Sweet Ultimatum

by Naima Simone

  “It’s still my favorite,” he acknowledged. “I have it at least twice a week at this deli I found down the street from my office.”

  “Only twice?” Caitlin gasped, her eyes widening in exaggerated wonder. “Boston must not be able to compete with Mike’s.” She grinned, referring to New Eden’s only deli. “I recall you ordering that sandwich at least four times a week.”

  “You’re exaggerating.” Selig laughed because he had possessed an obsession for Mike’s ham and cheese on rye back in the day. Caitlin quirked an eyebrow.

  “Admit it,” she demanded, stabbing her fork in the air. “You’ve been to Mike’s already, haven’t you? Come clean.”

  Damn, she knew him. He flicked a glance at her from under lowered lashes. “Busted. I went yesterday for lunch.”

  “I knew it!” Caitlin crowed, hooting with laughter. “Home is always better, isn’t it?”

  Selig stared at her smiling face and was reminded of a time when they’d spent hours in each other’s company, laughing, talking or saying nothing at all. Back then, they’d been comfortable with one another. So different from present day.

  “Some things can be.”

  The animation disappeared, leaving a wariness that should have pleased him. It should have.

  They finished their meal in silence. Afterward, as Selig gathered their dishes and carried them into the kitchen, he could feel Caitlin’s guarded gaze on his back. She didn’t trust him and he didn’t harbor any for her either. He didn’t require her trust to fuck. And that’s all he desired from her.

  He repeated the litany in his mind as he exited the kitchen with the stems of two wineglasses caught between the fingers of one hand and carrying a bottle of wine in the other. He extended a glass to Caitlin, and after a moment’s hesitation, she accepted it. He poured wine for her and himself before lowering to the floor. After positioning the bottle in the middle of the blanket, Selig stretched out on his side. He cupped his head in his palm, the glass of wine cradled close to his abdomen.

  He watched Caitlin, knowing his scrutiny made her uncomfortable. She surveyed the great room, taking in the cream walls, cherry wood floors, high ceilings and gas fireplace. No doubt she recalled the same furniture had decorated the house when they’d been lovers in the past. Maybe she remembered the chocolate leather couch he’d bent her over and taken her from behind. He could still hear the sound of flesh slapping flesh as he’d driven deep into her milking flesh. Or the matching chair she’d sat in, legs spread wide to accommodate his shoulders while he licked her pussy, sucking on her clit until she’d screamed his name…

  “I didn’t know you still owned this house until yesterday.” She sipped the dark red alcohol, dropping her gaze to stare into its ruby depths. “After so long I wouldn’t have believed you’d kept it.”

  “I’ll never sell this house. My dad built if for my mother. All his sweat, labor and love went into making this her dream home. It’s a good place.”

  “Yes.” Caitlin nodded. “It is. But what are you going to do with it? You intend to stay here for a week or so and then what, Selig? What happens when you return to Boston? A place like this shouldn’t stand alone and empty.”

  Selig raised the glass to his mouth, taking a deep drink before responding. How to explain the selfishness that prevented him from allowing anyone to live in the home where his parents had lived and loved for so short a period of time. He didn’t want to share them. This house embodied all that remained of the man and woman who had blessed him with unconditional love and acceptance. For a time he’d believed he’d found that with Caitlin. It came to him that part of the reason her betrayal had ripped a part of his soul out was because he’d believed they’d possessed what his parents had. Caitlin had disabused him of that notion soon enough.

  The reminder fortified his resolve to regain what she’d stolen from him, including his dreams.

  “Being back home kind of makes me nostalgic. Maybe I’ll stick around for a while.” He sipped from the wine again, smirking around the edge of the glass. Caitlin set her wineglass down, studying him as if he were a butterfly with his wings pinned to a corkboard. He didn’t like it.

  “Boston has to be more exciting than New Eden.”

  “As I’m sure Wisconsin is,” Selig replied, desperate to get her off the subject of Boston. He couldn’t allow her to discover what had occurred in his adopted home. If Caitlin deemed him unworthy to be seen with now, what would happen if she found out…he couldn’t bear witnessing the disgust that would darken her eyes. “Unlike your mother, I don’t believe it’s one of those states people forget.” He grinned. “That’s North Dakota.”

