Candy King

by Christine d'Abo

  Okay, maybe family discussions weren’t entirely out of the question. “Everything okay?”

  She opened the passenger door to the Tesla and climbed in, not saying anything else. Maybe she wanted some privacy to talk, or perhaps she was merely trying to find the right words. Either way, Dylan wasn’t about to push her on this. He got into the car, turned it on, and waited briefly before pulling out into traffic. “Did you want a coffee, or are you—”

  “My dad has severe depression and anxiety. It was the reason my parents divorced when I was a kid. He’d always wanted to be a journalist, had even started school, but he’d dropped out when he couldn’t make it through the classes. It’s one of the reasons I chose to do what I do and why I want to make a name for myself.”

  Usually when Simone started on one of her rambles, she was all bubbly and cute. This time, she spoke every word with a graveness that nearly broke his heart. Without looking, he reached over and gave her hand a squeeze. “That must be a hard burden to bear.”

  “It’s not a burden. Not really. But I worry about him all the time. He’s renting a room in an apartment, doesn’t have a lot of privacy, and struggles to pay his bills. I got to thinking about your project and how it will help people like my dad. Then I wondered if there was an opportunity for someone like him to help out. Be a consultant of sorts. When you get to the phase of planning the interior.”

  He could tell that bringing that up was difficult for her. His own family might have problems when it came to staying together, but they didn’t have the challenges of mental health that Simone’s dad did. Maybe Sarah’s ability to persuade Jonathan to create this housing community wasn’t a crazy idea after all.

  “I’m not asking you to hire my dad. That isn’t the sort of thing I’d do. But I’d like to use him in the story, as one example of a potential beneficiary of your project. It would let me give him a chance to play the part of journalist, and it would also show him that there are organizations in Toronto that care about people like him.”

  It would also have the unintended side effect of entangling him and Simone even more than they already were. When he’d read her first message, he could never have guessed that it would lead them both to here. “Let me talk to my brother, but I think that makes a lot of sense. We’d need to have a consultant of some sort offer advice and input about what people with mental health issues might need from our facility. This is a great way of killing two birds with one stone.”

  “What’s the other bird?”

  “Helping you and your dad.”

  Dylan never considered himself a selfish person, and other than the sugar daddy site, he rarely took anything for himself. Doing this for Simone was an excellent way to not only make someone else happy but to also give himself the satisfaction of making someone happy whom he happened to like.

  As a friend and lover. That was it. He’d have done the same for someone he wasn’t sleeping with or about to get fucked by.

  It was completely normal.

  Their conversation drifted back to the mundane as they made their way to the development site. It was nice knowing Simone was going to be with him for the rest of the afternoon, and that they could continue to spend time together tonight. They didn’t have to even do anything sexual; it was nice knowing that he had a companion to spend time with, even if they didn’t have specific plans.

  And that was the rub of being in a relationship. There were elements of it that he liked the thought of—companionship, sex with someone who knew what you liked—but the potential downfall, the inevitable breakup wasn’t worth it in the end. At least it never had been in the past.

  Maybe Simone was different. Maybe because neither of them was actually looking for anything beyond sex, this time things would be different.

  Maybe.

  Or maybe he was buying into her whole People who meet on your website are different and fall in love thing a bit too much.

  Looking over at her as she spoke about the project brought a smile to his face. Even if he wasn’t interested in love, that didn’t mean they couldn’t be friends with specific benefits. There was nothing off or weird about wanting to spend time with someone who had a similar outlook on life and relationships. If anything, they could help protect one another from the inevitable onslaught of people wanting to know when they were going to be in a relationship.

  It was a win-win.

  “I’m looking forward to seeing what you guys have managed to plan for the project.” Simone held the bag from the sex shop a bit tighter. “It really is something special. I’m thrilled to be a part of it, even if it wasn’t what I’d originally set out to report on.”

  “I am too.”

  Simone cocked her head to the side as she looked at him. “That doesn’t mean I’m forgetting about our deal. You still owe me a story on your site.”

  “And I plan to honor that deal.” Especially if it meant he got to continue to enjoy their extracurricular activities. “Even if we don’t do anything else sexually. You hold on to that bag, and if and when you want to do something, you let me know.”

  “Okay.” She smoothed out the plastic bag and shifted her gaze out the window. “I’ll let you know.”

  “Good. Okay.” God, he shouldn’t be nervous or excited about the prospect of doing anything with her. Their relationship was merely one of mutual need, and nothing more. They’d have fun, make a few memories, and then move on. And that was all he wanted or needed from his life. Hot sex with a beautiful, intelligent woman and some laughs.

  Yup, that was all. Because asking for anything else wouldn’t end well for either of them.

  Chapter 18

  It was bizarre having spent the last few weeks with a bag of dildos in her bedroom and not having used them. Not that they’d been bought for her, but Simone was undoubtedly one of the principal parties involved.

