by Kim Karr
I was used to dealing with a lot of different personalities.
What I wasn’t used to was feeling like I might be deemed unworthy. That was a feeling I hadn’t experienced in a very long time, until last Sunday, when James’ mother brought it all back.
Tonight though, I felt at ease, like this thing with James and I wasn’t going to be as hard as I had thought.
Phoebe was James’ best friend, and she had welcomed me with open arms. This made me feel lighter, less worried that James and I had made a mistake.
In the bathroom mirror, I brushed my hair and smiled when James walked in wearing nothing but a towel, fresh out of the shower, my eyes widened.
Casually, he gave my bottom a slight pat as he passed. A slight tingling sensation lingered under his touch. I’d stripped out of my dress and hose, and was wearing nothing more than a skimpy tank top and panties.
I loved that he liked to touch me often, and that he always made sure he was as close to me as he could be.
He bent to brush his teeth in the sink beside me.
Unable to stop myself, I glanced toward him, and saw little droplets of water coursing down his rock-hard abs.
His gaze swiveled toward me. I continued to brush my hair. Feeling the heat of his stare every time his eyes shifted my way.
When he finished, he stood tall and leaned against the wall. “Are you tired?” he asked.
I put some toothpaste on my own toothbrush. “No really. What did you have in mind?”
“We could watch a movie,” he suggested.
I bent to brush my teeth and a yearning shot through me. He was completely naked beneath his towel and I was having a hard time ignoring that fact. “Yes, sure, I’m up for anything you want.” My voice was husky from my wicked thoughts.
He caught my tone, and his eyes dipped to my mouth.
I shifted my gaze to the sink and kept brushing.
I saw movement and then he was behind me, bending over me. “What I want is to watch you make yourself come.”
I shivered at his hot breath on my ear.
We’d left Phoebe and Jeremy’s shortly after we finished dessert. James had Hal drop off us a few blocks from home so we could enjoy the night air. We strode arm in arm down the sidewalk, and I felt like we were doing this. That we were Mr. and Mrs. Ashton. It was the first time I’d felt that way since we returned from Vegas.
I spit out my toothpaste and looked up at him in the mirror. Then I turned to look at him over my shoulder. “What?” My throat was dry despite the fact I was rinsing my mouth.
His lips were on mine in a long kiss before he broke the suction of our mouths and buried his face in my neck. “You said you were up for anything. What I want is to watch you make yourself come,” he groaned into my throat.
I had heard him, and I stared at his reflection in the mirror. His handsome face was so serious and I watched him as he studied me without an ounce of amusement dancing in his eyes this time.
The intensity of the moment caused goose bumps to rise on my skin.
He was serious.
Dead serious.
He dropped his head to the curve of my shoulder and with his teeth, bit me gently. “It’s not breaking your rule. I won’t be inside you.”
God, I almost wished I hadn’t nixed the whole sex thing, but it was killing me having him so close to me. “I know,” I said, “It’s not that. It’s just I’ve never done that in front of someone before.”
He lifted his mouth and looked at me in the mirror. “I’ll guide you. Tell you what to do so I can enjoy it as much as you.”
My blood felt like gasoline as it flowed through my veins.
Hot.
Explosive.
Ready to catch fire.
With his eyes still on me, I swallowed and gave a slight nod.
“Take your shirt off. Show me your gorgeous tits,” James commanded.
Slowly, I lifted my tank top.
“Now your panties,” he ordered.
I shimmied them down my legs and kicked them off.
James moved closer. His eyes were burning with desire when he pressed his body to mine, and I could feel him starting to get hard beneath his towel. I wanted to ask him to drop the terry cloth. I wanted to tell him I needed to watch him lengthen.
But then he took my hands, which were gripping the counter. He lifted them to my chest and a nervous flutter swept through me, and I didn’t ask him anything. I had twenty fingertips touching me as he slid our hands over the small swell of my breasts and my nerves dispersed into full-on desire as the eroticism of it all took over.
