Penthouse of pleasure - uncertain desire (German Edition)

by Blue, A. J.

  What a crazy day, I think.

  11

  I squint my eyes. The first rays of sun are beaming through the window. Liam is awake. He’s lying on his side, his head supported on his arm, and he’s watching me. “You look really cute when you’re asleep,” he says. “So innocent!”

  I remember yesterday and smile. I never had that much exciting sex. And I wouldn’t at all mind having some more of it today. When I look at Liam, his naked body, I feel overcome by desire again.

  Abruptly Liam sits up. “Shit! Did you hear that?”

  I’m startled. “What?”

  The front door! Someone just came in!”

  Oh, no, I think when I hear Marcus’s voice. “Liam, are you in? What’s with all those boxes in the hall?”

  “And now?” I whisper.

  “I’ve no idea. We’ve been caught.” Liam whispers back.

  “Liam? Where are you?” Marcus seems to be right outside the bedroom by now.

  The door opens slowly. I feel the adrenalin building up inside me and quickly pull the comforter over my head.

  Liam is remarkably calm. “Hi, Marcus. Good morning,” he greets his roomie. “Weren’t you going to be away ‘til Friday?”

  “Well, I changed my mind,” Marcus grumbles. “Who’s that in your bed?”

  I briefly hope that the comforter might be some kind of magic blanket making me invisible. Unfortunately that doesn’t work. So I emerge and bashfully look at Marcus. “Hi!”

  “Not you again!” Marcus’s voice sounds angry. “What the fuck’s going on, Liam?”

  That guy’s just nuts, I think and suddenly don’t see why I should hide. After all, Liam invited me. Even if it’s against the boys’ ludicrous house rules. “Cool it!” I say and put my hands on my hips. The bedspread slips out of place and reveals my boobs. I don’t care, I think he must have seen enough tits in his time. “Liam was kind enough to let me stay for a few days. But I can easily go to a hotel. No need to get all worked up!”

  Marcus briefly glances at my breasts. “Un-fucking-believable!” he curses, turns on his heels and slams the door behind him.

  Liam’s stunned. Then he grins. “Not bad, Kate. The kitten’s showing its claws.”

  “Listen,” I reply and get up. “I don’t want to provoke a row between you. I just get dressed and go.”

  “Completely out of the question,” Liam decides and gets up, too. “I’ll clear the air with Marcus. We had agreed that you stay for two or three days. He’ll just have to live with it.”

  I’m not sure if Marcus will actually be prepared to accept my presence. He strikes me like someone who is used to getting his own way. He acts a bit like a spoiled diva. Presumably a pampered only child.

  “Shame that Marcus interrupted us,” Liam mumbles while slipping into his boxers and a T-shirt. “I’d planned on sleeping with you the minute you woke up!”

  Regretfully I shrug my shoulders. I wouldn’t have minded.

  “Wait here and don’t you dare getting dressed. I’ll have a quick chat with Marcus and then we’ll catch up!” Liam orders.

  I nod. But I don’t feel comfortable in my skin. Liam has been really nice and helpful. I don’t want to get him into trouble with the others. I should actually take a room in a hotel. Pity about the great sex with Liam, but perhaps he fancies seeing me at the hotel?

  Hoping to catch some snippets of their conversation, I listen intently. But sadly I can’t hear a thing.

  After twenty minutes that feel like an eternity I’m fed up waiting. I badly need a shower and I have to go to the john. I slip into my underwear and quietly open the door.

  From the kitchen, I hear voices. The two men must still be discussing the issue. I tiptoe into the bathroom and relieve my bladder. Then I take my underwear off again and scurry into the shower. While the warm water flows down my breasts and my stomach I remember yesterday’s performance and can’t help but grin. Seems mad that that was only yesterday. It feels like it’s been months.

  Someone’s knocking on the locked door. “Katherine?” I hear Liam.

  “Yes,” I answer. “I’m having a shower. Nearly done!”

  “Didn’t I tell you to stay in the bed?” Liam growls.

  “Didn’t I tell you that I don’t take orders from anyone?” I counter.

