No.
She’d ensured the most important thing—she’d leave me needing more. Shannon knew how to create a repeat customer.
When is this gonna happen?
I’m free tonight if you are.
I’d be there. It didn’t matter what I had planned. It didn’t fucking matter. Anything you want, Shannon.
14
Shannon
Episode Three: My List of Things to Do
I would never have the balls to do it in front of him. He wouldn’t miss the tremble in my voice, and he’d know how scared I am. Being scared can be a good thing. In this case, it means I’m growing.
“I’ll keep you safe,” he said. And I believed him. Even if this is an act, that was real.
He said to ask for what I wanted. And tonight, I’ll see how well my escort can follow directions.
And if I can keep this strictly business, when he kneels in front of my naked body and looks up from between my legs for approval. Wish me luck.
The courtyard was busier than usual tonight. Only the tops of people’s heads were visible from where I stood, naked, against the wall. My body trembled. As much as my pseudo-exhibitionism was a massive turn-on, I didn’t really want to expose myself.
I jumped when someone knocked at the door.
“Shannon?” I recognized the muffled voice. “It’s Zach.”
I told him it would be unlocked. “Come in.”
He broke the first rule; he wasn’t supposed to talk. The door opened and closed, but at this angle, I couldn’t see him. Anticipation numbed my body, and I pressed my fingers against the wall to stay on my feet. I couldn’t trust my knees to hold me.
“Shannon?” he said again.
“I’m in the bedroom.” My voice cracked on the last word.
He appeared in the doorway and leaned against the frame. “It scared me when I didn’t see you.”
“I told you I’d be in here.” I swallowed hard. “And that the door would be unlocked.”
“I know.” The vulnerability in his voice made me the most dressed person in the room. Our gazes locked, and even in the shadows, I didn’t miss the naked desire on his face. Leah was right, Zach didn’t only worry about me when he didn’t see me right away, but he also worried about himself. He couldn’t hide it. We were in the danger zone, a place I didn’t expect to enter. A place with consequences I wasn’t prepared to pay. And apparently, neither was he.
“You’re not following instructions, Zach.” We had to play this game. The one that had clearly defined rules. An agreement. And an exit strategy. Zach was playing dirty. The worst part was I wasn’t sure I wanted him to stop.
“What are you going to do about it, Shannon? Will you punish me?”
“Maybe.” It was hard to think with my arousal dampening the top of my thighs. “I’ll decide when you come over here and do the first part of what I asked you to do.”
“What was that?” He slung his arms low across his belly.
“You weren’t supposed to talk.” They weren’t hard instructions.
His grin was a wicked flash of lightning in the night. “I know.”
He didn’t give me a chance to answer before he sunk to his knees. But there was nothing submissive about it. He crawled over to me, his muscles moving under his shirt like they belonged to a predator stalking his prey—hiding in the shadows and boldly moving into the light when it was time to strike.
His fingertips charred the inside of my thigh. “Relax.”
“Please, stop talking.” My words were strained, and I was losing control of the situation. Losing the strength to keep this purely sexual, and walk away from him when we’d satisfied the debt. The more he said, the more I wanted. He upped the ante, and we hadn’t renegotiated these terms. I didn’t want this.
I needed it with every breath I took.
“I’m trying,” he said. “But I came in here and found you waiting for me naked, and all my rules went out the window. And unfortunately, yours went with them.”
My heart pounded against my ribcage. I didn’t expect him to say that. Tonight, Zach was in the driver’s seat, no matter what he’d told me about rules and instructions. It scared me as much as excited me. I swallowed hard, considering backing out of the arrangement. But I wanted to see what he’d do when given the chance.
