by J. P. Comeau
He chuckled. “Do you always use insults to deflect? Or, is this a new thing with you?”
I chugged my second glass of wine. “What do you want, Clint?”
He looked over at me. “To celebrate your birthday however you want.”
I held my glass out. “What I want is to get the hell away from them down there.”
He filled my glass again. “Seems like you accomplished that.”
I slowly looked over at him. “You look nice in that suit.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
“You look wonderful in your outfit as well.”
“I wasn’t fishing for a compliment.”
“I know you weren’t.”
I slid my eyes down his body, and I couldn't help but stare at his pelvis. I wasn’t an idiot. I knew of the rumors that circulated around work regarding Clint. Hell, those rumors had followed him all the way home from the Navy. And I’d be lying if I said part of me wasn’t curious as to what the man was packing. I sipped my wine and forced my eyes forward. The last thing I needed was to be so desperate as to think sleeping with my boss was a good choice for the evening.
Besides, the man had become a workaholic. Just like his brothers. Just like that entire family. So, even if we did hit it off, I knew it would only be a one-time thing. And I was sick of one time things. I was sick of a lot of things, really. Like being put second in the lives of people I always put first. And just like I didn’t have time for friends who put me second, I didn’t have time for a man who put me second either.
So, no use in opening that can of worms simply because I felt abandoned.
8
Clint
I tried not to grin too hard when Roxy started staring at my crotch. It was amusing, really, how her defenses were down, and all ladylike mannerisms had been tossed out the window. I enjoyed a woman who went after what she wanted. It’s one of the things that drew me to my ex.
Too bad she didn’t know how to stop going after the men she wanted.
As I sat next to Roxy, I forced myself to loosen up a bit. Though, the alcohol was helping me in that regard. I swirled my wine around in its glass as I eased into the comfort of the couch we took up. I tried not to stare too hard at the birthday girl sitting next to me, though she was particularly dressed up for the evening. And her curves were on display for anyone to behold.
Damn it. She’s a gorgeous girl.
“So, you enjoying yourself tonight?” I asked.
Roxy snickered. “Sure.”
“Doesn’t sound like a convincing answer to me.”
She shrugged. “Yeah. I love celebrating my birthday by myself.”
“I take it everyone else isn’t spending much time with you?”
She held out her arms. “You see anyone here now?”
“I’m here.”
“Besides you.”
“Then, you make a valid point.”
She sighed. “It’s nothing. I’m ready to go home anyway.”
“If you want me to, I’ll take you home.”
Her gaze found my own. “Really?”
I shrugged. “If that’s what the birthday girl wants, then that’s what she gets.”
“Well, what if the birthday girl wants to rip the heads off of your two brothers?”
“Then, the birthday girl understands why I went off to the military.”
She blinked. “I’m not following.”
I grinned. “Figured if I wanted to kill people, I might as well not kill my own two brothers.”
She shoved me. “That’s not funny.”
I chuckled. “Got a laugh out of my buddies whenever we shipped off for another job.”
Her eyes turned back out to the casino. “I get it, you know.”
“Get what?”
“Why I don’t see Kelly and Karina too often anymore.”
I locked my attention directly onto her as she drew in a deep breath.
“I mean, if I had a man half as wonderful as Brenden or Zane in my life, I wouldn't want to hang out with anyone else, either. And I sure as hell wouldn’t want to hang out with some tramp that picks up new men every week.”
I sat up straight. “Hey.”
“What?”
“Look at me?”
She fluttered her eyes in my direction. “What?”
I glared at her. “I said, look at me.”
She turned her body in my direction. “What do you want, Clint?”
I gripped her chin. “Don’t you ever talk about yourself like that again. Got it?”
She furrowed her brow. “Why?”
“Because you’re better than that, Roxy. You’re one of the best people I know. You’re witty. You’re beautiful, and you’re intelligent. You don’t take people’s shit, and you sure as hell don’t put up with their bullshit. It takes a strong woman to go after what she wants, even if it is a guy a week. Who cares what other people think? You do what makes you happy, and damned be the consequences. There are a lot of people out there that would love to have that as a part of their personality. All right?”
She nodded softly. “All right, I get it.”
My hand fell away from her chin. “Good.”
I watched as her lips cocked with a grin before it turned into a full-blown smile. And her smile lit up the entire room we sat in. It was beautiful, and it made her look beautiful, and there was nothing I wanted more than to put yet another smile on her face.
This isn’t good, Clint. Backtrack. Abort. Get out.
“Hey! We were wondering where you two went off to!” Brenden exclaimed.
Zane clapped my shoulder. “Entertaining the birthday girl, I see.”
Roxy’s smile quickly fell from her face, and I wanted to sucker-punch my brothers for making her feel this way.
“Yeah, yeah. Just doing what I can,” I said.
Brenden dropped down onto the couch in between us, and I wanted to toss him off the roof.
Why is this so frustrating to me?
“Where are the girls?” I asked.
Zane thumbed over his shoulder. “Oh, they’re heading up here now. They wanted to bring drinks with them.”
Roxy snickered. “And you guys aren’t helping them?”
