by Sylvie Kaye
She forced a laugh.
Ah, it worked.
Zipping his fly, he chuckled, relieved she wasn’t hurt or still scared.
“We can skip over that particular detail when we report the carjacking.” She tore off a piece of her blouse to blot the blood dripping down his face.
“Thanks.” He took the cloth and held it to the bridge of his nose. With his other hand, he dug his phone from his jeans pocket and flipped it open. After pressing 9-1-1 and giving the operator the details, he and Wendy sat on the ground and waited.
She glanced at him. “If they found out all the details, the police and the news media would brand us for life. BJ and the bandit.” A small burst of laughter slipped from her lips.
“You’re enjoying this way too much.”
“How about BJ and—”
“How about just a BJ?” He silenced her with a kiss so hot he forgot about his facial pain.
She groped for his fly but was interrupted by the sirens and flashing lights of the ambulance and the police car. Damn.
Nine-one-one sent paramedics. Although Max’s main injury was to his dignity, he rode in the ambulance to ensure Wendy had her hand examined.
He’d wanted to help her go after her dream, not keep her from it. He hoped her chance to draw hadn’t been ruined before she’d begun. He should’ve been more diligent when they were in such a compromising position, instead of losing himself in pursuit of his sexual satisfaction.
* * * *
At the hospital, Max and Wendy filled out insurance and health information.
“Operations? Accidents?”
“I had an injury and surgery to my testes from playing football when I was eighteen.” Max glanced her way and her heart swelled with sympathy.
Later, in the waiting room, she pursued it further. “Is your injury the reason you don’t foresee children in your future?”
He nodded. “I’m sterile. Over the years, I’ve come to realise I don’t need to be a father to feel fulfilled. I would’ve told you eventually when we became more serious.”
“I imagine your infertility put the hitch in making a baby with your ex-wife.” She took his hand to comfort him. “Did you two consider a sperm bank?”
“No, my ex didn’t plan to use a turkey baster. She had designs on my best friend’s genes and his injector.”
“His cock,” she whispered, shocked.
He grinned despite the seriousness of the conversation. “You never cease to surprise me. I mean that in a nice way.” He clasped her uninjured hand tighter.
* * * *
They spent the next two hours at the hospital waiting to be examined. Afterward, they gave their statements to a cop at the police station who used the two-finger method of keyboarding on his computer.
Unfortunately, Wendy and Max still had to return to the dealership to claim his car. She could’ve taken a taxi home and dealt with the residual unpleasantness in the morning, but she refused to let him face the curious looks and questions alone. Bruised and bandaged and dirty, she looked more battered than she felt.
Max didn’t look much better with his swollen nose, despite the ice pack applied at the hospital. His mouth formed a grim line. He was apparently still angry at himself for letting their attacker escape. As if he’d had a choice.
Men.
But she didn’t have much time to dwell on men with Marsha bearing down on them as soon as they entered the office.
“The police were here. They said you were all right, but how did it happen?” Marsha asked, nosy as always. “The cops said it was mall carjacking. Didn’t either of you see him coming?” Her eyes narrowed.
She eyeballed them suspiciously, as if their clothes weren’t buttoned and their wounds mercurochromed. Almost as if she could see them enjoying oral sex before the thief took them down.
Wendy blushed. Forty-something and she blushed. Gawd, but Max was good for her ego.
“I was checking the tire pressure,” Max said.
Oh, yeah, that was believable. Wendy stared at him and attempted to keep her jaw from hanging open.
“Why didn’t you wait until you returned to the dealership?” Marsha didn’t try to hide her disbelief.
Adding to the fray, along came her son, tall and lanky, his phone plastered to his ear. “Tyler.” Wendy ran over to her only child, happy to see him, even if Max’s presence would likely piss him off.
He clicked the phone shut and kissed her cheek, his concern for her safety clearly overshadowing his peeve where Max was concerned. “The police told me you’d left. I was frantic to find you. You weren’t at home so I raced over here on the off-chance. Are you all right? Do you need anything?”
“I’m fine. The doctor swears my hand will heal with no problems.” She flexed her fingers as proof. “I don’t need anything now that you’re here.”
He put his arm around her shoulder. “I’m sorry for acting like such a jackass. I should trust your judgement. You have every right to find happiness wherever.”
Max was obviously the wherever because Tyler held his hand out to him. “I want to thank you for looking out for my mother.”
Max took Tyler’s hand but frowned at Wendy’s bandage. “I should’ve protected her better.”
“You did everything you could,” she said.
Max didn’t look convinced.
Tyler waved his cell phone. “That call was the police. They found the car, dusted it for fingerprints and released it.”
“That was fast.” Max shoved his hands into his jeans, drawing her attention to how snugly they fit. All thoughts of cars fled. The man had a devastatingly sexual effect on her. She smiled, liking it and him more every minute.
“The thief ran out of gas,” Tyler told them.
“We’ll go and pick it up,” she said.
Her son shook his head. “You two look beat. I’ll go. One of the salespeople will drop me off. Go on home. Both of you.” He squeezed her shoulder.