  “Iowa,” she countered.

  “Nebraska,” Selig shot back.

  Caitlin studied him, and then chuckled, raising her hands in the age-old sign of surrender.

  “Yeah, you’re right.” She smiled at him and he felt as if he’d won a major lawsuit. Victorious and just damn good.

  “When are you returning to Wisconsin?”

  “In a few more weeks.” She raised her glass and took a deep sip. “Dad’s doing really well. His rehab is coming along and he can walk without a cane now.”

  “When Mac told me David had suffered a stroke, I couldn’t picture it. He was always larger than life. I know I said it to your mother, but I’ll say it to you as well. I really am sorry. He’s a good man.”

  “Yes, he is.” Caitlin ducked her head, staring down at the blanket. Several moments of silence passed. “It was—tough at first. Dad’s my best friend. But it could’ve been worse.”

  “Yes,” Selig agreed, voice low in remembrance of losing his parents, “it definitely could’ve been worse.” He cleared his throat and downed a healthy sip of wine. “Did I hear your mother right? You own a lingerie business?”

  She peered at him, distrustful of this new turn in conversation. Smart girl.

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Wow,” Selig drawled, “I’m impressed. Tell me. Do you model your own merchandise?”

  Caitlin’s shoulders straightened, her expression transforming from wary to angry.

  “You’re as bad as my mother.” Ouch, Selig winced. Now that hurt. Janet Madison was a bitch. “Just because it’s lingerie doesn’t mean you can ridicule it. Or that it doesn’t take just as much business sense to run the company as it does for you to practice law.”

  Yeah, definitely a sore spot. He cocked his head, swirling the wine in his glass as he considered her.

  “I never said it didn’t,” he agreed. “I think it’s sexy as hell that you’re a business woman. Gorgeous and intelligent. If I wasn’t sure of my manhood, I’d be intimidated.”

  Caitlin stared at him, her eyes narrowed, as if trying to determine if he teased her or gave her genuine praise. After a few moments, her suspicion cleared and she surprised Selig with the almost shy expression that crossed her lovely features. His cock flexed in his jeans.

  “Thank you.” She flushed. “Alise told me you are part of a successful law firm in Boston.”

  Shit, he’d thought they’d passed that subject. He shrugged, assuming a nonchalance that was difficult to pull off under her dark gaze.

  “It’s a good firm.”

  “And you’re not going back any time soon?” she asked, skeptical.

  “That’s reaching isn’t it, Caitlin? Why wouldn’t I want to go back? I have success, money and fame—well notoriety. And all the rest—women, prestige, status—fall neatly in line. Some would say I live the perfect life.” He arched an eyebrow. “You don’t look convinced.”

  “And yet you’re here in New Eden.”

  “You’re here. I came for Mac and Alise, and imagine my surprise upon glimpsing the woman who left me ruined for all others.” The mocking tone of his words concealed the truth in them. Caitlin had haunted him for six long years. He could fuck other women, but he’d never slept with his arms around one of them. None of them had come close to healing his heart. Deep inside where he buried tru
ths too painful to admit even to himself, Selig feared he would never love another woman.

  Caitlin turned her head, staring out the large window into the trees that protected the privacy of his home. He watched as she rubbed three fingers across her forehead, the weary expression taking him by surprise.

  “All this time I pictured you married and with a family. It hurt sometimes to imagine you in love with another woman.”

  “No worries there, sweetheart, I don’t believe in love, unless it’s the kind that has a price tag attached to it. Women, connections, fame or notoriety—they all come with a cost. Your pride, even your soul can be purchased.” Selig sank his teeth into his lip, attempting to hold back the deluge of bitterness that seemed determined to burst free. Screw this. He didn’t bring her here to experience a damn Hallmark moment. He wanted to fuck. He was tired of conversation. “Come here.”

  Caitlin’s head jerked around at the raspy tone, her hand falling to her lap. She couldn’t miss the lust in his voice, the intent in the command. He didn’t try to conceal either one. He lowered his lashes and stared at her, knowing arousal stamped his features. His heart thudded in his chest, slow and steady. Desire eddied in his stomach and pooled in his cock. If he didn’t release his dick from the confines of his jeans soon, he swore the imprint of the zipper would be branded in his skin.

