He nodded, his eyes flaring with interest as he took another drink. “Tell me more about that.”
I took a deep breath. “We hooked up a couple times that night, actually.”
“And it was hot?”
“Very.”
The stranger licked his lips slowly.
“Oh, I think you got something on your tie right here,” I said, leaning forward and touching his tie.
He looked down. “Oh, that? It’s just a wet spot.”
Chapter 2
Sam
All this talk about wet spots and our exes had me on the brink of exploding.
Metaphorically, of course.
Although, there might be an explosion later in the night.
No. There would be no exploding. There would be no one-night stand. She had said it, and I agreed to it. We both knew that love wasn’t meant to be just for a night. We’d wake up tomorrow, say goodbye, and have the same problems we had in our lives the day before.
But the way her cherry scent floated over to me, she was weakening my resolve to keep this at just conversation.
We joked and chatted, whittling down our round of drinks, until a thought struck me.
I put my hand on her shoulder. She leaned in.
“Dagny. What do you say me and you get the fuck out of here, head back to my place, order some pizza, and share a bottle of wine? Does that sound like a good time to you?”
“That sounds absolutely amazing. I was just going to say, a little Netflix and chill is exactly what would make this night just right.”
My heart pounded in my chest that she said yes.
I paid for our tab, then outside I hailed a taxi that took us back to my hotel. Right before we went inside the room, we paused, and she put her hand on my chest.
“This is crazy, right?”
I shrugged as I inserted the key card. “Crazy is as crazy does, ma’am.”
She squinted. “Forrest Gump?”
Smiling, I pushed the door open. “You’re good.”
“It’s big,” she said as she entered.
“Yes, it is. I’m glad I rented the corner penthouse suite for the week, because all I really want to do tonight is relax on the couch with my new hottie.”
“Your new hottie?”
“That’s you, pretty girl.”
“Oh.” She smiled sheepishly as she slowly walked across the tile, her heels clicking on the floor. Her hands settled on the bottle of wine. “Zinfandel’s my favorite.”
I opened it, poured a couple of glasses for us, and sat down on the couch.
She took off her shoes and sat at the other end of the cushions.
A hint of mischief struck me from her smile.
She reached for her purse and pulled out a deck of cards.
“You want me to do a tarot card reading for you?” she asked, right as I turned on Netflix.
I raised an eyebrow in response.
“You just carry tarot cards on you at all times?”
“Yes.”
“You move fast. I haven’t even pulled up Romancing the Stone yet, and you want to tell me my future.”
She squinted. “Romancing the Stone? Really? That’s your pick?”
“I’m in the mood for something light. Just read the damn cards.”
She grinned and shook her head sarcastically. “Fine. Just for that, I’m only going to give you a one-card drawing.”
“Fine by me.”
She shuffled the deck and had me cut it.
“Now tap it once for good luck,” she said.
After tapping it, I took a sip of my wine. “I love that you walk around with a deck of tarot cards in your purse.”
“What can I say? You never know when you might have to look into the future.”
After setting the deck down on the coffee table, she pulled out a picture of two geese.
“No. No!” she shouted and rolled her eyes.
“What does it mean?”
“Jesus. You drew the lovers card.”
“Fuck yeah!” I pumped my fist.
Pulling out her guide book, she read what it meant. “Two Canadian geese are mates for life, traveling partners within an expansive sky. The lovers’ card is a welcome sight in any reading, as it suggests a beautiful and strong relationship on the horizon. Yes, you’ll experience all the thrills of desire and romance, but meanwhile you’ll be building a solid foundation together. The lovers honor and respect each other, and with that they can go anywhere. If you’re already in a relationship, it’s time to be grateful and nourish this rare and precious gem.”
When she was done speaking, I nodded silently, letting the words hang in the air for a few moments before I spoke.
“So, this relationship is a precious gem that must be nurtured,” I said.
“Truly.” She looked at her phone for the time. “I mean, it’s been all of what, an hour?”
“Hour and a half by my count.”
“Cheers to that.”
We clinked wine glasses together, our eyes locked.
I felt my heart thump hard against my chest as our gazes lingered on one another. She bit her lower lip with a toothy grin, and a bolt of warmth shot through me. Reaching my hand out, I ran it along her cheek and grazed her hair.
“It’s my lucky day,” I said. “First I meet you. Then I draw the lovers card.”
“And good things come in threes. So who knows what will happen next?”
I wiggled my eyebrows. “Exactly. Better turn on Planet Earth Two.”
She rolled her eyes, still seeming as though she was hiding her grin.
“Of everything you can think of, the movie is the third thing you want?”
I nodded, leaning back into the couch. She scooted over so that her arm was inches from me.
“What else would I be thinking of?”
I gave her my best sex glare and ran my tongue over my lips.
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe you were hoping for a snack.”
Arching an eyebrow, I held the remote in my hands, just about to hit play on Planet Earth Two.
“I have some Doritos.”
“Mmm. I hate to say it, though. I’m more of a Cheetos girl.”
