Craving Mr. Kinky

by A. m Madden

  “We had so much fun, though,” I argued. The group of us went as superheroes, but we competed guys versus girls. “Please don’t tell me he’s going to wear a suit and be a Swedish businessman.”

  “No, by the end of the night I coerced him to dress as a couple this year. But he has full disclosure and approval on what I decide.”

  Sabrina laughed. “Hearing how Jude destroyed his own costume to cover up Brae’s bare legs, and how Kyle was mistaken for the Riddler all night, had me cracking up.”

  “It was a mess,” Vanessa quipped. “I agree with Jude. If we do it this year, Kyle and I are fending for ourselves.”

  “V, please don’t come as porn stars,” Brae teased.

  “No promises.” Vanessa focused on me, but I was back to daydreaming about Dante. Every time I blinked, I remembered where Dante had been just hours ago. Even my fingers tingled, recalling the way he sucked on them as if they were sweeter than any lollipop he’d ever had. The man’s tongue should win an award.

  “Hey,” Vanessa waved her hand in front of my face. “Where did you drift off to? You look all…” She studied me for about half of a second. “Just fucked. That’s what you look like.” She narrowed her eyes before the widest of smiles grew across her lips. “Cassie Brooks, are you holding out on us? Where were you last night?” A sly, wicked expression altered her smile. “Or should I say… Cassandra, who were you with last night?” she asked, rolling the R just as Dante did when he said my real name. “Funny how Dante was busy last night as well,” she added, tapping her lip with a finger in thought.

  I practically choked on my mimosa, not prepared for my traitorous friend to sell me out. Sabrina and I glanced at each other, but being the type of woman she was, she sipped her coffee and didn’t utter a word.

  Brae angled her body toward mine, waiting for the scoop. “I knew it!” She wiggled a finger at me. “You’re not fooling us, missy.”

  In true Vanessa fashion, she smirked, complete with an eye roll. “Yep. Cass has been doing it with Mr. Kinky,” she said, mimicking Brae’s finger motion. “So was I dead-on with the nickname?”

  “Why keep it a secret? It’s not like we all didn’t figure it out in the Hamptons.”

  Vanessa nodded at Brae’s claim, rubbing her hands together like she was ready to discuss a plan of attack. “Okay, so the cat is out of the bag. Time for details, please, because last I heard, you two were just fucking.”

  “Wait… wait… wait. Last you heard?” Brae said with a squeak to her voice before looking around and taking it down a notch. She looked at Sabrina, searching for answers. “Do you know what’s going on?” Sabrina’s one-shoulder shrug spoke volumes. It was now Brae’s turn to glare at me. “Really, Cass?”

  “What? It’s fairly new. Well, it’s been a while, but…” I stopped when the waitress reappeared with our meals. Once she was out of earshot, I decided to come clean. “Dante and I first got together shortly after Vanessa’s party, but we made it official Labor Day weekend.”

  “That long?” Brae’s gaze swung from face to face, searching for answers. “Here I was all excited another love connection happened in our Hamptons house. What a bummer.”

  “We told no one, except Luca and Sabrina on the way home from your place. And Vanessa only knows because she’s like the CIA and pulled it out of me. If it helps, Desiree doesn’t know yet.”

  “Gee, thanks. So how serious is it?”

  “We’re exclusive.” My romantic friend predictably released a heavy sigh. “It all happened so fast. I went from loathing the man to… well… you know. Anyway, he’s not as awful as the night we met. In fact, he’s the opposite. It’s hard to explain, and I know we’ve only known each other for a little over a month, but it seems longer. I really like him.”

  Brae covered her heart with her hand. “I love that.” That was right up her alley, considering she was the matchmaker of the group. “Keep in mind, Jude and I only knew each other five weeks before we fell for one another. Love doesn’t have a timeline.”

  Love? I never said anything about love. Did I? No. No way.

  Sabrina beamed. “I’m so happy. Luca and I talked about how great it is. Although, he keeps saying he’s Switzerland.” Hearing that deep down Luca felt things would eventually go sour between us caused a twinge of doubt. Remembering how every minute spent with Dante so far had been nothing short of wonderful nudged it away.

