I pulled back, breathing heavily, and buried my face against her neck. She snuggled in closer and the two of us lay there in each other’s arms as though we were both overcome with arousal and need. I didn’t want to push her. I didn’t want to be that guy who came in for a “drink” and then tried to push his date into having sex.
“What’s wrong?” Tansy whispered. “Why did you stop?”
For some reason I had figured this was obvious. “I don’t want to push you.”
“You’re not pushing me. I want this.”
Her words sent a thrill through my body, but my worry still remained. “I’m not sure I can stop myself. If I really get going that is.”
Her breathy laugh was so feminine that I felt my whole body tighten when I heard it. “How about we do something for you then?”
I think it’s possible that my eyebrows shot off the top of my forehead. I was going to protest because that felt selfish and somehow wrong, but Tansy’s hand settled over the ridge of my erection and I realized that I couldn’t have said no if I had actually wanted to. My throat was all closed up. I could barely breathe.
Her hand stroked me from base to tip. The fabric of my cargo pants was still tight against my erection. As Tansy’s hand molded and shaped the outline of my cock through my pants, the tightness in the fabric only served to intensify everything I was feeling. Blood seemed to pump furiously toward my groin. It was as if I had clenched my muscles so tight that my whole body was taut with anticipation. Her hand created an agonizing need to pump my hips. I felt as though my whole body were tuned in to her movements. She was clasping me tightly underneath the fabric and moving her hand up and down to create the sort of friction that made my cock feel as though it were going to explode at any moment.
It should not have been that big of a deal. I could last forever with my own hand. But this was different. I could feel her light feminine body pressed against mine. Her scent enveloped me. That light floral and spice that made me want to howl like a hound dog. It was almost too much. No. It was too much!
I gasped and shuddered. My whole body convulsed. I could not tell if I was gripping her tightly in my arms or not. I felt my cock throb. My balls drew up tight between my legs and I pointed my toes in my shoes as I struggled not to lose control in such a graphic way.
But there was no holding it back. I convulsed one more time and felt the wetness of my ejaculate soak the front of my pants. I gasped and groaned as everything inside me focused on that point and that second. I spent myself almost immediately and then felt limp and lightheaded into the bargain.
I don’t know how long I was laying there before I realized that Tansy was lightly stroking my face now and whispering to me. Her words were nonsense, lovers’ words, bedroom talk maybe. She whispered and nuzzled my neck. She stroked my face and lightly pushed my hair back from my forehead. It felt so strange. I’d never experienced anything like that before. The contact was incredible. It was priceless.
“Hey there,” Tansy whispered. “There you are.”
“Here I am?”
“For a second there I think you might have checked out,” she gently teased. “You were pretty spaced out.”
“I think I exceeded the maximum amount of blood available in my body to run both heads at the same time,” I told her with a wry laugh. “You just made my head spin, woman. I don’t even know what to say.”
“I suppose I should be apologizing for being the cause of your making a bit of a mess in your own pants.” Her eyes were twinkling, but there was a bit of apprehension in her tone as well. “I feel like that’s probably a bit rude on my part. Do you want a towel or something?”
“I can take care of it when I get home,” I told her softly. “And I don’t ever want you to feel like this was bad or somehow not appreciated. Do you understand me?” This was so important to me. How could I convey just how important it really was? I wasn’t entirely sure, but I wanted her to know how I felt all the same. “Nobody has ever done anything like that for me. Ever. I can’t tell you how amazing it felt to have you touching me. And I’m the one who should be swearing to you that I’m not always that easy.”
She giggled then. A lighthearted sound that made me smile. “I don’t know. I think it was pretty damned flattering that I can make a guy like Val Alvarez come in his pants. Do you have any idea how badly I want to shout that from the rooftops? Yep girls, he’s all mine. And do you know what? All I have to do is lift a finger to please my man. He’s so hot for me that I can set him off!”