  Dylan hadn’t pressed matters, respecting her choice to not move forward with anything sexual since their little excursion to the store. Not that they’d had a lot of spare time since then. At the planning meeting, Dylan streamlined their development project so it would be done within three months rather than four. That caused Simone to adjust her own timelines for the story. And when Dylan brought up the idea of working with someone who would directly benefit from the housing development, assuring that the needs of the people they were hoping to help were adequately met, she was able to suggest working with her dad.

  After that, the entire thing became a bit of a whirlwind.

  Thankfully, tonight she had nothing on her plate and was able to stay home and relax. With a glass of wine in one hand and her phone in the other, Simone sat down on her well-worn couch and pulled up one of her games. She loved the distraction, even if she sucked at the actual execution of the game. Unfortunately for her, she used up her lives far too quickly and now would have to wait twenty minutes before she could try again.

  It was a beautiful fall Friday night, and she was at home alone.

  With a sigh, she took another sip of wine. In the past, she would have reached out to Kayla and planned a girls’ night out, but she was off with her fiancé on a business trip. And while Simone did have other friends, there wasn’t really anyone who she felt she could just pick up the phone and call on a whim.

  She didn’t even want to think what that said about her life.

  With another glance at her phone screen, she saw the shortcut for the sugar daddy site. It had been a while since they’d used the app, opting instead to talk in person or via standard texting. Their conversations mostly dealt with the project or her dad, rather than their sugar daddy arrangement. Simone missed the online flirting, their sexy back-and-forth that generally got her libido all fired up.

  She didn’t have a clue as to what Dylan was doing tonight. She actually hadn’t spoken to him for a few days, despite their multiple contacts about business. No doubt, he was ou
t tonight having dinner and drinks with friends. Or maybe he was at a club, hitting up a potential date for the night. Someone he could take back to his place for a good time. Just because he’d asked her to be his sugar baby didn’t mean that they’d agreed to be exclusive. They really hadn’t talked much about the expectations on either of their parts. As far as she was aware, she could go out to a club and party all night with hot dudes until they made her an offer she couldn’t—

  Yeah, that was never going to happen.

  But she had no reason to believe that Dylan wouldn’t do something like that.

  Why that idea tended to make her jealous, Simone wasn’t sure. Dylan had been perfectly clear from day one that he didn’t believe in relationships; it was the whole reason he’d started the website to begin with. Just because they’d had sex didn’t mean that she had any claims on him. If anything, she really should be pushing more to get further details for her story on him.

  If she were to message him tonight, it had nothing to do with her own loneliness and everything with her need to take advantage of her free time to pursue the story.

  Right?

  Yes.

  Pressing the icon for the app, she typed out a quick message, smiling at her own words.

  Hello, your Highness.

  I was curious to know what the other half gets up to on a Friday night? Women? Wine? More than a little taste of sugar? Your Sugar Tart is home alone. All alone and looking at my bag of toys.

  We should do something about that. Maybe play twenty questions and see where that leads us.

  ST

  There, that should get him talking. If nothing else, she could use it as a way to get some answers out of him. But Dylan didn’t respond as quickly as she’d hoped, leaving her to drink another half glass of wine in silence.

  She really needed to get a life. Perhaps she should sign up for a regular dating app, see if there was anyone out there who wouldn’t mind her quirks, who would want to get pulled around the city so she could try out new restaurants, go to concerts or plays or whatever she saw that happened to catch her attention. There was, no doubt, someone out there who would take her by the hand as they sat on a blanket at the park, listening to a choir or group. Someone who would tease her, flirt with her, talk dirty to her all night long until they ended up at their place to have sex.

  Someone like Dylan.

  Simone groaned, letting her head fall back against the cushion. She really was setting herself up for a fall if she thought for even a moment that a relationship with Dylan was going to work out. He’d been more than honest about how he felt regarding them, not to mention that his entire business model was based on avoiding long-term relationships at all costs.

  Her phone rang, and she sat up so fast the alcoholic buzz had her head spinning. But when she opened the app, she couldn’t stop smiling.

  What’s your favorite color?

  At least he was starting off with something easy. Not that she was going to do that for him.

  Green. What’s your favorite sexual position?

  She laughed out loud when he came back with an answer almost instantly.

  Doggy. How many times can you come in one night?

  Clearly, he was willing to play the game.

  I’ve managed twice only a few times. How many times have you used a dildo on yourself like the one we bought?

  You need to date better lovers. Not very much, maybe three or four times. Not many of my female lovers are into that.

  Simone bit her lip and asked her next question.

  So, you’ve had male lovers?

  A few over the years. I generally prefer women. Is that a problem?

  Nope, I’ve just never been with a bi man before.

  You have now.

  Her phone rang in her hand, and she jumped at the suddenness of it. Dylan’s name flashed on the screen, sending her heart rate flying. “Hello?”

  “I thought this was easier than the app. Too much typing.”

  She settled deeper into the cushions. “It is. Are you home?”

  “At the office. I had some paperwork on the housing project that I wanted to get done before I could head home.”

