Gray, Beth - Cougar Hunting [Modern Cougar] (Siren Publishing Allure)

by Gray, Beth

  “Yes, I purchased it. I almost forgot about it.” A small panic crept along his scalp as it resembled Terri. “Hey, I need you to do me a favor. I need to remove it for a little while.”

  “What?”

  “Don’t ask.” He reached for a corner of the couch to move it out of the way and give access to the painting. His decision to remove the painting came too late. The doorbell rang. Now what? He shoved harder and lifted upward.

  The massive painting was heavy, and Alan rushed to help him. “Where to?”

  “Let’s carry it back to my bedroom. This way.”

  The doorbell rang again as he closed the door to his bedroom, hitting a fast jog toward the front door. He snatched the door open. “Sorry, I was tied up for a minute.”

  Terri dressed professionally in a power suit. Chad glanced down at his jeans. The contrast reflected their different work styles. “Not a problem. I tried to get here as fast as I could. I had a late meeting I couldn’t get out of.”

  “There is no hurry.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. She smiled, openly welcoming his attention.

  Alan walked into the foyer and waved at Terri. “Hi.”

  “Hello, Alan, it’s good to see you.” She walked over and shook his hand. “Let’s see what you have.”

  They walked toward the den, but Chad stopped short, waving at the outsized granite top in the kitchen. “I think we might have more room here to spread out.”

  Alan walked on to retrieve his bag as Terri glanced around. “I’m impressed. This is much different than what I expected. You will have to show me the rest of the house later.”

  Chad turned his head to study the kitchen. “I hired someone to do most of the decorating for me. I almost never eat here.”

  “I understand most single people prefer to eat out. I never cook either.”

  For the next hour, they poured over the photos. Chad focused on photos of Terri and him together. Not what he needed for advertising, but photos he loved to see. He had to admit they made a good-looking couple, and both appeared highly photogenic. Trying to isolate photos that would be great in promoting the bag always seemed to be lacking the special wow factor Chad thought they should have.

  Taking a small break, Chad walked over to the refrigerator. “I have beer, or if you want, I can find something stronger.”

  Terri held up another photo. “I think these are good photos, but I agree with Chad. We are missing a central message we need to be focusing on.”

  Alan scratched his head. “I think the photos are good. I just need to have some directions on what you are really after and will be willing to shoot some more shots for you.”

  “Thanks, I need to work on it. I think these will do for what we need now.”

  “Well, I’m going to leave these with you. Let me know what you want me to do next.” Chad and Terri walked him to the door.

  Strolling back toward the kitchen, Terri smiled and twisted her head to survey his house. “How about that tour I was promised.”

  “Sure, I think you will find it a little unusual. I have exercise equipment scattered everywhere. It kind of dominates my life.”

  “I can see that already.” The den, true to form, included treadmills and work benches, rows of weights and pieces of half-assembled whatever.

  Making it to a sliding door and outside patio, she saw more equipment scattered around a fully workable outside gym, including a sand-filled volleyball court, and as expected, a major entertainment area to barbeque and drink around a tiki-style bar.

  She offered Chad a large hug. “I can see you would have a great time out here.”

  “Oh yes, we have had a number of fantastic parties here.” He pulled her back inside and walked across the den toward the bedroom areas. These were kind of plain, he thought. Simply rooms he had to fill and have available if he ever needed them. To date, they had stayed vacant.

  He appreciated her compliments and hesitated as he opened the door to his bedroom. He had fantasies so many times of her joining him there. He creaked the door open and allowed her enter first. He turned the light on and blinked—oh shit!

  Terri walked in front of the painting and froze. What could he say now? He waited, expecting all kind of questions. The silence made the wait agonizingly long, while the resemblance to Terri’s face remained undeniable. The nude body depicted a very close match.

  She swirled around. “What is this?”

  “Charlie painted it.”

  “I see. When did you commission it to embarrass me?”

  “I didn’t.”

  “Really. I thought I knew you better than this.” She pushed past him and jogged toward the door.

  Chad ran his hands over his face and massaged his eyes. Damn, I should have hidden it better! He turned to run after her. “Wait, I can explain.”

  She ran much faster than he anticipated, making it out the front door and into her car. His ran toward her Mercedes but heard the tires squealing down his driveway. He stopped and watched her speed off.

  What to do now? He walked back inside and headed for the liquor cabinet. A good strong drink sounded great.

  * * * *

  Terri hit the gas, making the tires squeal again. How could he? Yes, all they had together was sex, pure hot sex. But, they worked together. In fact, she had worked her butt off for him. Fine, she had many more clients she could concentrate on. And she never had trouble finding someone to screw before. She headed for the interstate. She wanted to go home. Jessica could cover for her today. However, she knew she needed to call her and let her know. Boy, would she get a kick out of what she just saw.

  Terri speed-dialed her office. Jessica soon answered her phone. “Hello.” She almost lost control. She had to use her head and slow down.

  “Jessica, I’m glad I have you on the phone. I’m going home for the rest of the day.”

  “Why? What’s up?”

