AllsFair

by AlexandraOHurley

  Resting his head on the bottom of the statue, he gazed at the mesmerizing beauty. “And you do know that if Hades has his way, the Earth will grow cold and die, taking us all along with it. This is the freedom you require?”

  “It will not die. It will just move to the Underworld.”

  “For there to be an Underworld, there must be a world, silly girl.”

  Peitho’s eyes grew wide, and seconds later she disappeared.

  * * * *

  Kacey made sure that the remaining manuscripts she had been working on were on her flash drive and slid it into her briefcase, ready to finally go home and slide into a large bubble bath with a bottle of chardonnay at her elbow. It might make the shitty day better if she was slightly intoxicated. Turning off the lights in her corner office, she paused to gaze out the three glass walls at the twinkling lights of the city below, loving the tranquil scene, especially with the soft snow that was falling. Yet again.

  She was tired of the bitter cold. Hell, it was only November. What the heck was going to happen when winter really came around? Pulling on her heavy black woolen trench coat, she approached the bank of elevators, hitting the button with a little more force than necessary, as if the machine would understand her impatience and hurry up to get her. Considering it was nearly nine thirty, there should be no one else in the building except security and maintenance, so fortunately, she wouldn’t have to wait for the damned car to stop at every floor up between the bottom and hers on thirty.

  Shrugging under the weight of the shoulder strap on her briefcase, she flipped the bag to her other shoulder, tapping her toes in agitation, ready to go home. The soft beep that echoed in the hallway announcing the elevator’s arrival was welcoming, a soft sigh of fatigue escaping her lips. She had worked late to avoid Daniel. Now she had to go home and face him.

  The doors opened, and as the metal spread apart they revealed the most incredibly gorgeous male she had ever seen in her life. From the top of his curly golden-blond hair to the tips of his very large booted feet, he had to be at least six foot four. Thickly muscled, his tight jeans and T-shirt showed his body off to perfection, leaving little to the imagination. Her eyes zeroed in on the man’s package, and unless he stuffed, there was definitely some serious artillery there.

  It was as if one of the heroes from the smutty romances she published had walked off the page and into the elevator. Her elevator.

  What the heck was he doing on the top floor?

  His twinkling eyes captured hers in an unflinching gaze. There was something of a challenge in that stare, as if he was daring her to keep looking. Far be it from her to deny a gauntlet being thrown down before her. She soaked up every inch of the male perfection that was standing before her. Then she noticed the folded table and large duffel he had with him. Grabbing his items, he walked toward her and stopped at the doors, unable to pass her.

  She considered saying something incredibly sexy, to put the horrible day into the past and have an unforgettable night of hot sex with a complete stranger. That was, until the elevator chimed and began to close its doors on the man and his gear.

  Rolling her eyes heavenward, Kacey thrust her briefcase into the closing chasm and forced the doors to reopen and wormed her way to the side of the door, trying to avoid his big body as he pulled out of the elevator. A blush crept over her face at her ineptitude in eying a delicious hunk, yet she couldn’t do anything but stare at how delicious he was. She stared so long that the doors closed, and she was stuck on the top floor again. Epic fail.

  Suddenly she realized she was stuck on the top floor with a big, strong, sexy stranger. What was he doing on the empty top floor this late at night? She found her voice and hoped she wouldn’t squeak when speaking.

  “Is there something I can do for you? This floor is empty. Perhaps you are on the wrong one?”

  “I have a nine-thirty massage appointment on the top floor for Mrs. Barnes. Do you know her?”

  He’s here for me? She quivered from the top of her head down to her six-hundred-dollar Christian Louboutin pumps. “And who scheduled this appointment?”

  “Her assistant, Maria. I was told that Mrs. Barnes had a rough day and needed to relax.”

  “Well, I was not aware Maria had scheduled that, and I was getting ready to leave for the night.” She would have to have a word with her assistant tomorrow as the woman should have run it past her and gotten her approval. The masseur stepped closer to her and smiled, making her lose her train of thought. He was a hulk of a man, towering well over her five feet two, well, five feet six if one added the four inches for her pumps. He was truly magnificent.

