by Opal Carew
Tal chuckled. “Do you get a commission if I move in?”
Steve smiled. “No, I’m just really glad you’re moving to Ottawa and I think it’ll be great if you live here so we can hang out like we used to.”
Tal stared at his friend. Steve no longer wore glasses with the geeky rims like he had back then, having finally opted for contacts. He had a more up-to-date hairstyle, too, his sandy-blond hair cut short on the sides and the longer waves on top swept back from his face. And instead of jeans and a superhero T-shirt, he wore dress pants and a stylish light blue, striped shirt.
Yet somehow he still had that nerd vibe. Quiet and reserved. A little awkward around the ladies. Or as a lot of women would describe him: harmless.
Tal followed Steve into the elevator and Steve pushed the button for floor eighteen.
Steve pulled out his phone. “The super told me to text him when you arrive and he’ll meet us there.”
Tal nodded, then caught sight of the two of them in the mirrored walls of the elevator. To look at them, anyone would have thought he and Steve were total opposites; Tal with his huge frame, bulging muscles and heavily inked torso and arms.
Unlike Steve, Tal had barely changed since college. Not that there was much he could do to change the overall impression people got when they saw him. Big, tough, dangerous-looking. He had a huge frame, and the ink wasn’t going anywhere. Add in the several metal studs pierced through his left ear and the large spacer stretching his earlobe and he looked like a guy who didn’t care what anyone thought of him.
But he did care. At least, he cared that they believed he was the type of man who would hurt people.
Especially women. Some were attracted to the bad-boy persona, but his heart ached at the reaction many women had when looking at him. One of trepidation. And often downright fear.
Like Steve, Tal wanted so much to meet a nice woman and start a close, loving relationship.
And it hurt him that people judged him the way they did.
As Steve pushed his phone into his pocket again, Tal realized that deep down inside they were more alike than anyone would ever guess.
After seeing the apartment, Tal decided immediately to take it. Steve was right about the stunning view of the falls below, in the midst of a lush green park, and a beach off the residential area surrounding it.
After signing the lease, they went up to Steve’s apartment and Tal settled in. He’d taken the train from Toronto and was staying with Steve for a couple of days while he looked for an apartment, but now he could kick back and relax and spend some time with his friend.
They decided to go for a swim, so Tal pulled on his trunks, threw the beach towel Steve handed him over his arm and they headed for the elevator. Five minutes later, they stepped onto the concrete deck around the pool. There were floor to ceiling windows and a large sunny deck all the way around the outside.
“Sun or water?” Steve asked.
Tal answered by dropping his towel on one of the lounge chairs, then striding to the diving board and diving in. The water was a nice temperature. Warm but refreshing.
He swam a few laps, then tread water for a bit. He loved the feel of water around him. While Steve continued doing laps, Tal sat on the steps in the water, enjoying the sunlight streaming in through the glass and glittering on the surface of the pool. He was ready to go outside and enjoy some of that warm sunshine directly.
He glanced outside, enjoying the view of the greenery and flowers adorning the deck.
Then he caught sight of an even more incredible view. A woman, stretched out on her stomach on one of the deck chairs, her delectable, curvy body covered by a small bikini bottom and—God help him—a bikini top that was unfastened, showing her completely bare back.
Fuck, if she sat up right now…
His cock lurched to attention.
Sonny sighed, enjoying the heat of the sunshine on her back. Warm and relaxing. Soothing her tension.
Last night had been difficult for her. To others, it seemed like she easily walked away from any man, totally unaffected. But the truth was, her date with Bryan had been hard on her. As much as she would never consider going out with him, it wasn’t really because she didn’t want to. She just… couldn’t.
Deep down inside, though, she longed for a loving relationship with a man. To meet someone, go out on a date. To build a loving connection.
To be touched by a man.
Oh, God, she wanted that so much. But she was too afraid.
Anytime her natural urges bubbled to the surface, like they had last night with Bryan, it wasn’t long before she started having dreams. Those dreams started off sweet and loving, then turned hot and steamy, searing her senses. Inevitably, however, they turned dark and terrifying and she’d wake up shaking, her whole body sweating.
If only she could just have nice, steamy sex dreams that helped her relieve her ache.
Her skin prickled and a heated awareness washed through her body, but it wasn’t from thoughts of having a nice sexual fantasy.
Someone was watching her.
She suddenly became very conscious of her situation. Wearing just a bikini. Her top undone.
Alone on the roof of the building.
She drew in a deep breath.
It was the middle of a sunny summer afternoon on a Thursday. Usually no one came up to the pool this time of day. Anyone who wanted to enjoy the warm afternoon and go in the water normally went to the beach a few blocks away.
But someone was definitely watching her and it must be from inside, because she would have heard the sliding glass doors open.
