8
Emily
“I told you not to wait up, Gran. We didn’t have everything cleaned up until after one and I still had Tam and Reese to drop off.” I settled her back into bed and pulled up the covers. “You know the doctor said you need your rest, more than anything.”
“What I need is for my only granddaughter to make better choices,” she said sharply, frowning at the word Sweet decorating my breasts. Thank god, I’d taken the time to at least kick off the heels and peel off the fishnet stockings…
“It went fine, Gran. It was just a party, not that different from any other.” I blanched a little, remembering what I’d seen. “Tonight brought in enough cash to really get us back on our feet now. Plus there’s a chance of two more jobs.” I sat down on the edge of the bed and handed her a glass of water and her pill. “You know I’d rather be a traditional chef, just the way Gramps was.” I soothed. “I love real cooking… but for right now, at least for a little while longer, baking is what’s gonna pay the bills.” I remembered the handful of bills I’d stuffed into my bra and smiled. “Now, I’m home and I’m perfectly safe,” I said, kissing her cool forehead.
“Tomorrow we can afford to get your prescriptions refilled and I’ll make you a nice chicken stew for supper,” I said as cheerfully as I could, patting her hand as she looked at my skirt disapprovingly. “But right now, I think we both need to get some sleep.”
I turned out her light and closed the door behind me. I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes, feeling exhausted and elated… and something far harder to identify. It felt like danger and freedom… and yearning… all mixed into one. I stumbled into our tiny bathroom and tied my hair back so I could wash my face. The girl staring back from the mirror looked flushed and bright-eyed. Like a girl who’d come home late from doing something she shouldn’t…
I washed up and peeled off my skirt and top, tossing them into the old wicker hamper. Before I flicked off the overhead bulb, I caught the image of myself in panties and bra… cash spilling over between the lace cups. I crossed the hall, closing my bedroom door softly and smoothly turned the key in the lock. That, like so many things I’d seen and done tonight, was new. And I liked how it felt.
I turned on the little bedside lamp and sat on the edge of the bedspread, gathering up the money Chase had given me, and smoothing it out over the worn cotton fabric. I unhooked my bra and let it slip to the floor along with my panties, looking around the room and realizing, for the first time, how the pink curtains and white painted shelves hadn’t changed since I was a little girl. I’d spent so many of my childhood years taking care of my grandmother… it was almost as if I hadn’t had the time to grow up and develop a sense of myself as a grown woman. I glanced at the cotton nightgown folded on the pillow and pushed it aside. For the first time in my life, I climbed between the sheets in nothing but bare skin, shivering at the intimacy of the act. I took the money in my hands, remembering his hand brushing mine, the look in his eyes as Sutton and the girl had climaxed only a few feet away from us…
I trailed the bills over my breasts… over my tight nipples and down to the hollow of my belly, imagining what it would feel like… to have his fingers touching me there instead. I felt a delicious shiver of excitement run through me, imagining Mr. Christopher Chase taking me… the way Sutton had taken that girl… It felt sinful to think of it, worse still to want it, but I couldn’t help but wonder what I would have done, if he had lifted my skirt from behind as the fireworks had gone off overhead…
A better way to lose your virginity than I actually had, I thought wryly. A whole hell of a lot better than the backseat of an old car on prom night. More than four years had passed, and that high school boyfriend was long gone. I’d grown up since then… at least in some ways…
But in others, I was still just a girl. Waiting…
and wishing desperately for her own life to finally begin…
9
Chase
I could still smell her scent. Warm and innocent, with something spicier just underneath. It was almost enough to make me forget about Sutton in the seat next to me. He smelled like gin.
“You can’t fuckin’ tell me you don’t miss it, Chase,” he said, throwing a hand through his hair. He leaned the seat back and sighed, breathing out through his nose and patting the breast pocket of his jacket. “Forty goddamned grand tonight, plus the hottest piece of ass at the party.” He rolled his eyes over to me. I didn’t have to see him… I could feel it.
“Well, almost the hottest,” he said, considering. “The cake girl… what was her name…? Annie?”
“Emily,” I supplied, stepping on the gas, pissed now and in a hurry to get him home. “And she isn’t on your fucking list. She’s also smart enough to put it in writing… if you bothered to read her contract.”
“Bullshit,” he shot back, watching my reaction. “If they can be seduced, minus overuse of alcohol, of course,” he conceded, “they can all be on the list…”
I gripped the wheel a little harder and exhaled before I dared to answer. When I did, I sounded a hell of a lot calmer than I felt. “My sister liked Emily’s work tonight, Sutton, and she’s hiring her for that bridal shower. To you, they’re both equally off-limits… Just leave it alone. I know you like to push the edge… Hell, I’ve done it too. But you’ve been pushing too hard lately. Even for you…
And it’s not just your own ass on the line anymore. There are a hell of a lot of people depending on us, on our company. There’s a lot more at stake than just your public image and the chance of a lawsuit.” I pulled the car up the stone drive and punched in the code that opened the massive iron gates.
