by Cynthia Dane
“To be sure.” Joy’s cell phone rang. “Hello? Joy Cheung speaking.”
Joy left only a few minutes later. Seth gazed at his canvases, in awe not of his skill, but how well her beauty spilled from pencil and paint. If he wasn’t careful, he would become lost in a world that did not technically exist. Not until he was back in that bedroom with her, anyway. Fuck. Maybe Zack was right. Nah. Seth wasn’t the type to fall in love with a woman like Judith. He hoped.
***
Men like Seth had no right to speak of self-control when they were spitting in its face – and losing themselves in women like Judith.
To be fair, he knew he would make love to her when he came to see her that Wednesday. What he didn’t count on, however, was going to her only halfway through his work so he could inhale that flowery perfume.
“What is that? Rose?” The words were barely able to spill. He was so enraptured with her body that every other word was punctured with a heavy kiss to her naked skin.
“What?” Apparently she was lost in what they did as well. “Huh?”
“This perfume.” He breathed the scent in deeply, exhilarated. “Is it roses?”
“Oh!” Was that from understanding what he meant, or from his hand rubbing her between the legs? “Lavender!”
Lavender? Now Seth imagined her in a bed of lavender, like she was in her own bed right now. They had started with her posed by the bright window, her hair covering her body, but her coy look expressing everything she thought. Those come hither eyes had been the undoing of Seth Christens. He wouldn’t be able to work until he had spent more money than he ever intended. Funny how little he cared about the money now. Every man has his hobby… maybe spending money on her is mine.
“You like it, huh?” The purr in Judith’s voice made the poor man too hard to bear.
“You mean the perfume… or you?”
“Both. Fuck me.”
She was already naked, and Seth was half naked. Even so, he didn’t want to be inside her quite yet. Seth would rather explore her skin, kissing this, licking that, becoming acquainted with what made her body so unique and irresistible. It may not have been good form for an artist to become so enamored with his model on a personal level, but this was different. Judith knew how to separate herself from the work.
Did Seth? Fuck off with that question. His fingers sank into her, enveloped in an intoxicating heat that made him fuck her with purpose – the purpose of getting her off.
He wanted to watch her come before he lost his mind. Even if she faked it – and he doubted it, for it was probably difficult to fake the tightening of one’s inner walls – he wanted to enjoy the fantasy he paid for. Anything that fueled his imagination.
“Oh my God!” She thrust against his hand, those mesmerizing breasts hypnotizing him as they swayed with her every movement. “You feel so good!”
He tried not to laugh. He may not have paid for any other woman in his life, but he was pretty sure that was pure sex worker talk. At the very least, her voice was not convincing. The rest of her, however? Seth was sure that was all his work.
“You don’t have to say anything,” he told her. He’d rather not hear the platitudes unless she truly meant them, even if they were an unconscious reaction to something she truly felt. “You don’t have to do that with me.”
She opened her eyes briefly enough to give him a stinging look. That only made him harder.
Indeed, it took renewed self-control to not plunge his cock into her right now. Seth had succumbed to her wiles a lot sooner than he intended – sex was going to be his reward for a good day’s work. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t draw it out a little bit. Make sure she was truly ready for him. Feel her body close around his fingers. Watch her arch her back and spread her legs wider. Smell that wonderful fragrance that emerged from her body. Hear those guttural moans that no woman could fake. All he did was fuck her with his fingers – and maybe suck one of her nipples – and she was already coming.
He didn’t delude himself into thinking he was that good. Or that Judith was that easy. But he did go ahead with the idea that she was willing to have fun if he was too.
“Fuck!” Her hands snatched the bed covers, her body stiffening as every breath caught in her throat. Seth couldn’t pull his fingers out if he wanted to.
He didn’t let her rest. By now he was so famished for her that he only wanted to feel how good she was around other parts of his body.
She welcomed a kiss to the lips and his hips between her legs. Before long, Seth had what he wanted – and Judith instantly groaned beneath him.
