I Dare You, King

by Sophie Stern

  And I’ve never been one to turn down a woman in need.

  8––––––––Rose

  “Turn around,” he growls, and I quickly obey.

  Obey.

  I obey him.

  Parker King has always been dominating at work. He’s always been in charge, and now he’s in charge of me in the most personal of ways.

  I’m not going to lie: I kind-of-completely love it. I love what he’s doing to me and how he’s making me feel. I love how he’s taking charge of me, of this, of us.

  He pushes me against the desk. My hands hit the polished mahogany top.

  “Beautiful,” he murmurs. I can feel his eyes on me: all of me. He runs his hands down my spine and over the curves of my bottom. Then he squeezes my ass, and I light up. My entire body tingles as he traces every inch of the dress that he chose for me.

  “I’m glad you like what you see,” I say.

  “You know exactly what this dress does to me,” he steps closer and rubs his erection against my ass.

  Yeah, I fucking know what it does to him.

  “What are you going to do about it, big boy?” I taunt him, wondering how far I can push him, wondering how far I can take this. Right now, it’s not about the dare. It’s not about proving to Stephanie that I’ll follow through. It’s not about any of that. It’s just about him and me and this moment we’re sharing together.

  It’s just about the two of us, right now, right here.

  It’s just about taking what we should have taken a long time ago.

  Parker pushes my dress up and over my hips, revealing my bare bottom to him. He sucks in a breath and I smile to myself.

  “No panties?” He swats my ass. “Naughty girl.”

  “Just for you. I thought you’d like it.”

  “I did have lingerie delivered for you, if I remember correctly.”

  “Meh,” I shrug, glancing over my shoulder at him. “I can dress myself, Parker.”

  “Looks to me like you can’t,” he says. Then he spanks me again. It’s harder this time, louder.

  “Christina will hear,” I say, but he chuckles.

  “Good. Maybe she’ll learn a few things.”

  He spanks me again and again, warming my skin. Each swat stings, but it’s a good pain. It’s not too serious or crazy or anything like that. I’ve had lovers before who were into BDSM on a deep level, and I get the feeling that Parker likes to play, but it’s not scary with him. Maybe he’ll push me past my limits at some point, but right now? Right now he’s just taking his time with me. Right now, he’s just enjoying me.

  Teasing me.

  Taunting me.

  He runs his nails up and down the flaming skin on my ass. My nerves are awake, silently screaming at me for more, more, more.

  I want more.

  I want everything he has to give, and then I want more.

  “How does that feel, darling?”

  “Good,” I whisper.

  “Spread your legs,” he says. Then he kicks my feet apart with one of his, forcing me to spread my legs wide for him. I’m still bent over the desk, still on full display for him, and I kind of completely love this.

  I’ve spent way too much time fantasizing about Parker King. I’ve spent too much time hoping to land in his bed, too much time wanting to be the girl he was thinking about, hoping for, fucking hard.

  And now I am.

  His hands are on my thighs. He moves them up and down slowly, showing me there are many, many ways he can tease me and today, I think he plans to use everything at his disposal.

  “More,” I groan. I’m soaking wet. I can feel how wet my pussy is, feel how much I need him. I need him to fill me, complete me. I need him to give me his cock and give it to me hard.

  “More what, darling?” He stands behind me and presses his clothed cock against my ass. I grind up against him, seeking pressure and relief. I need a release and I need it soon. I don’t know how much more I can take before I explode.

  “Your cock,” I groan. “Please.” I close my eyes and wiggle, rubbing my ass against him. Parker leans down, reaches around my front, and pinches my nipples through the dress.

  “Impatient, aren’t you?”

  “I’ve waited years for this moment. Patience is overrated.”

  He plays with my nipples and bites my neck, then I hear him undoing his belt.

  “Is that right, baby?”

  “Yeah,” I run my hands along the top of the desk and wiggle my ass at him, waiting for what I know is about to happen. He’s going to fuck me and something tells me that Parker isn’t going to make this some gentle lovemaking session.

