Can't Buy Love

by Rylon, Jayne

  “Wait.” Rick’s command startles us both, if my client’s flinch is any indication. “Go ahead. I’m finished with her.”

  “Rick—”

  “I can come back another day, really.” The gentleman pivots as though to leave.

  “No. You’re fine. Have a good time.” It’s hard to tell if Rick is speaking to me or my customer. When I would object again, he shakes his head. “Drop that in the lockbox.”

  I finger the parchment, reluctant to relinquish my grasp when he’d held it so recently. He keeps his hand on the window closure until I fold the check and deposit it. It’d be crazy not to cash the instrument, which could pay my rent for a year with some to spare for the battered women’s shelter I volunteer at, simply to have a relic of our liaison nearby. I’m still tempted to do exactly that.

  Rick walks backward, nodding. He allows my client to step in front of him then mouths, “Later, Sarah.”

  A weak smile curves my trembling lips as I open the glass separating me from the man Rick has left me with—instructed me to care for. The unassuming client could be just what I need tonight.

  Love Has No Pride

  “Good evening, Star.”

  “Hello, Dane. What can I do for you?”

  We negotiate before I allow him to enter, as is customary. Not because I don’t trust him or wish to haggle, but because I’ve found it enhances his excitement to engage in the ritual despite our mutual understanding of exactly what he requires.

  “A half-hour session, missionary, with you fully naked. I want to suck on your tits—”

  I tune out his requests, which we both know I won’t deny.

  “Star?” Dane, one of my more mature, less-aggressive customers, shifts from scuffed shoe to scuffed shoe, tossing uneasy glances over his shoulder. “Is…is that okay?”

  “I’m sorry for your wait.” I reach out and enfold his chilled hand in mine. “That’s fine. Come inside so I can warm you up.”

  “Never a problem there.” He pats my fingers as he slips through my window.

  I lock the door behind him and slide the curtain across the pane, obscuring us from the world outside, blocking the teeming reality beyond my sanctuary. Inside, there’s only us and the encounter we build together.

  Companioned by my lingering disappointment.

  “Are you sure you’re all right?” Dane pauses with substantial bills folded, poised above the slot on top of my lockbox. “I can come back another time.”

  “It’s not that.” My bond with my customers allows emotion to flow between us, generally in one direction. I absorb their need, feed off it. They vent. I accept the burden.

  Occasionally it goes the other way. I offer comfort, healing and no-questions-asked acceptance of their desire. Tonight, I wish I could be the one to unload. Maybe I’ll do some window shopping of my own in the last hour before dawn.

  Or maybe… “Would you mind—”

  What am I thinking? People employ sex workers for the privilege of a strings-free relationship. Despite our friendly rapport, Dane doesn’t give a shit about my issues.

  “This isn’t like you, Star.” He brushes his thumb over the spot I bit on my lip. “Are you in trouble? Is it the man outside? Is that tall guy bothering you? I’ll call the authorities. I’ll vouch for you.”

  He’s already digging in his jacket pocket for his cell.

  “No!”

  “You don’t have to be afraid.”

  I still him with light pressure on his wrist. “The only thing Rick makes me fear is a broken heart.”

  “Your boyfriend?” He tilts his head, an adorable wrinkle appearing in his brow.

  “Maybe. I’m not sure. Is that even possible? Who would date a working girl?”

  “Jesus.” He laughs. “I see your point. No offense, Star. Relationships are brutal. Heck, I’ve been married three times. Took awhile to figure out I’m not intended for that lifestyle. I’ll say this, only you can determine what works for you. Don’t be trapped by what society believes your affair should look like. The rules that count are the ones you both agree are important. It would take a man more secure than I could ever hope to be to know you were in here, servicing customers. If anyone can make it work, though, it will be you.”

  I can’t help myself. I strip off his jacket. The cash he held flutters to the floor beneath the crumpled garment. He doesn’t resist when I lead him upstairs to my loft, barely big enough to accommodate the moderate mattress and ancient dresser, which holds my supplies.