  I hear him laugh. “You’re a pretty naughty girl. Just wait until I catch you!”

  It’s a pity that my time with Liam is over now, I think while drying myself. I’ve only just started to really enjoy myself. However did I put up with Andrew for so long? A little banter with Liam arouses me far more than any physical attention from Andrew. It’s like my sexual desires have finally been released from a dark dungeon.

  Hopefully Liam managed to calm Marcus down a bit. Perhaps there’s still a teensy-weensy chance I can stay a little longer in this dream of an apartment with Liam.

  When I step out of the bathroom wrapped in a fluffy towel, Liam’s casually leaning against the wall waiting for me. He pulls me to his chest with one hand and tears at my towel with the other. “Come here, you naughty lady!”

  “Don’t!” I object and try holding onto my towel. “What’s the story with Marcus?”

  The whole situation is unpleasant enough without me standing in the hall doing my Eve imitation. I can’t imagine Marcus’s mood will improve if he catches us fumbling around in the corridor.

  “Don’t worry. He’s okay again. I think he actually quite likes you. He’s just not used to anyone disagreeing with him. The women he usually meets are often submissive little dolls. It‘s been a while since he’s met anyone as prickly as you. And he was annoyed that I didn’t stick to our rule of not bringing normal women back here.”

  “I’ll better get dressed and leave so,” I say, free the towel from Liam’s hands and wrap it firmly around me again.

  “You don’t have to. Marcus has suggested a deal!” Liam takes my hand. “Come back to my bedroom and I tell you more.”

  What’s next? I think. It will hardly be something normal like ‘sure, you can stay for a few days, no problem’.

  What kind of guys are they? They’re really doing my head in.

  But, of course, I still want to find out what Marcus has suggested. So I follow Liam to his room.

  “Off with the towel!” Liam demands when I sit down on the edge of the bed.

  I shake my head. “No! Not until you tell me what Marcus said.”

  Liam sighs. “Don’t you ever do as you’re told?”

  “Depends on what’s on offer,” I respond. “Looks like you’re fucking too many ‘submissive little dolls‘ as well. Just because I enjoy a bit of rough sex doesn’t mean that I’ll meekly obey you all the time.”

  Liam crosses his arms in front of his chest and looks at me in amusement. “Marcus would be delighted with you. I don’t think he’s any idea what he would let himself in for.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask alarmed.

  “Marcus seems to like you. Usually he would have insisted that I get rid of you straight away, but he suggested that you can stay until the end of the week.”

  “Just like that?” I don’t believe Liam has told me everything. Turns out I’m right when Liam shakes his head. “No, not just like that. Under two conditions.”

  “And what would they be?” I ask although I’m not even sure I want to know. In the end, my curiosity wins.

  “Marcus wants to sleep with you. And if he likes it he wants to give you ‘til the weekend to reconsider moving in with us as our next girl.”

  I gasp. The audacity! Who does Marcus think I am?

  “Your mate seems to have lost the plot!” I snarl and look for something to hurl at Liam. How dare he present me with an offer like that?! The last few hours with Liam were so lovely and exciting that I actually briefly suppressed they guy’s freaky sexual preferences. What normal man would share his lover with another?

  “Why don’t you think about it? Marcus and I discussed that we
could also pay you if you stay until Friday. You could use the money right now. If you want to stay longer and accept our rules, we’ll pay you more, of course.”

  Completely speechless, I just shake my head.

  “I know, I know. You’re not a hooker. And what we’re doing is completely deranged. So what? Aren’t you sleeping with me at the moment? And don’t tell me you don’t like it. Where’s the difference? The money? That’s ridiculous! Just look at it as the start-up capital for your new future. I can also sense that you’d like to sleep with more than one man for a change.”

  My first impulse is to simply get up and run. But then the offer sneaks into my brain where it caresses my limbic system and my hypothalamus. Liam alone is already a knockout. If Marcus is quite as good in bed as Liam, the whole thing might just turn out to be quite interesting. I’ll hardly ever get a chance like that again. What upsets me most is not the idea of sleeping with several men – quite the opposite. What really upsets me is the thought of getting paid for it. Call me old-fashioned, but it just doesn’t sit right with me. Sure, I could use the cash. But I’m not for sale, or am I?

