by M. S. Parker
Cade was sitting at the table already, newspaper in hand. I couldn't help but feel a pulse of lust as I looked at him. He wore jeans and a plain long-sleeved shirt that emphasized his broad shoulders. His hair was tousled and seemed longer than usual, though I quickly realized it was because he hadn't put any product in it. His feet were bare and he looked so at ease that I wondered if this was how he always looked in the morning.
“Morning.” He gave me a dazzling smile. “I wasn't sure when you usually woke up on the weekends, so I took the liberty of ordering a bit of everything so you could eat whenever.” He gestured toward the table.
“Thanks.” I smiled back but bypassed the table in favor of some coffee. I inhaled deeply as I poured it into a mug. Oh, this wasn't just coffee. This was the good stuff. Hazelnut. And the choice of creamers was like something out of a dream.
I drank a third of it before I made my way back to the table and took a look at what all Cade had ordered from room service. There was an assortment of fruit, bagels and muffins. Pancakes and waffles with three different kinds of syrup. Far too much for two people to eat.
“Whenever you're done, I'll call room service to come pack all this up,” Cade said as he turned the page.
“Pack it up?” I asked as I put a blueberry muffin and some grapes on a small plate.
“There's a church a few blocks away that will give the leftover food away to people who need it.”
The muffin was half-way to my mouth when it stopped. I stared at Cade, or the bit of him I could see over the top of the paper. “A church?”
He bent the paper down, the expression on his face annoyingly blank. “Surprised that I would contact a church? Or that someone like me didn't burst into flame even thinking about it?”
“No, I... that's not...”
He cracked a smile. “Relax, Aubree.” He set his newspaper aside. “When you grow up with nothing, you tend to know where to go to get help.” He gestured to the tray. “Or in this case, where to give it.”
I didn't say anything as I broke a piece of muffin off and popped it into my mouth. Just when I thought I had Cade Shepard figured out, he went and did something like this. I wanted to probe, ask about how he'd grown up. There was so much about him that was a mystery and so much I wanted to solve. I mused over it as I ate my food and drank my delicious coffee. Was there a way I could get to know him better without revealing that I was starting to get attached? Was that even a good idea? Would learning more about him make me want him less or more? What if I found out bad things and that made me not want to be with him? Wouldn't that actually be better? And what if it went the other way? What if who he was, his past, touched me more than he already did? He could have been a Boy Scout turned orphan for all I knew. Could I really afford to get more involved than I already was?
“You're going out tonight,” Cade announced suddenly.
I blinked. Had he said 'you' and not 'we'?
“I've been working with you for almost a month now and it's time to see you put into practice what I've taught you,” he continued. “You'll have all of today to prepare. Your date will meet you at La Vecchía Ristorante at six.”
“My date.” I found my voice.
Cade folded his hands in front of him and gave me all of his attention. “The entire point of this has been to teach you to be the woman you want to be. You're beautiful, sexy and, I hope, beginning to see yourself that way.”
A few minutes ago, hearing him call me beautiful and sexy would've been the best thing he could've said. Now, his words felt cold and empty. My stomach twisted.
“What better way to determine how far you've come than to set you up on a date that you have to seduce and fuck.”
I leaned back in my chair, numb with shock. When he'd said we were going away for the weekend, at the very least, I'd expected a couple days of toe-curling sex, complete with lessons about what I needed to do to please him. I'd never considered that Cade would want me to have sex with another man.
“He's not a pro,” Cade continued. “I found him on a dating site and told him that I wanted to set him up with a friend of mine.”
Friend. The word was bitter in my mouth. We weren't friends, and I didn't want to be friends. I wanted everything or nothing from him.
“Are you trying to make the transition from escort to pimp?” I asked. “Because you're doing a bang-up job.”
“I didn't pay him, Aubree,” Cade said mildly. “I told him about you and said that you'd lost a bet. The stakes were, you had to go out with a guy I chose.”
I crossed my arms. “What if I've had enough of blind dates? They don't always go very well for me.”
