Good Karma

by Donya Lynne

  He was trying not to smile, but failing. “Is that what you want me to believe?”

  Feeling like a piece of toilet paper stuck to the bottom of a shoe, she nodded. “Sure, uh-huh. That would be great.” She waved the Neil Gaiman book in the air. “Thanks for the book recommendation.” She placed it on top of her stack, turned, and escaped Science Fiction faster than the U.S.S. Enterprise entered warp speed.

  She figured she could hide in Nonfiction for a while, at least until she recovered.

  Flirt Quest was officially a nightmare. She was two for two. Two complete crash-and-burns out of two attempts. And this one included an embarrassing penis reference. Great. Smooth. Maybe Mark would take pity on her when she told him how miserably she was failing and cancel this assignment before it killed her. Cause of death: humiliation.

  With her eyes buried in the spines of all the new releases in nonfiction, she saw another shopper approach out her peripheral vision. She began to get out of the way.

  “We just keep bumping into each other.”

  She turned and looked up. It was the man from the science fiction aisle.

  “Oh, um. Yes. I guess we are.” She checked to make sure Mr. Gaiman was still covering her Blow Him book. He was.

  The man cleared his throat and pretended to be interested in the books on the shelf, but she could tell he wasn’t. Had he come looking for her? Was he hoping she would give him a blow job?

  “My name’s Brad, by the way.” His gaze flickered to hers.

  “I’m Karma.”

  “Nice to meet you, Karma.” He cleared his throat again and pulled a book off the shelf and opened the cover.

  “You, too, Brad.” She looked away, fidgeting. She couldn’t take any more humiliation today. “Well, I should be going.” She pointed to the registers.

  “Yeah. Yeah. Me, too.” Brad set the book back on the shelf, smiled, and lifted the two Sci-Fi books he’d grabbed earlier.

  She began to walk away, but Brad stopped her. “Um, wait. I was wondering…”

  She turned. “Yes?”

  “Would you like to have a cup of coffee or dinner sometime?”

  Shut the front door! He was asking her out? Was this for real?

  “Oh, um…wow.” She didn’t have a lot of experience in the getting-asked-out department. What should she say? Yes? No? Maybe?

  Then she remembered Mark’s rule. She wasn’t allowed to be with anyone while she was with him.

  “What do you say?” Hope twinkled in his eyes.

  He seemed so nice.

  She looked down. “I’m very flattered you asked,” she said. “And I would say yes, but I’m sort of involved with someone already.”

  Brad smiled but was clearly disappointed.

  Disappointed. Over being told no by her? No man had ever been disappointed by a rejection from her. Probably because she’d never been asked out before. Brian had been a spur-of-the-moment thing, and Richard had been…well, a colossal mistake. No man had ever stopped her in a bookstore or anywhere else to ask her to dinner.

  Thank you, Mark.

  “That’s too bad,” Brad said.

  “I’m so sorry. You seem like a great guy, too.” And he did. “And attractive, if that makes you feel better.” Was this the kind of thing a woman was supposed to say when turning a guy down? She had no idea. All she could do was wing it.

  His cheeks colored. “Thank you. You’re sweet to say so.” He pulled out a business card and handed it to her with a subtle wave of his hand. “If you’re ever not sort of involved with someone…” He paused and smiled. “Or if you just need advice on books or want to talk about Neil Gaiman…” he chuffed good-naturedly, “I’d love to hear from you.”

  She took his card and tucked it into her pocket without looking at it. “Okay. I’ll remember that.”

  Brad hesitated a moment then pointed to her stack of books. “He’s a lucky guy.”

  Her voice caught in her throat, and she blushed. “Oh…uh—”

  He held up his hand. “I’m only kidding. Gag gift. I know.” He winked. “Pleasure meeting you, Karma.”

  “Same here.”

  She watched him leave then pulled his card out of her pocket. Brad Anderson. He was a partner and the office director for a local engineering firm.

  Nice.

