by Naomi Niles
“After the last ‘boy’s night’ we had, I would think you’d be glad to get a chance with any woman,” I said, gently reminding him of the embarrassing night he had had. “No matter how…mismatched the curtains and the drapes may be.”
Ryan shot me a glare. “Let’s not mention that night to the girls.”
“Did you not want them to know about that?” I asked seriously.
His eyes went wide with shock. “You ratted me out?”
I smirked. “I didn’t know your reputation with women was a state secret.”
“Fuck you,” he said, catching on. “You didn’t say anything to them.”
“Give the boy a prize,” I said, shaking my head.
“You are a heartless bastard, Burbank,” Ryan complained.
I gave him an evil smile. “I never claimed to be anything else,” I said. “Now enough chit chat – let’s start training.”
“You never answered my question,” he complained. “Natural red head or not?”
I ignored Ryan and headed for the ring. “Come on,” I said. “I need to practice my right hook.”
“Your right hook is perfect and you know it. Stop changing the subject.”
Again, I ignored him and sent a punch right at his jaw. He was so preoccupied with our plans for Sunday that he didn’t even notice the attack. He went flailing into the ropes and sunk to his feet.
“Pathetic,” I said, shaking my head at him.
“Urgh…help me up.”
“Umm, no,” I said, without pity. “Get up yourself and give me some real competition. Otherwise I’ll speak to Steven about a proper training partner.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Watch me,” I said threateningly.
Ryan got up and narrowed his eyes at me. “Fine,” he nodded. “Prepare to die.”
I smiled. “Tough talk from a guy who just said hello to the floor.”
His response was to charge at me. He was fast, but entirely too predictable. He had used this same attack on me three times before, and I had his moves memorized before he had even made them. I tripped him easily, grabbed his arm, and had him in a headlock in a matter of seconds.
“You don’t learn,” I said with disappointment. I held him against me for a moment longer, simply to make my point, and then I released him.
“Jesus,” Ryan gasped. “You’re good.”
“I’m a fast learner,” I said. “But that’s not going to help me much when I go up against Conner.”
“It’s a start though,” he pointed out to me.
I nodded, feeling a thrill of excitement at the thought of my impending fight with a professional MMA champion. “It is,” I agreed.
Chapter Eighteen
Brittany
“Brittany!” Lacey’s voice was raised in annoyance.
“What?” I asked, turning to her.
“You’re not helping me.”
“What should I be helping you with?”
She rolled her eyes at me. “I’m trying to figure out what to wear, remember?”
“Right,” I nodded, with an apologetic smile. “You’re better at picking out outfits than I am, though.”
“True,” she nodded seriously. “But you’re the only one here, so you’re opinion is all I have to work with.”
“Gee, thanks,” I said sarcastically.
Lacey stripped down to her bra and undies and then picked up a tiny mauve skirt and held it to her waist. “What do you think?” she asked. “It’s vintage, and by vintage I mean it used to belong to my mother when she was in high school.”
“I’ve always loved that skirt,” I nodded. “I think the length has always appealed to you.”
She shot me a wink. The shirt was extremely tight on Lacey, who was a little wider at the hips than her mother was. She was also about four inches taller, which meant the skirt ended at her butt, just barely.
“This skirt is a man-catcher all right,” Lacey nodded. “But the thing is… I don’t know if this Ryan guy is worth it. What if I put it on, he shows up, and I’m underwhelmed?”
“Then don’t sleep with him,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“If I’m going to suffer through the whole entire night after I find him underwhelming, then I might as well sleep with him,” she said reasonably.
“That’s your logic?” I said incredulously.
She laughed and slipped on the skirt. “Damn,” she said, dancing around in it. “It looks good.”
“You definitely look good,” I said. “What are you going to wear with it?”
“Something slutty?” Lacey thought out loud. “Or something demure?”
“Umm…considering that skirt is pretty out there, why not go for something with sleeves?”
“I hate sleeves.”
“I’m aware-”
“How about this one?” she asked, holding up a tiny halter top that would put her toned tummy on display.
I laughed. “If you want to make an impression, then I’d go for it,” I said. “I’m just reminding you that it might be a little cold tonight though.”
“Please…” Lacey said, waving away my concern. “So? What are you planning on wearing?”
“Not really sure,” I said, falling back onto my bed.
“You better decide fast,” she said. “They should be here in the next fifteen minutes.”
“Hmm,” I sat up and looked at the clothes lying in heaps on my bed. It felt like déjà vu again. I decided to opt for a dress this time. I chose a short, fitted navy blue dress that was right between formal and casual.
“Cute,” Lacey observed, looking at me critically.
“Thanks,” I said. “Should I wear my hair up or down?”
“Down, I think,” she nodded.
I was standing in front of the mirror, applying my make up when Lacey gave me a sigh that told me she wanted me to ask her what she was thinking.
“What’s wrong, Lace?” I asked pointedly.
“What if he’s ugly?” she asked, in complete seriousness.
“I highly doubt he’d going to be ugly,” I laughed.
“But say he is?”
