Blame It on the Moon

by Shara Lanel

  Immediately a montage of restaurant horror stories ran through his head: roaches, locked restaurant, burnt food, dirty place settings.

  Kitty, sitting silently next to him at the bar, placed her hand on his arm. “You did it. Now relax before you have to do it all over again…later today.”

  “Oh, God, what time is it?”

  Kitty glanced at her watch. “Two thirty-three. That clean up actually could have taken much longer. Champagne must be a good motivator.”

  “And I let some of the restocking slide until tomorrow…today…whatever it is.” He turned his head and propped his cheek on his palm. “So…”

  She smiled. “So…”

  “Fergus?”

  “I called Marsha to dog-sit.” She blushed a little.

  “Really?” Suddenly Haden felt quite revived. “Have I met Marsha?”

  “She’s not an employee, so I don’t think you’ve met her yet. She’s in a lot, though, so you probably will at some point.”

  “So…” How to proposition a woman after the fairly unromantic experience of cleaning a restaurant? “Would you like to come to my place for a nightcap?”

  “If nightcap means alcohol and then I have to drive home, no.”

  “What if nightcap means alcohol and you can sleep over?”

  She blushed and grinned at the same time, an amazing feat. Her scent intoxicated him. He leaned in and kissed her, wrapping his fingers behind her head to draw her closer. Her lips were soft, pliable, willing. He eased them open gradually until he could slip his tongue between. She was about to fall off the stool, though, so he stood up and moved between her legs to steady her.

  Yeah, to steady her. Nothing to do with moving closer to her hot body so he could press his raging hard-on against her. Nothing at all. He snuggled his hips home between her thighs.

  “Um,” she moaned or hummed or purred. Haden knew the sound meant pleasure, and it tickled his lips and tongue. He slipped his thumb to the curve just below her jaw to feel the vibrations as he delved deeper into her mouth, allowing their tongues to dance and their lips to play. The silk of her hair flowed around his fingers, while her breasts pressed against his chest. She tasted like whiskey and smelled like rich caramel.

  Allowing his mouth to move away from her moist lips, he licked her chin with quick flicks of his tongue, then her jaw, up to an inviting earlobe. He tasted along the edge and she gasped, then he nibbled it gently before layering quick kisses on the skin just behind her ear.

  “Um.” Her legs rose, circling his thighs, brushing against his ass, inviting him to grind into her. Once she had her lower body settled, she began distracting him by letting her fingers drift up and down his spine. And that scent, so delectable, making him hungry. Had she dabbed caramel on her neck? He decided to kiss along her throat in search of the source.

  He lifted his head for just a moment to murmur, “And you put on this pretty blouse for me?”

  Her hands had untucked his shirt and were now sliding it up his back, bunching it so that her fingers could reach bare skin. “Sometimes I want to wear something besides the store uniform,” she whispered, her voice catching as he nipped her jaw again. She stroked his back, tracing the ridges in his spine, following the line of his ribs, then dipping under the waistband of his pants.

  All at once he wanted to howl. He squeezed his eyes closed and held his breath. Calm, remain calm. You won’t make it to a bed at this rate.

  Ohmanohman. It had been so long since she’d touched someone this way. Warm skin, hot lips tasting her neck, hands pulling her closer and closer. She kneaded the tight muscles in his back, so strong, then let her hands drift higher, where she measured the breadth of his back. He was so big, and his skin was warm and smooth and enticing.

  She slid her hands down his back, along his pants, to his ass. She couldn’t resist urging him closer. Her core was aching to feel his hardness rubbing against her. Then there was the thrill of not really knowing him. Haden was an unknown quantity, someone to explore both physically and intellectually. Someone to be truly intimate with.

  Intimacy would be so nice, especially if it meant she could reveal her secret to him. His caresses felt so good that she immediately began fantasizing about telling him, about him nodding his head in understanding. His mind was full of indistinct sexual sensations, like a montage of images of her naked, of him thrusting in and out, of her going down on him, but it was all blended into a haze of arousal.

