“What now, princess?”
“Um, you said last night that I wouldn’t be sore any more after a couple of days.”
He nodded. “By Tuesday I’d say it’ll all be a distant memory.”
“Well—what if I don’t want to wait until Tuesday to do it again?”
Her hands began to stroke up and down his arms. Her gray and gold eyes locked with his and her tongue flicked out, licking along her lower lip nervously. Her nipples stood erect in the cool morning air.
God, she was killing him.
“Are you sure, Macy?”
She nodded and gave him a shy smile. “Something that feels that awesome can’t really be so bad, right?”
“You…are…so…right.” Between each word he leaned forward and gave her a tiny kiss, on the chin, on her nose, and finally on her mouth. Without touching her body yet, he deepened the kiss, using only his lips and tongue to tell her just how much he longed to comply with her desires. She whimpered like a puppy, pulling him closer, her tongue pushing into his mouth. Their breath mingled, tasting of coffee and cream.
He lifted his hands and placed them on her thighs, feathering his fingers against her satiny skin. Without a word from him, she parted her knees a bit. When he glanced down, he was treated to an enticing glimpse of her sweet, clean pussy lips, peeping through dark curls. His cock bulged against the zipper of his jeans, eager for release.
He kissed his way down the column of her slender throat to the little hollow between her collar bones, prolonging his own agony, seeking to arouse her more with each touch of his mouth. She arched back, thrusting her small, firm breasts out, making it clear what she wanted. He obeyed, teasing in a lazy circle around one damp areola with his tongue before drawing the taut tip into his mouth.
She made a broken, breathless sound. He suckled a moment longer and then pulled away from her breast.
“Lay back, baby,” he murmured. She leaned back on her elbows, watching him from beneath heavy lids. He put his hands on her hips and scooted her forward just a little to the edge of the counter, laying her knees wide so that her delectable pussy opened for him like a dusky orchid. He savored the faint female essence that rose from her.
“You’re beautiful, Macy.”
“No one has ever told me that before. I—I didn’t know.”
“You’re perfect.” He dipped his mouth and touched his lips to her curls, then ran his tongue along her moist slit. Her hips rose.
“Oh, God.” She shuddered.
He held her open with his thumbs, exposing her clit, then licked again from her wet opening to the little button. Taking his time, enjoying her unique flavor, he laved every crease and fold of her pussy while she gasped and wriggled in helpless ecstasy.
Just as he covered her clit with his lips and began to suckle gently, the telephone on the kitchen desk jangled.
“Ignore it. The answering machine will get it.” He went back to work, finessing her luscious pussy. His cock was rigid, twitching, waiting its turn.
Two rings. Three rings. The greeting clicked on. Jerrod willed himself not to listen as his own voice spoke.
After the greeting there was a brief pause, and then a second man’s baritone said, “Jerrod? Jerrod? Yeah, this is Chuck.”
Macy let out a little squawk and sat up, clamping her legs together. They both turned to stare at the telephone as if the man on the other end could somehow see what they were doing.
“I was hoping I could talk with Macy today, see how she’s doin’. I tried her cellphone several times and I’m not getting an answer. Could you have her call me please? I miss my baby girl. I’m here at home. This is Sunday morning. Thanks, man.”
Chapter 7
The phone clicked off and the hum of the dial tone filled Jerrod’s kitchen. Macy sat unmoving, her cheeks on fire. Horrible shame washed through her, with nausea chasing right behind. Her father had practically walked in on them.
With Jerrod’s mouth in the worst possible place!
“Where’s my towel?” Covering herself up suddenly seemed like the most important thing right now.
Jerrod tried to put a comforting arm around her. She shoved him away.
“This isn’t right. I shouldn’t do this. We shouldn’t do this.” Tears threatened, making her voice shaky. “I don’t know why I thought this was okay.”
Jerrod stood mute, staring at her. At least he wasn’t trying to argue with her. In fact, he looked almost as miserable as she was feeling.
“I’m so sorry,” he finally said. “I take full responsibility for this.” He turned away for a moment and ran his hands through his hair. She saw his shoulders rise as he took a deep breath, then he turned to face her again. “Look, I can see you’re feeling really uncomfortable about us having se—making love.”
“Geez, you think?” Unshed tears seemed to clog her throat, making her words sound harsh and hysterical. “That was my father!”
Jerrod’s eyes were bleak. He spoke slowly, seeming to search for just the right words. “Okay. Look. This obviously isn’t working out. I can promise you this absolutely won’t happen again. You can feel free to stay here, Macy, in your own apartment, and I give you my word I will treat you as a valued client, and the daughter of a friend, and nothing more.”
He squared his shoulders and looked into her eyes, his face sober. There was no doubt in her mind that he meant every word. She could go back to staying in the cozy room above the garage, wait for her trial, and interact with him only as her attorney and host. That’s how it should have been in the first place, if only she hadn’t pushed herself on him.
He might be willing to take the responsibility for what had gone on between them, but Macy knew better. If she hadn’t made him touch her breasts last night at the music festival, he never would have made the first move on her.
