“I…I don’t know if I …”
“You will!” She covered him with her body. Then she nibbled at his neck, kissing and whispering all the things she wanted to do to him. And how, when, and where she wanted to do them. On the side of a hot steaming tub where he could rest his cock at eye level. Between floors in the elevator of the hotel. On the roof of his penthouse under the stars, moon, and sky. On a pool table in a crowded room. Perhaps with several other men. Or women. That last one she just threw in for good measure.
He flicked his tongue along her breasts and nibbled on the tips until the strength of gods zipped through his quivering cock. Val could feel the beast between them. She locked her fingers through his and gazed into his eyes. “I told you,” she mouthed.
In a flash, he’d flipped the two of them over until his body was on top of hers.
Laughing this time, she said, “Oh no, you don’t. Not again.” Rolling their linked bodies so she was on top again, they tangled inside the sheets so tight neither could break free. They wriggled and squirmed, trying to break loose. Finally, they fell off the bed in a heap of linen and flailing limbs, hot sweat sticking to the sheets.
“Ha!” yelled Val triumphant. She sat up on Turner’s hips. “I’m on top and don’t you dare move.” She licked the initials inked into his salty neck. “LLB What is this anyway?”
“Lost little boy.” His eyes narrowed and that delectable mouth quirked into a twisted smile.
“Okay, you know what I mean.”
“Land Lover Brothers.”
“Oh yeah. I forgot.” Giggling, she mounted him, the sweet explosive sensations gripping her like a demon until all she knew, felt, and saw was sweet sexual bliss cracking through her brain. A bloom of pleasure rose up. Higher and higher. Quickening with her movements. “Yes! Yes!” Searing sweat drizzled between her breasts. Turner pistoned upward, their bodies joined. “Fuck! I’m coming Tool man. I’m coming!”
“You have a filthy mouth,” he murmured. “I love it.” And then it registered in her brain. She’d never talked this way to a man before. Was this what she meant when she said they brought out the best in each other? Sex with Turner was amazing. And having fun with no obligations attached even better. There wasn’t any promise of money or opportunity or keeping her out of jail to encourage him. He just wanted her. The deep carnal knowledge spurred her on with a happiness she’d never known. It was exhilarating. Liberating and refreshing. Her body began to thrum, her moans growing louder.
Rising. Rising. Rising. “Oh!”
Val loved the control she was having. It was like living a new life. Their bodies slammed into the bed with such ferocious actions she thought the bed would break. An orgasm gripped her—sending her over the edge. Turner groaned from below and she knew by the sound he would climax soon too. The sound of him was lovely. The pleasure intensified. Cresting the mountain, Val jumped off. She felt herself soaring so high she had to scream out and did. She shuddered in beautiful ecstasy.
***
“What are you looking at?” Val asked.
“You.” Turner swept a strand of hair from her mouth, soaking in the lemony scent. He tucked it behind her ear, his gaze pensive…intense. “I have to tell you something. Before we go too far.”
“I think it’s a little too late for that. Don’t you think?”
“Not…this. I need to be honest with you. I can’t…I mean, I don’t…with women…Well, I do but…I just want things to be right between us.”
“You look so serious. Are you dieing or something?”
“Yeah .”
“What!” She shuffled herself up on the pillow. Clutching another pillow to her chest, she stared down at him, horrified.
“No. No. Not like that.” He chuckled. “Sorry, poor choice of words.”
“Then you’re not…dieing?”
“No.”
“Then why did you…?”
“I just meant…How do I explain it? The old me is dieing. The old me.”
“The old you?” Her face wrinkled with skepticism. “What the hell does that even mean, Turner?”
His jaw shivered with laughter. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “Maybe I’ve just changed since I met you, Val.”
“Yeah, right. In three days.” She lowered her gaze, not sure whether to buy what she thought was the start of some kind of confession…or change the subject. Not wanting either, she dove under the sheets, her body wriggling along the mattress until the tickle of pubic hair made her nose itch. She stuck her head out the other end of the bed. Beside his feet. “Val! Val, I’m trying to be serious here.”
“Yeah, I know. Sorry.” She couldn’t stop laughing. What was with this guy? The best three days she’d had with a man since like…ever, and he wants to go and ruin it. “You were saying…”
“Well I can’t… Oh god.” She’d wriggled herself down again, hot lips wrapped around his dick. “Oh! Oh man, that’s good. Yeah, right like that.”
Laughing, she let go of her prey and pulled back the sheet.“You wanted to talk serious,” she chided.
“Uh…”
“What about?” she asked, trying to sound sweet.
“Well I can’t talk to you when you’re doing that!”
“What? You mean this?” Swiveling back down in place she tickled the tip of his half erect cock with her tongue. His cock responded.
Turner groaned. “Woman, you’re driving me crazy.”
Val giggled. “Yeah, I know.” She gave his balls a final squeeze and then jumped out of bed. Wrapping a sheet around her body, she took the chair across the room so he couldn’t drag her back to bed. She plopped herself down. “Shoot, Mr. Casanova. Get whatever it is off your chest.”
