In The Cards

by Cynthia Selwyn

  Alex shook her head. “Oh, for crying out loud. Can’t you be more original? That name’s already taken.”

  Zach closed his eyes. “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a—”

  “Damn,” Alex said, refusing to let him finish. Rhett Butler, indeed. She sighed. “I left the washcloths on the counter.”

  “Perfect.” Zach exhaled and leaned back. “Use your hands.” He closed his eyes. “I’m waitin’, Miz Scarlett.”

  Alex sighed, reached into the basket on the edge of the tub, and unwrapped the tiny bar of hotel soap. Where to begin?

  She could start with his feet and work her way up his legs…

  She could start with his back and work her way down to his waist…

  Or…she could just start.

  What would her character do? She’d want to make as much money as possible. Her little sister was so sickly, and though neither child wanted to complain, they were thin enough to see through. Poor little darlings. Alex slipped her hand beneath the surface of the water and went right for the bull’s eye. Or the bull’s balls. “Fiddle-dee-dee,” she murmured, wrapping her hand around Zach’s hard cock.

  Wow. Was there anything about Zach that wasn’t larger than life? She couldn’t help but stroke him. She wanted to suck him, draw his hard cock into her mouth, and swirl her tongue over it like a long, thick, hot Popsicle. She wanted to ride him.

  He hissed in response, his blue eyes darkened almost black with lust. She moved over him to cup his taut balls, stroking his turgid length with a slick, soapy hand; Zach pulled her to straddle him, cupped her breasts in his hands, and swiped his thumbs over her nipples. It tingled.

  He closed his eyes. “Not so fast, Scarlett. You want to pull another card, don’t you?”

  I want to feel you inside me, she thought. “Are we done with your bath, cowboy?”

  He grinned, and then, as if she weighed nothing and they weren’t in a bubbling spa-tub, he stood—lifting her along with him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. Her clit rubbed over his cold, wet abdomen.

  She tightened her grip around his body, relishing the feel of the rough hair on his stomach against her sensitive, tender flesh. It made her want to come, more than ever. She ground into him, desperate to relieve the ache deep inside her.

  In moments, they were back in the bedroom. He placed her down on one of the beds. “Hold on a sec.”

  Alex wanted to protest as he hurried off, but he returned in seconds with a towel. “Let me dry you,” he murmured, falling onto the bed with her. “Lie back,” he purred. “And spread your legs so I can see you. All of you.”

  Alex closed her eyes and did as she was told. Caroline/Scarlett would be ashamed. Embarrassed. She would be a virgin. She would never have had a man wiping her with a rough towel, buffing it teasingly over each of her nipples, down over her stomach to the sensitive hidden flesh between her legs… “Oh…Zach,” she whispered.

  “Rhett, you mean.”

  “Whatever. Please. Please, touch me. Don’t tease me. Please.”

  “My, my, my…let’s see what the cards say…ah. ‘Fondle your partner until she begs.’ Now that sounds…interesting. Should I stop now? Are you begging?”

  Alex opened her eyes. “No. I’m…I’m not begging. I’m…I’m…” Not going to say please anymore.

  He rose up to bite her breasts with quick, gentle nips that made the flesh between her legs quiver and grow liquid. She shoved her fingers into his hair, yanking hard.

  “Are you begging me, Scarlett?”

  “No. No!” She shook her head back and forth against the coverlet. “I—I’m not begging.” I’m dying, but I’m not begging.

  “Are you sure?” He brushed his lips over each of her nipples in turn. His breath was hot.

  “No!”

  “Positive?” He flicked his tongue on them; goose bumps rose over her skin. She felt a trickle of moisture slide from her pussy, down between the cleft of her buttocks; she’d never been so aroused. “No. I’m…I’m not. I’m not!” When he finally drew one of her nipples into his mouth, she groaned deeply.

  “Mmmm?” He slid one of his hands down along her body, over her hip, and finally between the folds of her pussy. She lifted her hips, her body weeping for him. It wasn’t fair. She needed to have him inside of her, right then and there. But he wouldn’t. Instead, he kept sucking and biting at her nipples, squeezing with one hand, teasing with the other, until she bucked beneath him.