  She had faced her fear, struck up a conversation with a strange man, and even though she had severely embarrassed herself, she had caught his attention, and he had asked her out.

  And the guy wasn’t a loser. He was a smart, successful man. One who looked and acted mentally and emotionally older than fifteen.

  So, that was how this flirting thing was supposed to work, huh? Even when she failed miserably at the task, she succeeded.

  Talk about empowered. Maybe there was hope yet.

  She tucked his card in her pocket and scanned the store for her next target.

  Chapter 31

  Lust’s passion will be served. It demands, it militates, it tyrannizes.

  -Marquis de Sade

  Mark sat on the couch in the living room of his Chicago apartment, his socked feet propped on a round, leather ottoman. His tablet lay in his lap, and he flipped through another of Solar’s project manuals as he sipped coffee. He was supposed to be on vacation, but he couldn’t stop working.

  Lightning flashed from the dark clouds overhead, and he glanced at the open sliding glass doors that led to his balcony. Thunder rolled, and the first raindrops pattered onto his deck chairs and table.

  He closed his eyes and settled against the cushions. Not long ago, he had been with Karma during a thunderstorm. That had been the night he’d almost gotten carried away and made love to her before she was ready.

  So much had happened since then.

  Warmth spiraled inside his chest, and things got serious inside his sweats as a case of the stiffs paid him a visit for what felt like the hundredth time since Friday night.

  Setting his tablet aside, he grabbed his phone from the coffee table. He needed to talk to her. Hey. You busy?

  A minute later, she replied. Hey you. Not really. Just reading. ;)

  He grinned at the wink face.

  And just what are you reading?

  I’m not sure I should tell you.

  Mark arched one eyebrow. You’re reading something naughty, aren’t you?

  Maybe.

  Tell me.

  I think I’d rather show you.

  Show me? Now his curiosity was definitely piqued.

  Yes. When the time is right.

  I can be back tomorrow.

  LOL. No, Mr. Impatient.

  How about a hint?

  A couple of minutes passed before she replied. Okay. Here are a few names of chapters in the book. Serious Sexercises, Advanced Techniques, and Understanding Your Man: Using His Fantasies to Your Advantage.

  She was reading about how to please a man. Nice.

  That sounds like fascinating reading. Learning anything new?

  Yes.

  Such as?

  Not gonna say.

  He laughed. You’re such a tease.

  What can I say? I’m learning.

  That you are. What about your other lessons? How are they going?

  Great.

  Are you still doing your Kegels?

  Yes.

  And using your Kegel weights? He had purchased a pair of glass eggs for her to use in place of the Ben Wa balls. They were easier to remove.

  I have one in now.

  His breath hitched. Will I have to help you remove it?

  I wish. I think I like when you help me remove my Kegel weights.

  She was getting him worked up. As if he needed help in that department. I like it, too. Very much.

  Then I’ll see what I can do about getting another ball stuck.

  He cleared his throat and shifted to make more room for his thickening erection. Maybe he should change the subject before things got out of hand. Or in hand, as the case may be. You do that and
I will be happy to assist. What about your other assignments?

  I’m progressing to #4 tonight.

  Aw, hell. This was excruciating. Talk about your bad weeks to take a vacation.

  And men? Are you talking to men like I asked?

  He pursed his lips and clenched his teeth. Why had he given her that damn assignment? Because she needed it, that’s why. He wasn’t going to be around forever, and Karma needed to get comfortable talking to men. Period.

  Flirt Quest is improving. I failed miserably Saturday, was too mortified from Saturday’s failure to try yesterday, but made up for it today by talking to two men. One at the bookstore and one at the gas station. The bookstore guy actually asked me out.

  His grip tightened on his phone, and he scowled as he re-read her words. She had gotten asked out? As in to dinner? Who was this guy? Was he good for her? Would he treat her right? Adrenaline surged in his blood, making it hard to type.

  He did?

  Yes. Handsome, older guy. Not a loser.

