by KB Jacobs
“No,” I shouted a little too forcefully. “You lived with your parents in front of the paparazzi your whole life. You know how they can take a picture out of context and create a completely fictitious story. It was only a little kiss.”
“You kissed him?” Alex flew around the desk and sat on the edge of it to face me. “Melissa Frye, you will tell me every little dirty detail right now, or I will torture it out of you.”
Shit. “You wouldn’t.”
“I would.” Alex grabbed a rubber band from the desk, stretched it between her fingers, and aimed for my head. “Apparently, I’m the only one in this office not getting any action. I’m a woman on the edge. You have no idea what I’m capable of.”
I covered my eyes with my hands to protect them from her wrath. “I kissed Anthony. Twice”
“And...”
“And... I can only take responsibility for one of those. The first time was after a game of beer pong.”
Alex hissed in a breath. She knew from four years of college precisely what I was like after one too many. It wasn’t pretty.
“Exactly.”
“And the second time?”
“That was at the ski slopes, and it just kinda happened.” I closed my eyes and remembered when Anthony leaned down unexpectedly and planted his warm lips on mine. Soft at first, and then more demanding. The tabloid picture must have been taken seconds later.
“So what’s the big deal?” Alex set the rubber band down on the desk. “You act like you tied the man to a bed and had your way with him.”
Heat flooded my neck, and my core clenched at the thought of doing just that.
Alex whistled. “You blush like a schoolgirl watching pornos in front of a priest. You didn’t really tie him down, did you?”
“No!” My eyes widened, scandalized and maybe just a tad intrigued with the idea. He would look so sexy splayed—
“So you kissed. Are you telling me it wasn’t good?”
I shook myself out of my fantasy. “I wouldn’t say that.” Both kisses had been enough to give my books some serious competition. And from the way Anthony’s strong hand had pulled me into him with his cock hard against me, I’d say he’d enjoyed it. “But that’s not the point. I’m supposed to be there to help him around the house and improve his image with his sponsors. Jumping his bones was not part of the deal.”
“Maybe it should be.” Alex shrugged. “You’re not a nun, Melissa. And from what I hear, Anthony’s certainly no saint. Two healthy, attractive young adults living under the same roof. Knocking a few boots isn’t the worst thing that could happen.”
I stared at the tabloid to avoid Alex’s intense stare. Could it be that simple?
“Okay.” Alex flipped her long, brown hair over her shoulder and leaned back on the desk. “I realize you were never as active as me and Lake in college, so let me give you a few tips on the subject.”
The heat in my neck rose up into my face, and a thin layer of sweat beaded on my neck. “God, Alex, my mom gave me the birds-and-bees talk when I was eleven.”
“Consider this the advanced course,” Alex said, winking at me.
“Fine.” I blew my hair up and out of my face in a huff. “I’m not going to get anything else done today anyway. Let’s hear your tips.”
Alex clapped her hands in front of her like a little kid at a birthday party. “Okay, tip one.” She held up one perfectly manicured finger. “If you kiss a guy and he kisses you back, don’t stop.”
“Oh wow.” I leaned forward, my hands clapped to my cheeks in mock excitement. “That’s life changing. Tell me more, guru Alex.”
She rolled her eyes at me. “So much sarcasm from such a tiny little thing. And yet if you had followed this basic tip, I have a feeling that tabloid cover would have something a little saucier to show than just the two of you making googly eyes at each other.”
She threw two fingers up in my face without giving me a chance to respond. “Tip two. Guys like it when you take a little initiative.”
I swallowed down the bile threatening to spew all over Alex. A “little” was clearly the key word I had missed in my youth. That was a lesson learned the hard way. I shook my head. Dammit if Brad’s email wasn’t still messing with me.
“Tip three.” Alex waved three fingers in front of my face to recapture my attention. “Set your boundaries early.”
I tilted my head to the side. “Wait, what do you mean by boundaries? I thought we were talking about going all the way?”
