by LW Barefoot
Stacy plays musical chairs, striking up conversations with each person. Brad and I are the only ones who don’t indulge her. My tolerance for meaningless conversation is at an all-time low. Tonight her attention’s focused on Jamie and he plays along.
I have images and techniques I want to put to use in my studio and her rambling on about reality television keeps interrupting my musings. Her chatter vibrates over the hush of polite conversation and music playing over the speakers. I laugh when I catch Martin rolling his eyes at Stacy. Martin never usually allows his proper manners to slip.
Everything in this house echoes and Stacy’s high shrill is making me crazy. I stand to leave, but Jamie touches my arm.
“Hey, you okay?” he asks.
“Of course, I just have some ideas I want to get down before I lose them.”
“Stay awhile longer,” Jamie insists.
Martin refills wine glasses while another staff member passes out dessert. I decline the dish and try to refuse more wine. Martin winks at me as he fills my glass with more wine than appropriate.
“You look like you could use this,” he whispers as he walks to the next person and repeats his task.
I overhear Tom and Ryan discussing the meeting with the other agents working on the case involving Evan’s father. Grayson and Evan have a fair amount of input.
“Thank you for a wonderful dinner. I need to drive back and collect everything for our chat on Monday,” Ryan announces, addressing Evan as he stands. “Have a good weekend, Harper,” he adds.
“Do you want me to grab my notes for you to read over?” I ask Ryan as he’s about to leave.
“Give it to me on Monday. You never know, something might cross your mind before then,” Ryan says.
“Have a safe drive.”
“Ryan, I’ll see you out. Good night everyone,” Tom announces.
“Let’s play a game,” Evan’s assistant blurts as soon as Ryan and Tom leave and Mae retires to her room.
Stacy bounces up and down in her chair and claps her hands.
“Come on, Evan. Let’s play.”
I hate the way ‘play’ sounds sugary sweet. So different from how she said it the first time.
“Why is everyone so damn stiff?” she asks.
Her eyes move across the table, glaring at each one of us. Grayson, Jamie, Brad, myself, and Evan are the only ones left in the dining room.
“Evan, it’s been ages since we’ve played hide-and-seek out here.”
Evan looks at me for a reaction.
“Let’s play,” I mutter.
I’m curious about how this could turn out and I want to know what she means.
“Are we playing by the usual rules?” she asks, teasingly. “Finders-keepers?”
“What the hell kind of version have you been playing?” Jamie asks and I’m thankful because I was just about to ask the same thing.
“Finder gets to keep the person they find, but they can pass them over or find another to join in.”
She seems so damn proud of herself, her voice drips in sexual innuendos. I don’t want to think about the night in this place that was shrouded in sex and hidden agendas.
Brad interrupts my thoughts when he announces, “I’m out. I’m on duty tonight and frankly, none of y’all do it for me.”
I start laughing because it’s funny and his comment lightens the mood.
“You think that’s amusing, Harper?” Brad teases as he hauls me up on my feet.
“Yes, it’s funny. My noble Brad.”
He laughs and suddenly throws me over his shoulder. I giggle and his arm comes around the back of my knees.
“Put me down,” I chide.
“Finders-keepers,” Brad can’t even say it without laughing because he’s teasing in his usual manner.
“No cheating,” Jamie says as Brad sets me back on my feet.
I playfully slap his arm.
“I’m really not interested in redheads. I shouldn’t have helped fuel that fiery temper,” Brad says, rubbing where I tapped him to set me down before he walks out of the room.
“Same rules, only the first floor, since there are others who might already be asleep,” Evan speaks up.
“Who goes first?” Grayson asks.
“You’re the one that brought it up, Stacy. If you find someone and they say ‘no’, the game starts over.”
Evan takes his tie off and wraps it around her eyes. The fabric blocking Stacy’s vision holds my favorite scent.
“You have five minutes and then you can start.”
Evan sets the timer on his phone, checking the volume, and watching me. Grayson stands, looking none too thrilled to participate. I follow his lead and move to the opposite end of the foyer, leaving Evan with Stacy. Jamie moves in the direction of the kitchen. The lights go out through the entire bottom floor when I walk to the foyer.
It sounds silly, but I get excited. We’re out in the middle of nowhere in an enormous mansion, playing a very adult game of hide-and-seek. I slip my heels off and leave them by the staircase in the foyer. I tiptoe down the long hall past the ballroom. I stop and decide to go in. The ornate bar at the back of the room holds a different kind of escape route if this game doesn’t go how I wish. I run to it and slide to the ground, resting my back against the cabinet doors. I slip one open, locating the freezer, and a bottle of vodka.
When I shut the door, Grayson is leaning on the other side. He scares the shit out of me and he knows it.
“What the fuck?” I hiss as his hand covers my mouth.
“Hush,” he whispers. “I’m not the one you should be afraid of. I’m harmless,” he lies with a smirk.
He takes the bottle out of my hands and lifts it to the moonlight, inspecting the label. He opens the door I got it out of and chooses another for himself. He hands me back the vodka as he twists the cap off the dark frosty bottle he now holds that smells like strong black licorice. After he takes a long swig, his hand twists the top of my bottle and taps it with his, clinking the necks of the bottles together in a mock toast.
