The maitre d' spoke before Ace could. "Mr. Journey?"
Either the man was psychic or Carl Fennerman had let them know that Ace was a fellow Texan, and his hat and boots had given him away. "That's right. We have a reservation."
Unsmiling, but cordial, the maitre'd nodded. "Mr. Fennerman's table is ready for you, sir." He turned to Gabriella whose eyes were wide and mouth slightly ajar. "May I take your wrap, Miss?"
She seemed to come to her senses. "Uh, no. I'll keep it for now. Thank you."
He nodded again. "As you like." Another man in a tuxedo walked up and smiled. "Gregg, take Mr. Journey and his companion to Mr. Fennerman's table." Turning to Ace, he said, "I'll send the sommelier to you directly, sir, with a list of Mr. Fennerman's wines."
Ace nodded and offered his hand with a folded up hundred dollar bill ready for exchange. "Thanks." The money subtly made its way into the man's pocket.
They followed Gregg through the restaurant to a small table near a wide, tall window overlooking the Hudson River. It offered a magical view of Manhattan. Ace watched Gabriella's face as she sat in the chair drawn back by the headwaiter, Gregg. She was agog, though she tried to appear nonchalant. He was glad that her surprise with the arrangements was taking her mind off the ugly scene with her mother.
* * *
Gabby stared out the window, watching the golden lights glinting off the skyscraper windows as the summer sun began to set.
"It's beautiful."
"I agree," he told her. "Almost as beautiful as you."
She turned to him, smiling, but the smile was forced. "I can't believe you're there, across from me. After the scene with my mother, I wouldn’t have been surprised if you’d run away and never looked back."
He grinned. "I’m not the runnin’ away sort, sweetheart, and I never run away from a fight."
She watched his face as her temper sparked. "Is that what this has become? A fight between my mother and you, with the prize being me?"
"I don't think it's that cut and dried. But, li'l girl, you are most certainly a prize. And it's purely my pleasure to be sittin' here with you."
She looked down at the table, her temper slipping away. "Thank you. Thank you for not running away."
He reached for her hand and she grasped his back. "Is that what usually happens? Men run away?"
She wasn't sure if she should tell him the truth. "I don't introduce many people to my mother. In this case, she insisted."
"I see."
Gabby doubted that he could understand just how embarrassing it was to expose people to Anita, especially people she cared about, so she changed the subject and encouraged him to talk about himself. It turned out that he'd called in a favor from his old college buddy, Carl Fennerman, who was a star player on the Jets football team until recently. With Fennerman's local celebrity and connections, it hadn't been a problem to get them into Fanciful. Ace was nothing, if not full of surprises.
The conversation migrated to how and when they'd met. Gabby found the whole thing embarrassing, and wondered how she'd ever gotten embroiled in a scheme to harm Liv's career. Thinking about it later—after the spanking—she realized how stupid it had been. She wouldn't have helped her own career if Liv's took a downturn. Gabby was not Liv's peer and couldn't have just stepped into her shoes even if the scheme had worked.
"I deserved that spanking," she told him. "I'm lucky Liv and Trey didn't get me blackballed. It was generous of them to let me off with a physical punishment."
Ace nodded, and the waiter approached with more coffee. They were quiet while being served.
As the waiter walked away, Ace spoke up. "Never been spanked before that, hm?"
"No! God no. My mother was never home to punish me. I was on my own, and I was hardly going to spank myself."
"Some people like spanking during sex." His voice was bedroom sexy, and a shiver ran through her middle.
"Well...I..."
"Not, you, hm?"
"I never tried it." She sounded so unsophisticated. "I mean, it never came up."
He sat back. His look was unwavering. "How many men have you been with, Gabriella?"
She gasped. He would find her childish and anything but sexy if she told him the truth—one. The more she was around him, the more she wanted to take him as a lover. If she did, she could clear her mind of him by discovering that he farted in bed or had hair that stood up like a fright wig in the morning. Her one relationship hadn't worked out well, and although men had been interested in her since then and she'd been on dates, she had been focused on her career and her mother. She didn't want complications. Things with Ace could be simple and easy. A little sex and bye-bye, Tex.