  Figures he’d be a workaholic. “I bet you haven’t eaten anything yet.”

  “Not yet. How did you know?”

  “Kayla’s the same way. I got used to bringing her food whenever I knew she was working on a big project.” Simone pushed away the unexpected wave of disappointment that washed over her. “Her fiancé does that now.”

  “You sound disappointed.” He made some sort of noise on the other end. “What’s your address again?”

  She pulled the phone away from her ear and looked down at it for a moment before answering. “Why?”

  “I’m ordering delivery. I won’t be far behind it.”

  “I thought you were working?” She sat up, her gaze landing on the umpteen piles of clothing around the place that would need to be quickly cleaned up if anyone was coming over.

  “I was, but you’re right. I need to eat, and I won’t if I stay here. Plus, maybe we can break in some of our purchases from the other day. If you’re up for that.”

  A choir of angels exploded in signing inside her head. “I’ll text you my address.”

  “I’ll be there within the hour.”

  Simone spent the first twenty minutes cleaning her place, and the second twenty cleaning herself. Her slight buzz had long worn off by the time the doorbell rang and the food was delivered. The young man at the door smiled. “It’s been prepaid. Enjoy.”

  She had just enough time to set out the food, grab plates, and set out the bottle of wine that came with the meal before the doorbell rang a second time. Dylan smiled as he stood there, hands in his pockets, his dress shirt lacking a tie and unbuttoned. “Hey.”

  “Come in.” The moment he entered, she looked around and was instantly embarrassed at the impression her little apartment made. “It’s not exactly a condo looking over the lake.”

  “It’s a great location in a good neighborhood. You can’t ask for more. That smells so good. I had Park make something for us. He wanted me to thank you again. This is the most food I’ve bought from him in months.”

  Simone chuckled. “I do love food.”

  “I do appreciate that about you.”

  “My mom is a professional pastry chef. When my dad would have bad depression days, the three of us would pile into the kitchen and bake stuff. Well, Mom did. Dad and I tried to help but mostly just made a mess. Then we’d eat everything, and for a little while things would feel better.” She hadn’t thought about that for a long time. “Eating and food have always been a positive family thing for me.”

  “Then you’re in for a treat.”

  Her brain was on fast-forward as she led him to the table and the meal. She knew that, for the next little while, they’d sit here, make small talk, and have a glass of wine. During that time, her mind would be doing mental gymnastics while she pondered the thought of fucking him with a strap-on.

  He pulled out her chair for her. “Madam?”

  Okay, so she could sit down and do this, or she could take matters into her own hands. Ignoring his gesture, she walked over to him, cupped his face, and kissed him hard. “I think we really need to have sex first. Because I’ve had a strap-on in my room for a couple weeks now, and I have to do something with it before I go insane.”

  Dylan’s grin made her heart glow. “I love a woman who knows what she wants.”

  Simone utterly ignored the word love in that sentence, took him by the hand, and led him to the bedroom. “I have no idea what I’m doing, so you’ll have to tell me.”

  She had a mountain of pillows on her bed that she used when she read at night. It took Dylan half a second to push them all to the floor, turn her around, and have her sit on the edge.
“I’m going to be honest, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this since we bought this thing. I also know I won’t last long once we get started, so it’s best if we do a few other things first.”

  He encouraged her to lie back before he pulled his shirt and socks off. Simone watched, fascinated by his body, the muscles moving beneath his skin. The dusting of hair that covered his chest and stomach curled enticingly, and she had to fight to keep still and not reach up to play with it. “You’re really fucking hot.”

  He arched his eyebrow for a moment before winking. “You’re pretty amazing yourself.”

  Why did this fantastic and handsome man swear off relationships? He was kind, generous, and funny. In the short time they’d known one another, Simone couldn’t see any reason why anyone would reject him, break his heart. Yet she knew that’s what had happened to him.

  Thanks, lady, for ruining it for the rest of us.

  Though when he deftly removed her pants and panties, before spreading her legs and dropping his face to her pussy, Simone couldn’t help but feel as though she were the luckiest woman in the world. The anticipation had her arousal so high, she knew there wasn’t any way she’d be able to hold back her orgasm. She placed a hand on his head, taking a moment to stroke his hair as he put kisses along the inside of her thigh. “I think this is going to be quick for both of us.”

  “A quick one for you is good. The strap-on has a vibrator for you as well. You’ll be able to come again.”

  Simone cried out at the first hot touch of his tongue on her clit. Dylan clearly was as turned on as she was, because unlike their first time, he was far less controlled, less concerned about dragging things out. No, this was all about the main event and making sure they both got to enjoy it as much as possible.

  Without worrying about the speed, she relaxed as much as she could and let the sensations wash over her. Dylan used both of his hands to push her thighs wide open, his fingers flexing against her flesh as he sucked on her clit. The flicking of his tongue was steady, unrelenting, and before Simone knew what was happening, her orgasm was on the periphery of her awareness.