by King, Kelsey
“It’s perfect,” I murmur. I can’t help but reach between my legs and take hold of my cock. Harlow begins walking her fingers up her thigh and over her panties. She stops, then slides them under the fabric, teasing herself.
“Mmm,” she moans, working her fingers deeper inside. “Do you want to see, Liam?”
“Fuck yes.”
“Then you should ask nicely. I want to know just how badly you want to see.”
“Please, Harlow,” I groan, unable to keep from smiling. It’s normally me in this position, telling my partner what to do. Something about Harlow taking charge is exciting and new, and I don’t refrain from giving her what she wants.
“No, I think you can beg more than that, Liam.”
I look directly into the webcam. “Harlow, you don’t know how fucking hard I am right now. I need to see. Please.”
There’s a moment of silence, then she laughs and slides her panties to the side. Her pussy is beautiful, and my cock pulses in my hand, aching for attention. I stroke myself slowly, watching as she steadily works her fingers deep inside her warmth. She lets out a moan, and it’s music to my ears.
Figuring it’s not fair to leave her without visuals, I move my laptop so that most of my body’s in the frame. I slide my sweats down and grip the base of my cock, squeezing out a bit of precome.
“I have a toy I want to use,” she says softly.
“Use it.”
Harlow leans across the bed to the nightstand and pulls out a compact little vibrator. She turns it onto a slow setting at first, then places it against her clit. The noise she makes draws out a deep groan from me. And when Harlow finally slides it inside and gasps in pleasure, I can’t help but stroke myself faster.
She works her hips against the toy, her body responding almost automatically. For a moment, she looks as though she’s completely forgotten I’m there. Instead, she’s focused entirely on how good she feels. My fist pump harder around my cock.
“Fuck, Harlow,” I murmur.
She opens her eyes and looks at me. “I wish this was you. I wish it were you fucking me and not this toy.”
“It should be,” I say. “One day I’ll come and see you, and you’ll get to ride me however you want.”
She smiles, but it turns into an almost pained expression. “Ah,” she moans, biting her bottom lip. “You’d make me so full. Stretch me out and make me scream.”
“Your neighbors would hate us,” I say. “But none of it would matter. Once I’m buried in that pretty little pussy of yours, none of it will matter.” I can feel myself getting closer, and I’m torn between holding back and going for home.
“I need you so bad.” She pants. “I want all of you, Liam. God, I want you so bad.”
The desperation in her voice is what sends me over. I can’t even verbalize how good it feels hearing her say that, and I don’t have to. She grins when she sees that I’m there, at the brink. When she pulls the toy out to lick it clean, I can’t hold back anymore. My stomach clenches as I blow, shooting my load in short, quick bursts. I fall back onto the bed out of breath, my cock twitching and pulsing.
“Let me see you come, baby,” I say, my voice gruff. Harlow nods and begins working the toy back inside her. Naturally, she’s a pro when it comes to making herself feel good. Harlow whines and whimpers while fucking herself with the vibrator, and I can’t look away for even a second. The way her body moves when she grinds down on the toy, or how her breasts heave when she gets close… It’s impossible not to stare at her.
“Oh, Liam!” She gasps when she climaxes, her full lips parting in a silent scream. She’s left panting by the end of it, her cheeks a beautiful color of pink. I want to spread her legs and lick her clean, but I can’t. All I can do is watch her readjust her panties and smile at me.
“That’s it for the peep show,” she says.
“And what a show it was.”
“I’ll talk to you later tonight?”
I nod. “Call me when you’re done for the night and just want to talk, okay?”
“I will.”
We say our goodbyes and end the webcam chat. Before anything else, I head to the bathroom to clean up. Never would I have thought Harlow was such a natural on camera, but damn it if that woman wasn’t full of unexpected surprises. Once I’m all clean, I head to the kitchen to make something to eat. I’ve worked up quite the appetite after my call with Harlow.
