Threshold

by Treva Harte

  “Bend over, Mrs. Dayton, my love.” He crooned the words to her. “Let me see that truly delicious rear of yours.”

  “But I'm pregnant. We have to get married. We have to.”

  He hadn't thought what the consequences of living with Sarah would be after she'd said that. Not the years of mistrust and boredom, of petty quarrels and deepening hatred. Sarah had given him a child. Or had she sold Anabelle to him for a price? Was a child a worthwhile exchange for marriage? It had seemed worth it once. Anabelle had been a loving child—shrieking with delight whenever she saw him. As the years went by and Sarah interfered more and more, Anabelle became yet another unpleasant familial duty.

  Lilli seemed different from other women he'd been close to. She didn't whisper sweet, lying words. She didn't turn sullen and indifferent. Instead Lilli gave. She struggled not to, but even her attempts to refuse satisfied him. No matter what, she didn't ignore him.

  Would she struggle over this? His cock hardened even more at the thought.

  “I want to get inside you, Lilli.”

  “But I thought—” She paused, thinking over what he'd said and her position, stretched out over the edge of the bed, her ass in the air. “Oh.”

  He waited, tensing, for her reply.

  She'd never particularly wanted to do this before. But the guarded excitement in Harry's voice set off a responsive quiver in her cunt. She tightened her ass cheeks. Maybe.

  He leaned over her, his body heat warming her. His cock fit snugly against the small of her back. How tight would the fit be inside?

  “Please, Lilli.”

  He wasn't begging. He was seducing. She felt the wetness of sweat and the fluid slowly coming from the head of his cock—and her own excitement—flowing from between her legs.

  “You want to, Lilli. It will be good. I'll make it good.”

  “All right. If you promise.” She tried to sound teasing. The words hung there, though, as if she were depending on him.

  She wasn't. She wasn't. She wasn't going to depend on any man, ever. She wasn't going to trust any of them that far. Not even when she was stretched out on a bed, listening to the sounds of a man preparing himself to enter her. A drawer closed and shut. What was he doing? She shivered.

  The head of his suddenly too-large cock probed, gently, at her anus. She tried to relax.

  “Let me make it easier for you, darlin',” Harry whispered to her, and then his finger entered, gently, passing by her initial resistance. The fingertip carried something wet and soothing. Lilli couldn't relax, though, because soon that fingertip wasn't soothing at all. He was stroking sensitive, intimate spots she'd never dreamed could exist.

  Excitement curled up slowly from her pussy and then swirled out through her body. The heat that was centered in her clit crackled, flamed up impossibly high. His finger promised all sorts of illicit delights.

  Lilli gripped the bedcovers tightly. His legs cradled hers, steadying her as she began to tremble.

  “If you're afraid, I'll stop.”

  “Afraid?” Lilli gritted out. “Of anything you can do? Please, Harry. Don't insult me.”

  His chuckle rumbled against her neck. Another finger entered, delicately, testing the nerve endings she didn't even know she had. She shivered again.

  Slow. Excruciatingly slow. His fingers slid out and his cock began to enter. Lilli let out one soft breath. It had been long ago, but had she been this nervous with Mason, back when she was a virgin? Of course she had. More. This was scary but exciting. Unknown, but safe. She was an adult and she wasn't afraid of anything Harry would do. Much.

  “Ahhh.” That was Harry, as he lodged himself inside. “You're tight, Lilli. It feels good.”

  His slide in stayed slow. He rested, snug up inside her for a long time. She could feel the eager bump of his cock though he fought to stay still. She was starting to feel a little eager herself, now that the first wash of surprise was over. The pain she'd feared wasn't there. She was stretched and full in an entirely new way.

  “I'm going to touch myself,” she announced, liking the sound of the words said aloud. Harry's breath caught and his cock, held tightly inside her previously unused channel, twitched harder.

  “Don't get me going too fast, Mrs. Dayton—” his voice was amused but hoarse. “I need to be very gentle with you this time.”

