by Amanda Bretz
Zach slowly pulled his length out of her and Corina sagged on the mattress. Her hair clung to her neck in damp ringlets. She pulled shallow breaths in through her mouth. As with the other times they’d slept together, sex with Zach proved to be a full-body event. She was sore in places she’d never known to be tender and tingled in spots she hadn’t known could be sensitive.
“Just so we’re clear, our date, at least part of it, will be in public tomorrow,” Zach promised her and flung himself onto his back on the bed.
“What?” Corina pulled herself out of the sensual fog. She crawled up the mattress until she was lying on her pillow. “I didn’t tell you that story to try to guilt you into taking me out, Zach.”
“I know that. There’s nothing and no one that will stop me from taking you out, Corina.” Zach placed a trail of kisses down her back. “Tomorrow night, we go out for dinner.”
She couldn’t help but smile into her pillow at the thought of their next date. Zach used gentle fingers to tuck the wayward strands of her auburn curls behind her ear. As she looked into his deep, dark gaze she realized how much she’d needed to know that Zach wasn’t like Donald. He liked being with her, both in public and at home. There was no point in denying how badly she wanted to be with him. She couldn’t wait to get dressed and go out on the town with the gorgeous man in front of her.
* * * *
“What’s your favorite dish here?” Corina asked Zach while she perused the menu.
While waiting for his response, she helped herself to a piece of the warm bread and slathered it with softened butter. Zach had picked Corina up and had taken her to one of the oldest eateries on The Hill, an Italian-American neighborhood in St. Louis known for the restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores and the authentic Italian delicacies they served.
“I love the pasta con broccoli, and the spaghetti and meatballs are pretty amazing too.”
She decided against ordering her usual dish of eggplant Parmesan by taking Zach up on one of his suggestions and selecting the pasta con broccoli.
“You know, even though it took a couple extra days for us to get here, dinner out together is worth the wait.” He reached for her hand across the table.
“What’s that old saying about good things coming to those who wait?” Corina gave him a smile then nibbled her bread. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure, anything.”
“What made you want to get involved with the charity?”
“I watched a brave woman battle breast cancer. My grandma was a champ. She was diagnosed when she was in her eighties, and let me tell you, cancer may have taken her from us, but she went out swinging,” Zach said then took a sip of his water. “I figured the calendar and the auction were all in fun, but it ultimately goes for such a great cause. It’s not much, but if I can contribute in one small way and make it so that one day someone else’s loved one doesn’t have to face cancer, then it was worth it.”
Corina was touched by his tender words. She mentally hit the pause button on their conversation when their waiter placed plates of steaming, aromatic entrees in front of them. She took a few bites of her creamy pasta dish before she spoke again.
“I admire your viewpoint, Zach. I’ve been lucky that none of my loved ones has been through the horrible disease. It was by accident that I was motivated to get involved with breast cancer research and support.” She wrapped her lips around another bite of pasta. “Several years ago, my hairdresser introduced me to a program that provides wigs for women undergoing cancer treatment. The wigs are made from human hair. My stylist always bragged about my hair and she convinced me what a great wig it would make.” She paused when Zach’s intense gaze caught her off guard. Suddenly unsure if the subject matter bothered him, Corina asked, “What?”
“It’s very admirable. Continue, please,” he encouraged her and took her hand in his.
She shrugged off his compliment and sipped her drink.
“It wasn’t that noble of me, especially considering I was planning on a change in hairstyles anyway,” she said as he tossed her red tresses over her shoulder. “Anyway, after donating my locks a couple of times, I decided to get more involved. I’ve worked with several hairstylists and makeup artists to give women going through chemo glamorous makeovers then they have a photo shoot.”
“So, was that why you were selected as the photographer for the calendar shoot we met at?”
