An Indecent Proposal

by J. C. Reed

“We’re in California.” I smiled at him, unable to push the thoughts of Chase’s naked reflection in the mirror out of my head.

  “Some women freeze. Or so I’ve heard.”

  “What about some company?” My heart began to race as I patted the empty space beside me with a confidence I didn’t really have.

  “You sure?” He sounded surprised, but he didn’t decline my offer straight away.

  What the heck was I doing? Now I couldn’t take it back without him thinking I was one of those indecisive women who couldn’t make up their minds.

  “I can’t really let you sleep on that couch in your own apartment.” Shoot, now it sounded like an invitation to share my bed, when I had only wanted him to keep me company for a few minutes. I cringed inwardly. At the rate I was going, I’d be buried in my own hole before I knew it.

  “I don’t really mind.” He stepped closer, but still didn’t take me up on the invitation.

  Didn’t mind what? Coming in? Sleeping on the couch?

  “I’m serious,” I heard myself saying. Talk about trying not to sway him. Oh, god. “You’ve been so nice to me and the couch looks like a medieval rack. I bet it’s very expensive and not particularly comfortable and your bed’s huge. And soft. We could pile up pillows right in the middle and—” I stopped and bit my lip, wondering why the words kept flowing.

  Actually, the sofa didn’t look so bad. Surely he knew I didn’t really mean my brainless invitation, and that I was just being friendly.

  “Okay.”

  What?

  All heat drained from my face, but Chase was already out the door to get God knows what.

  Within two minutes he was back and his jeans and shirt were gone. My mouth went dry at the glimpse of bronze skin and hard muscles. He liked to work out—a lot—which wasn’t surprising considering his profession. But did he have to look so good?

  I flicked my tongue over my lips nervously, wondering how the heck I could possibly sleep next to him and not think of what his body might feel like under my exploring fingers.

  “Is that what you’re wearing to bed?” I brushed my hair out of my eyes and pointed to the boxers and his snug, white shirt. He arranged the pillows in the middle of the bed until they had formed a little wall, his gaze avoiding mine.

  “No.” His lips twitched. “I usually sleep naked.”

  “Oh, okay.” I snorted, uneasy. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen, Chase.”

  Damn.

  He wasn’t even in bed yet and already the temperature had risen a few degrees.

  “Don’t worry, I can keep them on.” His tone was meant to instill confidence in me, but only made me more nervous, maybe because he hadn’t said that he would keep them on.

  He patted the makeshift wall, which looked like it would crumble if one of us so much as turned in our sleep. “Is this working for you?”

  Nodding, I didn’t dare glance at him, at his strong legs, or the muscles flexed in his arms. The mattress dipped beneath his weight. From the corner of my eyes, I saw him prop up on one elbow, regarding me.

  “What?” I turned sharply, unsure what the heck he was waiting for, and noticed the glint of amusement in his eyes.

  “You’re sleeping on my side. The light switch…it’s next to you.” He pointed to the bedside table, and the glint of amusement flashed again.

  I followed his line of vision to what resembled a small water bottle made of stainless steel pinned to the wall. It was the most obscure light switch I had ever seen—not that I had seen many. Confused, my fingers brushed over the smooth surface. Now, how could I switch off the damn thing? There was no button to press. No cord to pull, and most certainly no switch. Nothing to give away how this thing worked. I brushed my fingers up and down, this time in slow motion, and Chase let out a low chuckle. That’s when I realized the thing looked a bit phallic and the motion of my fingers was bound to attract naughty thoughts—at least in my dirty imagination.

  As though burned, I quickly pulled my hand away. “How do you—” My voice broke in mid-sentence when he leaned over me, his strong arm carelessly draping over my heaving chest, like it belonged there.

  And then the room was bathed in darkness with only the moonlight streaming through the open drapes and the city lights twinkling in the black sky.

