I shook my head.
“At the bar. With the darts.”
“But I lost.”
“Yeah, but you would have won if we had kept playing.”
“But we didn’t keep playing.”
“Because I scared you off.”
I put my hands on my hips. “You didn’t scare me off.” I’d scared myself off.
He grinned. “Prove it.”
“How am I supposed to do that?”
He grinned. “Take me with you.”
I stomped around to my side and got in. “I’ll take you home, but that’s it.”
“No, you won’t,” Mace said as he jumped into the passenger seat.
“Yes, I will.”
Mace glanced around before he leaned toward me and put his hand between my legs again. He rubbed my center until I was panting and begging him to let me come.
Again, he pulled his hand away.
“Why do you keep doing that?” I yelled at him.
“Because I want you to realize, you can’t come without me.” He pointed to the walkway we’d just come down minutes earlier. “Besides, someone’s coming.”
I started my car and put it in reverse. “You’re infuriating.”
“I think you mean, irresistible.”
That, too.
“No, I mean, infuriating.”
He laughed. “So, really, what are we going to do? Besides have sex, that is.”
I rolled my eyes. “I am going to go look at furniture for my new place.” That would make any guy run away from boredom.
“Great. Count me in.”
“What?” I glanced at him. “You don’t really want to go furniture shopping with me.”
“Yeah, I do. I’m going to be spending a lot of time at your place, so I might as well make sure you pick out good stuff. And what I mean by that is, comfortable stuff. No hard-ass mattresses or anything like that.”
“You are really sure of yourself.”
He turned his head, and his eyes bore into me. “Fuck yeah, I am. You forget the first time I saw you.”
I swallowed, and my cheeks heated, but I didn’t say anything.
“You wanted to fuck me the first time you saw me.”
“That’s before I knew you were my student.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him shrug.
“Doesn’t matter. You still wanted to.” He squeezed my leg. “Besides, you’re forgetting something else.”
“Oh?”
“You not only wanted to fuck. You also did it. You know that, and I know that. And we’ll be the only ones who continue to know that as long as we keep on fucking.”
“You—you’re not seriously blackmailing me, are you?”
He shrugged again. “Maybe I am. Maybe I’m not.”
I called his bluff. “You wouldn’t really tell anyone.”
“Are you willing to take that chance?”
I bit my lip. Yes. No. I don’t know.
He leaned his seat back and pulled his hat down over his eyes. “It’s settled then. We’re going to keep doing this.”
He was crazy.
“Oh, and, Eden?”
I took a quick look at him. He lifted his cap enough to meet my eyes.
“This thing is exclusive. When you’re fucking me, there’s not going to be anyone else.”
My eyes widened.
The corner of his mouth curved up, and he squeezed my leg. “Don’t worry, babe. You’re the only one I’ll be fucking, too.” He pulled his hand away and pushed his hat back down. “Your pussy’s the only one I want,” he almost whispered.
Mace jumped onto one of the many beds lined up at the furniture store, landing on his back. “Ooh, I like this one.” He pointed to the sign behind his head. “See, babe, it says pillow-top.”
I had stopped fighting Mace about coming with me to shop. Truthfully, I valued someone’s input other than my own. And, since I had already planned on going to a bigger city because my favorite furniture store was there, I didn’t have to worry about everyone in town recognizing him.
“But it only matters what I like,” I told him.
He got up on one elbow. “But, if I’m going to be spending a lot of time at your house, doesn’t my opinion matter?”
I held up a finger. “I never agreed to your … deal.”
Mace just smiled, lay back down, and patted the spot next to him. “Come here and try it out.”
“No.”
“Chicken.”
I huffed out a breath. “Fine.” I was not a chicken. I stomped around to the other side and lay down next to Mace.
I sighed.
He grinned at me. “Told ya.”
“Wow, this is amazing.” I closed my eyes. This wasn’t the first mattress I’d tried, and so far, it was in first place.
“We just need to get a king-size,” Mace said from next to me.
“No king-size.”
“Babe, I’m six-four. I need a large bed.”
“Sorry. The bedroom isn’t big enough. It’s going to have to be a queen.”
When Mace didn’t reply, I opened an eye and looked at him.
He was grinning.
I opened both eyes. “What now?”
“You said sorry.”
“So?”
“You said sorry as in you’re sorry I’m not going to fit on your new bed.” He put his hands behind his head. “You’re coming around to the two of us together.”
I shook my head. “No, I meant, sorry, you won’t be spending any time in my bed.”
“Whatever you gotta tell yourself.”
“How are you folks doing today?” a voice on the other side of me asked, startling me. It was one of the many mid-aged, balding salesmen.
I sprang up. “Good, good,” I said as I smoothed down the back of my hair.
He smiled. “How do you like this one? It’s one of our top sellers.”
I was about to tell him I loved it when Mace spoke up behind me, “It’s okay. We haven’t settled on a mattress yet. Plus, this one is kind of pricey.”
“Is there anything specific I can help you look for?” the salesman asked.
“Nah, I don’t think we really know what we’re looking for yet. Will you be around if we have questions?”