Any intention to make slow and intimate love to her went out the window. Seth could not help himself. What else was he supposed to do, other than fuck her completely senseless?
From the way she reacted, he had a feeling this was her preference as well.
“Seth!” she cried, her hips coming to meet his. “Don’t stop!”
He wouldn’t. Not until he couldn’t go a moment longer.
That didn’t take long. Thinking about her so much for so long had turned him into the most wanton creature this side of Earth. The moment he was deep inside of her, all he could think about was climaxing. The heat of her body wrapped around his skin… the way her muscles contracted around his length… fuck! Did she think he was a god? That he could go on for all eternity, giving her one orgasm after another? For as much as Seth wanted to live up to that kind of hype, he knew it was impossible. He was a mere man. A man who would have to be happy with going for as long as he could.
Women like Judith made that difficult.
“Tell me you want it,” he demanded, fingers digging into her ass. Seth was on the brink of climax, but he held back, determined to play this out. “Tell me you want me to come in you.”
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, bringing him down onto her, legs like a vice around his hips. “Come in me,” she whined, nails scratching his skin. It was wild. It was virile. It made Seth completely lose the logical side of his brain and embrace the animal within. “What are you waiting for?”
Seriously. What was he waiting for?
The world became some intangible place that Seth didn’t want to deal with. There was him. There was Judith. There was the mischief they got into whenever they were in the same room. From the moment she first flirted with him, he was a goner.
He pushed himself up on his knees and drove into her, one hand holding her leg while the other pinned her shoulder to the bed. Only a few times in his life had he behaved like this with a woman. Uncontrollable. So sexually needy that he couldn’t fuck her in any way but this. Was it because of who she was? Or was it something else… and was it a terrible thing?
Haha. No way.
Right as Judith let out a loud scream, Seth fell over the edge of reason, his body growing hot one moment and absolutely still the next. Pleasure and relief combined into one. The sting of lust abated. A switch was flipped inside his head: from absolutely desirous to wonderfully sated.
He kissed her once more before pulling out. Judith remained lying down, hand brushing through her hair and legs easing shut. She glowed in the aftereffects of sex.
“Wow.” A harried laugh escaped her body, which quickly returned to panting in exhaustion. “You had to have me, huh?”
Seth stood up, snapping his jeans back together. “You could say that. You not into it? That moment said otherwise.”
“I’m into it.” Judith sat up on her knees, crawling toward the edge of the bed. Her hair cascaded toward the floor, a look of unadulterated worship overcoming her complexion. I’m not falling for it. It was a good ego stroke, but Seth knew better than to think a woman thought that about him after only two, three encounters. A woman like Judith? Yeah, right. “You can fuck me whenever you want.”
“A woman has bread to earn.” Seth said it cheerily as he pulled his shirt back on, although he didn’t bother to button it up as he returned to his easel.
Judith, however, frowned. “
It’s not always about that, you know.” She stood, going back to the window and resuming her previous pose. “A girl has her preferences. Some men you’d rather be with than others. I would rather be with you than most of the men who come in here.”
Do I believe her? Seth picked up his pencil and finished sketching her hair, now tangled. I’ll leave some of those tangles in. “My ego is as big as most men’s, but I’m not going to delude myself into think I’m the best lover you ever came across.”
“I barely know you.” She batted her eyelashes. “Although you’re heading up that list.”
He snorted. I may be sexually sated right now, but her nudity still kills me. Judith kept her legs together. A pity. “I appreciate the flattery, Judith.”
A tiny smile pricked her face as she moved one leg away from the other. Seth’s eyes went instantly to his handiwork. Not bad, not bad.
“I’m not supposed to let you do that, you know,” she said.
“Do what?” He knew. He wanted to hear her say it.
That smile was diabolical now. “Shoot your whole damn load inside of me.”
“Next you’ll tell me I’m supposed to use a condom too.”