6
Harlow
“I’m just saying, I don’t think Georgia needs to be so worried about what her son is doing. He’s a handsome young man, he’ll be alright.”
I try to keep up with what Mom’s saying, but most of her stories go in one ear and out the other. She loves to gossip, especially about her friends, and it’s hard to remember everyone involved in these situations. I blame the years of soap operas she’s watched because now it seems like every day for her is an episode of The Young and the Restless.
“By the way,” she says, sipping her lemon water once the waiter refills the glass. “How’s that book of yours coming? Are you almost done with it? Feels like you’ve been working on it for years.”
I smile and say, “Just three months. But yes, we’re just about done. Right now we’re working on getting all our authors together for a celebratory party. We’ve got a few clients flying in, but thankfully a lot of them live in New York, so that makes it easier on us. I’m also grateful I don’t have to plan this thing because it’s huge.”
I can’t imagine throwing something together like this. Out of the three of us kids, Tyler was always the more organized one. He’s the one that managed to put together a string of restaurants across the country, as well as starting another business on the side.
Luckily for me, Kristen spared me and decided to give the responsibility to someone else. This has allowed me more time to focus on what really matters. Liam.
It blows my mind, the effect he has on me. For the past few months, we’ve been talking nearly every day, keeping up to date with each other. I love these conversations, but what’s taking a toll on me is the idea of meeting him in person for the first time. I know that he’ll be arriving any time this week, and that fact turns my stomach into mush. I want to be nonchalant about this, but after everything we’ve talked about and done together, it’s more than just meeting the author of a book I’m working on.
It’s been far too long since I’ve been this excited about a man, and I remind myself to keep it all contained. So far, I’ve kept this secret to myself, and it’s been slowly driving me insane. I would love to talk to Britney or Mom about Liam, but I know if I let them know who he was and what our relationship entailed, they’d try and talk me out of this. Britney might be a little more lenient, but I know Mom wouldn’t have it. She’d never been one for risky situations. In her eyes, this would all seem too scandalous for her. She’s always preferred to watch the drama from afar and not provide her friends with any of her own personal mess to gossip about.
So, I’ve bitten my tongue for the past three months, struggling to work through all the emotions Liam puts me through. Despite it all, I do want to see him. I want to be able to touch him and talk to him and kiss him. I feel like a schoolgirl crushing on a boy who looked my way once in the hallways, and I’ve fallen completely in love with that feeling.
After brunch, I kiss Mom on the cheek and head back to the office to get started on the rest of my afternoon. Kristen may have spared me with the party organization, but because we’re down two co-workers as they make endless calls to caterers and live performers, the rest of us at the office needs to pick up the slack.
I give a small wave to a few editors on the way to my office, closing my door and taking a seat at my desk. As usual, I spend a good amount of time going through my emails, responding to a few concerned authors about the fine details of this event. Just as I get settled in and ready to spend some time going through another manuscript, there’s a knock at my door.
“Come in,” I ca
ll out.
A man enters the rooms with a bouquet of flowers, a cheerful smile on his face. “Delivery for Harlow Knight!”
“Oh,” I say, standing and gesturing to the desk. “Uh—I guess you can put them right here.”
He sets the vase down on my desk. Before he can get too far, I grab my purse and tip him with a ten dollar bill. “Thank you so much,” he says with a smile. I walk him back to the elevator, then return to my office.
The bouquet is gorgeous, stuffed full of various pink and red roses, carnations, and daisies. Sitting atop is a little card with the delivery company’s monogram on it. I flip it open.
“Excited to meet you after all these late nights of work. -L.”
An embarrassed blush creeps up my face, and I bite down on my thumbnail, holding in a goofy smile. Liam never really came off like the romantic type, but it’s clear I’ve been underestimating his ability to do something this sweet. The knock at the door startles me.
“Hey, pretty lady,” Kristen says, leaning against the frame. “You didn’t tell me you were seeing anyone.”
