she turned to leave Ian grabbed her by the arm and turned her to him. “That was beautiful Alex. I love watching you come. It gets me so hot to watch you come undone with me. I need you to be with me tonight. I want to watch you come again over and over. I want to empty myself inside you. Be with me tonight Alex.”

  My god what the man could do to her with just words.

  “I...I can’t Ian. I have dinner plans with Peter tonight.”

  “Break them. Let me come to your place after work and I’ll cook dinner for you. You and I both know you would rather spend the evening in bed with me than talking to boring old Petey,” he joked with a sly grin. “Please baby.” His hand slid down her arm to join his fingers with hers. “I need you.”

  His touch made Alex shiver. He was such an arrogant jerk some times. While all her instincts said no she heard her raspy voice say, “All right Ian. You knew I wouldn’t be able to say no, didn’t you?”

  He raised their joined hands to his mouth and kissed her palm. “Thank you Alex. I’m so hot for you right now that I can’t promise you a meal first tonight. It was all I could do to keep from pouncing on you in that courtroom today. I kept thinking about how good it would feel to be inside you. To have your legs wrapped around me. One of these days you will beat me Alex because I won’t be able to reign in those thoughts when I’m with you in the courtroom.”

  Ian’s words were having exactly the effect on her that he’d hoped. Her breaths where short and quick, making her chest heave up and down. When he took a step closer to her she shivered. She found herself with her back against the door again as Ian nuzzled his face into the hollow of her neck and placed soft kisses on her throat. His tongue teased her and she grasped the back of his head and brought his face to nuzzle between her breasts. He unbuttoned two buttons on her blouse and slid her lacy, white bra from one breast. Ian continued to caress her with kisses and swirled his tongue around her nipple and suckled her sweet mound. He reluctantly pulled back and stared at her with dark, glazed eyes. He gently placed her breast back inside her bra, his eyes never leaving hers, and slowly buttoned her blouse.

  “We need to go Alex.” He couldn’t bear to have another pulsing erection without release.

  “Yes, Ian we do. I need to get away from you and get some cool, fresh air.” She needed cool, fresh air? He was absolutely boiling with need. How had he ever been able to stay away from her for so long? As they left the room Ian ran a frustrated hand through his wavy, black hair and smiled. That was just a little assurance that Alex would not back out on him tonight. And he would continue his seduction through lunch. He would have her wound so tight she would not have any remorse for canceling her plans with Peter.

  ***

  After lunch with Ian, Alex returned to the office to prepare for her upcoming trial. Lunch with Ian had been anything but relaxing and she could not drag h
er thoughts away from what had occurred. He was playing her, she was sure of it. He taunted her throughout their meal with sexual innuendoes and at one time he had wiped some mayo from the corner of her mouth and placed his finger in her mouth for her to lick it off. Alex smiled remembering how she had played along with his little game and had sucked and licked the mayo from his finger provocatively. Alex laughed as she recalled how he had gulped and quickly removed his finger. He had learned that two could play at his game and behaved himself throughout the rest of their lunch. But he had left her with such a tender, warm and wet goodbye kiss that she had been useless this afternoon. Alex could feel the moisture between her legs that Ian had put there today. First in the courthouse, and then over lunch. She wondered how it would be tonight. Would he take her hard and fast or would he tease her and drag out the foreplay until she thought she would die? A knock on her door startled her and she blushed as she was awakened from her thoughts.

  Peter entered the room.

  “Are you feeling all right Alex? You look kind of flushed.”

  “I’m fine Peter but I do feel a little tired. Do you mind if I take a rain check on tonight?” Alex cringed at how easily she lied to Peter. This obsession with Ian Foster brought out the worst in her.

  “Not a problem honey but I won’t pretend I’m not disappointed. Would you still like me to come over to your place and pamper you? I’m told I give killer massages.”

  Alex chuckled at Peter’s teasing. “I bet you do Peter but no thanks. Behave yourself. Maybe we can do dinner sometime next week? I’m glad you stopped in because I need your opinion on my opening statement for my next trial. It’s set to start Friday afternoon.”

  Alex continued to talk but Peter wasn’t hearing her. She was so beautiful. He wanted to reach out and stroke her silky soft blonde curls, nuzzle his face in the luxurious mane, feel her smooth, moist skin under his hands, bury his lips in the soft hollow of her neck and taste her rosy pink lips. Her deep green eyes sparkled like emeralds whenever she talked about one of her cases. She was truly passionate about her work. Peter only wished that she would look at him that way, with passion in her eyes.