She kissed and hugged her son, happy and relieved to have peace restored between them. Max then walked with her to his Jag.
“Looks like we have my son’s blessing.” She smiled, amazed at how well the day had turned out after all.
“I felt like a jerk accepting his thanks after endangering your life.” He held the car door open and helped her in.
“You didn’t. The gun-toting thief did. Please, let it go, Max.” Joy seeped from her tired body.
Once he climbed behind the wheel and studied her face, he forced a grin. “I don’t want to put a damper on your reconciliation with Tyler.”
The ride home was quiet except for a CD of soft rock music, and she felt re-energised by the time he pulled into her driveway.
“Why don’t you come in?” She stroked his arm. “Stay the night. I’ll put another ice pack on your nose, and we can lick each other’s wounds.”
“I got kicked in the nuts, if you recall.” He arched an eyebrow, showing his interest in her offer.
With a wink, she dangled her house keys and he took them.
Chapter Eleven
Max carried Wendy’s nude, wet body from the shower into her bedroom. Clean and invigorated by the soap and water as well as from seeing her slick and wet, he planned to make it up to her for all she’d been through today. After the fright of their carjacking, she was badly in need of some pampering. He was just the man to give it to her. He prided himself on giving as much as he took in the bedroom.
He placed her on the bed, lay down next to her and kissed her injured hand.
“That feels better already.” She unravelled her soggy bandage and dropped it into the nearby wastebasket.
“Tell me where else you hurt.” He nuzzled her neck, moist with droplets from the shower, and licked her flesh which was water-warmed, pliant and sweet-smelling.
“When you do that, I ache mostly down below.” She cradled the back of his head with her uninjured palm and gently scratched his scalp.
“Show me where.” He cla
sped her hand and trailed it down her thigh.
“Here.” She moved their joined hands between her thighs.
“You’re pubic hair hurts?” He slid their fingers into her damp curls.
“No, silly, Lower.” With a throaty giggle, she moved their hands between the folds of her pussy.
Her flesh was hot and sticky. He curved his large finger over her smaller one and inserted them. They slid easily into her slick opening. He teased her G-spot with their crooked fingertips before penetrating her completely. She gasped.
He plunged their fingers in and out, slowly, then sped up. Their joint masturbation of her was erotic and enticing.
“Do you want to come?” He stopped, awaiting her answer.
“No.” She shook her head on the pillow, rolling it from side to side. “I want us to come together.”
He withdrew their fingers and held them up in front of their faces. He licked at them, urging her to do the same.
She tasted her juices for the first time. The experience was risqué and somehow natural, both at the same time.
“I promised to lick your wounds. She reached down. Gripping his penis in her fist, she pumped, squeezing while he got hard and even harder.
Before she lowered her head, he stilled her hand. “Babe, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
He sheathed himself and entered her. Locking his dark eyes with hers, he connected with her in a way that somehow seemed more intimate than sexual. His gaze penetrated her as deeply as his thrusts. She felt consumed by Max, body and soul. When she lifted her hips to meet his plunging movements, it was so she could get closer yet.
Wrapping her legs around his waist, she arched her back higher and murmured, “I need you deeper.”
He unlocked her legs and placed them over his shoulders. He re-entered her, sinking in all the way. His eyes pierced hers, reflecting the emotions swirling through her. Caring ones. Withdrawing, he plunged again and again. Friction was electric. Skin slapped skin, muscle met muscle. She felt needed, wanted, fulfilled. Sensations escalated as he drove her closer to the brink of her orgasm. She clawed at the sheets, wanting the delicious torture to end, wanting it to last forever. Wanting to stay this close to Max forever.
Then he took her more rapidly and she gave herself over to desire. His hips hammered into her. Her bottom and the back of her thighs were pounded by his weight.
Harder, deeper, faster. He forced her closer to her orgasm with each lunge. He gasped and panted with his efforts. Her breathing quickened as her climax overtook her. In a rush to climax, she came. He continued to pump until he groaned loudly and erupted. Stilling, he smiled into her eyes before lowering her legs. With her legs draped at his sides, he dotted panting kisses on her stomach.
Slowly, his breathing evened and he rolled onto his back next to her on the bed. Without looking, he peeled off the condom.
She took it from him and tossed it into the wastebasket. His cock wasn’t limp or soft. She touched the shiny cum glistening on his shaft.
“Now you can lick my wound.”
Shock jerked her eyes open wider while erotic excitement tickled her insides. His challenge took hold of her. She bent her head and ran her tongue along his shaft. His cum tasted salty and musky, slightly tart. She lapped along his length until she’d licked him clean. His cock became erect again. She took the entire engorged head into her mouth. Moving her head up and down while she fisted his shaft tight in her hand, she pumped. He became even more rigid and the slit opened. When he began to spurt, she wasn’t sure what to do.
He laughed, pulled her away and mopped it up with the corner of the sheet.
“I was getting prepared to swallow,” she said.
“Knowing you were willing is good enough.” He kissed her, his mouth tender and lingering.
When he broke away, he said, “Now let’s talk business.”
