“You’re welcome. I’m glad it makes you happy.”
We finish all of the food off, and he pours me my third glass of wine. I’m sated, happy, relaxed.
“I’ve never seen you drink,” I observe.
“I don’t,” he answers. “Well, I have in the past, but generally, I don’t.”
“Can I ask why?”
He takes a deep breath and leans back in his chair. “My mother was an alcoholic. She died in a drunk driving accident. Luckily it only involved her car.” He looks down at his lap for a moment and something dark and sad passes over his face. “I don’t want to become her, so I don’t drink. Pretty simple really.”
He gives me a small smile, but it’s weak, and I begin to understand more why he doesn’t like the family business. Selling alcohol to earn a living when it’s the thing that killed your mother. What an irony. What a sad, sick irony.
“I’m sorry. About your mother. But I can certainly understand why you don’t drink. Do you mind when other people do?”
“Not at all. Unless they abuse it. But I would have never ordered wine for you if I minded you having a few drinks.” He smiles and it’s warmer, stronger. “I want you to enjoy yourself, Solnishka.”
I reach across the table and squeeze his hand. His thumb strokes my palm and I want to pull him to me, fold myself in his warmth and listen to his heart.
“I am. I’m enjoying myself very much.”
“Good. Now, how about a lesson in Gorodki?”
“Go easy on me?”
“You’ll do fine, I promise.”
Like with everything he says to me, I believe him, and I realize the reason why—Mick has been nothing but transparent with me. Since the very first day. When he wanted to have sex with me, he said so. When he wanted to take me out, he said so. When he wanted to get away from me, he said that too. It hurts deep inside my chest to think that while he might not have been perfect, he’s been honest, while I, have lied to him the entire time we’ve known each other.
But now I’m in so deep there is no way to tell him without looking like what I am—a liar. I’ve backed myself into a corner, and the only way out is to bring down the whole building with me.
We play Gorodki, and I’m almost as bad at it as I am at bowling, but I have to admit that he is amazingly patient as a teacher. He sticks with it, no matter how frustrated I get, and by the end of the game I’m actually able to play without making a complete fool of myself.
“You’re a good coach,” I tell him as he packs up the funny wooden pieces in a bag.
“It’s funny, I used to spend a lot of time helping out my friends when they were struggling in hockey as kids. I never thought much of it, but since I’ve started coaching the girls I realize that was always one of my favorite things to do. I love watching someone figure it out when they’re trying to play a sport.”
“I can see why you wouldn’t be a good match for your dad’s business then,” I say without thinking. “There’s no hand holding in corporations. If you want to survive you have to figure things out fast, on the fly, and by yourself most of the time. You’re too supportive to run a company like Petrovich.”
He takes my hand and leads me to the fancy tent with all its comfy cushions. “That reminds me—I don’t think I’ve ever asked what it is you do and where you work?”
Fuck. My heart plunges into my stomach and my mind races. I hate this. I hate it.
“Um, I’m in marketing. I design ad campaigns, print, digital. It’s boring.”
We sit down on some sort of fluffy thing that’s like a sofa all covered in blankets and comforters, but on the ground. I sink into it like I’m sinking into these lies.
“I don’t think it’s boring,” he says, lifting my hand to his lips. “It’s obviously very important to you, so I want to hear about it.”
I want to cry right now. Or scream. Or go hide in my apartment—my real apartment with Marissa, where gorgeous hockey players aren’t next door seducing me and making me lie to them. I could confess. Right now, I could confess the truth, I could tell him that at first it didn’t seem like it would matter, but later, I was afraid of getting in trouble at work. But then I think back to the look on his face when he talked about Petrovich Vodka, to his mother, drinking herself to a horribly early death. How can I possibly tell him I work for his family’s company now? He’ll never understand, and he’ll never forgive me.
“Okay,” I begin, my mind racing. “Um, so like I said, I design ad campaigns.”
“What’s the company?” he asks again.
“It’s a food and beverage company.” That’s right, Solana, try not to lie too much, you evil traitor. I think of one of the companies I did a project for in school. “They’re actually not located here in Chicago, but they have a small office for the finance and marketing staff. They produce organic stuff.” Yeah, Forester Farms. I know enough about their operation to make this believable.
“That’s great. And you like it there? When did you start?”
I clear my throat. “I do like it, and I started right before I met you.”
He nods, and I take the opportunity of his momentary silence to change topics as fast as I can.
“So have you picked out a movie for us?”
“I have,” he says, winking at me. “And you’re going to love it.”
19
Mick
The Fast and the Furious. Okay, so it’s not a chick flick, but come on, fast cars, sex, women in tight clothes, what’s not to like? However, all it seems to do is put Solana to sleep. An hour in and she’s got her pretty head on my shoulder passed out cold. I flip the screen off and look down at her long lashes resting on those high cheekbones. Her golden curls have fallen around her shoulder and dip down into her cleavage. I ache to run my finger along those locks, and then down between her breasts.
“Solnishka,” I whisper as I gently nudge her. Dammit. If it weren’t for my leg I’d pick her up and carry her downstairs, but there’s no way that’s happening.
“Hey, baby,” I croon. “Time to wake up.”
