by Blair Grey
There was no harm in going to bed with a good guy, was there? I trusted that if I didn’t want to do this again, he wasn’t going to force me. So why not give in to my desires?
When we’d kissed, it had been like lightning going through me. He’d teased me, on the front porch, asking if I could get off just by grinding against him like that. The truth was, I probably could have. It had been a while since I’d been with a guy, and to be honest, I hadn’t really taken care of myself in a while. I’d had a couple quick personal sessions, but nothing really earth-shattering. I was too exhausted to give myself a really good go, most times.
I had him halfway naked by the time we were in the front hall, running my hands all over his chest and torso. His sculpted body was warm and hard beneath my fingers, just like I’d expected it to be. His lips were supple against mine, letting me continue to set the pace.
I didn’t think we were going to make it to the bedroom, to be honest. And somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought that maybe I should be ashamed of that. But I was too caught up in the moment to really care, and anyway, that small flicker of shame just made lust burn all the hotter in my core.
Marcus didn’t bother to remove my dress; he just pushed it up and out of the way, pushing his fingers past my panties and deep inside my folds. I cried out in surprise, my knees going weak as all my focus turned toward the feeling of his fingers stroking the velvet between my legs.
He grinned dangerously and withdrew his fingers, then licked them slowly and deliberately. “I’m going to fuck you until you’re raw,” he murmured huskily, and I gave another of those full-body shivers that he somehow managed to elicit from me.
He caught my hips and walked me backward into a living room, not stopping until I was half sitting on the high arm of a couch. Now, he stripped me down, working methodically until I was naked before him. I shivered, again feeling that flicker of embarrassment, but the next thing I knew, he was on his knees in front of me, his mouth exploring the same territory that his fingers had explored out in the hallway.
He pushed one of my legs up and onto his shoulder, opening me up even further for him, and I suddenly became hyperaware that even though he had stripped off my dress, bra, and panties, I was still wearing the high, strappy heels that Rachel had insisted I wear. And fuck, that made me feel sexy, in a way that I never had before.
There was something about this not being able to keep our hands off one another. Something about the fact that he wanted me badly enough that we couldn’t take our time in making it toward the bedroom.
His tongue flicked across my nub as his fingers resumed their earlier position, buried knuckles-deep inside of me. Two fingers, or maybe three. I couldn’t tell anymore. All I could tell was that I was close to cumming already, his rhythm absolutely, maddeningly perfect. He worked his fingers in alternating rhythms so that one was always pushing deep inside of me as another dragged slowly down my inner walls.
I gasped, my whole body tensing as the heat crescendoed within me. My fingers twisted desperately into his hair, and then I was spilling over into blinding ecstasy.
He continued to toy with me, but more gently now, just easing me through my orgasm. I thought for a minute that that might be it, that he might be done with me. But once I had my breathing back, he stood up, helping me lie down on the couch. He kicked off his shoes and took off his pants and silky black boxer-briefs. And fuck, he was hard, his member thick and long, curving up toward his navel.
He covered my naked body with his, giving me only a moment’s notice before he pushed into me in one long, hard thrust.
I cried out, and he stilled, giving me a moment to adjust, even though I could feel his biceps twitching with the effort of holding still. Slowly, he began to move his hips, and I matched his rhythm, gasping as he nibbled at my neck. Even though I had just cum, it felt like I was already on the verge of spilling again, my whole body trembling with pleasure and passion.
Marcus’s teeth found my earlobe, raking across the sensitive skin, even as his fingers toyed with my breasts and his hips continued to snap into mine. It was as though he was there everywhere around me, stimulating every single nerve ending I had, and I was helpless to stop myself from orgasming a second time, a ragged moan spilling from my lips.
My pussy clenched tight and released, over and over again, dragging Marcus’s orgasm out of him as well. He groaned and fell forward against me, his body a comforting weight against mine as he shot his seed deep inside of me.
My whole body felt relaxed, as though some deep-seated need I didn’t know I had had finally been slaked. I took a deep breath and let my head fall back even farther against the couch, my eyes fluttering shut for a moment.
Marcus kissed my temple, grinning against my skin. “Hey,” he murmured, nuzzling me and then pulling away. “I was going to give you the full tour. So this is my living room.” He pulled away and sat up, reaching out a hand to help me up as well.
God, his living room. We hadn’t even made it upstairs. I was still in those fucking high heels.
The embarrassment returned, but this time, there was no accompanying flicker of lust to go with it, nothing to distract me from the fact that I had not only just put out on the first date but totally acted like a slut to go along with it.
“I should go,” I said immediately, even though despite my embarrassment, I really wanted to curl my body into his, to let him give me a proper tour, or maybe to let him carry me upstairs to his bed where we belonged.
I was a total tangle of emotions. I hadn’t felt this attracted to anyone ever, and I hadn’t done this in a long, long time. That want and lust were still there, somewhere inside of me, but there were all these other feelings as well. I knew better than to get tangled up with a guy like him. Passion like this could really burn a person.
