Going the Distance (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Cara Addison

  “I bet you were very popular there,” he responded suggestively.

  “Well,” she replied, taking another sip of wine, “you would be very, very wrong.”

  He sat back and looked at her. “Come on. You’re gorgeous. You’re fun. You’re smart.”

  “Now maybe, but in university, I was a bit of an ugly duckling.”

  “Ya, right,” he scoffed.

  She took another bite of her meal before responding. “I have photo evidence.”

  “I’m going to need to see it to believe it,” he joked before taking a sip of wine.

  She took another bite and sat back to enjoy the taste and texture of the lobster, debating if she should open up her past to him. She reached into her purse and pulled out her smartphone. She opened up her Facebook account and scrolled through a number of photos before finding a ten-year-old image from her sophomore year of school. She spread her fingers across the screen to enlarge the photo and handed him the device.

  He took a sip of wine as he studied the picture. His expression changed, realizing that the person on the screen really was Austin. She began to explain. “I was a jock in high school. I played every sport that fit into my schedule. When I got to university, I was busy with a full course load and playing varsity volleyball.” She took another bite, watching him study the photo in which she was wearing baggy sweat pants and a varsity T-shirt. Her long, stringy hair from around her face was pulled back in a scrunchie on top of her head. Her shoulders were slumped, and even though she was smiling, she was missing the confidence and sparkle that she had now. “I partied, but I didn’t really date, much. I didn’t have a personal style yet, or an appreciation for fashion.”

  “…or makeup,” he added, interrupting her.

  “Or makeup,” she added with a laugh. “It wasn’t until I was doing my MBA that I figured out I could be a swan and not a duckling.” She shook her head, recounting the memory, “A professor brought in a style consultant to one of our classes and they used me as the ‘model’ to show a before-and-after transformation to exemplify the importance of image and professionalism in the workplace. It was humiliating and motivating, all at the same time.” She sat back, shoulders straight and smiled. She took a sip of wine before adding, “That was the day I transformed myself.” She paused, looking at his eyes that were now focused on her. “I went out and got my hair styled, started a new wardrobe, and voila,” she added, waving a hand in front of her face, showcasing the results.

  “What’s that professor’s name?” he asked with a wide smile. “I’d like to write him a thank-you note.”

  They spent another hour enjoying the meal, laughing and talking before walking back to his apartment.

  Chapter 9

  Sunday Austin woke to an empty bed. She looked for him in the en suite, finally finding Brett reading the newspaper in the living room. She poured herself a cup of coffee and stood leaning against the kitchen island to watch him read. She couldn’t understand why he didn’t like his glasses. She thought they looked stunning on him. She slowly sipped her coffee, watching him.

  “Do you want another coffee?”

  He looked up over his glasses without lifting his head. She melted. So. Very. Sexy. “Yes, please.” She carried over the carafe and poured a cup before sitting down on the sofa to watch him read. “What are you doing?” he asked as he glanced over at her.

  “Nothing,” she responded, nonchalantly. “Just observing.” She stood up. “I’m going to shower.”

  He was shaving when she stepped out of the shower. She ran a towel over her hair and body. She was generously applying lotion to her body as he splashed water on his face. “Fuck, you’ve got nice tits.”

  She watched his reflection in the mirror. His eyes were focused on her chest. His dick was hard. Very hard. “Do you want to fuck them?”

  He exhaled as he leaned against the vanity, lifting his eyes to meet hers. “Well, I do now.”

  “Will you wear your glasses?”

  “Why would I wear my glasses?”

  “You like these.” She smiled as she pointed to her chest. “I like your glasses. Tit for tat,” she added pointing to his eyes. His expression was priceless.

  “No!” he exclaimed, trying not to smile.

  “Oh come on,” she pleaded. “I think they make you look so very handsome.”

  “I will not wear my glasses. Please don’t ask again.” She could tell that he was serious. “Now get your sexy ass in my bed.”

