SMITTEN (Paris Après Minuit)

by Juliet Braddock

  Only seconds seemed to pass before their clothes began to form a pile on the floor. Once he’d kicked away his shorts—both pairs—he bent down on his knees to attend to her jeans. “I love these, and you look so good in them,” he murmured and then traced his tongue around her navel. “You really looked beautiful tonight.”

  “Gonna have to stock up on some denim from Xav,” she said as she combed her nails through Nigel’s blonde locks. “I still like you in jodhpurs.”

  “Oh, you look good in those, too.” His lips opened her button, and then his fingers pulled at her zipper. Nudging his chin to her open fly, he managed to push away the denim from her hips before taking one belt loop in his teeth and working the heavy material down her shapely legs.

  Kicking her feet, she lost the jeans, leaving just her bra and panties. “Shall I strip for you?”

  Fully nude, Nigel sat back on the couch and folded his arms, ignoring his stiff cock. “I’m always up for a show.”

  Conjuring the spirit of Gypsy Rose Lee, January sucked in her stomach and sat down on the coffee table in front of him to pose, taking care not to spill her own wine glass beside her. Spreading her legs wide, she entertained him with a view of the seat of her see-through panties.

  She lifted her glass and trickled the wine right down the center of her sweetheart bra, feeling the sticky dribble down her chest to her belly. Nigel licked his lips and reached for his own wine. The smirk on his face revealed all.

  With a dramatic sigh, she fanned herself. She could see nothing but that thick cock, ready and waiting for her while she continued to tease.

  With a gentle pop, she allowed her breasts to peep over the top of her bra. After wetting her fingers with her tongue, she took her nipples between them, squeezing and pinching and pulling for Nigel’s delight. She loved to stimulate herself in front of a man, especially a naked one several years her junior.

  “You just love to make yourself come in alternative ways, don’t you, January?” Unable to mask his amusement, Nigel rubbed the rim of his glass right against her panties, spilling a few drops on her thigh. One more splash certainly wouldn’t hurt her, but he bent his head and stuck out his tongue. “Just cleaning you up, you messy little trollop.”

  Still feeling the thrilling pressure of that glass between her legs, she wanted nothing more than to pull her clit until she brought herself to oblivion before his eyes. Her lips trembled as she spoke. “I thought we weren’t playing this evening?”

  “We’re not—I’m just calling it like I see it.”

  He was so charming when he was his old sweet self, but she adored his sarcasm because it was always so unexpected. Rocking on her ass, she reached behind herself and unhooked her bra. Sliding the straps down her arms as if she were rolling a long pair of gloves, she shook out her breasts. With her finger, she caught one strap and spun it around in the air before Nigel grabbed at the cup and took it from her.

  “Victory…” he whispered.

  Hooking her fingers into the waist of her panties, January grinned. “Got something else you might wanna see...”

  Although his jaw tightened, she could still see him smiling. “Show me.”

  Kicking her feet off the floor, she rolled on to her tummy on the coffee table and waved at him. Lucky for January, she was small, and the old wooden table was wide. Ass in the air, she gave him a few wiggles and shakes. When she pushed herself upward to stand on the table, she winked.

  Now, Nigel worried she might fall. Between the wine and her emotional state, he had cause for concern, and he caught her waist in his hands. “Alright, darling, I think you need to slow down here.”

  However, January just linked her legs around him and held on. “You don’t like my striptease?”

  “I love your striptease,” he said, “but I’d really love to get these panties off…”

  Caution filtered in as he helped her to sit down on the table. Gently, he tugged at her lacy undies and stopped for a kiss to her clit.

  Now, January’s body surged with sexual intensity. She clutched his head to hold him right there. The stubble on his cheeks was coarse against her thighs, but the sensation both bristled and tickled her. Swaying against his mouth, she cried out in pleasure as his tongue flicked against her. When she looked down, his hungry lips and teeth sought to pleasure her—with kisses and licks and bites.

