by Haley Travis
“Pretty good. Steady.” I dropped my shoulder bag on the floor as I went to the kitchen for a glass of water. “Hey, Mia, were you going to make any updates or changes to the living room or the lounge?”
“Not really. Why?”
“I was thinking of getting a new flat screen.”
“Why do you need to replace the one you have? Did it break?”
“No, but the technology has improved so much in the past two years that we can get something a lot brighter, and a little larger.”
She looked at me like I had three heads. I was beginning to understand that this was her look that said I was a spoiled brat and wasting money, but she was desperately trying not to point that out.
“Are you planning on throwing a film festival here?”
“No. But we both like movies.”
“You have a huge screen that is working perfectly and is only two years old, yet you’re thinking of replacing it because the newest ones are a tiny bit brighter?” She shrugged in that strange way that seemed to signal that she was giving up. “Whatever. Your condo. Do whatever makes you happy.”
“I don’t want to make you unhappy.”
Her lips curled into a gentle smile. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t say anything. It’s not my place.” She gestured to the room. “And it’s not my place.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Just for eleven more months, or whatever.”
I didn’t like thinking about her leaving and always tried to change the subject immediately. But this time I couldn’t. I sat beside her, trying not to stare at the cute way a few waves were escaping her tidy ponytail.
“You know you don’t necessarily have to leave the second the year is up and things seem legal, right?” I blurted.
Her face froze. “What do you mean?” she asked softly.
“Well,” I stammered, “Maybe when the year is finished we can chat and if you want to stay longer you could. I mean, we’re a really good team in a lot of ways, and we could just see how things go.”
I’ve never babbled in front of women in my life, but Mia was driving me crazy. The stress of trying not to touch her, trying to figure out what was going on, was tearing me apart.
“It’s a long way away. We’ll see,” she said.
“Cool. I mean, we can stay open-minded, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So, your agency seems to be going well. Everything still running smoothly?” I asked quickly.
“Great, actually,” she grinned. “Better than I could ever have imagined.” She suddenly looked at me dreamily. “Thank you.”
“I didn’t do anything. It’s all you.”
“But it’s your money.”
“Our money.”
She waved her hand dismissively. “You know it’s yours. But also, without your initial idea and encouragement, and the ability to drop my day job, I’d never have the confidence to do such a thing.” Her hand gripped my knee, giving me a little squeeze. “So, thank you. Really.”
“I’m incredibly proud of you,” I said. “Hey, should we open a bottle of fancy wine to celebrate?”
“We don’t need to open anything expensive.”
“Well, no, but I have all of this stuff so that we can enjoy it.”
Taking her hand, I led her to the wine cupboard, and we scanned through the bottles until she found a Shiraz that I’d been saving for a special occasion. “Is this good?”
“I’ve heard it’s incredible,” I said, picking it up. “Let’s find out.”
I opened it and poured it into a carafe. “Fancy,” she observed.
“Well, this is a really nice one, so we need to let it breathe. Dinner will be here in a moment.”
“What do you mean? I was thinking of making burgers.”
There was a knock at the door, and I dashed to let the caterers in. Within five minutes they had dinner on the table, then disappeared.
Taking Mia’s hand, I led her to her seat, but she wouldn’t sit down. “What’s all this about?”
“It’s September twenty-seventh.”
“Oh my god.” She looked absolutely stricken. “I must have lost my mind. How does someone forget their own birthday?”
I gave her a big hug. “You’ve been so focused on work, and right after the whirlwind of the wedding. I’m sorry I didn’t realize that you’ve been this stressed.”
“I didn’t think I was.”
Taking her face gently between my hands, I said, “Happy birthday, my darling wife.” I gave her a tender kiss, which I hoped was appropriate on a special occasion like this. I was slightly surprised by her reaction, as she pulled me tightly against her, not letting me escape, drawing me deeper.
Feeling how much she wanted me was an indescribable thrill. Her hands pressed against the back of my shoulders, her lips parting slightly. I could hear the tiny hitch in her breath as I pulled her close. My hand slipped down her dress to caress her back, her soft skin so inviting it was hard to step back.
“We should eat our dinner while it’s hot,” I said gently. She looked up at me with an expression of pure dismay for half a blink, then nodded and smiled.
We sat down to eat, and Mia looked positively delighted with the lasagna with spinach and clementine salad, which I was pretty sure that we had one night on our honeymoon.
“This is the best,” she said, sipping the wine. “Thank you.”
We chatted about work, and what plants she wanted to add to the living room now that she had finally studied the light in the condo properly. Then we discussed a coffee of the world subscription program, and her excitement to get to the farmer’s market on Saturday to stock the kitchen with her favorites.