Alex closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath before opening them again. “We are. I’m talking relationship boundaries.”
This was where I was completely lost. Other than a failed relationship my senior year in high school, and one very drunken mistake in college, my level of relationship/sex experience was nil. If it was possible for virginity to grow back, I’d be as holy as a nun.
Alex nodded at my blank expression and took over. “Let me ask you a question. Could you see yourself actually being in a relationship with Anthony?”
I closed my eyes and tried to imagine dating snowboarding royalty Triple B. Going on dates, spending quiet nights curled up watching Bridget Jones’s Diary, holding hands. It sounded great, but I couldn’t make those images focus in my mind. That was not who Anthony was. Sure, he was like another person yesterday on the slopes, but one day a week as a normal person didn’t make up for six days as an ass. He had kicked the party posse out, but how long was that really going to last? As soon as his ankle was healed and he was back out on his board, the wild parties and drunken orgies would be back in business. And that was the last thing I wanted.
Shaking my head, I whispered, “No.”
“Okay,” Alex said, drawing the word out like it was a question. She gave me one hard glance and then moved on. “So that’s what you need to establish right from the get go. Amazing, orgasm-inducing sex? Yes, please. Steady boyfriend? No, thanks.”
I swallowed the nerves threatening to choke me. “And I just tell him this?”
Alex laughed. “Yes. And trust me, I’ve never met a guy who wasn’t interested in a no-strings-attached sex buddy. Which brings me to rule four.” She jumped down and put her hands on the arm of my chair, trapping me in my seat. “You’re required by the rules of friendship to tell your woefully under-serviced best friend all the amazing details so she can live vicariously through you.”
A nervous giggle erupted from my lips. I’d assume anyone else was kidding, but not Alex. She’d want a play-by-play commentary if I actually went through with this. I imagined all the ways Anthony could take me if I let him. Even with the injury, his strength was overpowering. I pictured his broad, dark chest looming over me, his dyed dreadlocks slapping against his back as he drove into me...
“Melissa.” Alex snapped her fingers in front of my face. “Are you with me? Don’t overthink this. It’s sex, not an actuarial exam.”
“Right.” I forced the images out of my head before I got myself worked up.
“Of course, if you aren’t interested in being serviced by the delicious young Anthony...” She raised an eyebrow, showing her interest.
Red-hot anger boiled up in my chest as I pictured Anthony kissing Alex, touching her, taking her.
“That’s what I thought.” Alex smirked at me. “You should see your face. You’ve got it bad, girl. And the only cure is a good, old-fashioned fuck session.”
Panic replaced my anger. The more I thought about sleeping with Anthony, the more I realized just how much that was exactly what I wanted. “Oh, god. I need to go shave, and buy some new underwear, and—”
“Go!” Alex practically shouted at me. “Lake texted me earlier. She and Walsh will probably be brunching the rest of the day, and it’s clear you aren’t going to get anything done sitting around here, thinking about boning that delectable piece of man meat. Go get yourself sexified.”
Alex walked back around the desk dramatically and flopped into her chair, one arm crossed over her forehea
d. “I’ll stay here and hold down the fort while the rest of the world has amazing sex. Don’t worry about me. Save yourself.”
I grabbed my purse and skipped to Alex’s chair, pausing long enough to kiss the top of her head. “Don’t wait up.”
The pub was still a blackened husk, but not even the reminder of the fire could tamp down my spirits. Alex was absolutely right. What would be so wrong about having sex with Anthony? Our kiss proved we had some seriously hot chemistry. And I’d seen him with his shirt off. It would not be a hardship to see the rest of him naked. My belly squirmed with excitement. This was going to happen.
I pushed down the feelings in my chest that warned me this was more than just a casual romp.
Outside was freezing, but not even the cold could touch me today. I jumped into William and checked my phone to see how much shopping time I would have before Anthony expected me home. There was a text message I must have missed during my enlightening conversation with Alex.
