by B. J. Harvey
Scanning the room for Zander, I couldn’t find him, so I decided to go to the bar myself and order a drink while he finished up whatever he was doing. Just moments after sending him a text telling him I was there, I felt two muscular arms snake around my waist, making me jump.
“Hey, babe,” he said, kissing the back of my exposed neck. “Damn, you smell good.”
“Zander! You gave me a freaking heart attack!” I exclaimed, turning around to look at the fine specimen in front of me. He was wearing a tight black wife beater with dark denim distressed jeans that molded to his body like they were made just for him. To top off the uuber cool look as only Zander can, he’s wearing a black fedora tilted just enough to look hot as hell. Zander knows I check him out, and often. The instant spark that we had the first night we met is always buzzing between us.
“How’ve you been? You’ve been a bit MIA,” I said, poking his chest and earning a low chuckle from him.
“Yeah, been real busy with work and just been laying low. How about you?” He took the newly vacated seat beside me and signaled the bartender.
“Just working and trying to stay out of trouble,” I said with a sly smile.
“Now why don’t I believe that, Mac? You and trouble go hand in hand, and often.”
“Hey, watch it, mister. But no, nothing spectacular has been happening.”
He reached over and ran his large hand down my jean clad thigh, sending a delicious jolt of heat right to the money spot. “Now that’s a shame, hon. You deserve spectacular things. But I think your luck is about to change,” he said with a grin as he inched his hand back up towards my hip before removing it and paying the bartender who had chosen that moment to arrive with his drink.
I groaned at the loss of contact, shooting him with my best frown. “You’re not playing fair. I might start to think you’re all talk and no action.”
He spluttered as he took a sip of his bourbon. “I’m all action and very little talk. I thought we’d established that.”
“Not lately,” I said with a pout.
“Damn, you’re cute when you do that. Want to find a booth?” he asked, standing up and holding out his hand for me.
“A private room might be more suitable.” I jumped off my seat to stand beside him. With my heels on we’re the same height, and looking straight in his eyes, I can see his mind ticking over at our options.
“Done,” he said before grabbing my hand and pulling me quickly towards a closed door at the side of the club that states “Employees Only.”
“Zan, we can’t go in here. We don’t work here.”
“Tonight I do, so tonight we can and we will. Just trust me, Mac,” he said, pulling me in for a hard and fast kiss. “I’ve forgotten how good you taste. I think I’m going to need a refresher course.” Now I’m flushed, and I can feel my heart beating out of my chest in anticipation.
We walked along a short corridor, then through an open door to a gorgeous room that was lined with burgundy velvet. The cushions were made of black leather and covered in buttons, and the lighting set the mood of the room perfectly, giving it a low red hue. It screamed sex, debauchery, and x-rated beauty. In short, it was perfect.
I followed Zander into the room, before he shut the door behind us, engaging the lock with a loud click.
“I’ve been thinking about you,” he said, pulling his body hard up against my back. He ran his hands down my back, starting at my shoulders and slowly moving them down the side of my chest until they rested on my hips.
“Wanna dance?” he murmured in my ear as my body melted against him.
I looked around and found a stripper pole set to the side of the room.
Spinning around to look at him, I quirked a brow. “You want me to dance for you? You’re the professional,” I added with a wink.
“That I may be, hon, but you...you have raw talent. Just pretend you’re in a bed with me.” He wrapped his hand around my neck and pulled me in, tugging on my bottom lip before meshing out lips together as he tangled his tongue around mine.
He pulled back just a little, and I moaned in disappointment. “Naked…” He nipped my lip again before tracing his tongue along it, soothing the slight sting with a delightful mix of pain and pleasure.
“Okay,” I sighed breathlessly. “Although Zan, we’ve never actually made it to a bed.”
And so it was that my first ever pole dancing experience was in that private room of a Chicago strip club. Zander grabbed a remote from a pocket behind the seat and suddenly the room was filled with the sounds of Joe Cocker’s “You Can Leave Your Hat On”. I swiped his fedora from his head and put it on, tilting it forward over my eyes. I was totally feeling the stripper vibe.
