by T Gephart
Raelle narrowed her eyes, pointing a finger accusingly. “What do you mean your first time? You’ve had sex before. Jesus, you had sex in this office, and God knows where else. I’m surprised we haven’t had a visit from the Health Department.”
“It’s been a while, okay. No big deal. We’re just going through a little dry spell.”
What I hadn’t told Rae was that I’d previously used sex as a coping strategy, a distraction. Which initially I thought was a good plan until I realized how that must feel for Jared. And in case I had any doubts, my therapist recommended that I didn’t have sex, dealing with things in other ways and abstaining for a while. The woman was crazy, had she not seen how hot my boyfriend was? How the hell was I supposed to keep my hands off that? But me and my big mouth had casually mentioned it to Jared, and suddenly we weren’t having sex.
It was a challenge, the imposed embargo making me want it even more. Jared didn’t cave, digging deep with his willpower and not backing down. Not even when I gave him a lap dance, almost getting myself off with the bulge in his pants. Instead he kissed me, told me how hot I was making him and went and jerked off in the shower.
“A dry spell, what are we talking? A few days? A week?” Raelle asked, ignoring the boundaries most people had.
I cringed, clearing my throat as I announced, “a month.”
“A month? You haven’t had sex in a month?” she shouted. You know, in case Hank at the bar needed to hear about the sexual habits of his boss.
“Keep your voice down,” I hushed, grabbing her arm and giving it a squeeze. “I shouldn’t even be talking about this with you.”
Deciding not to tempt fate any further, I moved to the door and closed it. Not sure it mattered much anymore, the damage had already been done. “And lots of couples take a break. Not everyone is screwing like fucking rabbits all the time.”
Raelle scoffed, taking a step back as she screwed up her face in disgust. “Well, the smart ones are. And I can say this because you know I love you and it comes from in here.” She tapped her heart. “But the two of you are both hot. Like if there was a porno and you were both starring in it, it would be a bestseller for sure. I just don’t know how it’s possible.”
“Okay, okay, we are not talking about this.” I waved my hands, before pointing to the door. “We both have work to do, and I’m finalizing the second site for Diablo tomorrow. Go look busy.”
She sighed dramatically, shaking her head and whispering, “a month,” under her breath like it was a dirty word. And worse, I couldn’t disagree, my hormones at levels that couldn’t be healthy.
“Uhhhhhhhhhh!” I had my own moment of drama, feeling the subtle throb between my legs whenever I thought about it for longer than a second. “This is such bullshit.”
But like I’d told Hayden, I always got what I wanted.
And regardless what anyone thought, I was going to get laid.
Jared
I’D TRIED TO be quiet when I’d entered Presley’s apartment. It was eight a.m. and we’d both been working, Presley already asleep in her bed.
So I followed the usual routine, stripping down to my boxer briefs and slipping into the bed beside her. I liked holding her, loving how she instinctively curled into me whenever I was there and slept with her body on mine.
It had been a while since we’d had sex, her therapist suggesting we take a break while she worked stuff out, and I was willing to do whatever it took. Not to say it was easy, my balls drawing up tight and my dick getting hard with just the slightest encouragement, but I wasn’t going to cave.
Nope.
Not me.
Sure, I’d jerked off so many times I was at risk of developing RSI, but other than my new steady relationship with my hand, it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle.
Hell, there wasn’t a lot I wouldn’t do for her, my heart feeling so full it was a wonder it still fit inside my chest.
I’d barely gotten under the covers when she let out a sigh. It was low and sexy, and sent a vibration right to my shaft. She did that a lot in her sleep, the little whimpers and moans making me offer more prayers to the Virgin Mary than I had in my entire lifetime.
Ignoring my hard-on, I circled my arms around her and shuffled in close. It was only when my hand rested on her hip that I realized what she was wearing. It was that pink slinky thing she’d worn the first day I’d come over. It was soft and clung to her every curve, advertising everything underneath that was just out of my grasp. I was convinced it had been spun in the pits of hell by the Devil, the demonic cloth torturing me some more as she moved against me.
