Chocolate Kisses

by Francis Ray

  “What?” Nicole asked, pausing in speech and movement.

  “Nothing.” He tugged her hand. “I think comforters are over here.”

  “Nothing?”

  “I was just thinking, is all. Are you done with this?” he asked, to change the subject. He took her empty latte cup and tossed it in a waste can.

  A few displays later they came to the bedding section. Miniature beds were set up to show off each design, and behind them were stacks of folded comforters, pillows, sheets, and matching blankets.

  Nicole flashed him a smile; turning away, she began looking at the different patterns offered.

  Marcus licked his lips as he watched her retreating backside, the perfection of her build apparent in her summer dress and mid-heeled sandals. Beneath the hem of the thin printed cotton, her toned coffee-with-milk-and-sugar legs stretched for what seemed like a mile to where her ankles were strapped into her sexy-as-hell, come-and-get-me shoes.

  “Come here. Look at these,” Nicole tossed over her shoulder, looking at a large display of cream-colored raw-silk comforters.

  Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, Marcus stalked forward, hearing only the “come here” and taking it as an invitation. Back in the corner of the store, she was well hidden by the height of the bedding piled floor to ceiling. Marcus realized there was only one way into the alcove. It was completely private. Anyone approaching would be heard before they were seen.

  He reached for the display on either side of Nicole’s head, effectively pinning her to the wall of silk and cotton. His fingers dug into the five-hundred-thread-count Egyptian-cotton sheets. Leaning his weight into Nicole’s back, he pressed her forward until her forehead rested against the smooth material.

  His cock begged for contact, so he tilted his hips, brushing his rock-hard erection to the small of her back.

  “What are you—” Nicole began in a hushed voice.

  “Shh. Don’t move.” Marcus nudged aside a loose curl at her temple with his chin. Bending, he nestled his face into the curve of her neck from behind. “Close your eyes.” He waited a brief moment. “Are they closed?”

  Nicole nodded.

  Using one knee to press between her legs, he edged them apart enough so that she rode high on his thigh. “I’m going to fuck you.” He went on, undeterred by her slight gasp: “My hand is slipping beneath your dress to find your breasts. Yeah, they’re so full and heavy. You want me to touch you, don’t you? To take you in my hand, to kneed your flesh in my palm. To find your pert nipple.” Marcus sucked in a winded breath and rotated his hips into her ass. His hard shaft rubbed against the small of her back.

  “My mouth’s there, sucking your nipple into the hot depths and swirling the extended tip with my tongue. Your nerve endings are on fire. Can you feel me, Nic?”

  Again she nodded, only a sigh escaping her lips.

  “Imagine me lifting your skirt, Nic, my fingers brushing up the hem, working over the smooth skin on your inner thighs. I’m going higher, Nic, to touch you. Are you wet for me, baby? Can you feel my fingers find the edge of your panties and ease them to the side? Ahh, you’re slick. Do you want me inside you?”

  His descriptions continued. “My mouth is there now, kissing a trail to your pussy. Can you feel my tongue suck on your clit? You taste like honey. You’re so sweet, Nic. I can’t stop kissing you. You don’t want me to, do you?” Marcus asked taking a moment to scatter light kisses on the sensitive skin below her ear, on the wild pulse racing on her neck. He could feel her body gasping for breath as he leaned against her.

  Nicole gulped down the raw emotion building. Her chest burned from holding her breath, the words and images Marcus provoked so real.

  “No, I don’t want you to stop,” she whispered, her mind no longer in the department store but on a bed of silk, with her naked in Marcus’s arms.

  She could feel his words like stroking fingertips, like a gentle caress, like a fevered wind on a hot summer afternoon.

  “I don’t want to stop touching you. I want to fuck you, Nic, not with my tongue, but with my dick.” His open mouth nibbled against her skin as she sucked in a breath.

  Marcus shifted his bent leg so it brushed against her sensitive vagina, already on fire, wet, and ready for him.

  “I want to be inside you, baby. I want to feel your pussy close around me. To tighten on my cock with each of your wild shudders of orgasm.”

