The Negotiation

by Sandi Lynn

  Standing up, I took out a condom from my wallet, took down my pants, and smiled as I hovered over her beautiful body. Her hands cupped each side of my face as my lips met hers for a passionate kiss. Lowering myself, I thrust inside her with ease, letting her take me in until I was buried deep inside her. With slow, soft strokes, I moved in and out of her, taking pleasure in the way her pussy enveloped my cock. The warmth she possessed inside was gratifying as my skin began to form beads of sweat. Moans rumbled in my chest as I pushed up and picked up my pace while I stared into her eyes. Words weren’t spoken, but her expression and body movement already told me what I needed to know. The buildup was coming and all it would take was her orgasm to send me over the edge. Her screams of ecstasy filled the room and her legs tightened around me while her body shook underneath me. One last thrust and I halted as I closed my eyes and strained to push out every last drop. Dropping my body on hers, I buried my face in her neck. Her breathing was rapid, as was mine, making it hard to catch our breath.

  Lifting myself off of her, I kissed her lips and then disposed of the condom in the bathroom. When I walked back into the room, I found her sitting up and slipping back into her dress.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “Getting dressed.” She smirked.

  “Take it off and put this on.” I reached in the closet and grabbed a robe from the hanger.

  “Aren’t we leaving?” she asked as she took it from me.

  “No. Why would we leave? I paid for the night. We might as well enjoy what the room has to offer.” I grinned. “Do you usually leave right after sex?”

  “Most of the time. You don’t?”

  “Most of the time I do, but it’s already late and we’re here, so we might as well stay.” I put on the other robe.

  “Oh, okay. But I will warn you that I snore.” She smiled.

  I chuckled as I followed her into the living area. “I’ve been known to snore as well, so maybe we can have a contest of who snores the loudest.”

  She laughed and walked over to the counter where there was a display of chocolates and snacks.

  “Would you like me to open a bottle of wine?” I asked as I opened the refrigerator.

  “Wine sounds good, especially with this chocolate bar.”

  “Are you going to share that chocolate bar with me?” I smirked.

  “You like chocolate?” She narrowed her eye.

  “I love it. I keep a bag of it in my desk drawer at the office.”

  Her grin widened. “I keep a bag of it underneath the counter at the shop.”

  I opened the wine while she grabbed two glasses and we went back into the bedroom and climbed into bed. She broke the Hershey’s bar in half and handed it to me.

  “Ah! What are you doing?” she asked as I brought the glass up to my lips.

  “Drinking some wine.” I arched my brow.

  “Mr. Caine, when you have chocolate and wine, you don’t taste the wine first.”

  “You don’t?” I cocked my head.

  “No. You break off a piece of chocolate, put it in your mouth, and savor the creamy taste. Then you,” she brought the glass up to her lips and took a drink, “wash it down with the wine. See, it’s a delicacy and it must be treated with the upmost respect.” She smiled.

  As I stared at her with my head tilted to the side, trying to absorb what she had just said, I couldn’t help but smile at how fucking adorable she was, and the word ‘adorable’ was not in my vocabulary.

  “My apologies to the chocolate.”

  “Thank you.” She gave a nod.

  “So, what’s the longest period of time you dated a guy?”

  “Hmm. Let me see.” She looked up at the ceiling. “A month. It would have been longer because he was a great guy, but he had to go and fall in love with me and then started to talk about marriage and how I was the one he could see spending the rest of his life with.”

  “Pity. Why can’t people understand the unnaturalness of relationships? I mean, spending your whole life with one person is absurd. I’m sure you’re well aware of anything you do in life for a long period of time gets boring.”

  “Right?!” Her eyes lit up. “Especially the sex.” She shuddered.

  “Not to mention the boring conversations that you’re forced to have with each other,” I spoke.

  “And being forced to put on a happy face to outsiders when really you just want to rip his head off because everything he does irritates the shit out of you.”

  “Definitely that one.” I pointed at her. “And the fights and the constant arguing.”

  “So draining. Why anyone would want to put themselves in that position is beyond me. As far as I’m concerned, people are way too selfish to get involved in relationships.”

  “I am.” I smiled.

  “Me too. So how about you? Longest relationship ever?” She popped another piece of chocolate in her mouth.

  “Never. I’ve never stuck around long enough for a relationship to form.”

  “So you just date a woman once and move on to the next?”

  “No. Sometimes I date them three times and then they start getting attached. Texting me all the time, whining about seeing me again, saying how much they missed me. So I block their number and don’t see them again. I can’t stand needy women. They drive me insane.”

  “I can’t stand needy men either. Sometimes I just want to scream, ‘Grow a pair of balls and man the fuck up!’”

  I chuckled as I finished off my half of the chocolate and the wine.

  “As much as I love our tantalizing conversations, Mr. Caine, I’m wiped out.”

  “Me too. We should get some sleep.” I kissed her forehead. Good night, Emily.”