  Vanessa raised her orange effervescent cocktail, and we followed suit. “To our hot men, hot sex, and a life full of surprises.”

  Surprises. If these ladies only knew what Dante had introduced me to already, but I kept that information to myself. Vanessa would have a field day if I offered up too many details.

  Brae, still stuck on my announcement, brought the conversation back to Dante and me. “So, is he as romantic as Luca?”

  No, romance wasn’t Dante’s forté… and there was no way I’d open that can of worms with Vanessa. I did go on to tell them about the day he came to my classroom, and that I watched his photoshoot for Taunt. That tidbit of information even had Vanessa gawking at me.

  “I know, it was odd, but he is really good at what he does. His pictures are stunning, and there’s no wonder he’s won awards for his work. But I’m not going to lie and say I enjoyed it or that I’d want to do it again. Seeing him studying another woman, a naked woman, just about brought me to my knees… and not in a good way.”

  Brae shook her head. “I couldn’t do it. Sorry. No way would I watch Jude two feet away from a naked woman, even if it was platonic and part of his job.”

  Sabrina and Vanessa agreed, but that was who Dante was. And if I wanted to be with him, which I did, then I’d need to accept it. During the shoot with Hailey, my mind reeled with experiencing firsthand what he did for a living. But once he broke down his reasons for wanting me there, and I analyzed how different he was directing her versus when he had directed me, all confirmed his motive for my presence.

  What bothered me more was knowing that wasn’t his dream job—not just photographing women, but people. He had so much more to offer than bringing a centerfold to life.

  A camera to Dante was equivalent to when a writer brought a pen to paper, or an artist stroked their brush onto a blank canvas.

  The rest of our brunch was spent talking about the men in our lives, and with laughs and giggles we all wondered if they were sitting around the gym talking about us.

  “Oh, you know they are,” Vanessa said confidently. “They’re addicted… as they should be.” Her statement caused a flutter, reminding me of Dante using those exact words. The feeling was mutual.

  Dante

  If it weren’t for Cassie’s brunch date with her friends, and my promise to meet the guys at the gym, we’d still be in bed right now. The workout had managed to keep me occupied, my body at least. My mind was set on a seductive blonde who fucked me up in so many ways. This came out of the blue, and for some odd reason, rather than fighting it, I welcomed it.

  Afterward, the guys all dispersed to get back to their women. However, my woman banned me from seeing her because her day was filled with errands and chores. Even though I offered to help, she declined, knowing we’d get nothing done. So instead, I went home and called my mother.

  During our Skype call, Ma insisted on speaking English to practice what she’d been learning. Now that her favorite son had an American girlfriend, she was on a mission to be fluent in time for Luca to visit Milan with Sabrina and Mikey.

  But that only caused the call to be even longer than needed. Not to mention, for the tenth time in as many minutes, the screen scrambled with a distorted image of my mother’s face. The call would go on for days at this rate, which was why I was the bad son who barely called. My patience began to wear thin.

  “Dante… Dante… Where are you?”

  My sigh preceded my confirmation, “I’m still here. Ma, when I come visit I’m getting you a new computer.”

  “This one just fine,” she arg
ued. If it was just fine, then why was it taking forever to merely say a few words? Her image reappeared, only to show her face so close to the screen all I saw were nostrils. “Ma, please back up.” Instead of moving her face back, she pushed the monitor away, but miraculously it worked. “Okay, don’t move.”

  “Okay, I try. So your brother tells us you have a girlfriend.”

  Her statement stunned me, so much so she now thought my screen had frozen. That bastard. I would kill my brother… first maim him, then kill him.

  “Dante… I know you hear me. What her name?”

  I truly would kill my brother for this. There was no avoiding the subject, and if I tried I’d no doubt get a phone call a day from her until I came clean. “Her name is Cassie,” I conceded.

  A visible frown marred her forehead, even through the static. “Cassie? Luca has a friend Cassie.”

