Chapter 20: Just In The Line Of Duty
Chapter 20:
Exactly one hour later Luis walked into the Book Cafe to meet Sheridan. She was sitting there sipping a cup of tea, which actually surprised Luis. He expected she’d be late as she was trying to do the impossible. He grinned as he walked up to her and put his hands over her eyes. He leaned down and laid sensual kisses on her neck. “Any guesses?” he asked playfully. “Only one,” she answered softly. “I think it’s the sexiest guy in Harmony.” Sheridan reveled in the feel of his touch and the scent of his cologne, which always had a stimulating effect on her. Luis grinned as he moved to sit down with her. Chad who had been asked to deliver it as soon as Luis arrived promptly greeted him with a cup of coffee. “That’s what I call service!” Luis said.
Chad grinned. “We aim to please,” he said as he delivered the coffee and then returned to the counter. “So Sheridan, I’m dying to know,” Luis asked with a very alluring sparkle in his eyes, “Who is going to make tonight worth while?” Sheridan caught her breath. She could hardly stand the anticipation of what tonight would bring. She blushed slightly before answering his question. “Tell me the truth Luis, before I answer your question,” Sheridan asked. “Which would you prefer?” Luis chuckled. The thought of sneaking around in his own house to be with Sheridan excited him, but also made him feel terribly guilty. He knew if his mother caught them, it would hurt her terribly and he didn’t want to hurt her. “The truth?” he said. Sheridan nodded.
“The truth is, if we were caught at my house I would hate to hurt my mother. She’s not stupid Sheridan. She knows how we feel about each other, but I’m not sure I could flaunt it in her face.” Luis stated. Sheridan smiled warmly at him. She loved this man more each passing minute. He always respected the wishes of others and did whatever possible to avoid hurting people he loved, putting aside his own wants and needs. “You amaze me Luis. That’s one of the reasons I love you so much. And for that you will be rewarded.” “And how may I ask?” Luis inquired with a devilish grin. “Let’s just say that I couldn’t find an apartment on this short notice, so you win the dare. But I have booked a suite at the Harmony hotel for the next month, so I have a place to stay while I’m looking for a place of my own. Hey, I lived in a suite in Paris for years. This should be no different. So tonight, I will make it worth your while and we won’t have to hurt Pilar in the process.” Sheridan waited for Luis’ response.
“You are one of a kind Sheridan,” Luis said. “I guess this means you’ll be moving in tonight?” “Oh yeah,” Sheridan smiled. “As soon as possible.” Her voice was very soft and suggestive which sent shivers through Luis’ body. “I guess I’ll just have to help you move your things then,” Luis said. “I’ll leave a note at home telling Mama where I’ll be.” “I think we should get a bite to eat first. Any ideas?” Sheridan asked. Luis looked at Sheridan in a sly manner. “Tonight’s my night, right?” “Yes,” Sheridan slowly answered with a grin, wondering what he was up to. “I suggest we get pizza and make this like a moving party,” Luis answered.
“I’d like that very much,” Sheridan admitted shyly. Sheridan longed to do things that other people did all the time. The only time she could remember having a normal casual date was the night Luis had taken her to the Pool Hall. For some reason when she dated, men always wanted to take her to the finest restaurants trying to impress her. All she ever wanted were the simple pleasures in life. The kind a fat pocketbook couldn’t buy. Luis always managed to give her these simple pleasures. “Let’s go then,” Luis said with a tempting smile. Sheridan and Luis promptly left the Book Cafe to gather Sheridan’s belongings and move them to her temporary new home.
