by Tabatha Kiss
Before he can, the door to the kitchen opens and Thad glides through it carrying a small tray on one hand with two small cups and a green bottle balanced on top.
He pauses beside me and I snort.
“Saké for the lady?” he asks with a wink.
“Yes, please,” I say.
He rests two cups on the table as Max returns and takes the seat across from me.
Thad gives him a polite grin. “Your food will be out shortly, sir,” he says.
Max flicks open his napkin and settles it onto his lap. “Thank you very much,” he replies. “Excellent service, as always.”
Thad places a hand on his chest and swoons. “You know, I’m so happy someone said it. The amount of work I put into keeping this place running smoothly, I could talk your ear off for days. In fact—”
“Thad,” Max says, playfully glaring.
“Some other time then,” Thad says, stepping back. He bows to the table and flashes me a wink. “Milady,” he adds before shuffling back into the kitchen.
I look across the table at Max. He fills our cups and sets the bottle down, his eyes happily admiring me the entire time.
I chuckle softly and raise my cup. “Well, I’m not sure what this is, but I like it.”
Max laughs as we each take a sip. Saké fires down my throat and a wave of happiness rushes into my brain. It relaxes me completely and I sit back in my chair.
“You’re beautiful, Phoebe,” Max says.
I lock eyes with him and smile. “Trust me, Max, if you’re trying to seduce me, don’t bother. You’ve already got me.”
He shakes his head. “Just wanted to make sure you knew it,” he says. “You’re beautiful. You’ve always been beautiful.”
I swirl the clear liquid around in my cup. “Always?” I ask.
“And getting better every day.” His eyes wander my face. “I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”
“Neither can I. I mean—” I gesture between us. “Without you in mine, I mean.”
He laughs. “I know.”
I raise my glass again. “Saké works fast…”
The kitchen door opens again and Thad glides out with a single plate on his tray. He sets it down and my stomach growls at the half-dozen dumplings lined up on it.
“Bon appetit!” he says. “Or… whatever that is in Japanese.”
I smile at him. “Thank you, Thad.”
“Yes, thank you,” Max adds.
Thad slides backward, keeping his eyes on us for as long as possible, before quickly vanishing behind the kitchen door again.
I laugh as I reach for the chopsticks next to my napkin. “Where were we?”
Max does the same. “I believe we were discussing how beautiful you are,” he says.
“Oh, right. Yes. Let’s do more of that while I shove this down.”
I pinch a dumpling and bring it to my mouth, pausing for a moment to smell it before biting down. “Mmm,” I hum. “Delicious.”
“Not quite Kitano’s,” Max says as he picks one up. “But it’s a close second.”
We sit in silence for a few minutes while we enjoy our food. My pulse spikes every time our eyes meet across the table and I start to feel that familiar quake deep inside of me. That first night together. That private corner of the restaurant.
How wet are you right now?
My core clenches involuntarily.
If I were to crawl beneath this table, reach my hand up your thighs and stick my finger inside of you, how wet would you feel?
Max sets his chopsticks down and pulls his napkin off his lap. He stands slowly and I watch as he rounds the table to stand beside me. His hand rises to my chin and he guides my head up with a firm touch.
He leans down and kisses me on the lips. I close my eyes, relishing in the perfect moment.
“I regretted not doing that back then,” he says, hovering over me. “I won’t make that mistake again.”
I shudder beneath his touch as it slips away. He turns around, leaving me with my tingling lips and throbbing, wet…
I reach out and grab his arm before he can get too far away. Max pauses in place. Candlelight reflects back at me from the depths of his eyes and I swoon even more.
I stand as I pull him back to me. He steps closer, just as eager and wild as I am. We part our lips, breathing each other’s air as blood rushes through us.
“Very,” I answer.
Max furrow his brow. “What?”
“You asked me…” I grip his jacket, feeling foolish, but the saké does its job. “You asked me back then how wet I was.” I gaze into his eyes and he smiles. “Very,” I say again.
He touches my face, slowly sliding his thumb along my bottom lip. “And now?” he asks.
I tremble, already knowing the answer, but…
“Find out,” I say instead.
I catch the hint of a smile on his mouth. His hand moves from my chin to my neck. My breath catches as his smooth touch wanders past my collarbone and rests on my breast. He kisses me, hard and wild, as his hand finds its way to my zipper.
I lean into the table, nearly losing control in his hands. Max knows my body so well, he could bring me to my knees with a single flick of his tongue, but his hands?
I hold onto the edge of the table.
“Phoebe…” he whispers in my ear, sending a flurry of goosebumps down my arms and legs. “How wet are you?”
I shudder as laughter builds in my chest. His smile curls again and I know that he’s not looking for an answer. He just wants to see my reaction.
He slides his hand down the front of my jeans. I part my legs for him and close my eyes, submitting to his touch. His long fingers reach down my mound, briefly pausing to pinch my throbbing clit. I gasp and he chuckles in my ear before kissing my neck.
“You’re so turned on,” he says.
I nod, unable to speak as his hand reaches even farther down to part my folds. He slides a single finger between them, plunging into the depths of me, and I let out a moan from the back of my throat.