  She shrugged her shoulders as she turned toward the bed. “Can’t blame a girl for trying.”

  She climbed up onto the raised bed with a provocative flair. He was all over her. She lay back, welcoming his touch. He straddled her hips and pressed his hard cock against her skin, slowly thrusting his way up her stomach. He thrust his cock between her breasts. She leaned forward, licking his head, slowly sucking on the end of his cock.

  “Oh yes-s-s.”

  She pressed her tits together, enveloping his long shaft in her firm, moist skin. “Oh fuck, Austin,” he murmured. “Suck me again, ple-e-ease,” he begged as he grabbed onto the headboard. She swirled her tongue around and around as he thrust, sucking him into her mouth. She reached between his legs, twirling her finger around his balls as he thrust with urgency. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he moaned.

  She gently rimmed his ass with her finger. He shifted his focus from her breasts to her eyes. “Did you really just do that?” he asked. She circled her finger again. His eyes slammed shut. He bit his lip, a throaty moan escaping. As she swirled her finger one more time, she watched his face contort as his entire body trembled and his cum filled her mouth.

  He collapsed next to her. “You are a wonderfully naughty kitty.”

  They lay together for a moment before she asked, “Can I order lunch?”

  “You’re still hungry?” he said naughtily.

  She laughed, reaching for his phone. “That was not even an amuse-bouche.”

  He ordered sushi, and then flicked on the television to watch the baseball pregame show.

  “You have season tickets, don’t you? Why aren’t you at the game?”

  He looked at her. “Because you’re naked in my bed,” he explained, leaning over to kiss her. “I gave mine to Dale. He’s using them for a corporate client.”

  Lunch arrived just as the game began. She was in the bathroom when Gregory delivered the food to the bedroom. At the end of the second inning the TV station took a commercial break. She stretched before lazily saying, “I’m going to get a glass of water. Do you want one?”

  He nodded. She pulled on a T-shirt and gathered the empty lunch containers and walked to the kitchen. She was surprised to see Gregory watching the game on the sofa. He had showered and shaved, his hair neatly combed. Now that he was all cleaned up, she found him rather attractive. “Is that cereal that you’re eating?”

  “It is. I went out and bought it.” He pointed to the cupboard. “Help yourself.”

  “I’m good.” She laughed. “I gave up Lucky Charms in grade school.”

  She filled two glasses with ice water and walked into the living room. She sat down on the ottoman. “Do you know why wearing his glasses bothers Brett so much?”

  He finished chewing. “Because he thinks they make him look like his father.”

  She thought about his answer. “Do they?”

  With his mouth full of cereal, he nodded.

  “Okay. Why is that so bad?”

  He looked away from the television, toward the bedroom, and then back to her. “He didn’t tell you?”

  “Tell me what?”

  “About Trish.”

  “Is that his ex-girlfriend?”

  “Ex-girlfriend…stepmother…uber-bitch…She has a few titles.”

  She sat up straight and looked at him. “Stepmother?” She thought back to San Diego when Brett had explained his policy against dating people who were already involved in a relationship. It was a policy which he had developed because
his girlfriend had cheated on him. “She slept with his father?” Austin replayed the earlier conversation in her mind. “She left him for his father?”

  “Yes. Trish cheated on him for a year with his father. His father left his mother, and then married Trish a few months later. The weekend after the divorce was final, if I recall.”

  It all made sense. Brett was hideously afraid of turning into his father or anything that resembled the man who had so painfully betrayed him. Her heart ached for him. She had experienced the pain of sudden and tragic loss. She knew he had to be experiencing the same hurt. “Good to know,” she whispered as she picked up the water glasses and returned to the bedroom.

  “Austin?” he called out. She turned to look back at Gregory. “I travel. A lot. I’ve only been home three times this summer. I haven’t had sex in the past three months.” He waved his finger at her body. “You’re really hot.” He took another bite of cereal and chewed for a moment before he finished his thought. “Could you do me a favor and wear something more than a thong and a see-through T-shirt when you leave the bedroom?”

