by Golden Angel
Fortunately, the woman in question had been very understanding and they'd had a great night together being each other's wingman.
"I still think that's a terrible idea," Andrew grumped. Sharon couldn't help but smile at him. Ever since he and Kate had gotten back together she'd gotten to spend a lot of time with both of them, and Andrew had started acting like the protective big brother she'd never had. In return, she freaking adored him and did her best to get on his nerves as often as possible.
"What? You should know better than anyone that exes can still work out," she teased.
"Not you two," Andrew said immediately. "That man is a Daddy Dom, and no matter how bratty you are, you're not a babygirl."
"Too true," she said with a sigh. That, in essence, had been exactly why she and Brian had broken up. Sharon liked to be a brat and she liked to be coddled, but when it came down to it, she and Brian just didn't click on all the levels they needed to for them both to be satisfied. He would have always felt like there was something more that he needed, and she would have been unhappy if she'd tried to provide it.
Heck, she had tried and found that it wasn't for her. Even calling him 'Daddy' had given her the willies. She had enough real Daddy issues, having another man acting as a 'daddy' hadn't been sexy to her even though she'd wanted it to be. It had sounded great on paper, but just hadn't worked for her.
Still, she liked Brian. He'd be a great date and he would be understanding about her parents. Even if they weren't together, he would coddle her, and she could use that during family functions. But she was pretty sure he was interested in the submissive he'd been talking to last night, Rae, and if that was the case she didn't want to mess that up for him.
If she asked him, he'd say yes, as a friend... But would a potential girlfriend understand that? That was what had kept her from approaching him last night, she figured she still had some time. Maybe she could find someone else.
Jake could go...
Terrible idea, party of one. Talk about a disaster in the making.
"Why don't you see if Jake could go with you?" Andrew asked. "He's single."
"Seriously?" Sharon gave him a look, a little unnerved that he’d just echoed her thought. "He'd probably spend the entire time agreeing with my parents about all my faults. Even if he did say yes and didn't just laugh in my face. I don't just want a body there to divert their attention, I also want some support."
Plus, there was no faster way to ruin something casual or kill the chemistry than spending an entire weekend together with her family. Although, maybe if she was getting sick of him in a few weeks that would be a good way to end it...
"We'll find you someone," Kate said firmly. "I'll go with you if I need to. You are not going alone." Although Kate had only met Sharon's parents once, she had not been left with a good impression of them. Or, that is to say, she'd gotten the exact right impression of who they were, and she had not been impressed.
It was part of why Sharon liked her so much. Still though...
"I'm not sure that's a good idea," she muttered. "I'm pretty sure you're the reason my parents thought I was a lesbian."
"Well, we do have good chemistry," Kate said blowing her a kiss. "Now let's look at some more dresses."
"No ruffles. And nothing that's going to make me look like a sausage squeezed into a casing," Sharon admonished.
Rolling her eyes, Kate flipped open the magazine. "Like I would do that to you."
Chapter 3
Downing half a bottle of water in one gulp, Jake wiped the sweat off of his forehead as he looked up at the tiling he'd just finished. The office building he and his crew were remodeling had a penthouse apartment above the office spaces and would be fully outfitted for someone to live there. Honestly, Jake couldn't imagine.
He'd been pretty miserable at his desk job and the idea of sleeping at the office just made him want to run screaming.
On the other hand, it was a really nice apartment. He'd just finished up tiling the walk-in shower; it was now a soft grey color set in a herringbone pattern with white trim. The shower had jets that would shoot water out of the wall, about which Jake was admittedly curious. He'd never been in any shower like that.
Considering where some of those jets could be directed...
The image of Sharon, naked, standing in front of one as water cascaded over her clit while he pounded into her from behind filled his mind.
Fuck yeah.
Maybe that's why the apartment was so nice. A really nice apartment could add a little motivation for staying late and staying overnight at work. It was a sexy apartment. Or maybe that's just where his head was at because of Sharon.