  I reach in a drawer for a condom before facing Dane. Unlike some of my clients, who are satisfied to yank my thong to the side and dive in, his cock is always hardest when there’s skin-to-skin contact between us. Even more, he seems to enjoy undressing me himself, so I grant him the privilege.

  I raise my arms so he can peel the skin-tight, sequined tank from my torso.

  His cheeks flush when my breasts are revealed. The lingering chill beads my nipples, presenting the perfect treat for my guest. He glances at me and I nod. “Go ahead.”

  “You have great tits, Star.” He buries his face between the natural mounds and inhales deep enough to draw a breeze across my cleavage. Between my extreme heels and his slighter stature, he doesn’t have to lean very far.

  His appreciative groan has my stomach fluttering. I’m looking forward to inviting him inside my body to seek his relief. When the time is right.

  I blanket Dane’s hands with mine and guide them from my ribs to my hips and lower. He pauses his lavish attention at my chest long enough to tuck his thumbs beneath the waistband of my panties and caress the soft flesh between my bellybutton and my mound.

  Like almost all of my customer interactions, the touch is for his benefit, not mine. The bulge of his small-end-of-normal erection bunches the fabric of his neat slacks. Still, something about becoming what he needs turns me on beyond belief. Knowing I can grant him what he seeks is an honor I don’t think I’ll ever tire of earning.

  I wiggle my ass to facilitate his progress as he nudges the super-stretchy satin and lace from the curviest section of my figure.

  “Damn, that’s sexy.” He stares as I continue to gyrate in time to the soundtrack thumping in my brain. Or is that the beat of my heart? The thrill of this moment never dulls. The anticipation is new, dangerous, wicked and oh so sweet. Every time.

  What would Rick do if I danced for him? In no circumstance can I picture him waiting for me to encourage him to play. He’d probably drag me to his lap and put my energy to good use.

  A tiny moan slips from my lips as I cup my breasts to ease the ache in them.

  “What’s that for?” Dane is more observant than most of my customers. Hearing he’s failed at his attempted relationships disturbs me. If someone like him can’t succeed, who can? “Thinking of the tall guy in the street?”

  Should I lie? Deception violates so many of my principles.

  “Yes.” I wince.

  “Don’t worry. I don’t mind.” Dane loosens his tie then whips it over his head. “It’s kind of hot actually.”

  “We’re both a mess, aren’t we?” I return his grin as he unbuttons his plain white, starched shirt.

  “I’ll be better in—” He glances at his watch, which he never bothers to remove. “Twenty minutes or so.”

  “Me too. I hope.” I don’t bother to unlace my boots before crawling onto the mattress, treating him to a world-class view of my ass and nearly bald pussy before flopping onto my back. My fingers roam my torso while he strips off his basic black pants. “I keep trying to snuff this flame, but the more I try to suppress my arousal, the worse it becomes.”

  “I can’t say I’m sorry for that.” Dane winks as he joins me on the mattress. He crouches between my spread knees, allowing me to roll a condom over his cock. “Your man could be good for business. You’re always a fantastic fuck, Star. Worth every cent. Tonight there’s something raw layered over your sensual calm. I’m glad I came.”

  “Me too.” I wrap
my fingers easily around his girth and guide him toward his target. I admit I might have found my mind wandering to my grocery list or my outstanding chores if he’d been one of the men who settles for any worker in the district so long as she performs a proficient suck and fuck.

  My focus never strays from the link pulsing between Dane and me.

  This is the kind of interaction that defines my world. This is the reason I choose to stay open for business when I’ve amassed a nest egg large enough to retire and live a conservative life on. No amount of money could replace this symbiotic exchange.

  I clench my muscles, making Dane work to penetrate. He grits his teeth against the initial shock of his sheathed cock entering my pussy. The blunt cap nudges inside by degrees.

  A sigh puffs from between my parted lips when he’s cradled fully at the juncture of my thighs, his pudgy yet adorable stomach brushing my mound.

  “You’ve got it bad, don’t you?” He pants as he traces the trimmed patch of hair above my clit with the tip of one finger. The heart pattern brings his hand close to the top of my slit with every circuit.

