The Player's Game

by Alice Gaines

  “Not right now. I’m good.” She curled herself around him, throwing an arm across his ribs. His answering chuckle reverberated in his chest, just below her ear.

  She’d brought her other surprise for Grant, and the room had its own toys. On the other hand, they’d have to get back to the team hotel early in the morning, and they ought to get some sleep. But for now, resting against him held the greatest appeal. She did, however, search out his shaft again and stroke her fingers over it. In the time he’d been working on her second orgasm, he’d become fully erect.

  “Thank you,” he said.

  “For what?”

  “Doing this.” He stroked her hair. Aimlessly, the same way she did his erection.

  “So far, I’ve had two orgasms to your one,” she said. “I should be thanking you.”

  “I know you’re going to make it up to me.”

  “Remember Xandra from upstairs?” she asked.

  “Now this is making sense. Did she put you up to this?”

  “She gave me some advice.”

  “And the oil and the vibrator, I’d guess,” Grant said.

  “She loaned me something else.”

  “I can’t wait to see what.”

  She rose from the bed and went to where she’d dropped her overnight bag. Partly because of the lingering effects of the peppermint oil and partly due to her latest orgasm, moving her legs together aroused her all over again. He hadn’t even entered her yet, and already she could hardly walk. Tonight would definitely rank up there with some of the best sex she’d ever had.

  She went into the bathroom to “change,” as silly as that seemed. The bright light bounced off the white tiles and brass fixtures, and the tub beckoned her. Maybe they’d soak there together when…if…they ever got through having sex. She took the bustier and panties out of her bag, stepping into the panties first. Sure enough, they left her crotch completely exposed. She had to struggle with the hooks on the bustier for a minute, but she finally had the thing in place.

  Going to the mirror, she studied her reflection. Her cheeks were flushed—maybe from arousal, but maybe from the rasp of Grant’s five o’clock shadow. Her inner thighs might well be the same color. Her eyes had the sleepy look of a woman already satisfied, and they hadn’t even shared the main event yet.

  The leather did amazing things for her figure, making her waist small and emphasizing all her curves. Grant would love it. And to make sure, she cupped her breasts and tugged at her nipples until they pointed stiffly out from the top of the bustier. That done, she went back into the bedroom.

  Grant sat up the moment he saw her. “Holy shit!”

  She held her hands out from her sides. “Like it?”

  “I think I’m going to give Xandra a gift certificate to an adult shop in thanks.”

  She went across the room to the shelf full of toys. A riding crop would fit with the outfit, so she picked one up and hit it against her palm. It stung a bit but nothing truly painful.

  “You left me alone last night.” She turned toward him and tapped the end of the crop against her outer thigh. “I wanted you to stay.”

  “You should have said something.”

  “I shouldn’t have to state my wishes. You’re required to know what they are and meet them.”

  “Am I?” He studied her, his fist wrapped around his shaft. It was growing darker as more blood rushed to it.

  “I’m wondering how I should punish you.”

  “A few whacks of that against my butt should get you the…um…result you’re looking for.”

  “Get up and bend over with your hands against the bed,” she ordered. Ordered. Who would have thought she’d get this far into roleplaying? She hadn’t planned on anything more than dressing up and having sex with him wearing this costume.

  He did as she’d demanded, his hands on the bed and his ass up in the air. She approached him from behind and tapped the inside of one of his legs and then the other. “Spread them.”

  He did that, too, and now she had his glorious ass up in the air. How many times had she admired it as she’d watched him on the field? Sure, the pads made it look firm, but Grant didn’t need enhancement for any part of his body. It was the best playground in the world, and for as long as this tour lasted, she’d get to enjoy it any time she wanted.

  She slapped the end of the riding crop against her palm again to make sure she wasn’t really going to hurt him. Nope, no real pain, just a pleasant tingle.

  “You’d better not enjoy this,” she said in her most threatening voice, which wasn’t very effective. He’d probably laugh. So, before he could so much as chuckle, she smacked his right buttock with the crop. It made a satisfying thwack.

  “I’ve been bad,” he said. “You’d better do that again.”

  So, she did, on the other buttock this time. Fairness and all. “Are you getting aroused, you filthy man?”

  “Not me. I’m afraid of you.”

  This had to be the funniest damned thing she’d ever seen or done. “You’d better be afraid. And if I find out you’re getting off on this, I’m going to be really angry.” She bent, reached around him, and found a massive erection. It practically pulsed against her palm. This play wouldn’t go on for long. Her sex still ached from the oil and the orgasms, and she was wet enough to take him now. In a little while, they’d come together. “I’m going to have to really punish you.”

  “Don’t hurt me.”

  He knew she wouldn’t, of course, but she hit him a few more times with the crop. Thwack, thwack, thwack. His butt cheeks turned a pleasant pink, but she’d stop before she caused any real pain. She reached around him to stroke him again, and he let out a low growl. If she kept this up, he’d climax for a second time, and even Grant couldn’t become erect three times within an hour.

  “Katy,” he said. “Oh, shit, now. Please.”

  She dropped the crop and climbed onto the bed, on her back with her legs spread for him.