By the end of the song, I had twirled and gyrated my way around the pole, finishing with nothing but a smile and his hat. After that performance, Zander reacquainted himself with the way I tasted, and how loud I could be when screaming out his name during a spine-tingling orgasm that left my body limp for a good ten minutes afterwards.
I pull up Daniel’s name on my phone and push the call button. I hear the phone ring twice before he answers.
“Hey, gorgeous.”
“Hi Superman. How’s your day going?”
“Well, it started with a bang, and I’m kind of hoping the night might end with one too?” he asks cheekily.
I crack up laughing. “Subtle much?”
“Hey, what can I say? I’m an optimist,” he chuckles down the phone. How can a man’s laugh be that sexy? It should be illegal, or recorded for future repetitive playback.
“I’m still at work, but I get off in a few hours,” I say, trying to disguise my uncertainty at seeing him again already. Maybe I have my own super power hidden inside my vagina that makes him want to come back for more.
“I’m hoping to get you off in a few hours…”
Shit, did it just get hot in here or what!
“…but that will work out perfectly. I’m just walking to the gym and I won’t be home until after seven anyway. Want to swing by after work? I can grab some takeout or something.”
Well, crap. Now I have a conundrum. We need to talk, and in all honesty I’d love nothing more than a good, hard screwing right now, especially after the day I’ve had. But what if he gets the wrong idea? Wait, do I want him to get the wrong idea? Ah, fuck it. I decide to go with my gut and ignore the melodramatic inner-Mac.
“Sounds good, Superman. I’ll warn you, though, I’ll be in my scrubs and I’ll be in dire need of a shower.”
“Me too. Maybe we can save the planet and save water.”
Sheesh, I’m gonna have to watch myself around this guy. I already know he’s a smooth talker, and with that firm body of his that felt so good last night as I raked my nails down his back and grabbed his tight ass, pushing him in deeper as I….
“Earth to Mac. You still with me, gorgeous?” I hear him say, snapping me out of my awesome day dream.
“Yeah, sorry,” I say hoarsely. “I was just remembering something.”
“Now I really can’t wait to hear what you were just thinking about because you’re voice sounds just the same as when I woke you up this morning with my cock sliding against you, and then just as you were about to…”
“Okay, yes, I may have been thinking about this morning’s activities,” I say quickly, trying to clear my head of these pornographic thoughts. “Enough of this talk, or else I won’t get through the rest of my shift. Text me your address and I’ll try and get there just after seven. Sound okay?”
“Sounds perfect, Mac. And for the record, I love it when you sound flustered. Just makes you even cuter. “
God save me, my panties are wet just from one phone call, and now all I can think about is Daniel making me flustered in person.
“Okay, cool. See you then, Superman,” I add cheerfully.
“Until then,” he says seductively before hanging up.
What the hell have I just done because I feel like Alice falling dow
n the rabbit hole, head first into an insta-relationship with Daniel. Shit! I need to tell him about the other penises in my life. Then it’s up to him whether he wants to stick around or not. Yep, that’s what I’ll do. Lay it all out for him and let him decide. I kind of hope he does stick around, though. I’m not quite done with him yet.
Emblazoned by my new plan of attack, I walk back to the nurse’s station to finish my shift, pushing down the uneasy feeling in my stomach about the night ahead of me.
Chapter 12
“Blurred Lines”
I finish my shift a little later than planned and catch a cab to Daniel’s building. I’m still dressed in my scrubs, and as much as I tried to freshen up and make myself look mildly presentable before leaving the hospital, I know I’m not looking my best. But considering Daniel saw me with less on this morning, and his actions didn’t exactly give me the impression that he was disgusted by my crazy bed hair and morning breath, I think I’m okay. What is truly unfair is that he still looked hot as hell, even just waking up after a night of crazy monkey sex.
