by Erica Breyer
“Well, right now, it means heads might roll, but I’m hoping to avoid that. I think the biggest problem is her communication style. She’s so intimidating that her team is too terrified to let her know when things are going wrong. Anyhow, we’ll figure it out. I think I can save the campaign if she puts the whip down for a bit.”
“Sheesh, that bad, huh?”
“You have no idea,” she said. “But how ’bout you? What did you get up to today?”
“Oh, you know…the usual. Max is on my case about taking on new sponsors. Crank is on at me to let him handle a class or two. Technically, he may be ready, but after his last little stunt, I don’t know if his head’s in the right place,” he sighed.
“Mmm,” Cassie responded around a mouthful of wine, then swallowed. “Yeah, he had that ‘thing’, right?” She remembered the episode that had dragged Tyson away the night they’d returned from his family barbeque. He’d had to bail him out after an ugly barfight. If it hadn’t been for Clint, they would probably have spent the night together. For a second, she felt less than charitable towards the kid.
“Yup, that’s the problem. He can’t be taking on students if he doesn’t have the discipline to control himself out there. We’re not streetfighters,” said Tyson. The night before, he’d told her how he cut his teeth on the underground fight circuit. Angry young man, taking chances. Things could have gone very differently for him if he hadn’t got himself straightened out. He recognized the signs in his young charges and was diligent about keeping them in line.
“You’ll bring him round. That kid worships you,” she assured him. Heck, everyone worshipped him. The man was godlike in so many ways. She stretched her foot out to twiddle the faucet with her toes to get more hot water into her cooling bath.
“Well, I don’t know about worship,” Tyson said with a laugh. “What’s that sound?”
“It’s the faucet,” Cassie answered. “I’m running more hot water.”
“Wait, what?” he said abruptly.
“I’m taking a bath,” she explained. “The water was starting to go cold.” She set her glass down and swirled her free hand under the water to mix the hot stream around a little.
“Oh, my God, you’re killing me,” he groaned. “You mean to tell me I’ve been talking to you for the last ten minutes while you’ve been nekkid?” He emphasized the word, and she giggled.
“Well, yeah, I guess,” Cassie answered.
“Show me,” he said.
“What?”
“Switch to video so I can see you,” he told her. Cassie’s mouth dropped open.
“You want to see me in the tub?” ‘That’s what he just said, you dork.’ Cassie’s mind scrambled for a response that didn’t seem like it had just come from a schoolgirl.
“Yeah,” he answered, “I want to see you in the tub.”
“Umm…” Her mind was still scrambling. “I…”
“Go on, Wallstreet, you know you can do it,” he coaxed. His tone held the merest hint of a dare. Dammit, she couldn’t resist a dare.
“Okay,” she said, an edge of determination in her voice, “you’re on!” She took a healthy gulp of wine and put the glass down, then touched the little video icon on her screen. Her breath hitched as she found herself looking into those incredible green eyes. Even pixelated, he was gorgeous.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said, smiling.
“Hey,” she said back. And that was it. She’d frozen. ‘Oh come on, Cass, you’re not twelve,’ she scolded herself. He was stretched out someplace…probably his bed. Shirtless, with one hand behind his head. ‘Lord, just look at him!’
“I like your hair like that,” he said, and she put a hand up self-consciously to smooth a stray strand from her cheek. She’d scooped the dark tangle into a messy bundle on top of her head to keep it out of the water.
“Oh, this?” she said. “It’s all the rage in Paris, you know. I had my glam squad pop round before you called.”
“Is that so,” he grinned, and white teeth flashed across the screen. He’d settled back further and adjusted the angle of his phone. She caught a glimpse of a muscled shoulder and toned torso. “So what else did they do to get you camera-ready…for your bath?”
“The usual,” Cassie played along. “Make-up…manicure. Picked out a hot little outfit.” She fought down a grin, starting to feel bolder. She reached for her glass to take another sip.
“Sounds…tasty,” he said and winked. “What color?”
She frowned and glanced down. “Um…flesh-toned, I guess. I can’t really describe it.”
“You’ll have to show me then…so I can see for myself…”
Cassie took a breath. The bathwater was deep enough for her to be mostly submerged. She could give him a little peek…she could. She extended her arm and held the phone a bit further away so that the screen took in the line of her shoulder and chest, where it disappeared beneath the surface.
“Ohhh…” he sighed. “Oh my…”
“And?” she asked, smiling impishly. “What do you think?”
“I think I’ve never been more jealous of bubbles in my life,” he replied, and she giggled. “I’d say that’s definitely…golden,” he continued. “Yeah… you’re golden.” She frowned again and looked more closely at herself.
“Golden?” she repeated. She’d never thought too much about her skin tone. “I dunno… I’d have gone with ‘olive’. Probably something to do with my Italian grandparents, I guess. I told you I look like my grandmother.”
“God, Cass, don’t make me think about your grandmother right now,” he shot back. He’d moved again, his hand still behind his head. She could see the ink that strayed down his chest, and the line where his abs began.
