Shades of Pink

by 33 authors

  At three pm, Vinnie left for an ‘errand’. He was deliberately vague as to where he was going. I pretty much knew anyway. The waiting room had two clients at that moment, so I couldn’t give a smart ass response to his devilish grin. After he left, I looked down at my bare fingers. My heart was racing at the idea of him picking up my ring.

  At 5pm, I was still on the phone setting up appointments when I noticed Vinnie leaning against the doorway.

  He was looking at me with a twinkle in his eyes. “Time to go, Grace.” His gruff voice echoed.

  “O-okay.” All of a sudden, I was jumpy. My palms were even sweaty as I put the phone back on the receiver. “Are we locking up?”

  “No, Anthony can do that.” His gaze was intense as he stalked over to me. He held out his hand to help me up, slowly at first, until I was on my feet. Then, he dragged me even closer to him.

  My body tingled with anticipation.

  Instead of kissing me, his hot breath tickled my throat.

  My knees buckled. Damn him! He was being a tease. Abruptly, I pulled away to get my purse, and noted his smirk. “Well, Vinnie, you seem pleased with yourself. Did you have a productive afternoon?”

  “Jamie is taking my morning appointments tomorrow.”

  “Jamie?” Jamie is in charge of the technical aspect of the business, and he usually didn’t meet with clients.

  “I plan on having a productive evening…tonight.”

  Yes!

  It took way too long to reach our apartment. Vinnie had a devious look plastered on his face the entire time.

  It was all making me so frantic I couldn’t even seem to sit still in his car. I found I kept crossing and uncrossing my legs and obsessively watching the traffic lights. I know by his small grin that my impatience seemed to amuse him.

  After he parked the car, I rushed ahead of him to the lobby door.

  He halted and laughed out loud.

  I looked back and glared at him.

  “In a hurry…Grace?” He grinned.

  “I KNOW you planned something!”

  “Naah.”

  When we reached our apartment door, what first hit me was the smell. My first reaction was that I was in one of those expensive restaurants that served the finest cuts of meat. The hallway was filled with a strong, almost overpowering aroma of a slow cooked roast.

  Vinnie opened the door and turned to me. “I had Luke make us dinner.”

  My breath caught as I saw our small two person table decorated like one would find in a fancy restaurant. On it was a pink satiny tablecloth with matching linen napkins. The china was just a faint blush surrounded by shiny gold silverware. In the center was a huge bouquet of pink roses.

  I covered my mouth with my hand as I pressed the other against my chest. I was absolutely amazed at this stunning table. “Oh, Vinnie, it’s perfect.”

  “I didn’t want you to cook…” Vinnie’s voice was low, mesmerizing. “…and for once, I didn’t want to take you out to dinner. I need to get your clothes off. Now.”

  The adrenaline pumped right through me. I loved how this man desired me. I reached out to him and he gently took my hand. While we walked to our bedroom, I was amazed at my litany of sensation: giddiness, euphoria—anticipation.

  Our bedroom door was closed which I briefly thought was strange. Until Vinnie opened it and I was consumed by the perfumed scent of fresh cut roses.

  The room was inundated by flowers. The dressers, the nightstands, the bureau—even the floor. Stunning beautiful arrangements encircled our bed. Blooming muted shades of pinks and whites took my breath away. I ran my hand over our bed that housed brand new pink silk sheets. I groaned at the soft, smooth texture until Vinnie’s movement snapped me out of my daze.

  He knelt down on one knee and grabbed my hand. In his other hand was a small box. “Jamie told me this is how it’s supposed to be done.”

  I was struck mute by the sheer intensity of his gaze.

  His eyes shone with emotion, as he opened the ring box and my ring sparkled like it was magic. Vinnie cleared his throat. “Grace Marie Locke…” My tough man’s voice actually cracked while he asked, “will you marry me?”

  My eyes pooled with moisture which I furiously tried to blink away. I was so done with crying today. “Yes!” I yelled out before he misinterpreted my tears.

  He chuckled softly as he gently pushed the ring onto my finger.

