What the Heart Desires (Contemporary Erotic Romance)

by Adderly, Allora

  Or at least he pretended to be understanding. Kimberly had a feeling Felix wasn’t the type to ever let a deadline creep up on him. He was more responsible than that. He was the type to have an assignment done well in advance. Sometimes she didn’t know how he could be so damn perfect.

  He crept into the bedroom some time later. Kimberly barely looked up. “What time is it?” she murmured, engrossed in her work.

  “After midnight,” he replied. He looked at the bed. It was covered in textbooks, spreadsheets and notes. “I’ll sleep on the couch tonight,” he said nobly, plucking a pillow off the bed.

  “Thanks,” she murmured, the words hardly registering. “Goodnight.”

  ~~~

  The next morning, Kimberly dragged herself to campus to turn in her paper. She wished she could just submit it online, but her professor was about five hundred years old and very much behind the times. Online submission wasn’t permitted.

  When she approached her classroom, she was only half-surprised to see Garrett sitting down the hall. She quickly deposited her paper on top of the pile on her professor’s desk and then approached him.

  “You look like hell,” he said, not mincing any words.

  “Gee, thanks,” she replied wryly. “I’d like to see how you look after staying up all night!”

  “I bet you would,” he agreed with a cheeky grin.

  She reddened. She hated the way he twisted her words, usually into sexually inappropriate innuendos. She knew he did it just to get under her skin. He seemed to enjoy making her squirm. She scowled at him.

  “Grumpy this morning?” he inquired innocently.

  “And exhausted,” she agreed.

  “Coffee will fix that,” he informed her. “Come on…after all, you owe me!”

  Part of Kimberly wanted to go home to bed, but another part of her didn’t want to deal with Felix. He lived a structured life. He was always up at 7 a.m. regardless of whether he had someplace to be. Sleeping during the daytime was simply not an option unless one was ill.

  She knew he wouldn’t say anything to her if she went home and crawled back into bed, but deep down, she’d know he was secretly judging her for it.

  Maybe coffee was a better alternative.

  “Okay,” Kimberly conceded. “We’ll have coffee, but it has to be quick.”

  ~~~

  Kimberly had to admit the coffee at the place Garrett took her to was pretty amazing. She made a mental note to take Felix there when he visited.

  The coffee was also exactly what she needed to pick her up after staying up all night to finish her paper. As the caffeine surged through her system, she found herself almost giddy with inexplicable happiness.

  The conversation was strange. Garrett asked her the usual questions about herself, but gave her nothing in return. Every time she tried to ask him something personal, he managed to deflect in the most charming way.

  Kimberly found herself transfixed by his dimples. Every time he smiled – or sneered, rather – they made an appearance. Pretty soon, thanks to all the coffee and her overtired state, she had to fight back giggles when she saw them.

  On the surface Garrett came across as an asshole with a huge sense of entitlement. But maybe he wasn’t actually so bad. After all, he’d helped Kimberly and Felix out at the Thai restaurant and he’d generously paid for Kimberly’s cab the previous night. Maybe he was actually a good guy who just had an abrasive personality.

  “So you live here,” Garrett said, planting a sugar canister on the table, “and Not-Husband lives there,” he motioned to a spoon. “And you’re telling me there are no plans for either of you to relocate?”

  “I…no,” Kimberly admitted. “We’re both kind of stuck where we are right now due to our careers. But it won’t be that way forever,” she added quickly. “We’ll figure it out.”

  “How do you make it work?” Garrett wanted to know.

  “We call each other a lot…”

  “Ah, good old fashioned phone sex,” Garrett flashed his dimples once again.

  “No!” Kimberly objected defensively.

  “No?” Garrett held up his hands in surrender. “Okay fine, put your guns away, Kimmy. I wasn’t trying to insult you. There’s nothing wrong with a little raunchy, filthy phone sex. In fact,” he whispered, leaning forward so that his forehead was nearly touching Kimberly’s, “I think that guy over there might be having phone sex right now.”