I dropped my jaw and stood up. “No way! Please tell me you like”—I darted over to my desk and grabbed an orange and red bag—“spicy Cheetos?”
She put her hand on her heart. “How did you know? Those are my favorite!”
“My luck is out of control tonight. That’s all.”
I popped the bag open, hit play on the movie, and leaned back into my chair with my glass of wine.
“Come here,” I said when I caught Dagny looking at me. She hesitated, but she moved in closer to me.
“Only so I can be closer to the bag of Cheetos,” she said.
We cuddled for a while and watched the movie. After twenty minutes or so, I got up to go to the bathroom.
She smiled, looking up at me. “In a hurry to go somewhere?”
I grinned a little. “Nah. Just going to hit the bathroom real quick.”
“Absolutely. I’ll just be out here. Resting in my romper.”
“It is a beautiful choice of clothing.”
“You’re not going to, like, do anything creepy and come out of the bathroom naked, are you?”
I scrunched up my face. “Is that something guys do?”
“Well, my one-night stand last night tried it.”
I felt my heart drop. “So you do this…all the time?”
She rolled her eyes playfully. “Oh, I’m just kidding. But I bet you do this a lot.”
I put my hands on my hips, feeling my chest tighten a little bit. “You said that before. What makes you think that?”
“You’re a handsome traveling-salesman type. It only makes sense that you’d be ravaging women across the country.”
The corners of my mouth tugged upward. I leaned down and put my hand on her chin.
“So you’re saying…you want me to ravage you?”<
br />
“I’m just saying, I haven’t been ravaged in a long time. And if I am going to be ravaged, it would be by a guy like you.”
“Your husband didn’t ravage you?”
“Soon-to-be ex-husband, you mean? He did in the beginning.”
“And then what?”
“And then, I don’t know. We let life get in the way. I’m not going to put all the blame on him.”
“He was a good guy?” I asked.
“Yes. And we shared a lot of good times. We both tried to make it work.”
“But what you first had…wasn’t there anymore?”
“Exactly.”
“Did you ever wonder if maybe you just needed to move on to a new phase?”
“What sort of phase would that be?”
I continued. “A phase where he ravaged you…through your romper.”
She rested a hand on my belt. “That would be hard. Rompers don’t come off easily, you know.”
She twisted her head a little and stared up at me with clear blue eyes. I took a clump of her red hair in my hand and massaged her head for a moment. It just felt like the right thing to do.
“Mmm. He used to rub me just like that.”
My heart hammered hard. “I bet he did. I’m starting to think maybe you’re not over him.”
Gripping my forearm, she pulled my arm away from her face. “Oh? And you’re Mr. Perfect over here?”
“I’m far from perfect. Sounds like we’re both pretty fucked up,” I growled.
“We’ve both definitely got issues. That’s for sure.” She raised her eyes to me, then ran her hand slowly down my leg. “You know what they say happens when a guy and a girl get together and they both have issues.”
I cleared my throat. “They should stay far, far away from each other?”
She chuckled. “No, silly. Great sex. I mean, not that we’re having sex tonight.”
“That would make this a one-night stand. Which we’ve both agreed is a very bad idea.”
She nodded, her eyes drifting off to the TV, which we were both no longer watching.
“Very bad idea. And it’s not going to happen.”
“Definitely not.”
I raked a hand through my short cropped hair. Dagny licked her lips and shot me sex eyes.
“Bathroom,” I blurted out. “Need to go to the bathroom.”
“Right,” she breathed, her voice low. “I’ll pause it.”
Like we’re paying attention to the damn TV anymore.
“Thanks. Be right back. Try not to romp around too much while I’m gone.”
I took a step toward the bathroom.
“A romper joke. Hilarious. I’ll try. Oh, and Sam?”
“Yes?”
“Never mind. It’s a silly idea anyway.”
“There are no silly ideas. If you’re thinking something, you should go with it.”
“It’s nothing.” She shook her head. “Just pausing the TV.”
I squinted hard at her, then turned and headed to my bathroom.
After I went, I zipped up, then stared at myself in the mirror and splashed water on my face.
“Get a fucking hold of yourself, goddamnit. There were no innuendos at all in that romper chat.”
I massaged my temples as I spoke.
My cock was so hard it was threatening to break all the way out of my pants. I was just lucky I’d been able to zip up.
Taking a few deep breaths, I tried to practice the meditation techniques my yoga teacher had taught me recently. I inhaled for three counts, then blew out for the same.
No use—my erection was still at full mast.
Luckily I was wearing black, so Dagny probably wouldn’t be able to see it. She’d laid out the rules for the night, and I wasn’t trying to be that guy who had to push her buttons and try for sex. I was enjoying her company immensely, and if sex was in the cards, it would happen sometime naturally.
But there was no doubting that if she saw how hard my cock was right now, she’d think I was trying to fuck her.
After a few more breaths, I was able to calm myself enough to walk back out to the room.
When I saw her, I felt all the blood in my body leave my head and end up exactly in the part of my body I was trying to relax.