  I groan then arch, attempting to rub myself on his hand or his cock. Either will do.

  My writhing baits him into plunging inside my drenched channel. “Damn it. Would love to tease you. Can’t.”

  His grimace disturbs me. “This is your time, Dane. No worries.”

  “Guess I’d like to pretend for a minute that it matters.” He pumps harder between my legs. “That you’re mine. Not like a stalker. Like—”

  “I understand what you mean.” I slide my palm from his heaving chest to tangle my fingers in his too-long hair. I draw him down and cup the back of his head as I guide his lips to my chest. Accommodating his request is my job.

  It’s also my pleasure.

  His tongue swirls around my puckered flesh. He nibbles as he fucks me with uneven twitches of his hips. The irregular rhythm leaves me suspended, waiting for the next contact with bated breath. Periodically he finds a sweet spot inside me, but there are more misses than hits. It’s not enough to tip me over the edge.

  I reach between us without disrupting his lavish partaking. He wasn’t kidding when he said he wanted to suck my tits tonight. My fingers wedge between us, fluttering over the engorged knot of my clit.

  He tilts his face to the side, murmuring against my breasts. “Imagine I’m him. That you’re with the tall guy.”

  My eyes drift closed when his strokes add pressure, tapping the regular swirls of my rubbing into an unpredictable pattern. Tease!

  If he were really Rick, the timid grasp on my hips would be fierce, the cock inside me longer and thicker, the rhythm of his fucking harder, stronger. And somehow twice as sweet.

  “Can feel you. Tighter.” He scrunches his eyes closed as he humps faster, grunting with every re-entry. “Too good.”

  His raspy communication turns into a rising shriek. I cradle his head against my bosom. “It’s okay to surrender, Dane. I’m with you.”

  “Star!”

  Something about hearing my name on his lips, even if it’s not my real one, infuses me with pleasure. He needs me. Tonight I needed him too.

  My orgasm washes through my system, light and sparkling, resetting some of my elevated drives, which transforms me into a bolder version of myself.

  If that’s even possible.

  Dane’s fingers ball into fists in the light cotton of my sheets. He shudders between my thighs, emptying his longing into the condom he wears, the latex calling shenanigans on the illusion we’d attempted to cast.

  Because nothing is as satisfying as the real thing. Sex with Rick wrings me out, leaves me wasted. The thought alone reignites a flame in my belly. Small and manageable for now. Present nonetheless.

  “Did that help?” Dane tucks a lock of hair behind my ear then rests on his heels, reminding me of my fish Goldy while he gulps for breath, so I can dispose of his condom.

  “A little.” Not nearly enough. If anything, it made me crave Rick more—the relief only he can grant.

  “I know exactly what you mean.” Dane shrugs with a smile that lifts one corner of his lips. I stretch then swing my legs over the edge of the mattress, gathering my thoughts and my balance as he replaces his dress clothes. They’re a little wrinkled and worse for wear. Disarray is cute on him.

  “What’s that look for?” He cups my cheek in his palm then hands me my tiny scraps of lace and glitter. I’m dressed in two-point-six seconds flat.

  “Thinking I’m glad our paths crossed. The first time, every time. Especially this time.”

  “Same here. So, is your guy going to try to kick my ass when I leave?” The twinkle in his eye draws another chuckle from me. “I may not be much to look at but I’m still pretty quick for an old man.”

  “Well, he is a bouncer.”

  Dane winces.

  “Rick isn’t that kind of guy. He relies on nasty glares to convince drunk kids on vacation they shouldn’t mess with him or his charges over at Tommy’s live sex show. You know, Triple X.”

  “Ah. I thought he seemed familiar. Wait, is he the man from the Kinkmas pageant?”

  “You were there?” The idea of Dane watching Rick top me sends shivers along my spine.

  He nods then groans. “Can’t think about it now or I’ll need a repeat and I really do have to be somewhere. Damn, the two of you were spectacular.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Well, I hope he’s the kind of guy who figures out how lucky he is before it’s too late.”

  The wistful note in his whisper makes me wonder. “If you enjoy this lifestyle, why did you get married? Three times.”

