by London Hale
“Why don’t you grab takeout from El Placer, and I’ll swing by Maxine’s and get everything for margaritas. Meet you at my place in twenty?”
“Pick up a couple cupcakes from Bundt and Grind, and you’ve got a deal.”
Just the mention of the coffeehouse set off a flurry of butterflies in my stomach, Riley’s voice a remembered caress against my ear, the bulk of him pressed so close I could feel his heat…
“Whoa…what’s with the face?” Lara pulled me to a stop in front of her car, her forehead wrinkled in confusion. “I’m not sure if you look like you’ve just seen a ghost or a monster cock.”
I laughed, shaking my head as I cleared the memories away. “Can we switch tasks?”
Lara raised a brow but didn’t pry. “I expect this will be part of the chat.” She unlocked her door and slid into her seat. With a grin, she said, “Can’t wait.”
Lara sat on my couch, her legs outstretched, feet resting on the coffee table. Margarita in hand, she stared at me with her mouth agape. “Holy shit, Kate. I mean, holy shit.”
I blew out a breath, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “I know. It’s bad, isn’t it?”
“Bad?” She shook her head. “Not unless he happens to be a horrible lay. And I can’t imagine he is with the mouth you’ve mentioned he has. If a man can get you off like that over the phone, think of what he could do when he can use more than just his voice.”
“How did you jump straight to us sleeping together?” I drained my drink and set the empty glass on the coffee table. Thankfully, Lara made strong margaritas. God knew I needed every bit of tequila I could get. “Didn’t you hear the part about how he knows who I am? He could ruin my career.”
She waved a dismissive hand, rolling her eyes. “You’re worried about nothing. He said he wouldn’t share your secrets, right? Plus, he’s been here for months. He’s had to have known for a while, and he hasn’t said a word. You know that shit would be around the island in no time.” With a shrug, she took a sip of her margarita. “I think you can trust him. His mom works in the office next to mine and has given me enough Riley stories that I could fill your time for days. I can’t believe the sweet boy she talks about is the same guy who’s made you come like a crazy woman.”
“Hey, don’t make it out like I’m corrupting him. He already worked there when I started calling.”
“That’s not what I’m saying at all. The point I was trying to make was that he’s a good guy—no one’s mother would talk them up like that if they weren’t.”
I blanched, a thought suddenly occurring to me. “Shit, I’m old enough to be his mom.”
“Oh my God, you are not.”
“He’s sixteen years younger than me!” I pointed a finger at her. “You were sixteen when you had Gen.”
“Stop throwing facts at me.” She finished off her margarita and placed the glass next to mine then refilled them both from the pitcher we’d had enough foresight to bring over. “Besides, it’s different when you get older. Sixteen years is nothing when you’re in your forties.”
“But it is something when you’re in your twenties.”
“Why don’t you let him decide that? I think if he thought it was a big deal, he wouldn’t have said anything in the first place and just continued on as you’d been doing. If you ask me, he’s interested in starting up something real. Why else would he have approached you?”
The practical part of me couldn’t help but worry the other shoe had yet to drop. Couldn’t help but worry what this might mean for my life, for everything I’d worked for. But my instincts—the same ones that hadn’t yet failed me—said Lara was right.
“Drink this.” She pushed another margarita into my hand.
“Trying to get me tipsy?” Truth was, I was already more than halfway there.
“Yep. Because it’s a quarter to nine, which means it’s almost time. I know you well, and I know you’re going to need a little liquid courage to make that call tonight. I also know you’re starting to feel the effects.”
“I hope you also know I’m not calling while you’re here.”
She laughed, tossing her head back. “Honey, you might be my best friend, but there are some lines we just don’t cross. Listening to you have phone sex is one of them.”
“I’m not—”
“Maybe not. But I’d rather not stick around to find out. And anyway, I already requested a Lyft.”
I took another drink, then stared at the glass, my stomach a swarm of bees. “I’m nervous, Lar.”
She reached out and patted my knee. “I know you are. But I haven’t steered you wrong yet, have I?”