At the Lopez-Fitzgerald house, Sheridan decided to change into something more appropriate for ‘moving.’ She put on a pair of jeans and a pink oxford shirt. Luis gave her an approving whistle when she emerged in her new attire. “It amazes me how you can make a pair of jeans and a shirt look so sexy, Sheridan,” Luis said as he checked her out. Sheridan blushed. “I’ve been wondering that same thing about you for some time now,” she said as she admired Luis’ muscular body. “Really now?” Luis asked in a deep tone. “Yes, really,” she answered with a sly grin. The two of them were just staring, admiring each other’s physique. They weren’t getting much accomplished at this point. “I’m all packed,” Sheridan finally said, still unable to take her eyes off Luis. “O.K.” Luis said smiling. He too continued his appraisal of Sheridan. “I guess I’ll order the pizza and we can pick it up on the way to your hotel.” “Great,” she said quietly. “The sooner the better. I’m beginning to get a little hungry.” She was now staring directly into Luis’ eyes. She felt as if she could see right into his soul.
“Yeah, I’m famished,” Luis agreed unable to break eye contact with Sheridan. Luis finally took a deep breath and picked up the telephone and ordered a pizza. Sheridan finally managed to come out of her near trance when he made his call. She began taking her packages downstairs. She’d barely made it to the bottom step when Luis was on top of her removing her load from her. “I’ll do that for you Sheridan,” he said. “Thanks.” she smiled. Luis took her packages out to the car and returned in a flash. Sheridan was standing in the kitchen when Luis returned. “Is there anything else?” he asked. “Nope, that’s it. I only had what I bought since I’ve been back in Harmony. Remember my clothes were all in Paris?” she grinned. “Right.” Luis said with a slightly embarrassed look. “I’m sure they’re probably at the mansion by now,” she said. “I’ll call Ethan tomorrow and see if he can have them moved to my suite for me.”
“Well, we still have about fifteen minutes before the pizza’s ready. Anything special you’d like to do while we wait?” Luis asked with a raised brow. ‘There’s only one thing I want right now Luis,’ Sheridan thought to herself. “I’ll do whatever you want Luis,” she said grinning. “After all, it’s your night.” “I’m sure I can think of something,” Luis said seductively as he walked over to her. Sheridan’s heart began to beat rapidly as Luis closed the distance between them. He now stood right in front of her. His face only inched from hers. She could feel his breath on her face and she felt her knees go weak. Sheridan managed a smile and slipped her arms around his neck. Luis pulled her close and inched his face closer to hers until their lips barely touched. He pulled back and once again looked deep into her eyes. He did the same thing again, this time the kiss lingered for a few more seconds.
Sheridan was quickly losing her breath. His gentle sweet kisses, his penetrating looks, the feel of his hot breath on her skin were stirring her every emotion. Luis finally leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. He parted their mouths deepening their kiss, sending an electric charge through Sheridan‘s body. Luis delighted in in the exploration of Sheridan’s mouth. He was lost in the wonderful sensation he was feeling and suddenly pulled back. He was catching his breath as he kissed Sheridan gently on the forehead. “We’d better not get too carried away, Sheridan,” he said. “We’ll never make it out of this kitchen if we don’t stop now.” Sheridan gave him a playful look. “Now that would be interesting,” she said.
Luis gave her a returned look of pleasant surprise. “Seriously Luis I understand,” she agreed. “I’ve spent so many months hiding my true feelings from you and myself for that matter.” Sheridan gave him a quick, but full kiss on the mouth. “ Now all I want to do is show you how I feel.” She smiled in a very alluring fashion. “You and I have so much in common Sheridan. I feel exactly the same way,” Luis admitted with an affectionate grin. He then kissed her passionately for a brief minute. “Now, let’s go eat!” Luis took her hand and they left Luis’ house hand in hand.
