Amanda & Simon: Dark Guardian 2
By
T.S. Walker
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Amanda & Simon: Dark Guardian 2
Copyright 2008 T.S. Walker
ISBN: 978-1-55487-153-7
Cover art by Martine Jardin
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
Published by eXtasy Books
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Chapter One
Amanda Duncan closed her blue eyes, drew in a long, deep breath. Exhaling slowly, she mentally tried to block the images from last night's dream. Squeezing her eyes tighter, lights flashed inside her mind. When she opened her eyes, she no longer sat at her desk in her office. She was daydreaming again. Darkness surrounded her. Endless darkness. Amanda knew first hand that darkness came first, second the light, then finally him. Who is him you might ask? She did not know herself. Maybe he was a man she conjured up inside her mind. Maybe not. She could not be sure since he seemed so real to her.
Every night when Amanda dreamed, he aroused her body in ways no other man could ever entice. When he touched her body, it melted. Liquefying from his touch. She was his to have and he knew it. He took her body in more ways than she ever imagined a man could.
Suddenly, a flash of white lights danced in front of her eyes. She closed her eyes briefly, only to open them with a start when she felt his hands on her shoulders. Her heart fluttered. Her body leaped to life with excitement. Amanda wanted to turn around, throw herself in his arms and kiss him from head to toe. She wanted to worship his body. Pleasure him until he could not or would not deny her any request.
"I know you want me," his dark voice slid down her spine, making her entire body shiver at the erotic sound.
Never in her life had she heard a more pleasant sound from a man. God, she wanted him. Needed him. Craved him.
Amanda did not dare turn around to look at him. If she did, she knew she would not see him clearly. She never could see him the way she wanted. That's how she knew that she dreamed. They had made love in her dreams plenty of nights. Her body coming around his in endless ecstasy, but she never got a clear picture of the man who brought her this pleasure. Never could see the man who she wanted so badly.
"You do not need to see me to know that I desire you," he said, reading her thoughts.
Amanda opened her mouth to ask if he could read her thoughts, but when he pressed the length of his body against her, fitting into her every curve, Amanda moaned at the contact. Electricity danced along her skin.
"Do you want me? Want my cock inside you again?" He nipped at her earlobe. She cried out in shock at the feel of his teeth. The pain and pleasure mixed excited her beyond believe.
One of his hands cupped her breast, the other wrapped around her waist preventing her from escaping him. Like she would ever try to run away from him.
She moaned again. Her voice echoed into the darkness.
The heat of his hand burned through her shirt and bra, tantalizing her flesh. She wanted more, needed more.
"Do you," he hissed. "Answer me now." His warm tongue trailed a heated path down the side of her neck.
Was he crazy for asking her such a foolish question as that? She wanted him and would have him. She would soon take him if he did not put out the ache throbbing between her thighs.
Leaning back to give him better access to her neck, she whispered a low, "Yes." At this moment in time, Amanda did not care if she dreamed him up. He made her feel like the only woman in the world for him. She loved him. She knew it. Odd. She frowned at the thought of loving a dream man.
She felt him smile against her neck…Amanda blinked out of her daydream, staring around the room, wanting to yell to the heavens in frustration. Tears stung her eyes at the reality of it. No dream man should make her this crazy for him, especially while at work. She had a real man she loved more than anything. But why had she come up with this dream lover?
Amanda's long slim fingers flew across the computer keyboard at incredible speeds while she keyed in the client's information. She wondered how long she stayed in the daydream. Maybe not long. At least not long enough for her friends and co-workers to notice she sat there not doing anything. Coming to a stop mid-stroke, she glanced up from the computer screen and to her best friend who walked up to her, then lazily flopped down on the edge of her desk.
Amanda acutely studied Sheila for a moment. Cocking her head slightly she watched her friend begin cleaning her nails, on her desk.
She is up to something, Amanda thought.
Sheila smirked, her white teeth flashing as bright as someone's teeth would be in a toothpaste commercial. Sheila's black eyes sparkled mischievously as they only did when she wanted to do something she had no business doing. If Sheila wanted to play, then they could play.