As I turn around, I slip the note in my pocket. “I’m not, actually. These are from my brother Tyler. We had a little fight, and he wanted to make it up to me.”
Kristen nods. “Damn, I thought we were going to have a little gossip for the office. A guessing game. ‘Who is Harlow dating?’ Either way, they’re beautiful.”
I look back at the flowers and smile. “Aren’t they?”
She turns to leave but stops and spins back around. “Oh, I meant to tell you. We’ve sent Liam Daniels’ manuscript to copy editors, so make sure to let him know where we are with that. He’s sent a few emails my way,” she chuckles.
“Will do. Talk to you in a bit,” I say. She waves and closes the door.
When I’m sure we’re alone, I take a seat at my desk and pull the flowers toward me, deeply inhaling their scent. It’s refreshing in the best way possible. I reach for my phone and dial his number, curious to see if he’s landed in New York yet. He answers on the second ring.
“Afternoon, beautiful,” he says. “Did you get my flowers?”
“I did. They’re stunning. Thank you for thinking of me.”
“It’s hard not to, Harlow.”
“Are you in town right now?”
“Yup, I just landed a few hours ago,” he says. “But I don’t want to see you until the party. I want our first time meeting to be special. Plus, I really just want to see you in a gorgeous dress.” He laughs.
“If I’m getting all dolled up, then you need to as well. I’m talking tuxedo, fancy tie, the whole nine yards. No lumberjack chic anymore.” Liam has let his beard grow out these past few months, and while I think it’s sexy, he’s just shy of becoming unruly.
“Fine, I’ll make sure I look pretty for you, baby. Promise me something,” he says.
“What?”
“We won’t let this moment be awkward for us.”
I smile. “I promise. After the party, we’ll go grab dinner for real, sit down, and just talk. I want to spend so much time talking with you. In person, I mean.”
“Then we’ll make it happen. We’ll talk about anything and everything you want. I promise.”
Hearing his promise makes me swoon all over again. “I’m really excited for Friday.”
“I am, too. I’ve been thinking about it all week long. I even had a dream about it,” he says.
“Really?”
“Yeah. We hit it off perfectly. But I doubt that means much because there was also an alien invasion on the terrace and everyone got abducted. We had our first date on a spaceship.”
“Make that your next book,” I tease.
“We’ll see. I’ll talk to you on Friday, okay?”
“Okay.”
I’m reluctant to end the call, but I know I have to get back to work. There are still so many things I need to get done, and as much as I’d like to sit around and talk to Liam all day, my head needs to be in the game.
Once I’m in the zone, I end up getting quite a bit accomplished. By three, I’ve finally managed to clear my inbox, and I’ve even proofread two shorter e-books, checking for any mistakes before they go live on Midnight’s website. When I have a moment to myself, I decide it’s time to start preparing for the party.
I stop by Kristen’s office and let her know I’m going home early. When I have her permission to leave, I head to my favorite little boutique not too far from my apartment. They always have a great selection of dressy clothing. For thirty minutes, I peruse, checking out everything. Green looks good on me, but I know the event is leaning more toward black and white. I settle on a beautiful deep navy dress with a sweetheart neckline that shows off my collar bones and shoulders.
I have a large diamond necklace at home that will pair perfectly with it. The lady at the counter takes my card, then folds the dress and slips it into the bag. On my way out, I give a little wave and head home.
Planning for events isn’t my style, but I excel at planning outfits. Rather than waiting until the night of to style the dress, I change out of my work clothes and put it on, checking myself out in the full-length mirror in my bedroom. I try on various shoes, a little unsure which pair looks best on me. With a bit of help from Britney, we decide on a pair of black peep toe heels and a matching navy color polish for my toes.
