by Maxi MacNair
Being with someone new after almost a decade terrified her. But she was used to being on stage, acting. When she’d started singing she’d been afraid as well, but now it was second nature for her. So she pretended the lights were on her, the crowd before her, and she strutted past him, out the side door to the pool yard. She heard him follow. Without looking back, she let her robe drop, and sunk into the hot tub, her back to him.
She turned the jets and the colored lights on, and closed her eyes.
She heard footfall.
The clink of his belt. The rustle of fabric. She opened her eyes, and watched as he gingerly sank into the hot tub. Even his boxers were black. Tattoos of tigers and dragons covered his chest, then he sunk below the water, the bubbles obfuscating everything but his broad shoulders, the tops of his sugar skulls peeking up out of the water.
Now what?
She’d been married almost ten years. She didn’t know what she was doing. Now he was in her hot tub, in his underwear.
“You want this?” he asked.
One night. She nodded.
He slid across the hot tub, next to her. His body was all hard angles as he took her in his arms. He leaned in and kissed her again. Gentle at first, lips barely parted, but as she curved into him, the heat built, and she opened for him like a flower, letting their tongues touch.
He kissed her neck, whispered in her ear. “I’ve wanted you since I first saw you.”
That information was a surprise to Bristol, it was hard for her to imagine him wanting anyone before he started kissing her. He kissed so differently than Ricky. Lucas took his time, savoring her. Ricky kissed and made love like he was in a race. Stop it, she told herself. Right now, there is no Ricky.
He pulled her onto his lap, and she straddled him. His hands ran up and down her back, she cupped his clean-shaven face.
His fingers found the knot at her neck, and pulled the string of her bikini. The knot worked itself free easily, and the top dropped, strings floating in the water. He pushed her back to admire what he’d just revealed.
How long since she’d been looked at like that?
He untied the bottom knot, and cast her top away.
Everyday hundreds, maybe thousands of men lusted after her. She was a public figure. Posters and t-shirts bore her likeness, photos of her plastered the internet.
The way Lucas regarded her breasts was akin to worship.
She’d always been a little self-conscious about them, thinking they were too small. And uneven. Ricky pushed for augmentation, but she’d declined. It wasn’t who she wanted to be.
Lucas reached out tentatively, like Indiana Jones going for the idol. Placed a hand on each breast. His firm but gentle touch drove her wild. Her hard nipples pressed into his palms as he kneaded her sensitive flesh. She dipped her head back and pressed their groins together. Through her thin bathing suit and the cotton boxers he wore, she felt his excitement. He took one hand away and leaned in to kiss her breast, swirling his tongue around the peak, sucking and licking. He moved to the other, being sure to give ample attention to the other breast as well, cupping it with his hand.
“I’m dying,” he said. “Too hot in here.”
“The pool?”
“Okay.”
He picked her up, and carried her over to the pool. After the heat of the hot tub, the warm pool felt cool and delicious. In all the years she’d had the pool and the house, she’d never swum here naked. She might have to try it again some other time.
He set her in the water, and untied the knot at her left hip, then her right. The bottom to her bathing suit floated away. Like it weighed nothing, he set her on the edge of the pool. He resumed kissing her breasts, but navigated lower. Her ribs, her stomach, her hips…she stopped him.
“You don’t have to.”
“Have to what?”
“You know.”
He looked baffled.
“You don’t have to kiss me…there.”
Still looked baffled. “I know I don’t have to. I want to.”
Impossible. Ricky hated going down on her, hadn’t in years.
“No, really.”
“Do you not want me to?”
She didn’t want to upset him if he actually wanted to. She didn’t know what to do. So she leaned back and did nothing, spreading her legs for him.
His hot breath on her sensitive folds shot electricity through her. She’d always assumed going down on a woman was an unpleasant chore men endured. Whenever Ricky had done it she’d been so self-conscious she couldn’t enjoy herself.