Her big sleepy eyes drift open and she looks up at me. My heart just fucking stops. Right then. Right there.
“Hey,” she murmurs. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep. It’s just been a really long week.”
I stroke down her silky hair. “It’s okay, I understand. Are you ready to go back downstairs?”
She snuggles in closer to me. “Huh uh. Let’s just stay here.”
I nearly groan at the idea. Because I’d love nothing more than to press her into the cushions beneath us and bury myself in her balls deep.
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea, baby. You’re tired, you need to get some sleep.”
She slides a hand up the side of my face and pulls me toward her. “I’m not that tired,” she answers, her voice rough and sleepy.
“Solana,” I warn.
“What’s the matter?” she whispers as her lips brush against mine. “Don’t you want to give me a tour of your bedroom?”
I growl as I kiss her back, the whole thing escalating instantly. She’s soft, everywhere, and I can’t help but run my hands over her curves, the dip in her waist, the plump underside of her tits.
“God, Solnishka,” I groan. “The things I think about when I’m with you.”
“Show me,” she moans as her tongue slides against mine, and I nip at her bottom lip, drawing it into my mouth before releasing it with a hiss.
“Are you sure?” I pant, palming her breast and feeling that hard little jewel beneath my hand.
She pulls away and looks me in the eyes. She’s flushed, her lips shiny and wet. “Yes,” she tells me seriously. “I’m sure. Show me all of it, Mick. All the things you’ve thought of doing.”
“Fuck,” I gasp. I push her down on the pile of cushions, reaching behind me and pulling off my shirt at the same time. She looks up at me with liquid eyes and runs her hands up my torso.
“You’re ho
t, hockey boy.”
I grin. “So are you. And now it’s your turn.” I wiggle my eyebrows as I tug on the tie around her neck. It comes undone and I slowly peel the front of the dress down, like I’m taking off a layer of her armor, revealing the soft, pink secret underneath. Her tits are gorgeous, plump, firm, and tipped with rosy buds that stand out like soldiers at attention.
“Are you cold?” I ask, teasing.
“Maybe,” she answers. “I bet if you put something warm on them they’d feel better.”
I lean down and take one perfect nipple in my mouth. “Like this,” I say around a mouthful of perfection.
“Oh God, yes. Right there.”
I massage the other side while I continue to suckle this one. She writhes beneath me and my dick becomes so hard I’m afraid I’m going to pop off like a teenage boy.
When I can’t stand it anymore I reach down and lift the hem of her dress, skimming my hand up her thigh until I hit wet heat. “Jesus, baby. These have to be the smallest underwear I’ve ever seen,” I say as I lift up to take a peek at what lies underneath her dress.
“Mmm,” is the only response I get as I put my finger underneath the tiny slip of fabric that covers her mound and slide it down through her wet slit.
She’s slick, and hot, and so fucking responsive when I rub a circle around her clit.
“Oh, Mick,” she moans.
I lean back over her and press my open mouth to her neck as I work two fingers inside of her and begin to stroke in and out. Her hips rise and fall in synchronicity with my hand, and I press my cock into her hip in time with the whole thing too. Her movements get jerky, and her gasps louder, until I plunge my fingers inside deep, pressing my thumb against her clit at the same time. She cries out, and I feel her smooth muscles convulse around my fingers over and over again.
As she comes down, she nips at my jawline, chuckling in a sexy as fuck voice that makes me want to drive myself so deep inside of her I’ll never come out.
“God, you’re good at that,” she whispers, licking a place she just nipped.
“Only the best for you, baby.”
“I think you have too many clothes on though.”
I agree, but I’ve got some other plans. “Come here,” I say, helping us both stand. I took my leg brace off before we started the movie and it’s a relief to have the freedom of motion. I’m only a week from being able to get out of it for good, so I don’t think it’s going to hurt anything.
I reach behind her and slowly unzip the back of her dress, letting it fall to the floor in a heap. Then I tuck my thumbs under the straps of her thong and slide it down her long, smooth legs.
“I said you were wearing too much,” she teases.
“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of that.”
I lead her outside, and she looks around suspiciously, covering her chest with her free arm.
“Hey,” I tell her, chucking her under the chin. “We’re the only ones who can get up here tonight. I made sure the building’s security knew to keep this entirely closed off. You don’t need to worry.”
I take her to the Jacuzzi and help her in, then I drop trou, making sure to leave my wallet easily accessible before I climb in with her.
“Skinny dipping, huh?”
“Have you ever been?” I ask as I pull her onto my lap, her knees on either side of my hips.
“Once, when I was twelve, with my girlfriends. We thought we were very risqué.”
I laugh. “I think it might be a little more risqué tonight.”
“I think it’ll be a lot more fun tonight.” Before I know what’s happening, she dives down under the water and wraps her lips around my dick. Holy fuck. I jerk in response, nearly coming up out of the water. Her mouth moves up and down over my cock, and I feel the gentle scrape of her teeth as she draws back before plunging me inside her hot sweet mouth over and over.
Her hair is floating in the water all around me, and I grab the strands and let them run through my fingers as I pump in and out of her mouth. After a few more strokes she releases me and pops up out of the water, her eyelashes sparkling, and a giant grin on her face.