Cassie licked her lips. “What would you rather think about, then,” she asked. His smile broadened.
“You,” he said back. “You in that bath. All naked and warm and wet.” Cassie swallowed. “I bet your skin is like silk…smooth and soft…” Somehow, her hand had dipped beneath the water, and she realized her fingers were stroking over her ribcage. He was right. She felt silken.
“I love your skin,” he was saying, bringing her attention back to his face. “And your hair…and those huge doe eyes of yours.” She tried not to widen them, convinced she’d end up looking like Bambi in the headlights. “Your hands,” he kept speaking. “You have elegant hands.” She glanced at where her fingers curled around the phone; she took care of her nails but never thought of them as particularly noteworthy. “You have long, slender fingers, and you move your hands when you speak.” She’d never noticed that either. “Like a ballet dancer,” he said, smiling, “you’re so graceful.” Cassie was speechless again. Nobody had ever said she was graceful.
“Those hands would look even better moving over your body… I can imagine you cupping those incredible breasts with your palms and watching all that soft flesh spill through your fingers,” Tyson said, and she felt her cheeks coloring. Holy crap, this was taking a sudden turn in a direction she hadn’t expected! Most alarming was the fact that she’d cupped her breast without thinking, and her thumb was stroking over a puckering nipple.
‘Oh, my God, I’m totally feeling myself up!’ she thought, as he kept talking.
“Are you doing that now, Cass?” he asked softly, and she almost dropped the phone. Busted! How could he tell? The tiny image of herself set in the top corner of her screen showed flushed cheeks and parted lips. He’d be blind not to know. She bit her lip. “Don’t stop,” he murmured, and she melted a little.
“I’m going to drop my phone in the bath and electrocute myself,” she said with a nervous little chuckle. He laughed back quietly. The sound rippled through her like a touch.
“It’s not a toaster, Cass… you’ll be just fine. I’d prefer it if you didn’t, but I promise I’d get you a new one,” he grinned.
“Yeah… I’d totally make you get me a new one…if that happened…” Cassie said, trying to ease the tight sensation t
hat was swirling in the pit of her belly. She pressed her thighs together.
“Sit up a little,” he said, still coaxing.
“Why? Are you afraid I’ll drown?” she shot back. Cassie the Clown was fighting to keep things clean. She shifted beneath the water, and it lapped around her skin like a lover.
“No, I want to see you,” he said. “Let me see you, Cass…”
She gulped. This was definitely a first…thank God he was taking the lead because she would have no idea what to do next. Cassie took another sip of wine, then slid herself up the back of the tub until the bubbles splashed at nipple-height. Water cascaded down her shoulders and chest.
“Jesus…” he breathed. “Those breasts…” She looked down at where dark nubs were peeping over the surface. “Your nipples are going hard.” He squeezed his eyes shut tight for a second. When he opened them, it was like they burned a hole into her. “If I was there, I’d take them into my mouth and swirl my tongue around them until you arched your back and spread those lush thighs.”
Cassie’s breath hitched; somehow, her body was reading each word like some sort of cue…her knees had splayed beneath the water.
“Stroke your fingers over your nipple and let me see,” he said. And she did it without thinking because…why not? A low groan echoed over the line. “God, you’re gorgeous…does that feel good?”
“Mmmhmmm,” she breathed back. It did, dammit…so good…
“Now drop your hand lower…beneath the water…” She closed her eyes…she couldn’t look at him while she did as he asked. But her fingers obeyed without question, sliding from the curve of her breast down over her belly. Silky, satiny skin beneath her fingertips. She would never imagine her skin the same way again. “Lower…” he urged. “Imagine my hand over yours…guiding it down…down to that sweet place between your legs.” Her palm cupped her mound, and her breath caught as her fingers pressed into the slick heat below. “Are you wet, Cass?” Of course she was wet…she was in a tub full of water…but yeah, she was wet…
“Yes…” she answered, her voice little more than a hoarse whisper. She bit her lip.
“Ummm…” he said back, “I know you taste good. So sweet and tangy… Have you ever tasted yourself, Cass?” She had – just once – that night he’d gone down on her, and she’d licked her own juices from his face.
‘Oh, my God…’ Just remembering it made her squirm beneath the water….beneath the pressure of her own fingers.
“I can still remember the flavor of you…your scent… You’re so sweet. Taste yourself on your fingers, Cass…let me see,” he told her. And she complied. Of course she did. She’d do anything he told her in that instant. She lifted her hand, feeling her body clench in disappointment as the sensations stopped abruptly. Her fingers were warm in her mouth. Even though water had diluted it, the stickiness of her juices clung to her skin. Sweet, tangy, just as he’d said. She glanced up, and his eyes were focused intently on her face. For a second, she had to wonder what his own hands were doing. She’d never imagined a man touching himself, but somehow it suddenly seemed like the hottest thing on earth.
“I…are you…” she struggled for words.