  Shit! It looked even bigger on my finger than in the jewelry store.

  He peered up at me with slight hesitation. “I want to give you everything you need.”

  My chest constricted at the thought of his uncertainty. “This—” I halted as my throat swelled up. “—is the most romantic marriage proposal ever.” I leaned down to give him just a light sweet kiss. I should have known better, because as soon as my mouth touched his, our lips fused and tongues tangled. It was pure molten heat. All the emotions of the day were pouring back and forth between us…the thought of me going away for a few days, buying a ring, getting engaged. All of it then topped off with the most beautiful proposal ever.

  I know we both were near the breaking point when Vinnie groaned. “I need you naked. I have to feel you.”

  Clothes came off frantically. My body ached with the need to be touched by him. All my nerve endings stirred in anticipation. This man was an expert at arousing me to completion. I wondered how many years would go by before I stopped feeling this shiver of pleasure whenever he touched me. Vinnie gently laid me on the most sensuous sheets ever. I let out a groan. “Whose idea was it to buy the sheets?”

  Vinnie’s attention, as usual, went right to my breasts. Pressing them both together, he was burying his face in between as his voice mumbled. “Luke, I think—I don’t remember.”

  I knew his response would be the last of the conversation as his mouth greedily sought my nipples. I moaned in satisfaction as he sucked one nipple to such a hard point, I felt the spasms coursing all the way down to my toes. The familiar heated throb he always caused forced my legs to instinctively open.

  “Not yet baby,” he breathed out with a low heated chuckle. “I’m not done with my appetizer.”

  He was going to torture me!

  His mouth hungrily passed back and forth between my breasts…laving and nibbling.

  I was in a near frenzy now. The pulsing ache was mounting as I began to move my hand to my clit to take care of it myself.

  He smacked my hand away and then forcefully took both my hands and brought them up over my head. Powerfully yet tenderly he held them as he whispered in my ear, “Behave.”

  Moisture pooled between my legs. My body was overwhelmed with a sensual sensation. “I’m about to explode.”

  “I’ll give you what you need, Grace,” he murmured, arousal roughening his voice. He let go of my wrists as he slowly, deliberately, kissed his way down along my stomach to settle in between my legs. He lightly nipped at my inner thigh.

  I unconsciously moaned. His warm breath teasing my clit as it throbbed painfully. A surge of need rushed through me. If he didn’t do something soon, I was going to become violent.

  As if he sensed my overwhelming need he parted my folds with his thumbs. With a fierce determination, his tongue zeroed in on my clit. He must have known I was at my breakpoint because he gave that little bud no quarter. His tongue fluttered for only a minute before his mouth surrounded my clit. At the very second his finger pushed in, his mouth sucked…Hard. My body shook like an electrical jolt had passed through it. My hips bucked as white stars appeared behind my eyelids.

  It…Was...Incredible.

  My body now sated, I relished the feel of my breasts rising and falling with my heavy breathing. I could barely acknowledge his movements as he slid up along my body until his lips lightly grazed mine. I opened my eyes to one satisfied, proud expression on the face of my man. “I don’t think I’ve ever come so fast,” I whispered in awe.

  “I told you. I’m going to spend my entire life giving you ever
ything you need.”

  “You already do.” How did I get so lucky? I was realistic enough to know that in every marriage, there are misunderstandings. Vinnie and I came from two different worlds and I knew there would probably be times when we didn’t understand each other. After what he did tonight though, I realized he’d do anything to make me happy.

  Anything? Hmm?

  He turned and wrapped his arm around me, so I was lying on his chest.

  I traced my fingers along the ripples on his incredibly sculpted stomach.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked tenderly.

  “There’s something else I need.” I gave him a devious grin.

  Vinnie groaned. “You’re going to be the death of me yet. I was on the phone with Luke for over an hour.”

  I knew what he meant.

  He hated the phone. A client would be lucky if he allotted ten minutes to answer their questions. He’s abrupt and to the point. However, he didn’t seem to realize what I needed couldn’t be acquired by using the phone.

