“What did you say it is called?” I yell toward Sarah as we saunter through our hotel lobby.
“Mint,” she yells back. I nod my head, focusing on my texting and relying on Sarah to keep me from tumbling in my heels. Our day of sightseeing ended in an early happy hour, followed by pregaming in Sarah’s room while we did each other’s hair and makeup for our night out.
“So, is he coming to meet us?”
“Yeah he should be. He’s at a work dinner but he says he’s meeting us afterward!” I’m giddy with excitement, having spent all day away from my fucktastically wonderful Lust. It’s not even twenty-four hours since our loins first met, but he’s all I can think about. The anxious, eager butterflies dance between my stomach and my needy vagina, begging me to mate with my gifted Italian once more.
“Wow. You ladies both look amazing!” Ben says sincerely, standing up from his oversized club chair in the hotel lobby.
“Thanks!” we both respond in unison. No need for modesty when I agree with his sentiment. We do both look amazing. Sarah and her skinny frame look fantastic in a short, black silk romper. The sleeveless ensemble fits perfectly with a bright blue statement necklace, and her long thin legs look even longer with four-inch black heels, giving her a total of six feet of height. I decided to stick to a standard dress. The off-the-shoulder black fabric makes an X across my chest, cutting down just a touch to show my décolletage. The strips of fabric wrap around me, meeting in a V shape midway down my back. I too chose tall black heels, but added big gold earrings, borrowed from Sarah, for some flair. We both have our blonde locks curled, mine now falling into larger loose waves, but Sarah’s still in shorter, more voluminous rings that fall just past her shoulders.
“So who is this you were talking about? Someone is coming out to meet us?”
“Oh, yeah. A, um, friend of mine,” I say, purposefully omitting further detail. Sarah immediately giggles at my description, neither of our buzzes helping us to be discreet with my secret.
“Someone who lives here?” he asks, rolling up the sleeves to his white button-up shirt to his elbows.
“Something like that! Come on, let’s go!” I urge them, excited to go explore the Shanghai party scene.
“As you wish.” He steps aside and I watch him intently check out Sarah’s backside as she walks away.
***
“Another drink?” Ben shouts in my ear. I nod my head in agreement, and raise my glass to Sarah, trying to determine if she too wants a refill.
“Yes, puhlease!” she shouts to him. He nods and walks away through the busy club. The dance floor of M1nt is crowded, but not completely wall to wall, so we have a teensy bit of room to waltz around. Their amazing DJ flips, mixes, and combines the best of American and European techno and hip hop into his own masterpiece creations that make it impossible not to jump onto the dance floor. Some tables of high-spending partyers sit nearby watching the likes of me, Sarah, and countless other buzzed patrons drinking in the scene. “So when will Max be here?” Sarah shouts to me.
“Soon, I think,” I yell back, feeling a bout of anxiety and excitement run through me. It’s only been half a day since I’ve seen him but my body wants him, and needs to feel him again. Ben walks up to us, holding a vodka gimlet for me, a rum and coke for Sarah, and a Tsing Tsing, a local Chinese beer, for himself.
“You two have more admirers,” Ben says, laughing and handing over our drinks. I glance up and see that once again Sarah’s and my blondeness has made us an easy target of people-watching in this foreign land.
“Looks like you have some yourself,” Sarah says, pointing over to a table of girls staring toward us, waving eagerly at Ben.
“It’s like they think we’re celebrities or something,” he laughs, giving his fans a shy wave back.
“Go say hi!” I encourage him.
“No, they probably don’t even speak English.”
“Even better! They don’t have to speak English to speak the language of love,” Sarah chimes in. “What do you always say?” Sarah encourages him further. “YOLO!”
“Fine. I’m really doing it for you, though, simply to keep you entertained!” Ben takes a drink then turns toward his group of admirers, a big smile plastered across his face. I give him a little wave as he walks away, and as I do, I see my Lust walking toward me. My heart begins to race with anticipation. I lean toward Sarah to alert her of his arrival.
“Sarah, that’s him,” I say nodding toward my approaching Lust.