Amanda's lips curved upward. "What do you think you are doing, besides cleaning your nails on my paperwork?"
Sheila stopped. Her black eyes averted from Amanda to Emma who smiled also, then both girls stared at Amanda. "There are three of us in the office and you are the only one working. The boss isn't out here watching us like slaves. So why are you working like fat Clayton is watching us?"
Amanda looked back to Emma who nodded in agreement. She cleared her throat. "Well, Shelia," she said quietly. "If you get your big butt off my desk, I'll tell you."
"Big butt? I don't have a big butt."
Both Amanda and Emma snorted. "Honey, I can sit a glass on your ass as you walked by and you would not notice it." Amanda teased. "As for me working, I am a little behind on inputting client's information because I am always chit chatting away with these two women who work here and don't work. They keep me from completing my assignments because they don't want to work."
"Emma," Sheila called to her best friend. "I think Amanda just insulted us."
"I did not!" Amanda denied.
"I think you did," Sheila retorted.
"No, she didn't," Emma finally said.
"Thank you, Emma." Amanda said. "At least I have one friend in here."
"You do, Amanda." Emma told her. "Even though you're behind on your work because you want to be. Not because of us."
Amanda stared at her smiling friend. "You are so off my Christmas list this year, Emma." Amanda narrowed with contempt at Sheila.
"What did I say? I was only telling you the truth. You are behind because this work bores you. You should not be working at Davis' Travel Agency. You should be out in the world as a Manager or a Doctor making three times the money you make now."
A small gonging noise erupted from Emma's watch, making Amanda look at her again.
Emma pressed the little button, stopping the notice. Emma reached inside her desk grabbed her purse, then stood. "I have to leave for my appointment. Remember what I said, Amanda. I'll be back later."
"See you when you get back," Amanda said.
"Behave you two," Emma chastised.
"We will," they both said in unison.
Amanda knew what Emma meant. She was smart, probably one of the smartest, well-educated people who lived in Kansas City, yet instead of putting her Master's in Education and Bachelor's of Psychology degrees to good use, she worked as a Travel Agent. Not that the job bored her, she loved it, in fact, craved the work, it just did not pay the money that she knew she could make. Money did not make the world go around, or at least not hers.
Amanda did not want to have a high paying job and did not like working there. She loved working here and she would continue as long as she could. She would not let things like where she worked for a living worry her. She knew that soon she would be with her boyfriend Luke--the love of her life--and nothing could ruin that. You have to be good to have Luke Reeves as a boyfriend. He was not like some of the lazy out of shape bums that lived in Kansas City.
Luke was smart, charming, handsome and drop dead sexy. Luke's well-built body came from hours and hours of exercising in one of the topflight gyms every day. He had a nice firm chest that went down to his slim waistline and a rock hard six-pack abs that you could bounce a quarter off. Along with the package came sexy, brown eyes that she loved to look into all day and a set of perfect white teeth that shone bright like the morning sun. The man never looked grimy or not ready to take on his day. He always kept himself clean with every strand of his soft brown hair in place. In a word, he was perfect, and all hers.
The front doorbell sounded as an elderly couple walked in. Amanda smiled as Mr. and Mrs. Anderson strolled toward her desk.
Amanda looked at Mrs. Anderson who had her long silver hair in a tight braid that touched the middle of her back. It bounced with every step she took. Her nice cream-colored blouse tucked neatly in her gray pants. The older woman looked good for her age. Mrs. Anderson could get any man she wanted, or at least Mrs. Anderson thought she could.
Amanda then looked at Mr. Anderson who had been something in his day. The man told her about his life every time they met so she would never forget. Even at the age of seventy-five, Mr. Anderson still looked good for an older man. He had great posture and could get around like anyone three times younger. Being in such good shape had to come from him jogging a couple of miles each morning. Every day on her way to work, Amanda would spot him, by himself or with his wife, jogging like teenagers through the park.