Walking out of the bathroom and over to the bedroom windows, he looked out into the city. The windows were tinted so that no one could see in, but he could see everyone out there. It didn't feel like he was completely invisible to all of them, even though he knew it intellectually.
Sharon up against these windows would be pretty great too...
Yeah, he was not going to be able to get his mind out of the gutter until he finally saw her again tonight. Then he'd be able to wallow in the gutter to his heart's content.
Well, 'heart' might be the wrong organ...
His mouth quirked into a smile and he pulled his phone out of his pocket to send a text.
Jake: What are you wearing?
It took less than a minute for his phone to beep with a return text, he hadn't even finished packing up his tools.
Sharon: Leggings and a t-shirt. What are you wearing?
Jake: Jeans and a t-shirt. I'm on a job site. Got any underwear on?
Sharon: I guess you'll find out later... are you all hot and sweaty?
He couldn't help but chuckle at how quickly she'd turned the text around on him. She was what Patrick and the others called a 'brat.' Although he hadn't done a ton of sexy texting before, he couldn't remember any other woman ever jumping right into wanting to know what he had on and asking him more questions than she answered.
There was something fun about it.
Jake: Definitely. Just finished tiling a bathroom.
Sharon: Ooo, let me see!
Jake: Me or the bathroom?
Sharon: I was talking about you, but I'm not opposed to looking at a good bathroom reno either.
He laughed out loud.
Okay, so she was crude sometimes, too attention-needy, and way too chaotic... but she could also be entertaining as hell.
Jake: Send me a picture of what you're wearing tonight and I'll send you a pic of both.
Sharon: Can't right now, other people around ;) But I can tell you that I'm planning to wear a slutty red dress and some high heels.
Usually, the fact that she would call her own wardrobe slutty would grate on Jake's nerves, but right now... He'd seen her at Stronghold a few times wearing a red dress that had given him a few fantasies peeling it off of her.
Jake: The one you wore last month?
Packing up the last of his stuff, he walked out into the main room of the suite where several other members of his team were working on the kitchen.
"Aren't you slackers done yet?" he asked, teasing.
"Quality work takes time," Gustavo shot back at him, carefully lining up the backsplash tile with the previous pieces that had been taken down. He chuckled. "Not that you'd know anything about that."
"Nah, Gustavo's just slow," Vinnie said as he finished laying the last of the floor tile. Standing to his feet, he dusted off his hands, a look of satisfaction on his swarthy face. He was the head of the team, about fifty years old, and thoroughly enjoyed his job. Jake liked working under him a lot. "I'm done."
"It's not a race, fuckers," Gustavo muttered as Vinnie held up his hand for Jake to high-five, making both of them laugh.
Jake's phone buzzed again. Since he knew they were about to break for lunch - and neither Vinnie nor Gustavo needed help - he didn't feel bad about checking it in front of his supervisor while Vinnie packed up his
tools.
Sharon: Yeah that one.
Jake: Wear it with black strappy shoes and stockings and garters.
Sharon: Bossy. I thought you weren't a Dom =P
Jake: I'm not. I just know what I like.
Sharon: Well I guess we'll find out whether or not I'm a good girl or a bad girl tonight ;)
"Oooo, look at that smile. Who are you texting Jake?" asked Gustavo, laughing.
"Must be a new lady," Vinnie said, joining in the teasing.
"Wouldn't you like to know." Still, he couldn't stop grinning as he shoved his phone back into his pocket.
Predictably, as soon as the rest of the team gathered for lunch, Gustavo and Vinnie immediately told them about Jake's hypothetical new woman, which meant he spent most of the meal dodging questions and trying to change the subject. He didn't mind at all. The entire time he had a picture in his head of Sharon dressed exactly how he'd requested.
Heck, if she didn't... Well, she was a submissive. Maybe he'd experiment a little with administering a spanking. He didn't object to smacking her luscious ass a little, even if he couldn't see himself putting her over his knee to do it. There were plenty of other options.