“Then…close your eyes when you fuck him?” I suggested.
Lacey’s expression held for a second before she started laughing. “Bitch,” she said with affection.
“Don’t worry so much about how he looks,” I said. “Let’s hope he’s a nice guy who you can hold a conversation with.”
“Is that what you have with Talen?” Lacey asked curiously. “Because he doesn’t seem like much of a conversationalist.”
“You would think,” I nodded. “But actually, he’s really interesting and can even be funny at times. Sometimes it’s unintentional I think, but it’s still so…cute.”
“You still don’t know much about him though do you?” Lacey asked. “I mean, apart from what he does now.”
“I know he has four brothers,” I reminded her.
“That’s because I asked,” she said. “You don’t know anything about his past or his childhood or his dating history. What if he has a debilitating STD? What if they both do?”
“Umm, that argument could be made for any guy we choose to go out with,” I reminded her.
“These guys are not from Canada,” Lacey said, as though that somehow made a difference.
I laughed. “You’re more suspicious of them because they’re not from Canada?” I clarified.
She narrowed her eyes at me. “Laugh all you want,” she said. “My fears are not unfounded.”
“They are completely unfounded,” I argued. “And, they also happen to be- Oh shit, there’s the door.”
“They’re here!” Lacey pushed me out of the way so that she could check her reflection in the mirror.
I shook my head at her and headed for the door. Talen was at the forefront with his friend standing just behind him. He was not as tall or as big as Talen was, but he had a nice face and I knew instantly that Lacey would like him. He had calm brown eye
s, brown hair edging towards the long side, and an excited smile plastered on his face.
“Hi,” Talen said.
He was dressed in his usual jeans and a black sweater that hugged his beautifully muscled arms and his chest. I felt the need to press myself up against him, but I resisted the urge for Ryan’s sake and invited them in.
“You must be Ryan,” I said, shaking his hand.
“And, you must be Brittany,” he said. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“You have?”
Ryan glanced at Talen. “Actually, no, I haven’t,” he said. “Talen doesn’t really open up much. I know your name, that’s about it.”
I saw Talen roll his eyes, and I laughed just as Lacey breezed in. I saw Ryan’s eyes go wide as his eyes fell on Lacey. The mauve mini skirt, combined with the nude halter and the hooker heels Lacey was wearing were eye-catching enough. But when you added the flaming red hair and the dark burgundy lipstick to the mix, it was like she was asking for it. And knowing Lacey, she probably was.
“Hi, there,” she said, coming forward to shake Ryan’s hand. “I’m Lacey.”
“Wow, you are hot!”
Lacey laughed, obviously thrilled by how sexy he found her. She had never been one of those girls who were attracted to men who weren’t immediately interested in her. She wanted a man fawning over her to consider them worthy of her attention.
“That’s a cute accent,” she said.
“Louisiana, ma’am,” Ryan replied, playing up the accent.
“I heard you boys were gentleman over there.”
“Oh, we are,” Ryan nodded. “Except, of course, between the sheets. We tend to be more like wild animals there.”
“That’s good to know,” Lacey said.
Talen and I exchanged a glance, obviously uncomfortable with how aggressively sexual the two of them were being. It was more awkward because neither one of them seemed to even notice that Talen and I were there.
“Umm, Talen?” I said, drawing his attention.
“Yes?”
“I need some help deciding what to wear,” I said. “I’m not sold on this dress, will you help me?”
He nodded silently, and we disappeared into my room, leaving Lacey and Ryan sparring with one another outside. I shut the door on them and turned to Talen. “Geez… I can already tell that’s a good match.”
He smiled. “I kind of thought so.”
We descended into silence and stared at each other. He looked incredibly sexy in his black sweater, but I had the urge to rip it off him. In fact, I had several different desires at that particular moment that were working their way up to my consciousness. I walked up to him, while he stood there, watching my every move.
I was aware of how much I wanted him. It was a strange feeling, one that I’d never experienced before with any other guy. It was just raw, carnal sex that I was feeling. I could feel myself moisten at the very sight of him. Acting on instinct and pure, unadulterated desire, I slipped downwards until I was on my knees.
Talen looked down at me, and I held his gaze the whole time I was undoing his pants. I pulled them down and then pulled down his boxers, too. I took a moment to admire and appreciate the size of his penis. It was long, large, and beautifully shaped. As I admired it, I realized it was slowly getting hard before my eyes. I smiled and stroked it for a few moments until it was semi hard.
Then, supporting the shaft with one hand, I licked the tip of his penis until he was rock solid and enormous. No wonder he had made me cum thrice in one night, I thought. With a penis that size, it was impossible not to feel things. That fact, combined with his obvious skill made orgasming virtually impossible to avoid.
A few years ago it might have been a daunting task to fit a penis that size into my mouth, but now I trembled with desire at the thought.
I took only the head of his penis into my mouth at first, letting my tongue explore its head and get accustomed to the subtle sweetness there. Then when I was really wet, I took more of him into my mouth. I felt his body shiver slightly, which encouraged me to go further. I used my saliva as lubricant, and his penis slipped in and out of mouth easily.