  As my eyes adjusted, I could make out Chase’s features, his gray-blue eyes two dark spots that seemed to shimmer with mystery. Suddenly aware of his all-consuming presence, I held my breath as I wondered what he was thinking. Ever so slowly he leaned forward and his mouth conquered mine. My breath swished out of me in a guttural moan. I ran my fingers through his hair and pulled him just a little bit closer to me, my mouth opening to welcome his hot tongue. But his kiss remained soft and gentle against my lips, my mind frozen in the moment, as if time had stopped.

  In the silence of the night, his mouth against mine felt different. It was intoxicating, powerful, and inexorable. Tiny jolts of electricity rushed through my abdomen, settling in that one little spot no one had ever touched.

  I pressed my breasts against him and my nipples beaded instantly at contact, as though the darkness around us was a gate and all I had needed was a kiss to open my body for him.

  Running my hands down his back, I bit his lower lip and he rewarded me with an appreciative moan that caressed my senses. Touching him was intoxicating, terrifying, but also addictive. I couldn’t take it while at the same time I wanted more…whatever the consequences.

  My tongue flicked past his lips and into his mouth. It was just a little bit, but enough to break through the gates of his self-control. I gasped when he sucked my lower lip into his mouth and dipped his tongue into my willing mouth while his hands began to roam over my body to remove my clothes, stroking, pinching, sending waves of pleasure through me.

  “Chase.” My breath hitched in my throat, his name trapped on my lips and stifled by his exploring tongue.

  At some point he shifted on top of me and his knee parted my legs, the cold air grazing my most sensitive spot. His hardness pressed against my thigh, fascinating me, urging me to touch it.

  For a moment I considered reaching down to stroke him just to know what it’d feel like, but Chase was faster, more decisive in his actions.

  His hands moved lower, stroking my body with a passion no water or wind could control. My heartbeat raced with fear and anticipation as my foggy mind fought to make a decision whether to stop him right there and then. Or allow him to go just a little further to find out what I had been wondering ever since we met. I wanted to know what touching and intimate kissing meant. I wanted to feel certain parts of his body buried deep inside me, pinning me to the bed the way I imagined every time I so much as heard his name, his tongue in my mouth, rendering me unable to speak.

  “God, Laurie.” A labored breath escaped his lips. I laughed because it pleased me to see he wasn’t so unaffected.

  “More,” I whispered, meaning it. I had no idea what more would entail, but I was ready to let him decide, even if he wanted to go all the way, even if I was nothing but a conquest to him.

  His mouth trailed down to my breasts, latching onto one hard nipple, and he tugged at it gentle, sucking and licking in equal measures. I arched my back involuntarily, asking for more. He shifted his attention to the other nipple before trailing further down, past my stomach, lower and lower.

  I held my breath when he started placing soft butterfly kisses on my inner thigh.

  “What are you doing?” I whispered and tried to push my legs together, but his hands forced my knees wide apart, my flaming sex inches from his lips. Pushing up on my elbows, I regarded him in the darkness. His expression was unreadable, his grip hard on my skin, probably leaving a bruise or two in the process. I felt so hot and powerless all I could do was stare at him as our eyes connected.

  “Isn’t it obvious?” He planted another soft kiss on my thigh while rubbing the beginning of a stubble against my sensitive skin.

  What the hell w
as I doing? My sex clenched, and not in a bad way.

  “I can’t give you what you want, Chase,” I whispered, mortified at the fact that he was settled between my legs and I could smell the scent of our arousal in the air.

  “I know you’re a virgin.” He tilted his head up, his eyes locking with mine. His lips parted in a slow, delicious kiss.

  A notch in his bedpost.

  I shook my head, unwilling to believe what I knew to be the truth.

  How do you know that I’m a virgin? I wanted to ask, but my lips remained glued together as he planted another kiss on my inner thigh. “I don’t mind your lack of sexual experience. I find it enticing. In fact, I’d love to be your teacher. I promise I won’t ever hurt you as long as you trust me enough when I push your boundaries.”

  What the heck?

  Those weren’t the words of your usual guy. How much experience did he have and what did he mean by ‘boundaries?’