  This was unexpected. If there had been any doubt before, there wasn’t now. He never should have given her this assignment. What if she said yes? What if she wanted to go out with this guy instead of him? Was he about to lose another woman he was in—

  Whoa! He was not in love. She was not Cassie or Carol or the girl who dumped him at the prom.

  What did you tell him?

  His breath came in short bursts as he waited for her reply. He felt panicked. If she said yes…if she had agreed to a date with this guy…. He blinked and shook his head. He wasn’t ready to lose her. He wasn’t ready for another woman he cared about to leave him.

  And yet she was just an affair. He had no intention of staying. Theirs wasn’t a relationship like the one he’d had with Carol.

  In fact, Karma being asked out was a good thing. Right? Wasn’t that what he wanted for her? In the end, wasn’t that what this affair was all about? Helping her get out there and find the guy who would treat her like a queen and marry her? What if this guy who’d asked her out was that guy? Maybe Mark should step aside and—

  His phone vibrated, and his gaze shot to the screen.

  I told him no. I don’t really think he was my type. Nice guy, though.

  Mark breathed a sigh of relief. She had said no. Thank God. He pressed the dial button and brought the phone to his ear.

  “Hello?” she said, the smile evident in her voice.

  “So, what is your type?” He felt more relaxed now that he heard her voice.

  She didn’t answer right away, as if collecting her thoughts. “Well, I’d say my type is about six-one, maybe six-two, with dark hair, amazing greenish-grey eyes, unbelievably sexy arms, and an uncanny ability to remove small round objects from tight places.”

  “I see,” he said, grinning the smile of a man who’d just had his ego majorly stroked.

  “Yes, my type is very sexy.” She chuckled. “So, how did I do?”

  “What? With describing your type?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “I’d say you’ve got good taste.”

  She laughed. “I do, huh?”

  “Most definitely.”

  “Did I mention my type apparently has a very big ego, as well?”

  “No.”

  “Or that he commands every eye in a room when he enters it?”

  He leaned back. “You’re not doing anything to make that ego any smaller, you know.”

  “I know,” she said. “But oh well.”

  He reached over and turned off the lamp beside him. “You know, it’s storming here right now.”

  “It is?”

  “Yes. It reminds me of that night at your apartment. You know, when I got a little carried away and you stopped me.” What was he doing? This was dangerous. He was dipping his toe into emotionally involved territory again. Even so, he didn’t want to stop.

  “I remember,” she said.

  “I figured you would.” It wasn’t like that night had been that long ago. Two weeks maybe?

  “Just what does it remind you of, I wonder?”

  Phone Karma was flirtier and racier than In-Person Karma, but the distinction between the two was beginning to blur. What would he find when he returned to Indianapolis? Just how far would she have come in the nine days he was away?

  “It reminds me of how you felt under me,” he said. “How enticing you looked.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Yes. Such as how soft your lips were and how good your skin tasted.”

  “You tasted pretty good yourself.”

  “Did I?” He settled deeper into the couch and pushed the waist of his sweats down to release his erection. “You know, you’re different on the phone. Have I ever told you that?”

  “No.”

  “You are. Phone Karma is more daring than In-Person Karma.” He grinned at the nicknames. “At least for the moment.”

  “I’ll have to work on that.”

  “Mmm. I wish you were here.” He said it before he could stop himself, the words tumbling out unbidden. But he didn’t want to take them back. He did wish she were there. With him. So he could invite her onto his lap and feel the warmth of her body on his.

  “Me, too.”

  “If only you didn’t have to work this week, you could come to Chicago, and I could take you out.”

  “I could call in sick.”

  “Tempting, but no. You shouldn’t. I’ll see you soon enough. And it will be better after waiting so long.”

  “You know,” she said. “You’re different on the phone, too.”

  “Oh? How so?” He smiled and wrapped his hand around his shaft, stroking slowly.

  “You’re more open, too. Different. Phone Mark.”

  He chuckled. “Well, maybe Phone Mark is feeling amorous this afternoon. Maybe a little lonely. A little sexually frustrated…”

  “So is Phone Karma.” She spoke quietly, almost hesitantly.