And she was the one who’d walked in here naked this morning and opened her legs for him. And all that talk about feeling great and listening to her body? Sure, it had felt true in the moment, but now she could see she’d been fooling herself. She just wasn’t ready for a grown-up relationship and all that it entailed.
“I’m the one who’s sorry, Jerrod,” she whispered. She scooted off the island and headed for the door without looking back.
“What about breakfast?” he said as her hand touched the knob. The thought of food made her want to gag.
“I don’t eat breakfast, remember?” She spoke without turning. She glanced around her. Where had she left that damn towel?
“I—I thought we might go out later, do something fun.”
“No thanks. I think I’ll just watch TV or read. I brought a couple of books with me. I’ve been wanting to get to them.” She still couldn’t turn to face him.
“All right. For lunch I’ll—”
“I’ll just have some cheese and crackers in my room.”
He was quiet for maybe fifteen seconds. She waited.
“What about your dad? Are you going to call him back?”
How could she ever talk to her dad again? Wouldn’t she give away what she’d been doing when he called? Wouldn’t he guess from the guilt in her voice?
“Later.” She pulled the door open and grabbed her towel from where it lay on the doormat. Wrapping up quickly, she crossed the yard and went up the stairs.
She spent the day staring at the first few pages of one of the romance novels she’d brought along, unable to process more than the title and dedication. She half-watched an old spy movie on TV. Finally about three o’clock she managed to get some yogurt down. She wished she’d thought to ask Jerrod to borrow his laptop. An email to Leticia, baring her soul, was just about the only thing that would help unburden some of her guilt. She’d give anything to be able to talk things over with her best friend.
But in her heart, she knew exactly what Leticia would say.
Girl, if that fine-looking man wants to stick his tongue in your pussy, you’d be the worst kind of fool to say no.
Thin
king about it, Macy found herself cracking a smile for the first time since this morning. Leticia came from a big family and had two older sisters. She’d lost her virginity at age sixteen, and was already taking birth control pills at the time. Leticia’s mom was a big believer in sex education. It wasn’t anything like the way things were at Macy’s house, between her and her dad. Even attending college classes hadn’t really changed things much at home for Macy. Everything she knew about sex—up until last night—she’d learned second hand from Leticia and her sisters.
She giggled to herself. Oh yeah, Leticia would totally freak out when Macy told her what she and Jerrod had done in his kitchen this morning. She remembered hearing Leticia talk about boys going down on her. It had never sounded like something she would want to try. But Jerrod had known exactly how to use his tongue to tease and arouse her. She had to admit it really had felt wonderful.
And he’d told her she was beautiful down there too. That was a whole new idea, that a man might want to put his mouth on her. Macy lay back on the bed remembering, allowing herself to recall every stroke of his tongue, every suckle of his lips. Her eyes drifted closed as her body grew warm with desire. Experimentally, she put her hands on her breasts and pinched her nipples through the t-shirt and bra she wore. It felt good, but not the same as when Jerrod did it to her.
Then she put her hand on the crotch of her shorts. She was still a little sore, but mostly she felt kind of swollen and damp there. The more she thought about Jerrod’s mouth on her, the more keyed up she felt. She moved her finger back and forth on the taut fabric, wiggling her hips a bit as she did so. She’d attempted to masturbate a few times in the past, but she’d never felt comfortable doing it with her father in the next bedroom. She didn’t really think it was wrong—Leticia swore just about everyone masturbated—but the opportunity to practice had simply never presented itself.
She began to swirl her finger around and around, passing it over that sensitive part Jerrod had sucked on that morning. A moan broke from her throat. Even through two layers of fabric, she could feel the pleasant twinges, the special sensations beginning to build. Did she dare to take her clothes off and touch herself—naked?
* * * *
Jerrod looked at his watch for perhaps the fortieth time. He closed the magazine he was staring at and set it aside, then stood up and paced to the window that looked out on the back yard. Still no Macy. The afternoon had cooled and dusk was beginning to gather. The timer had tripped the little lights that lined the pathway to the stairs leading up to her door.
He’d made dinner salads for them both, big concoctions of greens and chopped eggs and ham and tomatoes and slivered almonds. They waited in the fridge under plastic wrap, next to the fresh bottle of ranch dressing.
In the past year he’d gone from a guy who could barely open a can of soup to somewhat of a gourmet cook. While his repertoire of special dishes was limited, he took great pride in the small touches like sauces and dressings made from his own recipes. He was master of the barbeque and salad bar. Arlene would be amazed to know how rarely he went out to eat any more.
Restless, he crossed the room and turned on the floor lamp by the couch. He really had expected to see the girl before now. What could she be doing up there all afternoon on her own?
And what about Chuck?
All day he’d warred with himself, knowing the man must be going nuts with worry, but unwilling to put Macy on the spot by getting Chuck on the phone without her permission. What was he supposed to say about why she wasn’t the one calling him back?
No, it was better to have her call him later and make up some excuse about them being out for the day. Yeah, it was pretty lame, but he couldn’t come up with anything better.