The salesman looked puzzled for a moment. “Yes. I’ll be over at the counter.”
After he walked away, I turned around. “I thought you said you liked this one. You know I do.”
“Yeah, but I don’t want him to know that. We gotta get a good deal out of him.”
I didn’t think that would really work. “Okay,” I said skeptically.
“Let’s try out a few more beds to let him know we’re serious.”
“Do we have to?” I whined.
“Yes.”
“I’ll give you five more, tops.”
We ended up lying down on seven before I said, “No more. I still need to look for a couch, living room furniture, and a dining room table.”
Why had I thought this was a good idea to do today? I’d thought it was going to be fun, but now, I was beginning to drag my feet.
“Maybe I should come back another day.”
“Aren’t you moving in this weekend?”
“Yes.”
“Then, let’s finish this thing. Couch next.”
“How do you have so much energy?” I asked him as I trailed behind him.
“How do you not?”
Thanks to Mace’s help and enthusiasm, I picked out everything I needed for my new place.
“Let’s go find Bruce.”
“Bruce? Who’s Bruce?”
“The salesman.”
“How do you know his name?”
Mace laughed at me. “It’s called a name tag, babe.”
“Oh.”
“Let me do the talking.” He grabbed my hand and led me to the counter where Bruce greeted us.
“Hello again. Did you two decide?”
Mace squeezed my hand. I t
hought he was warning me not to say anything.
“Yeah, we like a couple of things, but we’re just not sure about the prices. How late are you open? We have some other places we wanted to look.”
Bruce smiled. “Why don’t you tell me which items you like, and maybe we can work something out?”
Mace looked at the guy like he didn’t believe him. I wasn’t sure if it was an act or if he really felt that way. We took the guy around to all the items, starting with the bed.
“So, you two do like this one.”
“It’s the best one in here,” was all Mace would admit. “But twenty-five hundred is a little steep.”
“I could knock fifty off. How does that sound?” Bruce grinned.
“Nope. Either try again or we’re going somewhere else,” Mace said with a straight face.
Bruce sighed. “How does two hundred sound?”
“Better.” Mace slapped the salesman on the back. “Let’s go look at the couch.”
I stood, speechless. He’d actually knocked down the price. Not only was I impressed, but I was also suddenly turned on.
I quickly caught up with the two men and watched Mace do his magic over and over again. In the end, he saved me over six hundred dollars. By the time we walked back up to the counter, I was so horny that my pants rubbing against my crotch was driving me insane.
“It’s going to take me a few minutes to get this all in the computer,” Bruce said. “Please bear with me.”
“No problem,” I said in a high-pitched voice.
Mace had been watching me for the last five minutes or so, and he now narrowed his eyes in my direction. “Do you have a restroom?” he asked Bruce.
“Oh, yeah, it’s in the back. It’s in the hallway toward the stock room. First and second doors on the left.”
“Thank you,” Mace said with a nod and took my elbow.
“What are you doing?” I asked as Mace pushed me into the women’s single-stall restroom.
His answer was to lock the door behind us and pull me against him. He took my mouth in a long, hot kiss. Then, he spun me around. “Hands against the door.”
Even though I did as he’d asked, I still questioned his actions, “What are you doing?”
“Scratching your itch.” He unbuttoned my pants and slid his hand inside my underwear. “Holy shit, you are soaked.”
I moaned and pushed my ass back against him. “How did you know?”
He chuckled next to my ear as he pulled my pants down to my knees. “Because you had the same look you’d given me the first night I saw you.”
His hands left me. I heard a zipper and the sound of foil ripping.
He grabbed my hips, tipped my ass up, and drove inside me.
A scream gathered at the back of my throat but was stopped by his hand.
“Shh, baby. This door is like paper.”
I pulled his hand from my mouth. “I know. But it feels so … ahhh … fucking good.”
He pushed his body flush against mine. “I know. It feels good to me, too. But we still have to pay for your furniture.”
I met each of his thrusts, loving how I felt him everywhere. “Then, why didn’t you wait until we left?”
“I wanted you too bad. It’s been too long.” He put a hand between my legs, directly on my clit. “I wish we could take more time, but this one will have to be quick.”
I didn’t care. I was just as turned on as he was, if not more. I walked my hands down the door until I was at a ninety-degree angle, and his drive into me was deeper and harder.
“I’m close. I’m close. I’m so close.”
“I know, baby.”
With that, he pinched my clit between his thumb and forefinger, and I exploded. I buried my face in my shoulder, biting the top of my arm to keep quiet as Mace shoved into me so hard that I was sure I’d have finger bruises on my hips.
Sweat had my hands sliding down the door, and even in my post-orgasmic haze, I really didn’t want anything other than my feet touching the floor.
Mace held me from behind and lifted me up until I was mostly standing on my own.
“That was amazing,” he said as he withdrew from me. He spun me around and kissed me. “I wish we didn’t have to hurry and leave, but we’ve been here a few minutes already.”
I nodded. “It’s okay. I’m fine.” I dragged my pants up.
Mace threw the condom in the toilet and fastened up his pants. “You sure?”