  She looked down at her chest. Her nipples were noticeably pressed against the thin fabric of her shirt. “Will do.”

  It was the bottom of the third inning when she returned to the bedroom and offered a glass to Brett who was cheering loudly. The Yankees had just scored two more runs. They were already ahead by a wide margin.

  She crawled back into bed watched the game for a few more minutes before she turned her attention on Brett. “Do you mind if I play?” she asked as she pointed to his crotch.

  He smiled, remembering the fun she’d had in San Diego, playing with his cock while he watched a movie. “Not at all.”

  She pulled back the sheet and ran her finger over his shaft. He began to harden. She bent down and playfully pulled him into her mouth. She played until his dick was hard and then sat up and reached for a foil square. “Is this the last one?”

  He looked at the nightstand. “It is.”

  “We used the entire box?”

  “Yes, my little fuck-bunny, we did.” She laughed at his response, tearing open the package. “You’re going to need a condom?” he asked curiously.

  “I’m researching a scene for my newest manuscript.” It was partly true.

  She straddled his legs, pressing his cock against her pussy. She felt her warm juices seep out of her. She slipped the head of his cock around her pussy and then pressed it inside her. She pulled his swollen head out and pressed his wet hard cock up and around her clit. She repeated the motion, already gasping for air on the third pass. Her shoulders quivered and her eyes slammed shut as she pressed his cock back inside her.

  “You’re coming?” he asked, his attention distracted away from the baseball game, shocked that she had climaxed so quickly and easily.

  “I am,” she moaned quietly.

  “I’m trying to watch the game,” he whispered, distracted by the throbbing sensation against his cock.

  “Can you see the television?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Then shut the fuck up and let me play,” she responded with a frisky smile. She heard the crack of a bat. He turned his attention back to the ball game and she went back to pressing his hard, wet cock against her pussy, unleashing another delightful orgasm.

  “Kitten,” he admonished during the next commercial break, “it’s not a dildo.”

  “No,” she gasped. “It’s not. It’s much, much better.”

  By the end of the sixth inning, she was panting hard, her arms and legs shaking in delight. “How many times have you come?” he asked, turning his attention back to the hot little mess on his lap.

  “I’ve lost count,” she squealed as another orgasm washed over her.

  He ran his hand up her body, fascinated with how comfortable she was in her own skin. “Would it be okay with you, if you fucked me for a few minutes instead of just fucking yourself?” She laughed lightly and leaned in to kiss him. He looked her in the eyes. “I’d like to come just once, if that’s okay with you.”

  “It is.”

  He pressed her hips down, easily plunging his cock deep inside her. “Fuck, you’re wet.”

  “Three innings of self-love will do that.”

  She rode him, lifting high and pressing deep, determined he would come before the next batter stepped into the box. It was close. He hadn’t realized that he had missed two foul pitches when he arched his back and thrust against her, swearing as he came. She rolled onto the sheets next to him, her knees bent. Her hand was resting between her legs, relishing the pulsing sensations that were still coursing through her body.

  He bent down to kiss her. “Is this what you do all evening, when I’m not with you?” he asked as he glanced down at her hand.

  “Not all evening,” she responded defensively, looking up at him. “Don’t you?”

  “Of course I do, I’m a guy.”

  “Well. So do most women. I’m just comfortable enough to admit it.”

  It was the top of the eighth inning when she reluctantly looked at the clock. “I have to pack.”

  “What time do you need to leave?”

  “I should be at Penn Station by five thirty. My flight is at six forty-five.”

  He sighed and leaned over to kiss her. He crawled between her legs, laying his body against hers. “You’ll behave this week?”

  “I will. I promise.”

  They kissed for a few minutes before she asked him to let her up.

