by Rexi Lake
“Please, sweetie. I wasn’t born yesterday. You were eyeing him like a candy cane last time and now you can barely stay in the same room as him without getting all hot under the collar.” Lola punched into the dough. “You can’t fool me here.”
“I’m not trying to fool anyone,” Olivia argued. “I have no intentions toward that man in any way.”
“Oh, Livy,” Lola gave her a sad look. “Are you trying to fool yourself?”
Olivia huffed and rolled her eyes. “Look, I’m not saying he doesn’t have a good look. But other than maybe a night of fun, he’s not my type.”
Lola grinned wickedly. “A night of fun?”
“Ugh!” Olivia groaned. “I’m going to take a short break before we start getting lunchers.”
“Okay, sweetie. I have to let this dough rest a bit anyway.” Lola went to the big industrial sinks to wash her arms while Olivia headed to the back hall and the small room that served as both office and break room. There was a beaten up loveseat and a desk that barely fit, but it worked.
“Running away, Red?” The voice behind her had her shivering.
“Not a chance,” she tossed over her shoulder, continuing into the small room.
He followed. She felt it. The heat of him was warming her back and even though he hadn’t touched her, she could feel the strength in his presence.
“Customers aren’t allowed back here,” she said, repeating her earlier comment.
“You forget, Red,” he said, closing the door to the room behind them, “I’m not just a customer.”
She spun around to tell him off, but the second they were face to face, she found herself lost for words. She’d stood near him before, but somehow, from this angle, he seemed bigger. She looked up into his face and found herself held prisoner by bright blue eyes that were sparking with need.
“Tell me right now if you don’t feel this pull between us,” he murmured. His hands settled on her hips, spanning almost her entire waist as he pulled her flush against his body. “Tell me and I’ll stop and walk away.”
She shook her head. Instead of answering aloud, she reached her hands into his hair and pulled his lips to hers in a hard, bruising kiss. She had control for a split second before he took it from her. He spun her around and pushed her against the door. She barely grasped what he was doing before her shirt was pulled up and one of his hands was roughly fondling her breast through her bra.
His lips pushed against hers, opening her mouth wide for his tongue to sink in and tangle with hers. It was hard and rough. There was no finesse, only base needs and desires being appeased. His teeth bit at her bottom lip, pulling hard.
She bit back a scream as he pinched her nipple and twisted it, sending a rush of desire shooting straight to her pussy and soaking her thong. Her hands left his hair and she tore at his shirt, anxious to feel those hard, corded muscles against her skin.
Fuck me. She blinked as he stepped back long enough to pull her shirt over her head and then his as well.
“Oh, I’m planning to, Red,” he said with a grin.
Oops! She hadn’t meant to say it aloud, but she wasn’t about to take it back either.
“Tell me you have a condom,” she said. Her hands went to the button of her jeans.
He pulled a foil packet from his back pocket. “I’m always prepared,” he answered.
She smirked. “I just bet you are. But are you worth it?” she asked, her gaze immediately dropping to his crotch.
“Why don’t you get on those knees and put that sassy mouth to better use?” he countered.
She arched a brow and looked back up at his face. “Show me,” she demanded.
He tossed the condom onto the desk beside them and then followed her command.
Her mouth watered as he pushed his jeans down and pulled out his cock. It was thick. She’d need both her hands to wrap around it. And long. At least eight inches, maybe more. Already it glistened at the tip with beads of precum.
She dropped to her knees in front of him and licked her lips. “Let’s see if you taste sweeter than your attitude,” she said. She opened her mouth and took as much of him as she could handle. Her tongue danced on the underside of his cock, teasing that spot just below the head.
“Fuck, yeah, Red.” He fisted her ponytail in one hand and held the base of his cock with the other. “Take me in.” He pulled her back and pushed her head back down. She originally thought to fight for control back, but one glance up into his fierce expression and she melted.