“Yes.” I tilted my head toward the door. “Now, go out there and wait for me.”
He eyed me up and down. “You don’t want me to watch you clean up?” he teased.
“Hell no. Now, go.”
Mace slipped out the door, and I locked it behind him.
I cleaned myself up and fixed my makeup and hair. Surprisingly, I still looked quite respectable. At the last minute, I decided to use the toilet before we left. I didn’t know what else we needed to do, and we still had to drive back to town.
The sound of flushing was just beginning to fade, and I was washing my hands when I heard footsteps.
“Everything okay?”
It was Bruce.
“Oh, yeah,” Mace answered him. “She doesn’t feel too hot.” He’d lowered his voice, but I could still hear what he was saying. “She had to go … you know … number two.”
“Hmm,” Bruce said.
I couldn’t tell what that response meant, but I soon heard the sound of his footsteps walking away.
I swung the door open. “Are you serious?”
Mace looked up from his phone and pocketed it. He looked guilty, but all he did was shrug.
“You basically just told a stranger that I had diarrhea.”
Mace bit his lip as he tried not to laugh. “I’m sorry. He looked suspicious. I didn’t want him to take away the discounts I’d gotten you, so I said you weren’t feeling well.”
I marched past him. “Now, I’ll never be able to show my face in here again.”
Mace followed behind me. “I’m sorry. I panicked.”
If it hadn’t been me in the restroom, I would have found the situation funny. But it had been me, and I was so embarrassed.
We went back to the counter, and Bruce warily eyed me. I smiled at him. I didn’t want him to think I was contagious.
“Sorry it took so long. I’m just getting over a bout of food poisoning. Someone fed me something bad,” I pointed to Mace.
“No, I—”
I kicked him.
“Yes, it’s my fault.”
I smiled, but Bruce looked like he wanted to be done with us. I suspected he knew what really had gone down in the restroom. If Mace could tell I’d wanted to have sex with him, I supposed Bruce could have noticed, too.
I wanted out of there as quickly as possible. I’d never been more embarrassed in my life.
Okay, that was wrong. I’d been more embarrassed one other time in my life. But that one was tough to beat.
“I can set up your delivery date as soon as Friday. How does that sound?”
“Perfect.”
As we walked outside, the craziness of what I’d just done settled over me.
What is it about Mace that makes me do crazy things?
First, I’d slept with him. Then, I’d slept with him in a public restroom.
This was not who I was. I wouldn’t say I was a strict rule-follower. I’d drunk in college before I was supposed to and skipped a few classes now and then. But I didn’t drive drunk, and I had been an almost-straight-A student.
I didn’t do crazy things that could get me fired or arrested. Not that I was sure that having sex in the restroom of a furniture store was illegal. But that just showed you how much I didn’t know about breaking the law.
“Are you really that mad about the whole restroom thing?” Mace asked as we got in my car.
“What?” Mace snapped me out of my head. “No. I’m just thinking about some stuff.”
“Care to share?”
“
Not really.” I started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.
We rode in silence for about twenty minutes.
“Hey, do you need me to take you home?” I asked.
Mace, who’d been looking out the window, turned his head toward me. “Don’t you think that maybe we should talk about what happened back there?”
“No, not really.”
Mace adjusted his whole body in my direction. “Why not?”
“Because, Mace, that was nuts, what just happened back there. I got caught up in the moment. Again.”
Mace’s jaw clenched.
“I don’t know if I can keep doing that. I’m not …” I sighed. “I’m not wild. I’m not crazy. I’m not fun.”
He leaned closer to me. “Ask me why I want to keep sleeping with you. Ask me why I’d go so far as to threaten blackmail.”
I shook my head.
“Ask. Me.”
“Why …”
“Go on. You can do it.”
“Why do you want to keep sleeping with me?”
He grinned. “Because you’re right. You are a rule-follower. Anyone can see that about you. But in bed? In bed, you’re a totally different person. You’re wild, and you like getting fucked.”
I blushed.
“You like getting pounded. You like getting your hair pulled. You like sex. I like that you are prim and proper in class, and later, I get to unleash the other side of you.”
My cheeks got even hotter. “You’re embarrassing me.”
He laughed. “I like that about you, too, but it’s just us. You don’t have to be embarrassed around me.”
I appreciated that, but it didn’t really change the situation. “Do you want me to take you home?” I asked again.
Mace sighed and sat back in his seat. “Go to school.”
“School?”
“Yeah. That’s where my truck is parked.”
No more words were spoken until we got to the parking lot, and Mace pointed to where his truck was sitting.
I put my car in park as I waited for him to get out.
“So, that’s it?”
“I don’t know, Mace. I told you earlier that I wasn’t just going to go along with your demands.”
“Even after we had sex again?”
“I think that made it worse.”
Mace winced.
“Look, I’m just very confused right now. You’re my student. My gorgeous, smart, handsome student. You could get any girl in that high school.” I pointed to the building. “And then there’s me. I know I’m not in your league. I know that guys like you don’t normally go for girls like me.” I dropped my head in my hands. “I’m so confused. I don’t know what to think.”
Wicked Chemistry Page 10