Sheridan thanked the doorman and handed him a generous tip as she closed the door behind him. Luis placed the pizza on the table and looked at Sheridan. Suddenly they were both nervous and neither knew exactly why. “Ready to eat?” Luis asked with a quick laugh. “Sure am,” Sheridan smiled coyly. Luis pulled a bottle of wine and two glasses out of a bag he was holding. “Where did you get that?” Sheridan asked in surprise. “I had an hour to kill earlier, remember?” Luis said mischievously. Sheridan looked at the bottle and smiled. “Luis,” she said with emotion, “This is the exact same wine we had on our first date.” “It sure is,” Luis grinned. “You seemed to like it that night, so I thought you might like it again. Tonight seemed to be a good choice. Besides, we needed something to wash the pizza down with, didn’t we?” “You are so sweet sometimes,” she beamed. “Only sometimes, huh?” he asked
Sheridan tried to give him a disapproving glance, but she couldn’t keep the look long, as her lips turned into a smile. “Let’s eat, shall we?” she said. “Certainly,” he grinned. Luis poured them each a glass of wine, while Sheridan served them each a slice of pizza. As they ate their dinner, Luis kept looking at Sheridan with a devilish grin. Sheridan would giggle at his looks, but every time she looked into his eyes, her body would tingle. As Sheridan was eating her pizza and sipping her wine, a thought struck her and she started laughing out loud. “What’s so funny?” Luis asked in amusement. “I just had the craziest idea!” she said shaking her head. “Sounds intriguing! What is it? Luis asked. “I don’t think you’d want to hear it Luis. It would be too much like torture for you.”
“I’ll never know unless you tell me, now will I?” Luis grinned. “Luis really, it was just a crazy thought that went through my head.” Sheridan laughed. “Neither one of us could do it for very long anyway.” Luis stood up and walked over to Sheridan. “Ok, Sheridan,” Luis said impishly. “Out with it!” He began kissing her neck and ear. Sheridan now couldn’t contain her laughter. “I haven’t even told you yet and you can’t do it.” Luis started to pout. He looked up at her with big brown puppy dog eyes and asked, “Please tell me?” “O.K. Luis,” Sheridan said, once she’d composed herself. “Remember I said it was a crazy idea and I wouldn’t even expect you to try it. A few minutes ago, when you kept looking at me the way you were, I kept thinking how much I wanted to kiss you, right then.” Luis flashed her his killer smile.
“Then I started thinking about how long we’d last not being able to kiss each other if we were being seduced by each other,” Sheridan finished. She was slightly embarrassed. “I told you it was silly.” “Are you telling me I have no self-control, Sheridan?” Luis asked with enjoyment. “I’m not saying that, Luis, but I’m sure I could get to you if I wanted to.” she answered. “Then you are saying I have no self-control! I bet I can handle anything you can dish out.” Luis replied with a grin. “I’ll bet you couldn’t last half as long as I can last.” “Oh really?” Sheridan returned. “You think you’re so ‘hot’ no woman could resist your charm, is that it?” Sheridan was beginning to really enjoy this conversation and where it was going. “It’s been known to happen, Sheridan,” Luis told her. “Besides, you just admitted you wanted to kiss me. And you told me earlier you were having trouble keeping your hands off of me.” Luis was beginning to really get turned on by this idea.
“You said the same thing Luis!” Sheridan retorted. "Well, it looks like we are at a standstill then," Luis said. "There's only one thing to do. We'll have a contest to see who can refrain from kissing the other person the longest." "O.K. You are on!" Sheridan agreed with a huge grin. "We need to set up some ground rules though." "OK then," Luis started "Rule #1, no lip or mouth contact on any part of the body." "Agreed," Sheridan said with a raised brow "Rule #2, no stripping!" she said trying to be serious. . "Now would I do that?" Luis asked mischievously. "O.K. Agreed." "Rule #3, no undressing the other person. You can un tuck, but not undress." He shot Sheridan a knowing look. "Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked innocently.
Luis stifled a grin. "O.K." She reluctantly agreed. "Rule # 4, No more rules!" Sheridan said. "Wait just a minute! I have one more rule," Luis said with a very naughty look. "What might that be?" Sheridan asked. "This is going to be the toughest rule of all," he said trying to be as serious as possible. "No talking! This needs to be done with body language only. Use of hands is permissible.” Boy, you are making this tough, Luis," Sheridan said with a feigned frown. "That's a pretty smug face you're wearing Luis," she grinned. "We'll see who caves in first. By the way, what does the winner get?" "I think the winner should get ANYTHING he or she wants," Luis said with an enticing smile. "Anything legal, you mean?" Sheridan questioned with her eyes dancing.