“I know why I’m here, Shannon. You asked me to fulfill some fantasy, and you’re pissed that I’m not doing what you asked me to. But I can’t pretend this is nothing anymore. That you’re a client. That I’m prepared for this to be the one and only time I ever get to fuck you. This will be the first of many times I fuck you, and not because I owe you something. I don’t want to do that anymore. At least, not with you.” He punctuated it by running his tongue the length of my thigh. For all the filthy things he promised, Zach loved using his mouth on me. “Give me a chance. I won’t let you down.”
I closed my eyes. He was on his knees, a strip of light from outside shining on his face. He was beautiful, powerful, and if I wanted him, mine. But this was more than I asked for. The idea of a series of no-holds-barred sexual trysts appealed to me on many levels. I did like Zach. I more than liked him—I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I worried that exploring the emotional connection could destroy the potential of what we could have physically.
“That wasn’t the agreement.” I could barely get the words out.
“Fuck the agreement. Please. What are you afraid of, Shannon?” He parted my trembling thighs, fingers inching upward.
“You.”
His hand stopped just above my knee. “Why?”
“Because I came here so I could concentrate on myself. I’ve spent my life trying to please other people—my ex, my grandma, my mother.” I squeezed my eyes closed again. I didn’t want to think about her. “And you know how I am. I get so wrapped up in other people’s business, I forget about me. This is my chance. I’m not ready for more than sex.”
He gazed up at me, there were so many roadblocks that could distract him, but he looked right into my eyes. And beyond that, to the things I didn’t want him to see. As a reward or a punishment, he gave the same in return. Zach the escort disappeared. That man didn’t exist to me. I had a feeling he’d spent too long pleasing other people, too. That he’d shut himself down, like I did, and tried to find his happiness in helping others. He needed to be more than just an escort—bought and paid for—to someone. I wasn’t sure that I was that person.
I didn’t want to walk away from him. To have this be the last time we were together. But it wasn’t an arrangement or an appointment anymore. That was what scared me.
“I’ll keep you safe. That wasn’t some bullshit line. There’s a lot of things I can’t do for you”—was he aware his wall had come crashing down, or was he horrified mine was nothing more than rubble?—“but it’s a promise I won’t break. Let’s not define this. Come with me and see where it goes.”
“I like that idea.”
“Good, because I do, too. I don’t know how to be in a relationship, and your last one didn’t work. Don’t worry about rules. Do what makes you feel good.”
He trailed his fingers along my outer lips. That wasn’t part of the original plan, either, but I had no complaints as he sank his glistening fingers into his mouth and closed his eyes, sucking my arousal off them like I did to him the last time we were together. I gripped the top of his head, steadying myself as he spread me wider. His moan vibrated through my body on contact. Zach didn’t waste more time teasing me. He took my clit into his mouth and sucked hard, chuckling against my skin when I cried out.
I should have known he’d beat me at my own game. He knew what I wanted even when I didn’t.
It was an expert-level move, and Zach showed me no mercy—he moved his tongue deftly over the sensitive nub, the circles complimenting my ragged breaths.
A hard pull with his lips sent me sailing over the edge. I cried out as the first wave of my orgasm rolled through my body like thunder on
a hot summer night. Zach pressed my hips against the wall, holding my body steady, doing what I couldn’t, as he wrung every last drop of pleasure from me. I lost control of my senses.
“Stay with me, Shannon.” My name sounded fuzzy on his lips. “I’m not close to done with you yet.”
Zach pried my hand away from his head. That was going to leave a mark. Ha. He’d have a hell of a time explaining those to polite company. He slipped his fingers between mine, squeezing my hand, and then did the same with the other. He rose to his feet, a fluid motion that made him look like he was floating. A fallen angel who stopped looking for his halo long ago. He didn’t need that light to shine; it came from deep inside. That place he didn’t mean for me to see.
He crashed his mouth against mine, denim and cotton rough against my trembling body as he pulled me into him. I recognized the flavor of my arousal, but it tasted different when delivered from his lips. Sweeter. I took it all back, my tongue the only muscle in my body I still had control of.