  “Selig, I’m not doing this.” Caitlin gave a small shake of her head, yet the tremble in her voice tipped him off. She might be in denial, but Caitlin wanted him.

  “You don’t have to,” he promised. “I’ll do it all.”

  “I’m leaving.” Caitlin shot to her feet, almost upending her glass of wine. She bolted toward the door, but as she passed him, Selig seized her ankle, halting her midstride and leaving her with the choice of either remaining still or toppling over. She glared down at him, her fingers clenched into tight fists at her side.

  “Let me go, damn it!”

  Selig reared up in one fluid motion, his lips clamping on the nipples that had been calling to him all afternoon. He sucked the tight bead of flesh through the thin material of her shirt, his tongue pushing at the tip, teeth biting lightly.

  Slim fingers tangled in his hair, clutching and pulling. He moaned at the erotic sting to his scalp, loving the unconscious sign of her pleasure. His palms slid up the outside of her legs and circled her thighs to cup her ass in his hands. He kneaded the firm flesh, at the same time drawing harder on the pebbled tips. Caitlin cried out above him as she arched into his caress. He needed more. He had to taste her.

  He drew back, studying the damp cotton clinging to her nipples.

  “No, please. Don’t stop.”

  Her fevered plea flamed the ache in his balls. His sac tightened against his dick in agony and lust.

  “Fuck no, baby,” he whispered, his hands going to the button on her jeans. With a sharp twist of his wrist and a hard tug, her pants were undone and halfway down her legs. “I can’t stop.” The light blue denim pooled at her ankles, then off, shoved across the floor. Selig pressed his forehead to her flat abdomen, feeling the muscles flex beneath the touch. He closed his eyes, inhaling the scent of her creaming sex, trapping the addictive perfume in his throat. It was the scent of desire, of passion. Selig tipped his head back, eyes opening to meet the hungry gaze staring down at him. “I can’t stop.”

  Caitlin bit her bottom lip, holding back the whimper of need as Selig laid her back on the floor. The cool of the wood floors felt good next to the heated skin of her shoulders, back and ass.

  “Lift up, baby,” Selig instructed, hunger roughening the rich timbre of his voice. His fingers hooked into the band of her white thong, drawing it down her legs. The heat of his gaze burned her like the sun. It bathed her in light every bit as bright as the rays shining through the windows of the great room. Only his warmth settled between her legs, fixating on the dark curls damp with the moisture that coated her wet pussy. Hard palms pressed her thighs farther apart until they fell on either side of his knees. She lay spread wide and vulnerable, open to his eyes and touch. Damn she needed his touch.

  “Please, touch me. Suck me.” The fire that razed through her didn’t allow room for shyness. She arched her hips high, begging with her body as well as words. With a growl that shivered over her skin, Selig crouched over her, his palms planted next to her head. He bent his head and captured her lips in a kiss that consumed her. His tongue plunged into the depths of her mouth, devouring, claiming. Her arms rose to encircle his head and drag him closer. Their mouths engaged in an erotic battle they would both emerge victorious from. She sucked at the tongue thrusting back and forth between her lips, mimicking how he would later take her pussy.

  Selig heaved back, deep bellows lifting and lowering his chest. With a murmured plea, Caitlin reached for him again. Shaking his head, Selig grasped the bottom of her top and yanked it up and over her breasts. The built-in-bra granted him easy access and with a guttural groan he grabbed full advantage. His hands cupped the mounds, pushing them together and up for his greedy mouth. The full breasts had always been a source of embarrassment to her, but when he cradled them, his gaze ravenous, she felt beautiful. She arched her back, offering them to him without reservation, fingers spearing through and twisting into the thick dark strands. His mouth lowered, licking around the areola of each breast. Switching from one to the other, he bathed the darker pigmented skin, the pointed tip of his tongue driving her insane with pleasure and need. Her nipples hardened to the point of pain, demanding the suction of his mouth. As if understanding the dictates of her body, Selig’s lips closed over the tight peak of one breast, pulling it deep into the wet recesses of his mouth. His hair swept the sides of her breasts, adding another dimension to the pleasure tugging her beneath its treacherous waves. The spasm of lust in her stomach corresponded with the almost painful clenching of her sex. She could feel more of her juice trickle from between her swollen lips.