  “Would you prefer I reschedule?”

  Kacey thought about the hot bath and the bottle of wine that were waiting for her. Then she thought about the errant husband who might be there as well and figured a massage might get her in better spirits for the battle ahead. “No, no. You are here, so we might as well get this over with.”

  “My name is Apollo, and I will be your masseur tonight. So where should I set up, Mrs. Barnes?”

  Kacey looked into the man’s eyes as the echo of his deeply spoken words flittered around the cavernous hallway. She saw a glimmer in them and froze, knowing instantly from his look that she could have this man tonight if she chose.

  Her thoughts drifted back to Daniel. Who was she kidding, she stilled loved the cheating asshole. The idea of being with another man repulsed her, even one as gorgeous as this one. Considering her husband apparently did not have that same problem then she needed to get over her inclinations. What was good for the goose…

  “Mrs. Barnes?” The glimmer grew into an unmasked twinkle.

  “Over here, in my office. You can set up your table in there.” Entering the code into the glass door, she pushed the heavy weight. Moving past the wide reception desk, she pointed down the hallway. She swallowed, trying to gather her composure.

  She followed him down the darkly lit passage, a shimmer of need working through her the entire way. She had not realized how lonely these last long months had left her. As she guided him to her office, she turned on the overhead lighting. Unzipping his duffel, Apollo pulled out a soft white robe and towel. “You can disrobe while I set up.”

  Disrobe? In front of the man candy here? No way. “I think I will go find another room. You can continue setting up. I will return in a moment.”

  The twinkle in his eyes made her nipples harden. “Yes, ma’am, I will be ready when you return.”

  Nearly running down the hallway after grabbing the robe and towel, Kacey did everything in her power to get away from the man. Rushing into the boardroom, she slammed the door and threw herself behind it as if the masseur was going to chase her.

  Why would he give chase? I am an almost forty, fading flower whose husband is cheating on her with a woman nearly half my age.

  Settling her breathing, she began slowly taking off her clothing, realizing that he was probably trained to flirt a bit as it may improve his tips. She kept telling herself that as she took each piece of fabric from her body until she got to her panties.

  Wrapping herself in the towel, she grasped her soft cotton robe and pulled it around her. Smelling the clean scent of it, she was reminded of the spa vacation she and Daniel had taken to Aspen a few years ago, where she had gotten a robe just like it when they had shared a couple’s massage. What a weekend that had been, skiing, hot tubs, massages, and all-night lovemaking that had made her toes curl.

  Where had all that love gone? Kacey felt her eyes sting as a fresh wave of tears she refused to shed hit her. She was not a crier and refused to cry for a man who no longer desired her. Pushing the thoughts from her head, she tied the belt tight to her waist and pushed open the double doors.

  Descending the hallway, she steeled her mind to the massage to come. Part of her wanted to lash out and hurt Daniel while the other part of her wanted no part of it, still loving the man she had married. Her body was traitorous, though, heating at the tho
ughts of the masseur’s hands on her flushed skin.

  In her mind’s eye she saw him rubbing scented oils all over her, touching her in places that had not been stroked in months. Her nipples hardened further, a flush covering her face as sweat lightly coated her skin. Stepping into the outer office Maria used, she heard Apollo’s movements in her office. Getting closer to the door, she saw his shapely ass stretched over his massage table, as he draped a wide white sheet to cover it.

  His thickly muscled arms flexed as he lifted a small pillow from his bag, placing it at the head, before pulling out a bag of what appeared to be lotions and oils. Turning from the table, he caught her staring at him. Pulling the robe tightly around her neck, she stiffened, embarrassed at his little knowing grin.

  Sliding over to her, he began to pull the ties to her robe apart as she struggled to draw the garment closer to her. She heard his light snicker, too embarrassed to look him in the face. He drew closer to her, so close their bodies were almost touching.

