{"id":241,"date":"2011-02-01T06:00:49","date_gmt":"2011-01-31T19:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/?p=241"},"modified":"2013-09-27T15:56:31","modified_gmt":"2013-09-27T22:56:31","slug":"a-lunchtime-picnic-with-watermelon-mint-and-feta-salad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/?p=241","title":{"rendered":"Season 1: Episode 10"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Ana rolled over and looked at the clock beside her bed. By her calculations she had exactly 2.5 minutes to get up if she wanted get into the office early enough to go over the material for her meeting that morning. For the past week she\u2019d barely made it in on time most days. It was getting harder and harder to drag herself away in the mornings from the wonderful man in her bed.<\/p>\n

Tom.<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t know why she had pushed him away for so long; why she had tried to keep him out of her life. Well, she did, of course, but that was all behind her now. Not that she\u2019d exactly told Marc, mind you. She was doing her best to avoid him and hoping that the emails and text messages would eventually stop coming without the need for the two of them to have some kind of confrontation. Everything about Marc was complicated.<\/p>\n

But with Tom, everything was so\u2026 easy. There was no pretending, no sneaking around. It just felt so right.<\/p>\n

She gently unwrapped herself from his arms, trying not to wake him. She had just managed to sit up on the edge of the bed before she felt a strong pair of hands around her waist.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning,\u201d Tom said groggily, pulling her towards him and nuzzling her neck.<\/p>\n

Ana turned around and smiled at him, kissing him gently on the nose.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome back to bed,\u201d he pleaded. \u201cIt\u2019s so early.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ana tried to wriggle out of his arms, laughing. \u201cI can\u2019t. I have to get to the office.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tom pulled her closer. \u201cCall in sick,\u201d he mumbled between kisses.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got a meeting\u2026\u201d She clenched the crisp cotton sheet between her fingers as Tom started drawing circles in the small of her back with his tongue. Ana arched her back. God, that felt good!<\/p>\n

He slowly ran his fingers up the inside of her thigh. \u201cI suppose I don\u2019t need to be there for an hour,\u201d she sighed.<\/p>\n

At the exact moment that Tom\u2019s fingers started gently stroking between her legs, Ana\u2019s mobile rang. It was Jennifer \u2013 Ana\u2019s assistant.<\/p>\n

“Ana?” She sounded panicked. “The clients have called and the flight was early. They\u2019re going to be here in 30 minutes!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ana groaned. She turned to Tom sheepishly as she hung up. \u201cRain check?\u201d<\/p>\n

Tom smiled in understanding. \u201cOnly if you let me buy you lunch today.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Tom was waiting in the shade of the building with his back to the door. There were people milling around everywhere on their lunch break, but Tom seemed oblivious, instead looking intently upwards towards the tops of the buildings.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlways the architect,\u201d teased Ana, coming up behind him.<\/p>\n

Tom grinned and held out his hand for hers. \u201cI thought we could have a picnic in the park\u201d, he said gesturing to a wicker hamper sitting on the ground.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

They had chosen a secluded spot, directly beneath a large willow tree. The drooping branches allowed for dappled light to spill through, but made them feel as though they were separated from the rest of the world. The air was warm and heavy and Ana could feel a small trickle of sweat run down her back.<\/p>\n

Tom laid out the picnic he had brought: Fresh sourdough, wafer thin prosciutto, hand-made dolmades, plump organic vine-grown tomatoes and a colourful salad of watermelon, feta and mint. Magically, he\u2019d produced a chilled bottle of Piper-Heidsieck from his bag and popped the cork ceremoniously, toasting Ana\u2019s success at that morning\u2019s meeting.<\/p>\n

Tom had some exciting news that day, too. \u00a0A design job that he\u2019d pitched for in Sydney had been approved and he was flying over next week to go through the finer details with the client. \u201cIt\u2019s such a brilliant project,\u201d he said with excitement. He paused.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019m really going to miss you, because\u2026.\u201d He moistened his lips nervously, \u201cbecause I\u2019m completely in love with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ana, her eyes shining, leaned over and kissed him so tenderly, so deeply that he knew she loved him, too \u2013 before she whispered it back.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Slightly tipsy from the Champagne and filled with a giddy feeling that she could only describe as pure love, Ana leaned back against Tom and closed her eyes. She could hear his even breathing close to her ear and was acutely aware of his muscular body.<\/p>\n

Tom ran his fingertips up Ana\u2019s arm. Moving her hair gently to one side, he kissed her neck, lightly at first and then with more intensity as he felt Ana responding to him.<\/p>\n

Her whole body felt electric. She closed her eyes tighter and pushed back closer into him, feeling him grow hard underneath the pressure of her body.<\/p>\n

Tom slipped his hand inside her blouse, gently teasing her nipple as he continued to kiss her neck. Ana\u2019s breath was shallow as she let out a small moan. \u201cDon\u2019t stop,\u201d she gasped, her palms pressing hard onto his thighs.<\/p>\n

Very slowly, his hand moved to her legs, gently but firmly pulling her thighs apart. Even if she had wanted to, Ana was powerless to resist. His hand slipped underneath her skirt and trailed over the front of her silk underwear.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, where did we leave off this morning,\u201d he murmured into her ear as his fingers slid down the front of her underwear and teased her with excruciatingly slow strokes. She inhaled sharply as his fingers entered her \u2013 stroking and probing. Not able to contain it any longer, Ana let herself go, convulsing against Tom’s body as he held her.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

They walked hand-in-hand towards Ana\u2019s office in a comfortable silence, sneaking sideways glances at each other; unable to wipe the grins off their faces.<\/p>\n

\u201cAna?\u201d<\/p>\n

As she turned, Ana\u2019s stomach lurched into her throat. It was Marc.<\/p>\n

She hastily dropped Tom’s hand and regained her composure. \u201cHi Marc. This is Tom. Tom, my boss Marc.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tom held out his hand enthusiastically. \u201cIt\u2019s great to meet you. Ana speaks very highly of you.\u201d She hadn\u2019t, of course, told Tom anything about Marc.<\/p>\n

Ana hoped that Tom didn\u2019t notice the slight raise of Marc\u2019s right eyebrow.<\/p>\n

\u201cLikewise,\u201d Marc said curtly. \u201cAna, if you\u2019ve got time now I\u2019d like to be briefed on this morning\u2019s meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ana dipped her head in acknowledgment and gave Tom a smile good bye. She walked into the lift with Marc and he pressed the button for the 14th<\/sup> floor. Tom waved as the doors closed.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, that\u2019s why you\u2019ve been avoiding me,\u201d Marc said acidly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ana rolled over and looked at the clock beside her bed. By her calculations she had exactly 2.5 minutes to get up if she wanted get into the office early enough to go over the material for her meeting that morning. For the past week she\u2019d barely made it in on time most days. It […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes"},"categories":[197],"tags":[142,174,192],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=241"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1171,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241\/revisions\/1171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}