  “Chase, I think this isn’t—”

  A good idea? Damn right it wasn’t. It was the most stupid, careless move I had ever made. So why couldn’t I just say it? I swallowed and tried again, “I’m not ready. I can’t sleep with you.”

  And never would.

  “Relax,” came his reply before he lowered his mouth between my thighs. His hot breath hit my clit a moment before his tongue began to circle it in slow motion. My heart slammed hard against my ribcage and waves of pleasure fired through me. In my mind, I knew I had to be strong, but strong was the word to describe my ever-growing lust.

  Chase’s grip around my thigh’s tightened, keeping my legs parted. I couldn’t have clenched them shut even if I wanted to.

  “I said relax, Laurie. I’m not going to do something you’ll regret,” he whispered, his voice almost forceful. “Beside me fucking you, there are other ways to make you come. Other ways that don’t involve anything of mine inside you, though I must admit it’s a tempting thought. But, like I said, I’m a patient man. I can wait until one day you’ll ask me for it.”

  I stared at him. “I won’t ask.”

  He let out a deep throaty laugh. “Life is full of surprises. You never know where pleasure takes you, or how far you would go to get more of it.” His fingers moved between my legs in soft circles, sending delightful shivers through my body.

  I wanted to ask what he meant. I wanted to draw my conversation away from topics that involved intimacy or sex—do anything to keep my mind busy, but somehow…nothing mattered anymore.

  I didn’t want to feel anything, and yet my traitorous body began to respond to his touch. My breathing came heavy as his breath caressed my skin and his tongue brushed the thin fabric of my panties, the motion almost unravelling me.

  Before I realized what was happening, his hand tugged my panties aside, exposing my soft flesh. I whimpered when the cold air hit my sex. And then I realized it wasn’t the air but his breath on me—inhaling my scent.

  I had to put a stop to this before things spiraled out of control. The knowledge was there, but my body didn’t move to follow my brain’s command. All it wanted was Chase’s lips on my skin, doing things to me that no other man had done before.

  “Don’t,” I whispered so low I wasn’t sure the words came out of my mouth. Chase ignored me. He flicked a finger over my clit, once, twice, and then replaced it with soft short kisses, each one sweeter than the others.

  Sucking in my shaky breath, I gazed into the mirror on the ceiling to regard Chase’s dark shadow between my legs. He seemed focused to the point of total oblivion, unaware of the hurricane of emotions spinning inside me.

  I gasped when his tongue began to swirl in slow patters while his hand roamed over my inner thighs, sending a cluster of electric currents through me that felt so delicious I almost wanted to—

  No.

  I shook my head to clear the haze settling within my mind. I couldn’t surrender control. And yet his tongue made me gasp involuntarily at the delicious sensations threatening to rock my core.

  Intense.

  Intoxicating.

  “You like this, Laurie?” Chase’s hoarse voice was barely a whisper, but the lust within it couldn’t be more obvious.

  Like this?

  How could I not?

  I bit my lip hard until the want became almost unbearable, and peeled my gaze off the sexy image in the mirror as a deep moan fought its way past my lips.

  “That’s it, baby,” Chase whispered approvingly. “I want you hot and bothered. By the time I’m done with you, you’ll be panting my name.”

  Hell, yeah, I had no doubt about that.

  His lips were so close on my soft flesh, threatening to break my willpower, and yet not close enough. I let out another stifled moan and dug my fingernails into his soft pillows to stop me from unraveling beneath his touch, my innermost being ready to crumble, my body willing to do things I never thought I would do.

  “Chase,” I whispered, my voice begging him to stop or at least to make a mistake so that I could pull away, while at the same time I was hoping he would continue so I could get lost in the fire his talented mouth had created.

  He was perfect, I realized. His lips, his movements. A man of experience, I was sure of that. He must have fucked countless women before me, all more experienced and willing to return the pleasure. All ready to give him what he expected of them. While I was eager to touch him, I had no idea how.

  “You taste like honey, Laurie,” he whispered. “You know that’s my favorite kind of sugar?”

  Before I could come up with a reply, his thumb brushed my entrance and began to rub teasingly, not entering me.

