Crescendo

by Kaitlin Maitland

  She ground her teeth together as her vaginal muscles clenched involuntarily.

  Silky liquid spilled from her opening to coat the insides of her thighs. She was going to leave a wet mark on his desk if he didn"t hurry up and fuck her.

  “Your hair is the most beautiful shade of red.”

  His words unlocked a moan. She"d waited her whole life for a man to look at her with something other than ribald curiosity. She needed him inside her.

  Using two long fingers, he traced the contours of her labia. Her head fell back as the sensation overtook her body. He fingered her again and again, the wet sound almost as sexy as the stimulation.

  His mouth pressed against her ear. “Is that all you want?”

  She made a protesting noise.

  “More?”

  Her hips shifted, and his fingers slid over the spread hood of her clit. She gasped as the burn of climax began in her spine.

  “You"re close, Leslie.” His voice in her ear kept her from going over the edge.

  “Wait for me. I want my cock deep inside your cunt when you come.”

  The sound of his zipper, the cool movement of air when he shucked his pants, it all sank into the background. She waited for him to push her over the edge and into oblivion.

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  Kaitlin Maitland

  The head of his cock was blunt and broad. He rubbed it across her soaking wet sex until it slid like silk. He reached around her body, adjusting her until she lounged backward with her palms flat against the cool wood of his desk.

  “Relax,” he murmured, “I"m going to go slow.”

  Three months. It"d been three months since she"d had sex. Since the night she"d spent with Seth. She didn"t need casual sex with anyone else to know they wouldn"t measure up to the man standing between her legs at that moment.

  His hot length spread her wide, pushing through her damp folds and plowing into the center of her body. Her muscles clenched around him, welcoming the pressure and pulling him deeper until he was fully sheathed. Her clit pressed against his pelvic bone, his dark nest of pubic hair tickling the sensitive nub.

  Her womb clenched and sent a spasm throughout her channel. Seth drove forward, pushing deeper and sending the head of his cock bouncing against the sweet spot deep inside. He braced his weight against the desk with one hand, using the other to hold her still.

  Heat lanced through her body. Liquid fire seeped from her opening until the place where their bodies joined was soaked with her juices. He moved again, picking up a steady tempo and stroking the muscled walls of her vagina with each thrust.

  She closed her eyes, losing herself in the dance. Her feet went numb. Every fiber of her being was focused on the primal rhythm in her pussy that pulsed and throbbed in time with his cock. He shifted, moving deeper, and she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out.

  “I can"t hold back.” His voice was guttural in her ear. “Come with me, Leslie.

  Milk my cock.”

  His words unlocked something inside her. Her vagina convulsed in one rippling contraction. Her spine grew rigid, her toes pointing as the undulating waves of release washed over her body. Seth"s cock exploded inside her. Pulse after pulse of hot ejaculate bathed her pussy walls with his essence.

  Crescendo

  11

  Weightless after her release, Leslie sat up, wrapped her arms around Seth"s body, and snuggled against him. He was damp with a mixture of sweat and their combined juices. He smelled divine. She had a sudden flashback of curling up next to him in her sagging bed and letting his deep, even breathing lull her to sleep.

  How was it possible to feel so safe, so secure, with someone she hardly knew?

  Trust wasn"t something to be given lightly, if at all.

  “Are you all right?” His voice was a rumble beneath her cheek.

  She wanted to tell him to shut up. Speaking would make her remember why she"d come, and then the real world would come crashing back in.

  “I"ll help your friend.” Seth stroked the tangled hair between her shoulder blades. “But you"ve got to let me help you too.”

  She stiffened, but his hand on her back kept her from pulling away.

  “Just listen. I"ll have the papers drawn up for the Trio. Joshua and I will represent Niles. And you will move into our apartment until you can find a place of your own to rent.”

  Shame burned a fiery path through her pride. Somehow he knew. She shouldn"t have been surprised. Seth made a living by reading between the lines.

  She pushed him away and jumped down from his desk. Her defiance was ruined when her legs wouldn"t hold her weight, and she tripped over the jeans pooled at her ankles.

  He reached out and caught her with one hand. She yanked away. “I don"t need your charity.”

  “Then don"t consider it charity,” he countered in a cool tone. “Consider it protecting my investment. The string trio won"t be worth a dime if you"re too exhausted to play.”

  Oh, how his words stung!

  “Then this”—she gestured wildly to the desk and their general lack of clothing and control—“this can never happen again!”

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  Even with his pants hanging open, it only took him half a stride to catch her up in his arms and crush her into a kiss. Leslie squirmed, protesting until her resolve melted like warm butter. She didn"t want to want him, but she couldn"t help it. Lord, the man could kiss! Her knees buckled as he melded their tongues together in perfect unison until she didn"t know where she ended and he began. When he released her lips, a tiny sigh escaped.

  His bemused chuckle made her angry all over again. “The only things that will happen are the ones that you want to happen, Leslie.”

  He fastened his pants, leaving his shirt open. She scrambled to right her clothes, not bothering to worry about the loss of the ugly granny panties. She could put on a much more comfortable pair when she picked up her stuff from Jen"s apartment. Evie would have a hell of a lot more to gossip about if she happened to walk in on this little scene.

