by Anthology
“I had a long talk with myself,” I admit, to my amazement.
His eyebrows slowly rise as he considers my confession. “You’ve been talking to yourself?” A small smile plays on his full lips, but he refrains from making fun of me.
“Yes,” I smile. “I actually had a good, long talk with myself.”
“And what did you and yourself come up with?”
“We’ve decided some major changes are in order. Me and myself, that is.”
His smile crawls across his face, reaches his eyes, and sends my pulse racing. “This I can’t wait to hear.”
“We have a proposition for you. Are you willing to help us out?”
“Why do I get the feeling that I’ll be the dead cat from my intense curiosity?” he asks with his sexy smirk intact.
I shrug but keep eye contact with him. “Why did you just answer my question with a question?”
“Because you’re making me nervous,” he admits.
Equal mixtures of thrill and panic surge through me from his words. I make him nervous? No, it’s definitely the other way around.
“Well, if you’re too scared,” I sigh and intentionally look away. When I turn to walk away, he grabs my hand and holds me in place. I turn my face to look at him directly again and the fire burning in his eyes warms me inside.
“Let’s hear your proposition,” he commands, with his voice strong and sure.
I turn completely toward him and take a half step closer. Even though we seem to be lost in our own world in this conversation, we’re still in the middle of the club, on the dance floor, and people jostle into us from all sides. “Come by my condo tonight so we can talk about in private.”
He hesitates a little too long for my comfort, but I wait him out as if it doesn’t bother me at all. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“How do you know if I have a good idea or not? You haven’t heard it.”
“I meant it’s not a good idea for me to go to your condo tonight,” he clarifies.
“I know what you meant, Jagger,” I reply while giving him the duh look. “But if you’re so positive you don’t want to, I certainly won’t make you.”
When I turn to leave again, I realize he’s still holding my hand. I pointedly look at his hand clasped around mine before I look back up at him. He’s breathing harder and his nostrils flare with each forceful exhale. He’s fighting his desire for me, but I won’t help him with that. I quickly jerk my hand from his grasp, smile, and walk away.
From my peripheral vision, I see he’s still standing in the same spot where I left him after I tell Jennifer and Vince goodbye. I pick up my handbag and make my way out of the club. I can feel his eyes track my every move, watch my every step, and I know he’s waiting for me to look over my shoulder to give him one last, longing look.
I don’t oblige him.
When I step out into the humid, night air, I inhale deeply and move toward a waiting taxi. The driver is leaning up against the car and watches me approach him. “Do you need a taxi?” he asks.
“Yes, please,” I reply.
He opens the car door for me to get in and I hear my name being called from behind me.
“Mali, hold up a minute.”
I throw him a bored look over my shoulder. “What do you want, Jagger?”
“Your address,” he sighs. “I’ll probably end up regretting this, but I know I won’t get a wink of sleep until I find out what this idea of yours is.”
It’s my turn to make him wait for my answer. I pretend to take a few seconds to think about it and give him the impression I’m having my own second thoughts.
“Fine,” I sigh. “But don’t waste my time. If you’re not there within the hour, don’t bother coming at all.”
I rattle off my address to him and watch as he realizes it’s in one of the most prestigious buildings in the area. The cab driver clears his throat to get my attention so I slide into the back seat. Jagger’s dark brown eyes follow me as the cab pulls away from the curb.
My silent prayer is that my plan actually works.
JAGGER
I PACE BACK AND FORTH on the sidewalk outside the club while I think about her request. Come to my condo so we can talk in private. If I go to her condo, talking will be minimal and only about the things that I want to do to her. Or what I want her to do to me. Or what we’ll do to each other.
If I don’t go, my overactive imagination will forever torture me with vivid scenes of what her proposition is. My gut says she’ll request something insane. And for one fucking reason or another, I’ll actually agree to it and later kick myself repeatedly for my stupidity.
But if I don’t go to her, I’ll go home with someone else from the club and work out all my sexual frustrations on her instead. Then I’ll leave before she even wakes up and my sanity will remain intact. That’s the option I should go with. It’s the safest route and the one with fewest variables.
It’s not the one I’ll fucking choose though and I damn well know it. I know I’m walking straight into a trap but I’m going to do it anyway. Shaking my head, I stomp off to my truck and drive to her condo on automatic pilot.
When I pull up to the gated entrance, I wonder if she’s already given my name to the guard. He opens the door to the security hut with his clipboard in his hand, and gives me a suspicious look. “Name?”
“Jagger York,” I reply. A miniscule part of me hopes she forgot or changed her mind, so the guard will send me packing.
“Miss Greyson is expecting you,” he confirms and presses the button to open the gate. “Have a nice night.” His tone leaves no doubt that he knows I’m here for a late night booty call.
I don’t know if I should be more worried that he’s right, or that he’s wrong.
After finding a parking spot, I walk to the elevators and ride to the penthouse suite of this ultra-swanky complex. When I ring the doorbell, it takes a couple of seconds before I hear movement inside. The sounds of the deadbolt and doorknob being unlocked do nothing to settle my sudden case of nervousness.