  He’s going to make it hurt, make it memorable. He’s going to make this one count.

  “Then I’d better make it worth your while,” he says as he slams his cock into me hard.

  “Fuck!” I cry out, knowing full well that Christina definitely heard that. The walls aren’t paper-thin, but that was a loud shout.

  “Yeah, baby, you like that?” He pulls my hair back, forcing me to look at him. “Tell me, Rose. Tell me.”

  “I fucking love it, Parker. I love your cock in me. I’ve wanted it for so long, Parker. More. More, please. More.”

  He releases my hair and presses down on my back so my upper-half is flat on the desk. My ass is still in the air and Parker plunges into my wet pussy over and over again. I’m close, oh-so-close, and it’s not going to take much more of this before I’m orgasming in the middle of Parker King’s office.

  Oh, fuck.

  “Come for me, princess,” Parker whispers in my ear. His breath is hot against my skin and his words made me ache. How long has it been since I’ve come with another person? Hell, how long has it been since I’ve come at all?

  “More,” I groan, and he slides his hand between my legs to rub my clit as he continues to fuck me, filling me. He demands everything that I have, and I give it to him willingly. I’m giving everything to Parker right now. Everything I have is his.

  “Come,” he says again, and this time, I come.

  This time, I explode.

  This time, I fly.

  He covers my mouth with his hand as I come, muffling the sound of my screams and Parker comes close behind, breathing heavily through his own release.

  Then it’s over.

  Then that’s it.

  We did it.

  It’s finished.

  I don’t move for a minute because the reality of what we’ve done sweeps over me. I feel nothing but peace. I don’t feel regret. I don’t feel shame. I don’t feel any sort of anxiety. No. I just feel contentment at what we’ve done. I just feel happy.

  Parker King and I just made love in the middle of the day in his office and it was so fucking hot that I really can’t believe it. Damn. We should have been doing this the entire time. I can’t imagine what a great work environment it would have been if I’d only tried to seduce him years ago.

  I manage to push myself up and turn around to face him. He looks happy, sated. Calm. He looks content. It’s a good look on him. He’s always so tense, so controlled. Now, in this moment, he’s just...calm. He’s just himself. I reach for him and touch his chest softly, gently. I trace his body with my finger and I look up, wondering what he’s thinking right now.

  What thoughts are running through Mr. King’s head?

  “Hey,” I say with a shy smile.

  “Hey, yourself,” he says, and kisses me again.

  We start making out again, still half-dressed, still covered in sweat, when there’s a knock at the door.

  “Um, excuse me? Mr. King?” It’s Christina’s voice. “Your, um, your 2:30 appointment is here. Should I, um....should I send her in?”

  We exchange glances and both erupt into giggles.

  “Give me five minutes, Christina,” he says, and we both hear her sigh of relief.

  “Got it,” Christina says, and her footsteps echo outside of the office as she heads back to her desk.

  “Th
ink she heard everything?” I smirk.

  “Guaranteed.”

  9––––––––Rose

  After work, I hurry to meet my best buddy for dinner. I’m starving and I haven’t been paying as much attention to food as I should. Apparently, going after a guy I like has made me forget about other, more normal, human functions.

  Like eating.

  Stephanie is already at the restaurant when I arrive. My stomach is rumbling as I scurry in. Then I slide into the booth and smile at her. She’s dressed perfectly, as always. She worked today, too, and she’s still in her professional clothing: a nice dress, a button-down blazer. Her makeup is a little heavy, but perfect, and even her hair is absolutely flawless. One of these days, I’m going to need to just ask her to start dressing me and making me more human.

  She looks me over, and then her eyes go wide.

  “Well? Did you do it, firecracker? Spill!”

  Blushing, I nod, and she starts laughing. Her eyes light up and she looks genuinely happy. She’s thrilled for me. That’s one of the reasons I love having her as a friend so much. No matter what I’m going through, she’s always just happy to see me succeed.