Lucas shoved all thoughts of Ricky from her mind. All thoughts from her mind. He didn’t seem like a man doing something out of obligation. He gently savaged her…kissing and licking, stroking with his fingers. Light touches to drive her wild. Heat grew inside her, and she bit her lip to keep from crying out.
Oh God, what was he doing to her? She couldn’t catch her breath, started panting, and a little moan squeaked between her lips. It encouraged him and he lapped at her with renewed gusto.
Bristol’s orgasm came on like a freight train, starting deep within her, and exploding forth with a series of gasps and thrusts of her hips. He pulled back and let her come, taking her hand. She squeezed it as hard as she could, biting her lip and squeezing her eyes closed. Oh, she couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t remember ever feeling this good.
Gradually she caught her breath, and let her eyes open.
“You taste amazing,” he said. “I love the way you come.”
Embarrassment flooded her, and she felt her cheeks go hot and red.
“I want to take you to bed.”
Oh god she wanted that, too. She nodded.
He pushed himself up and out of the pool, water streaming off his slick muscles and his tattoos. The wet cotton of his boxers clung tight to him. It made him look enormous. She looked away. He held out a hand to help her up, and she felt super awkward crossing the pool yard buck naked.
She hadn’t been in the guest house since he took it over, almost a year now. He’d done very little to make it his, but her gaze fell on a stack of paperbacks by the couch. All science fiction titles, some she’d read, some she hadn’t. Forgetting her nudity, she went to them, dropped to one knee and scanned the titles. She pointed to one. “I’m reading this now! Why did you never tell me you were into this stuff?”
“Never came up. Didn’t want you to think I was unprofessional.” At this he grinned, a smile she’d never seen on his usually impassive face. She loved it. She stood and wrapped her arms around him, pressing into him. He spoke into her neck, his breath hot on her skin. “Darling, I’m happy to talk books almost any time. Not now.”
He scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom. He didn’t turn the light on, but the curtains were drawn and the green light from the poolside spilled in, showing a neatly made bed. Still holding her with one arm, he tore the covers back, and deposited her on the sheet. He climbed in beside her.
She intertwined with him, feeling him against her. His hands were everywhere, his mouth on her collarbones, her nipples.
“You want this?” he asked again, and she nodded.
He disengaged from her, rolled to his bedside stand, and pulled out a condom. He slid off his boxers. He was huge. It actually made her a little nervous, but she’d try it. He rolled the condom on like an expert. He climbed on top of her, rubbed the head against her and groaned. “You’re so wet. I love it.” She was. She couldn’t ever remember getting like this. Lucas seemed to bring out something else in her, something always kept quiet.
He guided himself into her with firm, gentle strokes. Each time, she felt herself accommodating him, her body as excited and hungry for him as her mind. Her hips moved into his, working him deep inside her. It only took a few thrusts before she came again, shuddering and panting, this time unable to stop from crying out in time with the motion of his hips.
He breathed encouragement into her ear, come on, baby, come for me, baby and it drove
her to the brink even faster. She shuddered into her another orgasm, wrapping herself around him and holding him tight.
“You want to get on top?” He paused to let her catch her breath, his cock still filling her.
She shook her head and breathlessly muttered, “No…Like this.” She’d never liked it any other way with Ricky, and couldn’t recall if it ever felt this good.
“Baby, I’m gonna come really fast if we keep going like this. You’re…I can’t help myself.” He grinned down at her.
“That’s okay.”
“Okay.” He resumed his thrusting, and all her thoughts drifted away again. Pleasure enfolded her, she was totally lost, and true to Lucas’s word, it wasn’t long before he muttered “I’m going to come,” in her neck.
Something about the statement electrified her, and before she knew it, she was coming again, too, the two of them simultaneous, gripping at each other, and pressing their bodies close. She sunk her fingernails into his back and he worked his hips like a jackhammer. Bristol felt a flood of warmth within her that was not from her. She knew what it was, and couldn’t help but want that warmth to flood her entirely. Finally, collapsing on top of her, both of them panting and satisfied in the pungent buzz of their orgasms.