  The sensation between her legs built and built, growing larger with each swipe of his tongue. He slipped a finger into her, then another.

  Alex opened her eyes when he pressed another finger against her anus. Was he serious? She didn’t have time to wonder; his finger slipped inside her body. She moaned his name, then called it, and finally screamed aloud as a flood of sensation overtook her body, sluicing through her limbs to center in her very core. She felt wave after wave of electricity spread from her breasts to her pussy, exploding in a shower of sparkling whiteness.

  When it subsided, she lay still and gasped, her heart pounding, her body weak and sensitive to the touch. She opened her eyes to see Zach leaning over her, a smile on his face and a gleam in his eyes. He licked his lips. “That looked like it felt good.”

  She nodded. “It was…amazing.”

  He rolled onto his back beside her, tucking her head onto his shoulder, rubbing his chin over the top of her head. “Glad you enjoyed it.”

  “But…what about you?” She rolled onto her side and drew her hand over his stomach, idly tracing the hair pointing down to his cock. Which was, she noticed, still erect and still huge. She wanted to feel him inside her, but didn’t dare. Not now, when every nerve ending tingled.

  “I’m okay. For now…”

  “No, you’re not. That was—and I’m not even going to bother being coy with you—the best orgasm of my entire life. I’m not going to leave you unsatisfied.” She slid her fingers down to wrap them around him as well as she could. He was so hard, but his skin was velvety beneath her grasp.

  She felt her slit swelling again already, dripping with desire for him.

  He stilled. “Can I tell you…do you have any idea how long I’ve fantasized about doing exactly that, to you?”

  “Really?” She smiled. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve fantasized about doing this?”

  Chapter Seven

  Zach arched his hips when Alex swallowed his cock—or as much of it as she could. It was so hard, it felt as if it were about to break. The muscles of her throat worked around it; he closed his eyes and moaned. Alex had fantasized. About doing this. To him.

  He didn’t know what felt better. Did it matter?

  Her hand worked, sliding up and down what she couldn’t swallow, and she flicked the tip of her tongue over the most sensitive part, the spot just behind the glans. He gripped the bedspread and held tight, moaning her name in one long groan.

  “Mmmm,” she hummed at him, pulling her mouth away with a popping noise. “You taste good.” And she drew the tip of her tongue all the way to the base of his dick and back again like it was a lollipop. Then, she enveloped him in her mouth—as much as she could. Again and again, her tongue swirled and her hand and mouth worked in concert until the cum boiling in his balls could no longer be contained. He lifted his hips and screamed her name aloud as the hot fluid pumped from his throbbing cock in scalding white spurts that spattered over Alex’s cheeks and chin, until he fell back, spent.

  She laughed—laughed!—and swiped it away with her fingers. “Well now. That was fun. I think it’s in my hair…wait a minute. I’ll be right back.” She got off the bed and hurried to the bathroom. Zach watched her go, appreciating her curvaceous figure—small, graceful—perfect.

  He lay on the bed, considering. He’d known Alex since she was twelve and he thirteen. It was the longest relationship with a woman he’d ever had, other than his sister. But now he and Al had moved to another level. Call it research
if you want, but the fact was…it was still sex.

  Great sex, so far. He wanted more. Lots and lots more.

  She appeared around the corner of the short corridor leading to the bathroom, now dressed in a robe, and began rustling in a suitcase—for clothes!

  He sat up. “Wait a minute. We’re done?”

  “Done? I—well…for now.”

  He stared at her and realized this was the time to set precedents. “No,” he said, “we’re not. Come here.”

  She turned, pouted briefly, then reached for The Box. “I just thought we should start getting ready for dinner.”

  “And I thought…we should cuddle for a bit.”

  She dropped The Box, turned deliberately to squint at him. “Cuddle? That’s a girly word for such a manly man.”

  “Well…yeah.” He felt his face color. “I want to hug you. I want you to hug me.” God, he sounded like a girl. Zach bristled. So what? Hugging was nice. “What’s wrong with that?”