She’d always been in control of her sexual encounters. Teasing and taunting men until she had them right where she wanted. But this guy had no intentions of letting her have the control and her body seemed perfectly okay with that as it relaxed and she let him fuck her mouth.
“Play with your tits, Red. Let me see them.” He growled at her.
She let go of his thighs where she’d been holding on, and undid the clasp of her bra. The fabric fell away and she moved her hands up and cupped her breasts, holding them up for a moment before she pinched her nipples and rolled them between her thumbs and fingers. She moaned around the thick cock that still filled her mouth. Her gaze wavered as pins of pleasure pierced her nipples and arrowed straight to the point between her legs.
“That’s it; show me how you like to be fucked,” he instructed.
Her body tightened at his words and her pussy ached to be filled. She needed him to fuck her. Her eyes glossed over as he kept their gazes locked together and he tightened his fist in her hair. She tasted the precum as it leaked from his cock onto her tongue. It was tangy, but with a slight sweetness. And he smelled like apples. She doubted he wore perfume, but other than when Lola baked some kind of apple pastry, she’d never smelled such a sweetness so strong before. She hummed in appreciation, her movements faltering slightly as she felt the wash of pleasure that led her deeper into desire.
Chapter Five
Tucker groaned at the sight before him. Olivia on her knees was as captivating as her bent over a table. Those full red lips of hers wrapped around his cock and she took everything he fed her. Every inch he pushed into her mouth, she swallowed. He didn’t force himself into her throat. He didn’t know how she would handle that. And this wasn’t about just a hard fuck. This was about putting his stamp on this woman that had haunted his thoughts for three fucking days.
When she wavered, he knew she was right where he wanted her. He pulled her mouth from his cock and watched with appreciation as a string of spit still connected them. Damn, she’d gotten him nice and wet with that sassy mouth of hers. “On the couch, Red,” he demanded. He snagged the condom wrapper from the desk with one hand and helped her stand with the other.
When she was faced away from him, he reached around her waist and unsnapped her jeans for her. He pulled them to her knees and then pushed against the small of her back. “Bend over for me like you did that first day.”
She looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes hooded with desire and licked her lips. “You mean when I left you to clean up after yourself?” she asked.
“Yeah, baby. Let’s see if this ass looks as good as I think it will with my handprints all over it.”
She groaned low in her throat and her knees hit the cushions. Her hands went in front of her and she braced herself on the back of the small sofa.
“Fuck,” he muttered as she tilted just right for her ass to push back at him. It was full and round, when she leaned down he could see the clean-shaven pussy of hers dripping with desire. He tore the condom open and sheathed his cock as he stepped up behind her. “I’m not going slow,” he warned. His fist wrapped in her ponytail again, pulling her head back and around to look at him.
“Did I ask you too?” she taunted.
He pulled back his free hand and slapped her ass hard. She jumped and let out a harsh cry as a red mark blossomed on her skin. He gripped her hip and sunk his cock into her pussy with one sure thrust.
“Fuuuuck,” she moaned as he filled her.
“Damn are you tight, Red,” he said through gritted teeth. He’d not expected her to be so tight. She was like a velvet glove, gripping him in a wet heat that he swore he could feel straight through the condom.
“What happened to not going slow?” she asked, panting a little and twisting her hips.
He pulled on her hair and she groaned. He saw her wince for a brief moment before she sunk into the pain. Damn. His little spitfire had a thing for pain. Who would have thought?
He grinned and pulled harder. His hand left her hip and he wrapped it around her throat that was fully exposed to him. Carefully, he rested his forearm in front of her shoulder and used that point to leverage his thrusts. He pulled back and pushed in hard. “Is this what you want, Red?” He pulled back again and thrust in harder. He squeezed her throat gently, watching her as her eyes glazed over and her mouth opened on a low moan. He thrust again. And again. Each time he did, he flexed the hand at her throat. He kept the fist in her hair tight and her body bent into the perfect arch to display her to him.