  “Good night, Jackson.” She rolled over away from me.

  “You don’t have to sleep so far away,” I spoke.

  “I need my space.”

  I smiled as I turned off the light and laid my head on the pillow.

  Chapter 10

  Emily

  As I lay there, the feeling of fire still ripped through my body. Jackson Caine was the BEST sex I’d ever had in my entire life. Even better than Jenner Brooks and I thought he was pretty good. Was it bad that I felt an ache down below that was screaming to be fulfilled again? Everything physically about him was beyond expectations. His tongue and hands worked magic on my body as they explored every inch of me, and his manhood—my god—his manhood was the perfect size. It was big but not overly huge. I could feel every inch of him inside. His thickness and length spoke for itself.

  Going beyond looks, his personality was one that I connected with right away. I felt comfortable with him. Almost as if I’d known him my entire life. As if he was a best friend who was waiting in the wings. I could definitely see a blooming friendship with him. A guy with whom I could go out and have fun with without any strings attached, have good sex, and call it a night. Could it be a possibility that I could have my cake and eat it too?

  Opening my eyes, I stared at his arm, which was draped around me. His face was buried in my hair from behind and the warmth of this breath cascaded down my neck.

  “Jackson?” I whispered.

  He moaned as he snuggled in closer to me.

  “Are you awake?”

  “I am now. What’s wrong?” he mumbled.

  “Nothing. I was just wondering why you’re all up in my space.”

  He removed his arm and turned on his back.

  “Sorry. I don’t know what happened.”

  Shifting my body, I turned on my side and smiled at him.

  “It’s fine. It was kind of nice.”

  He opened one eye and looked at me.

  “It was. Wasn’t it?”

  “I need coffee.” I placed my hand on his muscular chest.

  “Me too. Let’s order room service before heading out.”

  I reached over to the nightstand and handed him the room service menu.

  “What are you in the mood for?” he as
ked as he sat up against the headboard.

  “Poached eggs, whole wheat toast, bacon, fresh fruit, coffee, and orange juice,” I replied.

  “Sounds like my kind of breakfast.” He smiled as he picked up the phone on his nightstand and placed our order.

  Climbing out of the bed, I went into the bathroom and washed my face.

  “You didn’t tell me I had mascara stains under my eyes,” I shouted to him.

  “You look fine to me.”

  Smiling, I patted my face dry with a towel and walked into the living area, where Jackson was looking out the window at Central Park.

  “I need to fuck you again, Emily,” he spoke, looking straight ahead.

  Shivers ran down my spine when I heard him say that. It was as if he read my mind. The ache down below had been fierce since last night.

  “Now? Breakfast will be here shortly.”

  He turned and looked me with a sly smile. Slowly walking over to me, he untied my robe and slid it off my shoulders.

  “Breakfast can wait.”

  His lips brushed against mine as his hands cupped my breasts and a moan rumbled in his throat. Untying his robe, I slid it off him and placed my hand on his cock, which was already hard and ready to go.

  “Damn, your hand feels so good,” he whispered as his fingers traveled up my thigh and dipped inside me.

  “So does yours,” I moaned as we both stood pressed against each other in the middle of the living room.

  “I want you from behind. Bend over the table,” he spoke in a commanding tone. “Wait, I need to make sure you are fully ready to take me inside of you.” He got down on his knees and let his mouth work my aching and throbbing area.

  I was already on the verge of having an orgasm and I begged him not to stop.

  “Oh, I won’t until you give me what I desperately want,” he moaned.

  The feeling of pleasure that ripped through my body was exhilarating as I let out a high-pitched sound and the wave of an orgasm took over. He stood up and smashed his mouth into mine, giving me a taste of myself. He turned me around and bent me over the table, pulled a condom from his robe pocket, rolled it on, and wasted no time thrusting inside of me at a rapid animal-like pace. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and a man’s voice spoke, “Room service.”

  “Fuck,” Jackson groaned. “Just leave it outside the door,” he shouted as he continued moving in and out of me.

  “I need a signature, sir,” the man’s voice spoke.

  “I will sign later! I’m busy at the moment.”

  He picked up the pace once again and I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “I told you.” I turned my head and looked at him.

  “Too bad. I’m finishing what I started.” He grabbed my hair and pulled my head back, giving me a small kiss.

  A few more strokes were all it took for him to send me over the edge to oblivion and then he halted, making sure he was buried deep inside me while he moaned with pleasure. After he went to the bathroom to dispose of the condom, I slipped on my robe and opened the door, bringing the cart with the two trays on it inside. Once we were finished eating, we slipped into our clothes from last night and checked out.

  “Thank you for a wonderful night and morning.” He smiled as he placed his thumb on my chin.

  “You’re welcome. Thank you as well. I had a lot of fun.”

  “What are your plans for today?” he asked.

  “I have to go to the shop. I told Katie I’d be there by eleven, and seeing what time it is, I really have to go.”

