by Sandy Lowe
We went in for an encore the next day, and every day after that for the rest of the week.
I limped when I walked. The proud limp of shame.
Prince and Andre-Elvis both made me laugh, telling jokes and bantering for my attention.
At the end of the week, Cora almost—just almost—felt like a distant memory. Damn, though, love is hard to let go of—even with several good lays.
Even so, I gave both Prince and Andre-Elvis my phone number. I felt sweet and gooey, like the last bit of whipped cream smeared on a plate, knowing that someone would dip in a finger and greedily bring it to their lips, savoring one last taste.
Mistakes Happen
Brit Ryder
Kris Bryant, writing as Brit Ryder, lives in Kansas City, Missouri. She enjoys reading, watching sappy romance movies, traveling, and spending time with her family and friends. When a spare moment can be found, she grabs the closest laptop and writes whatever comes to mind. Brit can be reached at [email protected].
“What the…” I paused and held up a very tiny, very red bikini in total disbelief. I quickly dug through the rest of the suitcase and clutched tiny shorts, tank tops, lacy bras, and silk strips that I assumed were panties of some kind, in both of my hands. “What the actual fuck?” I tossed the garments on the hotel bed and called the front desk.
“Yes, hello. This is Emery Pearson in room six eleven. I have somebody else’s luggage.” I pulled the suitcase closer and looked for a tag. Hidden on the bottom near one of the wheels was a name, address, and phone number. Madison Lautner from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “Has anybody turned in my bag?” I popped a piece of gum in my mouth while I waited for Thomas, the front desk concierge, to get back to me. I knew the answer was no before he confirmed my fears. I was a butch stuck in Mexico with clothes I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing. Plus, who wore a size four? College student? Christ. High school kid? I took a deep breath and called the number on the tag.
“Hello?” The voice that answered sounded agitated, but surprisingly sexy. My body tingled at the raspiness of it.
“Hi. Is this Madison Lautner from Milwaukee, Wisconsin?”
She cleared her throat before confirming. I wanted to ease her mind and not sound like a creeper, so I quickly told her why I was calling. “My name is Emery Pearson and I have your luggage. Please tell me you’re in Mexico and here at the Sunset Plaza.”
“Oh, my God, yes! And I have your luggage. I must have grabbed it when I got off the shuttle.”
I breathed out a sigh of relief. I couldn’t imagine living the next four days wearing hotel branded T-shirts and polos with board shorts. Style was everything to me. When I looked good, I felt good, and my confidence was sky high. I didn’t have to try very hard to find women. They sought me.
“Do you want to meet me in the lobby or do you want me to just drop it off at your room? I mean, just as a convenience thing.” I was starting to sweat. Just this woman’s voice had me flustered.
“That’s great. I’m on the fifth floor. Room five twelve.”
“I’ll be right there.” I tried to fold the clothes back up and place them nicely in the suitcase so she didn’t think a Neanderthal had rifled through her stuff, but it was hard to fold petite things. My clothes were simple. Three folds and done. T-shirts, dress shirts, khakis, shorts. I zipped up her suitcase and rolled it to the elevator. I was dying to get out of my travel clothes and slip into something more comfortable and not as hot. I rubbed my hands down the front of my pants and shirt when I found five twelve. I was wrinkled, but I still looked good. I softly knocked on the door. When it opened, I almost gasped. Madison Lautner was a knockout. A true beauty. Long brown hair, dark bedroom eyes. She relaxed when she saw her bag right behind me.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am that you are here.” She stood back and allowed me entry into her room. I raised my eyebrow at her and walked into her suite. It was larger and nicer than mine, but I had an ocean view with my balcony; her balcony faced the parking lot below.
“I opened your suitcase only because I thought it was mine. I’m sorry if I’ve messed it up.” It would have been obvious that I rummaged through it, so I thought it best to confess now.
She smirked and cocked her head at me. “Oh, I opened yours, too.”