  “Eventually, the plan is to get you out of this robe and lying on my table over there, so I can use my hands to relax you.” His whispered words flowed over her like honey, melting her on the spot. She released her hold somewhat and let him pull the robe from her body. Still wrapped in the towel, she felt too naked, too overstimulated in his presence.

  She nearly jumped at the feeling of his long fingers on her bare shoulders. “Let’s get you horizontal.”

  He guided her with a hand to her lower back, walking at her side as he ushered her to the table. Kacey turned to hop up to the edge to get situated, but his hands on her waist easily lifted her to a seated position on the table. Looking up at his face, she caught his eyes for a brief moment before turning away quickly, not able to stand the fire in his gaze. She noted that he had turned off the bright overhead lights, choosing her desk lamp instead. It was too dark, too intimate. It only made the war inside her grow stronger.

  She turned as she loosened the towel with her back to the masseur, lying down on her stomach. Kacey felt him pull another sheet across her lower body and remove the towel. A click echoed through the room, followed by the wonderful scent of lavender with a hint of something else she could not place.

  Jumping at the first sensation of his hand on her shoulder, she took a deep, calming breath, knowing she needed to get it together. She relaxed into his touch, clearing her mind. Focusing on the intimate touch of his fingers against her back, her arms, and her neck, she sighed as she relinquished her ever-present control.

  “Ahh, there you go. About time you relaxed for me.”

  After several minutes of massage to her neck and shoulders, he moved lower on her back, pressing into her ribs and the dip before her butt. She was in heaven, loving the contact she had not realized she missed so much. As he lifted the sheet from the bottom, she leapt slightly as he grasped a bare foot.

  “Such a flighty little bird.” He chuckled as he wrapped his hand around her ankle, and she felt so dainty held in his massive hand. As those fingers spread up her calves, she relaxed again, basking in the attentions he gave her.

  Once her legs felt like rubber, as did the rest of her body, she felt as if she was floating between Heaven and Earth in some kind of dream state. As she felt his hands move up the back of her thighs and up over the globes of her ass, she sighed, enraptured by the magic he wove over her. Fingers stretched along the cheeks, squeezing and rubbing the firm flesh there, making her feel heat at her core.

  “Well, isn’t this interesting?”

  Barely able to focus, she turned to the door, realizing her husband stood there watching Apollo grope her ass. Kacey rested her forehead on the leather of the table, sighing at the removal of Apollo’s fingers from her body, and then moved to sit, pulling the sheet around her body.

  “Here I was worried when you had not come home, and since you have neglected to answer the phone calls I have been making all afternoon and evening, I decided to come look for you.”

  “Why bother worrying? The longer I stayed here, the longer you had to play with Pieta. I see it as win-win. You get to fuck your floozy, and I don’t have to look at you.”

  Daniel turned to Apollo. “Can you give us a minute?”

  Smiling, the masseur bowed slightly and began to gather his things as Daniel began pacing the room. With a wink, the man left the room, closing the door behind him.

  “He had his hands all over you.”

  “It was a massage, Daniel. He is paid to have his hands all over me.”

  “At ten o’clock at night? Was he approaching the happy ending?”

  Rage whipped through her as stalked toward her husband. Pressing a finger to his chest, she felt more like punching him. “Why do you care? After that display at the Barrister Arms earlier today it is evident that you no longer give two shits about this marriage.”

  “I was trying to make you jealous! And it clearly didn’t work, so who is the one who no longer cares?”

  “So putting your tongue down her throat, standing in a room full of people, was supposed to make me jealous? And here I thought you were just trying to humiliate me.”

  Daniel rubbed one hand down his face, and when he looked at her again, he appeared ten years older. “I was not trying to humiliate you. It just all got so out of hand.”

  “Out of hand? Is that what you called that scene? Do you think I am stupid?” As the words all but rushed out of her mouth without a thought, a tingling sensation started in her toes and moved through her body.

  Daniel looked up at her, a question in his features. “Where did we take a wrong turn? We loved each other so much, could not go a day without touching, hugging, kissing each other. I miss it. I miss you. And it is breaking me inside.”