He lay there a few beats. “That was awesome. You’re amazing.”
She was amazing? He was the one who’d done all the work. A goofy smile filled her flushed face. “You too.”
They lay in genial silence for a bit longer, every nerve happy and calm after the overstimulation they’d received.
Lucas started to pull himself from her, frowned.
“What?”
He cursed. “Condom broke. I’m so sorry.”
“Oh, that’s all right,” she said. She didn’t want to ruin the moment, and she kind of already knew. “I got myself tested a while back, I don’t have anything. I haven’t been with anyone since then.” She’d done it when she’d found a condom in the trash can in Ricky’s man cave. She didn’t know for sure it was his, but if it was he certainly hadn’t used it on her.
“I’m clean, too. I was tested a while back and haven’t really been with anyone for a long time too.”
“So we’re good.”
“You’re on the pill?”
“No. but I guess that’s one thing you didn’t know about me until now. I can’t have kids.”
“Really? We can do a morning after thing just to be safe, if you want.”
“Don’t need to. Tried for the first five years I was married. No babies for me.”
“Okay then. I’m sorry?”
“Nothing to be sorry about.”
“Yeah you’re right. Just a little post-coital panic.”
She laughed. He was funny. Lying naked in one another’s arms, they talked about books. Gradually, the green light from outside turned grey, and they realized they’d spent the whole night talking.
“Want to come with me for my morning swim?”
“Hell yes.”
They went out with no bathing suits, and she swam a few laps. She was tired, but the idea of sleep didn’t even occur to her. He kept up with her for a bit, then hung back and watched for a while. Then he caught her, took her in his arms, and they kissed again, weightless in the water, before racing back into the guest house laughing to make love again. Technically, the night wasn’t over yet.
After they finished, she felt like she was back in the pool floating in his muscled and tattooed arms. For a brief moment she was sad that she was headed off on tour that afternoon, and Lucas would stay back in LA. They’d arranged it months ago of course, his business partner, Kevin, would be accompanying her. She wished it was Lucas now though, then reminded herself. One night of pleasure. And really, since the sun was now up, she’d gotten more than he’d offered.
4
She flew out on her tour that afternoon, with Kevin at her side. Lucas saw them off, once again adopting the persona of impartial bodyguard. They’d said goodbye again back in his bedroom. The first time she’d seemed terrified of sex, but he felt he was drawing her out of a shell. Seeing her in this intimate light made him want to punch Ricky’s lights out all over again.
Whatever, Ricky was off with Samantha, and out of both of their hair. While she was on the road, Bristol was going to have a few calls with her lawyer and get her own paperwork drawn up for the divorce. There really was not much Ricky could do to squeeze money from the divorce Lucas was pretty sure. He could even testify if it came down to it. Although, if anyone found out what had just happened between them that might not help add credibility to his story at all.
His phone buzzed when she landed in Washington, DC, her first stop. A friendly little note letting him know she’d arrived. It warmed his heart, but he didn’t respond right away. It had only been one night. And morning. She had to be confused, just doing what she was used to doing when he was her lead bodyguard. Lucas texted Kevin though to make sure everything was good and everyone knew how to do their jobs right. It happened all the time, when a client brushed up against danger. It was only logical to want to affirm life, and that usually meant screwing. At least he had heard about it happening before. He shouldn’t have done it though, shouldn’t have instigated it.
He mulled it over as he drove back from the airport, heading back to the guest house to pick up a few things before he moved back in to the apartment on the other side of town. With the Kyle Reed situation out of the way for the time being he probably wouldn’t be back anytime soon. It would be nice to be back in his own place a while.