When Mali opens the door, my nerves dissipate and all I can think about is where I’ll put my mouth first. She’s wearing a short, silky white nightgown. The material both flows over and hugs her shapely body. Her erect nipples press against the flimsy material and cause an uncomfortable tightness in my jeans.
“Come on in, Jagger,” she says casually, as she turns to walk toward the couch. The material barely covers her perfectly firm ass cheeks and stops just low enough to tease me with the hope of a sneak peek. “Have a seat.”
She sits and pulls her legs up on the couch. She leans them over to the side as she puts her weight on one hip. The fabric of her nightgown stretches across her chest, further accentuating her breasts. My eyes travel down her torso and take in her beauty. I can’t recall a time before when I’ve felt so stupid and so enraptured with a woman.
Intentionally sitting across from her in the chair, I keep my expression passive. “So, why am I here, Mali?”
“Tonight has been very eye opening for me,” she starts. “First, that guy Chad humiliated me on the dance floor in front of everyone, but no one around me would help. Until you jumped off the stage.
“But even before tonight, I realized that I haven’t really been living life. My parents sheltered me so much and kept me away from anything they considered unpleasant. It’s good in a way, but in another way it robbed me of being able to function in those situations.
“Anyway, when I went to the bathroom to collect myself, a couple of girls came in and said some things about me that were really hard to hear. Their words hurt at first, but when I realized how right they were, that hurt even worse.”
She stops talking for a minute to gauge my reaction. So far, I haven’t heard anything I think I need to respond to. She had an epiphany about herself tonight. Good for her. Does she want a medal?
“I asked you to come here tonight because I think you can help me change a few things abou
t myself. You have quite a reputation for being a ladies’ man, of being fearless, and taking risks others wouldn’t dream of taking.
“I’m here for the summer and all I’m asking for is your time. Spend just one summer with me to help me do the things that scare me. To help me step out and live life just for the sake of living. To be my ‘for a good time, call’ teacher.”
I’m literally stunned speechless for a minute. “Let me get this straight. You said a lot, so I’m going to paraphrase and you let me know if I’m on target.”
“Okay,” she agrees.
“You want me to teach you how to be the female version of me?”
CHAPTER FOUR
JAGGER
AM I ON HIDDEN CAMERA? This has to be the most well played practical joke and I’m the ass-end of it. There’s no way she’s really asking for a summer full of one-night stands with me. Vince was right when he said Mali is a good girl. She just thinks she wants to be bad, to be different from what she’s always been. That’s why her reply stuns the shit out of me.
“Yes, exactly that,” she confirms. “Except I don’t want to sleep with a bunch of different guys. That’s not what I mean. I only want it to be with you. Can I have one summer, just one summer, with you, to learn to let go?”
“So, you’re not fucking any other guys all summer. And you expect me to not fuck anyone but you all summer?” I ask.
“Is that so bad?”
I detect the hurt tone in her voice. “It’s not that you make it bad, Mali. I just don’t do monogamy very well. Or at all, actually.”
“I’m not asking you to fall in love with me. That’s not what I want either. I’m leaving at the end of the summer. I have my own plans and career goals. But I want to really live my life while I’m young. I know myself too well, Jagger. I won’t take that leap without help,” she pleads.
I rake my hand through my hair and quickly stand. Disappointment covers her face when she thinks I’m about to walk out on her.
“You’re putting me in a really tough spot here, Mali. I mean, look at you. Of course I want to do this with you. But spending the whole summer with one person, when I’ve never wanted to be tied down to one person for even one day, is a lot to consider.” My frustration has me pacing back and forth again.
Then a thought hits me. A way out. She’ll tell me to fuck off and I can leave knowing it wasn’t my choice.
“What do I get out of this?” I ask.
“What?” she asks incredulously. “What do you mean by that? You’ll get me.”
“No, you’ll get me,” I emphasize. “My time, my advice, and my instruction. What do I get in return?”
She looks perplexed for a moment and I draw up to my full height. My triumph over this insane proposition will fall from her lips any second now when she concedes she has nothing to offer me. I cross my arms over my chest and wait for those magical words.
“I’ll make sure my father listens to your music,” she says. “I can’t guarantee that he’ll produce you, but I can promise that he’ll hear your songs and make his own decision.”
She could easily knock me over with a fucking feather. If a breeze were to blow through this condo, I’d be knocked the fuck out. She used her ace in the hole to trump my faceless card. I stare at her and wait for her to laugh, say she’s kidding, and that I can leave now. But she doesn’t.
“Is that good enough?” she asks meekly.
Why do I feel like a lamb is being led to the slaughter, and I’m the lamb?
“That’s good enough,” I nonchalantly reply. She just used the very thing–the only thing–that could make me agree to this ludicrous idea. “But this is for just one summer. This is not forever after. This is not a happily ever after fairytale. This is not a couple of people who suddenly realize they’re madly in love and can’t live without each other.”
“I completely agree,” she nods. “This is you teaching me how to overcome my inhibitions and experience all the things I’m too afraid to try on my own.”
“Tell me something. Why me?” I ask, genuinely interested in her answer.
She looks down at the floor, too embarrassed to admit her reason.