“Um. Yeah. There was the time when—”
“All right. You can’t say I’ve steered you wrong when it comes to love.”
“You’ve never steered me one way or another.”
“Exactly, so you should be listening to me the one time I am.” Her phone buzzed with an incoming text, and she glanced down. “My ride’s here.”
She stood stiffly and pulled on her coat, her leg no doubt tight from sitting so long.
“How’s your physical therapy going, by the way? We didn’t even get to talk about that—or your therapist.” I waggled my eyebrows at her.
With a dismissive flick of her hand, she said, “It’s slow going, same old. Besides, we had more important things to talk about tonight. Next week, we can get back to me and the delicious piece of man meat helping me heal.”
“That sounds good.” I gave her a hug, then held the door open for her as she stepped onto the front porch.
Before she could descend the steps, she turned around. “Hey, Kate?”
“Yeah?”
“I know you’re scared, but try not to be. What’ve you got to lose?” One last smile, and she slipped into the car idling at the curb.
I shut the door and rested my forehead against it. What did I have to lose? My career. My reputation. My life. Everything I’d ever worked for.
On the other side of that, what did I have to gain? The kind of intimacy I’d never known before Riley.
I grabbed my phone and margarita on the way upstairs, then changed into my pajamas and settled into bed. And then I stared. The numbers on my alarm clock ticked past, now coming up on 9:15. I’d never once been late for a call. Was he worried? Did he even care?
The phone sat in my lap, the same one I’d used to call him dozens of times before. Except this time, I didn’t need to go through the main switchboard. This time, I had a direct line to Riley himself.
I downed half my margarita, then set the empty glass on the nightstand. With shaky hands, I grabbed the napkin Riley had given me earlier, dialed his number, and let my finger hover over the send button. Wondering if I was making the biggest mistake of my life, or if I was about to embark on something amazing.
With a deep breath, I closed my eyes and pressed send.
Nine o’clock came and went without my phone ringing. No standard Friday night call, no text message. Nothing. Kate had gone radio silent. I’d fucked up something fierce, and the absolute burning inside as I thought of everything I might have lost was my punishment.
I gave her fifteen minutes, the longest quarter hour of my life, before I pulled myself off the bed and started pacing. This couldn’t be over. I just needed to find time to talk to her privately. I needed to explain…everything. Maybe if she gave me the opportunity to tell her how I wasn’t some creepy stalker, she’d give me a chance. Or maybe it wouldn’t do a damn thing because she only wanted Banner, not Riley. A thought which had me growling and tugging on my hair. I had probably fucked up this whole thing, and if she refused to talk to me, I couldn’t do anything to redeem myself in her eyes.
Frustrated, I grabbed a beer from the fridge and cracked it open. I didn’t normally drink alone, but it wasn’t a normal night. Kate had just crushed my heart with her silence, and I deserved something to ease the pain. Before I could actually drink it, though, before I could even lift the can to m
y lips, my phone rang.
My motherfucking phone actually rang.
I raced across the room, sliding along my mattress when I dove for the phone. I didn’t recognize the number on the screen, but it was local. It had to be Kate.
“Hello?” Seconds ticked by endlessly, only silence on the other end. Why did they seem to last so long? What if it wasn’t her? What if—
“Hey…Riley.”
My entire body went loose with relief, every inch of me sagging into the mattress. “Kate. I’m really glad you called.”
“Yeah, well…I’m still not so sure.”
I took a deep breath, sighing to release it. “I figured.”
She stayed silent for a long time, nothing but the sound of her breathing coming through the line. But at least we were connected. There was a distance between us that hadn’t been there before—which was ironic considering we were physically closer than we’d been for most of the past year—but we could bridge that. We just had to get back on firmer ground. Get back to the familiar.
“How was your day, Kitten?” I asked, resorting to her nickname, letting my voice drop into my Banner range. That deeper, rougher tone I’d always used with her. She’d liked it in the past; I could only hope it sparked something in her. Familiarity or comfort.
