By the time the line of men and a few women formed at the door, Jess let her anger go. Drew wouldn’t want Teresa. He had her. In fact, she would take the spot right beside him to serve the fruit either beside or on the stack of pancakes. She’d set up the line perfectly for that. Even Teresa said it was a good idea since they were low on syrup this day.
With a smile on her face, Jess moved next to the hunk of a man that touched her heart by waking early to serve homeless in a soup kitchen. She whispered to him. “Thank you.”
“For this?” He served as he talked. “Seemed like a great way to be around you and get involved at the same time.”
“Not many people would do that.” She smiled at each person who came through the line. She recognized most of them.
“I’m not most people.” He spoke to a guy in the line, the doorman at the building where he worked. “Hey, Reggie. Thought you had a job.”
The man shrugged. “I do. I do, but this is too good to pass up. I get to see pretty Jessie here and my man, Leroy, over there with the meat.”
Jess added, “He gives a donation when he walks in the door. I think he misses being around some of these guys.” When Reggie moved on, she asked, “How do you know him?”
“He’s the doorman for my building and does some janitorial work, too. Was he homeless?” His hip brushed hers.
She dropped her left hand to her side and rested her hand on the curve just below his waistband. Being a bit wicked made her heart race. “Until a year ago. His wife kicked him out when he got caught selling drugs. She wouldn’t let him back home until he proved he wasn’t doing it anymore.”
Drew’s eyebrows lowered and the smile vanished. “Drugs are a bad business. They’ll get you killed.”
“Looks like you know a thing or two about that.”
“Doesn’t everyone?”
“In this city? Sadly, yes.” Jess had witnessed many of her musician friends succumb to the allure of drugs. She preferred sex, but even that had its dangers. But not Drew. He wouldn’t hurt her. She sensed it and felt it deep within her bones.
His head touched hers as he whispered, “Want to take a walk after this?”
Her mouth watered at the chance to spend more time with him. “Clean up takes a while.”
“My schedule is clear.”
“I have to check with my sister.” She hated saying that, but Teresa had commented on Jess’ absence for a lot of family and church gatherings. “She may want my help working on donations for Wednesday’s spaghetti dinner.”
“You do a lot of that?”
“No, but…”
“Ah, something going on at home that you can’t share.”
The fruit she ladled landed with a splat when she missed the plate held before her. She apologized to the man waiting and scooped more out of the bowl. “How did you know that?”
“I have family, too. I don’t air dirty laundry.”
She laughed. “Bill and Teresa have none of that. Squeaky, sparkly clean family.”
This time he pressed his hip against hers. “Does that include you?”
She pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. Teresa had leaned over to look at the two of them. “I think you know the answer to that.”
“I think you could convince me a little more.”
Jess spent the next fifteen minutes thinking about how much dirtier she could get.
Chapter Nine
Drew, with fresh information and burgeoning jealousy on his side, felt like a teenage boy escaping beneath the stadium steps to cop a feel as he took Jess’s hand as soon as they were out of sight of the church.
He knew Jess didn’t want to get caught behaving badly, but he wanted to be away from Teresa’s prying eyes so that she wouldn’t think of him as a bad guy. He had to be two people, the playboy with Jess and the white knight to Teresa, as he each woman possessed clues he’d need to solve this case.
The towering live oaks with their thick trunks helped hide them as he pulled her along the uneven sidewalk. “Seems like I can’t get enough time with you.”
“That’s because my sister wanted you all to herself, you charmer.” She bumped him as she pulled her hair out of the pony tail.
Teresa had positioned him next to her in the dishwashing line. She’d talked the entire time about the charity, but her intention was clear. Keep him away from Jess. “All I did was ask about how the whole soup kitchen worked. She’s the chatty one.”
Jess held his hand tighter. “You did say that you liked clothes that covered up a woman. She personifies demure.”