  “Nice job, kiddo. I knew you could do it.” She high-fives me across the table and I grin like a stupid idiot because it finally happened. After all of this time, after doubting myself forever, it finally happened, and it feels so good.

  Parker is...everything.

  He’s lighting and fire.

  He’s winter and spring.

  He’s perfect.

  “I can’t believe it,” I say. “I can’t believe it really happened.”

  “You’re sexy,” she says, taking a sip of her wine. Once again, from a glass. What’s with her and these glasses all the time? Seriously, I must have forgotten to grow up because to me, drinking wine right from the bottle is both practical and smart. It means I don’t have to wash any glasses when I’m done, so I’m saving time and water.

  “I like you, too,” I say with a wink. The server arrives and I glance over the menu quickly. Everything looks good, so I don’t think too hard. I just order food and a cocktail, and then turn back to Stephanie. “But I only have eyes for Parker.”

  “I know,” she says. “I’m happy for you, boo. Now, give me all the details.”

  “Yesterday was just a mess,” I fill her in on the meeting, on the paperwork, and the contracts Parker and I had to work on. As a realtor, Stephanie knows exactly how the right contract can make or break a deal. Something as simple as phrasing a paragraph awkwardly can mean losing a sale. Because of this, it’s important to make sure each part of the contract is written as concisely and professionally as possible.

  “Sounds like you guys really have your work cut out for you.”

  “We do. We did, I mean. Most of it is already done. We had finished for the night when Parker walked me to my car and hugged me goodbye.”

  “Good hug or friend hug?”

  “Good hug,” I remember the way he pressed his body to mine, remember the way I felt just a hint of his cock. “Then he went to his car and I called him.”

  “From the parking lot?”

  “Yeah.”

  “While you could still see him?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Ballsy.”

  “I was trying to be seductive.”

  “Apparently, it worked.”

  “It worked a little,” I say. “Not at the time, though. He didn’t want to go out with me, but I think you know the rest of the story.”

  “You got shit-faced, he rescued you, but didn’t fuck you. Yeah. I know the story.” She sips her wine again and looks at me thoughtfully.

  “Uh-oh,” I say. “I know that look. I’m not going to like what you’re about to say.”

  “So where are you going to go from here?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, a dare is a dare, love. I dared you to seduce him and you did it. Is that it? One and done? Or are you going to pursue a relationship now?”

  “It’s a little soon for you to be asking that, isn’t it?”

  “Is it soon? Really? It’s been three years of you guys dragging your feet. Three years and it took fucking daring you for you to be willing to give it a shot.”

  “It was just a dare,” I say. “It doesn’t mean we’re in love.”

  She raises her eyebrows and I sigh. I can feel a headache coming on.

  “It was just a dare,” I repeat.

  “You don’t really believe that.”

  I shrug. I don’t know what I believe anymore. That’s not true. I know exactly what I believe. Honestly, she’s right. I’m just not ready to admit it. I’ve had a thing for him for so long that I’m not ready to just walk away. Maybe that’s what I should do, for both of our sakes, but I don’t want to. Parker is a good man. He’s a good person. Obviously, he likes me, at least a little.

  And being with him is so fantastic.

  He makes me feel like I can fly.

  He makes me feel like everything is going to be okay.

  He makes me feel like no matter what happens, I’m going to be just fucking perfect.

  My head is throbbing, so I reach in my purse for a Tylenol and when I do, I realize my phone is unlocked. Grabbing it, I see that there’s an open call with Parker.

  Fuck.

  It’s not the first time I’ve accidentally called people, but I wonder how much of our conversation he heard or if he’s even listening at all. Maybe he didn’t hear. Maybe he didn’t answer.

  I lift the phone.

  “Parker?” I say, hesitantly, slowly. I quickly realize my luck isn’t that fucking good because he is, in fact, breathing into the phone.