  “Simple. You can’t buy love. Despite the fact that I’m likely to fuck it up sooner or later, I’ll probably attempt it again. Fourth time’s the charm, right?”

  “Only if you come at it different. Maybe you should be open about your desires instead of forcing yourself into an arrangement that doesn’t fit. Just like some of the other ladies who jam themselves into corsets they have to change out of after an hour or two once they realize they can’t breathe.”

  “Or like a whore who dreams of a boyfriend who doesn’t mind her profession?” We trundle down the stairs together, both gripping the railing to offset our wobbly legs.

  “Yes. Like that.”

  “I don’t think I’m as brave as you, Star.” Dane draws on his coat and collects the cash we’d abandoned on the floor of my booth earlier. In the small space, he reaches my lockbox before I can step in front of him.

  “No, don’t.”

  He frowns.

  “Tonight’s on the house.”

  “That isn’t how the world works. Good luck, Star.” Dane drops the bills into container, half-full after a busy start to the evening. He cuddles me against his chest then brushes his lips over my temple before slipping through my window.

  A puff of freezing air erodes the warmth we’d generated together, sending shivers down my spine.

  Crazy Little Thing Called Love

  My thoughts stray as I kneel on the pillow I keep handy for customers with straightforward requests. Some are comfortable venturing barely over the edge into my window, and others find their experience enhanced by staying downstairs, relishing the thought of the crowd within reach, on the other side of the flimsy curtain and glass while they indulge their wild cravings.

  “Jordaan, move over.”

  “As far as I can go, Alfons.”

  The two punked-out ravers before me barely fit shoulder to shoulder in the confines of my booth, despite stacking my stool on top of the tiny table holding the essentials for my business. They open their euro-electronica-inspired coats, revealing tight, florescent T-shirts. One of them grunts as he takes an elbow to the ribs in their rush to unbuckle their spiked belts and unzip their slashed and chained jeans.

  The familiar scent of rich Belgian beer isn’t heavy enough to have forced me to decline the pair. It makes me eager to finish my shift and grab a pint wi
th Mari over eggs. A traditional sex worker breakfast.

  I hand them each a glow-in-the-dark condom that matches the fast, digitized melodies I imagine them bouncing to in a packed club then monitor their hasty precision in donning them. Experienced yet a little nervous. A potent combination.

  “I’ll take good care of you boys.” I can’t help but smile at the grateful lust that rages in their charcoal-lined eyes and deepens the color the weather has placed in their cheeks. “Who’s first? Or would you rather do this together?”

  “Uh…” Jordaan balks as Alfons shoots him a bewildered glance.

  I slather my palms with lube while they work it out between them. The tension rolling off the pair lifts my brows. Maybe they’re unwilling to admit the truth, to themselves or each other. I have no trouble recognizing latent desire when I see it.

  Interesting.

  “Not together together, but if you can do us simultaneously, then we should probably stick with that. Fifteen minutes isn’t a hell of a lot of time.”

  “I bet you only last five, Jordie.”

  “Asshole. I’ll hang on longer than your ten seconds.”

  Men never cease to amuse me. There’s not a chance in hell either of them will require the full allocation they’ve paid for. I’m much better than that. “All right, boys. I can handle it if you can. May the best man win.”

  I waste no time grasping their stiff cocks.

  Instead of heading straight for the hardcore pumping they might expect, I toy with them, brushing the pads of my thumbs over the long bump decorating the bottom of each of their shafts. Their respectable lengths are an even match, like most everything else about the duo.

  I circle the ridge beneath their mushroomed heads. Jordaan gasps. He uses his tongue to toy with the silver hoop in his lip. The echo of Alfons’ chuckle vibrates through the side of my palm when it connects with his heavily tattooed torso. “Like I said…”

  I ripple my fingers at the base of his erection, morphing his tease into a gurgle.

  Each man inches closer, as though trying to bury himself deeper in my grasp. The only possibility dictates they turn inward, angling toward each other to accomplish their goal. Jordaan’s cock jerks in my hold when he peeks toward his friend, noting the unbridled lust on Alfons’ face as I massage them identically.