“Shhh,” he stopped her. “You don’t have to speak.” Thank God, because she couldn’t have strung a coherent sentence together if her life had depended on it. “I just want to listen to you. Drop your hand again…”
‘Listen to me…not speaking?’ she wondered as her fingers resumed their maddening swirl beneath the water. Her breath hissed, and she gave a little whimper as the tingle escalated. Tyson gave a low moan. ‘Oh…right… I’m such a rookie…’
“Are your fingers there now, Cass? Are you stroking your clit?” ‘Sheesh!’ He’d said ‘that’ word. If her cheeks had been flushed before, they were flaming now, but she was beyond caring. “Make small circles,” he told her. “That’s what I’d do…maybe with my tongue…on that hot little spot, flicking and circling…dipping deeper, sliding into you…I could drink from you. You get so wet when you’re turned on.” Her whimper was joined by a tiny sound that could have been a sob, and she felt her back arch as she slid a finger into herself. “Yeah… don’t stop, baby…” he was almost crooning. Fuck… “I know that sound you make…the little moan that says you’re close. Are you close, Cass?”
God… Oh, God… She’d arched almost completely out of the water as she thrust another finger into herself. The phone was in serious danger of drowning; maybe she was too. Who the hell cared? Her breath was coming in short, sharp gasps; her face furrowed into a frown as she focused on the feelings beneath the water. She’d propped her elbow on the edge of the bath to try to keep the phone steady, but she was pretty sure that he wasn’t getting too much of a clear view anymore. Fortunately, he knew better than to complain about her camera skills.
“There… You’re right there, I can hear it…” His words felt like they were woven into the sensations sweeping through her. “Come for me, Cass…let me watch you come…” Her body responded to the vibration of his voice like a tuning fork. That rich, deep voice that brushed over her skin like a touch. Joined the swirl of water against her slippery limbs. Soaked into the fire that had unfurled in her belly.
“Oh, God!” she said out loud as the tingle between her thighs turned into something more. Much more. “Oh! My! God!” she bit out between gasps. His own moan answered hers. She opened her eyes, and his were still fixed on her face. How she’d kept the screen steady was beyond her.
“Jesus, you’re so beautiful,” he said huskily. She caught her breath, feeling the waves slowly ebbing away. A delicious languor was seeping into her, and she sighed and sank against the back of the tub. “Feel better now?” he asked.
“Oh, boy, you have no idea!” she chuckled.
“I might have a slight idea,” he laughed back. She felt a warm swirl deep inside at the thought of him coming while watching her.
“That was…intense,” she said, although the word did nothing to describe the sensations. ‘I totally just had phone sex!’ her inner voice shrieked. ‘Make that video phone sex!’ And it was amazing. She’d never imagined doing anything so brazen.
“Thank you,” he said, and she blinked.
‘Thank me? Heck, I didn’t do anything…’ The guy had a special talent. And his voice… ‘Dear Lord!’ She’d never be able to hear him speak on the phone again. She’d need to find a private space to cool down. She realized she was grinning like a fool.
“Maybe now you’ll be ready to face that ball-buster again in the morning,” he said and she laughed.
“Heck, I’ll have her eating out of my hand!” she replied.
“I don’t doubt it.” His eyes were still so intense they glittered. “Look how quickly you got me eating out of them.”
“Oh, I can think of better things to do with my hands than make you eat out of them,” she shot back, and he barked out a laugh. ‘Cassie! Bad girl!’ She silenced that little voice. She could be a bad girl if she wanted. She’d just had phone sex. Hah!
“Are you going to get ready for bed now?” he was asking.
“Oh yeah,” she answered, stretching deliciously. “And I am going to sleep like a baby!” She swirled the water around for a moment, then reached for her wine glass.
“Glad to hear it,” he smiled. “I’ll let you go now… Good night, sweet girl, I’ll be dreaming of you.”
“And I’ll be dreaming of you,” she said back. She wasn’t just saying that…those dreams were going to sizzle. He ended the call, and she emptied the contents of her glass.
“Oh, yeah…” she said yet again. That was definitely going to find a spot on her list of favorite things to do with a phone.
Best. Stress relief. Ever!
Chapter 12
Cassie was staring down the beach, curling her toes into the sand. Andy and Tyson were jogging up from the shoreline, and in her mind, they could have been moving in slow motion. With a soundtrack. Something epic.
The
pair had set off for the water half an hour before, Andy with his board beneath his arm and Tyson intent on bodysurfing. She’d watched him plow through the waves like a seal. The guys had connected within minutes of meeting. She was pleased, initially uncertain that he’d fit in with her mismatched band of friends. She loved them and wanted them to like him too. They were a rowdy bunch, and as couples had joined, they’d taken up a good portion of the sandy bank that extended from the promenade to the shoreline.
She’d been a little afraid of making the call to invite him when she got back from her trip, but he’d accepted the invitation almost eagerly. It had been a long week, and the daily calls and messaging just hadn’t been enough. Those messages, though…and that call that night… They hadn’t done it again, but she wanted to. Definitely! ‘Oh, my lord!’ She fanned her face just thinking about it. The guy had a surprising way with words for a fighter. Warrior poet…it was sexy. So damn sexy. Like the man himself… He was still running up the beach. Yum!