Brenden held up his hands. “Not for lack of trying. They insisted on bringing the drinks up themselves. I don’t know what they’ve got brewing, but it can’t be good.”
Roxy leaned forward. “So, Clint tells me he wanted to kill you two when you guys were younger. Why is that?”
The room fell silent before my brothers started bursting out, laughing.
“Oh, Clint. Always a kidder,” Brenden said.
Zane patted my shoulder. “Trust me. We wanted to kill him just as much.”
I grinned. “Doubtful.”
Roxy snickered, and I stole a glance her way before I tossed her a wink, which made her blush. And I found the color suited her.
I wonder what the rest of her body looks like in that color.
Brenden turned to Roxy. “Clint here was just as much of a pain in the ass then as he is now. And we knew he’d go into the military, right, Zane?”
Zane pulled up a chair. “Yes, we did. He was military before he even joined up. He was in the gym running two miles-a-day when he was fifteen years old, and the girls wouldn't stop drooling over him.”
Brenden chuckled. “My brother stole more of my dates growing up than anything else, and he didn’t even know it. The girls would come over or see us out, and they’d pay more attention to him than they did me!”
I snickered. “I guess I’ve always been a ladies’ man, yes.”
Zane pointed at me. “You remember Martha?”
Brenden roared with laughter. “Oh. My. God. I’d completely forgotten about her.”
Zane’s mouth gaped. “How could you forget about Moaning Martha!?”
Roxy piped up. “Who’s Moaning Martha?”
I sighed. “The girl I lost my virginity to.”
Roxy
grinned. “Sounds like a hell of a story.”
I chuckled. “Let’s just say I was sixteen, barely able to drive, and the first time I ever crashed my car was when she kept groping my dick.”
Roxy balked. “You’re kidding.”
I shook my head. “Nope.”
Zane patted my knee. “You haven’t even told her the best part. Go on. Tell her.”
I rolled my eyes. “While we were waiting on the side of the road for someone to show up and help us, I may have kind of…”
Brenden finished the story. “He fucked her against the tree they crashed into before the police showed up to take stock of the accident.”
Roxy gasped. “You did not!”
I held up my hand. “I swear on my life.”
“Oh, if you think that was bad, listen to this,” Kelly said.
I pointed at my sister as she came through the door. “Don’t even think about it.”
Karina set down three bottles of wine. “Then, I’ll tell it. Because you know exactly what we’re talking about.”
Roxy scoffed. “But, I’m the birthday girl. You guys are supposed to tell me stories!”
Kelly uncorked a bottle. “Oh, hush with that birthday girl crap. You've guilt-tripped us enough for one night.”
Karina giggled. “Yeah, Roxy. And now, it’s time for us to cough up a story about you.”
I sighed. “Look, if she doesn’t want the story told--.”
Kelly handed me a glass of wine. “The guy Roxy lost her virginity to? His name was Dallas. Shit you not, that was the man’s name.”
Karina handed Roxy a glass. “And Dallas was very good-looking.”
Kelly cackled. “He was also very old.”
“What?” Brenden asked.
Roxy rolled her eyes. “I lost my virginity at eighteen to a man who was in his mid-thirties.”
Zane’s jaw dropped open. “You’re kidding.”
She shrugged. “What? Older men know what they’re doing, and they know what they like. I figured if anyone was going to teach me a thing or two about sex, it would be a man like that.”
I couldn't help but grin at her comment as the girls started clucking away again.
“Anyway,” Kelly said, “he takes her to this nice hotel suite, right? Room service, minibar. The works. And guess what happens once they start getting into it?”
Roxy glowered. “I’m going to kill you if you--.”
Karina blurted it out. “She farted in his face as he was going down on her.”
Everyone burst into laughter as Roxy sank into the couch with a face as red as a stop sign. I wasn’t sure whether to shut them all up or kick them all out. But, I figured the least I could do was level the playing field.
“I mean, what's wrong with that?” I asked.
Everyone stopped laughing before Zane furrowed his brow.
“Dude, that’s gross,” he said.
Brenden snickered. “If Kelly ever farted on me during sex, we’d have an issue.”
I shrugged. “Then, it sounds like you’re not doing your job right.”
Everyone turned to look at me, and I sipped my wine.
“I mean, come on. If a woman is really into something, she’s not thinking about what to hold back and what not to? If a woman is speaking in tongues and passing gas and losing control of her body, that’s a compliment to your skills. I’ve had a few women do all sorts of things like that while I’m in control of their bodies, and it does nothing more than put a smile on my face. It means they feel good enough to completely let loose. Isn’t that what sex is all about?”
I felt everyone’s eyes on me as I turned to face Roxy. Her cheeks were still beet red, but there was gratitude in her stare.
Now, I understood why she was so upset with everyone because if this was how she’d been treated all night, I felt terrible that I hadn’t come--and stayed--sooner than this. Loosened up, Roxy wasn’t as wild as she proclaimed to be. If anything, with more alcohol, she settled down. She became a bit more normal.
And of course, hotter than sin itself.
“So, why don’t we lay off the birthday girl and give her some embarrassing stories about us, yeah?” I asked.