Guys have it so fucking easy. I swear to God, I totally understand why women in the fifties were told to get up half an hour before their husbands to do their hair and put their make up on because let’s be honest, I don’t know one woman who has ever woken up feeling like sunshine and roses like you see in those tampon commercials.
And speaking of tampon commercials, I certainly don’t walk around with a beaming smile on my face happy with the world that I’m bleeding like a stuck pig for five to seven days and have to stick a two inch piece of cotton fluff up my vagina. No, siree. Definitely not!
But I digress.
Before I know it, the cab is pulling up at his address. After paying him, I get out and walk through the lobby, getting some sideways glances from the well to do suits mulling around. Holding my head up high, and adding a little extra swing in my step, I push the call button and hop into the next available elevator. As soon as the doors close, I smell my arm pits and decide I definitely need some perfume to help disguise the smell of my day. Daniel may be expecting me to be hot and sweaty, but it doesn’t mean I have to smell that way. It’s only been a couple of weeks; we need to keep in this honeymoon period of great sex, more great sex, and occasionally mind blowing, feel it to the tip of your toes sex. And I’d like to have at least one of those three tonight. That’s if he’ll still want me after our little talk.
Shit.
Did I really think this through? Do I need to tell him stuff that I have done the week, the month, the year before I met him? I kind of feel an obligation to tell him about my ‘friends’, especially considering one of them is his old college buddy Noah. I won’t tell him that we call him The Walking Dildo, though. They may be friends, and Daniel is definitely NOT lacking in that department whatsoever, but still. It’s a guy thing. You don’t look down at the urinal because you don’t want to know what your friend is packing.
And it’s not like I’ve seen any of them like that since I’ve met Daniel. I didn’t take up Sean’s invitation for a drink earlier this week, and I’ve seen Noah at work; but there have been no booty calls. As soon as I found out that he was friends with Daniel, that deal was done. His cocky behavior that day was an instant turn off, so there is definitely nothing going on there now.
The doors open and I realize that it’s now or never.
Show time.
Time to come clean to Daniel and at least set him straight after his whole monogamous/commitment sneak attack this morning when he was eight inches deep.
I reach his door and take a deep breath before knocking. He opens the door with a huge smile, the contagious kind that you can’t help but copy.
“Hey, gorgeous.” He steps forward and gives me a soft gentle kiss on the lips. “I grabbed us some Thai from a restaurant nearby. I hope that’s okay.” He takes a step back and ushers me inside. This is the first time I’ve been to Daniel’s apartment, so I make sure to look around. It’s on the fourteenth floor and has a wall of windows on one side, displaying a spectacular view of the city. The kitchen is on the left hand side as I walk in, with a nice white dining table and chairs breaking up the living area and the kitchen.
Daniel walks up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulders, and I can’t help but lean my head against his. “What do you think? Not bad for a bachelor pad, hey?” he asks, turning his head slightly to plant a light kiss on my favorite spot just below my ear.
“Mmm, it is great. I love the view.” He releases his grip, and I walk towards the window to get a closer look. “Wow, you can see everything from up here.”
“Yup. And from where I’m standing, the view is mighty fine.” I turn around and can’t help but grin as he lifts his eyes up to mine from my ass. “Even in my sexy scrubs?” I ask with a raised brow.
“I think my hot nurse fantasies might be coming true,” he adds with a chuckle.
“Let’s get through dinner first,” I say quickly, trying to shake off the nagging voice in my head that is telling me to fess up now.
“Sure,” he says, confusion covering his face at my shut down. Dammit, am I really that obvious?
We walk over to the dining table, and he pulls a chair out for me. Is there anything Mr. Holy Grail of Hotness won’t do? I’m failing to see any flaws, and I can always see flaws in men. Noah, for example, is arrogant as hell, Sean, for all his domineering greatness, works way too much and Zander...well, he’s a twenty-three year old man stuck in an eighteen year old’s body. Even if I did the whole relationship thing, I wouldn’t date any of them.