I gave her a slow, contemplative nod. There was a reason I checked my bag instead of carrying it on the plane. TSA rules states that anything seven inches or longer could be considered a weapon, so my strap-ons were tucked along the inside edge of my suitcase and always checked. From the look on her face, she had found them. I had the decency to blush.
“Hopefully, you didn’t find anything too offensive.” I played the casual card even though my heart was hammering inside my chest. My hands started to sweat. I slid them into my front pockets and prayed I looked relaxed and confident.
“Oh, not offensive at all. Intriguing, actually.” She cocked her head and gave me a quick nod.
“Good to know.”
Madison unnerved me. She was so confident standing in front of me, hand on her hip, a smirk of a smile hinting at the corner of her mouth. She was a good eight inches shorter than my six-foot frame, and so petite.
“Nice room,” I said. “Tons of space. And an office. Interesting.”
“I’m the keynote at a conference that starts tomorrow. I’m going to need all this space to prep for it.”
I watched her wheel her suitcase over to her closet. My jaw dropped open when I saw the three bags already stashed inside.
“How many months are you staying here?”
She laughed and pushed the suitcase inside. I tried hard not to stare at her firm ass as she bent over to shove the luggage under her hanging clothes, but she was only about ten feet away and that dress left very little to my imagination. I doubted she was wearing anything underneath.
“Two of the suitcases are just materials to pass out at the conference. One is strictly conference clothes. You had my ‘fun’ bag.”
“And you had my ‘everything’ bag. I was so afraid I was going to have to wear souvenir T-shirts and swim shorts the rest of my time here.”
She laughed again, closed the closet, and faced me. Her brown eyes narrowed as she openly appraised me. “Well, Emery Pearson, why don’t you let me buy you a drink for saving this damsel in distress.”
“You don’t have to, but I would love to see you later, after I’ve had a chance to look presentable.” I brushed my hair off my forehead. I needed a shower and fresh clothes. Traveling always wore me down.
“Want to meet downstairs in the lobby around six? I have to meet with my team at seven, but I could go for a good, stiff drink and whatever before I have to work.”
She was charming and definitely the kind of woman who got what she wanted. I was interested, and from the way she was smiling and the slight, quick quirk of her eyebrow, she was, too.
“Sounds great. I’ll see you soon.” I casually walked out of her room with my bag in tow and forced myself not to look back before I shut the door. Let the games begin, I thought and stifled a shiver as I thought about Madison Lautner bent over in front of me, only this time my hands were on her hips and her flower printed sundress was bunched up around her waist.
***
“You strike me as a bourbon kind of woman.”
I turned and was handed a glass filled with brown liquid that smelled spicy and expensive. Madison wore the same dress I’d met her in, but her long brown hair was piled on top of her head. Our fingers touched when she transferred the drink to me and her fingers stroked mine for a moment.
I took a sip and smiled when the familiar taste of vanilla and oak coated my tongue. I held it there with appreciation before I swallowed.
“Kentucky bourbon never disappoints,” I said.
She tipped her glass toward mine and clinked it softly. A slight red smudge of her red lipstick stained the side of the glass. The color matched her nails and the red flowers in her dress. I leaned closer to her, the
heat of the bourbon ribboning through my body and boosting my confidence.
“I’m going to need this to power through my boring meeting in an hour,” she said.
“Who comes to Mexico to actually work?” She had my undivided attention. I watched as she took another sip and ran her tongue over her bottom lip after she set the glass down at the bar.
“Since it’s my company and we’re hosting the conference, I got to pick the place, and what better place than Mexico for sunshine and tequila galore? I only have three presentations, then my part is done.”
“Then back home to cold Milwaukee, Wisconsin?” I was surprised my glass was already empty. I needed to pace myself. It was only a few minutes after six, and if I continued to drink this heavily, I would be asleep by eight.
“Oh, no. One does not schedule a conference and not take a few days off after it’s done. How long are you here for?”
I watched her swirl the last sip of her bourbon, mesmerized by her gracefulness and control. “I head back on Thursday. I needed to get away from the job for a few days and just chill out.” Madison didn’t need to know that I was ordered to take a vacation by my boss.