“That’s Max?” I watch her eyes move up and down him, her mouth forming into an approving smile. He looks incredibly hot tonight. Not unlike his usual appearance, but his confident stroll turns heads as he passes. He’s dressed in a fitted khaki suit and white button-up, matching his gleaming white teeth. His naturally olive skin looks radiant against these lighter colors, and I can feel myself wanting to have him instantly. I give him a wave as he approaches, and a nervous smile covers my face. Despite how intimate we’ve been, I realize I still barely know more than where he’s from and the size of his perfect penis.
“Nǐ hǎo,” he says, the traditional Chinese greeting, along with his traditional European double cheek kiss hello.
“Nǐ hǎo,” I respond back to him. “This is my friend, Sarah.”
“Sarah, nice to meet you.” Max leans in, giving her a warm handshake and a kiss on the cheek. Watching his mouth move toward her face gives me a tinge of jealousy, even though I know it’s nothing more than a platonic hello.
“You ladies look fantastic! Do you want to take a break from dancing for a bit and have a drink with me?”
“Sure, I could use a rest,” Sarah volunteers.
“Where’s your table?” Max asks, looking around.
“Oh, um, we don’t have a table. They were crazy expensive,” I admit. Lust raises his eyebrows and nods his understanding.
“Ah, I see. I’ll be right back,” he says with a wink, heading toward the bar.
“Holy shit, Jess. He’s totally fucking hot!” Sarah shrieks as soon as he’s out of earshot. “Well done, my friend.”
I giggle at her words. “I know. There’s just something about him. I mean he’s obviously cute, but it’s something more than that.”
“Yeah, I see what you mean. I think it’s a combination of class and confidence. He just looks like a million bucks between that smile and that suit. And he looks well groomed. And endowed.” She pauses with a sly smile. “Am I right?”
I laugh at her insinuation. “Sarah! I would never kiss and tell,” I say slyly.
“Kiss? Oh please. We all know you’ve done far more than kiss him. You’re going to go back and screw him again tonight, too. Not that I can blame you!”
“What are you ladies talking about?” Ben asks, interrupting our conversation. I turn bright red, unsure of how much he’s heard.
“Nothing,” Sarah responds before I can open my mouth. “Just Jess’s friend.” I make eyes at her, trying to shield Ben from the graphic details of my sexcapades.
“My friend Max is here,” I volunteer, but quickly change the subject. “So how were your admirers?”
“Drunk!” he says with a laugh. “They spoke a bit of English, but between the music in here and how drunk they were, I caught maybe two words.”
“Ladies, right this way.” Lust returns with a young Chinese waitress. “Hi, I’m Max,” he says confidently to Ben.
“Ben. Nice to meet you. You must be Jess’s friend?” he asks, looking to me.
“Yes. Her friend,” he says with a big teasing smile, raising his eyebrows toward me. Hmm, what do you call someone who you’ve had sex with and cheated on your boyfriend with, who surprises you in China? Fuck if I know.
“Join us, Ben. I was just about to show these ladies to a table.” We follow our petite hostess to a booth toward the back of the club. It has a great view of the dance floor, but sits further away from speakers, making it slightly quieter than the other areas of the club. Ben slides into the roun
d table, sitting alongside Sarah. I go in after her, then Max climbs in behind me, sitting so that he faces Sarah at the other end of the table. Within seconds a waiter delivers a bottle of Dom on ice with four champagne glasses. “Xièxiè,” Lust thanks him in Mandarin using one of the few words I can recognize.
“A toast to new friends?” Max begins pouring the champagne into each of our glasses. Sarah catches my eye, mouth gaping open, and she mouths “oh my God” to his expensive gesture. Dom is by no means cheap in the US, but the overseas markup adds a 5x multiplier to virtually any label like this, easily making it a thousand-dollar indulgence. Ben stays quiet, and I can only imagine what he’s thinking of me. I went from quickly moving in with Jack to having a wealthy fuck buddy in China. I silently start judging myself, allowing the guilt of my Jack situation to enter my mind again. I decide I should at least respond to his text and let him know I’m alive, and when I’m coming home. After all we’ll have a lot to talk about when I’m back. Good God, what will I tell him about Max? I don’t even know what we are, or what our situation will be in a few days. My semi-numb mind starts overanalyzing this situation. What could actually come of this? A relationship with a man who “lives” a plane ride away from me in New York, but is never really even there? Shit. I would never see him. Whatever fantasy I have allowed to dangle in my mind will need a reality check. And soon.