I take a drink and lean my head back, listening. It’s nice, sitting here in silence.
My eyes shoot to his when we hear footsteps. The bar is at the back of the ballroom. If I were to look out from behind it, I could see the vast space, which is why I chose this location. Grayson and I watch each other and listen.
Light clicks of heels sound at the entrance to the ballroom. I smile acting like I’m going to push Grayson out from behind the bar to give his location away. He points at me as if she might be interested in me instead. Neither one of us is who she’s after and we both know it.
Her footsteps quiet when she walks on one of the many rugs scattered all over the room.
“Hey, you’re not even hiding that’s not fair. Unless, you wanted me to find you,” she purrs.
She’s not speaking to Jamie. Grayson gives me a look of concern as I lift the cold vodka bottle to my lips and drink, breaking our eye contact. I close my eyes and lean back against the bar, focusing on the cold burn traveling down my throat.
“Go hide Stacy, it’s my turn,” Evan says.
Keys sound on the piano as if she just sat on it. The noise hurts my ears. Even Grayson winces beside me at the harsh sound that echoes through the cavernous room.
“So that was your plan all along? You were never going to say yes, were you?”
My heart hammers hard as I wait for his answer.
“You need to understand your position. You work for me, that’s it. I was hoping, after all our years together that we could still remain friendly, but you’re pissing me off.”
“Evan, stop, that’s not really how you feel,” she simpers as he cuts her off.
“I’ve already had someone else throw my past in Harper’s face and you and I don’t have one, so stop alluding to it. Don’t pretend that you know me. Stop antagonizing Harper. Stop trying to make her jealous. I’m starting to think you being here is a mistake,” he exclaims.
She starts whispering and hissing questions at Evan, questions about us, questions about me. I hear them walk out of the room and we start round two.
As my heart thuds sporadically, I turn to Grayson to beg him to leave, but he stands with the cold bottle in his grasp.
“Goodnight, Harper.”
“Goodnight, Grayson.”
Long minutes pass as I sit there in the silence of the enormous room. I wanted to jump out and declare my location to Evan, but he would have seen Grayson and assumed the worst. I scream as a hand goes around my ankle.
“There you are.”
I’m so relieved to hear Evan’s voice that I want to weep, but I laugh and try to crawl away from him. I want him playful.
“This isn’t tag, Harper. You heard the rules, you know how this game is played.”
His voice isn’t light, it’s laced with triumph and satisfaction.
“I caught you, now you’re mine. Finders-keepers, gorgeous.”
His hands move over my body in the dark. Moonlight streams in through old paned windows. The vacant ballroom echoes in our sounds of quick breaths and Evan’s heated voice. I push his hands away as they feel up my thighs. He helps me up off the floor.
“You’ve been naughty.”
Evan’s eyes sparkle in mischief as he leans down and picks up my discarded bottle from the ground. It’s not like I snuck back here to get wasted, I just wanted a few sips of liquid courage. Fortification in case I found myself alone at the end of this game. By the way my night started, I had good reason to believe that could happen.
Evan places the bottle on the bar top, picks me up, and places me on the edge. I like how high up I am. Our eyes are level with each other’s.
My curiosity gets the best of me. Now that I’m not hiding it must mean the game has ended. I almost want to laugh at the thought of Jamie hiding in the kitchen all night.
“So does this mean game over?” I ask as Evan fumbles around in the dark looking for something.
“It’s over for both of us. Don’t worry, though, Stacy is in search of Jamie and/or Grayson as we speak.”
His fingers hit against glasses and he rattles them before placing a shot glass next to me.
“I locked us in. I don’t want any interruptions.”
I like how that sounds.
“You surprised me earlier when you agreed to play along,” he says.
“I surprised myself,” I let out on a huff because it’s the truth.
“I hope I didn’t disappoint you. You were never open game for anyone else.”
How the hell could that disappoint me? I’m fucking relieved.
“Evan,” I stop myself. Maybe I had one shot too many because as much as I want to let him in now is not the time. It doesn’t need to be drawn out and dramatic, but there has to be a better time and place for that deep topic. I want the playful, teasing, sexy-as-hell Evan to come back.
“You are the only one I would have said yes to,” I admit.
I cup his cheek in my hand. I’m cautious because I always make sure he reaches for me first. But I need him to look in my eyes, however much he can see in the dark room.
“Now that you have me all to yourself, what are you going to do?”
I stretch back and lean my weight on my elbows while crossing my legs. My touch to his cheek was giving him permission, not that he needed any.
Something happened the other night after my first training session. I saw a glimpse of his feelings and I sense that he’s keeping himself guarded and away from me. But something happened to me as well, because now I know. I know what it’s like to feel his fire and I’m no longer afraid of it. It matches the intensity of my own, but only with him, only like this.
I pay close attention to things I never once considered. The feel of fabric against my skin, the placement of scented lotion or perfume on my body, the accessibility of an outfit. The thought of Evan slipping his hands on my legs makes me want to wear nothing but skirts and dresses for him to have undeterred access. I want that to be obvious to him with no barriers between us.
