by Tara Rose
“I was married for four years, and I’ve been divorced now for that many. Susan and I met at Purdue, which is where I obtained my degree. We were married after I graduated.” He glanced around quickly, but their food wasn’t yet on its way and no one was listening. “Do you know who Maddox McCree is?”
Annalise nodded. “I met him once. He was in the bar one night about a month ago with Julie Carruthers and some other people.”
“He runs a private dungeon in his house. A surprising number of Racy residents are in the lifestyle. Maddox lived in Chicago a number of years and still has friends there.” Dustin took another sip of wine. He hadn’t told anyone this story in a long time. His palms were damp, and the wineglass nearly slipped from his hand.
“Susan was curious about the lifestyle, so we’d go to Maddox’s house once in a while to experiment. That was after we were married. She was usually more interested in playing with other men while I watched than she was in playing with me. That was fine, but it took me a while to get my head out of my ass and realize she was more into the sex that the play almost always progressed to, and that my watching her indulge in her favorite fantasy was more of a turn-on for her than anything she and I did together.”
“Oh, Dustin…” Annalise reached over and placed her warm hand on his trembling one. He drew strength from it. “I’m so sorry.”
He took a deep breath. “She was particularly interested in a friend of Maddox’s from Chicago named Todd. He used to be a frequent visitor to Maddox’s club. Todd and Susan were carrying on outside the club for some time before I finally acknowledged their affair didn’t have anything to do with the lifestyle. It was cheating, plain and simple. We weren’t in a poly relationship by consent. At least not with my consent.”
Annalise watched him without any hint of judgment in her big dark eyes. “Would that have been something you’d consent to?”
He swallowed hard and averted his gaze. What would she say if he tried to explain what must surely sound like hypocrisy? Should he even try? “I guess it’s bizarre that it turned me on to see her with another man, eh?”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. If that’s what you enjoy, and everyone is in agreement, it’s not wrong.”
He nodded. “Yes, that’s it. That’s it exactly. If we had all agreed to it, then fine. But with Susan it was about deceit and sneaking behind my back, and that wasn’t the same thing. When I realized she was doing it at the club in front of me merely as an excuse to carry on with him outside the club behind my back, I also finally realized they’d crossed a line. It wasn’t the same thing at all as a poly relationship.”
“I agree, especially if you had talked about it and set limits and expectations for the play, and for Todd and Susan having sex.”
“Oh yes, we had. At first I was reluctant to let their play progress to sex, but it seemed to make her happy and…well…like I said, it turned me on, you know? But then I finally realized they were seeing each other outside of our play sessions, and she’d made plans to leave me. She wasn’t interested in staying married to me, and she used the club and her time with Todd as a way to humiliate me. She eventually moved to Chicago with him. They haven’t been back to Racy, and Maddox swears he’s no longer Todd’s friend. I believe him, but I also haven’t been able to go back to his house since then.”
“I can understand that.”
Dustin was grateful that their entrees arrived. What else was there to say, after all? He’d stuck with eggplant parmesan, one of his standbys, and Annalise had ordered linguine with clam sauce. The smell of it made him wish he’d ordered it as well, and after watching him carefully for a few minutes, she spooned some onto his plate without even asking.
He chuckled softly and then put some of his eggplant onto her plate. “My brother Rob and I did this all the time when we were kids.”
“Really?”
“Yes, even though we all ate the same thing at meals. It drove our parents nuts, and that’s partly why we did it.”
“See? I missed all that growing up.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t miss things like the ‘change jar’ and your mother telling you that you’d grow into clothes that were still too big for you.”
She smiled. “You’re that kid we all made fun of in grade school. The one whose pants were always too long or who wore a shirt that two of him could fit into.”
He nodded. “Yep. That was me.”
“What was the ‘change jar’?”
“Exactly what you’re imagining. We put all our extra change into it. And I do mean all of it. At the end of each month my mom would count it all up and we’d sit there and put it into those paper sleeves you get from the bank. It went into a college fund and was supposed to teach us the value of money.”
“Did it?”
“Sure. I worked my way through college, and I do appreciate the sacrifices my parents made to get me there. But it was annoying as hell to feel guilty about buying so much as a candy bar on the way home from school, and I couldn’t go into Phil’s Corner Drugstore anyway because he’d tell my parents.”
Annalise laughed. “I guess that’s one of the disadvantages of living here. Everyone’s in your business.”
“You have no idea how much that’s true.”
“But yet you opened your practice here after graduating. Why?”
He shrugged. “It’s home. It never occurred to me to go anywhere else. Plus, the practice was already here. Doc Mack Blankenship took it over when he graduated, and it just so happened Doc was ready to retire when I got my degree. I worked for him as a tech while I was in school, so it was an easy transition.”
* * * *
Annalise chewed her food while she mulled that over in her mind. Cincinnati wasn’t home to her, and she’d never felt that connection even to her hometown two hundred miles north. She’d left it to attend college in Cincinnati, because that’s where Jim was going, too, and never looked back. What must it be like to feel such loyalty to a town?