“What do you do for a living?” Madison was genuinely interested in me. Most women didn’t do small talk with me. We both knew what we wanted. Her questions were refreshing.
“I’m a fire investigator, recently promoted, and just finished up with an intense case, so the boss sent me here to relax.”
“Well, I like your boss a lot. I’m glad you’re here. I thought I was going to be bored.” She placed her hand on my forearm and softly stroked my skin. My body temperature spiked a few degrees.
“So am I. Remind me to thank him,” I said. I signaled for another drink even though I told myself to slow down.
“Tell me what you’re going to do here until then, Emery.” Her breathy voice sent tingles across my body.
“I’m going to sit by the pool during the day, walk the beach at night, and maybe spend my evenings having drinks with beautiful women.”
She looked around the bar.
“Looks like you’re going to have your hands full this week. I see a lot of beautiful women.” She slowly sipped her bourbon.
“I’m partial to a beautiful woman sitting at the bar right in front of me. Smart, sexy, and wearing a very, very pretty dress.” I looked down at her dress, but my gaze didn’t leave her cleavage.
“It’s new, and I like the attention I’m getting with it.”
I had the decency to meet her gaze. My peripheral vision was spot-on, though. I couldn’t wait to run my fingertip along the neckline. Her creamy skin was flawless. Somebody bumped my elbow and apologized. I looked up in surprise and noticed the bar activity had picked up. I hadn’t noticed until just now.
“How about we conquer two of your goals right now? Want to go for a walk?” She, too, signaled for another bourbon.
We grabbed our drinks and headed down to the beach. She curled her arm around my elbow as I escorted her down the stairs. “The bad thing about Milwaukee is that I could never have this view. Or this perfect weather in early spring.”
She stopped for a minute to soak in the view. The ocean was calm and warm, and frothed around our toes. The beach was empty, but I knew it would fill up closer to sunset. I turned to stare at her profile. A few wisps of her hair blew across her face. She looked young and vulnerable standing in front of the ocean. Her large brown eyes stared out at the vastness ahead of us. She appeared lost in thought, but she knew I was watching her. I brushed the hair away from her cheek and tucked it behind her ear.
She smiled and turned to me. “Every time I stand in front of the ocean I wonder why I go back home.”
I took the glass from her hand and put it next to mine, already tucked into the sand. I tilted her chin up so that I could look into her eyes and pulled her closer. She relaxed into me. I didn’t waste time. I captured her lips in a kiss that was gentle at first. I felt the tip of her tongue brush across my bottom lip and gently suck it. It took me by surprise. I expected sweet kisses until we got comfortable with one another, but our chemistry ignited immediately and it was only seconds before we both were moaning. I slipped one hand behind her neck and the other around her waist. My heart thumped heavily in my chest as her breasts pressed against mine. It took great effort to pull away from her.
“As nice as this is, you’re due back up at the hotel in…” I paused at looked at my watch. “Twenty-four minutes.”
“That gives us twenty minutes. I can see the hotel from here.” She thumbed behind her, but her eyes never left mine.
I spread out my hands signaling our lack of privacy and looked around. “I like to take my time with beautiful women.”
“Ah, the one thing we don’t have a lot of,” she said. She laced her fingers with mine and walked me over to a pop-up cabana that was closer to the hotel than I was comfortable with, but offered some privacy as a cluster of palm trees leaned over it. She kissed me before pushing me down on the wicker chaise. The thin weatherproof mattress wasn’t entirely comfortable, but I forgot about my own comfort when Madison pulled up her dress to mid-thigh and straddled my lap. She glanced at my watch before pulling my arms around her waist. “Emery, what can we do in eighteen minutes?”
My hips automatically jutted up and I was rewarded with a soft moan. Madison bit her bottom lip and smiled seductively at me.
“We don’t have enough time for anything,” I said. Even I didn’t believe it.