"Right!" he grinned. `I don't know how I let myself get talked into this one,' Luis thought to himself. `She certainly is full of surprises. This should be very interesting,’ Luis began shaking his head as he stared at Sheridan. Just looking at her alluring smile just then made him want to kiss her. "How about one last kiss before we get started," Luis asked. "No way!" Sheridan laughed. "That will just give you that much more stamina." "Oh, don't you worry about my stamina Sheridan. I plan to show you how much stamina I have later tonight," Luis said with a husky voice and fire in his eyes. "On second thought, I'm glad you came up with the no talking rule Luis," Sheridan said with a slight laugh. She felt her body become hot just with those few words and one look. This was not going to be an easy contest.
She suddenly had an idea pop in her head. She ran to one of her bags and grabbed something quickly hiding it from Luis’ view. She then grabbed the phone. “I have to make a quick call Luis. I’ll be right back.” Before he had a chance to answer, she ran into the bathroom and disappeared. “She’s up to something” Luis said in a low tone. “ I know she’s gotta be up to something!” He grinned, wondering what was going to happen next. Before he could think too much, Sheridan emerged from the bathroom, with the phone in her hand. She smiled innocently at Luis.
“How about a little music Luis?” she said. “Before we start?” Sheridan walked over to the stereo and fiddled with the radio until she found the station she was looking for. “Perfect,” she muttered to herself. She then walked over to the lights and dimmed them considerably, making the mood very romantic, thus making this contest more of a challenge. “Sheridan, you’re killing me here!” Luis protested. “That’s the idea, Luis,” she grinned as she walked over to him. “You say when!”
“When!” he said grinning back. The contest had started. Sheridan and Luis just smiled at each other for a long moment. Sheridan slowly walked up to Luis and stood right in front of him. His face inches from her own. Their eyes locked, their lips smiling. Sheridan put her arms around Luis’ neck and pulled him into a slow dance. Sheridan was already having a very difficult time and the contest had been going for less than a minute. She was in the arms of the man she loved, dancing as close as possible for two people to dance and unable to kiss him. Why did she make that deal! She raised one hand and gently traced the outline of his jaw.
Luis inhaled sharply as Sheridan slowly caressed his face. She was so close, her touch so gentle, her skin so soft. As he inhaled, the scent of her perfume wafting through the air caused him to gasp slightly. He stared at her, her face glowing in the dimly lit room. ‘I may lose this contest,’ he thought to himself. Luis knew he couldn’t kiss her, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t touch her. He too reached out and began caressing Sheridan’s cheek. Sheridan closed her eyes as she felt his hand on her face. He sent chills down her spine and she felt her heart begin to beat rapidly. Luis was beginning to breathe shallowly, as he let his hand leave her face and begin to stroke her slender neck. It was now Sheridan’s turn to gasp. She felt her body come alive at Luis’ touch. She slowly opened her eyes to find Luis staring down at her with such love it made her heart melt. She also saw mischief in his eyes, which caused her to grin.
Sheridan at this point really didn’t care if she won the contest or not. She was in the arms of the man she loved. No one in her life had ever caused her to experience the myriad of emotions that Luis did and she was reveling in it. She did want to hold out for a few more minutes though, until she could pull off her surprise. Luis was really beginning to feel the effects of the dance. He kept staring at Sheridan’s lips. He could feel himself kissing her in his mind, reminding him of how soft and sweet her lips were. Again he watched her mouth, slightly parted, inviting. He had to get his mind off her mouth. He grinned sinfully as his mind took him to a different place. Luis let his hand slowly roam down her neck until it reached her shoulder. He gently squeezed her shoulder a few times as he let it fall further down her body. His hand was now moving slowly towards her breast.