I play into lounging back and running my smooth legs over each other. Evan leans over me and pours my forgotten vodka in a shot glass. He takes one and pours another, placing the glass against my lips. I take the shot as the freezing bottle is pressed up against my nipple. The cold bites through the thin materials separating my skin from the glass.
I gasp as Evan kisses me. His palm warms the breast he just pressed the bottle against. He makes quick work of undressing me except for my barely-there lace bra and panties. His hands go to his trousers while I work at the buttons of his shirt. My fingers shake to get to him.
His lips clash with mine. I pick up the bottle and press it against his nipple causing him to hiss. I break our kiss after I pull the bottle away. I flatten my tongue and soothe his cold skin, inhaling his scent that I’ll never get used to and I never want to forget. He takes the bottle from my hand and lifts it up in challenge.
Shadows dance from the moon shining through massive branches. Pale light and darkness entwine across our skin. Evan’s chiseled face is so dark I can’t see past the shadows. The faint light highlights my torso and the pale lace bra. I take it off. He’s shrouded in shadows while I’m on display. I press the cold bottle against my nipple, my fingers moving to the opposite breast. I lift and tease.
“You absolutely blow my mind,” Evan exclaims, it’s more of a confession than a comment.
I move the bottle to the other breast, cooling my skin. Full lips kiss my stomach, moving up the underside of my breast. Lifting, licking, warming my cold, erect nipple. I unscrew the cap and pour clear liquid over my breast. Evan’s tongue licks and his mouth sucks trying to catch every drop. The light catches his eyes, green depths taunt and challenge me. I repeat the same shot on the other side of my body. His hands are squeezing and pulling my tits into his mouth, pushing them together and grinding his erection into my thigh.
“I want to fuck your perfect tits, Harper.”
“Do it,” I whisper, wanting to partake in whatever he has in mind.
Evan pulls me off the bar top, flipping me over, and leaving me bent over the edge. I wish I had my heels to help me balance on the ground, my toes can’t touch. His fingers roughly slide my underwear off, pushing in my drenched heat. Pushing past any resistance and prepping me for him. I can’t wait. I wiggle against his slick fingers. I love that he prepares me to take him, but sometimes I want him to push past my tightness with no apologies. I moan as his thumb finds my clit.
“Keep making those noises, Harper, but be warned. I’m going to make you come so hard you’ll never forget it.”
Ice-cold vodka sluices down my spine, I yelp and clench around his fingers. Evan’s tongue licks up my back. I could orgasm from the mix of sensations alone. It’s hot and cold, it’s us; so different, so perfect. Some of the vodka slides down lower.
His fingers pull out, gathering my arousal with the frigid vodka. Those same digits push in my mouth as he forces his cock into me. I lick and suck and make sure I match him thrust for thrust with my hips.
“Fuck, Harper, you’re perfect.”
He withdraws his fingers from my mouth. I let out whatever noises I can’t contain. I have as much control over them as I do Evan. He slips the tip of his finger around to my clit and rubs. I want, I need, he knows exactly what I need. I groan in frustration.
Evan removes his fingers, putting both hands under my ass and lifts me up. Spreading me wide-open as he takes me viciously from behind. Our breathing and aching, arching tempo vibrates through the room.
Our bodies move in obscurity. The darkness highlights his looming body punishing mine. My knees hit the wood doors underneath me. I turn my head to lay my overheated cheek on the cool bar top.
Our sinful reflection dances in the windows.
I can see enough of us, enough of him, that he’s focused only on me. I want to weep from the look that he’s giving me. But it’s not a gift. It’
s a hidden, guarded secret. He doesn’t want me to know. The vision of us together is sobering, it causes me to catch my breath. I want to rejoice because now I know that he feels for me.
I use my knees to push against the doors and thrust back against his pounding cock. He pushes harder, thrusts deeper, as I clench and pulse around him.
“I’m going to hurt you, baby,” his breath hot as he whispers his intentions.
It’s not like times before. It’s a confession, an admission, a quiet promise.
Evan pours vodka down my back and licks up the nonsense. The combination of his tongue and cold liquid mixing together across my skin, makes me shiver, makes me feverous. Evan stands up, pulls almost out of me and drives his cock all the way in. He pushes me down on the bar and holds me completely still.
The sound of our colliding bodies is harsh. He leans over me and sends me over the edge. Forcing me into delirium as he bites the back of my neck and roots himself all the way into me. Using the hard surface to propel the action. His grip bruises my hips, digging in and hanging on as we both tumble in absolution.
Evan massages my legs and ass as we come down from our blissful high. I stay bent over the bar, languid and sated as he pulls out of me. I watch our reflection in the window. His gaze zeroes in on my exposed slit. He waits for his cum to spill out of me and it’s almost hotter than anything else he’s done before. I push my upper body off the surface and scoot down to the floor with Evan’s help. I turn around and lean back against the bar, looking in his eyes, trying to see past the darkness.
He grabs my face and kisses the breath out of me. I move to pick up my panties, but he stops me.
“When has once ever been enough?” he asks. “When will it ever be enough between us?”
