by Claire Adams
“Just a quick picture,” she said while setting everything out. She gave me a fork with some fried rice and a piece of bourbon chicken, dipped her spoon into a bowl of soup, and took a picture of us kneeling in front of the table. I glanced at it as she posted it, and even I had to admit it looked like an authentic Chinese food date night between a happy couple.
“Happy?” she asked as she finished posting it.
“Sure,” I said and stood. “Throw whatever you don’t finish in the fridge.”
“You’re not staying?” she asked as I walked away. “Did I do something wrong?”
I wanted to say yes, but instead, I shook my head.
“I’m not hungry,” I said and walked upstairs toward my office. I took out my laptop and set it on my desk, and opened a word processor. I hadn’t written a single creative sentence in more than six years, and I wondered if I still had it in me.
I knew I was going to need at least a few drinks in me before I wrote anything. I returned downstairs, passing Maddie sitting on the couch in the living room as I headed toward the bar. The smell of Chinese food filled my house, and my stomach made an audible growl that Maddie must have heard.
“Just eat with me,” she said. “And maybe pour me a drink too while you’re at it?”
I rolled my eyes and poured her a glass of wine while I readied my drink. I handed it to her and sat on the floor on the other side of the table.
“You can’t even sit on the same couch as me?” she asked with a frown. “Really?”
“I’m only here for the Chinese food,” I said and took a few bites. “Nothing else.”
She groaned. “We’re never going to look like a real couple if we keep acting like this,” she said.
“And how would you have us act?” I asked.
She bit her lip and stared at the floor as I leaned back on my elbows.
“We both have urges,” she said and stared into my eyes.
I raised an eyebrow. “Urges?” I repeated as if I didn’t know exactly what she was talking about. When I wasn’t stewing in how much I hated her, I most certainly had urges. Urges to strip her bare, lick every inch of her, and fuck her until she begged me to stop.
“Yes, sexual needs, and since you explicitly said that we couldn't sleep with anyone else, we might as well use this situation to our advantage. No emotional feelings, no strings, just sex.” She grinned. “I know you enjoyed it the last time.”
“I remember you did as well,” I said and thought about her suggestion. She was offering exactly what I had been looking for, but I still wasn’t entirely sure about it. “Will those cost me more?”
She laughed as she stood from the couch and slowly walked toward me. I was still leaning on my elbows as she kneeled and brought her lips close to mine.
“I was thinking it’d be free of charge,” she said and climbed on top of me.
Chapter Eighteen
Maddie
He looked so damn good beneath me, his eyes darkening more and more each second. I couldn’t help but tease him.
“Or maybe I should charge you?” I smiled and pressed my hands into his thick chest as I arched my back and rubbed myself against the thick bulge in the front of his jeans.
“Maybe you should stop talking and get busy.” He reached up and cupped the side of my face as he sucked his bottom lip into his mouth.
We locked eyes and my insides melted. I knew he hated me, but maybe over time, that would change. I felt without choice in what I’d done. I was broke, and everything was closing in on me. Maybe through the heat of passion, I could melt him a little.
“Tell me what you want.” I dug my nails into his chest and rocked against him. It was hard to keep my eyes open as pleasure swelled in my belly from the tension against my clit. Everything about him left me turned on.
“Don’t tell me what to do, Maddie.” He gripped my face tighter and pulled me down for a long hot kiss as he laid back fully on the floor. “Figure it out, woman.”
“Okay,” I whispered and kissed him once more before sitting up. I unbuttoned his shirt and slid my hands along the smooth skin of his chest, memorizing how good he looked. He groaned and closed his eyes before reaching up and sliding his hands along my thighs. His grip was tight – so fucking tight.
“Get to it,” he muttered and lifted his hips, forcing me to buck against him.
I moved down his body, feeling so unsure of myself all of a sudden. I’d been with plenty of guys, but none this hot. None this good hearted. Brushing my nose down the center of his chest, I paused to lick at the six pack of muscles that flexed just above his belt.