“I'll remind you that you agreed to do as I said.” Cade paused, and then added, “Unless you've decided you no longer wish to continue with our agreement.”
I frowned. “So basically, you're telling me I have to fuck a complete stranger, whether I want to or not?”
“I'm telling you that you're going to go on a date with a man who could possibly be everything you're looking for, or just a good lay. I'm telling you to seduce him and fuck him, yes, but it's not about you doing something you don't want to do.” Cade pushed his chair from the table and rested his ankle on his knee. “It's about you having the confidence to know what you want and going for it. Proving that you've learned from what I've been trying to teach you.”
An idea came to me and it was both perfect and dangerous. I didn't take the time to analyze or assess the risks. No overthinking, just action.
I stood and reached for the belt on my robe. “You want to know if you're a good teacher? How about I show you?”
Cade shifted in his chair. The movement was slight, but I knew that even the smallest break in his facade meant I'd caught him off guard. That was good.
I untied my robe slowly, giving him the time to wonder what I was wearing underneath. As the belt came undone, I let the robe fall naturally, giving Cade a glimpse of pale flesh. I walked toward him and was gratified to see his eyes locked on my body, darkening as each step hinted at what was beneath the soft cotton.
When I was standing directly in front of him, I reached down and removed his ankle from where he'd had it resting on his knee. With his feet on the floor, legs parted, I could see the considerable bulge straining against his jeans. I smiled and let the robe slide off my shoulders, revealing my body inch by inch. As it fell to the floor, I went to my knees.
“Shit,” Cade breathed.
I ignored him and went right for what I wanted. Button undone, zipper down and then I tugged his jeans and underwear down his hips until his cock was free. I lowered my head to take all of him while he was still only half-hard. Remembering what he'd taught me, I cupped his balls and then began to massage them. Cade moaned and a thrill of pride went through me. I licked my way down his thickening shaft and took his balls into my mouth, giving them the attention they deserved before moving back up to his cock.
His hand dropped onto my head and I responded to the pressure, letting him set the rhythm as I my headed bobbed up and down. When he pushed me down further, I didn't fight it, taking as much of him as I could. Then, suddenly, he was pulling me off of him and picking me up.
I barely had the chance to register the cool edge of the table under my ass before Cade was shoving his fingers inside of me. I cried out, my eyes closing as his fingers thrust into me, stretching me, preparing me. When they curled up to press against my g-spot, I nearly fell back. Only Cade's arm wrapping around my waist kept me upright.
He bent his head and wrapped his lips around one of my nipples. There was no slow build-up or licking. He just began to suck, hard. I dug my fingers into his hair, moaning as each pull of his mouth corresponded to his fingers rubbing against that spot inside of me. I'd never gone from zero to sixty this fast before and my body was shaking as it struggled to process how rapidly my orgasm was approaching.
He bit down on my nipple, and my hips jerked, forcing his fingers harder and deeper.
/> “Yes!” I ground down on his hand. “Yes, Cade!” I came calling out his name. I heard him swear as my pussy tightened around his fingers and then his hand was gone, leaving me gasping.
Pleasure was still racing along my nerves when, a moment later, I felt the head of Cade's cock against my pussy. Latex slipped against my skin and I had the absurd thought that Cade must've been a Boy Scout because he definitely lived by the 'always be prepared' motto when it came to sex. Then he was pushing into me and I thought about nothing but him inside me.
I was stretched enough from last night and his fingers that he was able to slide in smoothly, but my body was still sensitive from the previous pounding I'd received and the orgasm I'd had only seconds ago. I could feel every inch of him. I wrapped my legs around his waist, my arms around his neck. One of his hands went to the small of my back, the other between my shoulder-blades, giving him the leverage he needed.
His eyes locked with mine as he began to fuck me. I could feel his ass flexing against my calves with every stroke, the muscles in his arms hard and tight as he held me in place. Our breathing was harsh, mingling with the sound of our flesh coming together over and over.