  He rocked his leg again. Shivers began, centered on her clit. A slow, low moan bubbled from her lips. “Mmm . . . Marcus,” she said, her words breathy and panting. With her eyes still closed, Nicole allowed her head to loll back and rest on Marcus’s chest.

  “Do you want me to slip my hand on your breasts? Do you want me to pluck your beaded nipple with my teeth, to roll it in my mouth with my tongue?”

  Another guttural moan eased from her lips, only louder than the last. Marcus’s moved his hand from the bedding and slid his fingers over her mouth, softly yet effectively covering her lips.

  “Shh, baby, this is just for me,” he whispered in her ear.

  Nicole could hardly think to keep her voice down. Not with his muscular thigh rocking against her flesh. Not with the image of his hand groping her breast and his tongue working at her hungry nipple. With his hand lightly resting over her mouth to muffle her cries of passion, Nicole focused on breathing through her nose and the incredible rhythm of his hard thigh mimicking lovemaking against the apex of her legs.

  Then the spasms started—small at first, but the tremors built like an avalanche consuming the mountain, the first thrusting her over the ledge, then soaring into pleasure.

  Nicole kept her eyes closed, listening to the rich timbre of Marcus’s voice, feeling the orgasm grip her and wrench free her cries.

  “Are you cuming for me, Nic?” he asked, his aroused husky voice vibrating against her skin.

  Some far-off place in her mind, where reality still dwelled, reminded her where she was. To keep her passionate yells from summoning every assistant in the store, Nicole leaned forward and buried her face into the wall of silken bedding, inhaling the subtle scent of their newness. Her climax cascaded around her.

  In time, her labored breathing slowed to normal. She became aware of Marcus’s strong fingers stroking up and down her arm, reassuring her that he was right behind her.

  “Marcus?” she mumbled, her face still sunk into the bedding.

  “Yeah, Nic?” She registered the concern in his tone.

  “I’ll take this.”

  There was a moment of silence. She composed herself.

  “Nic, this what?” he asked.

  Letting out a cleansing sigh, she eased from the shelter of his arms and turned to face him. She smiled when she saw the confusion on his face. “This bedding. Remember? That’s why we’re here.”

  His glance swung to the folded comforters behind her. “Oh, the bedding. You want this one? It’s similar to the stuff you have.”

  “I like the stuff I have.” She leaned forward and placed a quick peck to his lips. “Until it got ruined. Besides, Marcus, this stuff is supersoft against my skin.”

  Seeing the spark of interest in his deep-chocolate eyes, Nicole pursed her lips into a pout.

  Marcus grabbed a set of bedding. She fell into step behind him as he wound his way out of the alcove and through the aisles. Her knees wobbled at first, taking a moment for her postclimax legs to function properly.

  He winked at her as he neared the cash register. “We’ll test these out later.”

  Marcus was pulling out his wallet by the time Nicole thought of a fitting response, but the presence of the saleswoman kept her quiet. She was getting a quizzical look that made her think of her junior high school teacher who’d caught her passing notes.

  The purchase complete, they headed out of the store. Stepping onto the escalator one stair behind Marcus, Nicole leaned onto his back and whispered in his ear, “Thank you, Marcus.”

  Tipping his head to the si
de, Marcus looked back and captured her mouth with an unexpected kiss. “You’re welcome. Anytime.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “IT’S NICE, don’t you think?”

  Marcus tossed a look over his shoulder to see Dani Clark walking up behind him. Her long legs dripped to the floor from her way-too-short miniskirt, entirely inappropriate for business attire.

  “It’s all right,” he replied with a shrug. She certainly wasn’t what he’d been expecting when the secretary at the Dynamic Agency had said they’d be sending Danny to meet him at the hotel and show him around town.

  Danny had turned out to be Dani, a tall, gorgeous woman with voluptuous breasts. Glancing back at the oversize kitchen in the fourth condo they’d looked at, Marcus realized he didn’t like it at all. There was something missing.

  “So do you want to call it a day and look more tomorrow? You must be hungry. What do you say I take you out to dinner?” Dani asked, placing her hand on his arm.