I peer over at Lust and see him chatting away with my friends. He’s so good in these situations, I can even see that the ever-uptight Ben has begun to loosen up a bit. Max catches my eye and gives me a squeeze under the table. His hand gently rubs my knee, letting me know he’s present and thinking of me. He’s so damn good-looking. And mesmerizing. He continues the conversation with Sarah and Ben, while slowly inching his fingers up my thigh. With each gentle stroke of his hand on my skin I begin to feel more and more overtaken by seduction. I slide my knees a little further apart, giving him more access to the burning need growing between my legs. He slowly circles his fingers up my right thigh, moving them up a smidge, then back, allowing his taunting to continue in a painstakingly slow manner.
I grab his hand, still hidden beneath the table, and give him a reassuring squeeze with my fingers laced through the top of his, wanting to let him know it’s ok to continue on his scandalous scavenger hunt. He squeezes my hand back, and I assume it’s the signal for message received. I feel my bits wet for him, tantalized by his hand’s movements, and eagerly awaiting their arrival. His fingers land on the edge of my panties and I silently gasp. He ever so gently slides his index finger beneath the fabric. Holy shit, this is actually happening. I breathe in shallow breaths, not realizing I’ve only taken in minimal oxygen during his alluring finger dance.
“So how did you guys meet?” Ben turns toward me and I nearly squeak with pleasure.
“Oh, he and Jack have been working on a deal together,” I blurt out and then immediately regret my words. This is the first time the subject of Jack has come up around Max since we’ve started whatever this fling of ours is. Lust’s hands pause, and I can see his smile fade. I glance around and realize everyone is waiting for me to elaborate on this revelation. Fuck!
“Jess, oh my God, I LOVE this song. Dance with me. Please?” Sarah gives me the “I’m trying to help you” eyes. I don’t want to leave the beautiful man’s hand stranded, but I know I’ve probably ruined the moment. Plus, how else would I elaborate on this story of how I know Max? “Jess. Come on! You can’t leave me hanging!” Sarah prods me again, encouraging me to get up.
“Go on,” Lust half whispers in my ear. The feeling of his closeness is like a drug, one that I am already addicted to. He turns his head further into my neck, this time his lips touch my earlobe and the electricity shoots through me from his slight touch. “I want to watch you dance. Go on.” Oh, God. I would love nothing more than to climb on top of his lap, or face for that matter, right here and now. I give a slight nod of my head, acknowledging his words. “Go dance. Then I will come get you, take you back to the hotel and have my way with you. Yes?” He throws that final question in there making it sound like a command I can’t possibly refuse.
“Ok, let’s go!” I say cheerfully to Sarah, trying to force my legs into action. Lust stands up to allow me out of the booth, reaching his hand out to help me to my feet.
“Perfecto,” he says quietly as I stand, just loud enough for me and only me to hear. He holds my hand until Sarah swoops up next to me, grabbing my arm to drag me away to the dance floor. He gives me a quick reassuring squeeze before she pulls me away.
***
Britney’s signature sound, expertly remixed, blasts through the surrounding speakers. Sarah and I sing loudly to each other, both having a love for the Mickey Mouse club alumna from our childhood. We hold our hands together above our heads, dancing and swaying as one. Our half-empty glasses of Dom slosh over the side with each overly dramatic sway of the music. I’m lost in this sound, this moment, having the time of my life with one of my dearest friends. I’ve had a permanent smile on my face for the last hour, or however long it is we’ve been tearing up the dance floor. I glance toward our table and see Ben and my Lust, laughing and chatting together. I give my man, or lustbuddy, rather, a big smile, letting all insecurities about us and our unknown relationship status fall far into the back of my mind.