Even though Annalise was stuffed from dinner, she agreed to split dessert with Dustin. How could she pass up cannoli, after all? She also had espresso, although she knew she’d be up half the night because of it. She didn’t care. It was perfect. The entire evening had been perfect and she didn’t want it to end.
They left the restaurant, and Annalise shivered as a gust of chilly air cut right through her winter coat. It had to be less than ten degrees outside, and a bitter wind blew from the northwest. Dustin started his car but left it in park. “You’d think it would start to get warmer now,” said Dustin.
“Oh, please. You must be as used to winter lasting well into April as we were.”
“Yeah, but about this time of year I get sick of it, you know?”
“I know. But then we have tornado season, so I’m not sure which is the lesser evil.”
“Good point. Annalise, I had a wonderful time tonight.”
“So did I, Dustin. Thank you so much.”
He stared at her for so long that Annalise grew uncomfortable. She wished she could think of something clever to say. Was he waiting for her to invite him back to her apartment, or to suggest they go back to his? When he leaned over and kissed her, Annalise made a surprised sound in the back of her throat, and then she moved closer to the warmth of his body.
His lips moved over hers, eliciting soft moans from her. She tangled her fingers in his hair, finding it just as soft as she’d imagined it would be. When she parted her lips, he slid his tongue inside, and Annalise actually became dizzy. The man knew how to kiss. It had been so long since she’d shared a first kiss with a man, and she craved the heady excitement of it. She savored the rush of desire spreading through her limbs, like warm honey. She welcomed the way her clit began to throb and her nipples tingled.
He tried to pull her closer, but the damn console was in the way. When he released her mouth and cupped her face gently in his hands, Annalise had an overwhelming urge to suggest they simply get in the b
ackseat. Voices from people walking by outside snapped her back to reality. They were parked right on Market Street, and although it was as cold as the inside of a freezer, it looked like half the residents of Racy were out walking downtown.
“Annalise…” Dustin’s voice was soft and seductive, full of desperation and the promise of passion. She wanted to say “yes,” but this was a small town and she didn’t want it all over Luke’s Bar by Sunday that she’d fucked the town vet simply because he’d bought her dinner. “I just want you to know I don’t do this all the time.”
She didn’t answer, merely waited for him to continue.
“It’s…it’s been a long time since I went out on a date, and even longer since I…” He let out a loud sigh. “I’m making a mess of this. Annalise, I want to make love to you. No one will have to know if that’s the way you prefer it.”
She smiled. It wasn’t the most romantic line she’d ever heard, but it was absolutely the most perfect way he could have asked at that moment. “Whose apartment has more privacy, Dustin? Because we’re going to make a lot of noise.”
Chapter Four
Dustin let out a sound that was halfway between a laugh and a moan. The smile on his face could have lit up half the street. “Um, probably mine.” He cupped her face again. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“I should be the one thanking you, Dustin.”
He shook his head slightly, as if he couldn’t quite believe she was real, and then he pulled out of the parking space. The ten-minute drive to his clinic seemed to take hours. Dozens of reasons why this might be a bad idea tried to push their way in, but Annalise sent them packing. She had no reason to fear him. He was handsome, charming, and easy to be with. And he wouldn’t gossip about this.
He unlocked the door, and then quickly cut his gaze toward her. “Excuse the mess.”
She stepped inside, glanced around, and shook her head. “If this is a mess, I’m the worst slob on the planet.”
Dustin pulled her into his arms and kissed her tenderly. She clung to him as they backed further into the kitchen, until she was up against the counter. His hands roamed over her back, through her hair, and down to her ass cheeks. Annalise pushed closer to his warmth, pressing against his body until she felt his erection, rock hard and huge.
She tried to take off her coat but only managed to tangle her arms in the sleeves. He released her mouth and planted soft kisses on her neck while he helped free her arms.
“I should keep you tangled up in your coat,” he said softly. “That way you can’t get away.”
Annalise shivered at the depth of passion in his voice. She’d let him tie her up if he wanted to, but how to tell him that? Considering what they’d both told each other about their past experiences, he might not want to try anything like that again.
Her coat fell to the floor, and then he took his off, dropping it at his feet. When he kissed her again, he lifted her hips and sat her on the counter. She moaned at the display of strength. She wasn’t exactly bone thin. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, sighing as he pushed his bulge into her pussy. Even through their clothes she could tell that he was hot and ready for her. That realization excited her even further.
When he pulled off her sweater, she tugged at his shirt and managed to remove it without popping the buttons off. They were like two horny teenagers. They couldn’t get naked quickly enough. She ran her hands over the muscles in his chest and licked the fine dusting of dark hair on his chest and around his nipples. She loved the musky taste.
He groaned loudly as she flicked her tongue over them. “Oh, God…Annalise…that feels incredible.”
Dustin unhooked her bra, and she wiggled her arms out of the straps, and then tossed it on the floor. He took a step back, and Annalise couldn’t help but giggle at the look on his face. Yeah. She had great tits. No doubt about that.
“Jesus…” He took them in his hands as if they might break. “You’re beautiful, Annalise.”
“So are you, Dustin.”
