Alexa’s grin couldn’t have been bigger. “Now you’re speaking my language. And let me tell you, if you’re looking to get down like that, a wedding’s the perfect place to do it. The couple’s happy, sure, but anyone else single is thinking about finding someone, anyone. If only for a night.” She stepped to my side and together we watched the crowd.
“I can’t, though,” I said. “I mean, you’re probably right about a wedding being a good place to find a man. But…”
“Please don’t tell me you’re still having misgivings.”
“Not that. More like I’m on the clock.”
She laughed as though it were the most ridiculous idea in the world. “Are you serious? You’re looking to get laid and letting something as stupid as you working stop you?”
“I mean, I am in town to work. Craig’s paying me to keep an eye on things today, and I doubt he’d be happy with me sneaking off to screw around with some guy.”
Or maybe he would. After all, he had said he wanted me to find a guy my own age to lose my virginity to. Age was pretty low on the list of what I was looking for, however. I wanted a man who knew what he was doing.
And I wanted him fast.
There was just the little matter of finding him. I scanned the crowd, trying to spot a guy who was both cute and didn’t look totally harmless. It was strange – a good guy was what I’d been telling myself I’d wanted for the longest time. But after my first taste of a man like Craig, someone who most certainly wasn’t nice, all I could think about was finding someone who could satisfy me.
And who would be the guy to do it?
“Oh, oh – what about him?” She pointed to someone in the crowd, someone who struck me as vaguely familiar.
He was tall and handsome with a beard and shaved head. The sleeves of his button-up shirt were rolled to his elbows, exposing his ropey, tattoo-covered forearms. And there was even a tattoo on his neck – a sure sign that, whoever he was, he wasn’t a wholesome guy. He danced with a cocky smirk on his face, moving from girl to girl as if trying them on for size. I was intrigued, for sure.
“Hmm…he’s cute. And why do I feel like we’ve met before?”
“Because you have.”
“What?”
“Remember Justin Martin from high school?”
“You mean jazz club Justin Martin who wore comic book shirts every day? And was, like, a hundred pounds overweight?”
She smiled. “That Justin Martin.”
“No freaking way.”
“Yep. He decided to join the marines after high school and went away for a few years. When he came back, he looked like that. Heard he’s in a band now, plays drums, I think.”
I gaped at the man. “I can’t believe that’s him. He looks like a totally different person.”
“And not just his looks. When he moved back to town, he didn’t waste any time picking off all the girls who wouldn’t give him the time of day back in high school.”
My ears perked up at this. “So he’s kind of a manwhore.”
“You could say that. Why?” She offered me a sly grin. “That intriguing to you?”
“More than a little.”
She grinned. “Then go for it. Bet he’d be more than happy to punch your V card. Probably could have it done before the hour’s up, depending you.”
“But…”
“But what?”
“I mean, I am still on the clock. Last thing I want is Craig chewing me out. Or firing me.”
She waved her hand through the air. “Whatever. If he’s pissed because you danced once, let him be pissed. Guy needs to learn to chill out anyway.”
I felt determined as I watched Justin. “You know what, you’re right. I want to dance, so I’m gonna dance. Screw Craig.” I took the glass of champagne from her hand and drank the rest in one long swig. “OK, I’m going in.”
“Go for it, girl. Get that D, lose that V.”
I nodded as I passed the glass back and was off, a big smile on my face as I considered the goal ahead. Justin was in the process of dancing with some random as I approached, and as soon as he caught sight of me, he grinned. God, the guy looked so different. Gone was his double chin, replaced by a trim, square jaw that had been totally hidden beneath his beard. He looked more than good enough for what I had I mind.
He lost interest in his dance partner as soon as I approached. “Ho-ly shit – is that Cindy?”
I smiled. “It is. Hey, Justin.”
He strode up to me, not making any effort to hide looking at my body. “Damn. Haven’t seen you in years. You look good, girl.”
Not the smoothest line in the world, but at least I knew he was interested. And interest was what I was aiming for.
“Same to you. Military took good care of you, I see.”
Another cocky smile. It was funny – almost like seeing Craig minus twenty or so years. Same cockiness, same swagger. But there was something missing, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. But no matter. He was good enough for some fun.
“Yep. More running, less Pizza Rolls.” He looked me up and down again, making it very obvious he was more interested in other things than telling me his weight loss secrets. “How about a dance? You down?”
I grinned. “I’m down.”
The song stopped and another started. Right as it did, Justin clamped his hands on my hips and brought me in close, pressing his body against mine. It didn’t take long before we were grinding and soon after that I could feel his cock through his slacks. It didn’t seem as big as Craig’s. I’d gotten a nice feel of it through his jeans the other night – enough for me to know what he was packing.
But did that really matter? So what if he wasn’t as big as Craig? That was probably a good thing for my first time. It wasn’t only that, though. The way he held me, the way his body felt pressed against mine, I couldn’t help but compare him to Craig and find him lacking.
Again, I told myself it didn’t matter. Justin was cute and wanted me and at least kind of seemed to know what he was doing. I didn’t have a huge list of requirements and those were basically them. I needed to lose my virginity and fast, and this seemed like the best way to do it.