Jesus. Christ
No, really, Jesus. Because praying to the other saints and angels hadn’t fucking helped, and I was doing my goddamn best. So, if someone upstairs wanted to throw me a lifeline, I’d sure appreciate it, because I was really close to losing all fucking sensation in my legs.
My hips rolled without permission, shaking my head as I tried to stop.
Too late, my dick pressed against her ass, letting me know I was on my own.
“Fuck’s sake,” I cursed under my breath, thanking whoever was listening that I still had my underwear on. It was probably the only thing stopping me from fucking the fabric like a deviant, the feel of it in my hands making my eyes water.
I needed to jerk off.
It was either that or dry hump her ass until I came in my boxer briefs, so jerking off was definitely the better plan.
Giving her hips one last squeeze, I rolled to my back so I could slide out of the bed without waking her. But the second I moved, she rolled over too, the barely-there straps falling off her shoulders and exposing one of her tits. She pressed it against me, her nipple hardening as it made contact with my skin.
Really?
I looked up at the ceiling and flipped it off, any hope of heavenly help being torched as her hand came to rest on my waistband. I couldn’t even think straight, trying to recite the batting order of the Yankees in an effort to get a handle on the situation.
“Mmmmmmm,” Presley breathed out, her eyes still closed as she tilted her head up and kissed my neck.
I wasn’t going to make it.
My skin itched, my hands flexing and releasing while my nerves jangled like a junkie desperate to score. And the second her lips moved to mine, I knew it was over.
Fuck. It.
If I was going to burn in hell, I might as well enjoy it.
My tongue slid into her mouth, a breathy moan vibrating up her throat as one of my hands landed on her ass. My fingers played with the fabric, pushing it up her back so I could touch her bare skin as she arched into me.
“Presley, please tell me you’re awake,” I begged, dancing on that blurred line of consent as I continued to kiss her, unable to stop.
“Yes,” she groaned into my mouth, moving farther onto my chest as her fingers threaded through my hair. “I’m awake and desperate for you, please tell me you want me too.”
Tell her I wanted her? I wasn’t sure I could remember my middle name, my ability to talk lost as she ground against my leg. So with words not being an option, I decided it was best to show her, hauling her on top of me and letting her ride my hard-on.
“Does that feel like I want you,” I panted against her mouth, bucking up from under her as her hips circled. “Or do you still need me to tell you?”
The strap from the other side had dropped, both of her perfect tits swaying as she moved. I leaned forward, those pretty pink peaks too fucking delicious not to taste as I sucked on one and then the other.
“Jared,” her pelvis pushed down, the thin fabric of her panties getting wet. “I want you. I want you so badly.”
And fuck medical advice. If my baby wanted me, then I wasn’t going to tell her no.
My fingers reached for her ass, yanking at her panties until I heard them tear. She yelped, my hand slapping her skin the minute it was bare, making her lift just enough so I could pull her destroyed panties all the way off.
>
Doubling down on the opportunity, I pushed my boxer briefs off my hips, letting my dick spring free. She didn’t waste time going back to what she wanted, lining herself up on my length and continuing her teasing glide.
Maybe we could just do that, I mean, technically it wasn’t sex, right? The gray area one I was happy to exploit as she made me feel fucking awesome while getting herself off.
Her hands pressed against my chest, holding herself upright as she worked us both over. It had been too long, everything feeling waaaaaaay too good as I focused on making sure she came before I did.
“I want to fuck you,” she breathed, her voice reed thin as she continued to move. “I want you deep inside of me when I come.”
So much for the gray fucking area.
“Okay.” I nodded like an idiot, agreeing to whatever she wanted regardless of the consequences. It couldn’t be helped, both of us too far gone to resist, slaves to our hormones like two savages.
I’d barely got my hand around my dick, ready to guide it in, when she sunk down, taking my whole length in one deep slide. It was intense, both of us groaning as we stopped moving, my heartbeat ringing in my ears. “No condom,” I gritted out, trying like hell to be responsible while my balls were telling me to shut the fuck up.