But I find myself here, in Daniel’s apartment, after three weeks of dating. I need to tell him. It’s not fair to let him think I can give him a serious, committed relationship when I’m unwilling to give that to anyone. I can’t forget the promise I made to myself. When I left Ohio, that promise was the only thing that held me together. It got me through the loss and the hurt, and helped me put aside the guilt I felt for willing my miscarriage to happen.
“Mac, are you okay? You look a million miles away?” Daniel grabs my attention, snapping me out of my thoughts. He places a bottle of white wine and two glasses on the table and takes a seat opposite me. “Wine okay?”
“Yeah, thanks. And sorry, I’m probably just tired after last night’s exertions and then a full shift today,” I reply with a sly smile.
“Definitely not gonna apologize for the exertions because I hope to repeat them again sometime soon. But I’m sorry you’re worn out. How about we have a bath after dinner? If you love the view, I bet you will love the tub I had put in.” He reaches over to grab my spare hand, squeezing it gently.
Why does he have to be so damn sweet? I mean, seriously. I’m losing my determination to come clean.
“I have fuck buddies,” I blurt out. FUCK! I bring my hand to my mouth in shock at my outburst.
He pulls his hand back and just looks at me, choking on his mouthful of fried rice. “What does that mean?”
Ah well. I’ve done it now.
“Well, a few years ago I got out of a really bad relationship, like mega bad. That’s when I left Ohio and came back to Chicago.”
“I wondered what made you come back,” he says, his voice laced with understanding.
“It wasn’t good, and I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t get attached to anyone again. That I’d never let a man dictate my life, and after this morning when you said that I’m the only woman who you’re sleeping with, I wanted to be totally honest with you. It’s been eating away at me all day.”
“Well,” he continues, “I’m glad you want to be honest with me, but I kinda need you to explain the fuck buddy thing because I’m kind of losing my mind right now with the possibilities.” He runs his hand through his gorgeous brown hair.
I wait till he looks at me before I explain it to him. “I haven’t slept with anyone since we met, like at all, and I’ve liked our dates and I like you, and I definitely
liked what happened last night and this morning, despite my little freak out.”
“I’m still confused. You have multiple men you sleep with?”
“Ah, kind of. They know the score, they know they’re not the only one, and they each give me something different that I need at the time. But we always use protection, just so you know.”
“That’s good. But you said give, so is this going to be an ongoing thing? Even after last night?” I can see his jaw is clenched, and he’s unsure how to handle this.
“Well, I’m not sure. It’s been about a month since I last saw one of them, but if we’re not using protection, I want to be totally honest with you. It’s one of the reasons I was freaking out this morning.” I look down at my plate and start playing with my food, suddenly losing my appetite. In fact, I kind of feel sick now that I’ve come clean to him.
He gets up suddenly and takes his plate to the kitchen, then stands at the kitchen sink with his back to me and his head down, both hands gripping the counter.
I can tell he’s trying to process this. “I need to know, Mac. Are you going to keep seeing them while you’re seeing me?” he asks, not turning around.
“I don’t know. I don’t do relationships, Daniel.” He turns around and leans back on the bench. He is clenching and unclenching his fists, putting me on edge. Maybe this wasn’t a great idea.
“Do you want to keep seeing me, dating me?” he asks, his frown deepening as he looks at me.
“Are we seeing each other? Like exclusively?” I ask warily.
“We’re not not seeing each other. I definitely don’t want to see anyone else. I don’t want to take any other women out to dinner.” He pushes off the counter and starts stalking towards me, slowly but with a definite purpose. “Or to the pier, or to the lake, or anywhere else, and I definitely don’t want another woman in my apartment, or in my bed, other than you.” He stops in front of me.
My breathing quickens. He just stalked me in his own living room and made me wet and wanton without even touching me.
“But it has only been three weeks,” I whisper.