  Looming over her, he glanced down at her crotch. “Those panties.”

  “Open. Just for you.”

  In seconds, he’d positioned himself between her thighs, and with a cry of victory, he thrust into her, as deep as he could possibly go.

  “You made me so hot,” he said. “Damn. I can’t stop.”

  “Don’t.”

  He moved like a man possessed. Deep, hard thrusts into her, nearly out, and then back in. The mattress shook with the force of his movements, and she wrapped her arms and legs around him to hold on. Her clitoris, which had never really stopped throbbing, came back to life. Each time he entered her, he rubbed against it. She could watch them coupling in the mirror beside the bed. Though she couldn’t see his sex penetrating hers as the porn had shown, she could observe the muscles of his ass bunching and relaxing to produce the delicious thrusts that gave them both so much pleasure. This was so much better than the video because it was real. It was Grant’s body knowing hers.

  This was total possession, and it went both ways. Yes, he was plundering her, demanding ownership of her body and spirit for these few moments. But she was also owning him just as fully. Neither could have denied the other anything. As her lust spiraled out of control, her sex responding to the friction against it, the realization lodged in Katy’s heart. Only Grant could give her passion so intense, and it seemed that she was the only one who could do the same for him.

  They were partners on this journey that would never truly end.

  Then her body took over, and nothing mattered except that he kept going. He pushed himself up with his fists pressed against the mattress on either side of her, working harder, faster to satisfy them both. She vaguely noted the light of passion in his eyes before she closed her own, concentrating on the sensation of having his sex in hers. Her spirit caught fire as she raised her hips to meet his thrusts. Just a little more…a
little…there and that and that…and she came apart. The orgasm started at the sweet place between her legs but rushed through every inch of her body. Her cries filled the room as her inner muscles gripped him rhythmically.

  As he climaxed, his entire body went rigid, and his voice joined hers in a primal duet. She could almost sense his release, as if she shared his orgasm. Not his and hers, but theirs.

  Even sex this superhuman had to end, and slowly, they returned to reality. The first thing she noticed was that her sex was dealing with aftershocks—still contracting softly as a reminder of what she’d just experienced. And then, she realized she was held down by the weight of Grant’s body.

  He never did this, claiming he didn’t want to crush her. He always rolled off immediately. Always. But this time, so different from other times she’d shared with him, she had the chance to savor his warmth and enjoy being skin to skin with him—everywhere.

  She turned her head to see the two of them in the mirror. They seemed to be one being, even breathing in rhythm with each other.

  After a few minutes, he eased himself onto his side, but he kept an arm around her, holding her close.

  “Still okay?” he asked without opening his eyes.

  “Wonderful. How could you doubt it?”

  “I was pretty rough with you.”

  “I’m not a porcelain doll. I won’t break.”

  “I’m a big guy, and you’re…well…Katy.”

  Katy, who was small and needed his constant protection—the way he always treated her, as if she were made of glass. Katy, who wouldn’t manage to put groceries in the fridge unless he provided them. At this tender moment, they could treat each other as fragile and vulnerable because they were, after such incredible sex. But he still hadn’t recognized her strength.

  “Are you all right?” she asked. “You were the one on the receiving end of the riding crop.”

  “Piece of cake. Like having your hand on me, but more intense.”

  “We should probably get some sleep if we’re going to sneak back into the team hotel before anyone realizes we were gone.”

  He stretched and groaned. “Sounds like a plan.”

  Katy sat up to get out of her outfit. The bustier had slid around during sex, and the front of the thing was now facing her side, allowing her breasts to hang out over the top. As she struggled with the hooks, Grant sat up and helped her. Soon they had it off, and it joined the random piles of clothing on the floor.

  “Wicked panties,” he said. “You should get some for yourself.”

  It was a logical thing for him to say—if they’d intended to stay together after this trip. And given his reaction to seeing her with another man in the elevator at Savvy, he couldn’t be suggesting she wear them for another man. He’d probably fallen into the old habit of talking like a husband…assuming they had a future together. It wasn’t worth starting a discussion over.

  A few minutes later, she and Grant were snuggled down between the sheets. It was a night she’d never forget.

  …

  Grant normally slept like the dead, especially after sex. And after the kind of lovemaking he’d had with Katy, he should have passed out long ago. The last orgasm had almost knocked him out cold for several seconds, only to wake up and find Katy squashed flat beneath him. He hadn’t slept since then, not even when Katy curled up next to him and drifted off.

  It would appear that what they’d experienced hadn’t made her question all her assumptions about sex, the way it had him. It sure didn’t look as if she was questioning anything. She was sleeping, maybe dreaming of something pleasant like making a brilliant argument before the Supreme Court with Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln looking on.

  He’d always known he and Katy had something special in the bedroom…in the front seat of his truck…in the quiet carrell at the very back of the huge university library. He’d chalked it up to her innocence at the time and the excitement of first love. Then, he’d told himself it was simply wedded bliss and the pleasure of having sex pretty much whenever he wanted. In the shower…on the couch while watching a late-night comedy show…bent over the kitchen table. But things were different between them now. So, what did he do with the fact that he’d just had the two best orgasms of his life with his ex-wife?