  As he coaxed her blouse higher and cupped the side of her breast, she imagined waking up in his arms and looking into his eyes to see complete understanding. She even pictured his slipping a diamond ring onto her left hand.

  Bah! You can enjoy his body without losing your common sense!

  He slid his thumb under her bra and tweaked her nipple. She moaned, but the voice grew stronger. Man, she hated that voice that always reigned in her heart. She just wanted to feel accepted for who she was ‑‑ was that too much to ask?

  Yes!

  Distracted by the impossibilities, she sighed against Haden’s lips and pulled back.

  “What’s wrong? That wasn’t exactly a sound of pleasure.”

  “Um, this barstool’s not the most comfortable…” She slowly straightened her legs, her feet trailing along the back of his thighs while her hands slipped down his chest. She didn’t want to break contact.

  “Of course.” He caught her gaze, judging her emotions. “I’m a cad.” He ran a hand over his forehead. “Let’s head to my place, if that’s still okay. I’d like to take a shower so I can get rid of the smell of grease.”

  She smiled in agreement, then punched his shoulder jokingly. “Dude, you better get to like the scent of grease. I have the feeling you’re going to smell it a lot.”

  He sighed. “Guess I should have thought of that, huh?”

  * * * * *

  Haden told Kit his address, but then let her follow him in her car. His brick rancher was small compared to most of the houses on River Road, but the lot was a very nice size, with a tree-lined drive and a split-rail fence lit by petite solar lanterns. The drive ended in a circle near the front door with a lighted fountain in the center. Wall-mounted spotlights shone on the cobbled circle.

  “I like the setup,” Kit said once she stepped out of her car. She locked the door by force of habit, but kept her keychain in hand. She was suddenly feeling nervous and rubbing the pom-pom seemed to help.

  “Thanks. I lucked out, since most of the houses ’round here are beyond my budget.” He gestured to the street at large. “This was built in the twenties, but not remodeled since the seventies, judging by the brown and orange hues that fill my living room. I did take down the mirror over the bed and the disco ball.”

  “Eek, I’m a little afraid to go inside now.” Actually it wasn’t the thought of the décor that scared her; it was the implicit agreement she was making by entering a man’s home at this time of night.

  He grinned, showing lots of teeth. “I’ll make it worth your while. I promise.”

  That’s what I’m worried about. She had no doubt sex with Haden would be mind-blowing, but then what? They barely knew each other. Did sex equal a relationship or a one-night stand nowadays? And what did she want it to mean?

  Despite her doubts, Kit followed Haden inside. The foyer displayed an abundance of gilt, on the mirrors, on the trim of the side table, threaded into the wallpaper. To the left she spotted a room done in paneling.

  “Keep in mind, seventies, not my aesthetic,” Haden whispered in her ear, sending tingles down the back of her neck.

  Kit tried not to shiver. “Are you sure? Maybe you’re a closet retro.”

  With his arm across her shoulders, he swung her around to look at the room to the right. Some kind of psychedelic chessboard covered the walls. “This isn’t retro. This is just bad.”

  Kit laughed. She had to agree.

  “But I’m sure that’s why I got such a good price.”

  “Very shrewd of you
, because with this address, this house will be a good investment.”

  Haden nodded as he guided her farther down the hall. “I have managed to redo two rooms since I’ve moved in.”

  “Do tell.”

  Grinning, he gestured her through time into the kitchen. Instead of olive green and mustard yellow, she now faced a Food Network set: gleaming steel appliances, copper pans hanging from a ceiling rack, a deep sink with a tall faucet and sprayer system, and a center island topped in granite.

  “Very nice,” she said as she noticed a short wine cooler and a bar set.

  “Drink?”

  “Yes, please.” She supposed she ought to put her keys away before he sensed her panic, which for the past five minutes had so occupied her that she hadn’t picked up Haden’s thoughts at all. She took a deep breath, dropped the keys in her purse, and set it on the counter.

  “So you’re going to stay?”