“Yes. It was definitely a different experience than what I’m used to in my business or other charity photo work I’ve done,” she said, watching Zach wind the spaghetti noodles around his fork. “In all seriousness, what I’ve found in my volunteer work with these organizations is that for women who are fighting cancer one of things that’s hardest to deal with is when they look in the mirror and don’t recognize who they see anymore. I firmly believe that every woman deserves to look and feel beautiful, and if I can help them achieve that, even for that one day when I take their photograph, then they have that picture to look back on while they fight for their lives. Maybe it sounds strange to a man, but I think having their pictures made when they’re all done up and looking beautiful gives them hope that they’ll beat cancer and be themselves again.”
Corina stopped talking long enough to eat a few bites of her cooling pasta. She felt a bit embarrassed that she’d blathered on about her involvement with cancer patients. It wasn’t something she told many people. It wasn’t because she lacked a passion for the cause—quite the contrary. She didn’t like to sound as though she were bragging about her volunteerism.
“Wow, Corina. I think it’s commendable that you do so much for such a worthy cause.”
“Thank you. I wasn’t talking about it to be boastful or to fish for compliments. It’s just something I’m very passionate about.”
“Me too,” he said to her in a low tone as he leaned across the table so she could hear him. “See? We do have something else we’re both passionate about besides sex.”
“Yes, but we had to actually get out of the bedroom in order to figure that out.
The pair finished their meal in a companionable silence before leaving the restaurant to go over to a small shop that served gelato. They strolled around the intimate neighborhood, talking and eating their sweet treats before heading back to Zach’s apartment. As she buckled the seatbelt around her in Zach’s car, Corina realized that she had never felt more connected with a man. Even though they’d had a reasonably non-sexual evening, she had a feeling that the night was about to take a very sexy twist.
* * * *
“Here, let me slip this on you,” Zach whispered in her ear.
Corina looked down at the object in his hands. Even in the half-lit room, she could make out the black satin blindfold he held. Her heart raced at the possibilities. Having her sight removed during their play would not only put her at his mercy but also heighten all her other senses. Corina lowered her head to allow Zach to slip the silky piece of fabric over her eyes. When he reached behind her head to securely tie the blindfold into place, she picked up a whiff of his cologne. It was a rich, musky scent with hints of timber. Very masculine.
After he tied it, his hand trailed down the back of her loose curls. He gathered a handful and wrapped it around his fist several times until he gently forced her head back. Without the gift of sight, Corina was completely unaware of what would happen next. At the soft pressure of his lips on hers, she tilted her head back even further.
Zach plunged his tongue into her mouth and gently swirled and explored as he worked at removing her clothing. Each button on her blouse was removed at a deliciously slow tempo. Once each of the buttons were undone, Zach slid the material over her shoulders and down her arms. When her top was gone, his large hands glided over the fronts of her breasts. His fingertips grazed her nipples through the thin, lacy cups of her bra.
The twin nubs of flesh beaded to hard points beneath his caress. Corina writhed under his touch. Zach gently ran one of his hands down the leng
th of her torso and gripped the waistband of her jeans. He undid the snap and lowered the zipper on her fly. Inserting his hand in the wedge created by her open fly, he rubbed his hand back and forth over her silky underwear.
Corina wiggled in anticipation on the bed. She wanted his hands on her body, but Zach didn’t seem to be in any rush to touch her. Wasn’t he as hungry for her as she was for him? She used her fingers to roughly massage his muscular shoulders. A frustrated sigh escaped her lips.
“What do you want, Corina?” Zach whispered seductively in her ear. “You have to tell me.” He trapped the sensitive flesh of her lobe between his teeth.
Corina inhaled sharply. “I want you to touch me,” she said around an exhale.
“Touch you how? Touch you where? Say the words.”
“Everywhere. I want your hands on my bare tits. I want—no, I need—your tongue on my throbbing clit. I want your fingers buried inside my wet pussy. I want to come, then I want your big, thick cock deep inside me.”