******
The decision to meet potential new roommates at a coffee shop near her work rather than at the apartment itself had d been the right one. Kate had insisted, and Sharon had agreed. She'd been pretty lucky in LA when Kate had been the second person to apply, and Sharon had taken to her right away, but having people come directly to the apartment was not super safe or smart. So, she was doing what Kate had told her to do and conducting the interviews in public spaces.
After two in a row this afternoon, she was glad she'd decided to do so. Applicant number one had been nice enough; a young newly divorced woman, although Sharon didn't think she'd be accepting the woman's application. While she had been nice, they hadn't really clicked.
Since Sharon could afford to be choosy, she wanted to click with whomever she found. Actually, she would have wanted that regardless, but she was lucky enough to be able to hold out until she got what she wanted.
Number two had been an absolute hell to the no.
‘Drama queen’ didn't even begin to cover it. And not in the fun drama queen kind of way that Sharon lived her life, but an actual drama queen who was sure the entire world was against her. Sharon appreciated a person's need for attention, she even appreciated that sometimes negative attention could be more satisfying than positive attention, but she couldn't have a roommate who thrived on being miserable.
Nope. Debbie downers not allowed. Just drinking one coffee with the woman had been enough to make Sharon feel drained.
Fortunately, Grumpy Captain America had come to the rescue when he decided to be Flirty Captain America via text message, so her day was starting to look up a bit.
As if on cue, her phone buzzed.
Jake: Wear it with black strappy shoes and stockings and garters.
She couldn't help but raise her eyebrows at the order - because it was definitely phrased as an order and not a request. Which, of course, got her engine going. There was a reason she kept going back to Stronghold even though she hadn't found a Dom that she meshed with yet.
A little smile played on her lips as her fingers swiped over the phone screen.
Sharon: Bossy. I thought you weren't a Dom =P
That was one of Jake's big things. He hung out at Stronghold, he watched scenes at Stronghold, and she now knew he was pretty bossy in the bedroom, but he was also adamant that he wasn't into BDSM. Why he was such a stickler on that point she had no idea, but he was.
Her phone buzzed again.
Jake: I'm not. I just know what I like.
Sharon: Well I guess we'll find out whether or not I'm a good girl or a bad girl tonight ;)
Smirking, she dropped her phone back into her purse and drank the last dregs of her coffee. She needed to get back to work.
Unsurprisingly, Jake didn't text again. No threats about what he would do if she was a bad girl... or what rewards he would give her for being a good one. None of the responses she would expect if he were a Dom. She didn't know if that was disappointing or refreshing.
Then again, it wasn't like they were trying to build a real relationship here.
Fuck buddies. It was going to be a little weird being fuck buddies with someone she hung out with on occasion, but it wasn't like they hung out to see each other. They were just hanging out with mutual friends.
Which was also why she wasn't going to invite him to her cousin's wedding, like Andrew had suggested. It would just be too weird.
As she walked up the street, Sharon mused which would be harder... finding a roommate or finding a date for the wedding.
******
Hello, beautiful.
She'd worn the shoes. They went really nicely with the very short, very tight, very low-cut, very red dress she was wearing. Jake grinned as he stepped back, opening the door wider so she could saunter into his apartment. She was eyeballing him as well.
Unlike her, he hadn't dressed up. He was comfortably dressed in his favorite pair of jeans, which were well-worn to the point of being soft and hung low on his hips. He'd been told by more than one woman that they looked hot on him.
"Really?" Sharon asked, her dark eyes lingering on his chest even as she shook her head at him. "I got all dressed up and you're not even half dressed."
Grinning, he ran his hand down his front, right where she was looking. "I'm pretty sure you like looking at me half-dressed. I know I like looking at you all dressed up like that."
Her black hair was like an ebony cloud around her shoulders, brushing over her bare skin. The way she was standing, one hip popped, her legs slightly spread apart, was both confrontational and sexy. Her purse hung down by her side, her other hand on her hip as she pursed bright red lips at him. The color matched her dress.