  “You okay?” Liam wants to know.

  I’m pensively chewing my lips. No, nothing is okay. I’ve no job, no place to live, no money and the only way out are a few freaks with strange sexual leanings. If I were younger, I would presumably not think twice and embark on the adventure. I got up to a lot of stuff back then. But at 29 years of age I should be more sensible. Or should I?

  “Come on, Kate. Marcus is really good and I’ll mind you!” Liam’s blue eyes look at me beseechingly.

  “I don’t know,” I mumble. “I don’t much like the whole idea.”

  “Not much doesn’t mean that you don’t like it at all. Am I right?”

  “Um.”

  “What if I persuade Marcus that you can stay until tomorrow in any case and the three of us enjoy a nice evening together and see what happens? If you don’t want sex, that’s okay. Then we have lots of time to find you a hotel room together tomorrow and the two of us would still have a whole day ahead of us.”

  Doesn’t sound so bad, I think. Why not? Living at Liam’s for another day saves me some much needed cash. And the prospect of a sexual adventure with two hunks like Liam and Marcus doesn’t sound so bad either. The idea alone turns me on. I remember the woman at the sex club I watched with two men. I can’t say that I didn’t like it.

  “Okay,” I agree. “But only as long as I make the decisions. And without the money. I don’t want to get paid for sex!”

  Liam nods. “Right, even if you still have strange views about the money, I’m sure Marcus will accept you conditions. And now take that stupid towel off. I still have a promise to keep.”

  Liam pulls his boxers and my towel off and penetrates me without prior warning. I pant indignantly.

  “You had to be punished,” he whispers in my ear. “You should have stayed in bed when I ordered you to.”

  “And I told you that you can put your orders where the sun don’t shine!”

  “Oh, really?” Liam holds me by the wrists and starts to move inside me. “You’re real lucky that you get wet so fast.” He leaves me hardly enough time to get used to his size. He thrusts with full force, moves rhythmically inside me and bites my earlobe. I groan and automatically extend my pelvis. More! I want more! Liam comes inside me with a grunt.

  “Hey!” I give out. “What was that? I wasn’t ready?”

  “That, darling, is what happens to people who don’t listen to me. Then the pleasure is all mine!” Liam grins and starts to get dressed.

  12

  I indignantly watch Liam disappear into the bathroom. I’m still unsatisfied. I hate being teased without reaching orgasm. What a bastard! But a darn attractive one. He seems to know exactly what buttons to push to make me want more.

  Frustrated by my lack of self control, I rummage through my overnight bag until I find my favorite jeans. I put them on with a black top and think about Marcus’s proposal. What did I let myself in for?

  Again, I’ve butterflies in my stomach when I imagine sleeping with Marcus and Liam. Granted, I tried a thing or two before getting involved with Andrew, but I guess they would be considered more or less ‘normal’. Sleeping with two men at the same time is complete virgin (ha, ha) territory. I close my eyes and picture Marcus entering me while Liam kisses me. Quite tempting considering the unsatisfied state I’m in. Marcus reckless surfer look and his muscular body are real sexy. I surprised him before naked in the bathroom during my first time here and quite liked what I saw. But Marcus also has a hint of danger about him. Something wild. I doubt Liam is all that harmless either, but he always seems in control of himself whereas Marcus appears to be led by his emotions.

  Do you really want to do this, Kate? My better sense appeals to me.

  Of course you do. You’ll never be offered a chance like this again, the woman in me insists.

  Utterly confused, I tie up my still slightly damp hair and put on a little make-up in front of Liam’s big cheval mirror. Then I sit down on the bed and decide to wait for Liam’s return. I’m far too confused right now to take Marcus on on his own. The thought of meeting him makes me somewhat uneasy.

  To distract myself a little, I pick up my cellphone. So as not to disturb Liam I switched it to silent last night. The display shows two calls and one message in my mailbox. I click on the phone icon.

