Inferno Anthology

by Gow, Kailin

  “I’ll put on my psychologist hat for a minute.” She gives me a subtle wink with a little gleam in her eyes. “You were so closed to receiving from others and giving yourself fully to them. When you finally let go and felt things you hadn’t in years, the results were mighty powerful, thus your scream. I cried tears, and you cried out instead. I admit it was painful for me to hear you in such torment, but it needed to happen. You’re better for it now.”

  “And speaking of a bath,” Kathryn continues. “It’s getting late and you’ve had quite the night. From death threats to our little mind-blowing event here tonight. What do you say we head for the shower?”

  “We, as in us together?” I ask with the hope of a thousand praying saints.

  “Yes. Unless you have an objection,” she says in a sarcastic way while she rises to her feet and steps off the mat. Once standing, she reaches for her sports bra. I’m waiting for her to put it on and cover up those luscious tits, but instead she turns to face me still bare-chested, hair cascading around her shoulders. A raven-haired temptress. God, how did I get so fucking lucky?

  “Damn, woman, you’ll get no objections about sharing a shower from me.” I love how she stands before me exposed, so free and open with her beautiful body. I can’t help but wonder if the touching beneath clothes we did together was out of the norm for her. She said she’d crossed so many lines with me. “What we did tonight? Was that what you had planned? I mean the sex part?”

  “Can’t say I planned it, but it felt right. Don’t you agree?” She gives me a seductive smirk while placing her hands on her hips with her breasts extending out at me. Does she know how she’s driving me wild right now?

  “Of course, I agree.” No doubt, the easiest answer of my life. “There’s something between us, I’ve been feeling it since we met last night. It’s like a strange pull or energy whenever you’re near me.” I want to tell her being near her like this makes my pulse race, but I don’t want to push it too far. “I thought it might take a little longer to convince you of the same.”

  I’ve risen off the mat, so I’m standing directly in front of her. I bring my hands to the sides of her breasts, holding the weight of them in my palms. I look up at her, trying to gauge her feelings about what I’m doing to her, but her eyes urge me on. Her breasts are too alluring to stay away from them, and thankfully she doesn’t stop me. My thumbs and fingers flick over the tips of her nipples as she lets out a small moan of pleasure.

  “You can’t stand there uncovered and expect me to keep my hands to myself.” My words are spoken softly, and Kathryn responds by throwing her head back as I continue to work my fingers over her. I bend to bring my lips to her ear and whisper to her. “You feel this thing we have, don’t you?”

  I don’t wait for a reply; instead I bring her into my arms. I cup one hand around the back of her neck while my other arm finds the small of her back. I kiss her passionately, pulling her closer. She returns my hunger by pushing her lips against mine. I close my eyes tightly, enjoying the pleasure of feeling her in my arms. The taste of her against my lips works through me, spurring me on. Who knew a kiss could have this much power behind it?

  “Thank you, Kathryn.” This time I break our kiss and speak. She needs to know how much tonight means to me. Her head rests on my chest as I weave my fingers through her hair. “Now about that shower…”

  “Follow me,” she says as she moves out of my arms and turns toward the door. She peeks over her shoulder, waiting for me to follow.

  “Where you lead, I’ll follow.” I chuckle to myself, knowing what I just said is the utter truth. She totally owns me. After tonight, I’ll never tease Tom about being pussy-whipped again. I think instead we should start comparing notes.

  “Oh, the candles.” She begins scurrying around the room, blowing them out. I help her by extinguishing a couple near the sound system. Since it’s still playing music, I switch it off, too.

  “Thanks.” She opens the door and waits for me.

  “My pleasure, beautiful,” I say with a devilish look in my eyes, and she responds with that musical giggle of hers.

  I smile down at her when I arrive near her by the door. “After you, my dear.”

  We walk into the hallway, and I look at the room where my clothes from today lie over the bed and wonder if I’ll be sleeping there tonight. She stops at the door to the room, too, dashing my hopes. I want to say, what about that shower, but decide to wait.

