Punitive Damages
Page 8
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Could I interest you in a nightcap?”
I wasn’t comfortable with the way he was just ignoring my questions about the confrontation. I was curious, but also concerned. I hoped Asher was not in some kind of trouble. But maybe another drink wouldn’t hurt. I could certainly use some more time to digest my dinner. If this night was heading where I hoped it was, I didn’t want to feel all bloated and stuffed. Besides, another drink or two might loosen Asher’s tongue a bit and help me get some more information. I nodded my assent.
“Great. Finish your cake and we will head out. I know just the spot.”
The spot Asher referred to ended up being a little jazz bar a few blocks away. A live band filled the dark space with music while Asher and I sat tightly next to each other in a small booth. All of the worries and the questions that I had during dinner melted away as Asher put his arm around me and pulled me close.
Chapter 15 - Cora
Asher drove fast around the tight curves in the hills as we headed toward his house. We hadn’t even talked about where we were going or what we were going to do. It didn’t need to be said out loud; we both knew what we wanted. I had put all of my annoyance and anger toward him as a result of his absence during the past week behind me. I knew that one night together didn’t give me any kind of claim on him. He hadn’t promised anything and I hadn’t demanded anything. I wasn’t going to make the mistake of getting too attached, but if I had the chance to get more of what I had in his office, I was going to take it.
Asher’s house was smaller than I’d expected, but given the cost of houses in the hills, it was probably still worth a few million dollars. He parked the Jaguar in the driveway and walked around to open my door. He led me by the hand along the short path to the front door. The house was modern – spare but elegant, classy. It was understated, the kind of décor that people who knew would know is expensive.
I licked my lips as he led me straight to the bedroom. I wasn’t in the mood to waste time. I had been feeling a tingling between my legs since dinner, a memory or a reverberation of our last encounter. But when we got into the bedroom, he didn’t throw me onto the bed like I was expecting. He sat down, pulling me down next to him.
“Cora, I need to tell you something.”
My throat tightened a bit. What could he possibly need to tell me that was important enough to interrupt what we were doing? Assuming he was as eager as I was, it must be important. Was he as eager as I was?
“I don’t normally let myself get close to anyone. In fact, I haven’t told any girl I’ve been with about my issues with my family. I don’t know why I have been able to open up to you.”
He shifted on the bed, turning to face me. He seemed uncomfortable, as if he was struggling to find the right thing to say. It wasn’t something I expected to see in him.
“I just need you to know, my life is complicated. I don’t think I can be a normal boyfriend. But I like you, Cora. I really like you.”
I felt a weight leave my shoulders. It sounded like he was just a normal, commitment-phobic guy. Nothing serious to worry about.
“Asher, I like you, too. And I don’t want you to propose to me right now, if ever. Tonight, I just want you.”
I could barely believe the words coming out of my mouth. I felt like my lust was taking over my mind.
Asher looked up, staring deep into my eyes. I could see a hunger there that excited me. He grabbed my shoulders and kissed me, hard. I put my hands on the back of his head, running my fingers through his short, dark hair. He moaned into my mouth as I gripped tightly. He lifted my dress over my head, barely taking enough time away from my lips to slide the thin fabric past. I let go of his hair so I could undo my own bra. I stifled a laugh. I was astounded by my own eagerness. Asher grinned at me as he whipped off his belt. I shrugged out of my bra, feeling my nipples stiffen from a combination of the excitement and the cool air.
Asher stood up from the bed and quickly removed his shirt. I looked up at him in amazement. It was like looking at a marble sculpture, except instead of cool, hard stone it was made of hot, living flesh. The hardness, though, that was the same.
I should have felt intimidated or uncomfortable somehow. He was standing there with this perfect body, not an ounce of fat anywhere. But as I sat there, I could feel all the imperfections of my own body. I rarely felt bad about how I looked, but I knew there were little folds and rolls when I sat down, places where things weren’t as tight as they could be. But the way that Asher looked at me, I didn’t feel at all uncomfortable. I felt wanted. I felt desired.
I reached out to undo his pants, fumbling at first to get the button off, and then slowly pulling the zipper down. His pants dropped to the floor, and then he was there in just a tight-fitting pair of boxer briefs. I stared. Clearly the temperature of his skin wasn’t the only place he differed from a Greek statue. It was huge.
I ran my hand along its whole length, feeling it give a little jump as I got to the tip. I snatched my hand back, surprised, as if it were some living thing with a mind of its own. I heard Asher laugh and looked up into his smiling eyes. Without breaking eye contact, I hooked my fingers around the waistband of his briefs and pulled them slowly down. When his erection finally sprang free, it was even bigger than it had looked and felt before. I reached out to touch it, but he caught my hand.
“Later,” he whispered.
He lifted me up onto my feet and knelt down to pull my panties down. As he raised himself back up, he ran his nose up between my thighs. I gave a little involuntary shudder. Standing close against me, I could feel the heat coming off his body. He placed one of his hands behind my head, holding me in place while he kissed my neck. His other hand drifted down, passing my navel, and coming to rest on my left hip. He put a little pressure on it, turning me to the side. Then he slid his hand toward my center, cupping me. The heat and pressure almost made my knees buckle before he even started moving.