Drew stopped her underneath a crepe myrtle covered with shiny, plastic beads. When he asked about them when he moved to the city, April told him that beads thrown during the Mardi Gras parades landed in the trees where they stayed until they fell to the ground. Ignoring the neglected baubles, he pulled Jess to his chest. “I said I liked you in your secretary clothes.” He splayed his hands behind her back. “It’s like you’re a package to unwrap.”
“Oh.” She licked her lips.
That action drove Drew to distraction. He’d wanted to have her mouth on his cock from the first night he’d seen her. Then it had been a deep red color painting her lips. Today, a pale pink shimmer added to the thickness of her mouth. “You know what I have dreamed about since meeting you?”
She tugged at the button down shirt that she wore belted over a full skirt. “If it’s anything like my dreams, it’s not something we can do on a walk.”
“Unless we’re willing to get arrested for indecent exposure, we should go somewhere private. My place is just another three blocks.”
“You’d have to tell me what you want me to do first.”
He tried working on that jealousy a bit. “I bet your sister was thinking it when I kept telling her what a great job she does organizing.”
“She doesn’t think sexual things. It makes her shiver.”
“Oh.” He feigned disinterest, but he had a plan brewing to eke out information from Jess either through jealousy or by taking advantage of a post orgasmic glow. “She shivered at least three times, and I caught her assessing my assets.”
He thought he heard her say, “That’s mine,” but the rattle from a streetcar muffled her words.
“What did you just say?”
Jess placed her hands on her hips. “Those assets are mine. I have no problem showing you what you’d miss if you even let another woman think of touching you.”
Drew turned on his street, hoping he hadn’t pushed too many buttons. Jealousy could backfire. When she followed him, he smiled. This wasn’t a woman easily cowed. Sexy, caring, beautiful, talented, and a possible fire brand. He had to have her as part of his life. How he hoped she was innocent of any crimes. “Just how would you do that?”
“I’ll show you. I’m not going to tell you.” She caught up with him. “You’ll have to wonder.”
“One more block.”
A part of Jess couldn’t believe she wanted to do this, tease him. The other part made her fingers itch to touch his cock and his balls and to have them be hers. She wanted to be naughty, to stay dressed, and give him pleasure. For a switch, she’d have him bare it all with her in control of his orgasm. “You’re growing already.”
“You do that to me.” He put an arm around her waist. “I buy tickets to events, new clothes, ravage you in a dressing room, and lure you from a charity all to have you to myself.”
She’d have to start wearing sexy underwear all the time if Drew stayed in her life—or none at all. But a thought made her smile. She wouldn’t let him have her today. He’d have to wait until the real date. Oh, she’d give him pleasure, but not how he thought.
He opened the door to his apartment. The one room had a futon still made into a bed, with the covers tucked perfectly under the mattress. Two mismatched wooden chairs sat at a small table near a window. The only other furniture was a TV stand and a set of mostly empty shelves.
She closed the door and direct
ed him to one of the chairs. “Sit there.”
His eyebrows creased. “Are you sure you don’t want me on the bed?”
“I’m sure.” She held up a finger and slipped into the bathroom. She slipped her boring beige underwear off her legs in case she couldn’t resist the urge to have sex with him. She put them in her purse, and when she saw a tube of lipstick from the night before, she came up with a great idea. As she applied the shiny red gloss, she imagined how her lips would look as they wrapped around his cock. Maybe she’d leave lip marks on his stomach before pulling his shaft into her mouth.
She left the bathroom and crossed the room to him. “I know you were trying to make me jealous.”
“You caught me. Can I still have you?”
“Part of me, at least.”
He perched on the edge of the seat. “Which part?”
She took a pillow from the bed and tossed it at his feet. She smacked her lips. “My mouth.” She knelt on the pillow and trailed her fingers over his crotch. His cock jumped at her touch. So much time had passed since she’d done this, that she wondered how it would feel and if he would taste salty. She knew she could open her throat for singing, but she didn’t know if she could do it to take all of him.