  Kimberly nearly spit out her coffee when she looked over her shoulder at the guy Garrett was nodding to. He was half-reclined in his chair with his eyes shut and his phone pressed against his ear. He was murmuring something they couldn’t quite make out and shifting around in his chair rather suspiciously.

  “I guess it’s true that there are more weirdos in big cities,” she giggled.

  “I wonder what he’s saying,” Garrett said, a twinkle in his eye. In a high pitched, nerdy voice that was very different from his, he quietly imitated, “Yes, Mistress, please bend me over and spank me before I lick your dirty, stinky toes!”

  “Eww!” Kimberly chortled, thoroughly amused.

  “‘Eww’ to which part?” Garrett inquired, his brilliant green eyes never straying from hers.

  “Eww to the toe licking!” she elaborated, snickering. The thought was both hilarious and absurd to the conservative young woman.

  Garrett shot her a sly grin. “So you’re down with the spanking?” he asked mischievously.

  Kimberly was sure her face must be the same color as her red shirt. “No! I mean…I’ve never done…that,” she explained, flustered by the intimate and kinky nature of the conversation.

  “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it,” Garrett advised. “You might be surprised at just how much it can spice things up. Maybe you should ask Not-Husband to spank you,” he teased. “Anyway,” he said, stretching idly, “I should get going. I have a plane to catch.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “London, England.”

  Kimberly’s eyes widened. “What for?” she asked, intrigued. She’d never been out of the country before, although she’d love to see the world if she had the time and the means.

  “For work,” Garrett replied. “It should be okay. London is usually pretty nice this time of the year, if you don’t mind the rain. Take care of yourself, Kimmy.” Garrett extended his hand in a gesture of goodwill.

  When Kimberly shook it, she was struck by the heat that coursed through her body. Their eyes locked and it was all she could do to tear her gaze away. His eyes were so green and intense! She felt like he could see right into her soul.

  She was alarmed to realize she had an overwhelming urge to throw her arms around him and kiss him. Instead, she cleared her throat and looked away.

  “Will I see you again?” she asked, saddened by the thought that Garrett might just disappear from her life. Although they’d just met and although he could be a bit crass, she enjoyed his company. Besides, given how busy she’d been after moving, she hadn’t really met any new friends outside of work.