  “Me too. I have some work to do at the office. I’ll see you around.” He kissed my forehead and hailed me a cab.

  Chapter 11

  Emily

  As I walked into the shop, Emily and Noelle looked up at me as they heard the bell on the door ring. I will admit, I was a hot mess and I didn’t have time to go home and change. Neither one of them said a word, but I could feel the glares from across the shop as I grabbed a dress and a pair of shoes and went into the fitting room to change. When I was finished and stepped out, the two of them were standing there with their arms folded.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Last night’s clothes,” Katie spoke.

  “And no makeup,” Noelle chimed in. “Not to mention your crazy hair.”

  “And? Jackson and I ended up staying at the Trump. We had breakfast and then I came straight here.”

  “You slept with him?” Katie followed me to the counter.

  “I did, and do you know what the best part was besides the amazing sex we had?”

  “What?” She narrowed her eye.

  “There was no ‘I’ll call you soon’ or ‘I’ll be in touch.’” I grinned.

  “He didn’t act like he was going to call you after being with you all night and this morning?” Noelle asked.

  “Nope. Isn’t life grand?”

  “So does that mean you won’t be seeing him again?” Katie asked.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. We’ll have to see.”

  “Do you want to see him again?” Noelle bit down on her bottom lip.

  “Yeah. I wouldn’t mind. He’s a great guy and we have so much in common. Spending time with him was fun.”

  The store was starting to get crowded, so Noelle walked around and interacted with the customers, asking if they needed any help.

  “Today is Alex’s birthday,” Katie spoke.

  “That’s right. I completely forgot. Tell him I said happy birthday.”

  “You can tell him yourself because we want you to go out to dinner with us tonight.”

  “You two don’t want to celebrate alone?”

  “We can do that later. Actually, a couple of Alex’s friends are tagging along and—” She looked down as her tone became serious.

  “And what? What’s wrong?”

  “Elizabeth and Keith will be there.”

  “Elizabeth? As in the one you think Alex has feelings for? I told you just to come out and ask him.”

  “I did and he got all mad at me and asked how I could even think something like that. He said they’re just friends and that she’s his best friend’s girl. Then he told me he loved me and we had awesome sauce sex.”

  “I know you did not just say ‘awesome sauce.’” I raised my brow at her.

  “Please say you’ll come. I need you there to read his body language and see if you notice him staring at her. My relationship depends on it.”

  Apparently, this all started a couple of months ago after Katie overheard part of a phone conversation between Alex and Elizabeth. It was nothing incriminating and when she asked why he was talking to her, he said that she had called him for some advice about law school. Apparently, she was thinking about getting a law degree. Katie wasn’t comfortable with Alex talking to Elizabeth over the phone because it seemed like every conversation they had, Elizabeth’s name came up. He seemed to talk about her a lot.

  “I’ll go. Where are you going?”

  “Gramercy Tavern. Seven o’clock. It’s his favorite place.”

  “Fine. I’ll meet you there. Since you guys have the shop under control, I’m going to go home and take a bath and relax for a while.”

  “Thanks again for coming with us tonight.” She hugged me.

  “No problem. What are best friends for?” I smiled.

  After leaving the shop, I went home, stripped out of my clothes, and climbed into a nice hot bubble bath. Once I was fully relaxed, thoughts of Jackson and our night together came to my mind. I smiled as I thought about the incredible things he did to me. Not only last night, but this morning on the table. I’d never met a man who knew his way around a woman’s body like he did. Just the thought of it made me tremble.

  ****

  I was fashionably late by ten minutes when I arrived at the restaurant.

  “Sorry I’m late. Traffic was overkill.” I smiled as Alex stood up and I gave him a hug. “Happy birthday.”

  “Thanks, Emily. It’s good to see y
ou.”

  Walking over to Katie, I gave her a hug and then placed my hand on Keith’s shoulder before taking my seat.

  “Nice to see you again, Keith.”

  “Same here. Emily, this is my girlfriend, Elizabeth.”

  “Nice to meet you, Elizabeth.” I extended my hand.

  “Nice to meet you too.” She gave a friendly smile.

  As soon as I sat down, the lanky waitress, who looked like Taylor Swift, walked over and took my drink order.

  “I’ll have a neat martini, two olives with a twist of lemon.”

  She smiled as she wrote it down and walked away. Now it was time for me to put my detective eyes on and watch the interaction between Alex and Elizabeth. As we were eating dinner and carrying on a conversation, Katie reached under the table and grabbed my thigh.

  “What?” My eyes widened at her.

  “Isn’t that Jackson who just walked through the door?”

  I looked straight ahead; it sure was him and he wasn’t alone. A feeling hit the pit of my stomach, a nervousness which I wasn’t sure of. Wouldn’t it figure that the hostess set down their menus at the table right next to us. Before taking his seat, Jackson glanced over and smiled when he saw me sitting there.

  “Emily.” He walked over to our table with a sly grin.

  “Jackson.” I graciously smiled.