  “Is what she said true?” He asks. He doesn’t beat around the bush. He doesn’t pretend to have a polite conversation with me about the weather or anything stupid.

  “Is what true?” I ask, playing dumb. I know exactly what he’s asking me. He wants to know if he’s just a dare. He wants to know if I only made a move on him because Stephanie dared me to and the truth is, without her push, I don’t think I would have had the guts to tell Parker I like him.

  Then again, he didn’t make a move, either.

  We’ve both had three years to come forward. Three years to say, “I’m into you.” Three years to do anything but what we did, which was nothing, but I can hear the hurt in his voice, and I know he hates what I did.

  I know he hates feeling like I don’t actually care.

  He hates feeling like I only came onto him because I was dared to do it.

  “I guess that makes sense, then,” Parker says, his voice tight, controlled. “After all, like your friend said, it’s been three years. Obviously, I’m just your asshole boss, not someone you’re actually interested in.”

  “Parker,” I protest. “It’s not what you think.”

  “Do me a favor,” he says. “Don’t call me.”

  He ends the call and I just stare at the phone in my hand. The server chooses that moment to appear with my drink and appetizer, and I just stare at the things he places on the table.

  “Is everything all right, miss?”

  “It’s fine,” Stephanie assures the waiter. “Thank you. It’s perfect. Can you just give us a few minutes?”

  “Of course,” the guy shoots me a worried look, but disappears.

  “What the fuck?” Stephanie says. “What just happened here?”

  “I butt-dialed Parker from my purse,” I whisper.

  I ruined everything.

  I completely, royally, totally ruined everything.

  We had a chance for something great and I was like, you know what? I’m good with my shitty, boyfriendless life. I’m good.

  Who the fuck does that?

  “Tell me what he said,” she says slowly.

  “He thinks he was just a dare,” I look at Stephanie now. My eyesight is blurry because now I’m full-on crying in the restaurant. I hope I’m not sobbing loudly, but a couple of p
eople are starting to look my way and I think I might be.

  I think I just lost the best thing to ever happen to me.

  I think I just lost my best friend.

  “Check!” Stephanie calls out, waving her hand at our server. She doesn’t take her eyes off me and I don’t say another word.

  I finally landed Parker King and then I threw him away with just a few choice words.

  I lost everything, and it hurts.

  Worse than I ever thought it would.

  10––––––––Parker

  “Hurt” doesn’t begin to describe the way my heart feels when I hear Rose and her friend talking. I should hang up the phone the second I realize they don’t know we’re connected, but I can’t, and I don’t. Instead, I listen to what they have to say, and everything I hear shocks me to my core. I shouldn’t be listening in. It’s not polite, but then, when have I ever been polite?

  No, don’t call me a gentleman.

  Call me curious.

  Call me nosy.

  Call me a fucking loser, but I listen to their conversation and I hate what I hear.

  A dare.

  I’m just a dare.

  I should have known it was strange when Rose started acting differently this week. She started being more outgoing, a little more confident. Instead of simply being funny and playful, she was seductive. She was sexy. Oh, she was sexy as hell before, but this week, she’s been more intense about it. She’s been a little bit wild.

  She’s been needy with desire, and I’ve eaten it all up like a fucking schmuck.

  Like a loser.

  I guess I thought maybe she was just being a little braver, a little riskier. I guess I thought maybe she was coming out of her shell.

  I guess I thought maybe she didn’t see me the way I see myself: broken.

  That’s what I am.

  Instead of hanging out at the house, I head to my local MMA gym and find Ralph. He’s one of my best buddies. We served together in Iraq and now we spar together as much as possible, which isn’t nearly enough. Sometimes when nothing is going my way, talking to Ralph helps. He’s one of the few people around who know what it was like to serve abroad and then try to find some semblance of a normal life. Not that being a CEO affords me any sort of normalcy, but Ralph understands it.