Once my jewelry is all picked out, I fold everything up and set it on top of the dresser, so I know where it all is. I turn to face the mirror, slowly taking a step closer. There’s something different about the way I look, but I can’t place it. When I lean in, I don’t see anything immediately new. No sudden wrinkles or stray gray hairs anywhere. But the longer I stare at my reflection, the more I can see that it’s not something on the outside that’s changed. It’s something inside, something going on in my head, that’s made such a big difference.
It’s Liam, and this relationship we’ve started if that’s what I can call it. It’s the happiness I feel with him, the way we can talk about anything under the sun and I won’t have to worry about him judging me. The way he looks at me on his screen, with full attention and a hint of his dark desires just beyond the horizon.
I haven’t known him for very long, but if every moment with him is like this, I think I might be able to get used to him.
Trying not to let myself get too sentimental or cheesy, I turn around and cross my room. I collapse on the bed and sigh. This entire whirlwind is about to get wilder. I can feel it. Meeting Liam in person is going to change everything, and I can’t wait.
I can’t wait.
7
Liam
Parties have never been something I’m all that interested in. Whenever I drink, I prefer to do it a home, where I can relax and not have to worry about someone getting so wasted that they can barely walk. But this party is different. It’s not some regular house party with a few old friends from college. It’s work-related but more important than that, it’s Harlow-related. I’ll be meeting her in person for the first time.
Giddy is too childish of a word, but it seems to be the perfect way I’d describe how I feel picking up my tailored suit. Giddy because I’m finally meeting the woman I’ve had dirty Skype sessions with. Giddy because she’s going to be something real, something tangible that I can get my hands on. It’s embarrassing how much I’ve been looking forward to this night.
When I return home from the shop, I shower and shave, trimming up every last hair on my face. I want to make the best impression, not look like I haven’t been keeping up with my hygiene. After the lines of my beard are crisp and all the loose, wiry hairs have been taken care of, I wash up in the shower and dry off. I slick my hair back with a little styling gel, nodding when I’ve found the perfect hairdo.
Suits aren’t my favorite either, but I won’t pretend I don’t look pretty damn dapper in one. I turn around in the hotel bathroom, looking over myself with satisfaction. There’s no way Harlow’s going to think I regularly spend w
eeks in the woods without much outside contact. I promised her I’d look like a regular old pretty boy, and I do. I grab my phone and wallet and turn off the lights on my way out.
There’s a car waiting for me when I get down, and I apologize to the driver for being a little late. As he pulls from the curb, I sit back in my seat and look through some of the social media accounts of the people attending the party. As expected, there are tons of pictures of the event, authors smiling with their agents and the CEO of Hart Publishing giving a small toast. Though the party only started an hour ago, it looks as though they’ve really kicked it off.
As I begin to scroll through more, my phone buzzes and Harlow’s name pops up on screen. “Evening, beautiful,” I say.
“Hey.” She sounds exasperated in only one word.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m going to be a little late getting to the party. There was an emergency with my niece, so I have to take her and my sister to the hospital.”
“Is she okay? Do you want me to come to the hospital too?”
“No,” she says. “It’s okay, she just had an allergic reaction. I’m dropping them off, and my brother-in-law’s going to pick her up when they get her back to normal. As I said, it’s nothing serious, I’ll just be maybe half an hour late.”
“I’ll save you a drink,” I promise.
“Thank you. See you soon!”
I hang up the phone and sit back in my seat. I know she said it was nothing, but I can’t help feeling a little worried about her niece. Allergic reactions are a big deal, and from what I remember her telling me about the girl, she’s not very old. Poor thing must be scared out of her mind about this. It’s a little reassuring knowing that they’re on they’re way to the hospital, though. They’ll be able to take care of her and get her back to normal.
The driver pulls up outside of the hotel and announces that we’ve arrived. After paying him and throwing in a generous tip, I climb out and straighten out my suit. The man at the front of the door asks for my name, and when he sees that I’m one of the authors signed with Midnight, he ushers me inside and points me to where I need to go.