Max crushes his mouth on mine, stealing my second moan. “So…” He thrusts me slowly with his hand. “Fucking…” He pushes along my inner wall. “Wet…”
My toes curl in my shoes. I reach between us and cup a hand over his groin, feeling for the hard cock surely tenting his pants. He takes in a sharp inhale, biting down as I put pressure on his shaft and stroke.
We settle into a rhythm, trading kisses as we mutually pleasure each other. I close my eyes, picturing what it would have been like if we really did go for it that night at Kitano’s. The fantasy spurs through me, igniting every nerve between us.
I throw my head back, ready to scream. “Max, I’m gonna come,” I moan.
As soon as the word leaves my mouth, he stops cold. His finger slides out of me and his probing tongue retracts back into his own mouth.
“No, wait—” I grip his arms. “Don’t stop, Max.”
He takes a step back, his face twisted with amusement. “Sorry, baby,” he says. “I can’t let you finish.”
My jaw drops. “Wha-wha-why? Why not?” I stutter as my entire body continues throbbing for release.
Max sticks his wet finger in his mouth and sucks it clean. “It’s not time yet,” he says with a shrug.
I glare at him with frustration. “Seriously?”
He laughs and places his hand under my chin, giving it a gentle tap to remind me my mouth is still wide open. “I’ll be right back,” he says.
“Max.”
I straighten up and watch him as he leaves the room. I zip up my jeans and sigh, quickly reaching for my cup of alcohol. “Seriously?” I mutter to myself before throwing the rest into the back of my throat.
Max returns a moment later with my coat. He holds it open for me, urging me closer to put it on as he stares at me with that same boyish smirk.
“We’re leaving again?” I ask.
“You’ll need it,” he simply says.
I step forw
ard. “Need it for what?”
He rounds me without a word and I obey, slipping my arms into it as I watch him closely. After I pull it on, he takes a step back and flicks the light switch at the bottom of the stairs.
Another string of white lights turns on, illuminating the magical path to the second floor and beyond.
“Follow the lights,” Max says.
What the hell?
I step forward but I stop on the bottom stair. “Aren’t you coming?” I ask him.
He shakes his head. “I’ve got somewhere to be,” he says, inching closer. He kisses the edge of my mouth with smiling lips, sparking a grin of my own. “I love you, Phoebe.”
“I love you, too,” I say. I take a few steps upward and point. “Just… follow the lights?”
He nods. “Follow the lights.”
I turn up my hands. “Okay…”
I do as he says, feeling his loving eyes on me the entire way up the stairs. The string of lights curls along the banister and drops to the floor, instantly traveling right back up to take me to the third floor.
I continue that way, following the lights just as Max told me to. As foolish as it sounds, I wonder where they’ll lead me. Foolish because I’ve lived in this brownstone for a year now. I know that Max’s home office is to the left at the top of the stairs and across from that is the guest bedroom and down the hall from that is my reading nook with the big window that gives me something to look at while I daydream.
But the lights curl right past them to the last door in the hallway. The roof exit.
I follow the lights. I push the door open and take the last remaining steps upward to the roof, pulling my jacket tighter around me as the air turns cold.
The string of lights come to an end. I step out onto the snow-covered roof to stand amid the current winter wonderland that is New York City, complete with falling snow, flashing lights, and the smell of cheap food vendors on the corner.
“Hey, Pheebs.”
I look out across the roof and I instantly smile at that silly red checkered tie.
“Hi, Thad,” I greet.
7
Phoebe
“Beautiful night, isn’t it?”
I fill my lungs with city and snow. “Yeah, it is,” I answer.
Thad smiles as he looks up. “Little early to see Santa in this hemisphere but you never know. Might get lucky.”
I laugh as I step toward him, my body still buzzing from my encounter with Max. As I drift closer, I notice the silver food cart parked by the edge of our roof — but we don’t own a food cart, last I checked.
“You hungry?” Thad asks, following my gaze.
“I could eat some more,” I say.
“Awesome. Come on.”
Thad walks over to the cart. I follow close behind him, enjoying the various scents steaming out of it as he opens it. He grabs a toasted bun and a pair of tongs and I smile as I watch him fix me a hot dog exactly how I like it.
He plops it on a small paper tray and offers it to me. “Milady,” he says.
I take it. “Thank you, sir.”
I wait for him to fix his own, casually glancing around as I take in the moment. Me. Thad. An outside stroll with hot dogs and a cool drink. I welcome the familiar smile on my cheeks. It’s just like that night back in Los Angeles.
Just like our first date.
I take a bite of my hot dog, relishing in the juicy flavors coating my tongue. “That’s good,” I mumble, my mouth full.
“So good,” Thad agrees as he takes his own bite.
“Where’d you get the cart?” I ask.
“From the guy down the street from your office building,” he answers.
I nod. “Knew it tasted familiar.”
“Yeah, turns out, food vendors are surprisingly easy to bribe on Christmas Eve.”
“Is that right?”
“Just told us to have it back on his corner by noon on Boxing Day or he’d hunt us down and kill us.” He licks his lips. “By the way, when’s Boxing Day?”
“It’s the 26th.”