He groaned again, and wetness drenched my panties. There was so much power in bringing him pleasure. I would never grow tired of it, no matter how he felt about me.
“Tell me what you want,” I whispered roughly, loving the idea of pushing him a little too far. He was aggressive and masculine in all the right ways. Him manhandling me the last time we fucked had me yearning for something similar this time.
“Suck my cock. Hard.” He glanced up and pinned me with a hard stare. “And I wanna hear you choke on it.”
I swallowed and nodded, more than willing to give him anything he asked for in the bedroom. Whether he cared or not, he’d changed my life with his money.
After working his pants down his legs, I leaned over and ran my tongue around the top of his boxer briefs, dipping in a little and licking at the salty top of his head. We shared a brief groan before I pulled his undies down and ran my tongue up the thick length of him.
He was by far the biggest man I’d been with, and I almost lamented at the idea that he was only mine for a short period of time. As soon as his mother was gone, he would be, too.
A strong hand took hold of my face and moved me up, forcing me to take his dick in my mouth.
“All of it,” he mumbled and laid back, lifting his hips as I reached up and took hold of his cock, sucking and licking like I was starving and he was my only meal. I gagged several times, and each time, he cried out in bliss.
The sound alone was enough to put me on edge.
“God, you’re so fucking hot,” I whispered against his sack and sucked one of his balls into my mouth as I reached up to run my fingers through the small brown hair trailing from his bellybutton to his dick.
“Get a condom, Maddie,” he groaned out.
“Not yet.” I moved up and sucked on the tip, rolling my tongue around the swollen skin and teasing the opening until he was twitching with need beneath me.
“Stroke it. Stroke it hard.” He reached up and gripped his cock, stroking it as I swatted his hand away and took over, using my mouth and hand to bring him over the edge. He gushed cum, and I worked to not let a drop fall on his stomach below.
I couldn’t help but glance up and watch him in the throes of passion. Incredible. Someone I could fall in love with and likely would if I weren’t careful.
“Come here.” He motioned for me to crawl up his body.
I did, and he slid his fingers into the back of my hair, gripping it tightly as he pulled me down for a long, probing kiss. I was drunk on the flavor of his tongue by the time he pulled back.
“I want more of you,” I whispered against his mouth and closed my eyes, pretending that he might love me eventually. It was a pipe dream, but it sent me soaring.
“Take off your jeans and panties. Get up here and let me taste you.” His eyes were filled with a passion that couldn’t be fabricated.
“Okay.” I got off of him and undressed quickly, afraid that I might fuck up the moment if I didn’t keep us in it. “You want my bra off?”
“Stop asking questions and get naked for fuck’s sake,” he barked and reached for me as I moved back down, unsure of what position he wanted me in. The way his eyes ran across me and his cock twitched left my heart racing. Why did this mean so much to me? Why did I want him to want me so bad?
Guilt. It was all because somehow him liking me, or finding pleasure buried
deep inside of me might help ease my guilt. That and he was beautiful. It felt like being pressed against a hero, a strong, good man. Something I would most likely never have.
“Straddle me and turn the other way. You get back to sucking me off, and I’ll take good care of you.”
I nodded, not wanting to mess up anything. Moving on him, I turned my back to him and inched down his body until I was on all fours, hovered above his slick cock. I leaned down and brushed my tongue down the thick vein that ran along the base of his erection and moaned at the flavor of him.
Strong hands ran up the back of my thighs and gripped my ass, pulling me down to his waiting tongue.
“Fuck,” I cried out as he licked through my folds ever so slowly.
“You’re so wet. I didn’t figure you to be the naughty type, Maddie,” he mumbled and sucked my clit into his mouth, his tongue slapping against it fast and hard.
It wasn’t going to take much and I’d be flying over the edge.
I leaned down and busied myself with sucking him off again as he used his tongue and fingers to open me up and drown me in ecstasy. The brush of his thumb by my ass caused me to cry out, the sound lost around the thick shaft in my mouth.
