‘Alexander...’
‘Emma,’ he mimicked.
His hand slid up her smooth leg, caressing her sex, pushing her lace panties aside as his fingers found her core, making her gasp loudly.
‘You have to be quiet, Emma,’ he whispered in her ear.
She was trying, she really was, but it was impossible with his fingers sliding into her. So he covered her mouth with his and swallowed her every gasp and moan as he thrust his fingers back and forth. Simultaneously pulling her apart and making her soar. And when she reached that pinnacle and shattered, she plummeted back down in a million pieces. But gravity wasn’t pulling her to the ground, it was to Alex instead. His arms and his lips and his warmth. And when she finally opened her eyes, his were right there, ready to receive her.
‘Welcome back,’ he said with a wolfish grin. He righted her dress and pressed a kiss to her temple. ‘We’re here.’
Emma looked out of the window. They were in front of one of the tallest buildings in Melbourne. The setting sun was glinting off the mammoth glass and steel structure. Slowly, she moved her legs off Alex. They still felt a little shaky from his expert touch, but she didn’t have time to recover.
The door was being held open, and he unfolded himself from the car with enviable grace and held out a hand to help her. Her face burned as he held her close, keeping her steady on her feet as they walked towards the entrance. Except she noticed that Alex wasn’t leading her to the restaurant, but to a bright door next to it.
‘But it’s closed today,’ she said with a frown.
‘Not to me.’
Was there nothing beyond his reach? she wondered. Emma had enjoyed a very privileged upbringing, but at no point had she got to enjoy this kind of power. All Alex had to do was snap his fingers and he sent the world spinning in whichever way he wanted.
They walked through glass doors framed by bright yellow panels that bore the word ‘Skydeck’. There was only one person waiting in the dimly lit foyer, who greeted them and pointed them in the direction of the elevator that would take them to the viewing platform.
Alex hit the button for the eighty-eighth floor, and almost instantly Emma felt the whoosh as the lift rocketed up through the floors. Her ears were popping a little as they ascended.
‘Have you been here before?’ he asked. She saw there was something like uncertainty in his eyes.
‘I actually haven’t. Feels like something you should experience with someone, and Hannah is terrified of heights.’
‘So, a first?’ Alex said.
The thought was mirrored in Emma’s mind, but she shut it down. There was a first time for everything. That didn’t have to make it some sort of revelation.
Faster than she had ever experienced, the lift came to a halt and the doors slid open.
‘Shall we?’
Alex held out his arm and Emma linked hers through his as they stepped out into a wood-panelled passage that opened out to a wall of glass that beckoned her. Melbourne lay sprawling beneath her feet. The setting sun to her right cast everything as far as the eye could see in bright gold. And she could see so far.
She could see the ferry at the pier that seemed so massive from Alex’s apartment. The mountains in the very distance. And the Yarra snaking through the city. Parts of it glistening like sequins, other parts in dark shadow. It was beautiful.
She had almost forgotten that Alex was standing beside her. She gave a slight start when he spoke in her ear.
‘There’s more to see.’
Of course there was. Her face split into a grin as she looked past him to a lit sign that said ‘Edge’. It took more self-control than she had known she possessed to walk elegantly up a roped-off ramp. Another attendant waited there. After a warm welcome, he slid the door open on an entirely black antechamber.
Emma was buzzing with anticipation. This was something she had always wanted to do and now, thanks to Alex, the experience was hers. There wasn’t another soul around. There was no rush. It was all theirs.
She stepped into an opaque glass cube, her heels clicking on the fine surface.
‘Enjoy.’ The attendant smiled before closing the door.
Emma stood at the rail as the cube began to move forward. She felt Alex stand behind her, his arms coming around her, caging her as he placed his hands beside hers on the silver rail.
‘How long do we have?’ she asked.
‘As long as you want.’