I laughed along with her. Then I snuggled her closer for a moment and tried to just be thankful that I had decided to give her a chance. Nope. Not like Cari. Not at all.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Tansy
“So these are the houses that we’ve been talking about.” My new client handed me a list of addresses located in the area not far from the Upscale Real Estate office. “My husband and I would like to go look at these this afternoon if possible.”
I sat back in my desk chair and tried to paste a pleasant smile on my face. I could already tell that we were going to have a problem. Trinity Moberly-Kitson and her very recent husband, Karl, were not my idea of good clients to begin with. I wasn’t about to put off the Musgraves just to go show property to this entitled couple who had forgotten a few key facts.
“I’m so glad you brought me this list,” I told Trinity as I forced my cheeks into the upward, smiling position. “What I’ll do is to pull the actual MLS listings off the database. I can email them to you so that you can actually see the details of each home before you decide if you want to see it or not.”
“Oh, we want to see all of these.” Trinity looked over at Karl and I cringed. “Isn’t that right, honeybunch?”
Honeybunch?
Karl Kitson had been stalking my friend Lena Schulte for years. As in the guy had been in this Upscale Realty Office far too many times pretending to be invited here by Lena or trying to bully one of us into letting him either leave Lena a note, sneak into her office to wait for her, or just generally pumping us for information about her. And that was why I knew as much about this situation as I did.
“As it happens,” I began slowly, “I have appointments all afternoon to show property to other clients. But if you would like to look over the list that I’m going to send you and then rank them in the order you’d like to see them, I would be happy to take you around to visit the properties tomorrow.”
“But I want to go today.” Trinity’s voice was flat and her smile disappeared. “And I want a house in Lionsgate. There’s one for sale. I know there is. We want to look at it.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t show that property to you.” Ah yes. This was where it was going to get sticky. “I can’t show you a property that would bring you into a violation of the restraining orders. In this case there are four restraining orders involved.”
Karl’s pleasant expression dissolved into a glower. “Excuse me?”
“Yes. Four.” I bobbed my head. “It seems rather extreme. I know. But there is a restraining order against both of you individually filed by Lena Schulte. And then two more restraining orders filed against both of you individually by Damion Alvarez. That makes four. And that’s why Lionsgate isn’t going to work for you.”
“That is preposterous!” Karl jumped to his feet.
Karl is a decent-sized guy compared to someone like me. Meaning someone who is five-foot-two inches tall. He’s about five eight or so. And he has that country club look about him complete with the tennis sweater draped over his shoulders, a muscular body that didn’t look too muscular. At least not when I compared it in my mind to Val’s. And Karl is blond. He looks like the All-American kid. And he sort of is because his parents own the Ilse de St. Louis Country Club and that’s pretty much where he is stuck. Personally and professionally.
But even with Karl glaring down at me, I didn’t feel intimidated. I had the rules on my side after all. Karl pointed at me and then lo
oked at his wife. “It’s just not fair that we are being discriminated against because of Damion and Lena!”
“I think it’s a little more complicated than that,” I reminded Karl. Then I gestured to Trinity. “And besides, the two of you are newly married. You have a lifetime of learning to do about each other. And why would you want to do that with your former boyfriend and girlfriend living around the corner? It’s not worth it!”
For just one second I thought that Karl might actually see reason. But then he started shaking his head and muttering about calling the state real estate board. I wanted to roll my eyes. But that would have been utterly unprofessional and I really needed to be professional right now. “I would be absolutely happy to show you property in any of the townships surrounding Lionsgate. There are some truly beautiful properties for sale right now in the Wildwood area. Very prestigious, of course. And if you want smaller-scale living, there are some very beautiful luxury apartments that are brand new. They have a list of amenities that generally only comes with a very, very high-end complex.”
I could see Trinity’s interest pique at that thought. I wondered who was so committed to living close to Damion and Lena. Was it Trinity or was it Karl? At some point surely their mutual hatred for my friends would play itself out. Surely.