I sucked him off gently at first before I got more aggressive with my technique. I tickled his balls with one hand as I pushed his penis further into my mouth until I could almost feel him at my throat.
“Fuck,” I heard Talen breathe. He sounded as though he was losing control – and that was precisely what I wanted. I placed my hands on either side of his hips and forced almost the entirely of his cock deep into my mouth. I held that position for a while, so that I could really feel him in my throat and he could really feel the soft juices of my mouth engulf him thoroughly.
It was only when he started shaking that I pulled away just in time to see him cum onto the floor in front of me. I wiped my mouth and stood up slowly. Then, without a word, I grabbed a few tissues and passed them to him. We cleaned up together and threw away the soaking tissues. I adjusted my dress and reapplied my makeup while Talen pulled on his boxers and pants. When we both looked presentable again, we made eye contact and walked back outside to my tiny living room.
Ryan and Lacey looked towards us simultaneously and they both looked amused and suspicious. “Ready to go?” I asked casually, grabbing my purse from the sofa.
“Uh…sure,” Lacey agreed. “You two were in there for awhile.”
“Were we?” I asked innocently.
“You were,” Ryan nodded. “Did it really take that long to pick out the exact same outfit all over again?”
I looked down, realizing that I was in the same clothes. I looked up at Talen, and he smiled without concern. “I decided I liked this dress the best,” he said with a shrug.
“Right,” Ryan said slowly.
As we headed out the door, Lacey came up behind me and slapped my ass. “How many orgasms was it this time?” she whispered to me. “I’m impressed that you managed to stay so quiet.”
“Shut up,” I said, trying my best to ignore her, but I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. Because all I was thinking was, you can’t exactly scream with your mouth so full.
Chapter Nineteen
Talen
We ended up at a laidback restaurant in the city. Its interior had a lot of German influence, with alcoves for tables, dark wood, dim lamps that hung low, and a number of strange posters that had been framed.
“Never seen this place before,” Ryan said, as we were shown to our table.
“That’s because you don’t know the good places to hit,” Lacey said, sidling up to him.
We sat down and ordered food and drinks. Everyone else decided to go with the restaurant’s homemade beer, but I declined when the waitress turned to me.
“Not for me,” I said. “Just water is fine.”
“Just water, sir?” the waitress said. “Are you sure? We’re famous for our beer.”
“I’m sure you are,” I said. “But I don’t drink.”
She nodded, gave me a smile, and walked away to place our order. Lacey turned to me immediately. “You don’t drink?” she asked with interest.
“Not for a few years,” I admitted.
“Drinking problem?”
“Lacey,” Brittany said in a warning voice.
“What?” she asked. “He doesn’t have to answer.”
“No, it’s okay,” I told Brittany. “I don’t mind answering. It’s not a big deal… I just decided to stop drinking a few years back. I didn’t have an alcohol problem – at least, it wasn’t a serious problem. But it did compromise my judgement in many cases and I made some bad choices. So, I decided to stop it altogether.”
“Wow,” Brittany said. “It takes a strong man to make that kind of decision and stick to it.”
I shrugged. “Once you make up your mind, things become easier.”
“I couldn’t do it,” Ryan said, shaking his head. “Give up alcohol? It’s too big a sacrifice.”
“I agree,” Lacey nodded.
/> Brittany shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong, I like alcohol, but I can live without it.”
“That’s because you’re the queen of deprivation,” Lacey said. “She can go days without a meal if she has to. She’s incredibly thrifty, too… But I suppose that’s a skill born out of necessity.”
I felt Brittany tense a little, as though she were uncomfortable with Lacey’s words. I could sense that she didn’t want her friend giving away too much about her life and possibly even her financial situation. I had been in the same situation not long ago and understood completely how she felt.
“I’ve been thrifty ever since I left home,” I said. “Counting money is second nature for me. Even now, when I’m doing okay, it’s hard for me not to think about what I spend money on.”
My gaze fell on Brittany, and she smiled at me. A few moments later, the waitress appeared with the beer and water for our table. She set everything down in front of us, told us our meals would arrive shortly, and then she walked away slowly.
“I think she likes you,” Lacey said, looking at me.
I frowned. “I didn’t notice.”
“Neither did I,” Ryan piped up immediately. “In fact, I could have sworn she was eyeing me the whole time.”
Lacey laughed. “Would you be happy if she was?”
“Hell, yeah,” he nodded. “The more the merrier.”
“How kinky.”
“You disapprove?”
“On the contrary, I’m turned on,” Lacey said, pressing herself against him with come hither eyes.
I shook my head at the two of them and turned to Brittany, who looked supremely embarrassed by her friend. “It’s going to be hard to pretend like we don’t know them when they’re sitting at our table,” she whispered to me.
I smiled. “I don’t know what I was thinking when I set up this evening.”
Brittany laughed. “Maybe we should just ignore them and focus on each other?”
It was the best thing I’d heard all night. “That sounds good,” I nodded.