  “Well you said…!” I gave him an indignant pout.

  “Okay, baby, what do you need?”

  “I want to kiss you—everywhere.”

  His eyes widened, and a brief moment of panic flashed over his face.

  With a swift precision I crawled on top of him, so he couldn’t look away. “You get to kiss me everywhere. I’m going to be your wife. Please don’t deny me a part of you.”

  I almost regretted the request when I saw actual fear in his eyes. A guy like Vinnie didn’t show fear. This was a new day though. The start of our new life together and we needed to get past this.

  “Vinnie, you deliberately surrounded me in pink to send me a message. The day you bought me a pink rose when I misunderstood, right? I’m assuming you were trying to make a point that the message was clear all along that despite the color of the flower, you did love me. Well, now I have a point to make too. I can kiss you all over and it doesn’t mean you’re going back to your old life.”

  Vinnie’s mother was known for her oral sex skills. Vinnie grew up watching his mother service men with blowjobs. She never tried to hide it from her son, no matter how young he was. He told me countless stories of walking out of his bedroom while his mom was sucking a man’s dick right in the living room. He internalized that anger by not allowing any intimacy with women at all, except for oral sex. That was the only way he’d be with a woman was by fucking her mouth. He said he used the act to humiliate whomever he was with. He knew it was a vicious cycle as all it did was make him more disgusted and angry.

  Consequently, now that he was past it, he wouldn’t let me go down on him. He said there was no way he was going to have the woman he loved in a demeaning position.

  What didn’t seem to realize though, I was missing out on enjoying a part of him.

  “Vinnie, there’s a big difference between us and those experiences you had with women before. Let me love you…Everywhere.”

  “I know the difference, Grace. I just don’t know if I’m ready. I still have a lot of rage about my mother.”

  “But it’s me, Vinnie.”

  “I know that. I also know it probably doesn’t make sense.”

  “No, it makes sense to me. Just like I thought my need for a proposal probably didn’t make sense to you. But you made sure I still got it, because you said you’ll always give me what I need. I’m going to do the same for you. I’ll wait until you’re ready. Can I just kiss you though? Without you pulling me away?”

  “Yes.” His husky voice, as usual, soothed me.

  I knew he was still uneasy about it but I was determined to do this for him. I used my tongue to swipe at his lips and I watched his slow smile build. He looked relaxed enough, so I began to rain kisses along his neck, inhaling his intoxicating male scent. I worked my way down to his chiseled shoulders, briefly pausing on biceps which always made me salivate. I’ve always been in awe of his perfectly sculpted chest.

  There’s just something about a massive muscular man that takes my breath away. Vinnie is the extreme indulgence for me. Like I’m someone who craves ice cream and Vinnie is definitely a three scoop hot fudge sundae. I twirled my tongue around lusty nipples on impeccably formed pectorals. Dear God, I could stay here forever but I had a goal in mind. I worked my tongue through the valleys and ripples of his washboard abs while wondering how it came to be that this body was all mine.

  Mine.

  Just when the word popped into my head a shifting feeling stirred in my heart. I raised my head and glanced at him to see if it was still okay. I saw a gleam of lust in his eye as he nodded. I continued to work my way down. With my hands on the corded quadriceps of his thighs, I finally received permission to look—to explore.

  He was perfect.

  I gently brought my hands around his erection and lightly stroked. I heard his sharp intake of breath which snapped my head back up. “Is this okay?”

  “Yeah baby, it is.” If it was possible, his voice was even deeper than usual.

  “I always got glimpses and wondered but now—up close…?”

  Damn, it’s big!

  Vinnie caught me looking and seemed to know what I was thinking. Laughter rumbled in his chest.

  I brought my lips down and lightly kissed the tip. There was already a drop of pre-cum. I couldn’t help myself then. My tongue shot out and timidly licked it off. He groaned and when our eyes locked, I saw the hunger in his stare.

  So, I kissed that gorgeous stiff cock again.