Without stopping the barrage of kisses on my neck, he started to slowly move his hand back and forth. The heel of his palm was pressed tightly against my clitoris while his fingers spread my lips apart, drawing out the wetness. I could barely keep my feet. I lowered myself onto his hand, grinding into him. I reached down with my right hand and wrapped it around his cock for support. He grunted. If I thought he was hard before, the reaction I got from taking hold of him soon showed me I was wrong. It swelled under my hand.
That same moment, he slid one of his fingers inside me. I let out a little squeak. I began to pull my hand back and forth on him, matching his rhythm.
“I can’t take it anymore,” he growled into my ear. “I need to be inside you.”
He reached down into his pants and pulled out a condom. I hopped back onto the bed and stretched myself out languidly. I was excited, but a little nervous. I had never been with a guy as big as Asher.
Asher got the condom out of its wrapper, knelt onto the bed, his manhood pointing straight out and a little up, like the prow of a ship jutting proudly. I took the condom from him and rolled it down along his shaft, hand over hand. Man, it was big. Not just long, but thick.
“Asher, go slow, ok?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, it’s, well, it’s bigger than I am used to.”
He laughed and smiled.
“Don’t girls always say that?”
I arched an eyebrow at him.
“Maybe to you, because it’s true.”
“Ok, then. Slow it is.”
And he leaned over me, pushing me down onto the pillows and moving his hips between my legs. I ran one of my hands along his shoulders, feeling the powerful muscles as he held himself above me. I used my other hand to guide his cock to its destination. When I felt the tip press up against me, my muscles tightened briefly. He hesitated. I wanted him inside so bad. I gripped the base of his cock tightly and pulled him forward, rocking my hips up to give him maximum access.
He came in slowly and
I felt myself being pushed apart. Little spasms tightened and relaxed. He kept coming, deeper and deeper until I felt like there must not be any more room. But there was. Finally, I felt his hips press against my body. Then he started pulling out and pushing in, little movements, just rotating his hips. I moaned ecstatically. I wrapped my legs around his waist. Each thrust was a little longer, a little harder. I was so wet.
I could hear his breathing get deeper, more intense. Moans of pleasure like growls resonated in his chest. He began driving harder, pulling out most of his enormous length and then slamming back into me, pushing me into the soft mattress. His pelvis rubbed against my clitoris, sending regular, rhythmic jolts of pleasure throughout my body. I wasn’t going to last much longer.
He leaned back, angling his thrusts so the head of his cock rubbed against a little cluster of pleasure inside of me. At the same time, he took his hand, rested it just above my pubic bone, and began making circles around my clit with his thumb. It was too much.
Waves of pleasure broke over me. I could feel myself convulse and shudder. I could feel him inside of me as my muscles began to tremor and quake. My vision went blurry and my legs went numb. But he kept going. I struggled to catch my breath.
I had never had multiple orgasms before. Most guys I had been with, I hadn’t even had one.
Asher pulled himself out completely for a moment, but before I had the chance to protest, he put one of his powerful hands on my hip and flipped me on my stomach. He grabbed my hips with both hands and pulled me toward him. He slid in easily this time. I took a mouthful of sheets to stifle my cry of pleasure. If possible, it felt like he was penetrating even deeper.
After what felt like long minutes, but may have just been a few seconds, he pulled me upright, holding me against his chest with his hands on my breasts. I reached behind my head to grab a fistful of his hair. I let my other hand fall down between my legs. I held it there, feeling his cock sliding in and out. I heard him groan from the unexpected sensation. But I could feel another orgasm building and I couldn’t resist. I used my free hand to pleasure myself.
“I love you, Cora,” he whispered in my ear.
The orgasm shattered me, sending electric bolts of ecstasy across my body. I heard a deep moan behind me as Asher’s pace quickened suddenly. Then he thrust himself powerfully, deep inside me, burying his massive cock to the hilt. I felt it quiver and pulse inside me.
We both collapsed on the bed.
Chapter 16 - Cora
The early morning sunlight streamed in through the large windows in Asher’s bedroom. The angle of the light let me know it was still early, but the place next to me was already empty. Asher was awake. I could smell coffee wafting in from the kitchen. I stretched out under the sheets. My legs were sore, a dull ache that felt pleasantly painful. I can’t remember ever having been so thoroughly fucked.
When I had flexed and relaxed every muscle from my hips to my toes, I sank back into the bed. I figured I could still get a little bit more sleep. It was Saturday after all. But when I closed my eyes, I realized I had to pee. I tossed the sheets off and swung my legs off the bed and stood up. The wood was cool on my feet. I padded softly to the bathroom and, just like always seems to happen, once I was out of bed I was awake. I wasn’t going back to sleep, but I still might go back into bed, especially if I could convince Asher to get back in with me.
After I left the bathroom, I walked toward the kitchen. Seeing the house in the soft light of early morning, it was even more impressive than it had appeared at night. It wasn’t large, but everything was exquisitely tasteful. The smell of coffee grew stronger as I approached the kitchen, but I held up, staying in the hallway. Asher was talking to someone. I could only hear one side of the conversation, he must have been on the phone.