  “I’ll be at the Cranberry on the 18th,” Garrett advised, naming a popular club in the heart of the city’s music district. “Come have a drink with me if you like.”

  ~~~

  Kimberly returned to her apartment invigorated, both by the excellent coffee and the company she’d just enjoyed. Something about Garrett always seemed to put her in good spirits. Sure, he was kind of a jerk, but in a harmless, put-on way. She sensed there was more to him beneath the surface than he let on.

  On the bus ride home, Kimberly replayed portions of their conversation in her head. The part about spanking, in particular, lingered in her mind. She leaned her head against the window and shut her eyes, half-dozing as the bus made its stops. Every time it hit a bump, she felt a tingle of excitement between her thighs.

  By the time she got back to the apartment, Kimberly was incredibly aroused.

  Felix was in the kitchen making soup. She launched herself into his ar
ms and kissed him enthusiastically, wrapping her arms around his slender waist.

  “Whoa,” he laughed, taken aback. “What’s gotten into you?”

  Kimberly smiled seductively. “Come to the bedroom and you can get into me,” she offered suggestively. Maybe it was one of those lines that sounded better in her head than when spoken aloud, but Felix nonetheless allowed her to lead him into the bedroom.

  They got onto the bed and Kimberly pulled the covers over them, still a bit too shy to have sex in plain sight. “What brought this on?” Felix marveled as she quickly undressed and then pressed her naked body against him. Her nipples were already as hard as little pebbles and she was kissing him with undeniable urgency.

  “I don’t know,” she murmured, “but I’ve missed you so much.”

  Again, she pressed her lips against his. She ran her fingertips across his smooth shaven face as she kissed him. Felix still seemed surprised, but he kissed her back, running his hand through her long, dark hair.

  She wasn’t in the mood for romance or slow, tender lovemaking. She wanted to fuck. She reached for his pants and, after a moment of fumbling around under the covers, managed to pull them to his ankles.

  She grabbed his flaccid member and frantically did everything she could to make it erect. Her efforts paid off, but the expression of bewilderment on Felix’s face was impossible to ignore.

  “I’ve never seen you like this before,” he marveled. She was unsure if his observation was intended to be a compliment or a complaint.

  “I need you inside me,” she replied, motioning for him to get on top of her. Never before had she been quite that direct. It wasn’t that she wanted to take control (actually, she’d prefer it if he took control). It was just that her need was intense.

  Kimberly sighed contentedly when she finally felt Felix’s hard member push past her slick folds and into her wanting, waiting orifice. To finally have it inside her felt like a dream come true.

  As she began to pump her hips up and down in time with Felix’s, Kimberly’s mind wandered. “I didn’t go to class today,” she confessed suddenly.

  Felix paused. “Were you sick?” The concern on his face was endearing.

  “No,” she admitted, thrusting her hips against his, “I just didn’t feel like going. I was tired after staying up all night, so I went to a coffee shop instead.” She left out the part about Garrett being there. Although their meeting had been innocent, it probably wasn’t the type of thing that should be mentioned while in bed with one’s boyfriend.

  “Oh…” Kimberly could hear the disapproval in his voice. She knew Felix would never skip class without a good reason. She could also tell he was confused, likely wondering why she was telling him now, in the midst of sex.

  “I probably deserve to be punished,” Kimberly told him, remembering the conversation she’d had with Garrettt at the coffee shop.

  Felix said nothing.

  “Maybe you should spank me,” Kimberly offered when it was clear he wasn’t getting the hint. “I deserve it.”

  Felix laughed, sounding a little uncomfortable. “I’m not going to spank you,” he said dismissively. “I could never disrespect you like that. But you really should go to class, you know.”

  “Yeah,” Kimberly said, feeling disappointed. “You’re right.”

  The sex was alright, although Kimberly’s release still left her wanting something more. She nearly asked Felix to give her another orgasm but then thought better of it. She didn’t want him to think she was a greedy lover or a slut, so instead she rolled over and tried to ignore the insistent throbbing in her clitoris as she drifted off to sleep.

  Kimberly’s dreams were sexually charged and disturbingly kinky. She was naked and bound. No matter how much she struggled against her bonds, she couldn’t get loose…nor was she sure she wanted to.

  A big, muscular man whose face was in shadow approached her. Despite the poor lighting, she could tell he was naked, well-endowed and fully erect. Without a word, he stepped between her thighs. She was helpless to close them. He stood so close to her that she could feel the heat from his body against her own.

  His hands mauled at her tits – in her dream, they were most certainly “tits” rather than breasts. She could feel her body responding to his rough ministrations. Her nipples hardened and her hips tilted longingly, her pussy aching to be filled.

  She didn’t care who he was or what he had in store for her. She just wanted to be taken.

