Chocolate Kisses

by Francis Ray

  Damn, he was close. “Did you bring any condoms?”

  Nic paused. “Yeah, but I left them in my car.”

  “From the cookie jar?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “I’m close, Nic. I don’t have any either.”

  “That’s okay, Marcus,” she murmured against him. One hand continued to stroke down his shaft while her other deft fingers caressed and massaged his balls. She pressed an openmouthed kiss to the head of his cock.

  “We don’t need a condom. I want to taste you. I want to feel the pulse of your climax throb against my palm.” She stroked down his dick, slick and lubricated from the wetness of her mouth. “I want to taste your explosion, feel the heat on the back of my throat. I want to make you cum in my mouth.” As if to put proof behind her words, she closed around him, drawing him deep and tightening the fingers around his shaft.

  The climax ripped through his body, causing a roar of pleasure, pure and unabated, to pour from his chest. Hot, thick liquid jetted from his dick. “Ahh.” His body was milked while the muscles in her throat caressed him as she swallowed. One hand became a fist; the other stilled with fingers halfway plunged into her vagina in search of the pearl of her clit.

  Shaking from the power of his release, Marcus waited as the tilt of the world righted itself, until his mind recovered, until the pleasure surging through his veins abated enough for him to think.

  “You’re amazing, Nic,” he said, his breathing uneven.

  She lifted her head, her lush pink lips slightly swollen and shimmering with the remnants of how her mouth had made love to him. She smiled, the tip of her pink tongue running across her lower lip as she sat back, her face a strange combination of both satisfaction and strain.

  “You liked that, huh?” she asked, her voice heavy with humor, husky with desire.

  “Hell, yeah, I liked that. Come here.” He placed his hand behind her head and dragged her forward, slanting his head as he claimed her lips. He tasted what remained of his sex, heard her slight whimper tinged with need. Her small hands gripped the front of his shirt as she rocked gently in his direction, a pace reminiscent of the one she’d used on his cock. He knew she needed fulfillment.

  He released her lips and pulled away. A hungry plea escaped her. “Come here,” Marcus said, placing his hands on her narrow waist, turning her so her back rested against his chest. He circled her body with his arms, one large palm coming to rest on her left breast. His thumb stroked across her pert nipple, drawing a shudder from her supple body.

  “Does that feel good?”

  “Yes.” Her head to lolled to the side.

  Marcus chuckled at her open invitation to nibble her slender neck, its tone a warm caramel. Not one to resist a beautiful woman begging to be touched, he lowered his head and pressed his lips to the pulse point on her skin, then kissed a light path to the hollow of her throat.

  With one hand massaging her breast and tweaking her nipple, he dropped the second hand lower, back to the pool of moisture between her legs.

  “You’re wet, Nic. And hot.” His fingers slid past the well-trimmed patch of hair to the damp folds protecting the treasure of her clit.

  Parting her lips, Marcus slipped one finger inside the well of her body’s liquid heat, then two, stroking and teasing. “I want you wetter,” he said. The timbre of his voice had dropped, and although he was sated, blood rushed to his flesh again, leaving him half-erect with the new stirrings of arousal.

  “Wetter?” she panted.

  “Wetter. I want to feel your liquid fire on the palm of my hand. I want to make you cum.” He turned his hand, keeping his fingers buried deep inside, his thumb finding the pearly bead of her clit and brushing against it. She trembled in his arms.

  “Marcus,” she whispered, her head rolling from side to side.

  He rubbed against her again, pushing in a slow, steady rhythm. His fingers slipped from her, dragging wetness to the patch of hair, across her lips, then teasing the opening of her vagina before plunging back in.

  “Marcus!” she cried out. Her voice was tight. Her body shook in his arms.

  He knew her release was near. Knowing how close she was to climax, he gathered her tightly in his arms so that when she leaped off the crest of pleasure she’d know she wouldn’t fall. With her body pressed close to his, he lowered his lips to her throat once more.

  Spreading a dusting of kisses along the line of her jaw, Marcus circled his thumb around her clit two quick times. She exploded. Her body convulsed, each of the tiny tremors of her flesh gripping his buried fingers.