Turner breathed in a long slow sigh. “I…I’ve never had a girlfriend if you must know so this is all…kinda new to me.”
She looked at him, dumbfounded. Whatever she was expecting it wasn’t that. It certainly wasn’t the truth. Rich handsome men like Turner had women. Lots and lots of women.
“I mean I date and I have sex and all that but I don’t…have girlfriends. Not really.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Well, I have this rule.”
Oh great. He’s got rules about the women he dates and none of them are girlfriends?
Val settled in for the kill. Either he was going to say he never wanted to see her again or he didn’t trust her. Pulling her legs underneath on the chair, she stiffened.
“You see I don’t date anyone more than three times in a row. Sometimes, if I like a woman, I’ll take a break and then date her again in the future but never more than three dates in a row.”
Is he freaking kidding?
“That’s why I’ve never had a girlfriend. Not in the simple sense of the word.”
“Three dates,” Val repeated letting that roll around on her tongue. “Why?”
“It just seemed…more uncomplicated. I’m a busy man. Busy as hell actually. I don’t have relationships.” He made quotations in the air.
“You don’t have relationships? Why?”
“Relationships take time. What with my work schedule, jetting around the country to different projects that take months to complete, it just didn’t seem practical.”
“Why are you telling me all this?”
“I want to be honest, Val. And like I said I don’t want there to be any weirdness between us.”
Val’s heart dropped and tears formed in the corners of her eyes. “So you’re telling me you don’t want to see me again.”
“No!”
“No, you don’t’ want to see me or no, that’s not what you meant?”
“No, that’s not what I meant. See, I’m getting older, so I was thinking of expanding that particular rule.” He gave her a rueful smile.
“Seriously?
He shrugged. “Yeah. I’m being serious here.”
“I think that’s ridiculous.”
“What?” he asked, incredulous
. “Why? I thought it was…mature actually.”
Val rolled her eyes at that one. “Oh thank you on behalf of all womankind! Jesus, you’re just like all the others. An egotistical fool destined to live your life alone. If I’m understanding you right, you simply ignore them after the third fuck? What…do they take you aside in kindergarten and teach you how to be man whores to all the women of the world?”
“Val, it’s not like that.”
“Then what is it like, Turner? You just told me all you do is fuck em and leave em. Is that the badge you wear around here? And what I am to you? A fuck em and leave em girl? Is that what you told your whole crew when my back was turned? And all this time I thought they liked me. I thought you liked me. I was so happy the other night. Just hanging with the boys watching football. They reminded me of my brothers and I wasn’t alone for the first time in I don’t know how long. But you! And them….” She glanced toward the living room. “Everyone. They were making fun of me the whole time, weren’t they?”
“No!”
“Sounds that way to me, Turner.” She dropped the pillow. She got out of bed and stomped to the dresser, naked, and grabbed her indies and jeans. After slipping on the panties she slammed each leg into the jeans. With trembling hands, she zipped up the fly. “I am so stupid. You’d think a girl like me…a girl who’s been around enough men would learn her lesson by now!” Her angry gaze flitted about the room. “Where’s that sweater you bought me? Oh, and don’t think I’m not paying you back for everything you bought because I will.”
“You don’t have…”
“Of course I don’t but I want to and I will.” She punctuated the last word through tight lips.
“Val, honey…” He touched her forearm as she strode toward the sweater but she yanked back quickly. “Val, don’t you see. This is why I’m telling you all this now. I don’t want it to be like this with us.”
“What? You don’t’ want to fuck me anymore? And you thought you needed to clear that up with me first? Ease your conscience or…whatever?”
“Huh? No! That’s not what I meant either. Oh, man what I said came out all wrong. Totally wrong.”
“Then enlighten me, Turner. What exactly are you trying to tell me here.”
“I’m trying to tell you, I hate myself for doing that to all those women. I’m trying to tell you I paid the price with loneliness and I’m sick of it. Sick of being and asshole if you must know. I’m trying to tell you I like you, Val. A lot. More than any other women I’ve ever met. Maybe that’s why…I just thought… I want to be upfront. That’s all I meant. I’m not even sure I can…you know…”
“What?”
“Fall in love.”
“Well it’s no wonder with your three date rule, you hypocrite.”
“I deserved that.”
“Damn right. Jesus and to think I thought…I mean…for a minute there….”
“What?”
“For a minute there I actually thought there was something wrong with you. I was wracking my brain trying to figure out how I could help you get through it.”
A smile spread over Turner’s face. “You care about me?”
“Yes, you asshole. I care. I don’t want to but I do.”
A cocky grin crept out of the corner of his mouth. “So does this mean if I was really sick or actually dieing you might miss me a little?”
“I don’t know.”
“Here, you forgot something.” Turner tossed her the lace bra laying on the edge of the bed frame.
“Thanks,” she said hotly. She stripped off the sweater and then put on the bra. “Can you…? I can’t reach.” She turned, holding the two end of the bra behind her back.