He squints. “Well, at least I’ll survive Christmas.”
I laugh hard, quickly realizing that I don’t feel cold anymore. That’s the effect Thad has always had on me. No matter what might be weighing me down in the moment, Thad walks in and makes it all go away.
Once again, I fall back in time. Suddenly, I’m that nervous girl once more, freaking out about going on a date with a man — but not just any man. The best friend of the man she was already dating, both of which fucked her in a threesome after their high school reunion.
Man, I really come off as quite the floozy when you really think about it.
Thad flashes me a wink again and the dark thoughts melt away.
Just like always.
I clear my throat. “So, you guys are recreating our first dates, huh?” I ask him.
Thad blinks twice. “What gave it away?”
I chuckle and he smiles.
“Yeah,” he says. “We are.”
“Why?” I ask. “Not that I mind. This was a nice surprise after… a day, to say the least.”
Thad nods. “We thought, you know, after a day like this, what better way is there to show how much we adore you than by going back to those first moments? The moments where we both finally woke up and fell head over heels in love with you.” He sucks a bit of mustard off his thumb. “For Max, that was dirty words and covert masturbation at his favorite sushi joint.”
I chuckle, slightly blushing. “And for you, it’s hot dogs on the street?” I ask.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Not saving me from a belligerent douchebag at Marion’s bar?”
“As much fun as that was, no.” He playfully yanks on his red checkered tie. “Tying you to your bedposts later that night is a damn close second, but this…” He holds up the last bite of his hot dog. “No, it all happened that night on the street with good, cheap food, standing between my first love and my forever love.”
I look up. “The sky,” I say, understanding.
“And you. Respectively.” He nods. “That’s the moment my life changed, Phoebe. For the first time ever, I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be.”
My breath catches. “Thad.”
“Yes, milady?”
“You talk too much.”
Thad laughs, understanding. “All right. I know my cue when I hear it.”
He crumbles his trash and tosses it away, quickly taking hold of me instead. I laugh as he pulls me in and kisses me on the lips. Our cold noses instantly burn as they touch. My body erupts with happy tingles firing through my fingers and toes. I drop my empty paper tray and wrap my arms around him. My core reignites with heat as I feel his erection pressing into my hip.
“Thad,” I say.
“Yes?” he whispers, our mouth entwined.
I smile as my fingers curl around his tie. “That night was a really close second for me, too.”
He gently bites my lip. “Is that so?”
I nod as I slowly loosen the tie. “No man had ever made me feel so crazy yet absolutely in control at the same time before. If that makes sense.”
“Perfect sense.” He rests his hands on my hips. “I’ve never been too rough with you, have I?”
“No.”
He kisses my forehead. “Good. Just checking in.”
“Why?” I ask, playfully. “Do you want to be rougher?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“How rough we talking here?
“We’re not talking about that at all.”
“Like a seven?”
“Pheebs, I’m wonderfully satisfied with our current level of roughness.”
I raise my brow. “An eight?”
He pauses and his lips purse. “An eight would be uncharted territory for us.”
“It would, yes.”
“So, you and Max haven’t… like that yet?”
I shake my head. “No, we haven’t.”
&n
bsp; Thad looks down for a moment. “Would you be open to it? With me?”
A shot of warmth throbs through me. “Yes,” I whisper.
He bites his cheek. “Well, that’s something to think about…”
I tug lightly on his open tie, drawing him down to my lips. I kiss him with an open mouth, inviting him to taste my tongue as mine searches for his. “Thad,” I say, softly trembling, “I want you to be the first man to take my ass.”
Thad grunts like a happy, wild animal and looks up into the sky. “Thank you, Father Christmas.” I laugh out loud. “Thank you kindly for this gift you have bestowed on this glorious winter’s night.”
I pull him back to me. “Shut up,” I tease. “Don’t get too cocky.”
“I won’t,” he says, laughing. “My apologies, milady.”
I kiss him hard and he embraces me again. A dull throb burns deep inside of me, wanting, begging, pleading for him to do something about it.
I slide a hand down his body, purposefully aiming for his cock.
He shivers the moment I touch it over his pants. His grip tightens and his lips curl. “Phoebe…” he warns.
“Put your hands on me, Thad,” I whisper. “Please…”
His hand crawls up my spine and comes to rest on the back of my neck. “Like this?” he asks, his visible breath turning white between us.
I nod as his fingers spread throughout my hair.
“Do you like this?” he asks, tightening his grip.
I try to kiss him but he holds me back with a devious glint in his eyes.
“No, no,” he whispers. “Only good girls get kisses.”
I shiver with a sinister plan of my own. My fingers twitch, still lingering on his bulging groin.
“Phoebe…” he says again.
I stroke him through his pants, ignoring his warning. His breath hitches, locking pleasure behind his flexed jawline.
“Fuck,” he says. “Okay, keep going.”
I hold in my laugh as I move my hand, happily putting firm pressure on his throbbing crown with each new stroke.
Thad lifts me up, taking me completely by surprise. I let my laughter free as he guides me toward the roof exit door. He sets me down outside of it and crushes his mouth on mine, easily pinning me to the door with a single firm hand.