The look he gave her was nothing short of reverent. She wasn’t quite sure how to handle it, so she simply closed her eyes and enjoyed the way he massaged her breasts, teasing her nipples to taut peaks. “I’m going to suck these, Annalise. And then I want to bury my cock between them and fuck them.”
She bit back a laugh, not because the image of him doing that was humorous, but because it was so unexpected and incredibly sexy. He came across as so straitlaced and quiet. Did Racy know what secrets their town vet hid underneath that proper exterior? “Too bad we don’t have some lube,” she said. “Then I could oil them up for you.”
The wickedest grin she’d ever seen on a man’s face spread over his. Annalise swore her pussy began to contract with tiny spasms. “As a matter of fact, I think I may have something that would work.”
He pushed her breasts together and licked her nipples in long, slow strokes, making satisfied noises in the back of his throat. When he took one in his mouth and began to suck, Annalise threw back her head and let out a loud sigh of pleasure. “That feels incredible.”
Her pussy was soaking wet. All she wanted to do was get naked and fuck this sexy man, even right here on his kitchen counter. She didn’t care. He wet them with his tongue until she couldn’t take any more, and then he lifted her off the counter to stand on the floor. Slowly, he took off her pants and then removed her panties, leaving both pooled around her boots.
When he lifted her back onto the counter and bent to kiss her pussy, Annalise braced her arms on the Formica behind her. He spread her pussy lips and flicked his tongue over her clit until Annalise bucked her hips into his face, begging for release.
His tongue moved in long slow strokes over her soaking wet slit, then back up to her clit, over and over again until she was out of her mind with need. If he didn’t fuck her soon, she was going to explode. “Dustin…please…”
“You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen,” he said softly. “I want to savor this.”
“Oh my God…” He continued to torture her with his tongue and lips, and then he began to lightly brush his fingers across her thighs, over the opening to her anus, and along the lips of her sopping wet pussy. Annalise moaned and cried out, falling back onto the counter because she couldn’t hold herself up any longer. She was weak and dizzy.
He impatiently pulled off her clothes and boots, and then he spread her legs wider and continued to lick and suck her clit. When he finally slid a long finger into her pussy, she tossed her head back and forth as the orgasm started to rip through her. Dustin clamped his mouth on her clit and sucked hard as he slid another finger into her and fucked her slowly with them. The contractions went on forever. Annalise had never felt anything like it, and she’d never had a climax in the kitchen.
That thought forced a giggle from her throat, and Dustin lifted his head to grin at her. “You find this funny?”
“Yes…and no. I mean we’re in your kitchen.”
The molten desire in his eyes nearly brought on another orgasm. “Yes, and I’m eating.”
That did it. She began to laugh and couldn’t stop. He helped her sit up and held her in his arms, his body shaking with the effort not to join her laughter. “Oh, Annalise…this is the most erotic thing I’ve ever done.”
“Really?”
He pulled away and looked into her eyes. “Really. It’s erotic because it’s so fun and spontaneous.”
She brushed a finger over his chest, not stopping when she reached his pants. “You like spontaneous?”
“Yes,” he breathed.
Annalise opened his pants while she held his gaze. Without taking her eyes off his, she slid them down and took off his boxers as well. Annalise wrapped her hands around his dick, and then gazed down at the most impressive cock she’d ever seen. “Oh my goodness…”
“Thank you,” he said softly.
“Dustin, you surprise me.”
“And you’re so damn sexy that I’m not sure I can let you out
of here.”
She smiled into his eyes as she began to stroke his dick. “Are you going to keep me prisoner?”
“Yes. I want to tie you to my bed and fuck you into oblivion. I want to cook for you and worship your gorgeous curvy body for days on end.”
Annalise sighed as she cupped his balls, and enjoyed the way he let out a breath, trembling and warm, at her touch. “What about your patients?”
“I’ll put a sign on the door saying I’m sick.”
She giggled as she massaged his balls with one hand and stroked his dick with the other She loved the feel of it in her hands, and she wanted it in her mouth, her pussy, and her ass. “You do that and everyone in Racy will be knocking on your door with food.”
“True. But at least then we wouldn’t have to go out and buy more.”
She watched him swallow hard as she wrapped her arms and legs around him and rubbed her wet pussy against his cock. “Nothing else to say, Dustin? Cat got your tongue?”
He gave her a droll look. “That’s funny. Really. How the fuck can a guy talk when you’re doing that?”
She grabbed his ass cheeks, moaning at the muscles in them, and pulled his hips closer to her pussy. “Condoms. I hope you have some close by.”
“Fuck. They’re in my bedroom.”
“Then go and get them, Dustin. I’m dying here.”
He gave her an intense look. “Don’t move or I’ll not only fuck you on this counter, I’ll bend you over it and spank your gorgeous ass.”
“Oh my…”
He almost fell stepping out of his pants and shoes, and Annalise bit back another laugh. She admired his ass as he walked out of the room, and then she hopped off the counter and rummaged in the drawers until she found a wooden spoon. Every nerve ending was on fire. This was so unexpected and sexy that she didn’t question it. It felt right, and she wanted this man more than she’d ever wanted anyone. She refused to think about the next day. She was going to enjoy tonight.