“Did you know she watched us?” he asked huskily, his blue eyes bright even in the darkness. “She leaned in to put something under the bar, and she just stood there, watching me fuck away…”
I bit my lip and stopped the car all too abruptly by the front doors. “She was embarrassed, Sutt. And probably more than a little shocked. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. You’re pushing it too close.”
“Liar,” he shot back easily. “You think you’ve changed so much… that you’re so much more mature and responsible than the rest of us now.” He laughed softly and climbed out, leaning back through the window to look at me. “You watched us too,” he said. “And I saw the way you looked at her. You’d like to fuck her as much as I would,” he taunted. “It’s been a while for you, Chase. But I know you. You haven’t forgotten what it’s like… No matter what you try to tell yourself… You know goddamned well she’s worth the risk.”
It would have been easier, faster to have just stayed in the city for what was left of the night. But I drove back out to the cabin anyway. I never should have fucking left there in the first place. Tiny glowing embers still burned in the banked fire. I climbed the stairs, leaving a trail of clothing behind me. By the time I reached the top of the stairs, I was naked and aching with the need for release. My rigid cock swayed against my belly as I leaned in to turn on the shower. It was maddeningly insistent, both excruciating and exquisite all at once. When the pulsing water hit rigid, sensitive flesh, I had to clench my teeth to stop from groaning out loud. I’d spent the last five hours wanting to bury everything I had between Emily’s sweet little good-girl thighs. And I’d held myself back.
But not now… not now… I gripped ten long inches of hot, hard flesh in one big hand and gave in.
I gave in to the fantasy of reaching under the tiny fluff of her skirt and using my fingers to tear away the center of those barely-there stockings she’d had on. I imagined the white lace panties that would be as wet and sweet as she was. But I didn’t want her from behind, at least not the first time… I wanted to see her face when I touched her… when I filled her all the way up.
I jerked my cock hard and felt the head swell. It had always been large, now it was immense… and dark with its pent-up desire.
If I’d unzipped at the party and just lifted her up with m
y hands… I could have dropped her down slowly onto my shaft and watched her eyes as she took me. One of the waist-high hedges would have concealed us… I could have turned turn my back to the party and my body would have shielded hers from view. Her arms around my neck… my hands supporting her delicate weight, I could have kissed those full, sweet lips while I rocked her on the end of my cock… letting my thick, fucking head work her clit to a hard, slippery pearl…
My thighs clenched tight and I felt the searing shock of liquid heat surge up. Another hard jerk with my fist and I came, gushing seed into the water that beat down on me. Thick, hot streams shot in powerful bursts as I strained to imagine the expression on her face… the look in her eyes… my passion flowing down the insides of her tender thighs. How would she feel, knowing we were inches away from being seen… seconds away from getting caught…?
In my mind, I saw her sweet, satisfied smile as she threw her head back
and surrendered.
10
Emily
Seven thousand dollars.
Not the five he owed me… but seven thousand dollars. I hadn’t taken the time to count it the night before. But this morning I sat at the dinette in the kitchen and just stared, stunned at the piles of bills. Chase had overpaid me by thousands. And I had to give it back.
Reese knocked gently on the wooden trim of the doorway and smiled when I looked up. “Cash?” she asked, looking at the stacks. “Seriously… they paid us in cash?”
“No kidding. Not only that, but it’s too much. I think they got their wires crossed somewhere, in how much they still owed us.” I blinked up at her as she poured herself a cup of coffee and plunked down in the metal chair opposite me. “Did I get my wires crossed too?,” I asked. “Today’s Sunday… right?”
She took a sip and made a face. “Remind me never to let you make the coffee for our customers,” she muttered. “Yeah, it’s our day off. But I came over to give you this…,” she handed me a slip of paper. The handwriting was large and elegant. Amelia’s name and number… plus Chris’s as well…
“She gave me this right before she left last night,” Reese went on, stirring another spoonful of sugar into her mug. “She said you should give her a call about the bridal shower. That if you have trouble reaching her, you can always call her brother…”
“You could have called me with the numbers…”
“And miss a chance to pump you for information? Hell no, I wasn’t gonna call… Now give. I saw how he was looking at you last night. When a man looks at a woman like that, he wants more than to thank her for a job well done.” Her brown eyes sparkled. “Depending on the kind of job…,” she added teasingly. “I saw him lead you off during the fireworks…”
I felt the blush burn its way from my cheeks to my toes, knowing my chance to pretend innocence was hopelessly lost. I took her hand and gripped it tight, grateful to have someone I could tell.