  “Marcus?” Her voice was low and filled with wonder.

  “I got you, love,” he replied, enjoying the beauty of her release. From her profile, he could see the shadow of her long black lashes resting against her soft cheek, and her parted lips slightly trembling from the rush of orgasm.

  Awed, Marcus had no idea he could take so much pleasure in getting a woman off; yet with Nicole he couldn’t even imagine taking his own release and not offering her the same. It had never mattered to him before. But this was his Nicole. My Nicole for now; she’ll move on once I’m gone. Was it jealousy that twisted in his gut?

  Long minutes ticked by. The CD paused at the end before it started over again, reminding Marcus just how long they had been at play. When her breathing slowed to normal, she slanted her head and looked back at him, a shy smile flashing across her face.

  It was the shyness that undid him. His Nicole, audacious and confident, successful and bold, felt shy about the intensity of her climax. Her wary glance tugged at his heart. Wanting to reassure her, he repeated his earlier appraisal: “You’re amazing, Nic.”

  Her eyes sparkled. Tossing a glance back at him, she laughed, her brashness back. “You promised lunch, and I’m tarving.”

  “So am I.” Marcus realized just how hungry he was now that one appetite had been sated. Leaning forward, he placed a quick kiss on her lips before he turned away to right his clothing.

  Nicole giggled as she shimmied her cotton summer dress down her hips. With her soft laugh the newness of lovers eased away, replaced by a time-tested friendship.

  After they’d clicked their seat belts back in place, Marcus lowered the volume on the CD player. With one hand casually draped on top of the steering wheel, he asked, “So what type of food do you want?”

  “Something close. I didn’t realize just how hungry I was until now. Whatever, but make it soon.”

  “No problem.” Marcus shifted the truck into gear and rolled away from the shade offered by the canopy of leaves into the brilliance of the springtime sun. He pulled into light traffic and cruised down the road, making a left at the following light.

  A few blocks later he pulled into a small parking lot filled with cars before a small café. Round white tables were scattered upon the sidewalk, each with a large green-and-white umbrella offering protection from the sun. Guiding Nicole to the last empty table, he held out a chair for her to sit down.

  “You know, I need to use the bathroom first. Order me a soda, okay?” Nicole smiled, waiting for him to nod; then she turned away.

  Marcus sat down and watched her retreating backside, a perfect swell atop shapely, long legs. Her hips swayed as she walked, a come-hither siren’s call. Damn. And he was lured to her like a bee to honey. Bad analogy, he thought, shaking his head. A bear to honey, maybe? Nah, a bear to chocolate. He grinned.

  Easing back in his seat, he glanced around the café, noticing at once that he wasn’t the only man who appreciated Nicole’s beauty or her sexual appeal. Several men had their eyes glued to her rear end, and openly appraised her with lust written clearly on their faces.

  A surge of anger filtered through his blood. Shaking his head, Marcus tried to cleanse his mind of the fierce possessiveness he felt toward Nicole. They were friends and had no strings attached. Despite the fact that they’d been making love every Saturday night for the last month, he had no claim on Nicole.

  A few momen
ts later Nicole returned and sat beside him. When the waiter arrived they ordered Cokes and cheeseburgers, with a big basket of fries. Chatting between bites, Nicole told him with animated eagerness about how her promotion to junior partner would change her duties at her law firm and give her a new office with a big window.

  And then her face changed with her tone. A spark of passion flared in her eyes as she told him of several women at the shelter she was representing.

  With them both busy with their careers, Marcus had really missed just hanging out for the afternoon with her as they’d done so many times over the years. He’d yearn for this once he moved. Though the thought of asking her to move with him had played through his mind, he knew he shouldn’t. He wouldn’t ask her to leave her job. Her work was important.

  Marcus stared at her profile, committing it to memory as she talked. He had to wonder what would happen once they were living three thousand miles apart.

  “Marcus? Marcus?” she repeated.

  His attention snapped to her face. “What?”

  She flashed him a kick-ass sexy smile that rushed blood to his cock, leaving him fully erect again. Can I not get enough of this woman?

  “I asked if you wanted to go for a walk.”