But he'd never want to sleep with a woman with no experience. At his age, he probably expected his women to be pretty savvy. "Five," she blurted. She didn't know where she'd gotten that number, but it sounded okay.
"Five," he reiterated. "And you're twenty years old."
There was skepticism in his voice so she lifted her chin defiantly. "Almost twenty-one."
"So, you're telling me that you're easy." His eyes were glittering with amusement.
"I'm not easy," she hissed. "I meet a lot of men, that's all. I don't sleep with them all."
He played with the handle of his coffee cup. "Of course you don't." Ace sounded so casual, so unconcerned. The tension in her body was going to make her twist herself into pieces. "But spanking never came up," he asked without asking. "Not even a playful swat on the bottom."
The truth was, her sex life with her past boyfriend had been furtive and hasty. She had to keep him away from her mother, while he was trying to keep their affair secret from his father. They'd had that in common, but it had been a recipe for disaster. And for bunny sex. She was honest with Ace when she replied in the negative.
"Interestin'." The twinkle had never left his eyes. "I don't believe you."
"About the spanking?"
"Nope, about the multiple lovers. And I don't much enjoy your lyin' again."
"But-"
"Don't dig yourself deeper, li'l girl."
She groaned and put her hands over her hot face. "Okay. I lied. Why would you care anyway?"
"I like to know how promiscuous my bed partners have been. In part, it's a safety concern, but it's also more than that. Are you a virgin, Gabby?"
"No! I'm not a virgin!" She covered her mouth with her hands and looked around. No one was pointing and staring, so she must not have spoken too loud. "I've had one boyfriend." Then she realized what he'd said. "Bed partners? You expect to have sex with me?"
He nodded. "Mmhmm. And you're wet just thinking about it, li'l girl."
She was, though she couldn't figure out how he knew it. Even the spanking part was intriguing. Spanking as part of sex sounded awfully kinky. But her one experience with spanking hadn't been pleasant by any stretch of the imagination.
"I haven't agreed to have sex with you, Ace."
"Nope. But you will."
She snorted. It was never smart to let a man think you were easy. Even she knew that.
"After I spank the crap outta you for lyin' to me again."
"But I...But you..."
"Not like before, sweetheart. That was exceptional punishment. But you do deserve a spankin'."
Maybe. Telling lies was not a good practice. And apparently, she wasn't particularly talented at it. Not where Ace was concerned at least.
"If you spank me, I won't want to have sex."
He tilted his head to one side. "If you keep squirmin' in your chair like that, I'm gonna think you want to have sex right here and now."
She stiffened up. Her body was like a live wire. She was wet at her core, those parts of her eager to have him penetrate her. Her nipples were hot and she could feel the pulse beating in her womb like a bongo.
He put his credit card back in his wallet and his hat on his head. Gabby stood as he pulled her chair back. It seemed they were going to have sex. She was going to go to bed wi
th Ace. Her fantasy was about to come true.
Gabby realized that her panties were soaked.
* * *
The car ride back to Ace's hotel was excruciating for Gabby. She was right on the edge. If she couldn't get a handle on her libido, everything would be over before it began.
His hotel room smelled like sandalwood, as scent wafted from a reed diffuser on the suite's coffee table. It was pleasant and masculine. The room itself was tidy and well-appointed. He looked a little out of place in it, though, with the two-thirds-sized furniture and the pastel walls.
She took a few steps in and stood there, her weight shifting from one foot to the other, trembling with anticipation. Which would come first, the spanking or the sex?