And the last thing I needed was to turn this into something that was all cuddles and attachment. In fact, it was probably better, despite my embarrassment, that we had fucked down here in the living room. It was exciting and wild and impersonal. Just a quick fuck. And now it was time for me to leave.
“Why don’t you stay?” Marcus suggested, his thumb warm as it rubbed against my wrist.
I tugged my arm away, already starting to regret having slept with him. “I can’t,” I said shortly, already starting to dress myself again. I pulled out my phone, already dialing the number for a cab.
“Come on, don’t be like that,” Marcus said, standing still-naked in front of me, reaching out to stroke my cheek. “If you’re not big on after-sex cuddles, that’s fine. I have a guest bedroom that you can stay in.”
“I have to work tomorrow,” I retorted, which was true, even if it had nothing to do with why I wasn’t going to stay.
God, I felt like I was going to cry. What was wrong with me?
How could I let myself do this?
I tried to smile. “Thank you,” I said to Marcus. “Tonight was fun.” I put an emphasis on the last word, as though all I was looking for was a little fun. I wasn’t looking for sleepovers or continued dating or anything else. This was a one-time thing.
Marcus frowned at me, looking as though he was trying very hard to figure me out. I almost wanted to know why. What was in it for him, if he could figure this out? What did he want from me?
For a moment, I considered sticking around. Just to see. I had initially thought that Marcus was just looking to fuck as well, but with the way he had been this evening, I was starting to wonder. He didn’t seem like the relationship type, but then again, he was turning out to not be the type of person that I’d initially pegged him as.
“I’ll call you,” Marcus said quietly. “I’d like to see you again.” He paused. “And I’m sorry if I took things too fast or if I upset you.”
I didn’t say anything. Instead, I turned away from him, heading for the door. The last thing I needed was to let my curiosity get me in over my head. This was fun. That was the way it was meant to be. But it wasn’t going to tu
rn into anything more than that.
I was already thinking about what I would say to Rachel. I wasn’t going to be able to lie to her and tell her that we hadn’t had sex. And god, wasn’t that embarrassing. I knew she wasn’t going to judge me for it, but I was judging myself for it. She’d want to know why I wasn’t interested in a second date with him, though.
In fact, I could practically hear her now: “If you enjoy his company and the sex was great, and he wants to see you again, why do you insist on running away?”
Because that’s what I was doing when it really came down to it; I was running away. But knowing I was doing it and actually being able to stop it were two different things.
15
Marcus
Monday
I woke up on Monday morning hard as a rock and grinding against the sheets. It had been a while since I’d found myself in that sort of position, and I felt vaguely embarrassed. I hopped in a cold shower, trying to forget about the dream I’d had.
I hadn’t heard from Leila since she’d left my place on Saturday night.
I still felt guilty about that. I had known better than to pressure her. I should have walked her back to her house, maybe given her a good-night kiss, and called it a night. I didn’t know exactly what had gone wrong, not when she’d seemed so into it and not when she had really been the one to start it. But she definitely hadn’t seemed happy as she left, and I felt bad about that. I felt like I had ruined what had been an otherwise great night.
Not that the sex hadn’t been great, too. Fuck, she’d been incredible. So open to me, so responsive, her body like putty in my hands. I hadn’t been able to get enough of her. And now, I couldn’t seem to quit thinking about her. But she refused to answer the phone when I had called, nor had she responded to the text I’d sent her, thanking her for a fun night and checking to make sure she had gotten home okay.
I shook my head and headed over to the clubhouse for our weekly Red Eyes meeting. I was running a little late, intentionally since it meant that the twins couldn’t start asking me about where I had been all weekend and why I’d blown them off for another Saturday-night party. I was even later than I’d meant to be, though, and Ray was already there when I arrived and slinked in through the door to find a seat on the couch.
He scowled at me. “I’d appreciate if you guys were on time to these meetings,” he said frostily. “There’s a lot going on right now, and I don’t want to have to repeat myself.”
“Sorry,” I muttered, trying to look contrite even though inside I was rolling my eyes. It wasn’t like I made it a habit to be late or anything; he didn’t have to call me out on the one time I was. But the last thing I needed was to pick a fight with him over it.
“We’re getting heat from the sheriff at the moment,” Ray said, looking around at all of us. “Now, we knew this was coming. We knew he wasn’t on our side. But apparently, he plans on really starting to crack down on all of this.”
“Good timing, since it’s almost time to collect our monthly dues,” Cameron muttered under his breath, glancing over at me. I was thinking the same thing.
Ray held up his hand for silence, waited a moment, and then continued. “We’re going to have to back off for a little while,” he said. Another pause. “I want all of you to take a vacation while I figure a few things out.”
There was silence in the room. I was the first person to break it. “Fuck that,” I said, unable to help myself. “Come on, Ray, if there’s a problem, we all need to work together. Not just drop it all on you.”
“We’ll work together once we have a plan,” he said fiercely. “Until then, the last thing I need is you lot running around underfoot causing trouble. We’re not all going to be able to work together on a solution if half of you are in jail before we even get the lay of the land. And if you dare question my authority again, you’ll be the first person I offer up to the sheriff.”