I opened it up, and the blood in my veins turned ice cold. I threw my phone into the empty passenger seat, the words on the screen echoing in my brain in his taunting voice that haunted my nightmares.
Why are you ignoring me? Those aren’t the kind of games I want to play with you.
Chapter 21
Anthony
I had tossed and turned all night, trying to figure out the puzzle that was Melissa/Juliet. Maybe that was the key. I’d built her up as the romantic two-dimensional Juliet in my mind, but the reality was so much more. That kiss on the slopes hadn’t felt fake, especially considering there had been no reason for her to fake anything. There were no cameras around. In fact, it had felt too darn real. I wanted—no, needed—to know more about her.
I’d heard her leave the house about an hour and a half ago. Because of the chaos at the brewery, she worked some long hours.
I stepped out of my bedroom and glanced toward her door, which stood wide open. It couldn’t hurt to take a little peek, could it? If she didn’t want me in there, she would have closed the door. It only stood to reason that to truly take care of my houseguest, I needed to understand her better. It was a feeble lie I told myself. I knew it, and my mom would kick my butt if she knew I’d betrayed Melissa’s trust like this, but my curiosity pulsed like a living thing inside me. I couldn’t resist just one peek.
I took a deep breath and stepped over the threshold of her door. The room smelled like her. Cinnamon and vanilla filled my nose as my cock lengthened. How long would this scent linger after she moved out?
I didn’t want to think about her leaving, especially as I considered this reaction to her. I could suddenly imagine myself as a seventy-year-old man, hobbling into this room to whack off to Melissa’s lingering scent...the one who got away.
I stilled. The one who got away? As in, The One with capital letters? Since when was that even a possibility? That made no sense. I barely knew her, and I sure wasn’t ready to settle down.
I thought over the last few months after I’d first spotted Juliet in the window above the brewery, and cold ice settled into my veins.
I hadn’t had sex with anyone else since that night when I’d first seen her. I sank onto the bed as shock reverberated through me.
I looked around the room, noticing the changes Melissa had made to it since she moved in. A lone teacup sat on top of the dresser beside a framed photo that listed to one side. I went to examine it. The frame had some soot on one corner, and the opposite corner was split at the seam. Something salvaged from the fire...barely.
The picture overflowed with a huge family of blondes. Other than Melissa, there were three boys and three girls in the photo and then their blonde parents. They must have some Scandinavian heritage for them all to be blonde like that. It looked like one of those photos taken for Christmas cards where everyone was told to wear denim and white.
I was pretty sure Melissa had said she wasn’t the youngest, but she was so small, she looked like it in this photo. Close to her age were two boys that had to be twins with their identical eyes and cheesy grins. Another girl looked a lot like Melissa, only more glamorous with a polished look and an additional few inches in height.
It was interesting to see the family dynamic. Even in the photo, I could see how she set herself apart. She stood at the edge, smiling politely at the camera while everyone else appeared to be laughing or goofing off.
I’d always dreamed of having a huge family but had never really considered how chaotic it might feel to someone like Melissa who was an introvert. My heart twisted as I considered that she had lived with my dream family, but I got the feeling that she might have been just as lonely as me growing up.
Shoved onto the back corner of the dresser were two thick folders, the kind that held certificates. I opened them. One was her high school degree; the other was her college diploma.
Doing some quick math in my head...whoa.
If I figured this right, Melissa graduated from high school when she was sixteen. Four years later, she had earned double degrees in mathematics and literature. Double diplomas meant twice as much work...in four years? I knew she was smart, but...
I gingerly set the documents back where I’d found them.
I was so far out of my league. I’d barely gotten my GED, and that was only because my mom insisted. School had never been a priority.
Sinking back onto the bed, I took the photo frame with me to consider the puzzle of Melissa. With every piece of her I revealed, I became more intrigued, more mesmerized, and maybe just a little more intimidated.