Aside from his fitness, Amanda knew of his kindness and generosity and he always kept to himself. However, Mrs. Anderson happened to be another story all together. She had to be the only seventy year old who was so out spoken that the local newspaper always hung up when she called them. Everyone considered her the town's gossip reporter. When anything happened or new people came to town Mrs. Anderson found out everything she could about them first then she would let the rest of the town know if they had any secrets that needed to be known.
Amanda frowned a little at Mrs. Anderson because she always told her to let go of Luke. Amanda never knew why Mrs. Anderson did not get along with Luke and Mrs. Anderson never told her the reason why she should let him go. The only thing Mrs. Anderson would say was, "Honey you can do better without a man like Luke. He's wild and will never settle down."
Amanda knew that Luke could settle down. The diamond ring on her finger proved that point. He wanted to settle down and he proved it to her and everyone by wanting to marry her. Luke said that he loved her and wanted to be with her for the rest of their lives. She and Luke would be together and all the women who claimed they had been with Luke or wanted him could look elsewhere. Luke was hers and she was not about to give him up over one woman's opinion.
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson," Amanda greeted when the couple sat down in the chairs in front of her desk. "How are you this evening?"
"We are doing well, dearie," Mrs. Anderson spoke first. "And I told you, you can call me Marie and my husband, Richard."
Amanda leaned over her desk so she could make sure they heard her clearly. "I know Mrs. An-Marie, but it is not appropriate to refer to our clients by their first name. Especially when my boss is around."
Mrs. Anderson also sat up, then grabbed Amanda's hand in her cool clammy ones.
Amanda had to reframe from pulling away from the old woman's touch. Something about Marie's touch made her blood chill.
"I know, but you make us feel old when you do." Marie smiled making Richard laugh at her comment.
Amanda gave up on trying to make this woman understand that she had to be a professional at all times. "Okay, Marie." When Marie let go of her hand Amanda sat back in her chair, rubbed her hands against her jeans to wipe the feel of whatever lingered from Mrs. Anderson's touch off. "Where do you want to go this time?" Amanda began typing away at her computer screen to find their information.
"I really don't know," replied Richard, answering for his wife. "We have been almost everywhere."
"I know." Amanda looked at her computer screen as their information came up. "I have been your agent for five years now…"
"And a darn fine one, too."
Amanda arched an eyebrow when Mr. Anderson gave her his famous I-could-be-yours smile.
"Richard!" his wife bellowed. "You promised you would behave."
"I am." He winked at Amanda. "Am I not behaving today, Amanda?"
Amanda smiled in amusement at his words before typing at her keyboard again. "Yes, Marie, he is being a perfect gentleman. At least for now. Later, it might be a different story."
"I told you, dear."
Amanda never took Richard's flirting seriously. She knew how much he loved his wife and that no one would be able to take her place in his life. Not that Amanda wanted to take Mrs. Anderson's place. Amanda believed he liked to get under his wife's skin sometimes. That's what kept them going all these years. Love and a since of humor.
Then a thought about their intimate lives came to Amanda. Did they…nahhh… they cannot be still having sex at their age. Don't all sexual urges leave you around fifty? Shaking the thought, Amanda went through their records looking at all the places they traveled. "I can tell you that I don't think there is a place you two haven't been." Amanda leaned closer to the screen to get a better look at their information. "You have traveled to Rome, Asia, California, New York, Florida and Jamaica in the past six months."
"We have been traveling, haven't we, dear?" Richard asked Marie.
"How about we go to Hong Kong, honey," Marie suggested. "I know it's not the perfect time of the year to go because of the cold weather, but I know we can handle it."
Amanda waited on Mr. Anderson to speak. She watched as he slowly leaned over and kissed his wife on the lips. Ahhhhh, that's so sweet. She hoped that she and Luke would be that in love that when they were that age.
"My love wants to go to Hong Kong and I can do nothing more than go. Book us for a two week trip."