We separated with a gasp. Zach’s leg scraped the inside of my thighs, and he gripped my shoulders. He rested his forehead against mine, like he wanted to go in for another kiss, but he held himself back. Barely.
He wore a button-down shirt, tucked into his jeans. So he was capable of following instructions. I fumbled with the buttons, cursing my plans and good idea, believing I could control the situation. Or wanting to. I tugged the shirt away from his jeans and ran my hand along the rippled plain of tattooed muscle. He shuddered.
Good lord. That I had any effect on this man, who’d been with… I didn’t want to think how many woman, many of them more worldly and desirable than me. And my touch made him come undone.
The shirt fell to the floor. I had as much trouble getting rid of the belt. It snapped against my fingers as I tugged it free. It seemed like a waste to drop the leather strap to the floor—also not part of the plan, but I didn’t care that much anymore. Words would fail me, and I was already in over my head. Tonight was so much more than I bargained for.
His cock was hard and waiting for me when I pushed the jeans down his thighs. I sunk to my knees to finish the job, and he kicked the fabric away when I finally got it down to his ankles. The tip glistened in the light that shone from the window.
“I’ve been thinking about you doing this since the last time we were together.” He tipped his head back, and all I could see was his parted lips.
I gripped his shaft. “Tell me about it.”
Zach trembled under my touch. He looked down at me and any doubts I had about him thinking of this as more than a client-escort relationship disappeared. He wasn’t going through the motions; his body was reacting to me.
“Last time, you sucked my cum off your fingers.” He shuddered. “And I couldn’t stop thinking about what it would be like to have you wrap those sweet lips around my cock. If you’d use your tongue the same way you do when you kiss me. How deep you could take me…”
I waited for more after his words trailed off, but he didn’t say anything else. “I’m not an expert or anything, but I’ve been told I know my way around a dick.”
He laughed. Not at me, with me. I needed it, because the night had taken a serious turn and it was scaring the hell out of me.
“I can’t wait to see what you do to me.”
He groaned when I took him in my mouth. My plan had been to take him with the same ferocity he took me, to suck him hard and fast and bring his climax crashing down over me. But as with everything else in Zach’s world, I should have known better than to make plans. I hadn’t recovered from my orgasm. It was possible I never would. I’d never be the same woman who bared herself, waiting for him in this room. I gripped his shaft and slid my hand along it as I swirled my tongue around the tip.
Zach fell forward and steadied himself with his hands against the wall. His balls hitched, and his cock swelled, as hot cum streamed into my mouth.
He sunk to his knees, and once again we were eye to eye. With a tug of my hair, he regained control. He kissed me, long, slow, and deep. It was different from the last one; there was nothing masking the taste of his desire.
I pulled away.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, brushing my damp hair out of my eyes.
“You weren’t supposed to come yet.”
He chuckled. “I’m not Superman.”
“But you haven’t…” I was so frustrated I wanted to scream. I could sink my teeth into his shoulder to muffle the sound, but that was something else we hadn’t talked about. I hated this. I didn’t know how to get what I wanted. And it was so simple. But I would not beg him to fuck me, and if I tried to say anything, those would be the only words to possibly come out of my mouth.
“Shannon, I want to fuck you more than I want to breathe,” he said. “I’ve got nothing but time. Give me a minute, and I’ll give you every single thing you want.”
I nodded, refusing to meet his gaze.
But Zach wasn’t going to accept that as an answer. He cupped my chin in his hand. “You know what your problem is?”
I wrestled free. “I don’t want to talk about my problems right now.”
“Sorry. That came out wrong. I’ve got blow job brain.” He was grinning when I slid my gaze back to him. His expression softened, and he ran his finger over my swollen lips. “But that’s what I mean. You think too much. Don’t.”
Easier said than done. The moment was slipping away from us, and if we didn’t catch it, we could never get it back.
He brushed my cheek and pulled my hair over my shoulder. His lips were hot against my skin. “Why are you in such a hurry?”