Corina knew she was hot and wet. As she’d described to Zach what she wanted him to do to her, she grew even more turned on. Her pussy lips were full, her clit throbbing, her core slick and pulsing, aching to be filled.
“Mmm, that’s what I wanted to hear, baby,” Zach said as he lowered her jeans.
She lifted her hips so he could remove both her pants and her underwear. Once they were pulled down her legs, they landed with a soft thump, which Corina assumed was the clothing hitting the carpet. Zach rolled her gently to one side to reach her bra clasp. He unhooked the piece of lingerie and slid the confining garment off her upper body. It, too, landed in the floor with a low thud.
“You’re beautiful, Corina,” Zach murmured shortly before his mouth closed around her left nipple.
Even though he told her this nearly every time they were together, it still surprised her to hear someone as sexy as Zach say she was beautiful. The sudden wet pull of his lips and the stroking of his tongue broke her out of her reverie. While his mouth worked a sweet torture on her left breast, his fingertips tweaked and teased the right one. Corina wriggled and ran her hands down the length of his back, which was still clothed.
“This is totally unfair. I’m naked and you’re still dressed. If I can’t see you, at least let me feel you. All of you.”
“I can get undressed now, but that means I have to stop touching you to remove my clothes.” He taunted her with a wicked lash of his tongue against her nipple.
“It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. I’m dying to touch you.”
The mattress shifted slightly as Zach pushed himself off her. She remembered how muscular he was from the day of the photo shoot when his luscious body had been spread out before her. She pictured the muscles in his arms and shoulders bunching from the movement. She couldn’t wait to run her hands along the taut planes of his body. To feel his hard, masculine form pressing down on her own. She wanted to grip his powerful biceps as he propped himself atop her while he pleasured her.
She heard his boots hit the floor with a clunk, first one then the other. His belt buckle made a soft jingling sound as he unfastened it. The metallic noise of his fly being lowered came next, followed by a swooshing sound which she could only assume was his pants sliding down his legs and pooling at his feet. Just when Corina thought she couldn’t take his absence any longer, the mattress shifted once again then his body pressed on top of hers.
Zach brought his mouth to hers and gently parted her lips with his soft tongue. He plunged his hands into her hair as his tongue plundered her mouth. Corina leaned into his kiss and wound his silky locks around her fingers. Her insides were hot and restless. Without the ability to see, she had to rely on sound, taste and touch. She loved the feel of his hot mouth and the caress of his hands, but she needed more of him.
Corina removed her hands from his hair and glided them frantically up and down his back. She rested one leg on his and moved her smooth calves along his. She loved the contrast and friction from the coarse hair on his legs. Soon that wasn’t enough contact for her, either. Corina pressed her back further into the mattress until her pelvis tilted up and met his hard form.
She ground herself against his hipbone. She needed release. She craved his touch. She yearned to feel him in her and to feel herself entwined with him as they moved as one. Corina knew how much Zach liked her to tell him what she wanted. She understood how much her words, as well as the action behind them, turned him on. She broke free of the sweet suction of his mouth.
“I want you. I need more of you, all of you,” Corina whispered as she sought out his rigid length and wrapped her hand around his erection. “I still want you in all the ways I told you before. I want you to explore me, touch me, fill me. Use your hands, your mouth and your cock.”
Zach trailed kisses down her neck, collarbone and chest. He stopped and planted several wet kisses on and around her breasts. He nibbled along the undersides of them, kissed the firm tops and sucked the beaded tips. After he treated both breasts to the sweet torture, he slid his mouth down her torso, swirled around her navel and nudged her thighs apart with his broad shoulders. The mattress shifted again as he settled himself between her legs.
He placed his hands beneath her ass and tilted her upward. Corina lifted her bottom and he wedged himself between her legs. He parted her sex with his fingertips, then Corina felt the first flick of his tongue on her wet and throbbing clit. Her body bucked involuntarily at the sensation. A moan purred from deep within her throat.