  “Why don’t you find some clean pajamas and join me in the master bath. I’ll get the shower going.” Grinning like a loon, she shakes her head at me and rolls her eyes. I watch her walk toward her room with her sweet ass sashaying, and her hair swaying across her bare back. What a sight to behold.

  “I’ll be right there,” I call after her as she disappears into her room, and truer words have never spoken. Hell or high water can’t keep me away from being alone with her in a shower. Just the thought of watching water cascade down her body revives my erection.

  I remember that I left my T-shirt in the harem tent and quickly return to the room to retrieve it. Once back in the guest room, I quickly remove my pants and find a replacement pair in the dresser drawer. I don’t even bother with a shirt this time. And who gives a fuck about briefs? I could care less, so commando it is.

  I decide not to get dressed before jumping into the shower. It seems pointless, so I amble my naked ass to her bedroom. I toss my pants on her bed in hopes I’ll be sleeping there tonight. I hear the water running from behind the cracked door leading to the bath. Pushing the door open, I see a breathtaking sight in front of me. Grabbing onto the door’s frame with my hands, I need the extra support at the sight of her before me.

  The bathroom is dimly lit, but Kathryn stands in the middle of a glass-enclosed shower with a light above her head acting as a spotlight. Her body is turned to the side, so I’m at a great angle to peruse all of her curves while the water streams down them.

  I’m dumbstruck by her body. Her legs are long and slender. That sweet ass I’ve been lusting after since she walked away from me at the bar last night is even more perfect than I imagined. Every flawless inch of her blows my mind and draws me across the tile floor to the shower’s edge. I press my palm up to the glass wall and watch as she turns around to me. A lazy, sexy smile makes its way across her face as she sees me standing there before her, no clothes on, and fully erect.

  She moves her eyes to where my palm lies flat against the glass and brings hers to mirror mine on her side. Streams of water fall down around her hand. Slowly she turns her head back toward me and our eyes reconnect.

  I’m not sure how this simple act between us could feel so intimate, but it does. Neither one of us stirs. I’m not even sure if I’m breathing at this point. The sound of the running water is the only thing filling the room, until she breaks the silence and calls to me.

  “Kingsley, join me.”

  I remove my hand from the wall of glass as she opens the door for me. I step into the shower, and the warm water hits my overheated flesh.

  She takes me by the hand and brings me closer to her. Next she reaches for a bottle on a ledge built into the shower’s back tiled wall. Popping the container open, she tilts it upside down while I watch the contents slowly trickle into the palm of her hands. Unceremoniously, she drops the bottle beside us, out of the way. Her hands gather over my chest, running a similar path from earlier tonight, caressing me tenderly. She migrates up to my shoulders and arms. The body wash is like oil, making her fingers glide over me.

  I close my eyes, unable to keep them open as the day is finally catching up with me. My body is exhausted from all the events I’ve endured, both the good and bad, and this relaxing touch of hers makes it all hit home. I think even my erection is gone which is saying a lot with this beautiful woman massaging her hands all over me.

  “You’re completely exhausted.” I hear Kathryn announce as if she’s reading my mind. We seem to be so in tune with each other, she may be
reading my body instead.

  She kneads my shoulders, and I slump into her hands as she works the tension away.

  “You’re a psychic,” I say, but my eyes remain closed because I feel as if I could curl up in her arms and sleep the night away. “Maybe it’s obvious since I’m behaving and keeping my hands to myself.”

  Kathryn stands to the side so the water can more directly hit my skin. My eyes remain closed, but I feel her hands skating over my body and washing away the suds.

  “No one has ever treated me like this. Thank you.” My words are honest but almost pathetic to my own ears. Here I am a thirty-two-year-old man who’s fucked countless women over the years. But soberly, I realize the attention she’s been giving so freely to me tonight means more than all those fucks added together.

  “You’re welcome, Kingsley. I think it’s time to get you to bed, though. You look like you’re about ready to collapse.” She turns off the water, and I open my eyes as she gives my arm an encouraging squeeze. “Wait here. I’ll grab you a towel.”