  She didn’t want to leave him—not yet. And maybe not ever.

  Nigel, though, concentrated on their collective pleasures. While his lips continued to strengthen her state of ecstasy, his fingers crawled up her chest in desperate search of her nipples. Maybe Xavier’s playful tattling lingered, but Nigel wanted January to just forget for a little while.

  Eventually, his mouth followed his hands, and he joined her lips again for a kiss. “Ready for the roses?”

  “As long as they don’t come with thorns,” she said and touched her hand to his cheek.

  His soft laughter was sweet music to her ears. “Only when you ask for them.”

  Condom in place, he hoped for the last time, Nigel took her right there on the coffee table. Slowly, almost gracefully, he made his way inside her, pulsing her gently as he moved along, and just as he filled her completely, he stopped and hovered above her as if he were about to do push-ups.

  “What?” she whispered.

  “Uh…” Blushingly, he turned away and laughed at himself as two little red eyes stared at him. “It’s…well…Lenny.”

  “We scened in front of your horses,” she reminded him.

  “Lenny, stop looking at me!” he shouted, nearly choking on his own laughter. “You’re just as perverse as your Mummy!”

  “Maybe you should stop looking at her,” January giggled and began to move her hips back and forth to begin their sultry dance.

  “Maybe I should just keep looking at you…” he murmured and kissed her again as they fell into a sinuous rhythm. “Because I just can’t seem to get enough of you…”

  Lazily, his lips coasted over her shoulder and down to her breast again as he thrust against her leisurely. That feeling as she enveloped him, pumping ever so slightly, brought Nigel the comfort he needed.

  His steady slide lulled her into a state of calm, guiding her toward ecstasy. Losing herself in his strokes, she slipped away from reality. Higher and higher, she climbed with him, and her body rippled with the promise of complete gratification. Opening her eyes wide, she looked at Nigel and found his blue eyes looking straight through to her soul.

  So intent on his mission, Nigel held himself back and allowed January to absorb every bit of pleasure he had to give her. However, she wasn’t quite ready for complete release. She wanted to extend these invigorating moments for as long as she could. As she slowed her pace, Nigel took her cue. So sharp as he drove into her, he felt the slice of her nails over his ass, and he waited.

  All he had to do was look at her to arouse her. Now, as he filled her so fully, January thought she just might faint.

  Consumed by their collective passion, she called out to him. Just this closeness was all she needed. For the first time in her life, she didn’t give a damn about the posturing and play of BDSM. Her heart fluttered when he was tender, and he made her giggle with his attempts to dominate her. Perhaps, she was changing her ways. Maybe a new journey was on the horizon.

  Try as he might, Nigel just couldn’t hold on for long. Her cries of lust intensified with his stamina, and January lost all control. He pumped inside her so fast and hard and deep, and she abandoned all rational thought. She needed nothing but this union with Nigel, right there on the coffee table.

  Delight throbbed in her belly, and she doubled her efforts to keep up with him. So fierce were his movements that her tender flesh ached from his pummeling. And January didn’t care. Her submissive-self emerged again, and she wanted to feel that pain long after she had to leave him in the morning.

  Timeframes didn’t exist in their world. Five days felt like a lifetime. And if she really wanted to b
e honest with herself, January would admit that she was already falling in love with him. Nigel set her skin on fire from his first touch, and he ran away with her heart when she was trying so hard to look away.

  “I need you, Nigel…oh, I need you!” she shouted out to him. “Don’t leave me…don’t leave me…”

  His mouth opened slightly, as if he intended to answer her, and then his orgasm poured forth. Although she reveled in pleasure with him, January also wondered what he might have to say.

  Lost were those precious words, but she had to have hope.

  All the while, Nigel held his own emotions close to his heart. He didn’t want her to leave him, but he couldn’t tell her. She had huge aspirations, and she had to fulfill her commitments. He was just another man, living a silly little life in the countryside that he still wasn’t convinced she embraced.