I tilted my head, bringing our mouths together. Cade's fingers curled against my back as I thrust my tongue into his mouth. He made a sound in the back of his throat and I curled my tongue around his. They danced together, chasing back and forth between our mouths, sliding against each other as our lower bodies came together with greater intensity, working us both toward the inevitable.
I caught his bottom lip between my teeth and worried at it until Cade growled. He pulled out of me, yanking me off of the table and spinning me around so that I was bent over the table, my hands the only things keeping me from falling. I cried out as he grabbed my hips and slammed into me. My nipples rubbed against the smooth wood of the tabletop as each thrust pushed me forward.
“Touch yourself.” The command was harsh. “I'm close. Make yourself come.”
I shifted my weight so that I could move one hand beneath me. I was close enough that it wasn't going to take much. I wondered if I could come on his cock alone, but I didn't want to take the chance of him finishing before I could find out. I needed to come. My entire body was humming with tension, ready to explode. Cade's rhythm faltered as he drove into me and I knew he wasn't too far away. My fingers found my clit engorged and throbbing, begging for attention. I closed my eyes as I rubbed my clit, shutting out everything but the pleasure coursing through me. When Cade shoved himself deep inside me, the end of him hitting against the end of me, I let out a breathless scream and came.
White spots danced behind my eyelids as Cade came with a shout. He slumped over me for a moment, his hands on either side of my body. I was limp, barely able to hold myself upright as I gasped for air. I waited for him to say something, to help me up, anything.
I made a small pained sound as he pulled out. If this was what it was like after two days in a row, I could hardly imagine how I'd feel after a whole weekend of getting fucked by Cade. I'd need a full day to recover.
“I'm going to get cleaned up,” Cade said. He continued speaking as he walked toward his bedroom. “You have a spa appointment at one if you want to soak in the tub before you go. It's a whole exfoliating, waxing thing. You'll be done in plenty of time for your date.”
I pushed myself up off of the table and reached down for my robe. My hands were shaking as I pulled it on, suddenly feeling used and exposed. My eyes burned with tears and I hurried toward my bedroom, needing the privacy of my bathroom before I gave in to the dark emotions filling me.
Humiliation.
Rejection.
I'd offered myself to him and he'd taken what I'd given, but he didn't want me. I was a job. A body he found physically attractive and enjoyed fucking. Nothing else.
Chapter 9
The spa treatment was wonderful. Even the waxing hadn't been an entirely unpleasant experience. There'd been a facial and a massage that had left my skin tingling and my muscles relaxed. The only thing that would've made it better would've been if I had been getting ready for a date with someone I cared about. I refused to put a name in there. He'd made it perfectly clear where I stood with him.
The hotel room was empty when I got back, but I went straight to my room anyway. I didn't want to risk running into Cade as I was unsure how to handle what had happened. I couldn't tell him I was upset or that would bring up questions as to why I felt that way, and that would lead to the end of everything. I wasn't sure I was ready for that just yet.
I laid out all of the clothes I'd brought with me and began to look through them to find something perfect for tonight. I didn't really want to go through with it, but it was the only way to keep up the pretense with Cade. Besides, I thought, there was always the off chance that I could actually have fun. And hadn't that been the entire point of this whole thing? For me to prove I wasn't some pathetic loser who needed her friends to set her up on pity dates? Granted, Cade had set this one up, but this was a test, not pity.
I picked up the teddy I'd bought for my ex-fiancé to enjoy. I'd brought the clothes, thinking that using them with someone other than Ronald would somehow fulfill the promise of that missed opportunity. I saw the whole truth of it. This whole trip, I'd been trying to make it a replacement for what I hadn't gotten with my ex. An out-of-country trip. A five-star hotel. Hot sex.
This wasn't a romantic getaway, though. And nothing that happened this weekend would have any sort of special meaning. If anything, what I was doing with Cade just cheapened everything. I put on the teddy and then looked through the dresses I'd brought. There was no use saving any of this.