  It already felt so great, I wondered what his hardness inside me would feel like.

  His fingers clutched at my thighs, forcing them wide open, while his tongue continued to lap at my soft flesh, the tip entering me, then pulling out in a dramatic move to continue licking my clit. My hands grasped at the pillows for support and I bit my lip hard, as the flame in my womb began to spread. My core clenched in desperate need to be filled and stretched.

  “Chase,” I said, my raspy tone alien in my ears. “I don’t think I can control myself.”

  “Do you want me to enter you?” The question was soft, and harmless, the tone conversational, as though he was asking whether I wanted a glass of water. “Remember, you have to ask for it.” His fingers rubbed against my entrance again, spreading my wetness.

  “Yes,” I whispered. “Please.”

  “There is a ‘please?’” he asked, amused. “Never saw that one coming.”

  Frowning, I bit my tongue. I would have loved to get up and see that irritating smile of his wiped off his face, but the truth was…‘please’ had just become my favorite word. I wanted him so much I feared he had become a necessity. I opened my mouth to speak, but his lips were back on my clit, teasing me, and then his finger was probing my entry again. Soft, playful, as if he wanted to test me, but had no intention to enter. His tongue flicked over my clit with such a precision and speed that I had to close my eyes to stop the spinning.

  Oh, fuck that.

  He was going to tease me hard.

  “I want your finger inside me.” In a moment of lust-induced madness, the words flew past my lips before I could stop them. My cheeks instantly burned. Thank God that it was dark and he couldn’t see the telltale sign of mortification on my face.

  Before I had a chance to brace himself, his finger found his way inside me in one slow thrust, the friction almost pushing me off the edge.

  “Jesus. You’re tight, Laurie,” Chase whispered, pulling his finger out only to pin my hips down on the silk pillow, cupping my ass as he brought my core closer to his talented mouth.

  “Can you do something for me and just relax?” he asked, his hot breath caressing my sensitive skin.

  Too weak to answer, I nodded, even though I had no idea how people could relax in such a situation. It wasn’t so much fear of him, but of breaking my own promise to never sleep with a man. And yet m
y treacherous clit twitched—as if it was already bewitched, asking to have what I had never had before.

  His tongue started to swirl again, and his lips suckled at my sensitive clit. A raging firestorm whipped inside me, making me tremble with lust, threatening to stifle the thoughts in my mind, while forcing my body to do strange things, like lifting my hips to his willing tongue and pushing his finger deeper inside me.

  Oh, God, I wanted him so bad and it was painfully clear. He was the kind of mistake I wanted to make, but a mistake nonetheless. Even though the knowledge lingered in my mind, I couldn’t act on it.

  Chase, I realized, was a suitable name, given the situation. I had been chasing after this moment, both wanting and fearing it, only to get caught in the momentum of it all. Never before had I felt such longing and desperation that I was ready to do whatever it took to have him—if only for a few minutes. As if sensing the inner chaos inside me, he slipped the entire length of his finger into me, the chafing sensation making me gasp with enjoyment, before he pulled out again.

  “No, don’t stop,” I whispered, barely audible.

  Oh, God.

  What was he doing with me? To me?

  The thrusts of his finger became excruciating and a slow, burning tug began to fill me. My legs trembled. A wet sensation gathered between my legs as Chase continued to impale me, driving deep inside me as if he owned me. Heat rushed within me, and something else…some I had read about so often, and yet never really understood.

  My fingers fisted in the sheets beneath me, and a moan escaped my mouth as he pulled out his finger, only to replace it with two. I arched my back and lifted my hips ever so slightly. If he continued his torture, I’d explode. I opened my mouth to ask for more, when he propped up on one elbow, and leaned over me. His mouth closed on mine, and while his fingers continued to thrust inside me, his thumb found my clit. My head began to spin. If from kissing or from the way Chase kept entering me in now slow but measured moves, I had no idea. All I knew was that it wasn’t enough. I had to have more.

  I pulled him to me, raising my hips in the hope he’d get the message, but he continued his torture.