* * * *
An hour after Max left in the morning, the doorbell rang.
Wendy peeked through the front door safety viewer. It was Tyler.
She flung the door open. “Did you lose your key?”
“I was being discreet in case you had company.”
“Thank you for your consideration.” She kissed his cheek and tucked her arm in his, ushering him into the kitchen where fresh brewed coffee warmed on the burner and scented the room.
He hopped onto one of the wooden bistro stools while she poured coffee into two colourful ceramic mugs. Handing him one, she took hers and sat across from him.
“I talked to the police this morning. They caught the carjacker. He had a client, who remains nameless for now, willing to pay a high price for that particular model and colour.” He shrugged. “Status thing, I guess. People always want what’s the hardest to obtain.”
“Thank goodness he’s behind bars.” A shiver ran through her, recalling his brutal treatment and evil laugh.
“Yes, especially with me flying out to join the professor and the mammalogy team in the Indian Ocean. Otherwise, I’d feel like I was abandoning you.”
“When?” She was more concerned with not seeing him for months than with the thief who was safely locked away.
“Tonight. The research project came together quickly.”
Fingering the rim of her mug, she decided to go for broke. With Tyler’s recent acceptance of Max, he might as well know everything.
“Max wants to buy into the dealership as a partner. As a financial consultant, he has knowledgeable ideas for expansion and development.”
Tyler’s cup stopped midway to his mouth. After a brief hesitation, he placed it back on to the table. “Why is he investing in the company? It’s always been solely family owned.”
“I haven’t had a vacation in years. With the partnership and restructuring, I’d have time off to pursue my own interests. Like you, with your research.”
“What interests?” He crooked his eyebrows.
“I love to sketch and want to take lessons and visit exotic places.”
“With him?”
“Yes, starting with a mini-trip to Cancún this month and finishing with an extended vacation in Peru at the end of the year.”
“Are you sure you’re not moving too fast?”
“It’s what I want. He’s what I want.” She paused to let it sink in. Her years of responsibility were ending. She was looking forward to this new time in her life. She reached across the table and patted his hand. “Any objections?”
Slowly, he shook his head. “Can’t think of any.”
“You’ll still get funding for your research. Your share of the profits won’t change.” She smiled.
“I had him checked out, financially, personally, criminally. I got the report yesterday. Planned on telling you the details last night.”
Her mouth gaped open.
“Don’t you want to know how he did?”
“No.” She trusted Max.
“Time for me to go.” He slipped from the stool and gave her a hug before heading for the door. After opening it, he turned and winked. “He passed with flying colours. I’m glad you’ll be in good hands when I’m out of the States.”
* * * *
A few days later, Max took her to dinner. Sitting across a candlelit table, he held both of Wendy’s hands in his. “I have some bad news. I called the police detective to see if there was anything new with the car theft case. The carjacker posted bail.”
She snapped upright in her seat, jerking his hold loose. “Are we safe?”
He took her hands in his again, his grip firmer. “I’m not sure. Apparently, he’s not a flight risk or the judge wouldn’t have allowed bail.”
“Did they lift any prints from the car?” He could almost see her mind clicking, piecing together what she knew and needed to know.
He shook his head, met her eyes. Hers appeared frightened. He forced calmness into his voice he didn’t feel. “The hybrid came up clean. The bastard must’ve kept his gloves on even after he drove off.”
“What about the other cars or witnesses in the string of hijackings?” Her hands felt cold in his.
“They haven’t recovered any other vehicles. The only evidence against him is our eyewitness testimony.” He thumbed her wrist where her pulse fluttered.
“So we’re the only two people who can testify against him.” She tugged free and snatched her purse from the table, nearly knocking over the burning candles. Pulling out her phone, she hit speed dial. Then she clicked End and tossed the phone back inside. “Tyler’s in the middle of the Indian Ocean. There’s no sense worrying him.”
“That’s up to you.” Lacking parenting experience, Max deferred to her in regard to Tyler.
“What about us?” She took a deep breath to calm herself.
“It’s the perfect time for a getaway to Cancún.”
* * * *
An impromptu getaway took some arranging. Before Wendy and Max could escape to Cancún, Max had to juggle some meetings and clients. She had to interview and hire a general manager for the dealership, then walk her replacement through things. She left her phone number with him in case he encountered any unforeseen problems.
Upon arriving at the Cancún International Airport ten days later, she and Max jeeped along the coastal highway of Riviera Maya. Eighty miles later, he pulled up to a remote area on the beach alongside a rustic, thatch-roofed cabana he’d rented, which had no electric and no telephone.
For the next two weeks, the squawk of exotic birds woke them in the morning and the lapping waves eased them into a sound slumber at night.
Wendy’s eager fingers sketched the spectacular, turquoise ocean from a front porch canopied with palm fronds, and tried to capture the density of the verdant jungle from her bedroom window. She drew a picture of the curious crabs scrambling along the powdery, white sand and another of the sea turtles mating in the bubbling surf.
“I feel like a voyeur.” But she couldn’t tear her eyes from their sexual act.