Trinity made a little moue with her mouth and then set her face in an unattractive pout. “I suppose tomorrow will have to work then.”
“Yes. It really will. And I believe the weather is supposed to be nicer tomorrow anyway. So I will have that list to you by this evening. Did you fill out the new client paperwork that I gave you?”
Trinity handed over the sheet. Most of it was blank, but the email address and phone numbers were provided and that’s all that mattered right now. “Here. And we don’t have another house to sell.”
“Then this process should be relatively quick,” I told them. “I bet we will have you in your new home together for your first Christmas as a married couple.”
Wow. I was even beginning to believe my own bullshit. I don’t know if that was good or bad.
“Thank you then,” Trinity said as she stood up. “And tell me.” Trinity cleared her throat and did her best to look nonchalant. As if that worked. “Have you spoken with Lena lately? What’s the latest news on their wedding?”
I wasn’t going to answer that. I wasn’t going to answer any of it. “Oh, they’re doing fine. Busy of course, but things are just fine. I don’t know about wedding news though. I just don’t have the time to keep up with such things.”
“Right.” It was pretty apparent that Trinity didn’t believe me one bit. Oh well. Not my problem. “Well, you know, getting married around the holidays is just so stressful. It can really drive a person to do silly things. Foolish things.”
I felt a deep sense of disquiet come over me. “Right,” I told her. “Foolish things.”
Like what? I wanted to scream. I felt as though I were about to jump over my desk and wrap my fingers around Trinity’s neck and demand to know what they were plotting. Because all of a sudden I got the feeling that this wasn’t over yet. Not just yet.
Trinity and her no-good husband got up and walked out of my office. Trinity wiggled her fingers at me as she went. “Till tomorrow then!”
“Till tomorrow,” I told her. “I’ll email those to you just as soon as I get a list ready.”
About five seconds after Trinity and Karl exited, Thayla came rushing in. She slammed my office door closed and pressed her back against the flimsy cubicle wall. “Did I just see what I thought I saw?” Thayla stage whispered dramatically. “Was that Karl and Trinity?”
“That was Karl and Trinity,” I confirmed. “My new clients.”
“Your what?” Thayla plopped down in a seat in front of my desk. It was quite possible that she was giving me the evil eye. “Are you out of your mind?”
“No. It’s not like I can say that I have professional ethics if I turn them away for no good reason. Right? I can’t just pick and choose what clients I work with like that. It wouldn’t be fair.” Even as I said this I felt like it still wasn’t fair. To me.
“So where are they trying to move?” Thayla shook her head. “Oh my God, I don’t even need you to say it. They’re trying to buy that house down the street from Damion and Lena that’s still for sale!”
“Yep.” I bobbed my head. Then I snorted and rubbed my tired eyes. “But maybe that’s why everyone should be glad that I’m the one working with these people. I didn’t even entertain the notion of taking them to Lionsgate to look at a house. I told them flat out that I could not take them into a subdivision and show them a house that would have them in violation of four different restraining orders.”
“Ooo, you did?” Thayla was just soaking up this drama. The poor woman really needed to find a boyfriend of her own. “I wish someone would do that for me when Brock Mortensen starts looking around for a new place to live. I’m stressing out that he’s going to find a spot right around the corner from the house I rent from Eleanor. That would just be awful!”
I stopped rubbing my eyes and stared right at Thayla. “Brock is in jail, Thayla. He’s not going to be able to rent anything to begin with. He’ll be lucky to be in a decent halfway house. And I’m sure you’re not silly enough to believe that he isn’t going to pretty much do what he does, get himself arrested again, and wind up back in jail.” I considered Brock. I hadn’t known him growing up, but I’d heard enough of the facts about him as an adult to make me pretty sure this would happen. “I think the only question is how quickly is this going to happen and whether or not they’ll just give him life this time and be done with it.”