  Selig switched from one breast to the other, the damp tip tightening as the cool air of the room brushed over it. He devoted the same attention to her neglected flesh, his tongue lashing at the nipple until she cried out, her voice breaking.

  “Do you want to come from this, baby?” Selig growled against the wet mounds, swirling his tongue around her tortured flesh. “I can make you come if you want. You know I can. Just a little one, baby. To take the edge off…”

  His head bowed over her once more. He pushed the globes together until the nipples almost touched. With a harsh curse, he sucked them, lapping and tugging at both engorged tips simultaneously. He gave her no quarter, dragging her toward the peak she shivered on the edge of. Caitlin writhed beneath him, her hips arching in a wild cadence of need. She phantom humped the air desperate for friction, anything to push her over that final precipice.

  And then Selig bit down on her nipples.

  She stiffened, her lips parted on a silent cry as a spasm seized her clit, tightening for one long torturous moment before imploding in a small, devastating orgasm. She shuddered beneath Selig as she continued to suckle and pull at her breasts, drawing the mini-release out until he’d wrung every shiver from her.

  Caitlin slumped to the floor, trembling. The echo of the orgasm resonated through her, her breathing loud and harsh in the room. With one final lick, Selig released her breasts.

  “Damn, you’re beautiful.” The words, so near to the whispered praise from her dreams, penetrated the haze of passion to burrow in her heart. Her lashes lowered over her eyes, careful to shield the emotion his words stirred. Selig wouldn’t want to see it. He didn’t want the heart that went along with her body.

  “So beautiful,” he uttered, his breath another caress to the damp skin of her abdomen. The muscles tensed and relaxed under the hard kisses he scattered in a haphazard line to the aching pussy soaked and throbbing for his attention. As he’d done earlier, he widened the vee of her thighs with his palms, making room for the breadth of his shoulders. “I’ve dreamed about this, Caitlin. Tasting
this sweet pussy one more time. Licking your cream. Fucking you with my tongue.”

  He nuzzled the top of her mound and her thighs tensed in response. It had been so long. In her dreams his tongue swept through the folds of her pussy, thrusting in her rippling channel. She wanted to weep now that dreams had become reality. She’d missed this, being with a man, this man. Since the time she’d left New Eden there had been opportunities to slake the arousal that had been overwhelming at times, but she couldn’t bear the touch of another man. Only Selig. Just Selig.

  His tongue peeked out, flicking her clit.

  “Selig!” she wailed, her back bowing from the floor. The release had left her pliant, languid, and that quick, she rocketed back to screaming need. With a snarl, he dove into her pussy, devouring the cream he seemed ravenous for. His tongue stroked and lapped at the lips of her sex, sucking the swollen folds between his lips. He swirled over her clit, circling the distended button at the top of her sex before drawing it between his lips to suckle. Her moans filled the room. Caitlin went wild beneath him. Twisting and arching, her hips undulated under his mouth, lips and teeth. His tongue speared inside her convulsing channel and her vision dimmed around the edges, the blackness almost claiming her. Damn, she bucked into another stroke, she needed…needed…

  “What, baby?” His question breathed over her quivering flesh as his tongue danced over her clit. She shuddered, unaware she’d vocalized the entreaty until he’d answered. “What do you need? Tell me. I’ll give it to you.” He stared up at her from between her thighs, his fingers petting her, a smile heavy with sensual promise quirking a corner of his lips. “I’ll give you whatever you need, Caitlin. Just tell me.”

  “I-I…”

  “Tell me,” he urged.

  “Fuck me.” Selig’s eyes flared at the explicit words. “Now. Fuck me. Make me come. I need that.”

  He didn’t reply, instead leapt to his feet, freeing the button at the top of his jeans. The whisper of his zipper lowering resounded in the room and Caitlin waited, watching as Selig pushed the jeans down his hips and his erection sprang into view. The thick stalk emerged from a nest of dark, coarse hair, the sac beneath swaying with his movements. His underwear went the way of his jeans and soon Selig was back kneeling between her thighs. Her hand crept down her stomach, sliding through damp curls to graze her pulsing clit. His golden gaze flared bright as she circled the hard button, her fingers growing wet with her own juices. A tremulous breath shivered past her lips and her teeth clamped down on her bottom lip.