“Mmmhmmm… That’s it. Come for me.” He pulled me back down and finished the job, driving me insane with lust as I bucked against him.
He came with me, filling my mouth once again and leaving us both panting. I collapsed on top of him and kissed the top of his thigh, snuggling against him.
“You taste so good,” I mumbled and rubbed his hip before brushing my face alongside his cock one more time. “You want more?”
“No. Get off.” He patted the side of my ass.
His tone let me know that I was the only one thinking that passion might save whatever relationship was dying between us. He felt nothing.
“Yeah. Sure.” I got up and moved to my knees beside him, trying to look as sexy as I could.
He didn’t glance my way as he got up and grabbed his clothes. “Leave the food if you want. I’ll clean it up in the morning.”
“Gavin.” I sounded a little bit needier than I wanted to, but the dull ache inside of me had roared to life again. Was he really going to leave me sitting in the living room naked after our passionate love making?
I surely deserved it, but I couldn’t help but hurt over the idea of him being so cold.
Cold like me.
“What?” He stopped by his bedroom door and turned a little. The sight of him naked and glaring down at me turned me on, and my body ticked with desire. I wanted more than oral sex. I wanted him buried inside of me again, his body pressed against mine, his mouth consuming mine.
“Are you really going to make me sleep on the couch again?” My tone shifted from needy to annoyed. I couldn’t help it.
He chuckled. “Absolutely. Stop making more of us fucking than you should. You’re a quick and cheap way to get off. Nothing more.” He shrugged. “You should know how that feels. You’re a pro at it.” He closed the door behind him, and fuck me if my eyes didn’t fill with tears.
Maybe sleeping together wasn’t a good idea at all. I couldn’t stand feeling cheap and used. I stood and dressed quickly before grabbing a blanket off the chair closest to me. After curling up in it, I let myself blink out a few tears and decided to stop being a child.
It was a business deal. Nothing more.
Chapter Nineteen
Gavin
I waited until the fifth alarm to finally roll out of bed and grab my phone. I turned off the alarm and sat on my bed, forehead in my hands, as I attempted to massage a light headache away. Maybe I was dehydrated, and possibly drinking too much whiskey for my own good. The headache would be gone with two painkillers, but that meant walking down the stairs and toward the kitchen, and I didn’t have the energy for it yet.
I took my time getting ready. A long shower, followed by staring at my reflection as I routinely brushed my teeth for several minutes longer than normal, and another ten minutes of shaving. The razor cut along the edge of my skin, just below my neck, as I considered the day.
Maddie would be coming over in the evening, followed by a dinner with Mom and then maybe another night spent releasing some frustration. It was a decent arrangement, and my cock twitched at the memory of Maddie climbing on top of me and proposing a no-strings relationship. It had been somewhat of a surprise; after all, I hadn’t known Maddie to be so vocal about what she wanted, but I wasn’t going to complain.
She wasn’t so difficult to please, and in a way, I supposed I actually enjoyed our time together. But she was still shaking money out of me, and despite all of her other positive attributes, I was still pissed at her.
I finished getting ready and started cooking up a simple breakfast. I was used to protein shakes in the morning, but I had a craving for a greasy, unhealthy breakfast with a plate full of bacon and a side of dollar pancakes smothered in thick maple syrup. I sent a quick text to Mom, knowing full and well that she wouldn’t respond until much later in the day when her energy was at a decent level. I would most likely visit before then, but I knew that she liked receiving messages during a time that almost no one bothered with talking to her.
I could tell that it bothered her, how three-fourths of the attendees from the party had practically ghosted her after the reveal. It made me want to scream at each of them. Was their time too precious to talk to a dying woman? Mom said they just didn’t know what to say, and that there was no reason to feel any animosity toward them. But fuck that.