  “Once you"re nice and settled in the apartment, tell Niles to call our office. Evie will set him an appointment, and we"ll get started immediately.”

  Leslie wished she could remove the freshly-fucked-and-deeply-satisfied expression from her face. “Where"s Joshua? Don"t you think you should ask him if he"s okay with this arrangement?”

  The office door opened so quickly she suspected that Joshua had been listening for longer than she cared to imagine. He strode in and closed the door behind him. If Seth was tall, dark, and handsome, then Joshua was Apollo himself. He was leaner than Seth, with tousled dark gold hair and devilish blue eyes. He was wearing what her father would"ve called a shit-eating grin.

  “You guys ready for me to crash now?” He exchanged a significant look with Seth. “I"ve been standing out there long enough to make people wonder.”

  “Oh. My. God.” Leslie fumed. “The two of you are going to drive me insane!”

  Seth nodded to Joshua. “Give her your house keys.”

  Leslie tried not to watch him fishing around in his pants pocket, but it was impossible. The shattering orgasm she"d experience not five minutes ago did Crescendo

  13

  nothing to quell the bone-deep awareness of both Seth and Joshua that rippled through her nerve endings. She knew how they liked to operate, one woman and two men. Even the mental image that created was enough to make her brain fog over. No woman could possibly go unsatisfied with that combination.

  Joshua dangled his keys from his index finger. When she reached out to take them, he grabbed her hand and reeled her in. His arm locked her into place as if her curves had been tailor-made to fit against him.

  “My turn.”

  His lips descended, and instead of leaning away, Leslie rose on tiptoe to meet him. His kiss was softer than Seth"s. Warmth spilled into her body, sending a zing of sensation right to her pussy. He opened his mouth a fraction wider, sliding his tongue along th
e seam of her lips until she opened. He tasted clean, like sunlight.

  She drank him in, letting his kiss and his hands mold her as he chose until her fingers were clenched in his shirt.

  She almost protested when he pulled away, but the satisfaction on his face changed her mind. Forcing her legs to work, she looked him in the eye. “I don"t have time for another test drive.”

  Joshua burst into laughter. “Sweetheart, there"ll be plenty of time for you to drive. I promise.”

  How was it possible for one room to hold a double dose of their arrogance?

  Turning away, she reached gratefully for the office door.

  “You can put your stuff in the big bedroom all the way to the back,” Joshua called after her.

  Leslie paused. “Why that one?”

  It was Seth who answered. “It"s the only one with a bed big enough for all three of us.”

  Wrenching open the door, she left just as fast as her legs could take her.

  Unfortunately, the only thing making her eager to leave was the promise of more to 14

  Kaitlin Maitland

  come. The hard part would be protecting her heart when it wanted so badly to fall in line with her body"s desires.

  Crescendo

  15

  Chapter Two

  Seth looked up from the contract he was drafting on his laptop when Joshua flopped into his desk chair and spun himself in lazy circles. Seth wondered how long his partner had been eavesdropping.

  A well-placed shoe jammed against the corner of the desk stopped Joshua"s twirling. “Are you bored of practicing law or just trying to see what getting disbarred feels like?”

  “Our representation agreement with Niles is strictly pro bono. There"s no mention of Leslie in it anywhere. Do I really look like that much of a dumb-ass?”

  Joshua cocked his head and arched one eyebrow. It was a familiar expression.

  There really wasn"t much Seth could hide from him. They"d been best friends since the fourth grade. Eight years of boarding school, four years of undergrad, and three years of law school together had etched their relationship into an unbreakable bond that existed in all facets of their lives.

  Josh laced his fingers behind his blond head and contemplated the harbor view. “She is a sweet piece of ass.”

  “Leslie is more than a piece of ass. That chick Sara was a piece of ass, good for a quick lay and useless after that.”

  Joshua"s smirk indicated he remembered the details of that failed relationship.

  “The problem with Sara was her mean streak.”

  “And the lack of good conversation.” Seth remembered listening to Sara whine endlessly about a pair of ridiculously expensive shoes she"d wanted him to buy her.

  “So, what about the percentage of Leslie"s string trio you just committed us to taking?”

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  Seth glanced back at the document on his laptop. The agreement for their percentage of the Trio"s profits was the trickiest part of this whole scenario, and the one thing that was likely to blow up in his face. He inhaled a deep breath before meeting Joshua"s questioning gaze. “It"s set up like an investment agreement.”

  Joshua"s chuckle quickly escalated to a full belly laugh. “You slick bastard.

  Damn, you think fast.”

  Seth did feel a little smug he"d managed to pull that one out of his ass. Overton

  & Breckenridge would get a 10 percent take of the Trio"s profits in exchange for legal counsel or representation, should it be required. But he"d also left room for them to cover any expenses they deemed necessary. So anyone questioning Leslie"s living with them would see it as a perk of their contract.

  Joshua stretched before heading to the bag of clubs stationed near the putting green. “It gives us room to deny any impropriety.”

  “That was my intention.”