I noted with delight that although we ran out of food and wine, we would never run out of conversation.
“Should I open another bottle?” she asked.
“Maybe later, but let me give you your present first.”
Her eyes sparkled in the light of the golden sunset washing through the window beside us. “This stunning dinner was more than enough, really.”
“There’s one more little thing, birthday girl.”
“Please, you’ve given me so much already.” The way her soft eyes clenched at the thought of spending money bothered me, but I knew she’d be happy in just a few seconds.
Taking out my phone, I flipped to a photo. “Trust me, it’s the perfect gift. I knew you wouldn’t want jewelry, or anything fancy or wasteful. So I thought of something incredibly practical.”
Turning my screen so that she could see, she actually squealed when she saw the huge professional-level color printer. “Are you kidding?”
“Nope. It’s the very latest. It’ll do twelve by eighteen posters, card stock, auto fold and staple theatre programs, the whole nine yards. And it comes with a service team who will be installing it in your office tomorrow afternoon. Is that okay?”
She nodded frantically. “I can’t believe it.”
Mia actually seemed much more excited than she did about the large diamond earrings my Mother gave her, although the printer was likely close to the same price.
“The only thing it doesn’t print on is CDs,” I said, scrolling to the next photo. “But there is a little specialized printer that does those, and it’s coming tomorrow too. I figured a real printed CD would look better for band demos and stuff, right?”
Mia came over and kissed me, her hand stroking my cheek. “I couldn’t possibly think of a more perfect gift. It’s ridiculous that you spoil me this much, but it’s amazing how supportive you are of my little business. And me.”
She dissolved against me, curling against my body as if she had turned to liquid, her lips against my throat as my arms circled around her. Then she stopped herself, looking up at me as if she was terrified she’d done something wrong.
My pulse was already hammering in my ears. “So, birthday girl… maybe, if you like, since this is a special holiday in our world, we should treat it as a vacation?”
Her pupils widened as she nodded eagerly, instantly catching my meaning. “I think that’s a very logical train of thought.”
Standing up, I pulled her against me, our kisses immediately becoming heated. Something inside me snapped, and I didn’t even realize that I had picked her up and begun carrying her to the bedroom until I’d already started.
I dropped her in the center of my bed, then pulled my shirt off, nibbling along her shoulder while she unzipped her dress. Peeling her out of it slowly, I kissed her in a meandering trail along her shoulders, across her cleavage, then down her stomach.
“I love it when you don’t wear a bra, you sexy little tease,” I murmured. Tracing the soft curves of her breasts with my fingertips, she arched her back slightly to press herself against me. Mia was so sexy, so open. I’d never been with a woman who was so in touch with her sexuality.
Running my fingertips around her rosy little nipple, I lapped at it with my tongue. Her soft sigh as she caressed my shoulders undid me completely. I sucked deeply, taking as much of her breast into my mouth as I could while lightly pinching her other nipple between my fingers. Her little moans and twitches were intensifying.
She started to slip off her practically transparent pink panties. “No,” I said. “Let me.”
Spreading her slim thighs, I stroked along the silky fabric through the center of her swollen pussy lips. Her juices had already soaked through. A shudder of lust flickered down my spine as I realized how aroused she was for me.
Massaging her gently, I could feel her clit, her little gasp as I touched her there telling me how sensitive she was.
“Look at how wet you are for me,” I said softly, looking up at her with a wink. “A man could certainly get used to his sexy wife throwing herself at him.”
She nodded, her wide eyes almost frantic as her hips were rising to meet me. Pulling her panties off slowly, grazing them against her lovely legs, I adored her squirming as I teased her.
Spreading her thighs wide, I loved how hot and wet she was. I dug right in, pulling her outer lips apart gently with my thumbs as I ran my tongue directly along her inner lips, stopping at her clit.
“Oh,” she gasped, clutching my hair. “That’s too good.”
I licked her everywhere, adoring the salty-sweet tang of her juices. She seemed to be trembling at my breath against her most sensitive skin. I loved how open and exposed she was for me, her luscious pink flesh completely on display for me.
“So soft,” I murmured, then I plunged my tongue inside her while she shrieked.
My fingertips were caressing her everywhere as she pulled me against her, squirming and moaning as if she were going out of her mind. Replacing my tongue with two fingers, I very slowly glided them inside her wet tunnel.
“Yes,” she moaned. “I love the way you touch me.”
I grinned with satisfaction. Pleasing Mia felt like the most important task I’d ever attempted. I licked her clit carefully several times, looking up at her as her eyes grew wide.
“You are delicious, baby,” I murmured, then I wrapped my lips around her swollen button, sucking gently while I thrust my fingers in deep and steady.