  As she packed up her suitcase, she reminded him that the Labor Day weekend would be very casual. Shorts and T-shirts. No suits. No ties.

  He sat on the bed, watching her pack. “By the way, I made an appointment,” he stated.

  “An appointment?” she asked curiously. “For what?”

  “The clinic.” Her expression showed that she was still confused. He pointed to the empty box of condoms on the nightstand. “I’d prefer not to pack those next weekend.”

  She dropped her toiletry bag into the suitcase, stunned by what he had said. She stared at him, blinking her eyelids. “You…you booked…you’re going for blood work and…”

  “Swabs.” He smiled at her. “I am. Tomorrow morning. And I’d like you to go, too.”

  She leaned over and kissed him. “Seriously?” She closed her eyes and thought about what it would feel like to have his naked shaft inside her. A shiver ran down her back. She took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts. “I’ll call my doctor tomorrow morning.”

  Chapter 10

  Five days later, Austin stepped off the ferry and into the airport as Brett’s plane landed at the city center airport. She was waiting for him when he exited the Customs area. He was still dressed in his suit from work. He dropped his carry-on bag as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. His arms were around her waist, eagerly accepting her kisses. “This whole five days and five hundred miles thing is killing me,” he murmured before he kissed her again.

  “Let’s get out of here.” She held his hand and led him through the concourse and onto the ferry. He completely missed the experience of making the short journey across the four-hundred-foot channel that separated the island airport from the mainland, consumed with her kisses. She hailed a cab to take them three kilometers up the lake to her condo.

  Callie was waiting for them in the living room. She had opened a bottle of wine for them to enjoy. After meeting Brett in person, she excused herself to her room to pack for the long weekend at the cottage.

  Austin gave him a quick tour of the apartment before leading him to her bedroom. He set down his bag and wrapped his arms around her. “How did your book launch go yesterday?”

  A huge smile crossed her face. “Really good. My publisher was blown away. It was the best launch day they’ve ever had. I didn’t tell her that I’d marketed the hell out of the book to my online audience.”

  “I knew it would do well.” He reached down into his bag. “I’ve got something fo
r you, to celebrate the book launch.” He handed her a bright-red box from Cartier. She looked at him, and then down at the box, and then back at him. “Open it,” he urged.

  She carefully lifted the lid, exposing a delicate eighteen-carat white gold cable chain necklace that cascaded into a V-shaped row of colorless diamonds. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered as she ran her finger over the twelve diamonds. She looked up at him. “I don’t know what to say? I mean, besides thank you,” she stammered. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

  “Put it on.”

  She gently removed the necklace from its case and laid it across her neck, clasping it under her hair. “Wow. It looks beautiful on you.” She looked at her reflection in the mirror. He was right. The diamonds plunged down her décolletage, accenting her long neck.

  “I have something else.” She turned around to look at him as he pulled a folded piece of paper from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and handed it to her. A broad grin crossed her lips as she unfolded the report. She scanned it briefly, knowing that it contained the results of his visit to the clinic.

  Austin slid his suit jacket off his shoulders and hung it on the chair. “I’m afraid I don’t have paper evidence, but I do have a voice mail from my doctor’s office with the results of my visit,” she offered as she picked up her phone. She pressed the voice mail icon on the screen and tapped in her code. She handed him the phone so that he could listen to the recorded message that a nurse had left for her, reporting a clean bill of health. He ended the call and dropped the phone to the nightstand.

  He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She slowly removed his clothes, savoring the touch of his hands on her skin. His cologne invaded her senses, casting a wonderful spell over her. “You smell wonderful,” she whispered. He removed her dress, and then her bra, and then her panties. She pressed her skin against his, desperate to feel him against her. She pulled back the sheets. Still wearing the Cartier necklace, she tumbling into bed with him, her skin pressed against his. He was on top of her. She parted her legs, desperately wanting him to make love to her.