  The call’s from an unknown number; the other two are from my mother and so is the message in my mailbox: “Hi, Kate. What’s up? Where are you? I must have rung you at least twenty times, but nobody’s picking up. At your workplace they told me you won’t be in anymore! Please get in touch. I’m worried!”

  Shit, I think. I had hoped that mom wouldn’t find out that I was in trouble quite so soon. I don’t have much choice but to call her back. But what will I tell her? Once she knows that I intend to temporarily park me and my stuff at a hotel, she’ll be here in a flash and insist that I move back in with her and Dad. And I really, really don’t want to. I love my parents, but their over-protectiveness is hard to cope with after a while. I’ll have to improvise and come up with a credible story to reassure them for the time being.

  I dial mom’s number. She picks up after the second ring.

  “Katherine, thank God! I was so worried. Are you okay?”

  “Well, a lot of stuff happened...” I start.

  “Has it anything got to do with Andrew? What is it? Why can’t I reach you at your firm anymore?” she bombards me with questions.

  “Andrew and I split up. You were right. He’s a complete loser. He cheated on me and his new girlfriend is pregnant.”

  “Oh, God,” my mother groans. I’m sooo sorry. And now? What are you going to do?”

  “I’ve moved out and I’m looking for another job,” I tell her.

  “Where do you live right now? You don’t know anyone in that blasted city. Move back in with us! You can sleep on the sofa in the living room.”

  Even the thought of spending my nights on my parents‘ sofa-sleeper without the option to leave makes me feel sick. I can already see them constantly buzzing around me, lovingly, yet full of good advice. Thanks, but no thanks!

  “Don’t worry. I’ve met some old colleagues who are putting me up for a while,” I fib. “And I’m already sending out job applications. Everything will be alright. I just need a little time to myself right now. I’ll call you!”

  I say my goodbyes and promise to get in touch the minute I have news.

  Phew. That one’s taken care of. I just hope my mother swallows what I told her. I’ve read somewhere that one should never invent something totally new when lying. Apparently sticking to half truths is much better. And right now I do live in an apartment with some people who put me up. I don’t have to volunteer that the apartment belongs to three rich dudes who want to sleep with me.

  “Your mother?” Liam’s standing in the doorframe, quizzically arching his eyebrows.
>
  I nod. “She couldn’t get me on the phone and she was worried.”

  “And that’s why you told her that you’re living with some ‘old colleagues’ at the moment?”

  “Yep.”

  “You never cease to surprise me the way you can lie without blushing.”

  “What else could I’ve said? That I want to move into a hotel? Then she would have insisted that I move back home instead of wasting my money. Or should I have told her that I’m staying with a bunch of freaks who all want to fuck me. Who will even pay me for the pleasure? That would definitely have calmed her down!”

  “What a strange woman you are. At times you stand up to anything and then you put up with far too much. Like stuff from your ex and apparently from your parents, too. I don’t really understand you yet.” Liam studies me intensely.

  “And why would you have to?” I retort. “I’m in pretty much the same position. What do I actually know about you?”

  Liam placatingly raises his hands. “You are right. It’s really none of my business. How about some breakfast? I know a nice French bistro just around the corner.”

  13

  Liam hasn’t promised too much. The Bistro is actually wonderful and the croissants are superb. It feels weird sitting down to breakfast with Liam, having a pleasant chat over a latte. Weird because the whole thing seems so normal although everything between us is nothing but.

  We are neither an item nor good friends or colleagues, and still it feels good.

  Luckily Marcus had been gone when we left the apartment. I didn’t have to confront him again. But I will have to make up for it this evening.

  “He still has some appointments and then he’ll get some stuff to cook for us later,” Liam grins suggestively. I may have been wrong about Marcus. Perhaps he is more than just a superficial macho.

  How does an evening like that usually work? I don’t have the nerve to ask Liam. Relax, Kate, just let is happen. You can still say ‘no’, I think and try to concentrate on my breakfast. But somehow I don’t quite manage. I’m simply too excited. I haven’t felt as tense since my final high school exams.