“You know,” Justin said. “You used to be kind of a dork in high school. You got fucking hot.” He flashed me a toothy grin, as if he’d laid down the compliment to end all compliments and was expecting me to bask in it.
“Thanks.” What else to say to something like that?
He grabbed my hips, moving his hands down, down. Then, before I could react, he turned me around and pressed his crotch against my ass, dancing with me in a way that was very much non-wedding appropriate. But the music was loud, and the drinks were flowing and if anyone thought it was in bad taste, they didn’t show it. Besides, plenty of other people around us were dancing similarly.
Justin wanted me – I didn’t know much about men but even I could tell that. He ground into me hard, the message of his body language leaving nothing to the imagination. After another song passed, he leaned close and whispered into my ear.
“Yo, I want to hear what you’ve been up to. Heard you went to New York and shit. You wanna get outta here and, you know, talk somewhere more private?”
Again, it didn’t take much keen understanding of the male mind to see what he was getting at. But I wasn’t ready quite yet. I needed more time to wrap my brain around what was going on. And then there was the small fact that, well, I wasn’t all that turned on. Craig had been effortlessly able to excite me, to get me wet and ready. Justin, on the other hand, left a little to be desired.
“Um, let’s dance for another song. Then we can.”
One more big grin. “Perfect.”
The next song began, and I spotted Craig across the dance floor. He stared at me hard, his expression severe, his eyes narrowed. Fuck.
“You cool? You kinda stopped.”
I realized he was right – I was stone still. “Sorry, I was, um, thinking of something.”
As Craig stared, I felt something inside me snap, something that wanted to make him jealous. So, instead of feeling anxious, I got into it, grinding my ass into Justin’s crotch so I could feel his cock against me.
“Yeah, there you go!”
I was less concerned with what Justin was feeling and thinking and more about getting a reaction from Craig. He continued to stare, and though he was far away, I could see his eyes narrow into hard little slits. I loved knowing I was making him mad and showing him what he was missing out on.
I turned around to smile at Justin, going the extra mile for my performance. When I turned around to see Craig’s reaction, however, he was gone. Had I pissed him off so much that he’d decided to leave? If so, it didn’t feel very satisfying. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized I wasn’t sure exactly what I’d been hoping for him to do.
I turned back to Justin and back around one more time. Craig hadn’t left. He was striding toward me, his eyes locked on mine. And he wasn’t happy.
I was scared shitless. Craig looked like he was about ready to rip me to pieces. I knew he’d never do a thing like that, of course, but the way his eyes looked as he stormed over to me, I wondered what he would do.
“What the hell are you doing?” His voice was a low growl.
“I’m dancing,” I said in a way that told him it should be obvious.
“Yeah, on the fucking clock!”
I stood up straight and backed up to Justin. Thankfully, the crowd was so drunk and rowdy they didn’t seem to notice what the hell was going on.
“Hey, man,” Justin said. “Leave her alone – we’re just trying to have some fun here.”
“If I want to hear a word out of that fucking mouth of yours, kid, I’ll tell you.” His sharp tone made Justin’s eyes widen and his mouth form into a hard line. However tough Justin might’ve been, it hadn’t taken much from Craig to turn him right back into a nervous high schooler.
“What the hell?” I asked.
“Come with me. Now.”
I didn’t feel like I had much choice in the matter. That, and his commanding tone managed to shut down the thinking part of my brain. My body alone reacted
I turned to Justin, the expression in his eyes seeming to say, “you’re not going to, right?”
“Um, he’s kind of my boss and I might be in trouble. I’ll be back in a little bit, OK?”
Justin nodded. He seemed to understand there was something more going on than simply that.
Without saying another word, I hurried after Craig, who was striding off the dance floor. I soon caught up to him and was at his side. He said nothing, glowering and staring straight ahead as we moved. Part of me wanted to tell him to calm the hell down. But I didn’t. For one, I had been dancing on the clock. And two, there’d been a reason I was dancing with Justin, and I got the impression Craig knew it.
We made our way around the barn, far away from the wedding. Before too long we were alone on the other side of the building. Craig stopped and shook his head, as if trying to wrap his mind around what the hell he’d witnessed.
The silence was intolerable, but I didn’t feel like I had it in me to break it.
Finally, he spoke. “What the hell was that back there?”
“I was dancing. I know I was supposed to be keeping an eye on the wedding, but I saw this guy I knew from high school and he asked if I’d dance with him.”
“Dance?” he said, spitting out the word. “You call what you were doing back there dancing? Looked more like you were fucking with your clothes on.”
He wasn’t too far from the truth. And if he hadn’t come and put a stop to it, it probably wouldn’t have taken too long for it to have progressed to clothes off. Or maybe it wouldn’t have? Now that I was standing there with Craig, I had no idea what the hell I actually wanted.
“So what if I was? Wasn’t that what you told me I should do?”
“I didn’t mean in a public fucking forum and you know it.”
“You don’t get to tell me when and where I can have fun,” I countered furiously. “And last time I checked, you weren’t exactly the go-to guy for meaningful intimate encounters.”