  “Yes, he does.”

  “Same girl?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “She’s very sweet. I like her a lot, but Dante…” She stopped, and I knew the rest of her comment would warn me to tread carefully. My mother knew me well, and after Charlene she doubted I could commit again.

  “Yes, she’s very sweet. And I need to go. We have a date,” I lied.

  “Dante…” The suggestive tone meant I was about to get an earful

  “Ma, I know what you’re going to say. We’re only dating, not getting married, and I need you to focus on Luca for now. I hear he’s asking Sabrina to marry him.” There… that’ll teach the jackass.

  After a short pause, she began rambling in Italian at Mach speed, and I loved that I had managed to derail her. “I love you, Ma. Say hi to Pop. I’ll talk to you soon.” I kissed the air, tapped the end call button, and instantly dialed my brother.

  “Hey.”

  “Don’t fucking hey me. A little warning would have been nice, you dick.”

  He chuckled at my rant. “Enlighten me as to why I am a dick?”

  “Ma.”

  “Oh.” Another laugh came over the phone. “She wouldn’t stop asking questions on when I’d propose to Sabrina, so to deflect, I told her about you.” The tone of his voice held no remorse when he added, “Oops.” Oops my ass.

  “Well, I told her that proposal was soon. Touché.” I hung up, feeling confident the fake news to my mother had earned me some peace and quiet for now. That was, until Luca spoke to our mother again, got harassed, and threw back his own volley. My brother and I had played this rat each other out game since we first learned to speak. Over the years, the stakes grew, and I could only imagine what he’d say to her to get back at me. Payback was a bitch, but game on.

  I spent the rest of my afternoon catching up on emails and edits. One email I received late last night, the request for a custom shoot in San Francisco, meant I would be traveling most of the last week of October.

  Knowing I’d be gone for that long, and not having seen her since earlier today, I itched to be with Cassie. I knew if I called her, she’d no doubt inform me of all the work she had to get done, since Sunday nights were when she prepared her lessons for the week. On a spur-of-the-moment move, I grabbed my keys and locked up, deciding to show up at her place unannounced. I’d use the pictures her class had taken on Career Champion Day as an excuse to be there.

  What would she do, kick me out? I’ll take my chances.

  Chapter 21

  Cassie

  As I graded papers, I laughed out loud at some of the things my students wrote down. They were instructed to write one sentence on what they were going to be for Halloween. If they didn’t know how to write the word, they were supposed to draw a picture instead. That provided me with a great perspective of how many words they knew. What I received was an array of comical responses, most of which had nothing to do with what their costume would be, but instead their favorite thing.

  I was so lost in thought, it hadn’t registered that my door buzzer had sounded. Like an idiot, I looked up and around my apartment, wondering what that noise was. Waiting for it to happen again, it was my cell phone that buzzed next.

  Where are you?

  Hawaii.

  Stop rolling your eyes, smart-ass. How did he always know? Let me in.

  So surprised he would be standing outside my door, I forgot what I looked like when I followed his command. There he stood, blatantly ignoring my no-Sunday rule, looking ridiculously handsome.

  “Hey, sexy,” he said with a wide grin. My hand flew to the top of my head, where a messy bun fastened with pencils must have looked like a squirrel had set up his home in it. Not to mention the nerd glasses perched on the tip of my nose or the mismatched pajamas that had seen better days.

  Undeterred by my appearance, Dante tugged me into his arms and kissed me like it’d been days and not hours. For a moment, he managed to have me forgetting my strict regimen. Until he pulled away and smiled with smug delight like he’d effectively won this battle.

  He skimmed his nose along mine. “Promise me you’ll wear these sexy glasses one day and nothing else.”

  In spite of my breathless state, a touch of annoyance revealed itself in my question, when I asked, “Why are you here?”

  “I wanted to see you.”

  “You did?” I asked, surprised again by this unpredictable man. “But we agreed no Sunday nights.”

  “I never agreed to that,” he said, squeezing between me and the doorjamb. “I’ll just stay an hour.” With my hands on my hips, I watched him remove his jacket before getting comfortable on my couch. “Why the chagrin?”