  She wrings the water out of her hair and gracefully exits the shower. I wait for her return in the exact place she left me, watching in awe as her naked body moves toward a shelf filled with plush white towels. She removes a couple of them and turns in my direction once again.

  The sight of her unclothed and unashamed, like Eve in the Garden of Eden, nearly makes me drop to my knees. I don’t think there’s another word but beautiful for Kathryn.

  She lays one towel on the ground outside the shower and secures the other one around her body. She picks up the discarded towel off the floor, re-enters the shower, and begins to dry the water from my skin. I fight to keep my eyes open, but I lose the battle as she gently rubs the soft towel over me. Front to back until she finishes by wrapping the towel around my waist.

  I open my eyes to find her smiling kindly up at me. “Why don’t you get dressed and meet me back in my bed? Skip the guest room. At this point you’ve officially graduated to the master suite.”

  “I like the sound of that.” I dip down and kiss her forehead in a sign of gratitude.

  She pats my towel-covered ass as I walk past her. “I hope there’s more where that came from,” I say responding to her playfulness as I leave the bathroom and find the pants where I left them on her bed. The one I’m sharing with her tonight.

  “Hey,” I yell to her. “Which side of the bed is yours?”

  She appears at the bathroom door wearing a deceptively innocent pink negligee, which ends at the top of her thighs. Everything of importance covered, but the outlines of her nipples stand out clearly, teasing me.

  “The side with the alarm and all the stacked books. I like to read before I fall asleep.” She nods in the direction of the nightstand, and I see her books there. Some of them are worn and likely re-read favorites.

  I climb into the other side of the bed and fully appreciate her love of finer things. Because her sheets feel divine as I stretch out my legs and pull the top cover over me. She turns off all the bedroom lights. Unashamedly, I watch her walking around the room in the skimpy pink nightie. Since I’m lying in her bed as an invited guest, I fully believe I’ve earned the right to stare.

  The covers move as she joins me in the bed, although I can’t make her out in the darkness. She scoots over toward me and nuzzles her back up against my front. I instinctively place my arm around her waist, and we fit together like pieces of a puzzle. I break the dark silence and speak.

  “You know this is my first time actually spooning. And I’m rather enjoying myself, although it’s likely related to the beautiful company I’m keeping.”

  “Go to sleep, charmer.” I feel her ass wiggle wickedly against me, and I retaliate with a little pinch on her backside through the covers.

  “Hey. What was that for?”

  “You know very well what it was for, you little minx.” She responds with that darling little giggle I’m beginning to love.

  I feel my eyes getting heavy and sleep approaching me, but there’s something I want to know from her before we drift off.

  “Why are you being so good to me? I’m not sure I deserve it.”

  “Remember earlier when I said you were a scared and scarred man. Well I left an important description off the list. Good. You are a good man, Kingsley. Beneath the cocky exterior and finesse, you’re a good man.”

  “No longer a boy then?” I ask with the biggest smile on my face.

  “Yes, I believe you’ve graduated to manhood, too.” She giggles again and snuggles closer into me. I fall asleep breathing in the lovely scent of her hair.

  Chapter 16

  My eyes open as I wake to absolutely nothing. Not a single damn nightmare or even a welcomed dream visited me in my sleep. For two nights in a row, the tormenting dreams I’ve endured for the past ten years have vanished.

  Looking over at the beauty sleeping next to me, I’m convinced she’s the reason for my restful sleep. She makes me feel safe and secure. The Tantra experience we shared last night still blows my mind. Going back to those memories, fully reliving them and the peace I felt when I finally did.

  Kathryn is some type of sexy sorceress, and I have no desire to let her go anytime soon. Hopefully, she’s okay with my plans, but the thought of what she feels or doesn’t feel for me is unsettling.

  Me, the consummate player of Manhattan, worried about a woman’s affections? How the fuck did this woman bring me to my knees in such a short time? With one quick perusal of Kathryn’s sleeping body, the answer is obvious.