“Hmm.” Instead of snapping her up, he pulled her into his hard muscular chest. Reaching around, he cupped her breasts, flicking the nipples with his thumb. “Let me make it up to you for being an ass.”
“Don’t change the subject. You had your chance a few minutes ago if I recall.” Stepping forward, she pulled the sweater overhead. A silk and rayon mix with red roses sewn with silk threads slid overhead. “Any other confessions you want to unload on me?”
“Just that I have a pretty bad reputation back home. I cheated on my taxes and had a few brawls when I was younger. And…you’ll likely get an earful from the women around town. I’ve pretty much dated all of them at one time or another.”
Val’s eyes grew round as baseballs.
“Don’t look at me like that. I used protection. I am clean if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Too late for me to worry,” Val said taking a deep breath. “And that’s on me, of course.” Checking herself out in the vanity, she twirled around, noting how form fitting the jeans were to her bottom. She filled them out just right. “Wow. Much nicer than my old stuff.” She slid her hands over the silk sweater. “And soft too.” She could almost taste the smoothness against her skin.
“So why me, Turner? Why are you willing to break your almighty three date rule with little old me?” There was still an edge to her voice but she was beginning to sound normal.
“I told you, Val. I like you.”
She planted a quick kiss on his lips. “I like you too.”
“And for the record. What you claim I did for you…back there….in the airport…Another first for me, Val. I’ve never put myself out for another human being in my life.”
“So why did you?”
“It felt…good.”
“Well I’m grateful…for everything.”
“Yeah, well I’ve a lot to atone for in my life. I fucked up a lot of people.”
“You’re not the only one,” Val said. “I’m sorry, by the way.” Her tense expression lightened. “Forgive me?”
“Nothing to forgive, sweetheart.”
“Well, then we’re even.”
He glanced at the clock. “Wow. Almost midnight.” Drawing the vertical blinds across the bay window, a sparkling display of stars appeared.
Val gasped. “Wow. Another light show just for us.”
Turner held his hand out. “Come. I want you to see something.”
Val placed her hand in his, the heat between them still sizzling. He brought her fingers to his lips and kissed each one by one. Then he slid back the glass doors to the veranda, leading her out. He pointed to the sky. “See that group of stars. That’s the little dipper and that over there is the north star.” He wrapped his arms around her waist, soaked inside her warmth. “Back home I have a telescope.”
“Really? I’ve always wanted one of those. My mother used to tell me the stars were where bad people went when they died.” She laughed. “ I wanted to see if my father was up there.”
Turner chuckled but there was no humor behind it.
“My dad said something similar. Only…he said when we die, we become angels. We take up residence inside the stars.”
“I like your version better.”
“Oh, look. Polaris is up. Mariners used that to guide themselves home.”
Home. Val thought of her brothers, the one story house they’d all grown up in, the Spanish roof and corrugated room dividers. The sense that it was always the same. Every day. All day. A slum really with no running water, dirt floors, and cobbled streets. Since, leaving at seventeen to find work, she’d never settled anywhere for long.
Home was back in Nayarit, Mexico. She missed seeing colorful baskets and rugs sold on the front stoops of her neighbors. She missed beans, sorghum, and sugar cane growing in the fields, the grand murals on public buildings, and hearing her native tongue spoken with a true Mexican accent. Besides her brothers, what she missed most were the sweet songs of the birds of the rain forest. Whenever she felt lonely, she’d slip away just to hear their sweet songs. It always made her feel better. Val sighed. She was a long way from seventeen and sooner or later she would have to find a place for herself, move on, find a life. “Home,” she said softly. “I wonder where that is.”
Turner moved to face her. Cupp
ing her face gently in his palms, he ran his fingers through her dark hair. She shivered even though waves of heat crawled along her skin. He wiped a tear with his thumb. “Val?” She bit her lip. She didn’t want to tell him what it was like moving place to place or how she’d never felt like she’d never belonged anywhere. She didn’t want to reveal how much she’d yearned to put down roots. That the moment he’d offered her a job, her a place in his very own home, she’d been jumping through hoops to make sure he didn’t change his mind. He knew nothing about her and she wanted to keep it that way. But he didn’t ask about her past. He didn’t ask about any of it. He just…trusted. By the look in his eyes, she was sure he knew anyway. Knew about all of her lousy decisions. The list of men as long as his arm. The people she’d ruined. He kissed her softly on the lips.
“Home,” Turner repeated. And then just like that he took her in his arms, kissed her with a passion she’d never known with a man before. He raised her off her feet, kissing nibbling and loving her with his tongue. Then he set her down again.
Breathless, she smiled as if the sun had just come up. Like the world finally had meaning. Like all her prayers had finally been answered. “Turner? Turner you’re looking at me like that again. Why?”
“It’s the mariners,” he said.
“The mariners?”
“Yeah. Those mariners from long ago. That’s what I am for you, Val. Your way home.”
The End
.
I
.
.
Splash Page 34