Kate gasped softly, then cleared her throat. “It was…fine. Good. I got a lot of things—”
“Kate.” I had to stop her. That wasn’t the voice I wanted. That voice was fake Kate—Mayor Kate Briscoe. I didn’t want fake Kate.
“What?”
“That’s not how you would have talked to me last week. I’m still me—nothing’s changed except you have a face to go with the name. Now, talk to me. How was your day?”
It took her a few seconds to seem to get her bearings, but when she sighed, I knew I had her. “It was exhausting, and I walked way too much for the heels I’d chosen.”
“Were they your pink ones?” They were, I already knew because I’d seen her, but this was our game. Our script. Common ground.
She chuckled the way she always did when I called her out. “Yes, the pink ones.”
“You hate the pink ones.”
“I love the pink ones.”
“Fine. Your feet hate the pink ones.” I couldn’t hold back my smile. This…this was us. This was what we did. This was how I’d fallen in love with her. I just needed to make her see that she loved me too, even if she didn’t know it yet.
“They do. They really do.” She sighed, and I reached down to rest my hand on my cock. More out of habit than anything. Her voice created a Pavlovian response in me. One word made me hard. A few sentences had me leaking for her. I bet she had the same response. I bet every sentence in Banner’s voice caused her pussy to grow wetter. More swollen. More…needful.
Fuck, I wanted her beside me for this. “Tell me more. Tell me everything. I want to know about your day so I can make you forget it.”
Kate took her time finding her words, taking a deep breath before finally speaking. “This…guy…came up to me in the coffeehouse.”
Oh. Okay…diving right in. “Yeah? Was he hot?”
Her laugh was such a fucking gift. “Yes, but that’s not important.”
“Of course it is, but I’ll cede to your point. You were saying?”
“You’re kind of naughty tonight.”
I squeezed my cock harder and gave it a good tug, loving the way she said naughty. She was right, I was. But only for her. “Yup. Now tell me, why is that moment important? What did you think when he approached you?”
“At first, I thought he was a constituent wanting to talk about an issue.”
“Sounds reasonable. But he wasn’t, was he? Not really.”
“No, he wasn’t. He’s…” She went silent, and I held my breath. Waiting to see how she saw me, knowing these next words were so very vital to our future. “He’s someone I care for, someone I trust. But he really took me by surprise.”
Hearing her admission—knowing she cared for me—about set my damned soul on fire. “In a good way or a bad way?”
“Bad…at first. His presence shook me.” Her voice sounded small, completely unlike her. She wasn’t exaggerating—I’d probably shaken her right down to her pink shoes.
“I’m sure he didn’t mean to do that,” I said, hoping my sincerity came through. Fighting back the feelings of regret at having handled our first meeting so poorly.
“Riley—”
“Banner.” I wasn’t sure what made me interrupt her, but it felt right. It felt like the right path to stay where we’d been for so long. “For just a little longer, let’s be Banner and Kitten, okay?”
She sighed again but eventually gave me a quiet, “Okay.”
I’d take it. Hell, at that point, I’d take anything. Even if that meant staying as Banner and Kitten. I’d hate it, but it was better than no contact.
Knowing I needed to pull off quite a show, I dug deep for all my Kate knowledge. Dropped my voice into the lowest range I could and ran my hand over my cock a few times to remind me what we were doing here. “Just hearing the phone ring got me hard for you, Kitten. Did you know that? The ringtone of my damn phone makes me as horny as a teenager.”
“I didn’t,” she said, her voice breathy and uneven. Yeah, she was with me. Time to turn up the heat.
“Are you undressed yet? Or are you still wearing your suit?”
“No, I changed before I called. I’m in one of my camis.”
I groaned, flicking the head of my cock on a pass. “Fuck, I love that. It’s pink, isn’t it? You like your little bits of pink under all that stiff business wear.”
She chuckled, the rustle of fabric in the background a sure sign she was getting comfortable. Maybe on her bed or couch. Maybe getting naked for me. God, I hoped she got naked for me.