  “Enough to make you run into another woman’s arms?”

  “I did not welcome Pieta’s advances, but I did nothing to stop her either. There was nothing more to it than that kiss you saw.”

  Sitting down on her couch, he paused before going on, his eyes focused on some point on the wall behind her. “At first, it was nice to have some kind of attention, and I figured she was just being playful. Then as I realized she was actively pursuing me, it stroked my ego a bit. A twenty-something wanted me even when my own wife didn’t.”

  “But that’s not true.”

  Looking back into her gaze, he snorted. “When is the last time we have shared any intimacies? We haven’t kissed in months, hugged in more, and it has been just over a year since we made love.”

  “It’s been busy. You know we have had a lot on our hands here.”

  “It never stopped us before. Nothing ever got in our way. Our marriage is no longer one of your priorities. Will this business keep you warm at night when you are old and gray?”

  Moving to sit beside him, Kacey settled gingerly on the leather, still wrapped in the towel. Her heart ached for how much she had hurt the man she loved. “I told Maria this afternoon that you would not stray because you knew what you were walking away from. Seems it was me that didn’t know what I was letting go.”

  Daniel looked at her, his expression guarded. “Kacey, I still love you. I’ve never stopped. I don’t want to walk away from the happiness we had.”

  Tears welled in her eyes. “And I still love you.” Leaning into him, she took both sides of his face in her hands, catching his eyes with her own. “I never stopped. I just lost sight of what you meant to me.” Kacey lowered her lips to his and kissed him tentatively and deepened it as she felt his hand wrap around her lower back, pulling her closer to him.

  Hungry after all the wasted time apart, the kiss turned ravenous, her tongue warring with his as they clasped each other closely. Daniel reached between them and loosened her towel, reaching in to grasp a breast in his hand as he pulled her into his lap. Kacey felt the length of his engorged cock pressing against her pussy, sending tingles of heat through her body.

  Kissing a fiery trail down her neck, he nipped the tender flesh of her collarbone and moved
to her ear. Taking the lobe in his teeth, he bit her gently, licking the inner shell, before whispering softly to her. “I love you so much.”

  Jerking the towel away, Daniel grasped both breasts in his hands, bending down to lave both nipples, loving one at a time. Kacey’s need rose as he pinched the swollen buds with his teeth, pressing his cloth-covered cock against her engorged clit.

  No longer able to wait, Kacey lowered her hands to his waistband, desperate in her need to have him in her hands. Opening the zipper, she spread the V wide, releasing his cock from its confinement, relishing in the feel of his erection in her hand. Sliding up from the base, she rubbed her thumb across the bulbous head, spreading the pearly fluid around the tip.

  Standing from her seated position, she moved to her knees before him, helping him take off his slacks and briefs as he pulled his shirt over his head. Pressing his thighs apart with her palms, she settled into the cocoon of his legs, moving her hand over his broad cock. Leaning in to lick the next drop of fluid that oozed from the tip, she engulfed the bulbous head in between her lips.

  Daniel rested his head back but still was able to watch her as she lowered her mouth farther on his shaft. His moans of pleasure were music to her ears as she sucked his cock, swallowing as much of him as she could. Creating the rhythm she knew he loved, she moved over him, grasping the base of him with one hand and his tightly filled balls with the other. Fingers swirled through her hair as he urged her on, helping her hold the tempo.

  His back arched off the couch as she lowered her finger to the puckered flesh below his sac, and she tentatively pressed a finger to the sensitive bud. Both of his hands tangled in her hair as he began pumping furiously within her mouth, his breathing ragged. Seconds later, he pulled away from her mouth.

  “Is something wrong?”

  Pulling her back into his lap, he settled her over his cock and pressed forward as he grasped her hips and lowered her onto him. In one swift thrust he was inside her, and she cried out at the welcomed invasion. “Nothing is wrong, but tonight, I am going to do something I haven’t done in a long, long time. Come inside my wife.”