“That’s all? I don’t think that will be enough.”
“Deal with it. I have rehearsal, and not even you,” she touched him on the chest, “can keep me from singing for my supper.”
He put his hand under her chin. “I can buy you supper.”
“But not fame.” She pushed his shoulders back. She covered her nerves with bravado. “Now, shut up and enjoy the ride.” She opened his pants and grinned. He had gone the whole morning commando. He flexed so that his cock bobbed twice.
She danced her fingers along the top of his shaft and smoothed her whole hand down the length. He let out a breath. Her lips parted and she placed a wet kiss on the tip. He lifted his hips. She pushed them down and licked a line on the bottom of his penis from the base to the head.
The salty flavor made her mouth water. She took in just the tip, rolled her tongue around it, and let it go with a pop. She blew a breath and reveled in his moans. Blood rushed to her pussy. Need pulsed there as she aroused him further. She resisted the urge to touch herself.
With his cock in her hand, she eased her mouth onto him bit by tiny bit, sliding forward, then back, giving the tip a full lick of her tongue as she let go.
His hand touched her cheek and slid under her chin. His fingers pressed into her skin. “I want to feel me inside you,” he said with a husky voice.
She scooted forward so she could take all of him. A smile spread across her face as she lifted his cock to her mouth. She gave the head of his cock a suck and glided down his shaft. His thickness stretched her mouth as his hand held her chin.
“Oh, Jess, not like this.” He begged, his voice ragged. “On the shelf. Black box.”
She heard his request like music that filled her soul. The pulsating of her pussy longed for attention, and his cock was just the instrument to play her to a fever pitch. She flopped onto her hip and reached for the metal box. When she opened it, she startled. Handcuffs lay at the bottom. Five or six condoms surrounded it. “Your sex box?”
“My gun box. False bottom with a combination. They’re only a reminder of what I used to do. I don’t use the cuffs for sex. Ever.”
She moved to him and slid on a condom. “Good answer.”
“No more talking. Sex. You. On me.” He took hold of her arms and guided her to him.
“Mmm hmm.” She straddled his lap without raising her skirt. He’d made such a big deal about how high she should hold it when he’d knelt before her last weekend. “No directions on what I should do? I’ve driven you that much to distraction.”
“Not distraction.” With his hands on her thighs, he pushed the fabric to her hips. “Intense concentration. I want inside you, to feel this all along my cock.” He slid two fingers into the slick folds that hovered over his lap. “I don’t have time for you to take off your skirt, and you did say you had somewhere to be.”
As much as she wanted to impale herself on his upright shaft, she stayed standing. She tilted her hips to make his fingers move over her clit. “If we’re going to do this, let’s take the time to do it right.” She twirled her hips in a circle. “I’m not sure I’m quite ready for you.” The control she’d thought she’d get diminished if she gave in to his demands instantly. He had to work for this quickie.
The two fingers teasing her clit left to push into her throbbing pussy. They glided into her with ease. “Oh, I think you’re ready, and I know I am.” He took his hand from inside her to palm his shaft. “All you have to do is lower that honey hole right onto this guy.”
“Is that all?” She played innocent, when how she felt inside was a mix of excitement and wickedness. Neither of them had said any words of affection or endearment to each other. She truly had taken on the role of bad girl. Sex purely for sex, and if he asked one more time, she’d bounce her pussy along his cock like a brazen hussy in a crazy dance club.
With pressure on her hips, he guided her pussy so that it sat at the tip of his cock. His mouth cocked into a grin. “You might have to make some movement.”
She inched lower letting the tip enter her. With no possibility of someone walking in on them, she taunted him. Even though her thighs burned with the effort to stay at this height, she maintained it and swirled her hips. “Like that?”
“Not nearly enough.” He squeezed her hips but didn’t try to push her lower. “I’ll need a little more effort from you.”