  He stroked himself a couple more times and palmed his sensitive head, neither of them saying a word for a long moment.

  “So, how would Phone Karma feel about phone sex?” He kept his voice low and soft to match hers.

  “She’s open to the idea.”

  “Would she like to? Now? With me?”

  Pause. “Yes.”

  “Mmm.” He sighed and closed his eyes. “You’re already touching yourself aren’t you?”

  “Yes. Are you?”

  “Uh-huh.” He stroked more heavily. Long, twisting strokes. “Are you wet?” He wanted her wet, swollen, and ready.

  She panted into the phone. “Yes. This weight thing inside of me…? Just…mmm…it feels…”

  “Good?” That’s right. She had a Kegel weight inside her. Applying pressure just like his cock would when he made love to her.

  “Yes,” she breathed.

  “Does it make you hot?” It was making him hot just thinking about it.

  “Yes.”

  “How are you touching yourself. Tell me.”

  She paused then said, “I’m using my middle finger.”

  “More. Tell me more. Are you rubbing side-to-side? In circles? Is it all external, or do you let your finger slide inside?”

  A heavy breath broke through the phone, following by a soft moan. “External, at least for now. I’m using my index and ring fingers to hold my…” She hesitated for a heartbeat. “They’re holding my lips apart, and I’m using the tip of my middle finger to draw small circles around my clit.”

  “The way my tongue would if I were with you right now.”

  She moaned again. “Yes.”

  “Would you like to know how I’d lick you?”

  “Yes,” she whispered hotly.

  “I’d lick all around you, up one lip then the other, avoiding your clit, getting you hot, making you want me that much more. You want me now, don’t you?”

  “Y-Yes.”

  “Mmm. Then I’d use my thumbs to draw your lips open, fully exposing your swollen clit. Very
slowly, torturously, I would run the tip of my tongue in a circle all the way around it, never touching it, making you squirm until you were begging me to finish you.”

  He stroked faster as he built the fantasy.

  “I would ease my finger inside you, find your G-spot, and as I stroked it, I would gently flick your clit.”

  “Oh God.” He heard the mental image hit her, and she shuddered through the phone.

  “Put your fingers inside yourself, Karma. Find your G-spot. Stroke it.”

  “Mark…” Her voice was filled with urgency.

  “You like my tongue, don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “You want me to suck you.”

  “Yes.”

  Stroke-stroke.

  “Has a man ever gone down on you?”

  “No.”

  “What a shame.” He licked his lips. “Because I want to taste you.”

  She moaned quietly. “I want to know what that feels like.”

  “And I want to watch you squirm. I want to hear you sigh and feel your fingers in my hair as I flick the tip of my tongue against you.”

  Her breath trembled.

  “You’re going to come, aren’t you? You’re going to come against my mouth.” And he was going to come, too. Any second, he was going to go.

  “Yes.”

  She grew quiet…almost deathly so. But he could hear her tiny gasping breaths.

  “Come for me, Karma. Come on my tongue.”

  “Oh God, oh God!” A heartbeat of silence followed, and then. “YES!”

  He heard the way her body jerked. Muffled, shaky noises broke through the phone. It was enough to toss him over.

  “I’m coming.” His eyes slammed shut and his abdomen convulsed, and jets of semen spurted across his shirt as he groaned long, low, and deep.

  After several seconds of ecstasy, he drew in a heavy breath and blew it out. “Fuck.” That had been fast…and intense.

  For several long, euphoric moments, nothing was said. Just hard breathing and tiny moans.

  Finally, she uttered a breathless laugh. “That was sexy as hell, Phone Mark.”

  “Thank you, Phone Karma. You sounded pretty hot yourself.” He could almost see her blush through the phone.

  “I’ve had a very good tutor.”

  “I don’t think he can take all the credit.” He still fought to catch his breath and glanced down at the mess on his shirt. A mess well worth the effort to clean up.