She pushes the hair back out of her wet face and I grab her and yank her to me, kissing her with everything I’ve got. Her little hands are all over me, my nipples, my cock, my balls, my ass. I just hold her tight and let her explore to her heart’s content as I suck on her tongue, comb the recesses of her mouth, and relish her tight little ass on my thighs.
When she wraps her legs around my waist and squeezes, I know I can’t take much more.
“I need to get inside you, baby,” I gasp.
“Yes, you do,” she agrees readily.
I reach blindly along the edge of the Jacuzzi until I find my wallet and then I have to pull away from her addictive mouth to free the condom. I toss the wallet away on the rooftop and tear the condom wrapper open with my teeth. She watches me with a gleam in her eyes the entire time.
Finally, I set her off of me and stand up out of the water to roll the condom on, when I sit back down she climbs on and straddles me, up on her knees still, looking down at me. She is so beautiful it makes something inside of me open up. Something I’ve never felt before, and I gently cup her face, now not in such a big hurry to fuck her, wanting to take my time and remember every second of it.
“Come here, Solnishka,” I whisper before pulling her down. She grasps my cock before she sits, and I slide into her in one smooth motion, buried to the hilt, and overcome with ecstasy.
Her head drops to my shoulder and I tighten my arms around her tiny waist. “So incredibly perfect,” I murmur in her ear. “I knew it would be.”
We begin to move, the hot water brushing against us, surrounding us where we’re joined, as our upper bodies are caressed by the crisp night air. Her nipples are hard against my chest, and I can tell she loves rubbing them on the hair I have there.
She slides up and down on my cock, making the sweetest little gasps of pleasure, and my balls get tighter and tighter as she continues to move on me.
“Oh God,” she chants quietly in the dark. “Oh God.”
I thrust harder and faster, putting my hands on her waist to guide her in the rhythm I want. And I’m getting closer and closer.
“Baby, I need you to come,” I demand. Then I put my hand between us and press my thumb to her clit again and she falls into a million sparkling pieces right before my eyes. Her cries echo out over our rooftop paradise, and I thrust hard into her one more time, my entire body shuddering with the waves of pleasure that roll through me. I have never come so hard in my life, and the aftershocks pulse until I feel like I might collapse.
When we’ve both come back down, I hold her as she rests against my chest and I stroke her long hair, over and over.
“Wow,” I say when I’m able to speak.
She laughs softly. “That’s one way of putting it.”
We both laugh breathlessly, and then she pulls back and looks me in the eyes. It’s then that I know. This isn’t an ordinary fuck. She isn’t an ordinary girl. That wasn’t ordinary sex. No, that was something more, something once in a lifetime. And she’s more, a chance I might never get again. My heart races, and my skin prickles with awareness.
“Are you okay?” she looks at me quizzically.
“Yeah, baby,” I kiss her nose, “I’m so much better than okay.”
“Mmm. Take me to bed, Mick.”
“Anything you want, baby. Anything you want.”
20
Solana
Mick and I spend the entire weekend together. There’s a lot of sex, a lot of laughing, and a lot of food. But we’ve just finished dinner and it’s Sunday night, and I’m getting nervous because tomorrow morning I have to go back to work. It’s like a slap in the face—the reminder that I’ve been lying to this man and he’s being nothing but open and wonderful with me.
“What time do you have to go to work in the morning?” he asks from his bedroom where he’s grabbin
g the remote for the TV.
“I usually leave at seven,” I answer. I’m on the sofa waiting for him because we planned to watch a few episodes of Game of Thrones. He got me hooked on it over the weekend and we’ve been bingeing on it like the sex and food.
He walks back into the room, a grin on his face. “Why don’t I drive you so you don’t have to take the train? I’m close enough to being out of the brace I can finally get my car out of the garage.”
My throat nearly closes up. Shit, shit, shit.
“Oh, um, that’s okay, really. I kind of use the time on the train to get organized for the day.”
He cocks his head a touch. “If I drive, you can leave later and use the extra time for organizing though, right?”
I feel heat suffuse my cheeks. I’m a terrible liar, and he’s not making it easy.
“Oh, you’re so sweet, but I can’t make you get up that early.”
He sits next to me. “I really don’t mind,” he says as he tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear. “I can just head to a workout after I drop you. Your office is near
State Street, right? My dad’s offices are right there too, I’ll go use the company gym and have a cup of coffee with the old man. It’ll work out great.”
“Oh!” I exclaim, snapping my fingers as if I’ve just realized something. “I completely forgot, I’m supposed to meet my boss at one of our clients’ offices way out in Schaumberg. Seriously, driving out there would take longer than the train. But another time I’d love to get a ride from you.” I lean up and kiss him, giving the corner of his mouth a little lick.
“Okay,” he sighs. “Does that mean you won’t have a sleepover with me?” he asks as cute as a little boy.
I grab the remote from his hand and toss it on the coffee table, then climb onto his lap, straddling his big thighs. I lean in and rub my boobs against his chest at the same time I press my lips to his ear and whisper, “I’ll tuck you in before I leave.”
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