  Marcus glanced down at her manicured nails slightly gripping his skin. A sizzle of apprehension skidded down his spine. Was she hitting on him? Maybe he was just imagining things. It’d been a long day, and he hadn’t gotten a hell of a lot of sleep the night before. Knowing he was getting on a plane just after dawn, he’d made love to Nicole with a frenzied passion several times during the too-fast stretch of night.

  Dropping his arm so Dani’s hand fell away, he turned from the kitchen and headed toward the front door. “Nah, I think I’ll get something back at the hotel. Thanks for the offer.”

  “Are you sure?” she asked, following behind him.

  Marcus closed his eyes. The pounding headache was getting worse. It’d been throbbing behind his temples since he’d kissed Nicole good-bye that morning, knowing that moments later she’d drive away in his truck. No sense paying parking costs, he’d told her.

  He planned on lining up his new condo so he could have his things shipped directly there, without having to put them into storage. Then he’d drive across the country to his new life . . . and away from Nicole.

  Was it the forlorn look in her eyes as she bade him a safe trip that had started the ache in his gut and the lonely pain in his chest? Or was it the fact that she’d still never once hinted that she wanted him to stay?

  Feeling Dani’s hand settle on his shoulder in a light caress jolted Marcus from his memories of the morning.

  “Are you sure?” she repeated, a seductive purr in her tone.

  “No, thanks. It’s been a long day.”

  He yanked open the door with more force than necessary and stepped into the strange false brightness of streetlights, and the faded glory of the sun. He started walking toward the parking lot.

  Dani came up behind him, the quick tapping of her high-heeled shoes telling him she’d had to walk pretty fast. She grabbed hold of his elbow, stalling his retreat to the car. When he turned to face her, she licked her bottom lip, her pink tongue darting out to wet it.

  Her hand slipped from his elbow down to his wrist, and she pulled it behind her and stepped into his chest, leaning her tits against him. With the noxious odor of her perfume burning his nostrils, she wiggled as she made the contact complete.

  “Marcus, come back to my place,” she whispered. Her hand reached for the back of his neck. Her other hand reached between them, firmly grabbing hold of his dick, which was limp despite her coercing.

  Withholding an irritated groan, Marcus shut his eyes. A year ago he would have accepted the blatant invitation to her bed. She was a beautiful woman.

  Opening his eyes, Marcus reached back and took hold of her wrist, then stepped from her grasp. He was a man now, and a real man didn’t dally in the bed or arms of a woman when another held his heart. Though he’d made no promise to Nicole, he was committed to her just the same.

  Knowing women like her didn’t take subtle hints very well, he was blunt. “You know, Miss Clark. I’m not interested in the type of dinner you’re suggesting.” Marcus took another step back from her and released her wrist.

  A flash of disappointment flickered in her eyes. “But I was told I should welcome you to Atlanta. I was told that you’d be open to the idea.”

  “Who told you that?” he asked, gritting his teeth as anger surged through him. “No, don’t bother answering.” He knew it was the bosses at the Dynamic Agency who had sent her to welcome him. What type man did they think he was? One with no dignity or self-respect, apparently.

  To hell with Jay. If Jay wanted him as his agent—and he was a damned good agent—then the kid would have to accept him on his terms, on his home turf.

  Marcus walked away through the half-filled parking lot.

  “Wait. At least let me give you a ride back to the hotel,” she called after him.

  Jamming his hand into his pocket, Marcus retrieved his cell phone. “I’ll call a cab.” He kept walking.

  Fighting off the stinging in her nose and the hot burning behind her eyes, Nicole was determined not to cry. Leaning back against the seat, she dropped her hands from the steering wheel. Grabbing several shredded tissues, she swiped them beneath her nose.

  It’d been a long day that was preceded by a night of passionate lovemaking. The alarm had sounded at five thirty, but she’d already been awake, watching Marcus sleep.

  She’d tried to memorize the handsome lines of his face, the carved dimple that deepened when he smiled, the small pucker between his nose and lush lips. Gazing at the rise and fall of his chest, she imagined the way his heartbeat would feel against her cheek. Needing to burn this memory of him into her brain forever, she couldn’t waste their final minutes with sleep.