“Do you feel how hard your nipples get with the slightest touch?” he whispered in my ear.
I nodded while he slid our hands lower to my navel and flattened my palms against it beneath his. Four hands covered my lower body and desire pulsed in my core.
“Open your legs wider,” he growled.
God, the commanding tone to his voice made my heart beat frantically.
Once I did as he instructed, he moved one of my hands between my legs and put the other back on my breast. He concentrated below as he manipulated my finger so that I was gently stroking myself in a circular motion.
Stroke.
Circle.
Stroke.
Heat spread through me.
I could hear his deep breaths.
I shuddered in ecstasy when I looked down and watched as his hand moved mine.
“Pinch your nipples.” His voice was hoarse as he bent to kiss my neck. It was more like a lick from my ear to my shoulder.
I pinched.
My pulse was racing.
James released the hand holding my breast and left me to that task but his hand down below kept up the slow torturous movement.
Stroke.
Circle.
Stroke.
Each stroke across my bare flesh was better than the last.
God, I wanted him.
Stroke.
Circle.
Stroke.
His mouth covered my ear. “That’s it baby, you got this.”
Slowly, he stopped his circling and even slower, he moved back away from me.
The sensation I was experiencing wasn’t something I’d felt before. Maybe it was because I was standing naked in front of a mirror doing what James had asked me to do, or maybe it was simply the stimulation all over my body. Whatever it was, I didn’t want it to stop.
“Don’t stop. Keep doing what you’re doing and I want you to look in the mirror. See how beautiful you are. See what I see,” he said.
My lids flicked up. My body was visible until about mid thigh. Hot, white lust exploded within me. I circled my nipple and then pinched it. Circled it again, and then pinched it.
“That’s it. Don’t stop. How does it feel?” he asked.
I let my head fall back. “Incredible.”
James moved swiftly toward me, and he captured my mouth with a hungry kiss before releasing me and resuming his stare in the mirror. “Fucking hell,” he groaned as he watched me.
My whole body hummed in delight.
“Now I want you to rub even smaller, gentler circles around your clit. You’re already so wet it shouldn’t be difficult. But not a lot pressure. Not yet.”
My entire body was tingling now, not just my core either, but rather from my head to my toes.
He let his towel drop, and his cock jutted straight out. He moved his hand down and started stroking himself.
The tingles I was feeling turned into tremors. “James,” I screamed. “I want to come.”
“Not yet,” he breathed. His own voice was ragged. “Not yet, just hold on a little longer.”
My eyes met his half-lidded ones in the mirror.
He was stroking himself now fast and hard. “When I tell you,” he said, “add some pressure to your clit. When you start coming, I want you to bend over and grip the counter. I’m going to come all over your back.”
I was so turned on. “Oh God,
” I cried out. “It feels so good.”
My words must have undone him because a barely audible, “Now,” escaped his throat.
James cast his eyes on me in the mirror. Under his gaze, I added that little bit of extra pressure and my orgasm consumed my entire body. I was riding the intense waves of delicious pleasure when I felt the heat of his body. My orgasm started to wane but then out of nowhere started to rise again. I was climbing higher than I ever had.
He called my name as he came, whispering something I couldn’t hear.
I closed my eyes. “James,” I cried out again. Beneath my lids, I saw stars, the moon, and lightning. With my eyes closed, I felt the earth move and the sky shift. In my own darkness, I felt a million different things but I didn’t feel lost in him. I knew then I couldn’t lose him.
That, like him, I too would do what it took to make this work.
Chapter 10
Holy Batman
James
Gotham Hall always reminded me of a Batman movie.
And as the four of us passed through the filigree brass doors and stepped onto the inlaid marble floor, it didn’t disappoint. I also couldn’t help but think the place looked like a casino that had been plucked right out of one of the finest hotels in Las Vegas and dropped into Gotham Hall with a little bit of intrigue that could have come from the bat cave with its dark spotlights.