  He put his hands behind his head on the pillow and stared up at where the ceiling would be. He had to hand it to this place. When things went dark in here, you could barely see your hand in front of your face. Only the dial of the clock on the table at his elbow gave off any light. A man could think in here without distractions.

  He’d had a good time sexually since his divorce. Fun with no guilt and no strings attached. He’d been careful to find women who shared his philosophy—pleasure for the sake of pleasure and nothing else. Xandra from upstairs would have been his perfect date if she hadn’t lived right above his old condo and hadn’t been Katy’s friend. A free spirit with a sense of humor.

  He’d indulged in bondage and roleplaying. He’d tried any position his lover could think up. One had put a brace on his knee for two weeks—luckily in the off-season. He’d had threesomes. One night, he’d even managed to satisfy three women, although they’d done a lot to make each other happy, too. Watching the girl-on-girl activity had been hella erotic.

  Still, none of that had matched what Katy had done to him, for him, and with him tonight.

  Her mouth had nearly sucked the life out of him. He hadn’t been that aroused since he was a teen, when he walked around with a constant boner. Then, she’d given him complete permission to let his own need run its course. He never expected that from a woman. A few had done it for him, but they’d only wanted to be good sports. None had taken Katy’s obviously intense enjoyment of the act for its own sake.

  Peppermint oil. He ought to buy a gallon of the stuff. But when he used it, he’d think of Katy, so it probably wasn’t a good idea.

  Then there was that thing she’d worn. Some kind of leather get-up that had cinched her waist and pushed her breasts up over the top. She’d had a crazy look in her eyes, as if she’d like to devour him all over again. And again…when she’d made him so insane, he’d had to take her more roughly than he’d ever allowed himself to do before, she’d wanted him with as much raw, unadulterated hunger as he’d had. You could almost redefine the word sex for what they’d done.

  So, how could he recreate this evening with another woman? Could he? And if he couldn’t, what would that mean for him? Would he go from lover to lover, trying to find that incredible high again—like a first fix of a potent drug, never to be repeated? That sounded depressing as all hell.

  But worst of all, when this was over, Katy would walk out of his life again. Saying goodbye to her had almost killed him the first time. At least, this time he knew he could survive the pain, especially with the help of his friends, Adam and Ryan. They’d give him hell for putting himself in this position, as well they should. Still, they’d make sure he got enough basketball and expensive dinners to get his mind off what a fool he’d been to get close to Katy again.

  Yeah, he’d enjoy heaven with her for a while. Who wouldn’t? He might pay a price over the short term, but he’d come out okay at the end.

  Katy wasn’t worried about any of this. Katy was asleep. Maybe it hadn’t meant as much to her. Maybe it had just been good sex.

  He was going to make himself crazy with all this. They would finish up the tour, and then they’d drift apart again. He’d restart Operation Avoid Katy, and after some time, his life would get back to normal. One thing he knew for sure: if he ever bumped into her in a hotel elevator again, he’d keep his damned mouth shut and get off at the next floor.

  Chapter Six

  Grant let Katy sleep a little too late the next morning, even though he’d only managed a few hours himself. They’d showered quickly together, bemoaning the fact that they’d never managed
to use the sunken tub with its jets at all.

  So, they were later than they’d hoped getting back to the team’s hotel. Still, no one had emerged to wait for the bus, so they could sneak in. Except for the lipstick-red Corvette that came roaring up just as they stepped out of their cab. The twerp had arrived.

  Grant groaned inwardly. This was not the way he wanted to start his day. All six-foot-four of the Harrington kid got out of the sleek ‘vette and swaggered his way over to where Grant and Katy stood. “Great day, huh?”

  “It was looking that way,” Grant answered.

  “Morning, Mrs. Howard,” Harrington said.

  “That’s Ms. McCord,” Grant said so Katy wouldn’t have to correct the twerp.

  “You look kind of tired, Pops,” Jimmy said. “Late night?”

  “You’ll understand these things better when you’re a little older, son,” Grant said.

  “Say, did you two just pull up in a cab?” Harrington said. “I thought I saw one leave.”

  “That’s really none of your business,” Katy said.

  Grant put an arm around her. She was sweet to want to put Harrington in his place, but it wouldn’t win them anything. Letting the kid know he got under Grant’s skin would only encourage him. A few opposing linebackers hitting Harrington at full speed would teach him more humility than Grant could ever manage standing outside a hotel.

  “Oops. Sorry. Didn’t mean to be nosy.” Harrington’s smile said he knew he’d just scored a point.

  “Apology accepted.” Grant grasped Katy’s elbow. “We were just going in to get some coffee before the bus leaves. If you’ll excuse us.”

  “Sure thing,” Harrington said.

  As Grant and Katy started inside, Harrington called to them, “Oh, hey…”

  Grant turned back around. “Yeah?”

  “Coach says I’m going to start the first game,” Harrington said.

  Katy also turned, tension practically radiating off her. Grant put his arm around her and gave her a look that said, Let me handle this. “Funny. No one said anything to me.”