  “You can, but I don't have to be.” She wondered how much he could feel as she slid her hand under her body, touching her pubic curls. She could play as long as he could. Longer.

  She felt his cock stretching her more as she slipped her own fingers inside. When she brushed against what had to be the head of his cock pushing against her skin, she felt the thrust of his erection. He shook when she rubbed against him.

  “Can you feel my hand?” she whispered.

  “God, yes.”

  Fascinating. Her clitoris swelled in response to his choked words. That was all it took. Suddenly she was swamped with heat—from the strangeness of their union, from the excitement she sensed blazing in her partner, from the friction of their bodies as they moved in strange harmony together.

  “I can't last much longer,” Harry grunted. He moved carefully in and then out. Then less carefully.

  Lilli shook with a desire intense enough to strangle her. The overwhelming pleasure she gained while her body absorbed this new act was increasing slowly, too slowly. This crawl to orgasm was going to kill her.

  “No…need,” Lilli gritted out.

  Her increasing tension was the trigger for Harry. He groaned, deeply, and she felt his shudders through her own body. She was on the rack, but it was stretching her with pleasure. Harry's climatic movements sent her hurtling into sudden, sharp pleasure, faster than she'd expected moments before. She sucked in a breath. Heat started from her ass and cunt, engulfing her. As he pulled out, she moaned with her own orgasm.

  “Ohhh—” She couldn't help but whimper the exclamation into the bed sheets.

  “That was incredible,” she heard Harry say at the same time.

  Wet, breathing hard, she turned to face him. For the first time, Harry held out his arms and they clutched each other. Lilli's eyelids closed almost before he removed the condom. She'd had no idea how much she'd missed this part of sex—the closeness afterward. No matter what, Mason had always cuddled after sex.

  Lie or not, she'd loved the sweetness of holding a man, the protection a male body promised.

  She thought perhaps Harry's lips brushed over her forehead. Tenderness was something she'd longed for, almost as much as wild intercourse. She hadn't even admitted to herself how much she needed that until now.

  So had she won this time or had he?

  * * * * *

  “You never talk about your husband.” He knew he spoke too abruptly, especially when she stiffened in his arms. Lilli had been drowsy and sated and pleased just moments before.

  “No more than you do about your wife.”

  “You know more about Sarah than I do about your spouse. What was his name?”

  “Mason.”

  “Were you happy with him?” She knew so much about keeping a man happy. But was she? Even when she bit and moaned and climaxed, he sensed her holding back. Had this Mason taught her to guard her responses?

  “Happy enough. Until the end.”

  “Until he died?”

  “Until…yes. That was when I found out our life together was a lie. He was never the man I had thought he was. I don't understand how I allowed that. Unless I'm lying to myself now.” She sounded pensive. Confused. Angry. Angry with herself as well as her husband? He could understand all those feelings. He'd traveled that road too often himself.

  “Marriage confuses a person,” he offered. “Compromise and confusion. That's what marriage is about.”

  Lilli laughed. “Once I would have disagreed with you.”

  Harry stroked her back, as she spooned up against him. She sighed and relaxed, just a bit. He tried not to feel smug that he'd managed to make he
r lie sweetly against him, relaxed and responsive to his touch.

  But he did. Lilli wasn't conquered, not yet, but she made him feel triumphant. The thought soothed him as much as the feel of her did. This must be why she intrigued him. She was willing to put up a fight before being conquered. With Lilli it was no compromise and no quarter. He always liked to triumph against a worthy opponent.

  He liked to be merciful, too, once he was sure of his victory.

  Just then Lilli turned her head, a small smile on her face. She no longer looked sated and quiet. The gleam in her eyes made Harry realize he wasn't quite as spent as he thought. His cock stirred, just a little, at her look.

  “What next?” she asked. “I'm ready for more.”

  Harry frowned. Was he sure he was the victor? He needed to be sure. Here he was, holding Lilli like he was her lover, wanting to see how pleased she was. Was that winning? How the hell did you know when you won with a woman?

  “If you're a good girl, I'll think about it.” He kept his voice light.