“I bet you would love to be spanked until you came all over my cock. Wouldn’t you like that, Red?” He released her hair and slapped her ass on the other side. He felt the walls of her pussy jump and tighten on him as a gush of liquid lubricated his cock. “Damn, you would like that.” He grinned. “You’re a little bit of a pain slut, aren’t you?” he asked.
“Stop talking and fuck me,” she growled. Her bright green eyes were begging him to give her that little bit more that she needed.
He slapped her ass again and released her throat. He pushed her head down into the cushion and braced himself with one hand between her shoulder blades. “You asked for it, Red,” he warned.
He watched her fingers dig into the tattered fabric as she braced herself. Then he let go and fucked her with everything he had. He bottomed out inside her with every thrust. The head of his cock stroked against her channel, dragging back and forth with increasing friction. He felt her ass flatten against his abs as he continued at a furious and punishing pace. One hand dug into her hip as he pulled her back against each thrust. He could see the red marks from his handprints each time he pulled back and he felt a primal urge to mark her more.
He felt her start to shake beneath him and he watched as she bit into the cushion to hold back the sounds that were growing in volume. He knew she was close to coming and he wanted to send her over that edge. He pulled back and slapped her ass again just before he thrust deep.
She screamed into the cushion as her body shook. He felt her pussy clamp down on his cock as the vibrations of her body trembled through them both and her muscles milked him hard. He reached around her and grabbed one of her nipples, pinching it hard and making her scream again and ride another orgasm.
“Fuck, yes,” he grunted as his own release hit and he gripped her breast with bruising force.
It was long moments before their bodies stopped trembling and he lifted himself off of her. He stripped off and knotted the condom before wrapping it in a tissue and tossing it in the trash can. “Damn, Red,” he muttered, helping her to turn over and sit back.
She looked up at him with a smirk. “Not too bad yourself, apple man,” she replied.
He grinned. He pulled his jeans back into place and then crossed his arms. “Not too bad?” he asked, one brow rising in a mocking glare.
“That’s what I said,” she retorted. She pushed herself up from the couch and after just a brief moment where she wavered, she was steady enough to pull her own jeans back up and secure them. She stepped around him and grabbed her bra and shirt from the floor.
“You were saying a bit more than that a few moments ago,” Tucker countered, coming up behind her.
She finished getting redressed before she turned around. She pulled her ponytail out and fixed it with the ease and confidence of someone who did it often. “Just because you got one go at me, doesn’t mean you’ll get another,” she said. “But, maybe if you’re a little sweeter, I might give you a second chance to give me your best shot.”
“My best...?” he trailed off, his mouth dropping open in surprise. Then he caught the glint of mischief in her green eyes and he caught her by the waist to pull her against him.
She gasped, but he felt her melt too. Her mouth might say a whole hell of a lot, but her body was speaking the same language as his.
“Baby, if you decide you want to experience all the perks of being with me, then I’m going to need a lot more than ten minutes and a beaten up sofa to give you what you need.” He knew when the harsh whisper of his words registered. Her body trembled in that delicious way that told him she wanted what he could give her.
“I suggest that you let me go, since I need to get back to work,” she said.
He grinned, releasing her waist and patting her ass with just enough strength to make sure she felt the reminders he’d left her. “You’re trying real hard to be unaffected, baby. But I heard you screaming my name when you came. I bet you’ll scream it again tonight when you play with yourself.” He leveled his gaze at her as she twisted the door knob and then looked back at him. “I don’t think you’ll be reaching the same heights without me though.”
She huffed and rolled her eyes at him. Striding out of the room, her hips rocked like she was on a catwalk. But he knew she was feeling him still. Just as surely as he was feeling her. He snagged his shirt from the floor and pulled it over his head. When he looked out the door again, it was Lola winking at him from the far end. He grinned. At least he had someone on his side.