Amanda began tapping away at her keyboard again. Her job was to find the cheapest, at the same time, best accommodations there were. She also knew that they did not care if it was cheap or not. Mr. Anderson made so much money in the stocks twenty years ago that he had enough to travel to each city of the world and still have enough left over.
"I found a flight that leaves tomorrow and one that leaves next week Tuesday. With two people, plane tickets and hotel accommodation…" Amanda stopped speaking, then looked up at them. "It will be four-thousand-seven dollars. Then there is one with better hotel accommodation, which would bring your total up to five-thousand-two-hundred dollars."
Richard looked at his wife. "It's up to you, sweetheart. Which one do you want to take?"
"How long is the flight, Amanda?" Marie asked.
Amanda glared at the computer screen again. "About twelve hours, with one stop. Is that a problem?"
"No, not at all," Marie told her. "Book the one that leaves tomorrow."
"Great," Amanda tapped away at the keyboard again. "I will book it for you for tomorrow. All I need is your credit card and you two will be on your way."
Richard patted his jacket pockets. "I left my wallet in the car. I'll be right back."
"Take your time. I have to process this anyway." Amanda continued to type at her keyboard as Mr. Anderson stood and headed back to his car.
Amanda peeked at Marie when she cleared her throat trying to get her attention. From the look on her face Amanda knew she was about to get started with the whole, Luke-is-not-good-for-you lecture. Slowly, Amanda eased out of Marie's view, hiding behind the nineteen-inch monitor.
"Amanda, dear."
Damn it, she was using her nice, nice voice. Which mean Amanda couldn't ignore her as much as she wanted to. "Yes, Marie," Amanda mumbled from behind the screen.
"How are you and that man Luke doing?"
"We are doing fine, why?" Not too snappy, but anyone could catch on that she did not want to discuss it now. Everyone else would have just left it alone, but she knew Marie would not. She just opened up a conversation that could go on for hours if Marie had anything to do with it.
"Are you sure?"
Told you. Amanda gritted her teeth. "Yes, Mrs. Anderson," Amanda spoke her last name letting her know she had gone back to being a professional. "His car dealership is doing well and as you can see." Amanda waved her finger in Mrs. Anderson's face so that she got a good look at it. "We are engaged."
Marie grabbed her hand, nearly pulling Amanda out the seat to get a better look at the ring. "It's very nice dear." Marie let go, then sat back with an almost evil smile in place. "So when is the date?"
"We haven't decided on one yet."
"Oh really?"
"Yes, really."
"Well, have you thought about a date yet?"
Amanda took a deep breath to try to stay calm. "No, Mrs. Anderson. We are taking things one day at a time."
Marie's snort let her know that Marie did not like her answer. What did this old woman want from her? She always spoke badly about Luke, but never told her why she shouldn't be with Luke. What was her problem with her man?
"You know you can do better."
Amanda hands slammed down on the keyboard, making Sheila look at her from her desk. She shook her head to let he co-worker know not to intervene.
Shelia began working on her project in silence.
Amanda knew Sheila would ask her later what Mrs. Anderson said to make her mad. "How, Marie?" Amanda snapped. "How can I do better? Who in this town is as good-looking as Luke? Who is as financially stable as he is? You tell me."
Marie's smile only irritated her more. If Mr. Anderson did not get back in here soon, she would scream and send them out without booking their trip. Taking a calming breath Amanda asked in a calmer voice, "What is it, Marie?"
"You didn't say anything about loving him. You are only worried about the way he looks and how much money he has. But nothing came out of your mouth about how much you love him or vice versa."
Amanda bit her lip. Hard. She had not said it, had not even thought about it. Marie did not understand. She knew she loved Luke. No one could tell her differently. Why she hadn't said it had shocked her. Marie tended to do that to her, make her forget to say important things.
"You know I love him." Amanda sat back in her seat, twisting the ring on her finger nervously. "I said yes didn't I?"
"Did you?"
Count to ten. One, two, three, four, five. Amanda teeth clenched at the way Marie kept her face muted, yet Amanda knew Marie wanted to say something else.