Jake couldn't wait to find out if she was wearing matching panties... Or, better yet, no panties at all.
"Can I get you something to drink?" he asked.
She rolled her eyes at him. "Not why I'm here, Jakie-poo."
Immediately he scowled. "Don't call me that."
Only his sister called him that, and only when she wasn't within arm's reach or when she had Patrick to hide behind. And his mom, when she was feeling particularly nostalgic. Sharon just smirked at him, completely unthreatened.
"Brat," he said, his voice a low growl. Jake stepped forward. Not threateningly exactly, but even when she was in heels he was so much taller than her that he couldn't help but loom when he was close. Her eyes widened. Not with fear - with excitement. Interest. Anticipation.
His eyes dropped down to her breasts. The dress plumped them up and pressed them together; otherwise, he'd probably have a view straight down to her navel. The tightly fitted fabric did nothing to hide her nipples, which were now visibly hard. Sharon backed up slightly, tilting her chin up at him almost defiantly even as her sharp intake of breath made her breasts heave, and almost immediately ran into the wall behind her.
Her gaze darted to either side of them and her tongue flicked out to lick her lower lip nervously as Jake grinned down at her. Trapped. But in a good way. A sexy way. A way she was obviously enjoying greatly if the way her pupils immediately dilated was any indication.
Moving even closer, so that there was less than an inch of space between them, Jake dipped down like he was going to kiss her. Her lips parted. Her head tilted back, resting against the wall.
Instead, he took her purse from her fingers and stepped back.
"We can leave this here," he said, moving into his apartment so he could set it down on the couch.
"You..." Sharon sputtered behind him, making his grin widen. "You tease!"
Smack!
The swat to his ass didn't hurt - at all - and probably wouldn't have even if he hadn't been wearing jeans, but it shocked the hell out of him. He dropped her purse on the couch as he whirled around to face her.
Now she was standing with both hands on her hips, her dark eyes narrowed at him.
"Did you just spank me?" It wasn't so much a question as an outraged demand for confirmation that that had really just happened.
"Yup." She drawled out the word, ending with a little popping noise on the 'p,' looking supremely satisfied with herself. "Whatcha gonna do about it?"
******
Sharon squealed as six feet of hard muscle moved faster than she could have imagined and tossed her over his shoulder like she weighed nothing. Granted, she was pretty petite, but she was also pretty curvy, so it wasn't like all men could pull off such a maneuver so easily.
Well hello, Captain Caveman!
It wasn't a comfortable position, exactly, but it was sexy as hell. At least, to her.
Jake didn't bother to stop and lay out the consequences of her actions. He didn't remind her of the 'rules' they'd agreed to (since they hadn't agreed to any). He didn't call her an unmanageable brat and storm out. Or tell her she wasn't a real sub and look at her with disgust. Or...
Can you get the fuck out of your own head and just enjoy the moment, fuckwit?
Hashtag priorities.
"This is more like it," she said to his bare back, running her hands over the flexing muscles as he moved down the hallway toward his bedroom. She shoved her hands into his jeans. Just to check if he was wearing any boxers or briefs or if he was going commando.
Commando it was.
So, they had that in common.
He bounced her on his shoulder and she made a small 'oof' noise.
"Do you have to be such a pain in the ass?" he asked, shouldering his door open and sounding a little exasperated. Not that his exasperation made him any less interested in banging her brains out that she could tell. He hadn't even told her to get her hands off his ass. She gave the firm cheeks a good squeeze while she was down there.
"Are you telling me this hurts?" she asked innocently, pretending to take his words literally.
Jake made that sexy growling noise again and then her hands were yanked away from his butt as she flew through the air, landing with a bounce on the bed. Her skirt wasn't flowy, but it was very tight, and all the movement and her slightly spread legs had it riding up far enough to show off her garters and stockings. Like a homing beacon, his eyes dropped down to enjoy the view, and she swore they turned even brighter blue.