  “Um…”

  “Just kidding. I’d noticed you were gripping your keys awfully tight.” His fingers brushed her chin, tipped her face to his. “Seriously, though, a few drinks at my home does not mean you have to say yes to anything.”

  “I know.”

  “Good. Now, did I tell you that I tended bar through college? So what say you to a chocolate martini?”

  “Like I said, you’re going to make me so fat.”

  “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  “So what’s the other room that you’ve remodeled?” Kit asked as Haden poured vodka and crème de cacao in a shaker with ice.

  “The bedroom, of course. There was no way in hell I was going to get any sleep with red and white stripes on the walls and mirrors overhead. Plus, there was this bizarre black-and-white mural on the wall near the bathroom. Too Age of Aquarius for me.”

  “I can’t even imagine.” Since she’d finally started to relax, she picked up Haden’s memory plain as day. Ew, now she could imagine and wished she could forget.

  He poured the chilled alcohol into martini glasses and plopped a Hershey’s kiss in the bottom of hers.

  “If you can bear the walls, let’s go in and sit on the couch.”

  * * * * *

  Richard Langtree the Third sliced the silk rope with his Damascus blade. Angelica was being a good girl with the ball gag in her mouth and ropes around her arms from her shoulders to her elbows. He was experimenting with design, and the crisscross pattern accentuated his angel’s beautiful breasts and flat stomach. He hadn’t blindfolded her this time so she could watch the flash of steel with nervous eyes. He listened to the snick of the blade as he cut another length of rope, relishing her occasional whimpers.

  She’d started a bit of a scene earlier, protesting the ball gag, but then he’d asked her if she wanted out of his life. Did she want him to leave without looking back? She’d told him no and had burst into tears. He’d reminded her that he needed a woman who fulfilled his needs, a woman who would submit. Was she that woman? She’d nodded and put the red ball in her mouth before stepping free of her thong.

  The bed provided a suitable work surface. He’d tied her ankles to a notched broom handle to keep her legs spread wide. He knew his angel well. She’d get bored if he only concentrated on his art, so he played between her legs with his fingers, his tongue, and sometimes with the large black vibrator. She’d tasted like honey at first, then rubber after he’d fucked her with the vibrator. Her cream had saturated the lifelike cock as it filled her hole, and she’d moaned and wriggled in satisfaction. But then he pulled it out so he could get back to his work. Her satisfaction was not his focus.

  Ropes and knots. Binding her fascinated him. It was a new thing for him. Before he’d met Angelica, he’d been more into whips and paddles. His former girlfriend Janie had enjoyed the beatings for a while, willingly bending over the coffee table as he caned her, but then she’d started to get whiny, said he only wanted to hurt her, that it was supposed to be about the sex. He’d quickly lost interest in Janie. He kept those tools in his repertoire, but now ropes and gags and handcuffs enticed him.

  But he couldn’t keep his mind focused as he looped rope from his Angel’s knees to the broom, making a V. “So he’s met someone, has he?” he said, returning to the conversation they’d had before he’d gagged her.

  She nodded.

  He closed his eyes, trying not to remember the gawky adolescent he’d been, a boy only popular because of his family’s wealth and rank. A boy interested in oils, clay, and pastels. All those times he’d tried out for sports, only to disappoint his father when he didn’t make the team. But dear old pop was always quick to point out that he didn’t need to be athletic to be a CEO. When Richard had broached the idea of studying art in Paris or, more practically, graphic design, dear old pop had smacked him on the head. Langtrees do not draw pictures for a living!

  He pushed his dad from his mind and responded to Angelica. “Interesting. And he’s already told you he’ll need you completely in charge of the pub during the full moon?”

  Angelica nodded again.

  She hadn’t realized the dates represented the full moon when she’d told Richard about them, but he’d known immediately. Just as he’d known her boss’s true identity the moment he’d spotted him outside the ABC liquor store. The alcohol shop was the closest to the University of Richmond and often frequented by students like himself. He’d spied on Haden ‑‑ as he called himself now ‑‑ more than once, always careful to remain upwind, but sometimes the wind shifted. He couldn’t get closer without spooking him, which was why he needed his Angel.