A flicker caught his eye, a dark moving shadow breaking the soft rays from the pathway lights. It might only be Peter. But just in case, he flopped down in the nearest chair and grabbed the TV remote, flicking it on. Pretending interest in the home improvement show that lit up the screen, he listened for the doorknob to turn.
She crept in and closed the door quietly behind her, then stood not moving, half in shadow. He couldn’t see her face, so he had no idea what was going on with her.
He tried for a light tone. “Hi. How was your day?”
“Fine,” she said, taking a step into the room.
“Do you want dinner? I made big salads for us.”
“Oh. You shouldn’t have gone to the trouble.”
“No trouble. I was already making one for myself. Hungry?”
“A little.”
He walked past her without making eye contact and went into the kitchen.
“Shall we eat outside?” he called.
“Okay.”
They settled in chairs separated by several feet of patio and the glass-topped café table. He set her plate on the table along with the bottle of dressing.
“Ranch okay?”
She smiled up at him. “Yes, thanks.”
He lit a couple of tiki torches to keep the mosquitoes at bay. They threw just enough warm, flickering light to add a golden glow to her face. He tried not to stare. She’d put on coral lipstick, and her eyes looked especially big and lovely. She was wearing the yellow sundress again. For a moment he thought she had dressed up specifically for him. Then he remembered that she only had a few articles of clothing with her in that suitcase. Her choices were no doubt limited. It wasn’t as if she had put on the dress to entice him.
But her slim legs and ankles, her beautiful bare shoulders made his groin ache.
Thank God tomorrow was Monday. Business as usual. He’d be safe at his downtown office on the twenty-third floor. He’d call Jeff and see what progress he’d made in checking out the jewelry store heist, see if maybe the police had a suspect in custody yet. The sooner this mess got cleared up and Macy was on her way home, the better it would be for everyone.
They ate in silence with the sounds of the patio fountain and the television droning in the background. Finally, as he wiped the last of the dressing from his plate with a piece of bread, he decided he needed to address things head-on.
“I think you should probably call your dad back tonight before it gets any later.”
She sighed and put her fork down. “Yes. I suppose so.”
“You can tell him we were out for the day and just got his message.”
“Okay.” She frowned. “Where should I tell him we were?”
“How about shopping? Lord knows you’re going to need a few more clothes to last you until the trial. I was actually thinking I’d take you shopping this week, so you won’t need to wear that dress so often.”
She glanced down at herself, her hand brushing her bodice. “I like this dress. I don’t mind wearing it. But yeah, I guess I could use a few things. Another pair of jeans, a couple of tops. Some underwear…” Her voice trailed off.
“And you’ll need some conservative dress clothes for the trial. I know just the place. We’ll hit the West Slope Mall tomorrow evening.”
“Thank you.”
He went into the house and grabbed the phone and brought it out to her. He carried her empty plate back in with him, closing the door to give her privacy.
In just five minutes she came into the kitchen and handed him the phone.
“He wants to talk to you,” she said, rolling her eyes.
Jerrod’s gut seized up like someone had just punched him there. What had Macy told her father? Certainly she hadn’t given them away? He took a deep breath and steadied himself. Time to face the music.
“Chuck! Sorry we weren’t here when you called this morning. Did Macy tell you we were out shopping?”
“Yes, she told me. She also told me you’ve gone out of your way to make her feel at home. I wanted to tell you again how grateful I am for everything you’re doing for us.”
“Anything for a fellow Sigma Chi.” He forced a chuckle. He felt a strong twinge of guilt, mixed with intense relief that she hadn’t decided to conf
ess her “sins.”
“I told you my baby girl means everything to me, man. It’s great to know I can count on you to take care of her.”
“She’s a lovely girl, Chuck. You must be very proud.”
“Damn right I am. Damn right. I hope she’s not giving you any trouble. The girl has a mouth on her sometimes.”
Jerrod drew back and stared at the receiver. It was almost impossible to imagine Macy being disrespectful.
“She’s no trouble at all,” he told Chuck. “We’re getting along fine here.”
“Any chance the judge will ease up and let her come home before her trial?”
“Sorry. Judge Hensen is known for being a hard ass. Macy will have to stay put here. But you’re welcome to come up if you can get away. I have another guest room. I know she’d love to have you here.”
“Wish I could. But I’m still working on that big project I told you about. I need to bring it in on time and under budget. I’m working my crew six days a week. Taking Friday off already put me behind. One day away and the guys slack off, you know?”
“Well, if you change your mind just come on up. You have my address, right?”
“You’re in the book.”
“Yep.”
Jerrod hung up the phone, relief flooding him, and turned to the sink to wash up the salad plates and forks. Not realizing that Macy still waited near the kitchen door, he jumped in surprise when she spoke.
“Thank you, Jerrod.”
He turned and frowned at her. “For what? Your dad will get a bill for my legal services, just like any other client.”
“No. I mean thank you for not telling on me.”
He suppressed the desire to laugh hysterically. She really was an innocent.
“Why in hell would I do that? You weren’t exactly the only one involved. I’m the grown up here, the one who should have all the self-control. Your dad would kill me.”
“He’d kill me first.” She gave a little giggle. “But you’re right. He’d kill you right after that.”
Macy's Awakening Page 6