He keyed in the code at the gate of Bristol’s mansion, and rolled inside. The grounds felt deserted, which made sense. Staff would be coming by later to close the place up, Bristol thought Ricky would be back a few times to pick up some stuff, and other than that, someone would be by a few times a week from now on to water the plants. Two months on tour didn’t seem like that long of a time until you were experiencing the first day of that stretch of time.
His sheets still smelled like her, and the scent intoxicated him. He decided to stop feeling guilty about it. It happened. If it cost him the job, so be it, it was worth it. He couldn’t think of it as anything more than that. Couldn’t see himself getting close to someone, couldn’t see himself being a boyfriend. That was the road to heartache, and he wouldn’t do it again. When it came to Bristol, he was very clearly the rebound, and the rebound was only good for one thing. Getting your mind off the ex.
When he got back to his apartment, it was quite and clean and the air smelled like stale bleach. He wished his next gig was starting this evening, instead of tomorrow evening. He plunked down on the couch and turned on the TV. Die Hard was on, and they were just about at his favorite part, where things start getting crazy and the body count starts rising.
He shut his brain off and watched the rest of the movie, but could feel his mood tanking as the credits started to roll and he realized a dark grey light was pushing through the blinds. It was probably almost eight and night was taking over. He headed down to a small bar he sometimes went to as the street lights started to come on, something he hadn’t done in a long time. He never drank while he was working, and he worked all the time. He also knew that when he got drunk, he usually wanted to fight. He wasn’t always like that, but ever since his time overseas he could feel everyone in the room starting to tick him off more and more with every sip. It’d been months since he got into a scrap, tackling Kyle Reed and the tussle with the guy harassing Bristol was the closest he’d come for a while.
He reined himself in. He’d go, have a few beers, the Kings were playing the Flyers tonight, so he could watch that on the big screen. He loved hockey even though there weren’t a lot of people who he hung out with that knew much about it. Any team sport that allowed athletes to fight and let out all their aggression in the game itself was good by Lucas. Plus, his dad, even though he was a real asshole, raised him to be a Philadelphia Flyers fan: the only thing Lucas hoped he learned from his father.
He took a seat at the bar, ordered a Miller Lite, then another, then another, and enjoyed not having to be “on.” He should really have ordered some food, but the beer right now was tasting too good. Also, with a bit of a buzz Lucas finally felt he could fully let go. Nothing that happened in the room was his responsibility, unlike when he was on duty watching Bristol. He had to watch every patron, keep himself on top of every situation that might happen. He still kept an eye on things, the Marine Corps taught him that and he could never shut that off, but tonight he didn’t watch with a sense of urgency. The big TV showed Entertainment Tonight, on before the hockey game.
The volume off, Bristol filled the screen, onstage and singing. She wore black sequins: she loved to sparkle under the lights when she was onstage. The outfit had an open back and stomach, and showed off her cleavage. Lucas had hear her refer to her breasts as small before. He couldn’t understand why. To him, they were just as perfect as the rest of her.
He’d seen all of her. He’d had her. He could be the envy of every man in this bar.
He watched. Looked like they were promoting her new tour. Stock footage of her and Ricky on their way in to a charity dinner, Lucas standing behind them, observing. He could look like a mean son of a bitch. In this one Bristol wore a short, tight white dress to match Ricky’s suit. Flats, because her ex was a puny little guy.
“Bristol sucks.” Lucas zoomed in on the sound, from across the bar. Some frat boy bro talking to his friends. Lucas started following the conversation now.
“I don’t know, she’s pretty hot.”
“Getting old. Needs to have some work done.”
“I’d do her.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say I wouldn’t do her. I’d just do her from behind.”
Lucas saw red and crossed the bar, slamming his fist on the table. Being private security was all about talking people down, about de-escalating before it came to violence.
Today he wasn’t on duty.
“Thought I heard something about Bristol Maitland from over at the bar?”
“What the fuck” the frat boy who shouted out the first comment said.