She nodded confidently and leaned down to kiss me. My hands slid up her smooth thighs and rested near her ass. Suspicions confirmed. She wasn’t wearing anything underneath her dress. I ran my thumbs along the inside of her thighs and almost smiled when I felt her legs spread farther apart to accommodate my strokes. I felt the heat from her core and knew she was wet just from her pressing against my crotch. She broke the kiss and leaned up while pushing me back on the lounge chair.
“Touch me.”
Her voice was a gravelly whisper and I felt my body explode with the excitement of what was about to happen.
“I am.”
She cocked her head at me and looked down at my hands upon her thighs.
“You can do better than that.”
I slipped my hands under her dress and stroked the velvet-soft folds that were swollen and slick with need. She moaned when my fingers teased her slit. I watched her eyes narrow with desire. She licked her lips several times before leaning down and kissing me hard. Her fingers locked behind my neck and her nails dug into my scalp. It was a pleasurable pain; one that revved up my need several notches.
“Fuck me.” She growled against my mouth and bit my bottom lip in desire.
Those were the words I wanted to hear. I wrapped one arm across her back to hold her close to me and slipped two fingers inside her. The delicious moans along with the tightness of her pussy made me forget about everything but her. I didn’t care who could see us or hear us, or even where we were. She moved seductively, skillfully, and confidently against my hand. I knew I should have packed. I was regretting that decision with every thrust of my hand. I knew my strap-on would have given her more pleasure, and I would have the freedom to touch her everywhere else. I would correct that mistake the rest of my trip. Madison was a woman who surprised me, and I was going to be prepared. I didn’t have to hold her in place, so I slid my hand up and wrapped my fingers in her long brown hair that had worked its way free from the confined twist.
“Oh, yes. Right there, Emery. Faster.”
I had to switch positions. I couldn’t control our fucking with her on top, so I pushed myself up and twisted us so that she was beneath me. Now I had the control.
“Is this what you want?” I fucked her so fast and hard that all she could do was open her mouth and nod. A rosy flush spread across her pale skin, across her cleavage, and up her neck. She was beautiful and fully embraced her pleasure. I felt her legs tremble and I knew she was close to orgasming. I wanted to slo
w down and build her up again, but she was pressed for time. I would make it up to her later. She lifted her hips and came hard and loudly. I wanted to ensure our discretion, but I couldn’t take my eyes off her. When I felt her relax, I slipped out of her and leaned back. “You are amazing.”
She crossed her arm over her eyes for a few moments and steadied her breathing before responding to me.
“That was all you.”
I cocked my head and gave her a sheepish grin.
“It was both of us.”
“I hate to leave, but I need to meet my employees.” She looked at my watch and sighed. “I’ll see you again?”
“Anytime you want.” I helped her up and watched as she smoothed down her dress and twisted her long hair back into a bun that rested on her neck. Gone was the passionate woman who just came in my arms. Her cheeks were still flushed and her eyes sparkled with our secret, but she had a job to do now, and I had to clean up.
“See you around.” She placed her hand against my chest, just below my collarbone and kissed my lips softly.
I watched the soft sway of her feminine body as she walked gracefully out of the cabana, casually, calmly, as if she wasn’t just thoroughly fucked. I took a moment to collect myself and straighten out my own clothes, and headed up to the hotel, thirty seconds behind her.
***
Dinner was room service and a quick nap. It was nine o’clock and I couldn’t imagine Madison would still be around, but I decided to head to the bar just in case. I adjusted my strap-on before I left my room and moaned when it pressed tightly against my clit. I was still swollen from earlier, but I didn’t want self-gratification. I wanted Madison. I wanted to come buried deep inside her, so I resisted touching myself and hoped to see her again.
A handful of people hung out at the bar, but there was no sign of the beautiful dark-haired woman in the flower dress. My heart sank. I ordered a gin and tonic and sat back to soak in the ambience. I wondered how many people were there for the conference, how many people would see Madison’s presentations. How many of those people wanted to fuck her and how many actually would.