My foot caught on the corner of a box sticking out from under the bed. Rather than focus on the terrifying thoughts of pursuing more with her scattering through my head, I reached down and pulled it out.
It was an old Amazon delivery box with Melissa’s name on it and a Texas address. Was that where she had moved from? It seemed odd that I didn’t even know where she considered home.
I lifted the flaps, and the scent of smoke rose up to meet my face. Something salvaged from the fire. Inside was filled with dog-eared, well-used, and well-loved books. I pulled one out and raised a brow at the muscular bare chest on the cover. I smiled. My muscles were more defined than his. I’d seen books like this that my mom read.
Ruffling through the pages, I was surprised to see the book marked up like a student would do with their textbook. There were notes in the margins and highlighted passages. Intriguing. The spine had a certain spot where it wanted to stay open. One of Melissa’s favorite passages?
I began reading...
I grabbed her and held her down by her ponytail. She gasped. The walls of her pussy rippled over my cock. Even with the mask hiding her eyes, I could feel her searching for clues from me.
I held in the moan. I couldn’t let her know how much she turned me on. That would shift the power over to her, and that would never do. Not here. Not now.
No, here I was her Master, and her only job was to service me, let me use her body until I owned all of her, both body and soul. Then and only then could she know that I loved her.
I slammed the book closed, my heart racing, my cock pulsing in my sweats. I’d seen books like this before, but I had no idea this was the type of thing written inside. Geez, that had been hot.
Was this what turned Melissa on? My dick jerked and a drop of precum wet the tip at the visuals pummeling my brain of Melissa in a mask, moaning my name as I sunk my cock deep inside her pussy.
I opened the book again. I couldn’t resist the pull of arousal and curiosity.
She looked gorgeous like this...her hands tied and bound above her head, nipple clamps torturing those beautiful little berries, her lips swollen and wet from my kisses. In the low candlelight, I could see her arousal at the juncture of her thighs. I wanted nothing more than to sink into that hot, wet, tight pussy, but I had to exert more control right now.
“Samuel,” she whispered.
“I’m here, pet, but what did I say about speaking out of turn?”<
br />
Her moan answered my question better than words ever could. She loved getting punished, loved that moment between pain and ecstasy that ratcheted her lust up beyond anything else.
I popped my wrist, and the flails of the flogger snapped in the quiet of the room. Although they hadn’t even touched her yet, a pearl of her juices ran down her inner thigh in anticipation.
I dropped to my knees, needing to taste that precious liquid. Ecstasy. Then I bit the tender flesh of her inner thigh and sucked hard. That would leave a mark. Something to remember me by when I had to leave her tomorrow.
If I kept reading, I was going to come in my pants like a teenager with his first glimpse of porn. I closed the book again and ran my hand over the spine. Did girls really get off on stuff like this? Did Melissa? I’d been missing out. This was way hotter than anything I’d ever read before, including classic Penthouse Letters.
I pulled out a handful of books. By themselves, the covers didn’t say what was inside. In fact, most were almost mild compared to the book covers on my mom’s bookshelves. There seemed to be a lot of one-object photos instead of scenery...a flower, a seminude couple shown from the side, a length of rope, a pair of discarded high heels and lingerie. The main thing that seemed to tie the style together was that all the covers featured a single color or black-and-white photography.
Yeah, and now that I knew what I was looking at, I set the one with the rope cover aside to examine more closely. All these books were marked up and extremely sexy, which meant Melissa really liked this type of thing. Not as innocent as she came across, or was she?
I thought back to what had brought me here in the first place. The two different sides to her. Maybe this was the key? Could it be that she’d only read about these things, too shy to actually try it with a guy?
An idea began to form. I removed the books that seemed to have been handled the most, spread them across the bed, and took a photo of them with my phone. I had some research to do.
Maybe we could come to a new level of our arrangement, something that would benefit both of us even more.