STEPPING DOWN FROM his truck two days later, Tucker wasn’t surprised to find himself face to face with Sister Mary Agnes. The former nun might not wear her robes anymore, but she still had one hell of a bite when it came to being a taskmaster.
“Tucker Hart!” she called to him from the sidewalk across the street.
“Sister,” he greeted. He grinned before crossing over to her.
“Pish. You know I don’t claim the title anymore.”
“Maybe not, but you still have the attitude,” Tuck countered.
She narrowed her eyes at him. For being a small thing, the woman was in many ways like his mother. She knew how to crack a ruler over a palm even without the instrument. Her sharp words and no-nonsense attitude had put many a person on the right path - at least when in her view.
“What can I do for you today?” Tucker asked.
“I heard you’ve been trying to keep company with Megan’s girl. Let me tell you something, Tucker, that girl needs someone who can be stable and grounded with her. Not wild. And not with an attitude that gets him in trouble.” She waved her finger at him.
His brow creased in confusion. “Sorry, Sister, but I’m not sure who you’re talking about.”
“Olivia!” she said sharply.
He considered jumping back, but it wouldn’t have done any good. He still got a sharp rap on his shoulder from her. At least he knew part of what she was saying now. He still had no idea who Megan was.
“Pay attention, boy. Now, as I was saying. Olivia needs someone who can let her take care of herself and encourage her to do it too. She’s got her high horse waiting if she succeeds, but that girl doesn’t need to go back to the kind of lifestyle she was living. She needs a real life. One with purpose.” Mary Agnes nodded with conviction. “You can’t do that, then you got no good reason to be around her. You hear me? You can have a good head on your shoulders, which I know your parents tried to give you, if you let go of your own issues.”
“My own issues?” He arched a brow.
“Pshaw, yes! You and that damn need to be important.”
His brows rose higher at her use of a swear word. He didn’t think he’d ever heard her use that word before. Or any swear word for that matter. Even the lighter ones.
“The only importance you have in this life is how you use it to help others. You don’t need accolades. You don’t need people to scrape and bow to you. If you’d stop walking into those uppi
ty places expecting to be treated like a savior, you’d start feeling a whole lot better about yourself.” She crossed her arms and stared at him, waiting for some sort of response.
“Uh,” he fumbled to figure out what exactly she wanted from him. “I’ll try to be better?” he guessed.
“Hrmph.” She eyed him with uncertainty. “Mark my words, Tucker. I’ve told you to stop seeking their approval before. I’ll say it again too. You want to walk through the front doors like a celebrity, then you go find a route to put you there. But when you walk through the back doors with respect for yourself and ready to serve others to the best of your ability, that is when you have more worth.”
Tucker nodded, hoping the response was enough for the older woman. He’d heard it from her plenty of times. It never really stuck. He still hated it when the chefs he delivered to treated him like a servant instead of respecting him - even basic respect for being a human being would be nice.
“Olivia needs someone who is worth more than money and status. She just doesn’t know it yet.”
“Are you matchmaking or warning me away?” Tucker asked. One thing about former Sister Mary Agnes was that she could talk riddles around a person. Between doling out random life lessons, scripture verses, and the occasional - or in his case, not so occasional - rebuke, it was difficult to keep up with her train of thought at times.
She smiled at him. “Both.” She turned to continue walking away from the Bad Apple. “Oh, one last thing,” she said, turning back to him. “You may need to bring an extra delivery down for the cafe. I hear the baking lessons aren’t going so well.”
Tucker grimaced. That didn’t sound so good. He was sure Lola was trying her best, but if Olivia didn’t have the patience or the skills, baking might not be for her.
Chapter Six
Oh, fuck. Olivia coughed as she tried to wave away the smoke filtering in the air of the cafe. She’d done it again. Seriously, how was it possible to continue to burn pies when all she was doing was setting a timer and then pulling them out? She wasn’t even the one making them.