A loud sizzle interrupted my thoughts, and I turned just in time to avoid getting a bubble of hot oil popped in my face. The bacon was blackened to a crisp on the pan, and I quickly turned the stove off before the fire alarm could be notified. The last time the alarm went off I had spent nearly ten minutes hitting it with a broomstick before I thought to restart it.
I hadn’t considered the funeral. I knew in a logical mindset I would be the one planning it, or more likely throwing a shit ton of cash at some poor man, but I hadn’t truly processed the idea. Would Mom want a certain type of flowers? Did she expect sad music or fun, upbeat songs that celebrated her life? Was I supposed to ask her these questions?
I forced myself to scarf down the burnt bacon; I wasn’t the type to let food go to waste. I pushed the soaked pancakes around until they were a soft mush swimming in butter and syrup. I winced slightly; it didn’t look appetizing in the least, but I was a man of honor and finished the pancakes in record time.
I figured I should probably make a list of things to discuss with Mom eventually, but there was little motivation in that, so I decided I would deal with it at a later time. There was no reason to worry about funerals, not when she was alive and breathing.
I didn’t bother telling Ron about spending the afternoon on the boat. I knew that he would fill the conversation with topics of Maddie and Mom, and I wanted to spend just a few hours not thinking about either. I leaned against my chair as the gray clouds in the sky moved at a slow pace and opened a book that I hadn’t read in nearly a month. It was the middle of an older story of the origins of literature and science, but while I enjoyed it before Mom’s prognosis, I was finding it impossible to focus on anything afterward.
I kept the boat docked and waved at several people as they passed mine toward theirs or the end of the dock. A few stopped to make casual conversation, and I quickly regretted trying to find quiet time on a boat.
“I haven’t seen you by yourself on here in a while,” a woman said as she leaned against a light pole. Her name was Betty, a regular at the bar that Ron and I frequented, and always seemed much kinder to me than anyone else.
“Wanted some peace and quiet,” I said and gestured at my book. She smiled and invited herself onto the boat. I gritted my teeth and offered her a chair.
“Oh, no need, I just wanted to ask how you were doing,” she said. “I heard about your mother.”
Despite the cold temperature, she was wearing a sho
rt skirt that revealed long, smooth legs and a tight polo shirt. She looked like she was on her way to a tennis match at the Golden Oaks.
“I’m good, thanks,” I said. Betty flipped a perfectly curled strand of blonde hair behind her shoulder and stood closer.
“If there’s ever anything you need, sweetie, you know where to find me,” she smiled and glanced toward my trousers. I had a faint memory of Ron drunk-telling a group of women one night in the bar that his best friend was a billionaire who would offer him his private jet if any of them was interested. Most of the women rolled their eyes and ignored him, but Betty had some sort of gleam in her eye as she looked past him toward me.
I frowned. Maybe it was because of my recent dealing with Maddie, but Betty could have at least made it less obvious that all she wanted was to get cozy with any rich guy that looked her way.
“Thanks, Betty,” I said and stashed the book beneath my chair. I dumped a half-empty beer can in the trash and forced her off of my boat. “But I already sold my soul to another devil.”
“What?” If she was going to pretend to play dumb, the least she could have done was wipe the stupid grin off of her face. “Gavin, I just want to be there for you.”
“We’ve said three sentences total before this,” I said. “And now you want to bond over my dying mother?” My voice was much harsher than normal, but I didn’t regret one word. “Fuck off, Betty, you’ll have better luck seducing the bartender that throws you out on the weekends.”
“Fuck you, Gavin,” she snarled and walked off. I didn’t bother watching her sway her hips as she stormed away. The afternoon was slowly coming to a close, and I needed to be home to greet Maddie, the first devil that trapped me.
It wasn’t long until Maddie’s car pulled into the driveway. I watched as she closed the car behind her and casually strolled up to my door as if she lived here. It dawned on me that Mom would probably expect us to live together before getting married, at least for a month or two, and I would have to take that step soon. I wasn’t particularly excited for that.