  “Um… because I have a ton to do, and that won’t happen if you’re here.”

  “I’ll be a good boy. Plus, I have these for you.” He reached inside his jacket, retrieving a small manila envelope. “Here are the pictures your class took when I was there.”

  I pulled them out, sitting beside him to flip through them. “These are great; they’re going to love them. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” He waved toward the papers scattered all over my coffee table. “Need some help? Coloring was my best subject.”

  I looked at him with mock exasperation, although my heart betrayed me as it fluttered wildly in his presence. “My class was told to share what they were going to be for Halloween.”

  Dante leaned forward and picked up a student’s paper. He furrowed his brows and turned the paper every which way until it was upside down. “Is…” He tipped his head to read the name. “Matthew going as a penis?”

  “What?” I snatched it away and scoffed, “It’s a banana, you pervert.”

  “Oh.” He snatched it back and pointed to the two circles at the base of it. “What are these things? Coconuts?”

  “That’s the peel. It loops at the bottom.” Dante squinted as if he were looking at one of those Magic Eye pictures and waiting to see what I did. “Just give that to me. You’re incorrigible.”

  “I’m going to need to see a picture of this kid in his costume.” His long fingers continued to pluck through the rest of the pictures, raising them one by one to admire the work of a kindergartner. From the corner of my eye, I saw him drop one as if it were on fire.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” he quickly responded, burying the picture deep under the pile.

  Narrowing my eyes at his atypical behavior, I dug through and pulled out what he had been looking at. “Do you have a problem with Teddy’s teddy bear?”

  “No,” he muttered, leaning his body farther away from mine. “I’m thirsty. What do you have to drink?” Popping up off the couch, he beelined into my tiny kitchen to rummage through my fridge.

  “Spill it, Benedetto. You know you can tell me anything.”

  “I know.” He leaned against the counter, putting as much distance between himself and the drawing I held in my hand.

  “Then why are you all the way over there?”

  I watched as he took a long swig of water and waited for some sort of explanation. Dropping Teddy’s art
work on the pile, I folded my arms and waited, much like he did whenever he wanted me to talk.

  “Fine, but can you stick that under another picture?” Only after I followed his request did he come back to sit beside me on the couch. “No one knows this except for my family, and I will deny it if you tell a soul.” After a quick nod, I crossed my heart while rolling my lips over my teeth to avoid laughing. I couldn’t imagine what it was that had him practically sweating beside me. “When I was a kid, and Luca was a baby, someone gave me a haunted teddy bear.”

  The church giggles that used to plague me as a child hit full force. He took one look at my soundless, shaking body and bolted off the couch. “See, this was why I didn’t want to tell you.”

  “I’m sorry…” A strangled snort escaped before I raised my hands and pleaded, “I didn’t mean… I just…” Oh, fuck it. I let the hysterics take over, doubling at the waist as my laughter consumed me.

  During the time I lost my shit, he remained calm beside me. “You know, for a kindergarten teacher, you’re not very sympathetic.”

  “I’m sorry,” I repeated, running my fingertips beneath my eyes to catch the tears that leaked. By placing a supportive hand on his arm, I attempted to demonstrate the sympathy he claimed I lacked. “Okay, sweetie, tell me what happened.”

  “No.”

  I leaned in, placing my lips on his ear, and whispered, “Please. I promise I won’t laugh again.” To up the ante, I nipped his lobe between my teeth as my other hand fondled his piercing.

  “You’ll have to do better than that, Brooks.”

  With my lips still on the column of his neck, I murmured against his skin, “Okay… what if I agree to a Sunday sleepover?”

  “Now I know you really want to know.” A long, dramatic sigh came, and then he gently pushed me away. The torment he felt was obvious in the frown lines on his forehead. He looked so distraught, I felt bad for laughing. “I had gotten a teddy bear that had one of those stupid voice boxes. Every night, just as I was about to fall asleep, it would hiss, ‘DANTE,’ all sinister and evil.”