Amanda's light blue eyes went up to Marie. She moved her auburn brown hair out of her face to get a clear view of the elderly woman. Through clenched teeth, she asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Mr. Anderson had better hurry back before she said something to his wife that neither he nor his wife would respect her in the morning for saying. They did not pay her enough to sit here and listen to this crap. They paid her to book flights and do their paperwork.
"How did he propose, Amanda?"
Six through ten! Amanda snarled to herself before resting her head on the desk. She had to control the power coursing through her body. Powers that wanted to explode. It has been so long since she has even thought about her powers and now was a bad time for her powers to come back.
With her head still on the desk, Amanda thought about what Mrs. Anderson asked. How did Luke propose to her? She remembered her and Luke walking into a jewelry store last month where she saw a lovely wedding ring set behind the glass case. She asked the clerk to let her see it. As she looked at the lovely ring, Luke came over when the woman spoke about how much she loved the ring and how much she would love to receive a ring like that when her boyfriend proposed to her. Luke did look at the ring and said he would get it for her and he would love her to have it.
With a loud squeal, Amanda jumped on Luke hugging and screaming yes she would marry him. Luke had a blank look on his face at the time. She could not tell if he looked happy or not so happy. All that mattered at that time was getting the ring on her finger.
Amanda groaned at her flashback. Luke had said, Would love for her to have it not that he wanted her to have it then. She believed that she made such a big deal about it by showing the people in the store and even calling Emma and Sheila on the cell phone that he could not take back the proposal he never intended to make.
Lifting her head, she took a nice relaxing breath. Now she really felt like an idiot. The man probably did not want to get married yet. When they first started dating five years ago when he was twenty-eight, he said that he was not going to get married until he fell in love with the woman of his dreams. At that time, he said it might be her, but he wanted to get to know her better first.
* * * *
Richard came back up to the desk and the angry look on Amanda's face must have told him what her and his wife had been discussing.
"Is my wife bothering you again, Amanda?" he asked, then handed her the card. Not waiting on an answer, he turned to his wife. "What have I told you about being in other people's private lives, dear? It's called private lives because they don't want anyone else in them."
"It's okay, Mr. Anderson. She made a good point today."
"No it is not!" his voice quavered with anger.
Amanda could tell that Mr. Anderson was not all too pleased with his wife. Had the look on her face been that bad?
"But, Richard, she said I made a good point."
"It doesn't matter, love." He took his wife's hand and kissed the back of it. "I love you and I always will. We had to go through bad times with other people and between us before our love got to this point. No one will have the perfect relationship and if Amanda and Luke are meant to be together, in the end, they will. If not, they will not. You cannot change that. No one could but Amanda and Luke or God." He looked back at Amanda. "I am sorry, but you know how she is."
"It's okay." Amanda stood and went over to the printer.
When Amanda returned, she had Mr. Anderson to sign the papers, then handed him the card and the papers for the trip.
"This is going to be exciting," Richard told Amanda, his eyes shining with pleasure.
"It will be," she replied. "Enjoy your trip."
"Thank you." Marie grabbed her into a tight hug. "And I am sorry for bothering you, dear. I just wanted to make a point. You need to open your eyes about Luke. The man is not what he seems."
When Marie released her, she watched them leave. Amanda had the strangest feeling that Marie knew something and she wasn't telling her.
Chapter Two
"Amanda." Sheila walked up to her, studying her acutely. "What was that all about? Was Mrs. Anderson picking on you again?"
Amanda tried to keep her face mute. "Yeah, something about Luke not being what I think he is."
Sheila snorted. "The man is sexy with a capital S. I don't know what Mrs. Anderson knows, but I bet you it's not good."
Amanda felt the pit of her stomach cramp up and she wanted to be sick. "You think he is cheating on me?"
"I don't think so. I haven't heard of him cheating on you. And you know if I had, you would have been the first person I let know."
"Yeah, I know, but I work from ten in the morning until six at night. He goes in at five in the morning to do paperwork and is home by eleven. That is a lot of time to do what he has to do before I get off seven hours later."