She sucked in a breath of air, calming herself. It had taken her a long time to build up her courage to make these outings to the pool and she wasn’t going to let herself slide back to the blinding fear. There were security cameras on the deck and she was in view of one right now. She always let Leandra know when she was going to sun herself on the deck, just with a casual message, as part of letting her know how her day was going.
If anything happened, it would be on the security film. Not that she’d let it get that far if she could help it. She wasn’t powerless. She had pepper spray in her bag, her cell phone handy so she could quickly dial 911, and she’d taken self-defense classes.
She reached around and fastened her bikini top, then slowly sat up. Casually, she reached for her silky, black floral cover up and pulled it on, carefully not looking toward the windows. She wanted to be covered and feeling a little more settled when she faced the intruder.
Before she had a chance, though, the sliding doors opened. She glanced up to see a man step onto the deck.
She sighed in relief when she saw it was Steve from the tenth floor. They had mutual friends in the building and had gotten to know each other and become friends of sorts.
He was a really nice guy. And good looking, with his broad shoulders, well-defined torso, and dark blond hair swept back from his handsome face.
Steve glanced over his shoulder at the open door. It seemed he was waiting for someone to join him.
When his gaze swept outside again, he saw her for the first time.
His face beamed with his warm, friendly smile. “Hi, Sonny. Nice afternoon.”
“Yes, it is.”
She wouldn’t mind chatting with him. She’d found she was always pretty comfortable around Steve which was nice for a change, but she didn’t know how to give out an inviting vibe.
She pulled her bag closer, and routed through it, just for something to distract herself.
Then another man stepped outside.
She glanced up and her heart thumped to life.
The man was…breathtaking.
His body was big and powerful. His arms and chest bulged with muscles and he had tattoos covering his body. She couldn’t tell what they all were since they were so dense, but she did make out a thorny rose vine coiling along one arm and around his torso, tendrils even coiling up his neck.
His hair was dark bro
wn, shaved close to his head, and his ear glinted with piercings.
He glanced at her and smiled. Immediately, she dropped her gaze to her bag and she started sorting through it again, as if looking for something.
They started to walk and she was afraid they’d come over, but instead they headed toward some chairs closer to the edge of the deck.
Oh, God, the man was so heart-stoppingly masculine. Her body tingled as her hormones sparked to life.
Which she didn’t understand. She should be afraid, but the sensation pulsing through her was pure, unadulterated lust.
Unnerved, she grabbed her book and suntan lotion and shoved them into her bag, then pushed her towel in, too. She slipped on her sandals and surged to her feet, then hurried to the door. As she slid it open, she glanced over her shoulder and saw that the big man was watching her, a frown on his face.
Did he think she was running away from him?
She didn’t want any man to think she was afraid of him—showing strength was important—but right now, the threat she faced was her own unbridled libido. She didn’t understand her reaction to him and that unsettled her so much she had to escape.
She closed the door behind her and hurried away.
Tal watched the woman practically run off, his stomach clenching. All he’d done was smile at her. He hadn’t said a word. Hadn’t made a move toward her. Yet she’d up and fled.
He would have liked to have talked to her. Gotten to know her a little. There was something about her.
She was a beautiful woman, with her long, blonde hair cascading in waves over her shoulders. A pretty face with kissable heart-shaped lips. And he’d caught more than a glimpse of her curvy body through the glass when she’d sat up to pull on her cover up.
But what attracted him was more than that.
There was an aura of vulnerability around her. And a sadness in her eyes.
He sensed a need in her to have someone or something more in her life.
Or maybe he was just reflecting his own feelings onto her.
It caused him real pain that she would take one look at him and run away, as if he were some kind of threat.
“She’s pretty, right?” Steve said.
“Yes, she is.” He glanced at his friend. “Are you interested in her?”
“Well, yeah, what man wouldn’t be? But I don’t think we’d work out. We’ve talked a few times—she’s friends with my friend Meghan—but we seem to be developing more of a casual rapport rather than a romantic relationship. If you want to pursue her, don’t worry about me.”
“I might if she didn’t seem so terrified of me.”
“Hey, if you’re interested, don’t give up on her too fast. I think she’s been through something. She has these haunted eyes, you know? But I’m sure she’s trying to work through it. She’d need someone who’s willing to be patient and slow.” He shrugged. “But I think she’d be worth it.”
Tal glanced at the door she’d escaped through.
“Yeah, I think maybe you’re right.”
Sonny closed the door to her apartment and leaned against it, drawing in deep breaths.
What was that?
Her heart was pounding and her body tingled. The man was so dangerous looking, yet he didn’t make her feel afraid.
And he was so intensely, gut-wrenchingly sexy. She was almost dizzy thinking about it.
She wandered into her bedroom and stripped off her cover up, letting the floral silk garment fall to the bed. As she started to unfasten her bathing suit top, she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Suddenly, she imagined the big man standing behind her, unfastening the top for her. His fingers brushing lightly against her skin, sending tingles dancing down her spine.
