by H. Q. Frost
But there was no kiss. She dragged her finger through the mud on his neck and began drawing on his stomach, not paying a bit of attention to her art but to the work permanently inked onto his too-tempting flesh. Taking her time, almost five minutes later she leaned back so he could see what she scrawled across his abdomen. Leaning back was a mistake because his cock pressing into her ass almost brought her to where she was five minutes prior when she thought about crossing the paid for line.
"What's it say?" He tried to sit up while pulling his shirt higher to see the muddy print.
"It's your bill. You went three hours over and you have to pay overtime wages so you're around nineteen thousand." She bit her lip, stifling her grin.
He laughed, flipping her off him and slightly rolling onto her while palming her hip, staring into her eyes. "Kiss me."
Her heart pounded while a pulse started in her clit. After staring at him too long, she smirked. "That'll cost you extra." She pushed him off and got to her feet.
Her defiance amused him but he bit back on his smirk while he stood. "I thought you didn't do that?"
"If the price is right I may make an exception." She walked back to the jeep because the price she was referring to wasn't a monetary value. And as that price flit through her memory in the form of Ian, she said, "I have to get home."
Whore or not, he wanted her.
Music comfortably filled their drive and he listened to her faintly sing along to most of the songs that came over his preferred satellite radio station.
Wearing an impressed smile, he looked over at her. "You like good music. Do you sing?"
She grinned and her nose scrunched as she realized she'd been singing aloud. "No."
"My mom was passionate about music. She instilled good music into me young."
"Did she sing?"
"Around the house." He chuckled, smiling over at her again.
After a sweet smile, her gaze drifted out the window as thoughts of her mother filled her head and the voice lessons she encouraged Lilith through to the age of ten. The voice lessons Lilith ended up despising after her mother walked out during a recital and never returned.
The drive fell silent.
When they got to Lake Shore Drive she smiled at him. "I had a lot of fun."
"Yeah." Only offering a simple nod, he was trying to push away his errant thoughts. He wasn't sure how he let a woman get trapped in his head, but it angered him he was feeling so weak for her. "Sorry about earlier with Frank. I didn't realize he was harassing you all afternoon."
"He wasn't. Just at that point, but you took care of it." The small smile that touched her face came from remembering Justin's swift, forceful blow to Frank's nose. "Thanks for that."
Pulling into the driveway he noticed two cars. "You gonna be in trouble?" He smirked, assuming it was her boy or girlfriend's car.
"No," she softly said with a smile. "When are we going out again?"
"Tomorrow there's a charity dinner—"
"Can't tomorrow. I'm having company and a birthday party."
"Well you know, we could hang out anytime as friends. Unpaid for friends?" The charming smile made its appearance and like usual it was hard to deny.
"This was kind of a once in a lifetime thing." She grinned, pushing the door open, needing to get away from his charm.
"El." He grabbed her hand before she slipped out. When she looked back at him the smile across his face was her favorite one; his genuine smile. "You look good in mud."
"You do too." She reached forward and with her nail scraped mud from his cheek.
Those weren't the words he was going to say, but he let her get out and watched her rush to her front door.
"Lily!" Ian called out as she zoomed by him toward the bedroom to immediately wash the mud away.
"Hmm?" she called back, hurriedly pulling her boots off, rushing into the bathroom.
"Where were you? What the hell were you doing?" He quickly followed her, scowling. "Is that mud? You smell like mud."
"Yeah." Nervous giggles left her as she pulled her clothes off, leaving them in a pile on the bathroom floor.
In the mirror, Ian saw the heart and smiley face art across her stomach. "Where the fuck were you?" he snapped.
"Out!" Wanting to get away from his inquisitive eyes, she got into the cold water and quietly bounced to warm up.
"With who? Your date ended four hours ago."
"Richie," she blurted before she could think it through.
"Your cousin?"
"Yeah, we went on this hike and his car got stuck in the mud." She kept her back to him so he didn't see the guilt on her face.
"Did he head home? He could have stayed here."
"He's got class in the morning." She rolled her eyes at her perpetual lying.