Unfortunately, Cat Woman wasn’t that far away.
Yeah, I was still pissed as hell at Avery for calling Emmy to tell her I’d gotten married before I had a chance to tell my family myself.
All of us waited in line to greet the hosts of the White and Black Ball. I always hated this part of fundraisers, being forced to talk to people you might otherwise avoid. And I would most certainly have avoided Avery tonight.
“Jeremy,” Avery greeted as she threw her arms around him and kissed him.
I rolled my eyes.
It was going to be a long night.
The line progressed and I gave Lindsay’s hand a squeeze, and then leaned down to whisper in her ear, “You look good enough to eat tonight.”
She licked her lips. “Play your cards right, Batman, and when we get home you might be able to do just that.”
Hell, my body went live wire. Zing. Could we leave now? I was so close to getting inside her.
“Phoebe,” Avery said in turn. “Gorgeous dress. I haven’t seen that at any of the runway shows this season.”
This whole who wore what better thing was nothing as a guy I had ever been a part of, but things had changed. I had a wife to look out for, and I’d made certain she wouldn’t be snubbed.
Phoebe looked over at me and rolled her eyes.
Before I could respond, Avery said, “James, how’s married life?”
“Fantastic,” I responded, deciding not saying a word about what she had blabbed to Emmy was the best way to play it.
“Mitzi,” she then exclaimed. “You look lovely. Is that VS?”
“It’s Lindsay,” I corrected. And really, Avery knew her name as well as she knew she wasn’t wearing something from the Victoria’s Secret catalog.
“It’s Cavalli,” Lindsay’s meek voice responded.
“Of course, I saw it on the rack at Bergdorf’s. I completely forgot.”
Then it was my turn to roll my eyes. Lindsay’s dress might have been off the rack, but it was spectacular and couldn’t be worn by anyone that wasn’t at least five-foot-ten. It was a long, black halter dress with a plunging neckline and a foil print of a peacock spread across the entire skirt. She looked amazing. Edible. And she was all mine.
I looked ahead and when I saw Emmy was standing beside Theo, I tossed etiquette aside and stepped out of line. I didn’t give a shit about manners at that point. There was no way I wanted to upset Lindsay any further.
Jeremy was talking to Theo when I whispered in Phoebe’s ear. “Meet us in the bar. I’ve had enough of the greetings.”
“Be there shortly,” she said and gave Lindsay’s hand a squeeze.
That made Lindsay smile. And damn if I didn’t love it when she did.
I laced my fingers in Lindsay’s and led her to the bar. With a drink in each of our hands, I looked her over. She looked slightly stressed. “Did Avery upset you?” I asked.
She lifted a shoulder in a careless shrug. She was so beautiful. And there was more. She had a sweetness to her that inspired a physical ache every time I looked at her.
Last night I knew I could have fucked her, but I had decided to wait. Not because I got a warped sense of satisfaction that I knew I had broken her down, but because I realized she was right. If we were having sex, we never would have spent the week getting to know each other, but instead we would have spent it fucking. It was better that way.
Who would have thought such a thing?
After sipping on my drink, I glanced around and gave Lindsay the rundown on who was who. Soon, I was introducing her, and marveled at the way she lit up the room.
When I spotted Jeremy, I tapped him on the shoulder. “High stakes tables are downstairs. What do you say?”
“Let’s do it.”
We took the elevator down to the ground level. The venue had once been a bank and the vault was the perfect backdrop for the high stakes games.
It was a small room but there was a table with two empty seats. I was itching to sit there, but I looked at my wife and asked, “Do you want to play?”
She looked at the giant stack of hundred dollar bills I was about to cash in for chips. “No, go ahead.”
I kissed her forehead. “If you change your mind, let me know.”
“Drinks?” a cocktail waitress asked.
“A scotch, neat,” I said, and started to line my chips up in front of me.