She finished unhooking the garment, then drew it away, exposing her round breasts and taut nipples. They were hard and distended, and it wasn’t because she was cold. All she could think about was the stranger, standing behind her, his hands gliding around her body and cupping her breasts. They would be completely covered by his big hands. Her heart stammered as she thought of him stroking his fingertips over her hard buds, then teasing them lightly. They ached with the need for his touch.
Oh, God, what’s wrong with me?
She pushed down her bikini bottoms and when she stood up, froze, mesmerized by the sight of her body in the mirror, imagining him gazing at her naked flesh with heated masculine awareness.
Her heart pounded and her insides tightened.
What would it feel like to have him touch her? To feel him stroke her skin?
Shock pummeled her as she felt wetness pool between her legs.
She ran her hand down her stomach, then slid her fingers over her private folds.
Oh, God, she was drenched. She had a longing she didn’t know how to decipher. Could it be that…? The thought, barely formed, shook her.
Could it be that she longed to feel the big man slide inside her? His thick, hard cock invading her body?
Startled by the thought, she snatched her hand away and strode to the shower. She washed her hair and scrubbed every inch of her body thoroughly to get rid of the chlorine from the pool. But more, she wanted to wash away any residual evidence of her lust for the tattooed man.
After her shower, she threw herself into her work, intent on forgetting him.
But that proved an impossible task.
Sonny closed up her browser and pushed herself away from the computer, then went into the kitchen to make dinner. It was almost seven thirty, but she wasn’t getting much done on her new client’s website, so she might as well call it a day. Damn her libido, which seemed intent on scattering her thoughts with images of the tattooed man spiraling through her head.
She made herself some salmon and a salad, then sat down to eat. She put on a movie and tried to lose herself in the story, but her mind kept wandering.
She considered just climbing into bed and going to sleep, but she knew what would happen. She would have dreams of the man who’d been filling her with longing all afternoon, and they would start off wonderful and loving, then progress to delightful sexual encounters. But every time she had dreams like that, no matter how delightful they were when they started, everything spun out of control and whatever fantasy she was caught up in turned into a devastating nightmare.
All the worse because it had really happened.
She bit her lip. If she relieved the sexual tension before she slept, then she’d be able to stave off the dreams entirely.
And she knew exactly how to do that. She’d call on her special lover. The one who was always there for her whenever she needed him. The one she felt safe with.
The one who would never… could never… hurt her.
Her body ached at the thought.
She’d missed him. Why she stayed away she wasn’t really sure. It was like she felt guilty.
She walked into her bedroom and changed her shirt, then grabbed her tablet and earphones and went into the living room. She never did this in bed. Only on the couch.
She turned off the lights except for one lamp behind her which she dimmed to a very low level, then settled on the couch, pulling a fleecy blanket around her.
She opened the browser and pulled up the bookmarked audio. She’d found it on a website called Blissful Surrender one day, a site that specialized in erotic literature. She’d been surprised to find that there were audios as well as stories. When she’d stumbled across this one, she’d been totally blown away. The narrator had a few stories and one audio. Since she’d found it, she’d returned to it again and again.
She relaxed, stretching her legs out in front of her on the ottoman, and started it playing.
Hello, baby.
With the earphones on and the darkness around her, as soon as his rich, deep voice started, it felt like it was playing inside her head. Her insides quivered. The whole thing was so intimate and sexy.
I love the thought of you sitting on your couch waiting for me.
Ready for
the pleasure I’m going to bring you.
I love imagining you with your legs stretched out in front of you, a soft blanket covering you.
Her toes wiggled and she stretched her legs a little more, anticipation tingling through her.
I love knowing I’m your dirty little secret.
Your sinful pleasure.
Oh, God, he was. This secret lover of hers.
I’ve been looking forward to this.
Looking forward to seeing you again. Touching you again.
The intimacy of his words sent heat washing through her. She sighed as she leaned her head back on the couch.
I want you to listen to my voice.
Imagine me in the chair across from you. Watching you.
Mmm. Just relax while I look at you.
Her insides quivered at the thought of him sitting there, watching her.
You’re so sexy.
My cock is hard just thinking of all the things I want to do to you.
The first time she’d listened to this, thinking of him there, talking about being turned on, had pushed all her buttons, but she knew he wasn’t really there, so it gave her enough distance to relax. To keep listening. And his patient and attentive words… the way he said he was excited by her… made her want him to be there. Made her want a man to desire her like that.
But first, I want you to be naked. I want you to uncover every inch of that beautiful body of yours.
She trembled. The thought of getting naked in front of any man still terrified her, but she’d listened to her secret lover so many times… been taken to ecstasy so many times by his voice… that she trusted him.
First, unbutton your top. You did remember to wear a shirt for me, didn’t you?