  “Nothing.” She approached the bed, and then dropped down beside him. “I just…it’s been my experience that guys don’t cuddle. In fact…I don’t think I’ve ever heard a guy use the word ‘cuddle.’”

  “I do. I cuddle with pride.” He put his arms around her and pulled her down to lay beside him. She snuggled into his side and rested her head on his shoulder. Alex fit just right.

  “This is nice,” she purred.

  “Would be even nicer if you were naked.”

  Alex lifted her head off his shoulder to look at his face. “Now that sounds like a manly man.”

  He grinned, peering back at her from under his long eyelashes, his eyes twinkling. She was sorry she had to leave him, especially now. But maybe it was for the best. This was only research, after all. She couldn’t allow herself to think it might be anything else. Getting her heart shattered two times in one weekend was just too much. She sat up and pulled her robe closed.

  “My editor expects me for dinner.”

  “I’d like you for dinner.”

  “You’re hopeless.” And so am I. Hopelessly stupid for doing this. She put her head back down, loving the feeling of his warm skin against her cheek. But really, how could she resist? This was Zach. She’d always dreamed of this moment. And besides…he smelled like cinnamon. “You smell good,” she told him.

  “So do you. Good enough to eat. And more,” he answered in a silky voice. He turned in her arms; his erection pressed against her belly.

  “We just—you can’t possibly be ready to do it again.” She sat up. Tim would never be hard so soon after sex. He’d be asleep, but not…aroused.

  Zach reached up to pull her back to his side. “I told you. I just want to feel you against me.” He wrapped his arm around her, prodding her to rest her head on his shoulder. “But yeah, I could do it again if you’d like.”

  Aw, hell. She didn’t want to go to dinner. She didn’t want to write smut. She didn’t want to do anything but lie next to her best friend and try to forget the world outside the hotel room door. Alex rolled onto her side, slid her leg over Zach’s, brushed her hand over his stomach, feeling the muscle there. Sexy washboard abs. Perfect chest. The man was flawless. “All this beauty and a cuddler too. Do you have any faults?”

  Under heavy lids, his eyes twinkled like the sky at night. “Of course I do.”

  “Name one.” She noticed he wasn’t kidding about the horny thing—his cock was already semi-erect and lengthening by the second, just from her touch. Hey, she thought. Look what I can do.

  “I frequently call out the wrong girl’s name during sex.”

  “If you didn’t sleep with so many women, you wouldn’t get confused.” She slid her fingertip down the length of his dick; it rose up to meet her touch, and she felt his body tense.

  “I don’t. Really. Not anymore. When I was younger, maybe, but now…no. It gets boring, having a different woman every night.”

  “Uh-huh. Tell me another one, Zach.”

  “I’m serious.” He reached over to stroke his knuckles over one of her nipples.

  She shivered. “You’re telling me sex isn’t a recreational sport for you anymore?”

  He moved so quickly, she barely had time to respond. Zach flipped her onto her back, looming over her, his hard cock pressing into her belly, his hot breath brushing her cheek. “No. It’s a research project.” He brushed his lips over hers. They tingled.

  “If you call out the wrong name this weekend, I won’t hold it against you.” Research. See? He knows what this is. I need to get my heart out of my head and just be smart about this.

  “Are you Alex, Caroline, or Scarlett right now?” He rolled again, bringing her with him; she ended up lying on top of him, his hot, hard body making her skin tingle, and she peered down into his perfect face. “You’re the one playing three different women. You’d better not hold it against me if I use the wrong name.” He grinned up at her.

  “I’m…whoever. I’m not sure.” She wasn’t. She wanted to be herself. But if she was Alex…Would he get dressed, leaving her unfulfilled because she was his buddy and not…a sex game? She pouted. “I think it’s time to draw another card, Rhett.”

  Chapter Eight

  “Ah, Miz Scarlett.” He reached for the deck and pulled out a card. “Hmm. I like this one. Y’all ready for what it says?”

  “Will I earn another two bits?”

  “You might earn more if y’all do it to ma satisfaction.” He grinned and read the card. “Straddle your partner and masturbate while they watch.”