Ian thought about what was across her stomach, but he didn't question it. Lilith watched the dirt wash down the drain and she couldn't stop smiling, not even through the guilt of lying to Ian. She would have told him the truth if he hadn't told her he didn't want to know about the other men she was with.
"I have to leave early in the morning," he told her when she came from the shower. "My mother likes us there the whole day."
"Okay." She smiled at him while brushing through her hair.
"What time will you be at my mom's?" Unable to shake the image of her muddy tattoo across her stomach, anger took over his features.
"Eight." She shrugged.
When they got into bed, she turned to him, planning on quickly fucking him to get the built up tension between her legs released, but he had a different agenda. He kissed her with desperate lips, reminding her what he could do to her. Not only was he unsure about where she'd been that night, he knew the following day the cop from Barbados would arrive. He had her screaming his name for as long as he could keep her awake until he fucked her to sleep.
"So what type of birthday party is this?" Shaun questioned while they got ready at her new apartment.
When she brought him there, she had no idea what to expect, but Ian had it furnished and ready. There were definite signs that it wasn't lived in, but Shaun didn't mention it.
"It's my best friend's mother's birthday." She smiled at him. "I know kind of lackluster, but it'll be a nice time and we won't be there long. I promise."
"I'm okay with whatever you'd like to do, Lilith." After he pulled on a black and white striped sweater that ramped her libido he asked, "Is this appropriate?"
"That's perfect." She admired his good looks and couldn't help but grin.
She held his hand while they approached the house, and when they stepped inside, Ashley's eyes lit up.
"Hi." Ashley grinned, kissing Lilith.
"Ashley, this is Shaun—"
"I remember Shaun. How are you?" She shook his hand, disappointed by his gentle shake. She pictured Shaun the type to bend Lilith over and bruise her ass cheeks with a marring hand, but if his spanks were anything like his shakes, Ashley was disappointed for her.
He smiled. "Well, you?"
"Fucking great." The grin was impossible to remove from her face. Not only was he attractive beyond words she could form, but this meant Ian would be miserable. She was elated to watch him squirm all night.
"This is a crappy bottle of wine," Lilith muttered, handing it over.
"It can go with the others." She walked them into the kitchen where Aurora stood amongst a group of friends.
"Oh, Lilith, honey," Aurora called out after abruptly stopping her conversation to hug and kiss her cheek.
Hearing Lilith's name, Ian looked up from the corner where he was making Karen a drink.
"Haven't seen you in so long." With a drunken smile, Aurora admired Lilith's beauty.
"How's your birthday celebration?" Lilith's bright smile beamed knowing Ian was close; she could smell his cologne.
"Oh, you know… Who's your friend?" The depraved expression across her face became more licentious as her gaze traveled from Shaun's head to his feet.
"This is my friend Shaun. Shaun, this is Ms. Burtney. It's her birthday party."
Softly taking her hand, he flashed her a megawatt smile that captivated her and the several women that stood behind her.
"Happy birthday."
"Oh my, my, you are a handsome boy."
"Thank you, and you're a beautiful woman, Ms. Burtney, with a beautiful home."
"Oh, thank you." Her wooed dramatics and overt attraction to Shaun made Lilith discreetly giggle.
"Ian!" Ashley called and waved him over, loving every minute of the torture he'd endure. "Ian, this is Lilith's boyfriend. Shaun."
Cued into Ashley's intentions, Lilith discreetly giggled and watched the men shake hands.
"He's just a friend," Lilith assured, rubbing Shaun's arm. "Shaun, this is Ian. He's my boss and Ms. Burtney is also his mother."
"Pleasure."
"Same," Ian lied before turning to Lilith and putting his hand to her back, kissing the side of her head. "Hi," he said before turning to Karen. "Shaun, this is my girlfriend Karen."
Also basking in Shaun's handsome charm, Karen stared while shaking his hand. Wanting to get him away from the growing crowd of women, Lilith grabbed his arm, then with a smile walked away when she saw Caesar.
"Hey, bitchy." He hugged and kissed her.