The aches in her thighs turned into burns, so she sank all the way onto his shaft. She moaned and was reminded how wonderful an engorged cock felt inside her with gravity pulling her down. When the initial sensitivity passed, she massaged his cock with her pelvic muscles contracting and releasing. Rehearsal didn’t matter, only making him groan and beg for more. She placed her hands behind his head and pulled his mouth to hers. As his tongue tangled with hers, she let her hips loose and rode him.
“Jess,” he breathed against her mouth.
She didn’t let him say anything else. Control lay firmly in her hand, or more aptly in her legs as she used them to vary the timing of her thrusts. Instinctually, her rhythm matched with her tongue exploring his mouth. Her pussy and lips ground against him, while her pelvic muscles contracted around his cock. Energy thrummed through her as she rode him. She felt like an orchestra conductor with all the tones of the instruments vibrating across the stage to wrap her in the ecstasy of sound.
His faced tightened. His eyes closed, and light from the window glinted off his teeth as he grunted with the orgasm. She slowed her rhythm but didn’t stop the force of her movements.
He buried his head between her breasts. “You felt too good. I couldn’t last.”
She pulled on his head so he looked at her. “You can return the favor after my rehearsal.” With reluctance and a glance at the clock, she stopped sliding along his already diminishing cock. She stood and mourned the end of sex. Each time, she’d wanted more than just one romp. A whole day would be bliss. She didn’t dare dream for a life of it.
He caught her arm. “Let me drive you.”
“No, but thank you.” She kissed him. “I’ll take a cab. Stay there and bask in how amazing I made you feel.”
She gathered her purse from beside the bathroom. Before she could put her hand on the front door knob, Drew took her in his arms.
“Let me drive you, please.” His hands lowered and pulled up her skirt. “After I make you come.”
She swatted his hand and stepped back from him. “No. You had your fun, and now I have to go.”
With a frown he reached for the hand she had clutched to her purse. “Just a little longer, to make the day complete. I’ll break multiple laws to get you there on time.”
The muscles in her shoulders tightened, and all the bliss of the moment before drained from her. Over the years so ma
ny people had called her singing a hobby or that she could do better with a normal job. Drew stopping her from going to rehearsal seemed like the same criticism. He’d pushed the right button to get her to release her anger.
“You might not think it’s important, but I do. You might be a great addition to my life, but I want to make a career out of singing.” She shoved past him and jerked open the door. “To do that, I have to rehearse. An orgasm lasts for a moment, but a contract with a TV show lasts a whole hell of a lot longer. Don’t offer to take me anywhere. Go shove your dick back in your pants and find someone who doesn’t have aspirations toward something bigger.”
“Wait. Stop.” He grabbed her around the waist.
She turned to smack him, but the downturn of his eyes froze her hand.
He lowered his arms and backed away. “I’m being selfish. I just want more time with you. I respect your singing. These stolen moments aren’t enough.” He pushed his cock into his pants. “I don’t want you to ever think that I would get in the way of your singing career. I won’t.”
She pressed her lips together, hoping that tears wouldn’t flow. No one this close to her had ever given her that kind of support. For years, she’d wished that her sister would say something like Drew had just uttered. Gratitude toward him flooded her heart, and an anger against her sister, stabbed into her brain. The negativity that Teresa and Bill emitted had to be turned off and tuned out.
Drew deserved so much more than the whispered, “thank you” she managed to eke out. All she could offer was her own antidote to the angry words she spewed at him. “I’ll take the offer of a ride.” She’d get more good will with him and more planning time to rid herself of her toxic family.
Chapter Ten
From the moment Jess woke, she decided that this Monday morning required color. The sun shone through her tiny windows and lent its hue to her lavender dress. In normal days, she’d wear this to a day or early evening performance, but she felt like a rose in bloom lately. The skirt flounced a bit more than her usual day attire, and the bodice fit a little tighter. She turned down the volume with a pair of black flats. Underneath, she wore a thong for no other reason than it made her feel sexy, powerful, and strong.
Behaving Badly Page 6