Most of the clothes I'd bought for my honeymoon had been for a Caribbean cruise in August, not Toronto in October, but I had purchased a couple warmer outfits, not knowing how cold it would get on the ocean at night. I picked one of those now, a clingy deep blue sweater-dress. The deep v-neck showed off the tops of my breasts and the hemline was mid-thigh, revealing enough leg to get some attention. It was attractive without promising too much.
I was ready early, but stayed in my room. At five-thirty, a text came through. It was Cade letting me know that a car was ready to take me to the restaurant. I scowled at his message and then shoved my phone into my purse. The entire ride down to the lobby, I told myself that I needed to focus on having a good time, on proving I could do this. I needed to prove it to myself as much as anyone else.
The driver didn't try to talk to me on the ride, which I was grateful for. I didn't want to make small talk at the moment. I had enough of that in my near future. When I walked into La Vecchía Ristorante, for a moment, I forgot about the circumstances surrounding my being there. The place was gorgeous. Warm lighting, stone walls, just the right combination of romantic and chic so that it was perfect for any sort of date. Grudgingly, I admitted that Cade had done well in choosing it.
“Ms. Gamble?” The hostess interrupted my thoughts.
“Yes?” I was surprised she knew who I was, but I didn't ask. I had a feeling Cade had taken care of it and I didn't want to think about him anymore for the rest of the night.
“Your table's right this way.”
She led me to a table near the back. I perused my menu while I waited, but I didn't have to distract myself for very long. A few minutes after I'd been seated, one of my quick glances toward the doors showed the hostess coming my way again, a man close behind her. I set aside my menu, deciding I didn't want to try to play coy and pretend to not be watching. I let myself study my date as he came closer.
He was tall, even taller than Cade, and more muscular. Cade's build wasn't quite thin enough to be lean, but my date was almost too big for my tastes. His hair was golden blond and cropped short. Not military, exactly, but in that same vein. As he drew closer, he smiled and I saw straight white teeth, a dimple and warm brown eyes. His features were cute rather than handsome or pretty. All-in-all, a nice package. I found myself wondering what had prom
pted Cade to pick someone like this guy. It wasn't like we'd discussed the types of guys I found attractive. As far as I knew, he didn't even know what Ronald looked like, so he couldn't have used that as a template. Not that my date looked like my ex. What made me so curious was that it seemed like Cade had purposefully picked someone who didn't look anything like him.
As my date sat down, he extended his hand across the table. “Jason Lowe.”
“Aubree Gamble,” I answered automatically as I shook his hand. “Call me Bree.” I didn't want anyone else calling me Aubree, especially not someone I was supposed to seduce.
“It's nice to meet you, Bree.” He flashed another charming smile and then looked at the waiter who'd appeared. “I'll start with water, but if my date is amenable, we'll be ordering wine with the main course.”
Amenable. And used correctly. That earned points from the English teacher. Another point for not ordering for me. He was doing well so far. “That sounds lovely.”
We chatted about menu choices and wines while we decided what we wanted. Once we'd put in our orders, the conversation shifted to the usual introductory small talk. I tried not to tense as I remembered how this had been the point in my last date where things had started going south. I hoped Jason wasn't as self-absorbed as Steven Danforth had been.
“Your friend didn't tell me much about you except that you were gorgeous.”
“Thank you,” I said. Surprisingly, I didn't blush. I wasn't sure if that was because I'd gotten used to the compliments or if it was simply the difference in who was saying them. I really hoped it was the first. “He didn't say anything about you at all.” I smiled and sipped at my water. “But if he had, I'm sure he would've been equally complimentary.”
Jason laughed, a nice sound without any innuendo or double-meaning attached to it. “So, Bree, do you mind if I ask what you do for a living?”
“I'm a teacher.”
As the questions went back and forth, I realized why Cade had chosen for this date to be outside of Chicago. Both Jason and I were giving ambiguous enough answers that, while we were learning about each other, we also weren't providing enough information that could be used to find the other. Our names alone wasn’t sufficient.