There was silence in the room again, and Ray glared around at everyone. “Does anyone else have any stupid challenges they’d like to make?”
I wanted to fight him on it, but with the look in his eyes, I almost believed him when he said he would offer me up to the sheriff. Shit. I stayed quiet, even though I was already trying to figure out what I could do to help things.
Suddenly, the door to the clubhouse flew open, and Sheriff Michaels came in, flanked by a couple of police officers.
Ray raised an eyebrow at him. “Breaking and entering now, boys?” he asked coolly.
“Don’t be stupid,” the sheriff said, rolling his eyes and holding up a piece of paper. “We have a warrant to search the place.”
“Oh yeah? And what exactly are you looking for?”
“We got a tip that there were drugs here in your clubhouse,” one of the police officers said, already glancing around at the place.
“That’s ridiculous,” Ray declared, narrowing his eyes at the officers. “You know we don’t run drugs. That’s not our style.”
The police officer didn’t care, though. “I need all of you up against the wall here, hands out.”
“What is this, the firing squad?” Braxton snapped.
The police officer held up a pair of handcuffs. “Come on, all of you. Now.”
“I might add,” Sheriff Michaels said, smirking at Ray, “that the better you cooperate with this search, the more tolerant I may be of your continued presence here in Las Cruces.”
That got everyone moving. We let them handcuff us and watched as they searched the place and then patted down each one of us, one by one. I spent the whole time trying to think if they would find anything here. Of course we didn’t run drugs, but that didn’t mean we were all clean. I was worried about Braxton in particular. He might have something on him. Probably just petty weed, but if they were really trying to crack down, they’d get him up on the maximum charge.
“Hey, gentle with the merchandise!” Braxton said as one of the cops shoved a hand in his pocket. But he came out with just a couple of crumpled receipts. “Can’t I have her feeling me up?” he asked, nodding toward the unimpressed female police officer who stood off to the side with her arms folded across her chest.
The other police officer didn’t take kindly to that and slammed Braxton’s head back against the door. Braxton looked dazed at the hit, but he managed to keep his feet, and he shut up after that. I think we were all grateful for that.
“What happened to the wall in here?” the sheriff called from Ray’s office.
“There used to be a safe in there. Now there isn’t,” Ray replied icily.
Sheriff Michaels came back into the main room, looking like he had just hit the jackpot. “Oh really?” he said. “And what happened to that safe, hmm? Got moved to your house? Do I need to get a warrant to search there as well?”
“You’re not going to find any drugs there,” Ray said, shrugging. “But if you want to waste your time, sure, go ahead. The safe isn’t there either, though.”
“Where is it, then?”
“I think you already know that,” Ray said, narrowing his eyes at the other. He clearly suspected the same thing I had: that if Bill Michaels wasn’t a member of the Unknowns, he was certainly in cahoots with them. But he didn’t say anything further, and the sheriff let the matter drop.
“Well, I guess you guys are lucky today,” the sheriff said, nodding toward his lackeys, who started to undo our handcuffs one after the other. “We didn’t find anything today. But I’m sure we’ll get you on something.”
Ray rolled his eyes, but otherwise, he kept his opinion to himself. The sheriff looked pissed anyway. He leaned in close to Ray, jabbing a finger at our president’s chest. “You watch your back, Ray Thompson. You may act like you don’t give a shit about any of this, but I know you’d take a bullet for any of the guys you’ve got here in this room. Or for your daughter, for that matter. There are things that you care about, and I’m here to figure out how best to use those weaknesses to bring you to the ground.”
He turned and stalked out, his police officers following behind him. They slammed the door as they left.
Ray stared off into space for a long moment, his jaw twitching with barely concealed rage.
“Some sheriff, huh?” Braxton muttered, rubbing his head. “Promises to clean up the illegal shit in this town by threatening to, what, shoot bullets into us and kidnap Belle?”
I shot him a warning look. Ray didn’t want to hear that kind of mouthing off, not right now. Fortunately, Ray didn’t seem to be listening. Finally, he glanced over at me. “My office, now,” he said. “The rest of you, get out of here. And keep it clean. We’ve just seen firsthand how this new sheriff is going to treat us.”
Everyone scattered, and I followed Ray into his office, wondering if he was going to ream me out again for having been late to the meeting. I was all set to explain, but he just poured two drinks, then shoved one into my hand.
“It had to be the Unknowns,” he snapped.
“What did?” I asked in surprise.
“They’re the ones who gave him that tip. I’m just surprised they didn’t plant some drugs in here while they were at it.”
I snorted. “They’d never be able to get in here again,” I reminded him. “We’ve amped up security so much since the place was broken into before that half of Red Eyes can’t even get in here unless you’re here. The core group can, of course, but none of the other members.”
“True,” Ray said, but he sounded distracted. There was a frown on his face and a murderous look in his eyes as he knocked back the rest of his drink. I had to wonder if maybe he had finally been galvanized into doing something. The Unknowns might have just unknowingly signed their own death warrant when they helped the sheriff get the grounds needed to search our clubhouse.
16
Leila
Monday