  Hands tightening around her arms, he thrust a final time inside her, forcing himself to release his emotions. He cared for her, but he couldn’t surrender completely—not now. He couldn’t chance losing his heart again.

  They clung to each other—and to those final moments of fantasy. And in silence, they both turned their faces away to weep internally for something that might never become a reality.

  Chapter Twenty

  Throughout the night, January and Nigel drifted in and out of sleep, awakening to find each other’s hands and lips again. At some point, they moved to the couch, and January loved the closeness the small space brought them. She didn’t want to surrender that sense of physical contact with him yet. It was going to be a long and lonely summer.

  As dawn broke, January kept her eyes closed. She couldn’t admit to herself that it was time to leave. In fact, she didn’t even feel like making love that morning because the affection between them would only make her departure harder.

  The weight of her decisions pulled her into a web of despair. Quietly, she slipped out of Nigel’s arms and made her way to the bathroom. There, she put the toilet seat down, and she sat and cried softly.

  Life seemed to deliver a fresh sour lemon to her with every glass of lemonade lately. She adored Nigel. He had lost so much time mourning Charlotte that he was ready now to explore new roads with January. However, she still hadn’t found closure with Etienne. He’d continued to call and text, but she refused to answer him. She almost felt like she had to step back from both men to figure out what was best for her.

  However, leaving Nigel right now seemed too soon.

  Little did she realize that Nigel tossed and turned with his own thoughts. If they only had a few more days together, he just knew they could figure things out. He understood that January still had to process her breakup with Etienne, but he also felt like he needed more time to sway her—to prove to her that he wasn’t just a younger man looking for a kinky hookup.

  When he looked down to find Lenny on the floor, twitching her cute little nose as she looked up at him, his heart sunk again. January didn’t even give him an answer on his offer to babysit.

  Frustrated, he groaned and scooped Lenny into his arms. His feet shuffled along the creaky wooden floors as he headed to the kitchen to feed her. Placing her down on the countertop, he searched for the carrots in the refrigerator, muttering to himself all the while.

  “You know, Len, I wish you’d have a talk with your mum,” he said as he sliced up breakfast for the bunny. “I really like her. And I’m quite fond of you, too. I think I could provide just the guidance you’ve been missing with the Frenchman. We won’t say his name. You both need to just forget him.”

  Meanwhile, he had no idea that January stopped to listen on her way out of the bathroom and stood just behind the wall with her ears wide open.

  “And I probably shouldn’t say this to you, but I rather like this S & M stuff. I know I’m not good at it. And I see her giggling. But I hope she knows I’m trying. It’s rather fun to boss her around.” Nigel turned to look Lenny in the eyes before handing over her dish. “Mum can be a little controlling in her own life. And I like the idea of ordering her around in the bedroom. But please—understand—that’s what I like about her. She’s strong and independent. She knows damn well what she wants, and she intends to get everything on her list.”

  Nigel could only imagine what his own mother would say if she saw him with a rabbit on his kitchen counter, but he didn’t care.

  “I just hope I’m on that list, too…” he whispered.

  “There you two are!” January said as she nonchalantly strolled into the kitchen. “I thought I lost you.”

  As her arms wrapped around Nigel’s waist, he turned to smile. “The baby was hungry. You know, giving me that stare, like a cat.”

  “She does sometimes think that she’s a feline,” January admitted. “I think she wants to stay with you while Mommy’s away—if that offer still stands?”

  Hours had passed since Nigel genuinely grinned. Perhaps, January was thinking ahead. “I would be honored to watch over her while Mum makes her next blockbuster hit.”

  “Yeah…well…let’s hope.”

  On top of everything else, she had to figure out her career, too, and plastic surgery wasn’t an option. Unlike most actresses of her caliber, the quest to maintain eternal youth was never a concern for her. January always thought her mother still looked great in her late-sixties. She didn’t want to resort to looking like some fiendish beauty experiment gone wrong.

  Still so young, Nigel likely hadn’t considered what she might look like as she aged. Now, he liked to see her without make-up, but in five years, she wasn’t sure if he’d be so appreciative.