Ace took her wrap and her purse and set them in a wingback chair. When his big hands went to her shoulders to rub, her tension began to ease. She sighed and a frisson moved up her spine as he moved her hair out of the way and kissed the back of her neck. It went on like that, his lips on her neck, moving to her throat, and finally to her face. His moustache was a little scratchy, which was a perfect counterpoint to his gentle lips. When she opened her mouth to let his tongue inside, he became more forceful, as though he couldn't get enough of her taste. Gabby realized that she was as ravenous as he, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled his head down. His hair was soft under her fingers, even while nothing else of him was soft.
Her zipper slid down easily at his touch, and in moments she was standing there wearing only a black lace bra and panties, her high-heeled shoes, a her great-grandmother's gleaming silver cross. He kissed his way down her body, spending extra moments at her cleavage, until he was squatting on the floor, where he unbuckled the tiny fastenings at her ankles.
"Shoes off, sweetheart."
She offered her feet, one at a time, and he set the shoes aside, kissing his way back up to her mouth. Gabby wanted his flesh against her, not his suit, so she pushed his jacket off his shoulders, took off his bolo, and peeled back his shirt. His chest was warm and solid under her hands. He wore a chain and medallion around his neck. She fleetingly wondered what it was, but didn't want to break their sensuous kiss to find out.
Ace pushed her bra cups off her breasts and played with her nipples. Excitement curled in her belly from both his gentle and his rough caresses. The sensation of his callused fingers on her excited nipples was magnificent. Her body was thrumming. She mewled as his hand snaked down her belly and into her panties.
"Mmmm, wet," he whispered against her mouth. "Time to get serious, li'l girl."
"Hmm? Serious?"
He stepped back and undressed while she watched.
Rampant, he was the epitome of maleness. He was sculpted and formed as if by a master artisan. The jutting cock at the juncture of his thighs was almost scary. Ace was a man, a real man, and older or not, he was exactly what she wanted at the moment.
He hadn't removed the medallion from around his neck, and Gabby lifted it to take a closer look. It was a religious medal with the face of a saint embossed on it. She glanced up at Ace, surprised, and found him smiling at her. Apparently, he was a Roman Catholic, too, and that common bond was comforting. "Saint Isidore-the-Farmer," he explained. "I never take it off."
"Kiss me?"
"Yes, ma'am," he said with a chuckle in his voice. As they embraced and his lips conquered hers, Ace unfastened her bra and eased it off. Her nipples were pointed, inviting him to tease them again, and he did.
Gabby's blood raced through her veins. Her pussy seeped, her clit throbbing with the beat of her heart. Ace moved his lips down her chin and started kissing and nibbling on her breasts, and she pressed his face closer. Her head dropped back on her neck and she moaned as he pushed her breasts together and buried his face in her cleavage. His moustache tickled and scratched her sensitive flesh.
He lifted her off her feet easily, something that she couldn't remember ever experiencing before. Soon, she was supine on the bed, and he was pulling her panties off. She should blush, being naked there, but his eyes were so warm on her, so affectionate, she had no embarrassment about her generous curves.
He joined her on the bed and kissed her again, his hands roaming over her until one came to rest on her mound. "Open for me, sweetheart."
She did, spreading her legs to give him access to her secrets. He teased her, drawing forth even more moisture, and rubbing her swollen clit until she was writhing. The peak was coming, so close, so very close.
He stopped. She groaned. Gabby wanted to scream at him, to shake him, to make him touch her again. But he rolled to his back and reached for a foil packet at the side of the bed. He fitted a condom on himself, and gestured to his bobbing cock. "Mount up, li'l girl."
It wasn't new to her...not completely, anyway. But Ace was new to her, his rhythms and needs were brand new. She straddled his hips and he kneaded her breasts with strong fingers.
"Go ahead," he said. "Ride me."
It was so good to have him there between her thighs as she guided him to her opening. Slowly, she lowered herself, feeling her body penetrated, full, ripe. He let go of her jiggling breasts in order to squeeze her fanny.
She rocked, pulling him in, letting him out. In. Out. He was deep inside her when he smacked her bottom. She squeaked and stopped moving.
"Don't stop."
His gaze was hot. She started rocking again.