He laughed. “Kitten’s got claws, I’ll give her that. And that little shithead you were dancing with?”
“You don’t know the first thing about Justin.”
Another laugh. “Justin – like you guys are best buds. And I know plenty about that little shithead. Maybe you’ve been spending too much time in New York, but here in town people know each other and reputations spread fast. And let me tell you, that kid’s got a reputation. You wanna get fucked in the back of a van and never called again? Because that’s what you get with dumbasses like him.”
“What do you care?” I snarled. “Aren’t you the one who told me to find some guy my own age?”
“Yeah, I did. And then you turn around and find the scummiest dude you possibly can.”
“So what? It’s my life and I can dance with whatever guy I want. I can fuck whoever I want.”
“Except you basically picked the one guy who’s my fuckin’ mini me out there, didn’t you?”
I shook my head. “What the hell are you talking about? Justin’s nothing like you.”
Craig nearly sneered at me. “Really? Hot-headed, built as fuck, likes to treat his dick to a good time? Face it sweetheart, he’s me twenty years ago.”
I tried to argue with him, but I really couldn’t. He was right and we both knew it.
“You’re not fooling anyone, kid. You really wanted to do the smart thing, you’d stay away from guys like him. Guys like me.”
I put my hands on my hips. “Look at you telling me to do the smart thing – you’re the one who decided it was a great idea to get involved with his best friend’s freaking daughter.”
“Yeah, that was dumb. But now I’m thinking with the right head and telling you to find someone else. Leave this thing alone – it’s done.”
I hated how final he was being. He seemed so sure he was done with me and I hated it. I hated how he made me want to hate him and screw him all at the same time. But I loved it, too. I knew the chances of me finding another man who made me feel this way were slim to freaking none. After all, if I hadn’t found one so far, it was probably hopeless.
He didn’t want me, though. That was all there was too it. As much as I wanted to look tough and nonchalant, at the end of the day he had turned me down when I wanted him.
“It’s none of your business! Maybe we shouldn’t just stop what we were doing – maybe we should stop talking to each other all together. Might be a better idea for the both of us.”
I wasn’t sure what kind of reaction I was expecting by saying that, but it wasn’t the one I got. Craig’s eyes went cold; he kept his arms crossed and allowed a small smirk to form on his face. My challenge had been accepted. He simply couldn’t handle not being the one calling the shots.
“You don’t want that.” His voice was even and calm, maybe a touch cocky.
“You know, it’s really fucking infuriating that you seem to think you know what I want all the goddamn time. Well let me reassure you, this is what I want. You wanna be done with me, I wanna be done with you.”
“Nah, you’re full of shit.”
My eyebrows rose. “Excuse me?”
“You still want me, and you know it.”
“I changed my mind.”
“Nah.” He stepped closer to me, closing the distance between us to only a few inches. I could smell his scent – rustic and manly. He loomed over me, looking into my eyes. “That’s not what you want. You want me.”
I should’ve moved back. But I didn’t. I stayed right where I was. I jutted my chin out. “You’re awfully sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
Another cocky smirk. “You said it wasn’t any of my business? Well, it is. Because after you let me into your pussy, it became my business. And when I got stuck in your head, when I was the only thing you could think about when
you touched yourself, it became my business.”
“Bullshi—"
Before I could finish, he reached down and took my hand, placing it on his cock. I gasped in shock and excitement, not knowing what to say or do for a moment.
I finally managed, “What the hell are you doing?”
“Proving my point.”
“What point? That you are confusing as fuck?”
“You know I’m right about what I said. You know you want me, and you know only this cock will be good enough for what you want.”
“You have no idea what I want.”
“I sure do. It’s the same thing you told me you wanted. Nothing’s changed.”
I came to my senses and jerked my hand away. “What the fuck are you doing? Playing some stupid head game? First you tell me you want me, then you tell me you don’t, then you get mad at seeing me with some other guy, and now you’ve brought me out here to…what? Tease me and make me touch your cock? What kind of twisted bullshit—"
He cut me off again. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close, bringing me into a hard, deep kiss. It shut me up good. His tongue moved into my mouth as the bristles of his stubble teased and tickled my face. For a moment I thought I ought to fight back, push myself away and tell him to screw off for the bullshit he was putting me through.
But I didn’t. He’d known what I wanted, and he was giving it to me, and giving it to me good. His taste filled my mouth as surely as his tongue, his hands moving over the curves of my hips and up to my breasts. He squeezed them firmly, placing his fingertips over my nipples and rubbing them through my shirt and bra.
He was so giving me exactly what I wanted. Pissed me off that he knew it, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted Craig so fucking badly it hurt.
He continued to kiss and caress me, his right hand eventually moving from my breast down my stomach to the waistband of my black slacks. I knew what he was doing, and I wanted it.
I gasped as he opened up my button and slipped his hand into my panties, saying a silent thanks to myself for wearing something a little sexier than what I’d had on the last time we’d done anything like this.
Mistoletoe Surprise: An Older Man Younger Woman Christmas Romance Page 11