  For the moment, she just hoped he couldn’t see that she’d been crying. She’d washed her face twice, but he was so perceptive.

  With a kiss to her lips, he held her tight. “You look beautiful this morning,” Nigel whispered as if he could read her mind once again. However, his words stopped there. He just couldn’t say much more.

  “Nigel, I’m glad Lenny’s staying with you,” she said and gave his hand a pull. “She’s been happy this week. I think it’s the country air.”

  “Well, I will take good care of her, and I will make sure she doesn’t hop off into the fields,” he assured her. “And just in case, we do have a wonderful vet for the horses and dogs, and I bet she treats bunnies, too.”

  “You really do have a way of convincing me, don’t you?”

  “And you can Facetime with her whenever you want.”

  “Ah-ha! Even Xav never did that!”

  “She’s like family—and family is important.”

  “Yes, she is…” January agreed. “And I have to get my shit together. Before I lose my shit.”

  “I’m…” He hadn’t expected things to move so quickly that morning, and her brush-off left him unprepared. “I’ll just…get dressed.”

  One by one, he carried her bags out to the car. January didn’t take much time in getting herself ready. In fact, she just pulled her hair back and hid behind a huge pair of Chanel sunglasses.

  Saying goodbye to Lenny rushed the tears back. She hoped she was making the right decision in leaving her behind with Nigel. She didn’t want to consider the thought that their relationship might not survive the summer. However, she trusted her heart for once. Nigel wouldn’t keep Lenny just because their romance soured.

  As he drove her to the main house, he held her hand, but neither spoke a single word. If she wasn’t upset already, the long faces that stared from the porch almost broke her again. “I’ll…I mean…I’d like to drive you to the station, January…”

  “Okay.” She just couldn’t say any more, and she wondered how she would feel if they dragged this out another hour. However, Nigel needed that time to say his good-bye to her. January couldn’t deny him.

  Forcing herself from the car, she ran to Clarissa’s open arms while Xavier moved to help Nigel with the luggage. Since Nigel was going along, they decided to put all the bags in his car, which would allot Xavier some extra time to return the
rental.

  As they began the transfer of Xavier’s luggage, Clarissa held on to January and patted her back. They were both crying now. “Oh, darling, you better return. We are going to miss you so much,” Clarissa rambled. “Where’s Lenny?”

  January looked to Clarissa and then to Lawrence. She could sense that he was just waiting for his hug, too. However, January took a step back and then spun on her heels before she began a very slow walk down the brick steps, as if deep in thought.

  “Lenny’s staying…” January said and then picked up her pace as she headed toward Nigel at the trunk. “Lenny’s staying, and so am I!”

  Into his arms, she jumped and wrapped her legs around his waist, lucky that Nigel had quick reflexes to catch her. She kissed him right on the lips and didn’t give a shit if she embarrassed his parents.

  When they broke, both Nigel and Xavier looked at her, perplexed. “What?” both men shouted at the same time.

  “I have a week—a whole week before I start filming. Why go to Los Angeles now? Why be miserable? I’ll take the overnight next Saturday, arrive on Sunday and go to work on Monday morning. I’ll learn my scenes on the plane—I’m a quick study—and I’ll just…”

  “You’re bloody serious?” Nigel managed to utter as he shook his head. “You are bloody serious…”

  “But I have to get back to Paris!” Xavier reminded her haughtily. “I have a business to run!”

  “Oh, go!” January shouted, but her eyes never left Nigel. “I got business right here to attend.”

  “Condoms for another week?” Nigel murmured.

  “Condoms for another week…and then I promise…no more.”

  “Well…” Xavier folded his arms over his chest as Nigel and January resumed their kiss. He simply shrugged to Clarissa and Lawrence. “I guess the decision has been made…”

  Now, though, Xavier began to wonder if she planned to actually return to film that damn movie. He adored Nigel, but he didn’t want January to give up her career for a man.