  “A walk sounds good.”

  They finished their meal, and Marcus paid the waiter, leaving a generous tip on the table.

  Side by side, they walked down the narrow cobbled sidewalk, past the large glass windows of various shops, each displaying their wares. A cool breeze rustled the flowers planted in large wooden barrels at each section of the sidewalk, lifting the freshness of their blossoms into the air.

  Still able to catch the hint of sex upon Nicole’s skin when she walked close or brushed against him, Marcus had the desire to see her upon a bed of flowers, naked and waiting for him.

  “Marcus,” Nicole said.

  He was so caught up in his fantasy of her, he hadn’t even realized she’d stopped walking and stood gaping at a display of dresses in a shop window. He walked to her side, placing his hand on the small of her back, and looked at the simple pastel-colored gowns.

  “They’re pretty, aren’t they? I really like the pale yellow.”

  He looked at the pale yellow slip of silk. Tiny white roses had been woven into the material around the short hem, short enough to show the glory of her legs. “Do you want to go in and try it on?”

  For a moment he thought he saw a glimpse of whimsy in her rich dark eyes, but she shook her head no. “Actually, if you don’t mind, I have a few things to do before you come over later. Could we head back?”

  “Sure.”

  After walking back to his truck, they drove to his condo in silence, though on several occasions he caught her yawning.

  Back in his parking lot, he walked her to her car, then folded her into his arms for their usual good-bye embrace. While he held her pliant, lush body to his, he flipped the back of her dress and took a peek at the tag. He couldn’t help grinning when he saw it was a size six, remembering how hard she’d worked to get down from a size fourteen.

  “I’ll see you in a few hours,” he said, helping Nicole into her car. He stood there watching as she drove away.

  There was something he wanted to do. He’d skip watching the end of the draft and get an update on ESPN later. Once Nicole was out of sight, he turned back to his truck.

  Chapter Five

  HE COULDN’T STOP THINKING about her. Marcus stared at the steaming black fluid in his coffee mug, but didn’t see coffee. Rather, the dark, rich brew reminded him of the color of Nicole’s expressive eyes and the shimmering moisture in her gaze when she climaxed. A surge of blood hit him in the groin. He was in trouble, and smart enough to know what a fool he’d been to allow this to happen.

  “What’s her name, man?”

  Glancing up, Marcus saw Jay approaching, a wide grin spread across his lips, like he knew just what Marcus had been thinking about. “Huh?” he asked, pretending he hadn’t heard.

  “The girl.” Jay grabbed a towel from his bag and swiped the sweat from his face, then draped the terry cloth over his wide shoulders.

  “Who’s what girl?”

  “You can’t fool me. I’ve seen that look before. Don’t forget I have brothers, all of them married. So are you going to tell me who she is?”

  Marcus felt a lump form in his throat. Was he so obvious that this kid, fresh out of graduation, could see how he felt about Nicole? Did he have it smeared across his face like the remnants of a powdered doughnut? And just how did he feel about her?

  Shrugging, he released a deep breath and pasted an easy, carefree smile on his face. Whatever he felt for her, he wasn’t willing to share it with Jay. Or with anyone, for that matter. Hell, he didn’t want to think about it at all. She wanted no strings, and that was exactly what he planned on giving her.

  No strings, but a whole lot of sex.

  “You got it wrong, man. I was thinking about looking for an apartment in Atlanta. I’ve been on the Internet searching, but it’s hard to tell without going there.” Marcus cleared his throat, then lifted his gaze to Jay’s. “When I’ve started my new—”

  “I’m signing with you,” Jay cut him off. “I like you, man. I trust you can get me the contracts I want. I just need to know you have the power of a company like Dynamic behind you.” He stuck out his hand to shake.

  Marcus took hold and gave a quick pump. “You’re a smart kid.”

  Jay laughed. “Yeah, a kid with the 49ers making offers. Hurry up and move, will you?”

  Marcus nodded. His thoughts skittered back to Nicole and the upcoming end of their physical relationship. To ease the tension, he rolled his shoulders. “Don’t sign anything they offer. I want to make sure we have a good attorney look at everything first.”