Again he slapped her rear, but this time, she didn't stop moving. The sting added to her pleasure. "More."
He chuckled and gave her two more whacks. She moaned and moved faster on him, her cross tapping against her chest. He peppered her round butt with spanks, sometimes in counterpoint to her strokes, sometimes with musical rhythm. And the heat of her ass seemed to be directly connected to her pussy, making it hotter, wetter, closer to the pinnacle.
Almost there, she leaned on his chest, his powerful muscles bunching there as his jaw gritted. He was holding back. Holding back for her. His spanks were getting harder, but she didn't care. She loved the pain as much as the pleasure now.
A few more strokes a few more spanks and the world dilated before her, irising open and expanding all her senses. She gasped and called out his name, losing control.
His hips thrust up from the bed, his eyes tightly closed. She could feel him pulsing within her.
Panting together, she found herself lying atop him, hot and sweaty, the bed smelling of sex.
They rested there for several minutes.
He broke the spell first. "Thank you, li'l girl."
"Mmm. Thank you, too, big daddy."
Ace petted her sweat-straggled hair. "Don't call me daddy, sweetheart. The things I'm feeling for you right now are anything but daddy-like."
She snuggled against his side. "You're old enough."
"Maybe. But I'm not your daddy."
"You call me little girl."
He was quiet for a moment. "Now that you mention it, I s'pose I shouldn't ought to."
"I like it, Ace." She briefly considered that they'd only have a few more days together. She'd be his little girl for that long. Realization of the temporary nature of their relationship tightened her stomach. She pushed away the disturbing thought to focus on the moment.
Ace rose from the bed and went into the bathroom. The water ran as she lounged, almost boneless, in the big bed. Soon he returned and sat near her.
"Time for that spankin'."
"Spanking? Didn't you already spank me?"
He laughed. "That was for fun. I need to punish you for lyin'."
"You don't need to, Ace. I'm sorry I lied. I'll try not to do it again. Isn't that enough?"
"I accept your apology. No, it's not enough. And yeah, I need to. Your first spankin' obviously didn't teach you much of a lesson. I'm fixin' to drive the point home."
"Please? Let me off this once. Parole for good behavior."
He frowned at her, though there was a twinkle in his eyes. "You think good behavior is about us having s
ex?"
"Well...I wouldn't have put it that way, but yeah."
"Did you do it with that in mind?"
"No."
"I didn't think of it as payment to make up for the lie, either. So we still have an exchange to make. I spank you; you get spanked." He twirled a finger in the air. "Up on all fours."
A frisson slid up her back. She couldn't help but remember her previous punishment spanking. She had been floating in such a calm sea of pleasure. Being punished would take all that away.
"Do I have to?"
"You'll get more if you don't mind me."
She sighed as she shifted around. He was determined, and she couldn't deny that she'd earned it. He pressed her head down until her butt was up and her face was on the comforter.
"You're still a little pink from our play. I'm only gonna use my hand, but you'd better not lie to me again or I'll take a ridin' crop to your ass."
"Just get it over with."
He smacked her rump hard. "That's for being mouthy."
It hurt. "I'm sorry."
He knelt up beside her and whacked her ass several times. Heat bloomed there, and each spank was like a burning electric jolt through her body. She whimpered and after a dozen slaps, she began to sob.
He was relentless. "No. More. Lyin'. Missy."
She nodded into the comforter, crying freely. "Yes, sir." It seemed like he was spanking harder.
When she couldn't take one more smack, he stopped, and pulled her into his arms as he lay down on the bed. She cried into his shoulder for a few minutes, until she was all cried out. Her butt still throbbed and tingled with itchy sparks.
"You're so mean to me," she whispered.
"Come out to dinner with me again tomorrow night."
Gabby didn't have the energy left to lift her head. "Even though I lied to you?"
"You just paid for that, and have a clean slate. You're not gonna do it again, are you?"
"No, sir."
"Then you pick a place, and that's where we'll go."
Ace-High Flush Page 3