"Caesar, this is Shaun. Shaun, my good friend Caesar."
"Oh." Caesar let out a laugh as he shook his hand. "Now I know why I couldn't bring Renee."
"I'm sorry." Lilith cringed that her and Ian's ridiculous arrangement caused problems for their friends.
Ian and Karen heading their way caught Lilith's eye and she wished he'd stay away. His blue polo shirt made his blue eye pop and a pair of blue Lanvin patent and suede shoes contrasted nicely with his black pants. The man was too enticing and the closer he got, his smell filled her nose. He handed Shaun a beer and Lilith a drink.
"Thank you," she muttered.
"Thanks." Shaun smiled taking Lilith's hand.
With a grin plastered all over Karen's face, she stepped to Lilith's side and leaned into her ear. "Oh my god," she whispered with a giggle. "He is so cute, Lily. Where'd you find him? That is one solid piece of man."
For once, the tension between them was lifted as Karen felt more secure now that she thought Lilith had a boyfriend.
"He's been a friend for a while," Lilith replied with a faked smile.
"I had no idea you were seeing someone after that one asshole you dated."
"He lives out of state so I don't get to see him too often." She glanced at Shaun who was laughing with Ian and Caesar. Ashley's approach put a wedge between Lilith and Karen.
"Bitch," Karen muttered.
"Gutter slut." Ashley glanced at her before grabbing Lilith's hand. "Come do a shot with me."
"I'm driving." Lilith chuckled.
"Shaun can drive. I'm sure he won't mind."
Putting her hand on Shaun's arm, she smiled at him. "I'll be right back."
She actually felt guilty leaving Karen standing there because Ian, Shaun, Caesar, and now another man were in the middle of a conversation while Karen stood off to the side being ignored.
Aurora quickly followed the girls, calling out, "Lilith, Lilith." When she got her attention she said, "That man is absolutely breathtaking." With a gasp, her hand went to her chest; Lilith chuckled.
"I agree." Glancing over at the men, who stood in the foyer, Lilith hoped Ian was being cordial.
"Mom, you're way too old, back off," Ashley mumbled, pulling Lilith into the corner. "Holy shit, this is a cluster fuck, huh? Karen's trying to be all buddy-buddy and your fiancé is talking to your fine ass boyfriend." Ashley started to laugh and a sad smile flit to Lilith's lips.
"I wasn't going to come but Ian insisted. When I told him I was bringing Shaun, he made me get an apartment so I didn't bring him to the condo. He actually got me the apartment!" Lilith's flustered rant came out in a whisper.
"I know." Ashley laughed. "I gave him the art to decorate your fuck palace. I told him this is all real fuckin' loco."
"It is, but what am I supposed to do?" What should have been a rhetorical question wasn't; Lilith actually hoped for real answers.
"Tell him to fuck off." She handed over a shot glass. "Cheers."
The girls clanked glasses and took the shot of Goldschläger.
"Oh god." Lilith coughed.
"Justin Borg got me addicted to this." Ashley chuckled and Lilith smiled at the thought of Justin. "So when does Shaun leave? I feel like we haven't talked in a few days."
"I talked to you Thursday." Lilith giggled.
"That was two days ago, ya bitch. Let's get drunk."
Lilith glanced over at the men and saw the studious look on Ian's face as he watched Shaun.
"I'm in," she replied.
The burn from their second shot made Lilith shudder and her body temperature rise. Ashley handed her a beer before getting wrangled into making her mother's friends drinks. Lilith stepped outside to cool down, feeling buzzed and overwhelmed because Ian wouldn't leave Shaun's side. It was obvious the move was intentional so he could keep an eye on them.
Pulling out her phone, she smirked as a terrible idea conjured. She opened her email and pulled up her work schedule, which had Justin Borg's phone number.
+13128738725: I had to wash twice to get the mud out of my hair : )
She chuckled aloud and sipped her beer while a man approached her.
"Little cold for no jacket." He grinned.
"I'm fine." She flashed him a quick smile before looking down again.
"I'm Matt."
"Lily." She hoped he'd get the hint to leave her alone.