“I’m not in a hurry. But if I don’t get your cock inside me—again—I’ll lose my mind.” I grabbed a handful of his hair before I let him get down to business. His eyes were on fire. He liked that a lot. I wondered how often people asked Zach what he wanted. “Remember you said we should see where this takes us? Let’s do that.”
He guided me to the floor, his body covering mine in shadows only. He didn’t do anything right away, drinking me in with his hungry eyes. My body tensed and pulsed, yet he touched me with nothing but his gaze. That was a lie. He was willing to give me so much more than I asked for—adoration, protection, and more importantly, his soul. All he asked for in return was a chance. I could do that.
Zach bit his lip, but I wouldn’t tell him what to do. Not anymore. He drew a lazy line across my collarbone, his finger rising with every breath I took. My skin was so sensitized, I expected it to split open when he pressed his fingernail against it, circled my breast, and slid back and forth over my strained nipple. All his attention was focused on that spot as he repeated the motion, fascinated like he’d never seen it before. Which was partly true.
Every kiss told me something more about him. This one was much softer, as his body melted against mine. Nothing was rough anymore. He cupped my breast.
My heart pounded underneath, desperate to meet his touch. He drew away from me, wordlessly considering my face. I nodded.
He climbed on top of me, straddling my body. His thick arms tensed as they sunk down, and his hair tickled my cheek as his lips met my shoulder. Quick kisses followed the journey he made with his fingers minutes before, but that didn’t make it any less exciting. His lips danced on my skin like tiny surges of electricity lighting up the night. My head rolled back when he took my nipple in his mouth. He nudged my legs, and I parted them, lifting my head to see how he managed to be everywhere. He hovered over my body, anchored by one arm and his toes. Damn. I wanted to see what else his body was capable of. It occurred to me to pull him crashing down on top of me, but I was frozen, captivated by his every move. I’d be a fool to break the spell.
He moved his fingers easily along my slick folds. I was ready for him again, and as the hot tip of his erection bumped against my thigh, I knew he was, too. He grasped my hip, slipping his fingers against my skin, but I knew what he wanted. I wrapped my leg around his hips and my arms around
his neck, terrified I’d ruin the balance of… us.
Zach fell to his knees, and in the tangle of our limbs, he reached for his cock and rubbed it against my slit.
I moaned. It wasn’t meant to come out like that, but I had no more words. He’d run me through the gambit of emotions, and I questioned everything I believed—about him, about me, about our arrangement.
I finally did as he asked when he pushed the tip inside me. I stopped thinking.
Inch by inch, he stretched me. We’d finished the game, but it wasn’t over. Slow, steady strokes lulled me into the calm before the storm that was off the horizon. And he wouldn’t stop kissing me, which was the hottest part of the whole thing—he was either incapable or unwilling to tear himself away.
I curled my fingernails into his shoulders, breaking through the skin. He whipped his head back, and his body tensed under my grip. Shit. I did something he didn’t like, but it wasn’t on purpose. I was lost in the heat of the moment, he had to understand. My fingers were bloody as I drew them away from his shoulders.
He caught them in his grasp and pulled me off the floor. Desire and pure need danced in his eyes like a heartbeat. I stayed frozen with him still inside me. He belonged there.
My inner walls went haywire around him. He drew back, the rhythm changed, and he lost all control. He fell on top of me, his thrusts erratic and his mouth everywhere, nipping, biting, and catching whatever he could. We lay panting and exploring each other’s bodies.
The night sky had brightened when Zach rolled back to his knees and got dressed. He left without saying a word. Like I’d asked. Only problem was I didn’t want that anymore.
15
Zach
Shannon wrecked me. I’d played this game so many times before, and I laughed at clients who thought they could top me from the bottom. Try to control me while they submitted. Never in the heat of the moment—I wasn’t that much of an asshole. But an asshole I was, and I never let them win.
Naked Love Page 187