  “I just left Chad’s house. You wouldn’t believe what I just saw.” She fought the tears forming in her eyes.

  “I don’t know. Tell me.”

  “He had a life-size painting of me in the nude.”

  She heard Jessica laughing. “I thought you have already seen it.”

  “You knew about it?”

  “I saw it in Miami. Chad purchased it there to keep anyone else from seeing it. I heard he was totally shocked to see it.”

  “But why did Charlie paint a likeness of me?”

  “Why do painters do anything? They use whatever pops into their heads. I think he thought he would never run across you again. After all, that was the game plan for years if you remember—love ’em, leave ’em, and forget ’em—don’t you remember? What’s interesting is we, the famous cougar pack, found the not so famous cougar hunters—go figure.”

  “So Chad had nothing to do with commissioning this painting?”

  “Nope, but Charlie figured he would buy it. And he did, at a rather large price, I heard.”

  Terri hit the brakes. “I think I owe someone an apology. But still, he could have hid it better when I came over today.”

  “Hey, listen, I wish someone thought I was good enough to have a sexy painting modeled after me.”

  “Jessica, you’re hopeless.”

  “Thanks, we’ll see you later.”

  Terri brushed her hair to one side. This account was a good one. She could prove herself if given enough time. Damn, she hoped she didn’t blow it. She pulled to a stop in front of his house, embarrassingly studying her tire marks. She would hire someone to remove them later. With a deep gulp of air, she marched forward.

  The door opened before she stepped on the porch. “Hi, you’re back.”

  “Ahhh, yes. Why didn’t you tell me you purchased the painting earlier?”

  “I thought I would never have to.” He remained firmly fixed in the doorway.

  “You know, I think we really need to sit down and talk about some things.”

  He stepped to one side.

  Terri ma
rched to the kitchen before turning to face him. “I know we have some history. I thought I could handle it. But this is precisely the reason I never mix business with pleasure.”

  His eyes remained focused and his face stern.

  “As you know, I was married before. It was a good marriage, but left me with feelings I had missed out on life. It also left me with a broken heart that I intend to never let get broken as such again. To me you were a simple challenge. You were someone to talk into going to bed with me and it would be over the next morning. I should have known better.”

  Chad crossed his arms and cocked his head to one side.

  “I’m sorry I got upset about the painting. I heard more about it a few minutes ago. Thanks for buying it and having it removed from the gallery. Charlie will be hearing from me.” She walked along the countertop, sliding her fingers over the smooth surface. “Maybe this is not the best time, but we do need to talk. I want to see you more, but don’t know how we can and still work together. I know the pressure you are under to make this project work. Trust me, I do. And I want it to be successful as much as you do.”

  Chad ran his hands through his hair, allowing it to fall in long layers in front of his eyes. He brushed it to the side, but remained silent.

  “Seeing the painting made me think of something else. Something I didn’t know how to handle. I thought it would be great to be thought of as a sex object. But now I don’t know. I want you to think of me as a successful woman, also.” His silence frustrated her. Why didn’t he say anything? “Is it possible for us to have a full relationship? Is this something you might want to even try?” Terri turned to face him, determined to make him speak.

  Chad took one step forward and stopped. “I had no intentions of hurting you. I don’t know what to do with the painting. I’ve never had a, as you would say, a full relationship with anyone before. In the past, I always assumed it would be too restraining. I have to admit, you stay up with me more than anyone else has—ever. “

  “Thanks, I do appreciate that.”

  Chad walked closer and opened his arms. She edged closer. He placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned in closer, to within inches of her face. “We had great sex in Colorado. I think we will both agree we love it.”

  Terri’s body quivered at the thoughts of Colorado. Who could forget having sex two or three times a day in such a romantic setting? “Yes, that was a special time, but this is day-by-day real life.”

  Chad kissed her forehead. “This is also one of the few times we have been together that neither one of us was not totally drunk.”

  A wave of embarrassment flowed across her. “I understand. Perhaps I shouldn’t have said anything.” Her legs felt weak. She leaned forward, casting her weight against him.

  “I have some confessions to make. Let me ask you something. I’ve wanted to learn to cook something for a while. If I buy what I need, would you consider helping me cook a special meal tonight?”

  His comments were unexpected, but perfect. “Yeah, I can do that.” This would give her time to recompose herself. “What time?”

  “How about seven tonight?”

  “Perfect.”

  * * * *

  Chad eased back from the table. “I can’t eat any more.”

  “Me either. Give me a minute to go to the bathroom and I’ll help you clean up. I think I had too much wine again.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I have someone to clean the kitchen tomorrow.” Chad lifted the plates as Terri disappeared down the hall. Happy with himself, he finished off one last bite of the grilled swordfish. He should have been a chef.

  Minutes later Terri returned. “I stopped by your bedroom. What did you do with the painting?”

  “I decided to hide it.”

  “I see. I think I would like to see it again, now that I’m prepared for it.”

  “It’s in the dressing room behind the bedroom.”

  She reached for his hand and pulled him behind her. “You have a dressing room?”

  “Well, it’s too big to call a closet.”