  And what luck to find Brother here at all! Why hadn’t he left the country after escaping the police? That would have been the wise thing to do. Instead he’d stayed in the same state as the scene of his crime ‑‑ amazing!

  “Not really his crime, though, was it?” Richard murmured, no longer thinking of Angelica as a person, but as an object. “I’d love to brag to him, but that wouldn’t do at all.”

  And he had many things to brag about, but only one conquest would interest Brother. The rest had been mere facsimiles of Leslie, pleasant while they’d lasted, but ultimately they’d had to be sacrificed for his art. And what beautiful art!

  He leaned over the bed and combed Angelica’s bangs from her forehead. “I’ll need you to do something for me while your boss is away.” He’d been toying with a plan, but he wasn’t quite sure how he wanted to implement it yet. As long as he was careful, he’d have plenty of time to do it right.

  Angelica nodded obediently, so he played with her nipples, twisting them to the point of pain. When she whimpered, he soothed the pink tips with his lips and tongue, sucking them in, then biting them hard. He ran his fingers over the delicate rope design. It reminded him of his grandmother’s lace. Perhaps too monochromatic against the pale flesh. He should try colored rope, blues and reds. The more the vision of his art danced in his mind’s eye, the more aroused he grew.

  Finally he climbed over Angelica, settling his knees in the vee he’d created between her legs. His breathing grew heavy as he examined his intricate creation and thought about how he’d changed her from something organic to a sculpture. He unzipped his slacks and pushed them down, revealing his cock. Angelica’s eyes widened and crinkled. She was trying to smile but couldn’t quite do it with the ball gag in her mouth.

  “You want this, don’t you?” he said as he stroked his length. She nodded, so he leaned in and ran the tip over the bare skin of her stomach. Whenever he grazed a rope, he moaned. Oh, yes. This was good. He wondered about binding his cock, but decided that would inhibit him too much. He’d save that for another time. Right now he wanted to fuck his sculpture.

  * * * * *

  Haden felt so normal as he and Kit sipped their second martinis. It was going on four o’clock in the morning and they both had businesses to run, but he felt energized and he sensed that Kit felt the same way. She told him about her strange customers and her family, and he told her about Ireland and Las Vegas, carefu
lly avoiding the in-between years. Their thighs touched, and he’d slung his arm on the back of the couch. By now she leaned back against him, warm, soft, and comforting, as if they were old friends. She gazed up at him, eyes crinkled and sparkling, looking delectable and happy.

  Finally Haden couldn’t hold out any longer. He leaned down and kissed her…on the tip of her nose. He sat back with a grin and took in her expression. He saw the humor there, but her mouth was open just the tiniest bit, and her chest moved up and down rapidly as her heartbeat sped up. Oh, yeah, hunger.

  This time he made sure he kissed her lips.

  The kiss raced from chaste to R-rated almost immediately, and his hands got involved, seeking the skin under her blouse as Kitty’s tongue pushed toward the back of his throat. He fought to keep up with the speed of her explorations, opening his mouth wider and thrusting his tongue against hers, sucking and nipping. He spread his fingers over her ribs and savored the heat of her palms on his chest.

  But it was time to adjust positions. He wanted better access than he’d had at the restaurant. Haden chuckled as he attempted to tilt Kit from vertical to horizontal without breaking their kiss. She clung to his neck and allowed him to stretch out her legs while suction held their lips together.

  She pulled back. “Enough!” Giggling, she fell back to the couch cushions and kicked out her legs. “That better?”

  “Much.” Now he had access, but should he lie next to her or on top of her?

  She tugged at his shirt. “Come here. I want to feel your weight on me.”

  “You’ll probably change your mind about that.” But he followed her command and maneuvered on top of her. He kissed her while keeping his body taut, propped away from her, but she wasn’t having that. She tugged on his shirt and shoulders until he collapsed completely.