Sheridan knew exactly what he was going to do and she felt the heat within her escalate in anticipation. Her breathing quickened as she felt his hand methodically move its way down her chest. When he reached her breast, she let a soft moan escape her lips. She took a deep breath as she felt Luis begin to massage her. If he kept this up, she’d never make it long enough to pull off her little surprise. She needed to even up the score a little. ‘Just a few more minutes’ she thought.
It was now Sheridan who began to let her hands travel. She removed her hand from his face and returned the favor. She placed her hand on his chest and began to lightly rub. She felt Luis’ heart beating rapidly, but wanted more of a reaction than that. She could hear his words echoing in her head, ‘you can un tuck, but not undress. She looked up at Luis and gave him a wicked smile. She then reached for his beltline and slowly ran her fingers around his waist. Luis grinned with pleasure as Sheridan began pulling his shirt out of his pants. Once his shirt was un tucked, she slipped both hands under his shirt and began massaging his muscular physique. She was actually glad she couldn’t see his upper body, as this would only cause her to want to kiss him that much more.
Luis just stared at Sheridan. His eyes ablaze as he felt a surge of energy flow through his body. Sheridan looked up to see the intense fire burning in his eyes and knew neither of them would be able to last much longer. She had the feeling Luis was about to lose the bet when she heard a familiar song play on the radio. She smiled at him and placed her fingers up close to his mouth, holding him back for a moment. She then held her hand up in a manner that said stop and slowly walked over to the bathroom. She silently conveyed to him that she would be back in a moment as she closed the door.
Luis shook his head and caught his breath. This was the hardest contest he’d ever allowed himself to enter and he vowed he’d never torture himself like this again. Just the idea of not being able to kiss her made him want to even more, never mind having her mouth within inches of his own and her hands caressing his body. One thing he knew for sure, when this contest was concluded, both the winner and loser would have a night they’d never forget.
As he thought about what pleasures lay ahead of him for the rest of the night he suddenly heard the song that was playing finish. The DJ came on and started talking to all the lovers out there tonight. “I have a very interesting request here for a Tom Jones classic,” the DJ announced in good humor. “It seems as though someone has something special in mind for the love of her life, so here is Leave Your Hat On. This special request goes out to Luis from Sheridan! Good luck Sheridan and have fun Luis!” Luis was in shock as the first bars of the song began to play. His cheeks flushed and a huge grin appeared on his face as he noticed how the melody reminded him of a strip tease. Sheridan suddenly appeared from the bathroom wearing a very sexy and very tiny red satin negligee. She contoured her body in a very pleasing fashion as she held onto the doorframe for a moment. She stared straight into Luis’ eyes, burning a hole through to his very essence.
BABY TAKE OFF YOUR COAT REAL SLOW
TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES
I'LL TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES GIRL
TAKE OFF YOUR DRESS YES, YES, YES
<,br>
YOU CAN LEAVE YOUR HAT ON
YOU CAN LEAVE YOUR HAT ON
YOU CAN LEAVE YOUR HAT ON
Sheridan began walking toward Luis in a very slow, very deliberate manner. Her eyes never left his. Luis was still in a state of shock, but was enjoying what he was seeing thoroughly. He knew immediately that the minute her dance was over, so was the contest.
GO OVER THERE TURN ON THE LIGHTS, ALL THE LIGHTS
COME OVER HERE, STAND ON THAT CHAIR
BABY THATS RIGHT
RAISE YOUR ARMS UP IN THE AIR
AND NOW SHAKE EM
YOU GIVE ME REASON TO LIVE
YOU GIVE ME REASON TO LIVE
YOU GIVE ME REASON TO LIVE
YOU GIVE ME REASON TO LIVE
SWEET DARLING
YOU CAN LEAVE YOUR HAT ON
YOU CAN LEAVE YOUR HAT ON BABY
YOU CAN LEAVE YOUR HAT ON
YOU CAN LEAVE YOUR HAT ON
Sheridan finally reached Luis and placed one hand on his chest and caressed him, as she slowly and seductively circled his body. Their eyes barely lost contact as Luis kept turning around following her every move. He could feel his heart pounding with excitement as his eyes surveyed Sheridan’s scantily clad body. His breathing was becoming labored. He placed his hands on her bare arms. He slowly let his fingers gently run from her wrists up to her shoulders, leaving goose bumps in their wake. He made his way up each side of her neck, until her face was engulfed in his gentle hold. Sheridan smiled at him, all the love in her heart now showing in her glowing face.