  The massive king-size bed raised over four feet off the ground dominated the center of his bedroom. While he had his share of women, he never brought any of them home with him. He always went to theirs. This was his sanctuary, and with Terri in it, he felt a strange sensation. With her hand still firmly grasping his, she hunted for the door to his—dressing room. He should have called it a closet.

  The painting rested up against one wall. She stopped in front of it. “Close, but not exactly the way I look. My eyes are larger, and my hair is not that long or that dark.”

  It wasn’t the face. He had studied the painting for months, fantasizing about making love to the woman in the painting. Now, about as close as he could come to it was beside him in the flesh. He squeezed her hand tight.

  She turned to him, revealing a wicked grin. “How did he know how to paint my body?”

  “Unless there is something I don’t know about, I assume he had a good imagination. Remember, when he painted this he had seen you only once and possibly thought he had a shot at you also.”

  “That’s a comforting thought.”

  Chad focused on the painting and compared it to what he remembered under the clothes of the woman next to him. He had to admit, she was a very sexy woman.

  She turned toward him. “I know what you’re thinking.” She glanced over at the painting.

  “I’m sure you do.” He leaned over and kissed her on the neck.

  “Why do I get this feeling you would love for me to give you a striptease performance?”

  Chad laughed, but resisted the urge to say something he would regret later. He knew a deep kiss would gain him a much better position. He ran his fingers through her hair and firmly placed his hand on the back of her head, pulling her tightly against his lips. As he felt her melting into his kiss, he lowered his hand to her neck, massaging as he explored her shoulders.

  She moaned, revealing a willingness to continue. He felt his cock go hard, almost throbbing with pain. He needed relief. It had been too long. His hand found the top of her blouse and the first button. One after another, he proceeded to the bottom and lifted her blouse off her shoulders. The bra pushed her breasts close together, making them appear much firmer than he remembered. He reached behind her and unsnapped the clasp.

  Her face remained calm and pleasant, expressing a curious anticipation, taunting him to continue. The bra fell to the floor. He studied her breasts, the pink color of her nipples, the perfect size—not too small, not too large. Leaning forward, he inhaled a delicate smell of perfume and a sensation of warmth. His tongue eagerly teased her nipple, which hardened as she moaned again. With a few more licks for good measure, he clamped his lips around it, sucking tenderly at first, but increasing the pressure with each passing second.

  A quick glance at the painting, and he knew what he held in front of him exceeded what Charlie could have ever imagined. He grazed her skin with his lips as he found his way to her neck and eventually to her ear. “I really like the way you feel.”

  “I know.” Her fingers dug into his back.

  He lowered his hands in search of her zipper to her pants. He knew it could be anywhere. She pushed him from her slightly and unzipped the side zipper herself. He backed up one step to enjoy the show. She lowered the pants slowly, teasingly slowly.

  His eyes fluttered to the painting again. Her hips and legs were thinner and much more toned than in real life. His attention was captured by Terri. “What do you think?”

  “I think you are much more beautiful.”

  “Thanks.” The pants hit the floor as Chad studied her tiny transparent panties. She might as well not be wearing anything. The one item Charlie clearly missed was her pubic hair. She was clean shaven, and not as depicted in the painting. Terri cocked a hip to one side and raised one hand in a flat dance-style movement.

  “I think I’ll take the real thing any time.”

  She wrapped her
arms around him. “Are you going to make me stand here all day, or do we get to try out that monster bed of yours?”

  Without answering, Chad kneeled and lowered her panties before lifting her in his arms. He walked to the bed and lowered her onto one side. She looked like a dream he thought he would never have fulfilled. He breathed hard and backed away to remove his clothes. His fantasy was coming to life.

  As he lowered his boxers, she pulled the covers and sheets to one side and disappeared beneath. He slid in beside her. The warmth of her body radiated next to his, and sent a quivering message to him that this was real and happening right now. His lips found her lips again as he kissed her hard, much harder than he had at any other time. Her naked body flushed as she melted into his world.

  His hand squeezed one breast before sliding along her stomach. While sensing the slight tremble he caused, he never slowed until he reached her magical button he loved to play with. He remembered how out of control she became when he massaged her, giving him a sense of control over her. From experience, he knew she could only take so much. He knew she didn’t mind begging for it. She wanted him inside. Her hand reached for his dick and squeezed hard as she inflicted a slight pain. In self-defense he slid on top of her as she guided him home. Her wet pussy accepted him as he penetrated and drove all of the way in with the first motion.

  She wrapped her legs around him and thrust forward. Her mouth found his shoulder as she bit into his skin. With her breath racing, she tried to speak. She failed. She tried again. “I want to get on top.”

  He rolled her over as they reunited. She rode him like a woman possessed by a demon, doing all of the work as he lay on his back, enjoying every second. He felt her building, anticipating the eruption he knew was coming. As her breasts bounced in front of him, memories burned into his mind that he knew he would cherish forever.

  She slowed for a second. “I want you to come with me. Can you?”

  He was close. Damn, yes, he would try. He increased his own thrusts. As he felt her coming, he thrust harder—damn this was good!