  I kissed and licked all along the shaft. I could hear his breathing becoming erratic but he wasn’t stopping me. So, I became bolder as my mouth enclosed the tip. I pushed my mouth downward and sucked. I worked my mouth up and back. I could feel his erection getting even tighter.

  “Fuck Grace!” His large body arched with pleasure.

  “You don’t like it?”

  He grabbed me and brought me close, so that our faces were aligned. “I did. Very much—and you’re right. It is different with you, but we’ll save that for another day because right now, I need to make love to you.”

  I could hear the need in his voice and although I was thoroughly enjoying tasting him I, too, needed him inside me. “Yes. I’m all yours.”

  A cascade of raw emotion flashed across his face. “All. Mine,” he vowed as he made a slow, teasing plunge into my aching body.

  I lay there in pure ecstasy, surrounded in pink, with a sign glittering on my finger that said…

  …Happily ever after.

  ~~~

  Kate Baum is a librarian who resides in the Hudson Valley area of New York. She lives with her husband of 23 years and 5 children. Their busy household also includes a dog and a cat adopted by the local rescue shelter. When she isn’t working, cooking, doing laundry or being a taxi driver to her kids, she loves to write down her fantasies.

  Kate is the author of the Girl Series, a contemporary erotic romance series that focuses on four best friends. Grace, Eve, Janie, and Dee juggle careers, friendships and relationships all while searching for their happily ever after. For more information, visit www.katebaum.com

  PINKIE SWEAR

  Jennifer James

  Maddie Guthries loves her husband and her kids, but the stress and exhaustion of working a full time job while being the primary caregiver for toddlers have driven her to the brink. She and her husband Trevor have to make some changes, or their love is going down the drain.

  ~~~

  A large plastic toddler toy lay in the middle of the foyer on its side. Maddie Guthries sighed and retrieved the pink and purple school bus from the tile. Red juice spread in a widening stain beneath it. She tossed the toy into the kitchen sink where it landed with a hollow clunk and yanked a wad of paper towels off the roll. Her in-laws had taken the twins for the weekend and it appeared that she’d be spending the entire time the girls were gone cleaning the house. All by herself.

  The ceiling creaked above her head as her husband Trevor moved th
rough his home office space. The moment his parents cleared the door with the children he’d bounded up the stairs two at a time without a word. Another Friday night online poker tournament. A seventy hour work week lay behind him and another one loomed on Monday. A vague sense of loneliness flashed through her on the heels of irritation. He’d had a hard week, but so had she. Forty hours at her own office job, and she took the brunt of the child care and household responsibilities.

  She squatted down in the foyer and mopped up the sticky mess left by the juice. Emmaline was her first suspect as the culprit, but Brooklyn had a sneaky way of leaving messes behind as well. The “who” of the situation didn’t matter as much as the “what” and she shook her head. Red juice seeped into the grout between the tiles, despite the sealer on the flooring. One more piece of evidence her life and home no longer belonged to her alone. She scrubbed at the grout and gave up when bits of the paper towel lodged in the grout. The ceiling groaned once more and she threw the wad of wet paper towels in the direction of the noise. The saturated wad of paper struck home, stuck for a moment, and then plummeted to the floor with a splat.

  Bitter laughter escaped her lips in low chuckle. A large pink splotch now marred the ocean of white paint above her almost directly opposite the splotch on the floor. Irrational fury swelled inside her. Why the hell couldn’t Trevor come down just once and help her? Just once. How many hours did she work in a week with laundry, dishes, cleaning, transporting, grocery shopping, and cooking? Who got up in the middle of the night with the girls when they were sick? Stupid, ungrateful man.

  And now he was upstairs dicking around playing games online instead of helping her. A strand of blonde hair came loose of the pony tail she’d put her hair in and covered her eye. She trapped it behind her ear and stomped into the kitchen. A new six pack of her favorite flavored vodka drink waited in the fridge. No reason to wait to crack one open. Kids gone, husband behind his desk, and a giant pile of laundry in the basement. She didn’t give a fuck about any of it.