I see Ben rise to his feet and begin walking toward us. “Can I steal Sarah away for a dance?” he asks me as Britney’s words begin to blend into the next song.
“But she’s my dance partner!” I shriek.
“I’ll be your dance partner,” Lust’s boomy voice rings into my ear as he sneaks up behind me, putting his arm around my waist. Feeling his body push against me shocks it into maximum arousal. I nod and let Sarah’s hand go, and she turns toward Ben, joyfully spinning with him. Max stays behind me, but wraps his other arm around me so I’m pressed completely against him. I feel his arousal quickly grow into my back, and I can only think how desperately I want him. Again. I lift my chin up, looking over my shoulder to get a glimpse of him. This is the closest we’ve been all day and I can hardly wait any longer. His eyes lock into mine, him looking down into me and me staring up into him. “I missed you, bella. I thought of you all day.”
“You too,” I say honestly, pulling his arms tighter around me. He leans down and gives my neck a quick kiss, and I nearly fall apart, desperate for more. For a moment, any thoughts about judgment from Sarah or Ben disappear, and I can only think of him and me, together. Now. I whirl around on my heel and throw my arms around his neck. I thrust my lips onto his, and he gratefully responds, parting them so that my tongue can meet his. I lean into him, forcing him to walk backward a few steps to the nearby wall. I back him into a corner and continue kissing him with the desperation that seeps from my veins. My hands grasp his hair, unable to do anything but pull him into me.
“How drunk are you,” he asks into my ear, pausing our make-out session for a quick second.
“Enough to dance in front of strangers,” I laugh.
“But not like the night at Ware?” he questions.
“God, no!” I retort, reliving that embarrassing night for a brief second.
“Good. I just don’t want to take advantage of you,” he admits.
I shake my head at his words. “You’re not. All I want is you. I have to have you again.”
His mouth widens into a wicked grin at my forward words. My buzz has given me enough confidence to express my feelings, but not so much that I puke on myself or my handsome date.
“You have no idea,” he says, and in one quick movement he twists me around so my back is now pinned on the wall. He pushes his body against me, one hand steadying himself on the wall the other pulling my hips into him. His mouth draws to mine like a magnet, and my knees weaken into him. We grab each other anywhere we can, our hands and mouths working nonstop. I feel his erection growing harder, and I can only think of having him inside me.
“I can take you to bed?” he as
ks, or states, through panted breath. I quickly nod my head, wishing we were already there.
Lust scoops his hands underneath me, startling me as my feet sweep off the floor. He carries me like a bride going over a threshold, or more accurately like a dominatrix about to get fucked sideways. I see surprise spread across Sarah’s and Ben’s faces, and my Lust pauses next to them. “Order whatever you want, just grab my credit card before you go,” he instructs them as we walk past them and out of the club.
***
Lust carries me hurriedly through the hotel lobby, having only put me down for our quick taxi ride home. Our hands and mouths haven’t stopped, and I’ve literally gushed through my panties at this point. We hop into the elevator and I rip apart the buttons of his shirt as quickly as I can. The doors open and he ushers me down the hallway, my hands pulling at his belt. We finally stop in front of the door to my room, and he fumbles with his wallet for a key. I use the opportunity to remove his belt and unbutton his pants. As soon as the door flies open I unzip them fully, tugging them down along with his boxers. His big, beautiful bulge pops right out and salutes me, and I hold my breath, beyond ready for this man to enter me.
He tosses me onto the bed and yanks my panties down as fast as he can, then pushes my dress up above my hips. He doesn’t even pause to remove my shoes before he falls on top of me, and with one quick thrust our bodies connect once again. “Oh, Max,” I nearly shout, the building attraction and teasing of the last few hours finally being released as our skin connects. The friction is all-consuming, and he moves his hips back and forth, thrusting hard against me, then retracting back until he’s almost out of me. The sensation of his size sliding back and forth against my overly ripe peach is more than I can take. I grab his head and pull it to mine. As soon as his lips part I explode all around him, moaning into his mouth. He continues with only a few more thrusts before his body quakes with mine.
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