Roxy held her wine glass in the air. “Thank you, Clint, for being the only person in here with some sense.”
I chuckled. “I’m used to it. Especially growing up with the brothers I did.”
Brenden pointed at me. “Oh, no, you don’t. You don’t get licks in like that without taking a few in return.”
Kelly giggled. “Oh, my gosh. Remember the skinny dipping incident?”
Roxy glared at her sister. “Did you not hear what Clint just said?”
Karina waved her hand in the air. “Just one more story. This one’s a good one, too. You can’t even deny that, Roxy.”
She stood. “I don’t want that story told--.”
Kelly set down her wine glass. “Picture this: Roxy, around seventeen years old, dragging the high school football star into the pool area while it was--.”
“Want to dance, Clint?” Roxy asked.
She said the words so quickly that I almost didn’t catch them.
“I suppose I shouldn't turn down a dance from the birthday girl. I’d be honored.”
She held out her hand. “Come on, then. Time’s wasting quickly tonight.”
I slid my hands into hers. “Can I get a raincheck on this story, though?”
Roxy tugged me towards the door, giggling. “Quit being such a big jerk and come on.”
She dragged me out onto the dance floor as the lights turned way down low. With the slot machines dinging in the distance and people cursing at the blackjack tables, we made our way over to the small patch of empty floor over by the bar. The bartender turned up the music, and her hips began swaying, entrancing my gaze as I watched them move side to side.
Around and around.
Closer and closer… to my pelvis.
“What’s the matter, big boy? Don’t know how to dance?”
I grinned as my hand slid alongside her waist. Her arms wrapped around me from behind, and her back pressed against my chest. My nose dipped to her neck. I raced the tip of it softly up and down her pulse point, listening as her sighs draped over my body. My hand slid to her hip. I settled my other hand against her opposing thigh. And as I guided her body to swivel and swerve in a way that brought my body back to life again, I drew in the wonderful scent of her citrus body spray.
“Mmm, maybe you can dance after all,” she murmured.
I wanted to show her more than a dance, though. I wanted to show her all of me. I wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol talking or the music that swirled around our heads, but I wanted to show her the best parts of me. I wanted to help her let loose. I wanted to help her forget about this hellish night. More than that, though, I wanted to show her exactly how a man should treat a strong, valiant woman.
I wanted to show her a birthday moment she’d never forget.
9
Roxy
The harder I sank my ass against his cock, the more my eyes bulged. Holy hell, the rumors about him at work were very, very true. Every time I felt his dick throb against my ass cheeks, I wanted to strip him down. I turned around and gripped his suit with my arms, pulling his body closer to my own. His thickened girth pressed against my womanhood. I felt electricity sizzling throughout my body. I attached myself to Clint as we danced and swayed, while the bartender kept us liquored up and having a good time.
But, when I looked over at the clock on the wall, I realized it was almost three in the morning.
“Last call!” the bartender exclaimed.
A rush of people stumbling in from the coin slots pushed Clint and me off to the side. I stumbled on my heels, and I felt his strong arms reach out for me, catching me before I hit the floor. He pulled me back to his body. He cradled me close as we got pressed into a corner.
And as the music continued to fill my ears, I ground myself against him.
�
��I guess it’s not my birthday anymore, huh?” I asked.
Clint grinned. “To me? Your birthday isn’t over until the sun comes up.”
I giggled. “At this rate, the sun will come up before we leave here.”
“We could always call it a night if you want.”
“I don’t know if I’m done celebrating, though.”
He chuckled. “Who said anything about being done celebrating?”
His eyes darkened, and the hairs on the nape of my neck prickled with delight. I snapped my fingers, and the bartender placed another shot of tequila in my palm. I held Clint’s gaze as I tossed it back, earning a hearty chuckle from the depths of his chest. His voice grew huskier the more the night waned, and I was anxious to know what it might sound like against the shell of my ear.
“Come on. My place is only a fifteen-minute drive from here,” I said.
His finger locked with mine. “Well, mine’s technically within walking distance. If you’d rather head there.”
I snickered. “At least we’re on the same page, then.”
Clint scooped me into his arms and carried me out of the casino. I didn’t know where anyone else was, but I didn’t care. It’s not like they cared about me, or anything I wanted for my own birthday. So, I draped my arms around Clint’s neck and let him whisk me away. He slid me into the passenger seat of his car before he leaned the seat down, then he even took the liberty of buckling me in. My heart skipped a beat with every beautiful gesture he made to take care of me, and when he slipped behind the wheel of the car, my hand searched for his.
“Happy birthday, Roxy,” he murmured as he took my hand.
“Thank you, Clint,” I said softly.
My thumb traced mindless shapes against his skin as he drove us back to his place. And the entire time, I kept stealing glances at him. Damn it. The man knew how to fill out a suit. He was broad and strong, and a bit older than myself. I’d always been drawn to older men. It’s why I always batted the idea of them away. Older men had broken my heart many times over while I was a teenager, so I stuck to men my own age. Granted, I tore through them like wildfire because they were immature. Selfish. Terrible in bed. I could only stand them for a week before I dumped them anyway.