  Oh. My. God. She felt heat rising in her cheeks. “Let me see that card. Does it really say that?”

  “Are you doubting me, your customer?” He held it off to the side, out of her reach. “I can just talk to the madam…”

  “No.” She leaned back, resting her hands on his chest. She thought about the two hungry children in the shack. “I’ll do it.”

  “Good.” He lowered his eyelids and put his hands behind his head. “Show me how you make yourself come.”

  She felt a hot blush scald her cheeks. She’d never done anything like masturbate in front of anyone, not even with Tim, and she’d once thought he was The One. It was such an intimate thing to show someone. She’d be so vulnerable and open to his hot gaze.

  Zach moved again, this time flipping her onto her back so that her head rested on the pillow. Slowly, then, he drew his calloused hands down her sides, to her hips, then down her thighs to her knees, a hot trail. With gentle pressure, he pushed her legs open, exposing her sex to his hungry gaze, then parted her moist flesh with his thumbs. Their slight pressure on either side of her clit made it tingle.

  She saw him swallow, saw his cock bob, and she realized she wasn’t as embarrassed as she was excited. And proud. He was so hard. Look what she did for him.

  Her body swelled under his gaze, spreading, unfurling, and growing even slicker than before. He licked his lips. “So pink, and wet,” he said in a hoarse voice. “I just want to…” But then he shook his head. “Give me your hands. Show me.” He placed her hands on her pussy and sat back on his heels. “Do it.”

  She closed her eyes and began to masturbate, finding the sensitive place she liked to stroke, sliding one and then another of her fingers into herself; she heard him hiss a breath and moan softly. When she opened her eyes, he was watching raptly, his pupils dilated, his cock straining and a deep, dark pink.

  Alex lifted her other hand to fondle one of her nipples.

  His pupils dilated as he watched; she noticed the way his chest rose and fell with his quick, hard breaths. She tipped her head back and closed her eyes to imagine the feel of his hard cock inside her. Before long, she lifted her hips off the bed and spiraled into an intense orgasm that made her body clench and release around her invasive fingers. She rocked back and forth and bucked her hips up and down, spreading her legs even wider to his gaze. She groaned deeply.

  When she opened her eyes, it was to see Zach staring at her, his eyes wide and hi
s gaze hungry. She lifted her cum-sticky fingers to him, and he leaned over her to draw them into his mouth, sucking and licking them clean. “You taste good,” he said finally, his lips and chin shiny with his spit and her juice.

  He’d never looked so handsome. And that was saying a lot. She pushed herself up on her elbows to stare at his massive cock. “Now, you. Do it for me. Let me watch.”

  “God,” he groaned and grabbed himself, needing no more urging. His fisted hand flew over his shaft in a blur, making a quick slapping sound. She lifted her breasts to him with her palms and then, knowing already that it turned him on, slid her fingers around the round peaks to tweak and knead her own nipples.

  His eyes shone and he let out another groan, louder this time; in moments, his hot, white jizz spurted from the tip of his cock in a terrific arc, splattering hot and wet against her skin. She rubbed it over her nipples with her fingertips, gratified when he groaned again.

  “Alex. Jesus. That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen,” he said, tumbling down onto the mattress beside her, pulling her into his arms. “You’re the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”

  “And you’re full of shit.” She rested her cheek on the flat plane of his chest, her head tucked under his chin, her leg drawn up over his. “My name’s Scarlett.”

  “Hmm.” He reached for the remote. Typical man, she thought, and smiled. Typical Zach. When he turned on the sports channel, she sighed and closed her eyes.

  “I need to go take a shower. I’m all sticky,” she said.

  “Me, too.” His voice rumbled beneath her cheek. “But let’s take a nap, first.”

  “I can’t. Remember?” She lifted her head. “This may be a vacation trip for you, but for me…I’m working.”

  Working. Zach nodded. A thought struck him. Were these intensely hot moments only work for her, too? Once the weekend was over, was she going to say, “Thanks for the research help” and call it a day?

  The thought made his throat tighten and his stomach clench. No. He wasn’t ready to give her up, yet. If ever.