  Joshua examined a putter before tossing a ball onto a random spot on the Astroturf. “We wouldn"t want the poor girl"s reputation ruined while you get this ridiculous infatuation out of your system.”

  The words were so unexpected it took Seth several moments to register them fully. Infatuation? More than that, his infatuation? Was Josh trying to imply he had no interest whatsoever in Leslie?

  “You look surprised, Seth.” Joshua sent a long putt toward the hole. It skimmed the edge before going in a new direction. “Whatever happened between the two of you three months ago left you pretty fucked-up.”

  “I invited her to move in with us that night.” Seth stood abruptly. “I invited her to be with us.”

  “A bit premature, don"t you think?” Joshua"s next putt went wild, winding up off the turf altogether. “I seem to recall we agreed that sort of invitation has to be issued by both of us.”

  Crescendo

  17

  Seth bit down to prevent an angry torrent from chipping away at the rift that had opened between them. It couldn"t be a coincidence that the friction had begun around the same time Leslie walked out three months before. Fists clenched, he counted to ten before opening his mouth. “So you"ve got no interest in her at all?”

  “Not really.”

  “And that kiss was…?” Seth let the question hang.

  “Just backing your play.”

  Seth took an angry step toward the green. “You are full of shit.”

  Joshua chose another ball, not even bothering to try to find the one he"d lost in the far corner of the office. “Actually, I"ve got a date tonight. So you"ll have Leslie all to yourself this evening anyway.”

  “What date?”

  Joshua sent the new ball careening toward the hole at a reckless speed and wound up leaving a mark on the cream-colored wall. “My advice? Strip her naked and fuck her in every way you can possibly imagine until your cock is bone-dry and she"s done screwing with your head.”

  Seth ignored the intentional jab. “Who the hell are you taking out tonight?”

  “That associate from Stein, Goldberg, & Krump.” Joshua chucked the putter back into the bag with enough force to lift the tripod off the carpet. “You know, what"s-her-name with the six-inch heels and the three-inch skirt.”

  “Mikayla Stevens?” Seth"s jaw dropped despite himself. “The one with no tits, a flat ass, and the hyena laugh, who thinks batting her eyes at the judge is legal strategy?”

  “Yup, that"s the one.”

  Seth spread his hands wide, silently demanding an explanation. Why would Joshua go out with a woman he"d been avoiding for more than a year? The first time they"d litigated a case against her, they had both starting popping ibuprofen during the opening arguments to combat the effects of her grating voice.

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  The tension in his best friend"s body teetered on the brink of explosion.

  Muscles in his forearms stood out against the pinstriped fabric of his dress shirt. “I need to get laid.”

  Guilt wrapped an iron band around Seth"s heart. “Josh.”

  “No.” He held up a hand. “I get it. The earth moved when you fucked Leslie three months ago. But since then, we haven"t gotten laid, and I"m not wired that way. I don"t know what"s wrong with you. But until you get your shit together and things get back to normal, I"ve got to take care of myself. And my hand just isn"t cutting it anymore.”

  “She"s moving in as we speak, Josh. She"ll be there by the time we get home.

  We can get this worked out. Don"t go and fuck it up with a woman you don"t even like.”

  “A woman I don"t like? Is there any difference between Mikayla Stevens and Leslie Hampstead? They"re both just tits, ass, and pussy, Seth. I don"t know why you think Leslie living with us is going to make a difference. The woman walked out three months ago the minute you suggested something remotely serious. Why you believe she"ll change her mind now is beyond me.”

  “Living with us will change her mind.”

  “I love you, man, but sometimes you"re a fucking idiot. She"ll be there but not because she wan
ts to be. She believes she"s got no other choice to help her friend.

  Tell me, Seth, how much do you think she"ll hate you when she learns the truth?”

  * * *

  Seth and Joshua"s place was nothing like a stereotypical bachelor pad. But Leslie suspected that was because of a talented decorator and a well-paid cleaning lady more than the domestic skills of the occupants. The penthouse was on the fortieth floor of one of Boston"s most upscale residential buildings. A two-story bank of windows to the right of the entryway offered a sweeping view of not only the city but the harbor beyond.

  Crescendo

  19

  The sum of her worldly possessions fit into two suitcases and a battered box.

  She"d left all the household items in the apartment for Niles and Caleb. At this point, they needed linens and kitchen paraphernalia far more than she did. So she was down to her clothing, a few personal items, and her violin.

  She moved toward the windows, drawn by the light spilling into the apartment. A space like this was an incredible find in the cramped Boston housing market. No view into someone else"s kitchen or bathroom, no empty blank wall, just a patchwork of Boston"s streets laid out below until it all disappeared into the sea.

  The effect was dizzying and exhilarating all at once.

  Nibbling her lip, Leslie flipped the catch on the slider and stepped onto the balcony. Cool wind buffeted her face and sent her long red hair swirling out behind her. Other than a mismatched table and chairs, the balcony was empty.

  She walked to where the corner of the building drew flush against the railing.

  Gripping the wrought iron, she closed her eyes and tilted her head back. The air was clear and clean, spiced with sea salt and wet, spring rains.