  “I'd like to ask something first.”

  “Yes?” Harry tensed. What did she want from him? She'd done what he wanted—and more. Smart women like Lilli knew that made a man generous. Damn, but he was inclined to agree to her demands without knowing her terms.

  She was a dangerous woman. All the more dangerous because she was looking at him right now as if she cared.

  “You used protection.”

  “What?”

  “A condom. You used a condom.”

  “Of course.”

  “Then why are you so worried about pregnancy?”

  “I used a condom with Sarah, too.” An old hurt flickered through him.

  “Oh.”

  “She was older than I and she said she understood when I told her I loved her but I had no intention of marrying at eighteen. She got pregnant anyhow.”

  She hadn't been much older when she met Mason.

  “Admittedly sometimes there are accidents but—”

  “Years later she admitted she'd tampered with the condoms. Sarah was desperate to marry a man who was on his way to making a fortune. I was too young to know better then. Now I'm much more cautious.” He ran his finger across one of her nipples, watching it pucker for him. Just for him.

  “God, I am sorry, Harry.”

  “No need to be sorry, Mrs. Dayton. Just be careful. Very, very careful.”

  Control. She needed control. Neither of them wanted her sobbing and clinging. For just a moment they'd forgotten what they really meant to each other—excitement, desire, temporary need. Lilli deliberately calmed her voice.

  “I'm always careful, Harry. Don't worry about me. I'll remember exactly why you hired me.”

  She saw his face shut down, his finger stop his stroking. Was he going to end things this way?

  Then, deliberately, his hand closed over her nipple. He pinched. She gasped, excitement in the sound. They both knew her reaction was lust, not fear.

  “I'm sure you will remember just as well as I do, Mrs. Dayton.” Did he sound angry? He leaned over her and kissed her neck and soon she forgot to wonder what he was thinking.

  Chapter Three

  “Alice, love, come in.” Harry held his hand out to meet her gloved one.

  “What a pleasant welcome! When you asked me to come to your apartment, I thought it was bad news.” Alice threw her gloves carelessly onto the mantel and leaned back, posing.

  “You look beautiful as always, girl, but I'm not your paying public. You needn't strike an attitude with me.” Harry leaned over the chair by the fireplace. “I need advice, not acting lessons.”

  “Be still my girlish heart,” Alice drawled. “The Mighty Harry actually wants advice?”

  “You make me sound very arrogant.”

  Alice raised her eyebrows. “You are very arrogant.”

  Harry bowed his head in acknowledgement. “I suppose that's why I feel ridiculous now.”

  “Indeed?” Alice laughed. “This should be interesting. You haven't asked me for advice and sympathy in years.”

  “Not since Sarah.” Harry's voice changed from lazy to cold. “Not that any advice or sympathy could help there.”

  “We're still good enough friends to want to help, even when there is no help for us.” Alice's voice changed, too. “I was there for you with your wife. You were there for me when I was pregnant. What's the problem now?”

  “I didn't mean to remind you of bad times, Alice. This problem isn't nearly so awful. I'm just—I'm just a bit unsure of myself.” Harry rubbed his face. “I'm not even sure how to explain things to you. You'll think me a fool.”

  He hated to admit such a thing, even to Alice, though he trusted her as much as he trusted anyone. She'd seen him at his worst, after Sarah would lash out at him and then ignore him. When he'd been scraping by, praying for some luck during his bust times, and Sarah threw yet another party he'd have to pay for. Harry would go to the privacy of Alice's poor lodgings and drink himself to sleep.

  When Alice had been unable to work after falling ill and losing her runaway lover's baby, he'd found the money to help her pay the bills. He'd comforted her when she found she'd never have more children.

  They'd both moved on to better days long since, thank God.

  “Harry, boyo, how long have I known you?” Alice sounded like an echo of his thoughts.

  “Too long, Alice. No one will believe how old you say you are if I tell them how long we've been friends.” He had a real urge to smile when he saw her make a face.