  Even though she’s facing away from me, I have one breathtaking view. The downy soft sheets have become tangled between her legs, while her silk pink negligée gathers above her hips, giving me a perfect view of her sweet ass in her sheer panties. My needy fingers are itching to reach out and touch her, but I don’t want to wake her just yet.

  Impure thoughts of last night are producing some issues for my dick. I discreetly adjust myself beneath the sheets, hoping not to move the bed too much. I glance over her shoulder to the see the clock on her nightstand. It’s not quite seven thirty, but for me it might as well be high noon since I’m usually up well before six.

  I need to call Mrs. Carter and let her know I’ll be arriving especially late this morning. She should already be sitting at her desk by now, likely staring at my empty office, wondering where the hell I am and worrying about the news of Simon from last night.

  Plus, I’ll likely have scores of emails and texts to catch up on. Rubbing my temple, I think hard about where I left my phone. With everything that happened last night, I can’t seem to think straight. Then it quickly comes back to me: the guest room.

  I’ll need to leave the bed quietly and retrieve it. With one last look at Kathryn, I inch to the edge of the mattress and swing my legs around to meet the floor and gingerly stand. Looking over my shoulder as I tiptoe toward the door, Kathryn is sleeping away, undisturbed by my movements.

  My phone is located on the dresser where I placed it, but the battery wasn’t charged overnight, which is something I would never let happen. Ever. Instead of it bothering me, I shrug it off with a smile.

  Using the remaining battery I have left, I read my many missed texts, calls, and emails. I scroll through the list and start reading an email from Peters, marked urgent.

  Your car is impounded until tomorrow at eight a.m. I’ve advised Eddie to use the spare company car for today.

  Your bodyguard, Jordan Hayes, met Eddie this morning and will escort you EVERYWHERE starting today. He’s licensed to carry and conceal a firearm and will be packing a gun until Simon is detained. No complaints or protests on this issue, it’s non-negotiable.

  Detective Harold Baker, the NYPD lead investigator on Simon’s case, will come to your office at two for an informal interview. MacDonald hired a personal attorney familiar with high profile cases like yours. He will be there to counsel you before, during, and after the detective’s questioning. MacDonald will arrive with him at a qua
rter to two for an introduction.

  The latest Intel on Simon has his credit card being used in Canada. I saw the video of him from last night when he was allegedly getting gas outside of the city. It appeared to be a man fitting his description. Height, weight, and hair color match, but I didn’t directly see his face. However, the police suspect Simon’s fled the area. Per Mrs. Carter, you have an event this evening, and I believe you can still attend; however, I need to discuss this further with you in person.

  Since several texts, calls, and emails have gone unanswered, I’m assuming you’re still at Kathryn Delcour’s apartment. Please advise on your whereabouts ASAP. I’d like to confirm you’re still alive.

  I fire off a quick email to Peters, hopefully satisfying his knowledge I’m among the living while asking him to meet me in my office at ten thirty. Next up is Eddie.

  “Hello, Mr. Kingsley.” As usual he picks up after the first ring. Always dependable Eddie.

  “Hey, Eddie. Man, I’m glad you’re answering my calls this morning.” I say teasingly, trying to lighten the tone of our call. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am about last night. You all right?”

  “Yes, sir. I’m okay now, but I was rather upset last night. Mr. Edwards shooting off a gun, screaming and yelling crazy nonsense… Thank God Mrs. Duffy and everyone else was okay. Simon seemed possessed. By what, I don’t know?”

  There was no disguising the fear in Eddie’s voice. Witnessing the entire scene has left him shaken up. I’ll need to compensate him and his wife for all his troubles. Perhaps a nice vacation abroad when this all blows over. Maybe Paris, since Eddie has mentioned wanting to take his wife there.

  “I’m not sure either, Eddie, but I’m glad no one was hurt. Police believe he fled the area. Let’s hope they’re right.” Something in the back of my mind nags at me. Simon’s too smart to be so blatantly obvious, but I’ll have to trust Peters and the NYPD on this situation for now.