SUSPICIOUS MINDS ARE TALKING
THEY’RE TRYING TO TEAR US APART
THEY DON'T BELIEVE THIS LOVE OF MINE
BUT THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT LOVE IS
Luis softly caressed her cheeks with his thumbs as he smiled back. His smile was genuine, filled with passion, love and desire. He ever so slowly pulled her closer to him. Their bodies practically one, their mouths, only mere inches apart. Sheridan could feel Luis’ warm breath on her face, which sent shivers through her entire body. She knew he was going to kiss her. She longed for that kiss; she wanted and needed him to kiss her.
,
THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT LOVE IS
THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT LOVE IS
THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT LOVE IS
I KNOW WHAT LOVE IS
YOU CAN LEAVE YOUR HAT ON
YOU CAN LEAVE YOUR HAT ON
YOU CAN LEAVE YOUR HAT ON
YOU CAN LEAVE YOUR HAT ON
She finally couldn’t take it anymore. Luis as well, had had enough. At the same time, they both leaned in and kissed each other. Their mouths parted, and their kiss was wildly passionate. Neither one of them could get enough of the other. They’d tortured each other and themselves for the last hour or so and now it was time for their reward. Sheridan had one arm wrapped around Luis neck, the other rummaging his hair frantically. Luis was massaging her back in small circles, moving his hand slowly down her thigh. Sheridan suddenly gasped as Luis hit a certain spot and she changed her attention to unbuttoning his shirt.
With his shirt now completely undone, Sheridan started to remove it from his shoulders. Luis helped her and roughly tore the shirt from his body, tossing it across the room. She ran her hands over his exposed torso. She began kissing his muscular chest, leaving a trail of sloppy wet kisses. “Oh Sheridan,” Luis moaned in a raspy voice, “Do you have any idea... (gasps) what you are doing...(gasps again) to me?” His eyes were closed as he reveled in the pleasurable sensation he was feeling.
“I hope it’s the same thing you are doing to me” she responded in a deep voice between wet kisses. She kissed her way back up towards his mouth. Luis met her lips and kissed her with unrestrained fervor. He held the back of her head, causing their lips to practically meld together. “I want you Sheridan,” Luis said in a throaty tone. “I want to make love to you... Right Now...” Sheridan’s heart pounded wildly. “I want you to Luis. I want you to make love to me like never before,” she barely whispered. She began fumbling like mad with his belt, undoing it as quickly as possible. Luis then unzipped his pants and stepped out of them, nearly falling in his desperation to get out of them quickly. He then picked her up and carried her to the bed. He gently laid her on the bed and climbed on top of her.
They gazed at each other with complete adoration. Nothing in the world mattered to them at this point except each other. They smiled lovingly at their partner. “Since we both lost,” Luis said with a sinfully playful look, “Do you have any requests?” He raised his eyebrows in a very suggestive fashion. “Only one,” Sheridan said softly, “Just love me.” Luis again smiled at this woman whom he loved so much his heart ached. “Always, Sheridan,” he said. “I will love you always.” They then proceeded to make love for the first of several times that night.
THE END
As of right now I am planning a sequel to this story, which will take place several months in the furture. I'm not 100% sure on this, but we'll see. If so look forward to the arrival of at least two strangers coming to Harmony tailing Sheridan and Luis. Alistair and Julian will again be causing trouble and Hank may get mixed up with the strangers. I hope to get it started soon. Until then, thanks to everyone who read this series and for all your wonderful comments. :-)
Joanne