“Oh, wow,” she said. “This is a little awkward.”
Chapter 3
Dagny
My heart beat like mad as Sam walked away to go to the bathroom.
Why had I all of a sudden turned into awkward Dagny?
Probably because when he looked at me with that sexy smirk, my mind turned to total mush.
I was a controlled mess, trying not to let my nervousness get the best of me. I grabbed for my glass of wine on the coffee table in front of me.
Before I could process what had happened, I spilled the entire glass of red zinfandel on my romper.
“Fuck,” I muttered out loud, then felt my body shiver at how the liquid soaked straight through to my skin on my stomach.
Leaping from the couch, I considered my options.
I could let Sam come back and see me totally and completely covered in red wine.
Or…
I could change as quick as a whistle into the yoga pants and tank top I had with me today, but hadn’t used yet.
Thinking fast, I grabbed for my purse, found what I needed, then started to rip off my romper. He’d just barely shut the door to the bathroom, so surely I had time.
I could feel my heart slamming up against my chest as I shimmied out of the upper half of my romper. Then, as I was wiggling out of the bottom part, it got stuck on the heel of my shoe.
“No,” I whispered. “Come on now.”
I heard the toilet flush, and I panicked, ripping the cloth off my shoes.
But it was too late.
The door flung open, and there Sam was, standing with his jaw open as he viewed me.
I was naked.
Well, I had on panties and a bra.
“Well, this is awkward,” I muttered.
“I like that they match,” he croaked.
Glancing down at my clothes, I realized both my top and bottom were lacy black. Great. At least I had that going.
“I think someone turned up the heat,” I blurted out. “I only like to watch Planet Earth Two when I’m cold.”
He nodded, looking at me strangely with his handsome eyes. “But the AC is cranked up all the way.”
I blushed, searching in vain for any way to twist my logic and stick to my guns. “My veins run so hot, though. I’m pretty sure my normal body temperature is around ninety-nine-point-eight.”
“Yes. You’re just a very, very hot woman. Makes sense.”
A grave seriousness fell over his eyes when he said those words.
“Yes, I’m getting all red. But now I’ll be much more comfortable watching Planet Earth. I was burning up before.”
“Well, we wouldn’t want you to burn up, would we? This is Earth, after all. Not Venus.”
I could feel my heart thumping and my chest fluttering as he stepped toward me, still clad in his office uniform of a white shirt, tie, and black pants. He looked like a CEO who was about to do an after-hours…well, an after-hours hookup.
I cleared my throat, then made a move to plop back down on the couch and play like this was something I did normally, all the time. That’s a thing, people watching TV in their underwear, right?
He eyed me suspiciously as we sat back down. I hit the play button and sank into the corner of the sofa. A bolt of boldness took me over, and I flipped my feet around and onto his lap.
“My feet get cooler if I get a foot massage,” I blurted out.
He squinted. “That doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
“Ever heard of acupuncture?”
“Of course.”
“Well, you know how the tension points in your body can be located in your feet sometimes? That’s how I am. When my feet are stimulated, my body cools down.”
I cl
osed my mouth, impressed with my own degree of bullshit that I was able to propagate.
Smiling slightly, he took my feet and began to massage them with strong fingers and hands. The feeling flowed through my legs and into my core.
“Of course. The old foot needs to be massaged to cool the body temperature. I get it.”
“You’ve seen this before?”
“My one-night stand last night had the same issue.”
I felt my chest well up. “Oh, okay. Keep telling yourself that.”
He laughed, and I realized how ridiculous my accusation was. “Wait, don’t answer that,” I added.
I tried to pay attention to the show. Morgan Freeman was narrating something about gazelles in Africa. I couldn’t help drifting off into a sort of dream state, though. Where a man with warrior-worthy hands was manhandling my feet and sending surges of warmth through my body while he stared at the screen.
I should have felt awkward as hell. I was scantily clad, and he was still fully dressed in his office wear. Instead, I found myself getting more turned on by the second. Every time his finger found a new place to rub and dig in, I had to resist groaning even more.
Just take me, I wanted to tell Sam.
Stop teasing me.
But I’d already told him we wouldn’t have sex tonight. That was against the rules.
I think.
Whose rules, exactly, were these? Maybe I was inventing these rules? Maybe we could have an emotionless, hot, sexy one-night stand.
Maybe it would be hotter than anything I’d had in my life.
I clicked my lips, shifting my heel on his lap.
Oh, dear God, did I just graze…what I think I grazed? I thought I’d just felt flesh between his legs, the type that was both hard and soft at the same time, but I knew that feeling.
That was his cock.
I flinched, bringing my feet up and off his lap.
“You okay?” Sam asked, concerned as he turned to me.
“Yes. I think I’m cooling off now, finally.”
“Good. Looks like the foot massage technique is very effective.”
“It is.”
“Well, you’d better put some clothes on then.”
“I better.”
He paused, not moving for a moment.
“Although I will say, I’m enjoying the view.”
Alphas of Seduction Page 28