“I suppose you’re right.” Thayla exhaled a little sigh, but I could not tell if it was relief or something else entirely. “I just wish that I could find someone else who wasn’t a jerk to go out with. Speaking of. Do you want to go grab some dinner tonight when you’re done with clients?”
“Oh.” I bit my lip. I felt bad just blowing her off. Maybe I should blow Val off instead? I don’t know. Being in a relationship was going to take some getting used to. “I can’t do it tonight. Maybe tomorrow? I have a date tonight.”
“You have a date?” Thayla bounced in her seat. “Wait. I thought that we were going to go look at that antique shop for something to stage that woman’s house. What’s her name?”
“Stella Stein?” I felt the urge to curse. I had told Thayla that we would do that Saturday night. Then I’d gone and told Val that I would meet him for dinner tonight. Dammit. This was going to be harder than I’d thought. “You’re right. Tell you what. I’ll cancel my date and then we can meet up at Wong’s and grab dinner before we hit the antique store.”
“Do you think you’ll be done with your clients before then?” Thayla sounded worried and I realized that she was probably reacting to the idea of me having to cancel on her. “I don’t want you to have to cut their time short if they’re trying to make a decision or write a contract.”
“We are down to the last two contenders on their list,” I told Thayla. Then I did a little fist pump because I was so sick of looking at houses. “And let me tell you, I think these last two are perfect. I don’t know how I would choose between them if I was this couple. But they’ve got a couple of kids so I think they’re bringing the kids with them today to act as tiebreakers.”
“Then I’ll see you tonight about six?” Thayla stood up. “I just stopped by on my way to that other little store. I try to swing by every weekend. The owner does her estate and garage sale purchasing on Fridays. So Saturday morning is the best time to go see what kind of fresh stuff she’s managed to dig up from the basements of St. Louis.”
“That sounds like a horrible reality television show,” I teased Thayla. “Either pickers or hoarders. One of the two.”
“Hoarders, definitely. Some of these estate sales. Whew! You should go with me next weekend. There’s a huge one out in Lake St. Louis and I’m going because these people had a
crazy lot of junk. I mean crazy lot of junk!”
“Junk?”
“The kind of junk that was once upon a time seriously expensive stuff,” Thayla corrected. “Like Tiffany lamps and those goofy little figurines of kids and umbrellas. Or good china imported from England. The catalog for the estate sale is like a Christie’s auction house sale bill.”
“That sounds really intriguing.” And it did. I loved that old stuff. I had started going a few times with Thayla since she and I had met through Lena’s sister Eleanor. Now I could not help but wonder how I was supposed to juggle my new friendships and still keep a boyfriend. Maybe this relationship stuff was going to be a lot harder than it seemed.
“All right,” Thayla said as she stood up. “So next weekend? For sure? You have to go with me. It will be so cool! And then I’ll see you tonight at six thirty at Wong’s.”
“Yeah, for sure!” I forced myself to smile because I really did want to hang out with Thayla. I just didn’t know exactly how to break my date with Val for tonight and explain to him that I was busy again next weekend. What kind of girlfriend was I turning out to be anyway? Not a good one!
Chapter Twenty-Three
Valentino
I looked at my phone for what seemed like the ten millionth time. I was still trying to reconcile myself to the text that I had gotten just before lunchtime. I stared down at the display and tried once again to tell myself that this wasn’t a big deal.
“Hey big brother, why the long face?”
“Hey little brother, what are you doing here?”
It was a genuine question. It was Saturday. My brother should have been planning his wedding or hanging out with his bride-to-be. So what was he doing here at the garage bugging me? If I’d had my choice, I would have been at home with Tansy trying to continue where we had left off the night before.
“I came down to see Mom and Dad. I just came over to chat with you because Dad is busy decorating the house for Christmas and Mom and Lena are busy talking about what Lena thinks the mother of the groom’s dress should look like. I just didn’t feel like they needed my input on that. You know?”
Tangled: Contemporary Romance Trilogy Page 63