“Pill. I’m on it. Always take it. Please don’t stop.”
Her broken sentences were just as sexy as the rest of her, and she was doing a stellar job at pleading her case. Who needed a condom, we sure as hell didn’t, especially not when it felt that good.
“I won’t stop,” I promised, fairly sure I’d lost the capacity around five minutes ago. “I need to feel you come, Presley.”
It had only been a month, but it felt like a year, my mouth needing hers as we started to move.
With every one of my up thrusts, she pushed down, both of us finding a rhythm that was both hard and fast, getting me in deep.
It was a mess of tangled hands. Hers on me like she couldn’t get enough, and mine touching her everywhere, like I was discovering her for the first time. She was beautiful, every inch of her more perfect than I remembered, and I could barely believe she was mine.
So.
Goddamn.
Lucky.
“Ahhh,” she cried out, tensing as I pushed in. “I’m so close.”
She wasn’t the only one, not knowing how much longer I was going to last as my thumb dropped to her clit.
I’d barely touched her, the pad of my thumb slightly grazing her sensitive skin as she pulsed around my shaft. And that pretty much did me in, sending me over the edge and chasing her as I came too, exploding with a shout.
I said her name over and over again, feeling like my soul had left my body as my hands circled her waist. I was still moving, unable to stop until I teased the last shudder from her.
“Come here.” I pulled her down to me, kissing her hard as she pressed against my chest. “I know we broke the rules, but I can’t find the motivation to care. I love you.”
She laughed, and it was the most amazing noise I’d heard in a long time, warming me from the inside out. “Which rule are you worried about? Unprotected sex or just sex in general? Because I’d say we had multiple violations.”
“I’m not worried about any of it. I’ve had all the regrets I’m going to have and none of them involve you.”
Our eyes locked, her gaze softening as she leaned gently against my shoulder. “I love you, come shower with me.”
I knew the significance of what she was asking, having told me that previously it had been a no-go zone for other men. I’d been the only one, and while our first shower hadn’t gone so well, I was hopeful for the future. “You know, I’m never going to ask anything more from you than you’re ready to give me, Presley. I’ll wait, for however long it takes. But if you offer me something, I’m not ever turning it down.”
Her eyes lit up with excitement, pressing her lips softly against my neck. “Good, then come shower with me. And then, we’ll work out the rest as we go.”
“You said that to me once before, you know,” I reminded her, wondering how much of an idiot I’d been for fighting her from the start. “You said it wouldn’t get serious. We’d stay friends.”
Her shoulder lifted gently as she chuckled. “Guess I lied. We were never just friends. But I promise, it will be the first and the last one I ever tell you. You forgive me?”
“You’re right, Presley.” I kissed her. “We were never just friends.”
Jared
THERE WAS LITERALLY a handful of miles between Diablo and Vault aka Diablo 2.0. But in Manhattan, it made all the difference.
The meatpacking district was a different kind of animal, the cliental ready to spend their hard-earned green on the next shiny thing. It was stockbrokers, models, and people who wanted to be seen. They traveled in packs, documented everything, and were more interested in getting in where others couldn’t, than having a good time.
It had taken Presley exactly eight months to open, when everyone had told her it was almost impossible. Between building permits, the interior fit out and the liquor license, it was cutting it close for sure. But Presley Tibbs never backed away from a challenge, especially one where the odds were stacked against her.
“Wow, it looks like a bank vault.” Evans’s eyes widened, seeing the inside for the first time. “How the hell did she get all this shit fabricated in such a short amount of time?”
“My sister’s a genius, Rookie.” Tibbs handed him a beer. “Which is why she’d never have dated you.” Tibbs winked at me.
“Dude, I haven’t been the rookie in six months. I thought we were done with that shit when we got Rizzo,” Evans protested, not sharp enough to know the more he complained the more Tibbs was going to give him.