"Tudor, right?"
Her eyebrows raised and she looked up at his smile.
"I'm a photographer friend of Ashley's. I've begged her to let me capture your image, possibly put it in my magazine?"
"Oh." She smiled to be polite. "I'm not really interested in that. I appreciate Ashley's art, and what she does with images of me is phenomenal, but I'm not looking to be in magazines." Finally her phone vibrated in her hand. "Thank you." Turning her back, she opened Justin's text.
+18472733889: I tried to figure out what you drew on my stomach for an hour. Hi by the way. You know I take a lot of escorts off roading so next time maybe clarify it's you El. ;)
She smirked and finished her drink before replying.
EL: Cheating on your escort is never a good thing Mr. Borg.
JUSTIN: Calling me by my father's name is never a good thing El. I'm programing your number so I can skip Jacks and go straight to the source.
EL: You won't get a response. If you want a date you know what you have to do. No skipping the dirty work.
JUSTIN: Then I'll just contact you when I want to hang out as friends. Unpaid for friends. That doesn't concern Jacks at all.
El: Again, you won't get a response. Have a good night Justin ;)
JUSTIN: I have a feeling you'll be texting me to hang out anyway so I'll just wait for that. You too El. Enjoy your birthday party
Surprised he remembered she told him about the party, she grinned with a quiet giggle. Stepping into the house she saw Shaun laughing with Ian across the room and she huffed thinking about how amazing it'd be to get those two men in the same bed with her. Add Justin and her life would be complete.
When she approached, Ian inadvertently put his arm around her. Lilith's face dropped and she looked at Karen who thankfully wasn't paying attention.
"Drink, Mr. Jacks?" Lilith smiled at him and he realized what he had done.
"No, thank you. I was telling Shaun about how much money you've brought us at work already." His arm slipped from her and she stepped farther away.
"I love my job." She smiled, not sure what it was Ian told Shaun she did. "Shaun's a cop," she nervously said.
Ian smirked and replied, "I know."
In an attempt to get herself and Shaun away from Ian's scrutinizing gaze, she slipped her a
rm around Shaun and she asked, "Have you seen Ashley?"
True love is IAN's
I can't stop staring at her and I know I need to because I've already fucked up by putting my arm around her. Kissing her head earlier was no big deal. I do that to all my girls, but instinctively putting my arm around her was stupid. Karen easily could have seen. Shaun didn't seem concerned, but the asshole is the nicest guy I've ever conversed with.
I'm pissed off at Lily because she lied to me yesterday. She told me she went hiking with Rich, when in all actuality, she was with Justin Borg. I found this out by going on Luxe's Twitter account and seeing Justin had a picture of his mud covered jeep posted. I'm a little confused though because she was with him after the allotted paid for hours? Does she have something going with him now? This will piss me off for more than one reason. Like, he's paying a shit load of money. And I don't want my girl interested in other men. Obviously I've failed there though because here I stand staring into the face of a cop who's had more than his eyes on my girl and there's not a goddamn thing I can do about it.
Shaun's talking to me about boating and I'm keeping up with the conversation but I'm watching Lily play around with Caesar. Until Karen's at my side and jerks my arm. There's a grimace on her face because she caught me staring. Shaun's attention has lingered to Caesar and Lily and I'm at a loss for words while Karen scowls up at me.
"What?" When the scowl on her face turns into a frown of sadness I huff. "Don't blow anything out of proportion."
As Karen walks away from me, I watch Lily leave Shaun with Caesar and head toward Ashley's room. My mom hugs her again. I've never seen my mother be this genial toward one of our friends, but to be honest, I think my mom also thinks Lily's dating Ashley.
Lily grins then pulls her cellphone out, answering a call. I glance at my watch and see it's almost eleven. Who's calling her at this time? Like a lion stalking its unknowing prey, I follow behind her. The laugh that expels isn't a laugh I've ever heard from her. Is it real? Is it fake? Who's on the other line?
"Give me about an hour," she says into the phone as I walk past. I look her in the eyes then head across the lawn and into the sauna room.