The waitress looked toward Jeremy who was cashing in an equally large stack of hundred dollar bills. “I’ll have the same. And a Pinot Grigio for the lady,” he nodded toward Phoebe. “And Lindsay, what would you like?”
I instantly turned, knowing I had fucked up. “Sorry baby, I was preoccupied.” I looked at the waitress. “She’ll have a Merlot.”
Lindsay and Phoebe exchanged glances and started giggling. And I was glad I hadn’t fucked up too bad.
I rubbed my hands together. “Let’s do this.”
Frank Sinatra played from the speakers above us as initial bets were placed on the table and the poker game began.
The dealer’s hands were flying around the table as she pushed chips and flipped cards. By the time our second round of drinks arrived, I was lost in the poker game.
The player next to Jeremy stood up. “I’m out.”
He’d lost all his money and Jeremy’s stack was dwindling. Mine, on the other hand, looked about the same.
Lindsay was intently watching my every move, and I liked having her close.
A few minutes passed and then Phoebe looked toward her. “Shall we go back upstairs and walk around? They have blackjack up there.”
“Do you mind?” she asked me.
I turned my head slightly. “Mind what, baby?”
“If I go upstairs with Phoebe,” she smiled.
I handed her some chips. “Not at all. Here, go have fun.”
She looked reluctant. “Take it,” I said. “Please.”
And she did.
“I’m going upstairs,” Phoebe told Jeremy.
The hand had just ended and he turned around. “You okay?” he asked her.
They were in deep conversation when the next hand was dealt. “You in?” I barked.
“I’ll sit this one out,” Jeremy said, and started in with conversation again.
“Come on man, get your head back in the game,” I barked.
Finally, he turned around.
“We won’t be long.” Lindsay kissed me.
“Meet at the bar,” I told her as I kissed her back.
“Is everyone having fun?” Avery took a seat next to Jeremy before the girls had even walked away.
�
��Do you want to stay?” I heard Lindsay ask Phoebe.
But I never heard an answer, they were both gone before I turned back.
Avery saddled over next to me when she struck out with Jeremy. “Hey, are you having fun?”
Not up for her games, I tossed a handful of chips on the table and scooped up the rest. “Yes,” I said, and then added, “Excuse me, I have to go find my wife.”
“James,” she called.
I turned back.
“You don’t have to be rude.”
I laughed. “That, darling, was anything but rude. The next time you’re rude to my wife, I can guarantee I won’t be that nice.”
Jeremy stood up too. “How about a drink?” he asked.
At the bar, we talked about business and life. I looked around for Lindsay, but I didn’t see her anywhere. Jeremy took off to use the restroom, and then alone, I wondered if it was too early for me to take Lindsay home.
“Hey man, I heard congratulations are in order.” I turned to see my cousin, Noah Tate.
I slapped him on the back. “Hey, yeah, I got hitched.”
“I heard,” he said.
I raised a brow. “News travels fast.”
“Actually, I ran into your old man, and he told me.”
“My old man? Where? When?” That explained the fact that my phone had been blowing up all day with calls from my mother, none of which I answered. In fact, I had yet to answer a single call from her. I was certain I was in for a visit for this week.
Noah laughed. “At the airport this morning. I was picking a buddy up and he was waiting for a car.”
“And he knew?” I was shocked.
“Yeah,” he shrugged. “I wondered how myself, I knew he was out of touch, so I asked him. He told me he read about in the paper.”
I shook my head. “Go figure.”
“Hey, Olivia is waiting for me out front, she wasn’t feeling well, but let’s do dinner.”
“Let’s,” I said. “I’ll call you.”
I leaned against the bar, again looking for my wife. Wife. I was getting used to that word.
Checking my watch, I frowned. She’d been gone a long time. I decided to go looking for her.
I laughed at myself, but then I did that a lot around her. There was just something irresistible about her. Her charm was infectious. She was my…world. Yes, she had become my world. Thank God Jeremy wasn’t around to see my thoughts. He’d call me the biggest pussy alive.