  “Let's not talk about sordid things like age. I'll fix you a whiskey and soda instead.” She bustled about, expertly mixing his favorite drink. “I was merely going to remind you I've seen a lot of damn-fool things you've done over the years. What could you possibly hesitate to tell me?”

  “You say such pretty things. Ah, Alice, why couldn't I fall in love with you?”

  She glanced up at him.

  “Well, boyo, there is the matter of me preferring females to you. Though you have made me question the matter once or twice.” Alice handed him the drink and sat on his lap. Her warmth was comforting. He rubbed the nape of her neck. “Also, there is the problem that you have no more desire to be in love than I do. Fortunately for me I have Clara. She understands when she's on the road with her acting, I may have other profitable amusements. But she can always come home to me.”

  “Would I had a Clara.” Harry smiled. “Such an understanding liaison would be perfect.”

  “You prefer someone who sees you as a profitable amusement.” Alice looked sharply at him. “Or you have up 'til now.”

  “I still do. It's just—”

  “Yes?”

  “I'm breaking my rules with someone. She's not right—I mean, I suppose, I'm not right with her.” Damn, how to explain Lilli?

  “Oh?”

  “I hired her, the way I do all my women. But I keep wanting more.”

  “More from her? Or more from yourself?”

  “Her. Me. Both of us.” Harry swallowed. Because his thoughts were in a tangle, he admitted something he never meant say. “I let her take the lead. Sexually.”

  Alice laughed. “Now there's a confession I never expected of you. Does she beat you regularly? Shall I give you lessons in how to accept a flogging? You know that was another problem for us. You always said you enjoyed mastery, but you never wanted to take a whip hand, so to speak.” Alice shifted in his lap.

  “That's still true, minx. I don't want to be beaten, just as I see no pleasure in beating someone. Or perhaps I'd take too much pleasure in it. Damn, half of me wouldn't mind taking a whip to her when she infuriates me.” Just like half of me wants to hold and protect her when she's unhappy. Damn it, why can't I explain the problem clearly to Alice?

  “Nooo. That's not the way to do things at all. But it saddens me such a thought even crossed your mind. You usually keep your emotions under lock and key, boyo. I'm not saying you shouldn't be emotional now and then, ju
st for your own good, but—”

  “She gets me crazy, Alice. As crazy as Sarah did. Crazier. Because she can make me feel better first, before she turns away from me. I can't go through anything like Sarah, ever again.”

  “No.” Alice stopped her teasing movements and gripped his forearms tight. “You can't. You don't deserve such a thing, even though you can be a thick-headed idiot.”

  “So, what do I do?”

  “What do you want to do?”

  “Go on as I always have. My life is pleasant enough. There's my work to keep me busy and women to occupy me when I'm not.”

  If only he could stop feeling more for Lilli. She was just another woman. No more, no less. Just because she could make him laugh—or want to cry—meant nothing. Or it should mean nothing.

  Harry was a little stunned to see Alice stand up and glare at him.

  “If that's all you want, go back to this woman, fuck her silly—or let her fuck you—and pay her off when you're done. Maybe she'll teach you a few things you didn't know about yourself and what you desire—though if you enjoy being dominated, there's no need to make such a fuss. Plenty of men enjoy such things, boyo, as I can tell you. You're no less a man for finding such a thing out a bit late in your sexual career.”

  “It's not that exactly—I mean, I dominate her as well.” Perhaps that was his whole problem. He simply wasn't sure he'd mastered her sexually yet. Harry shrugged. If he couldn't explain what the other things bothering him were to Alice or himself, perhaps there was no other problem.

  Of course there was no other problem. None.

  He thought about Lilli's body as she'd moved under him—and when she'd moved above him—and smiled. Heat flashed through him, just as hot—hotter—than when he'd first seen and wanted her beyond reason. “I think I'll go back and show her who is in charge.”

  Alice rolled her eyes. “Here you got me all upset and I find out it's because you enjoy being on the bottom now and again. Men! Drink your whiskey and soda and be gone with you before my latest paying customer finds us here. He's rather a possessive sort.”