  When he’d risen she’d rubbed her hand across her new sheets, the fine texture smooth beneath her fingertips, feeling what remained of his lingering heat.

  The sheets would be cold now.

  Exhaling, she knew she couldn’t hide in his truck all night, despite feeling the need to remain in the cab where gentle reminders of their lovemaking remained. Ever since she’d dropped him off at the airport that morning, she clung to the knowledge that she’d see him at least once more, when he came back to get his truck. With a sigh, Nicole opened the door and slid her feet to the ground. She entered the dark house, silenced the alarm, and kicked off her shoes.

  Nicole left the lights off, not wanting to see how empty the house was.

  After watching Marcus walk through the security gate at Sacramento International Airport, she’d rushed outside to watch his plane take off. It lifted into the morning air and into the rising sun, making an appearance on the eastern horizon. She’d watched long after the plane was out of sight, feeling alone and empty.

  Then, after buying a latte at a local café, she’d worked all day. Accustomed to being with Marcus at night, she stayed late so she wouldn’t have to return to an empty house.

  Now she was home. Alone. Her house was dark. The sheets were cold, and the cookie jar would be empty except for the chocolate Kisses. Stifling a sob with the back of her hand, Nicole went to the kitchen and opened the fridge, hoping to find a bottle of chilled white wine. Pale fridge light spilled across the tiled floor, giving the dim room a little illumination. She poured a glass of wine, then took a sip as she leaned against the counter—where she and Marcus had first become lovers. Where it had all begun.

  Lifting the goblet to her lips, Nicole drained the wine in one deep swallow, immediately feeling the rush of dizziness to her head. One glass and she got an instant buzz, undoubtedly since she hadn’t eaten a bite all day.

  She grabbed the phone and speed-dialed number seven.

  “Extraordinary Pizza. Dine-in or delivery?” a young woman asked.

  “Delivery,” Nicole responded.

  “What can I get you?”

  “Small, thick crust, double cheese, double pepperoni, and black olives.” Liquid filled Nicole’s eyes. This was her first dinner alone in weeks.

  “Anything else?” the girl asked.

  “One of those small
chocolate Bundt cakes you had on special as dessert.”

  “I’m sorry, but we’re all out of those. Did you want to try the lemon?”

  “No, thanks. I need chocolate,” Nicole responded, closing her eyes against the wave of melancholy.

  “Okay. Thirteen dollars and forty-three cents. It’ll be there in about thirty minutes,” the girl said, then hung up.

  Disconnecting, she placed the phone on the counter and reached for the ceramic rose-shaped cookie jar. Setting aside the lid, she dumped the contents onto the tiles. Silver-wrapped chocolate Kisses spilled everywhere, along with something else that caught her off guard. “Condoms?” she whispered. A bunch of condoms.

  Picking one up Nicole marched over and flicked on the lights. The foil package was similar to the brand she bought, but not quite the same. It didn’t take a genius to realize that meant Marcus had replenished the supply. There were seven left of the new type.

  Closing her eyes, she attempted to count how many times they’d made love. She shook her head. After the first few nights, she couldn’t recall. Tossing the foil-wrapped condom on the counter, she wondered how long ago—and how many times—Marcus had replaced them.

  She gasped as realization hit her full force. He’d gone against their initial agreement. They were supposed to have ended their sexual relationship when the condoms were gone.

  Why had he purchased new condoms? Did he not want the sex to end? It was damn good sex. Or was there something deeper? Was there some other reason why he wouldn’t want things to end between them? Nicole placed the chocolates and condoms back into the container, then poured a second glass of wine, sipping it this time. She mulled the same questions over until the doorbell rang.

  After paying, she stood holding the warm cardboard box, the pungent scent of the pizza filling the air. She couldn’t eat, not with her stomach flipping and her mind on Marcus.

  Leaving the pizza untouched in the kitchen beside her empty wineglass, she made her way to her bedroom, dropping clothing as she walked, not caring where it landed.