Tibbs eyed him hard, pointing his long neck at him. “Well, Rizzo isn’t here, and we outrank you. Anyway, you should count yourself lucky you even got an invite. You know how hard it is to score one for tonight? If it weren’t for us, your ass would be on the sidewalk with all those other losers waiting to get in.”
He was right about that. Opening night for a new club in the Meatpacking district was like a fire sale on iPhones, everyone wanted in on it. Add in Diablo’s reputation and that Scott Collins and his posse were special guests, and you had a line down the block that could fill the place ten times over.
“Where is the genius?” North asked, clapping my shoulder. “Ava’s teething and Quinn has an early shoot in the morning. I need to go charm my little girl to sleep.”
“She’s with David Cheng, her business partner. He flew in yesterday from Hong Kong.” I pointed to Presley at the far end of the club. She was wearing that gold dress that drove me crazy and a diamond ring I’d slipped on her finger earlier in the day that was an extra special accessory.
We hadn’t announced it yet, not wanting it to overshadow the opening, but we weren’t denying it either. Raelle had spotted it right away, Vault’s bar manager screaming and pointing to it the minute we’d walked in. Tibbs knew I was going to ask, my intention to marry his sister, something I hadn’t bothered to hide.
I’d had the ring for a month, looking for the right time to ask. Considering we were already living together, I assumed the answer was going to be yes. But even a cocky asshole knew there was always a small possibility of a no. Maybe she wasn’t ready for it or maybe she didn’t want the piece of paper. But I wasn’t going to let that stop me, deciding I’d waited long enough and finally got down on one knee in her bathroom that morning. It felt like the right place for it, and I was more than ready to have her wear my ring.
The yes had come without a second of hesitation, making the opening night of Vault one we were never going to forget. That and I couldn’t wait to have sex with my fiancée in her new office, but we’d do that after David left.
Fiancée. Man, I loved saying that word. The only one I liked better was wife, but it was going to be a year before I could say that. Presley had a tough twelve mon
ths ahead of her, managing two clubs wasn’t for the faint hearted, but I didn’t doubt she’d rock it. But waiting also meant that when we finally did take the walk down the aisle, we’d be able to take a honeymoon too. It had to be somewhere hot and near a beach, requiring the least amount of clothes possible. Other than that, I didn’t care, with no intention to sightsee, other than the inside of our hotel room.
“Anyone hear from Chief?” Evans asked. “Is he stopping by?”
North laughed, shaking his head. “Evans, Hayden is due any day now, he isn’t going anywhere. And you guys thought I was bad when Quinn was pregnant, Mack takes that shit to a whole new level.”
Other than Presley’s new club opening, there had been some other changes as well. Mack got Hayden pregnant almost immediately, the idea North could be dethroned as Mack’s favorite kid, a very real possibility. And I moved into Presley’s fancy loft, leaving Tibbs in need of a new roommate. Evans was itching to take my old room, but Tibbs was holding out. I didn’t know if it was to piss him off or because he’d gotten used to living alone, but either way it was entertaining to watch.
“Hey, is everyone having a good time?” My future wife—okay so maybe I was already saying it—sidled up next to me. “Make sure you try some of Scott’s wine, he donated thirty cases of it.”
“Thirty cases?” I raised an eyebrow. “A little excessive, don’t you think? One might think he is trying to charm you.”
“He’s already tried and failed, Leighton. No need to get territorial.” She grinned, rubbing a hand down my chest.
Of all the problems in my world, Scott Collins wasn’t one of them, but I’d be a fucking moron to think he wouldn’t try.
Presley was the whole package, and any man would give their right arm to have her. I still don’t know how any of her ex-boyfriends could’ve walked away. All of them fucking idiots, and I was eternally grateful for their stupidity.
But of all the dumbasses, there was only one I truly hated, the dickstain who was still serving time for attempted murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping, and a few other crimes. He literally had more charges against him than braincells, his future including a jumpsuit and cell bars. And if he ever got out, there’d be a welcome party waiting for him that would have him begging to go back in.