Part of me felt bad that I kept accidentally eavesdropping on him, but at the same time, this was a guy I knew very little about. I barely knew him, but we had already slept together twice. I wasn’t accustomed to that kind of relationship. I needed to find out whether there was something going on I needed to know about before I got myself any further in. Because I knew that, if I wasn’t careful, I was definitely in danger of falling for him. It was one thing when you were putting on your makeup and picking out a dress to tell yourself that you were going to keep things physical, that you were not going to get emotionally involved. It was another thing when you woke up the next morning in his bed, in the softest sheets you have ever felt, still tingling and throbbing from the best sex you’ve ever had.
Asher’s voice was tight, controlled, but I could tell he was upset. I kept my breathing quiet so I could hear what he was saying.
“Look, I’m not a child. I don’t need you looking over my shoulder every five minutes. I am in control of the situation…yeah…yeah…well, we have a difference of opinion on that, but given that I am the professional here, we will go with mine, ok?...I know….I know, you think I don’t know that?...yes, you have made the consequences abundantly clear…Ok, ok I will…The girl? Oh, she’s nobody. Yeah, just someone’s niece I’m supposed to be looking after. Doesn’t mean anything. Ok? I will be in touch if there is anything you need to be kept aware of.”
My heart dropped into my stomach. I knew it. I knew I was right to try to keep my distance. I only wish I had tried a little harder.
I walked quickly back to the bedroom and pulled out my phone and ordered a Lyft to pick me up. I slipped back into my dress and put on my shoes. I wasn’t looking forward to the expression I was sure to get from the driver. It wasn’t the first time I had started the morning in my evening clothes, but it was still awkward. A notification dinged on my phone, the car would be there in five minutes. I made sure I had everything and strode out into the kitchen.
Asher looked up from his coffee cup. His face betrayed no hint of surprise or distress at seeing me ready to leave at seven o’clock on a Saturday morning.
“Heading home already?”
“Yes, I have a yoga class,” I lied. He didn’t seem to notice or care. I was shocked at how lucky I was to be getting out of this early. I could have wasted months, the whole summer, who knows how long, before I found out that he really was the cynical, callous jerk that he initially appeared to be. That the ‘real’ Asher I thought I had seen was just fiction I had constructed out of his false charm and good looks.
“Thank you for dinner, and…everything.”
He simply nodded. He seemed distracted more than anything. I walked out into the warm morning and stood at the curb. My car showed up a few moments later. I hopped in the back and left Asher Dean behind me.
By the time I had gotten back into my apartment, stripped off my dress, and stepped into the shower, I was crying. My tears mingled with the hot water running down my face. I was sad and angry at the same time. Despite my best efforts, I had allowed myself to open up to him. I knew it was stupid. He was so hot I wanted him to be different. Maybe I had read too much into things he said or the way he looked at me. Maybe I hadn’t really been paying attention to the reality of who he was.
I got out of the shower and toweled myself off, all remnants of the night before scrubbed away under the hot water. I decided my best option would be to take a short nap. I hadn’t gotten much sleep last night and I realized I was exhausted. I dropped my towel and crawled naked under the covers. I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
I awoke with a start. It was afternoon. I had slept several hours at least. My head was ringing with a thought that jolted me out of bed. What the hell was I going to do on Monday?
Could I possibly go back to work with him? I didn’t even want to see him, let alone work side by side with him the rest of the summer. Could I confront him with what I heard him say? Was it even worth it? Maybe my uncle could get me in with another firm or with another attorney. But I didn’t want to explain to my uncle that I couldn’t complete my internship because I was sleeping with my mentor and it didn’t go well. I might die of embarrassment.
It was not Tasha.
Chapter 17 - Cora
The short, petite woman who stood in my doorway had pale skin and light brown hair that fell in luxurious waves past her shoulders was Amber Warner.
She was dressed in a pink pencil skirt and a floral blouse. Her eyes were covered by large, vintage sunglasses. She held a folder under her left arm. Her right arm extended to shake my hand.
“Cora Maguire? How do you do, my name is Amber. Do you have a few minutes?”
I was so shocked, I could not respond. I just stood aside as she walked past me and into my apartment. I closed the door behind her, habit taking over for my numbed mind. This woman was accused of murdering her boss in cold blood. She probably did it, too, as Asher was fond of saying, he didn’t represent innocent people. What the hell was she doing in my apartment?
She sat down at my kitchen table and, as if to answer my unspoken question, began talking.
“I need your help, Ms. Maguire. Please, sit.”
Although it felt strange to be invited to sit in my own house, I sat. I felt so tense that I wondered how I was able to bend my legs to get into the chair.
“I saw you at my arraignment. You’re working for my lawyer. I think that you can help me.”
“I think you misunderstood,” I said cautiously. I didn’t know if this woman was even stable. How was she able to find out where I lived? I had to keep things calm and find out why she was interested in me without upsetting her. “I am just a summer intern. I’m not a lawyer yet, and I don’t really know anything about the case. I’m sorry, but I don’t know how I could help you.”