  The stranger, it seemed, was more than happy to oblige. She could feel the head of his cock resting right against the entrance to her vagina, teasing her. Wordlessly and without any warning, he plunged his giant, stiff prick right up her slick, defenseless hole. She let out a stifled moan of pleasure.

  “Kimberly?”

  “Mrmnph.”

  “Kimberly, wake up.”

  Reluctantly, Kimberly opened her eyes. Felix was sitting in bed beside her with a book in his hand. He was looking at her with concern. “You were making weird noises,” he told her. “I figured you were having a bad dream.” Then he chuckled. “How did you manage to get so tangled up in the sheets?”

  She wished she could slip back into the dream. Kimberly knew Felix had wakened her with nothing but good intentions, but she nonetheless couldn’t help but be annoyed at the interruption. It had been such a good, sexy dream and now, just like that, it was gone.

  Frustrated, Kimberly punched her pillow a little harder than necessary to fluff it. She wondered if Felix would be up for an encore, but when she turned over to ask him, she saw that he was deeply engrossed in his book.

  With a sigh, Kimberly wrapped herself in a sheet, got out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. In the mirror, she could see her stiff nipples poking excitedly from beneath the cotton sheet she wore. She rubbed them through the fabric, causing them to pucker and harden. Then, on a whim, she pinched them hard.

  “Ouch!” she hissed, surprised at just how sensitive they really were. She wasn’t sure what had come over her, but all of a sudden she’d felt an overwhelming urge to inflict sexual pain on herself. Although the rough treatment of her nipples had hurt, it had also sent a jolt of white hot electricity straight to her pussy.

  She wished Felix would spank her. Ever since Garrett had mentioned spanking at the coffee shop, Kimberly had been unable to get the thought out of her head.

  To be bent over with her panties around her ankles was such a degrading yet enticing thought. To have her bottom spanked by a lover until her cheeks glowed red would be the ultimate humiliation, but she suspected it would also make her incredibly wet and horny. Her fantasies about being spanked certainly did…

  Still staring at her reflection, Kimberly lifted the hem of her knee-length nightgown. There was a wet spot on the front of her panties, evidence of the sexy dream she’d been so enjoying.

  She slid her panties off and spread her legs wide, still holding the nightgown out of the way. In the mirror, she stared at her pink, hairless slit with fascination. Her puffy sex lips were tightly closed and a trickle of moisture was just faintly visible between them. She was so turned on.

  Leaning against the wall, Kimberly rubbed her stiff clit in fast, wet circles, all the while remembering the dream she’d been having. She remembered the helplessness she’d felt at being bound, and the power the naked, erect stranger had had over her defenseless body.

  What would have happened next? Had she not been awakened, would the stranger have fucked her hard and fast, taking his pleasure from her bound, spread body with no regard for her own enjoyment? Or would he have teased her, bringing her to the brink of orgasm over and over again only to deny her what she so badly needed?

  As Kimberly’s imagination went wild, she was startled to find the stranger was, in fact, Garrett Strong. No sooner than she realized that, her body responded to the fingers insistently strumming her engorged clitoris and she came hard, gasping with pleasure as her pussy contracted on her fingers.

  Chapte
r Nine

  “Since when are you interested in live music?” Felix asked.

  It was the 18th. He and Kimberly were in a cab on their way to the Cranberry.

  “I don’t know,” she replied. “Maybe I’m not. I’ve never actually been to a live show before – how will I know if I like it unless I try it? Besides, a friend asked me to drop by. It would be rude of me to not show up. We don’t have to stay long if we’re not having a good time.”

  “Okay,” Felix agreed somewhat begrudgingly. She knew he’d rather be at her apartment enjoying a quiet night in, most likely watching documentaries on television. “I like your hair like that,” he added.

  “Thanks.” Kimberly touched her hair self-consciously. Usually she just left her long brunette locks straight, flowing loosely around her shoulders. Tonight, she’d gone to the effort of curling her hair. The bouncy ringlets framed her face and cascaded down her back in a waterfall of luxurious curls.

  Like Felix, Kimberly felt out of her element at the club. She didn’t fit in with the cool, hipster crowd who drank beverages she couldn’t pronounce and wore the latest fashion trends and listened to live music for fun. She didn’t know what she was even doing at the Cranberry. She just knew she wanted to see what Garrett’s world was like – and, of course, to see Garrett.

  Kimberly and Felix sat at a table near the back of the club. The music was actually rather amazing, although Felix covered his ears and complained that it was too loud. Kimberly found herself tapping her toe in time with the drums as she scanned the club for Garrett.

  When she spotted him seated at a table up front surrounded by a group of very fashionably dressed and important looking people, Kimberly’s heart skipped a beat.

  “I see my friend,” Kimberly told Felix just as the set ended and the band took a break. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

  “Actually,” Felix replied, “I need to use the men’s room. Too much soda water,” he said apologetically, gesturing to his nearly empty glass. “You go ahead and I’ll catch up with you in a few.”