“You are.”
“You charge me for the pleasure of both.”
“Of course.” Judith bit her lip, head cocking to one side. “I don’t let just any man fuck me like that, you know. It’s technically dangerous.”
“I assure you, I’m clean.” His hand began to sketch the length of her arms. “Unless you mean the other thing. I’ve got a lot of experience in that. I mean…”
She laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ve got the best IUD on the market. No babies and no periods. Life’s good.”
“I know about that too.”
“What? Life being good?”
“I actually meant the IUD and no periods part, but that works too.”
“Have you ever put an IUD in a woman, Mr. Gyno?”
“A few times, yes. Usually someone else did that.”
“Best invention ever, I tell you.”
“I’ll take your word on it.”
When their session ended an hour later, Judith escaped into the bathroom and emerged in a robe. Seth was halfway through packing up his things when his model slipped him a business card.
“I’m coming up for patronage soon,” she said. “Think about it, would you?”
Seth peered into his hand while Judith wrote up his receipt for the day. Suffice to say, he was charged for his glorious orgasm. “Not quite sure I follow.”
“Haven’t you been told about the patron system?”
“Perhaps. I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Typical.” Judith propped an arm on his shoulder and pointed to the card. “Look it over when you get home. I have it on good authority that a formal announcement will show up in your mailbox sometime soon. I wouldn’t mind having you for a patron at all… especially if you promise to keep loving on me like that.”
Seth was familiar with the concept of a patron, sure. After all, his current trade had a healthy history of patronage. It was how many of the famous artists of old made their living while they cranked out works of art that would be scrutinized by art history majors in centuries to come. The idea of being her patron, though? That was strange. Seth would definitely have to look it over later. “What kind of perks does that come with?”
She winked at him. “I’ll be all yours whenever you want, no extra charge for anything. You could take me out of here whenever you want.”
“Whenever I want, huh?” He snaked his arm around her waist and brought her into his embrace. “Take you wherever I want… do to you whatever I want… I like this idea.”
“I’ll warn you, Dr. Christens, it’s expensive to have a woman like me on standby for your…” she glanced down, “urges.”
“I don’t doubt it. How could a woman like you possibly come for cheap?”
“Haven’t you realized how many breaks I’ve been giving you?” She rubbed his chest, playing with his buttons as if she were going to break them open again. I wouldn’t say no. Instead, she merely kissed him, letting her lips linger on his until he took matters into his own hands. “Now that’s what I’m talking about,” she muttered between kisses. Her expert hands pulled down his zipper and popped open the button above. When her grip encircled his cock, he was done for – again. “Let me show you what kind of wonderful perks you get with Judith King.”
She sank to her knees, eye never leaving his. Judith was a cheeky woman, all right. The more she gave him these demonstrations, even if it cost him? The more he realized no other woman could possibly compare to what she said and did. A dangerous thought, but Seth Christens was not exactly a man who was used to meeting amazing women like Judith. Amazing in nearly every way – except for the one where she could be his girlfriend.
Even so, was it so terrible that their sexual relationship would remain professional? He thought this as she nearly swallowed him, her tongue bringing him back to life and her hands traveling up his body, as if she never wanted to let him go.
For the briefest moment, he thought that this was how she was with every man. Yet a small part allowed him to fantasize that he really was that special. Why shouldn’t he be? He had a lot to offer, and not just the money he had hoarded for decades.
Although she would probably like that the most. Like he couldn’t deny that he liked this quite well too!
Chapter 12
MIGUEL
The fresh air was only comparable to the crisp feel of the water as it splashed against Miguel’s hand. Been to long since I felt something as nice as this. He wouldn’t say that water flowed in his veins instead of blood, but a Monegasque had some standards to keep up.
The marina was something he had longed to visit since moving into town, but work – and play – had kept him from it. That Thursday, however, he had the afternoon off and fully intended to take stock of the actual city around him.