“I do like my pink,” she said, something about the way she said that last word calling up a memory. A musician she liked had an album about pink, some sort of play on words to mean pussy instead of color. Yeah, I liked that idea. I liked that a lot.
“I’d like to see your pink, baby,” I said, growling through the words, nearly fist-pumping when I heard her little gasp of pleasure. She knew where I’d gone with that reference, knew the connotations. “We’ll get there someday. We’ll get to a place where you’ll trust me enough to spread those long legs of yours and give me what I’ve been craving. For now, why don’t you relax and let me talk to you? Just talk like always. Let me get you off with my words.”
She groaned, a definite sign of her increasing arousal. “I have so many questions, though.”
“I know. We can do both, right? Get to know the pieces we didn’t before, while doing what we always do? I think it’d be easier that way. A slower transition from Banner and Kitten to…others. Don’t you think we can do both?”
“Okay…yeah. Yeah. We can do that.”
“Good. Then ask me a question. I’ll answer it as Riley, then go back to Banner for a few to remind you I’m still the same guy who wants nothing more than to bury my face in your pussy and make you scream my name.”
She released a nervous chuckle, her only response for a long minute. I began to wonder if I should give her another push when she finally asked, “Do you meet all your clients?”
“Fuck no. I’ve never done this before.” Time for a little truth, a small admission on my part. “Besides, there are no others to meet. You’re my only client.”
“What?”
“It’s only been you calling me. I stopped taking on anyone else shortly after our first conversation. No one made me feel the way you do, and it seemed wrong to talk to others. You’re the one I wanted, the only one I moved my entire life for.”
Her silence wasn’t as weighted as before, but it was longer than I’d hoped for. “How long have you known?”
“Six months, maybe. I didn’t search you out, if that’s your concern.” I jacked my cock a few times, nice and slow, letting my fingers circle the he
ad on every upward pass. “You were on a newscast airing in Minneapolis, something about the scandal at the college. I heard your voice on the television, and I knew. I’d know your voice anywhere. Just like you’d know mine.” I gave her a moment to take that in, to absorb the truth of my words, before twisting the conversation just a little. “You like my voice, don’t you? I bet I made you wet today when I whispered in your ear, even if you weren’t ready for me. You’re ready now though, aren’t you? How about you lie back and spread your legs for me, baby? We’re going to get serious here in a few.”
“Banner.” She groaned softly, the sound making my hips jerk in response. “Minneapolis…where you lived after college, right?”
I froze, my brain stuttering. Had I told her… No, I hadn’t.
“How’d you know that?” I nearly laughed as Kate sat silent, neither of us even breathing. “Have you been Googling me, Mayor Briscoe?”
“That probably wasn’t very professional of me, was it?”
“Fuck professional. I prefer the unprofessional side of you. Everyone gets to see the mayor—I get to see the real you.” Or talk to, but I didn’t want to call that out. Didn’t want to ruin the moment. “Why don’t you slide your hand over your breast for me, baby? Give your nipple a little tug. That’s what I’d do if I were there, though it’d be with my teeth. I bet your nipples are sweet as candy, aren’t they? I bet they’re sensitive, too. You think I could make you come with just my hands and mouth on your breasts? Think I could suck your tits until you trembled all over? I’d like to try.”
“Oh God.” Her voice came out as a sigh, as a needy little plea. One I wanted to answer.
“That’s it, Kitten. Now work your hand lower. I want to hear you moaning for me. I want to know your fingers are playing with your pussy when I answer the next question. Are you ready yet? Are you wet for me already?”
“I’m…getting wet,” she said, her voice stuttering. She’d normally be soaked by now, telling me all about how much she wanted to feel me. But getting wet was better than not at all. It was progress. I’d take it.
“Hmmm, getting wet. I can work with that. You keep rubbing that pussy. Give that clit a few soft pinches and pretend it’s my lips and tongue on you. I’d baby that pussy if I were there, waking her up slowly. Teasing you until you grabbed my hair and begged me to suck on your clit. You would, too. You’re a greedy girl. Now ask another question as I dream what that sweet pussy tastes like.”