  Jay shrugged. “Do you have one in mind?”

  “Yeah, Nicole Davis. Contracts aren’t her usual thing, but she knows her stuff.”

  “Nicole? Why’s that name ring a bell?”

  “You met her. She went to dinner with us a few months back. She’s a friend,” Marcus replied.

  “Right, the babe with tits made for licking and a body meant for sticking.” Jay laughed as he stuck out his tongue and motioned as if he were licking an ice-cream cone.

  Something tightened deep in Marcus’s gut—something fierce and raw and angry. He curled his fingers into tight fists to keep from slugging his soon-to-be client.

  “Hey, man, she’s a lady, classy in every way. A little respect.” Marcus hoped his demeanor didn’t betray to Jay that he was full of shit, and it’d been Nicole he’d been thinking about earlier. Irrational as it was, he was angry.

  He shouldn’t be. The kid was playing around, the kind of talk often heard in locker rooms before and after games. The guys could joke about girlfriends, but no one made fun of wives. To him, Nicole was neither wife nor girlfriend, and he shouldn’t have cared. He did. Precisely the problem.

  “No disrespect intended,” Jay said, putting up his hands, his wry grin reaching his eyes.

  Feeling the sting of fury and having no one to blame for his anger but himself, Marcus nodded.

  “Yeah, she’ll do. Set it up.” Jay chuckled. “By the way, if you’re going to be setting something up, do you think you could hook me up with her?” He swooped to retrieve the bag, then fell into step beside Marcus as they walked away from the practice field, toward the parking lot.

  “You don’t need the hookup. Looks like you got some fans already,” Marcus replied, tilting his head to where a group of college-age girls had gathered to watch Jay run a few plays. Relief washed over him.

  Jay smiled. “Hey, let me know once you’ve moved. Then you can set up the meeting with the attorney. I’ll catch you later,” he said as he turned in the direction of his new admirers.

  What the hell was wrong with him, feeling relief when Jay left and hadn’t pursued the issue of being set up with Nicole? Grinding his teeth, he went back to his truck and slipped
inside, then allowed his forehead to rest on the steering wheel. He inhaled, catching the lingering scent of her floating in the cab. The sweet scent of roses and the moist, feminine fragrance of her sex assaulted his senses and made his semiaroused cock stand full-mast.

  Oh, yeah, he was a fool all right, but as long as those condoms lasted and until he moved, he planned to keep playing right along with this silly act of indifference, even though he knew he was in way too deeply over his head.

  Chapter Six

  THE SHRILL CRY OF THE ALARM CLOCK blasted the silence of dawn. Nicole woke with a start, her head pounding. Reluctantly tossing back the covers, she stalked to the kitchen, not bothering to turn on any of the lights. She opened a cabinet, dumped two white tablets into her palm, and reached for a glass. Once she’d swallowed, she grabbed the phone and dialed. It rang twice before the service answered.

  “Law Offices.”

  “Lydia, it’s Nicole Davis.”

  “What can I do for you, Miss Davis?”

  “I need my appointments for today rescheduled. While you’re at it, do the same for tomorrow. I won’t be in.”

  “Should I forward your calls?” asked the night receptionist, who worked graveyards to field emergency calls from clients facing dangerous situations.

  “No. Let voice mail pick up. I’m not feeling very well and not up to talking to clients,” Nicole replied, resting her forehead against the cabinet, the cool wood a welcome relief.

  “Would you like me to make you a doctor’s appointment?”

  “That’s all right. I think I just need some sleep and a couple of Tylenol. I’ll be back Monday.”

  “I’ll inform the partners.”

  “Thanks.”

  “My pleasure. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

  “That should cover it,” Nicole answered, allowing her lids to drift closed. She was so tired; sleep beckoned.

  “Okay, then, take care of yourself and get some rest.”

  “Thanks,” Nicole repeated, then clicked off the phone. Dragging in a deep breath, she wearily retraced her steps back to her room. In the faded light of morning, the room appeared gray, the half-closed blinds filtering the brightening light of the sun emerging from the eastern horizon. She spun the blinds all the way closed, turned off the ringer on the phone, and fell back into bed.