Sheila ran a hand through her short, black, curly hair and sighed. "Don't let that woman have you thinking that your fiancé is cheating on you. Neither I nor Emma has heard anything."
"I know, but I was just wondering. It could happen you know."
"Yes, but who is it that stays with him at night? Who is it he comes and drags out of the apartment when you don't come over fast enough?" Sheila eyes widened incredulously at her before she continued. "Thank God for that because you two have to be the loudest lovers I have ever had the un-pleasure of hearing."
"You devil!" Amanda squealed and hit Sheila on her arm. "You said you didn't hear us."
"I said it, but I lied. I thought you two had torn the wallpaper off the walls with your voices. I got so tired of hearing you scream, harder Luke…deeper please) and him with his just like that baby line."
Amanda turned away from Sheila making her laugh, but it wasn't a laughing matter. Amanda never told anyone about that night. That night when she and Luke made love it was a big lie. She screamed because he asked her to. In all, the sex was not that great. He was good at what he did and could make her feel good, but sometimes she had to get herself off when he went to take a shower or left the room. Amanda guessed all women had to do that occasionally. "Luke would kill you if he knew you heard."
"Why, the entire fifth floor heard the two of you. Emma still complains about having nightmares about that night. I even wake up in a cold sweat some nights."
"You two are so dead tonight," Amanda said bluntly, but jokily. "You both said you didn't hear."
Sheila shrugged her shoulders at the threat. "So we lied."
Amanda watched as Sheila tilted her head, looking at the door when the bell sounded again. Shelia's face lit up. A large smile formed on Sheila's lips when her boyfriend, Darrell, walked into the agency. This man with mocha colored skin, who Amanda met through Sheila, was just as sexy as Luke was. His brown eyes could melt chocolate when he stared at you. Sheila told her his tongue could also.
Darrell Banks played for the famous arena football team for three years. His career stopped when he had three concussions in one year and had to take an early retirement. Since then, he moved to Kansas to get away from all the stress of having to give up his life's dream. He now worked as a volunteer coach for a little league football team.
"Hello, Amanda," he greeted in his deep, sensuous voice, and then walked up to his brown-skinned goddess, giving her a kiss. "You three want to go out to lunch?" He glanced around the room. "Where's Emma?"
"Doctor's appointment," Amanda answered. "She will be back around two."
"Is she sick?"
Amanda could clearly hear the concern in his voice. Darrell cared for all of them as if they were his family. "No she isn't sick. It is just a yearly check up."
"That's good," he said then looked back at his girlfriend. "You two want to go out then?"
"Sure," Sheila said. "What about you, Amanda?"
"No, you two go and have fun."
"Why not?" Sheila walked up to her. "I told you don't let Mrs. Anderson get to you."
"She isn't." Amanda lied. "I have to finish up their package anyhow."
Shaking her head in what had to be disbelief, Sheila responded, "You are such a liar, but I will let it go this time."
"I know I am." Amanda chuckled. "But I don't want to go out yet."
"You want me to bring you back anything?"
"Yeah, you can bring be back a chicken salad with light Italian dressing."
Sheila chuckled at Amanda's weird eating habits.
She ate, but over the past year, she could not tolerate a lot of different foods. Fruits made her stomach cramp the most. When she did eat, she wanted rare and undercooked meats. Anything that had a little blood in it was just right with her. Therefore, she started eating more vegetables and salads after she noticed that. She did not want to get food poisoning from undercooked foods. "What?" Amanda inquired with a frown firmly in place.
"You need to eat, Amanda," Sheila told her. "You are what a size eight?"
"Yes and I love every bit of it." Sheila's demure giggle let Amanda know that she was teasing her. "Luke loves it also," Amanda added.
"I bet he just loves all of you…which is not much."
The side of Amanda's lips curved upward. "You are only a size ten because you black girls have big behinds. Some of your jeans are too big for your waistline. That's why you wear dresses most of the time because you can't find pants that fit."