“I… Don’t stop…” She breathed, and I could feel her core begin to tense. Licking steadily, I added a bit more pressure, as she began moaning shamelessly, “Yes… Oh please… Yes…”
I was surprised to hear myself actually groan as I pressed into her harder. I needed her to climax even more than she did.
She looked at me as if she were surprised, then suddenly she wailed, coming helplessly against my tongue. The feeling of her tight little pussy gripping my fingers in pulsating waves made me harder than I’d ever been in my life.
Her hips twitched several times as every muscle seemed to tense, then she relaxed back against the bed, looking slightly stunned. Adding a third finger, I took slow, gentle strokes into her softness as I grinned up at her.
“Happy birthday, sweetheart,” I said.
She pulled me by my hair until I was on top of her, my arousal brushing against her stomach. Her lips locked on mine as her hand grabbed my pulsing erection.
“What’s wrong, baby? Did you want something else?”
Mia looked up at me with a devious grin. “Yes. I need you to fuck me. Hard. Now.”
She pulled my cock until I was lined up, raised her hips smoothly, sliding me into her tight little pussy, filling her completely.
“Such language,” I said, wrapping her in my arms as I opened her gently.
“Yes. You’ve seen me be a spoiled princess at parties. But now we’re safely in the bedroom.”
I adored that she could make me laugh in the middle of smoking hot sex.
Her legs wrapped around my hips, pulling me deeper until we both groaned. “I love the way you stretch me open,” she whispered into my ear, as if she were almost embarrassed to admit it.
“I love feeling your soft, tight pussy opening for me.”
Mia looked like she was in absolute heaven, but I wanted even more. Flipping her quickly, I spun so that she was on top, her knees straddling my hips. Taking her by the waist and raising her up, she settled down onto me with a long, low sigh.
“Yes,” she said breathlessly. “Good idea.”
Placing her hands on my chest, she tensed her thighs, raising and lowering herself at her own speed, leaning back slightly to angle me just where she wanted. Looking down I stared at the erotic sight of my cock spreading her open, thrusting into her perfect pussy lips, filling her to the hilt.
“I love that you’re so big,” she whispered, looking down at me as if she wasn’t sure she should say that.
“I love the way you feel, all of you.”
The way she was swiveling her hips, pulling me deeper as she worked us in a slow rocking motion, was driving us both to the edge. Every time my cock thrust deep inside her, I thought we were both going to explode. I licked my thumb and brought it to her throbbing clit.
“Oh my god,” she gasped as I slid the tip of my thumb in a slow circle around her tender little bud. “Jacob, that feels perfect.”
“I will always love watching you come, but I love the way you come all over my cock.”
Her eyelids were heavy with raw lust as she looked down at me, nodding. “Mmm... my favorite thing in the world.”
Hearing her say that drove me completely wild. Seeing how much she seemed to want me thrilled me deeper than I could even understand. Steadily moving my thumb a little faster, her deep rocking motion gained speed as well. She was so sexy as she closed her eyes, totally lost in the moment.
“Oh, oh wow…” she whispered, and I saw her shoulders begin to twitch as she looked down at me.
“Come for me, baby,” I growled, locking onto her eyes as she gasped, her climax seeming to wash over her in waves. I could feel her tight passage convulsing, massaging my shaft deeply, triggering my own release. She leaned forward, crushing her lips to mine as we came hard, twitching and gushing and kissing so deeply I couldn’t imagine ever stopping.
But finally she pulled back a little, taking a breath. Then she smiled, her eyes sparkling. “Best present ever,” she grinned, climbing off me and curling up by my side.
We slept in each other’s arms, waking up a few times to kiss gently before falling back asleep. I couldn’t help thinking that we were perfect together. I needed to talk to her about this, about us. Since I was the one who came up with this bizarre idea of a fake marriage, I should be able to discuss changing the rules.
M I A
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A week of working at my new agency, having dinner with Jacob, and frequent after-work cocktails with his friends and mine was a swirl of busy clutter in my mind.
We had been growing steadily closer, especially after the best birthday presents ever. But now every time I looked over at the massive printer against the wall of my office, I thought of that incredible night with Jacob, and had to stifle a giggle.
&nbs
p; Longing for a man was a completely unfamiliar feeling. I’d been fond of a few guys, but I’d never felt my body relax when they walked in the door. I’d never daydreamed about what to make them for dinner to make them happy, or make a note because I heard about a movie I’m sure they’d love.
It was too soon to really think about love. But that was lying to myself. I was past infatuated, and my secret love for him was becoming less of a secret. Yet there was no way I was going to ask the question first. I was terrified he wasn’t as into this fake relationship becoming real as I was.