Zach continued to lick and stroke her with his powerful tongue. Just as she reached the edge of her limits and felt as though she would come, Zach alternated his technique and sucked on the hard bud of flesh. The pressure on her clit caused a new wave of sensations to ripple through her core. He switched his method once again and thrust two fingers into her, stroking her insides. The rhythm of his strokes matched the tempo of his swirling tongue and Corina began to pant and buck into an orgasm.
When he released his hold on her sex, Corina fell limply on the mattress. She lay still trying to gather her wits, which wasn’t easy considering she was still blindfolded and Zach was planting soft kisses on her lower abdomen and pubic area.
“I can’t take it any longer,” Zach said as he edged up her body. “I want to look into your beautiful eyes when I thrust myself inside you.”
Corina was surprised to feel him remove the blindfold in one swift movement. Even though the room was dimly lit, she opened her eyes and had to blink rapidly to allow her pupils to adjust. She sought out Zach and their gazes held, neither of them moving or saying a word for several moments. She knew she wanted so much more from him. Even though her desire had temporarily been slaked, she needed to return the favor. She couldn’t wait to touch and taste Zach. She longed to the feel of the velvety skin of his erection on her lips. She wanted his stiff cock pumping inside her, filling her, stretching her body.
“I’m so glad you did that. Now you have to let me look at you, to kiss and suck and caress your body the way you did mine,” she said without breaking eye contact.
She saw the way his ebony irises seemed to flicker with desire. She used his reaction as an opportunity to take the lead. Corina placed her hands on his chest and rolled him onto his back. She toured his muscular torso. His flesh rippled and bulged in all the right places. With her gaze, she appreciated his defined pecs, sculpted biceps and rock-hard abs. Corina moved her attention lower to his pelvis. His erection was full and proud. The tip stretched up and rested in the hollow of his navel.
She gripped the length in her hands and lowered her mouth to the head. Her stare never left Zach’s. She opened her mouth and wrapped her lips around the wide crest. She gently moved her tongue over the smooth head and watched Zach’s reaction. He released a curse through clenched teeth. Seeing the pleasure on his face and knowing she’d put it there caused Corina’s desire to bubble within her once again.
She opened wider and took more of his rigid length. Sh
e worked her tongue and jaw to accommodate him further into her mouth. Zach dug his hands into her hair and held her head in place. She loved the possessive hold he had on her hair and she intended to show him how much that one move had turned her on. She put her hand at the base and brought the head of his cock to the back of her throat. Corina inhaled deeply and enjoyed his masculine, slightly musky scent.
The smell of him combined with the silky weight of his cock in her mouth released something primal within her. The lips of her sex were swollen and hot. Her clit throbbed in arousal. She pulled her mouth in an increased rhythm. She squeezed her legs together out of desperate need and when she spread them apart again, her wetness dribbled onto her inner thigh.
“Corina,” Zach said around a moan. “Stop, love. I want to be inside you.” He gently pulled his cock away from her eager mouth.
She looked up at him, momentarily surprised.
Zach gained control once again and rolled Corina onto her back. Once he was on top of her, he gathered both her wrists in one hand and held them above her head. With one quick movement he thrust himself deep inside her.
“Ah, God. You feel so damn good,” Zach said and moved inside her.
Corina let out a short gasp when his hard cock filled her. His impressive erection stretched her insides and she clenched around him like a fist. Zach lowered his mouth and sucked and kissed her breasts. She tilted her pelvis toward his and folded her legs around his back. Even though she didn’t think there was a way for Zach to be any deeper, she pushed him in even further by squeezing her legs around his body.
Zach had her pinned to the bed with his powerful body and both her hands bound inside one of his. With anyone else, Corina would have felt smothered, but with Zach it felt amazing to be that possessed by a lover. She liked giving over to him. She liked letting him have control. She could be free to lie back and enjoy, which was something she’d never felt safe enough to do with anyone else. She shut her mind off and focused on the gorgeous man on top of her.