“Mali. First rule is, you have to be completely honest with me, no matter how embarrassed you are to say it. That’s the only way I can give you what you need,” I explain.
“Jennifer told me a lot about you on the way to the club last week,” she replies with a shrug, but she doesn’t finish that thought. “She was actually warning me about you. But there’s just something about you. And tonight when you stopped that guy, I felt safe with you. But being around you also makes me feel dangerous. Reckless. Impetuous,” she confesses.
“Ah, now I see. The bad girl you’ve repressed underneath that good girl image wants to come out and play. And I’m the one who can unleash her,” I summarize.
“Yes,” she whispers, desperation lacing her tone.
My knees nearly give out when she answers. Her one word holds more desire, more need, and more longing than the forward advances from all the other girls combined. For the first time since I hit puberty, I don’t know what to say or where to start.
I feel like a fucking fish out of water, so I decide to do what I do best. My fingers grip her hand and pull her to stand directly in front of me. My knuckles graze her cheek and continue down her long, slender neck until I reach the dip at her collarbone.
Lengthening my fingers, I use the tips to lightly brush against the skin along the base of her throat. On a downward stroke, my index finger flows over her silky smooth skin. I continue moving over the silky smooth fabric of her nightgown, moving slowly between her breasts, and down her taut stomach.
Her breath hitches in her chest as she inhales sharply. Her lips part as she lightly pants with anticipation of what I’ll do to her next. My hand stills just as I cross the top of her lacy panties and I intentionally hold it there. I want the heat from my hand to physically make her burn with desire.
“What do you want me to do next, Mali?” I ask, in my take-charge-alpha-tone. The tone that says I know what she wants, but I expect her to verbally admit it.
“What do you want to do?” she replies and tries to turn it back on me.
Slowly, I shake my head from side to side but keep my eyes locked on hers. “No, ma’am,” I tsk her. “Consider this your first test. If you don’t pass the test, I’ll be on my way home. Now tell me, Mali. What do you want me to do next?”
“I want you to kiss me,” she responds. “Show me you can’t get enough of me. Like you’re dying for a single drop of water in the hottest desert and only I can quench your thirst.”
Her request really isn’t that far-fetched. I’ve wanted to get lost in her mouth, and in her body, since I first laid eyes on her. Moving my hands to cup her cheeks, I slide them to the back of her head and thread her hair through my fingers. When I crush my mouth to hers, all that is innately Mali floods my senses.
Her sweet flavor invades my mouth while her sensual perfume conquers my sense of smell. She steps into me and her soft, voluptuous curves press against the hard muscles of my body. I feel her soft moans resound through my chest as our tongues meet. For the first time in a very long time, I’m genuinely concerned that the zipper of my jeans won’t be able to withstand the growing pressure behind it.
Breaking the kiss for a minute to breathe, we’re both reluctant to put too much distance between us. My lips hover just above hers as my body begs for just one more taste, one more touch, and one more minute of sheer delight. What’s really off the charts right now is, I’m more focused on getting one more mind-blowing kiss than I am on fucking her.
What the hell is wrong with me?
My fingers skim up her arms, grip her shoulders, and turn her away from the couch. Using my body to control her, I walk her backward until she meets the wall. My arms slide around her waist as my mouth covers hers again. She willingly meets my vigor as her tongue strokes mine. She pulls me to her and the weight
of my body pins her to the wall. My hips surge up involuntarily and demonstrate my utter lack of control. She whimpers and grips my shirt in her fists when the bulge in my pants grinds into her clit. Her fingernails dig into my skin as the kiss and the dry humping become more forceful, needy, and consuming.
“Stay with me tonight,” she simultaneously asks and states when she pulls her lips from mine.
“I’d love to,” I reply. “But I can’t stay tonight.”
She jerks her head back and looks at me like I’ve just slapped her. “Let me guess. You have company coming early in the morning and you really need to get home and get your beauty sleep,” she says sarcastically.
“That’s almost all true,” I tell her. “My parents and my sister are coming to stay with me. I’m not the best housekeeper, so I really do need to be there to pick up before my family gets here. The only thing you’re wrong about is the beauty sleep part. I think I’m good on that for a while.”
“Are you serious? Your family is really coming and it’s not that you just don’t want me?” she asks softly.
Sliding her hand down across my crotch, I smirk. “How can you possibly think I don’t want you?”
She surprises me when she doesn’t move her hand away. “That is a persuasive argument,” she replies breathily.
“Come by my place tomorrow morning around ten and hang out with me. You can meet my family. If we’re going to be together all summer, we need to get the introductions over with sooner rather than later,” I offer and give her my address. “They visit me quite a bit during peak season.”
“Okay,” she nods. “I’ll be there. Good night, Jagger.”
“Goodnight, Wildcat.” I chuckle, give her one more smoldering kiss, and hightail my ass out of her apartment before I change my mind.
I’m in a daze as I leave Mali’s condo. This is insane but I can’t stop myself. What is it about this girl that has me reacting to her so differently than I have any other? I’ve never jumped off stage and pummeled a guy like that before. And after it was all over, I even went back to give his mouth another taste of my knuckle sandwich. When I saw his hands on her, I lost my shit like never before.