Aimee was off with the new friends she had made. Miguel didn’t need her today, although he might need her later if he decided to buy a boat and required someone to help him sort through the paperwork. Aimee was a star at organization. So was Miguel, but it was much nicer to hire someone to do it for him so he could concentrate on other things. Like life on the open seas… even if the sea was a little ways away.
The river was huge, though, and boats meandered up and down the current. Not just motor boats and yachts, either. Barges carrying precious economic cargo headed either toward the sea or the factories farther upriver. Of course, there were quite a few hobbyists at the dock, and tourists pointed to this million-dollar yacht and that speedy little fishing boat. I don’t think I would want to go fishing around here, though. Who knew what those barges trailed behind them.
Miguel was dressed down for the first time in a long while. Loose-fitting khakis and a breezy cotton shirt kept him warm and cool at the same time… and the labels showed that he was a man of means, even if only fellow rich folk like him would notice them. Some of his compatriots back home liked to go out in cotton shorts and tank tops. They liked getting dirty. But Miguel was out to possibly buy, and needed to make sure he looked the part.
The marina was plenty large, with multiple rows of private access docks that could only be accessed with a keycard. A man could hop in the water and climb aboard, but that was for less scrupulous characters. The electronic gates leading to each dock gave men a semblance of protection that they would pay any amount to have.
I’ll pass on the monsters. One end of the marina was inhabited by huge multimillion yachts that probably made Forbes lists. While Miguel could appreciate them, he was more into the smaller, sportier yachts… like the one he came upon called the St. Jude.
Sounds familiar. Anything that made him think of Judith as of late was good enough for him.
A prim For Sale sign hung by the security keypad. “Call the following number if you are interested: tours by appointment only.”
�
��Hey, stranger! In the market for a vessel? Or are you checking out the wares?”
That voice came from above. Miguel looked up, to the neighboring yacht, and saw a man near his age hanging over the edge. Scruffy black hair. Blue polo shirt. A large Rolex that said he liked to get wet on his boat – otherwise he would be wearing a much more expensive watch. Because no man wears his nicest watch on his vessel if he intends to get dirty. Miguel liked him already.
His small yacht was called Priss & Moan, which made Miguel bite back a laugh lest he make an ass out of himself on one of the most expensive docks in the world. “I may be in the market.”
“Whoa! Nice accent.” The yachtsman pressed a button, lowering a polished wooden ladder to the dock. Is he coming down? Or am I going up? Miguel didn’t want to be presumptuous. “What’s your name, stranger? New in town? Or just visiting?”
“Miguel Bolivar, if you please. I moved here.”
“Bolivar? The Spanish Bolivars?”
“Close.” Miguel grinned. “Monaco.”
“Monaco! So you’re that branch of the Bolivar tree? I’m already not worthy. Care to come up and class my humble abode up a bit?”
Still chuckling, Miguel helped himself onto the sturdy ladder and made a quick jaunt of it. At his height, it was easy to take things two at a time. By the time he was on the deck, he was already shaking the owner’s hand. Firm grip. Excellent. “Sorry. Didn’t catch your name.”
“Zachary Feldman. You wouldn’t have heard of my family. Peasants, compared to yours.”
“I highly doubt that. You’ve got the upper hand on me around here. I don’t know anyone.”
“You can afford to know anyone.” Zachary pulled open the nearest cabin door. “How about a beer? The weather is too good to pass up a beer.”
“Sure.”
“Any preference?”
“Citrus, if it’s available.”
Zachary disappeared for a few minutes, leaving Miguel to stand on the deck and survey the marina from a new level. It truly is beautiful around here. Maybe he was in a honeymoon phase still. Not that he ever expected to be in a honeymoon phase here, but… some things changed the colors of the sky and made the imposing skyscrapers on the other side of the river not look so imposing after all. Yeah, I can take over all those businesses. Leave it to me. Was that Spanish bravado? Or general European bravado? Some would say it was both.