“It wasn’t like that,” I said dismissively. “Not between the two of us, anyway. It was something I’d seen earlier between… well… between another couple…” I blushed again and lowered my voice. “He… this man was having sex with a girl, right where anybody could have seen them…”
“And Chase wanted to make sure you wouldn’t go spreading stories about the wild parties he and his colleagues throw.” She nodded. “We’ve all heard a tale or two about the relationship between privilege and decadence.” She looked at the pile of cash on the table and aimed her dark brown eyes straight into mine. “So what happens on the job, stays on the job… right?”
“Right,” I said coolly. “We just do what we’re hired to do. The rest is none of our business.” I gathered the money and the slip with the phone numbers. “Do you think that’s wrong, Reese? God knows, I can’t talk to my grandmother about this… hell, I already know what she’d say.”
“Well, I say you can’t hold a host responsible for the behavior of his guests. And besides… what happens between consenting adults is their own business. And we’ve already got offers for more work than we’ve had in the last six months. Who knows how much more could come our way.” Reese gave me a sidelong look. “And I still say that Christopher Chase had more than just business on his mind when he was looking at you, Em.” She smiled thoughtfully. “He’s rich and drop-dead gorgeous, you know… A girl could do a lot worse…”
I felt that slow, delicious heat course through my body again at the thought of him. He was so… so… overwhelming in every way. Tall and dark and intriguing as hell. Just standing near him had seemed to heighten all my senses. His eyes on mine made me feel like anything might happen. The whole evening had set a hundred different fantasies loose in my head, about what those huge hands could do to my naked flesh, just given the chance.
“It’s not just that,” I answered slowly, looking up to meet her eyes. “Not just who he is… or how he looks at me…” I swallowed, trying to force down the bad, bad girl inside me who wanted what she couldn’t have, or didn’t dare have…
“He’s rich, gorgeous, hot… every girl’s dream… But it isn’t just that. He was kind to me too, and respectful,” I said, more calmly than I felt. “Whatever else might go on in his kind of social circles,
Christopher Chase, at least, is a gentleman.”
“So, we’re all set for the fifteenth?”
Amelia’s voice tinkled like a silvery bell over the phone. I’d spent an hour pacing the floor after Reese had left, trying to work up the courage to call Chris. I’d settled for his sister instead.
“Sunday, the fifteenth at five o’clock, “ I repeated, putting the date on my calendar as I spoke. “I’ve made notes for the cake and the goody bags.” I scrolled through some of the photographs she’d sent as inspiration. “I think I’ve got a good sense of what you’re looking for…”
“And if you’ve got questions, just give me a ring. I swear, Becca’s been planning this wedding since we were six years old… Now, you’re sure you don’t mind doing a light buffet, too?” Amelia asked kindly. “I know I kinda sprung the idea on you last minute…”
“I couldn’t be more excited,” I reassured her. “This whole job is like a dream come true for me. I like baking, but real cooking’s always been my first love. I can promise you, I won’t let you or Becca down.”
“I know you won’t,” she said confidently. “And you’ll get some great exposure. Some of her friends will be planning their own weddings soon. Bring a thick stack of business cards along.”
“Thank you, Amelia,” I breathed. “I will…”
We said our goodbyes and I started dialing again before I had a chance to think… or to lose my nerve. He answered on the second ring, catching me between breaths and speechless for a second, at the intimate sound of his voice in my ear.
“Hello?” he repeated, “Who’s there?”
“Emily,” I said, stopping to clear my throat. “I’m the caterer from the…”
“I remember,” he cut me off, his voice low… deep… “It’s interesting you chose to call just now… I was thinking about you.” He cleared his throat too. “What is it I can do for you?”
I tried to ignore the effect of his words on the pace of my heart. “I’m afraid I was too… well… I didn’t catch the mistake until this morning,” I stammered awkwardly. “I’m afraid you overpaid me last night, quite a considerable amount.”
“Did I?” he asked softly.
“I didn’t know how you’d prefer me to return it to you…” My heart was pounding at the thought I might get to see him again…
“Have dinner with me,” he said abruptly. It wasn’t a question.
“I… I’m sorry…?”
“We left something unfinished last night. And I need to see you.
I’ll be in the city this evening. I’ll pick you up at six.”
11
Chase
I slipped my phone into the back pocket of my jeans and took hold of the axe handle again. Bracing the log with one heavy boot, I rocke
d the blade back and forth until it came loose and lifted it up for the next swing. It cut straight through, splitting the wood cleanly in two, and I tossed the pieces onto the growing pile. I sat another log on the stump and swung again. Hard.
I could have told her the money was no accident, told her to simply keep it. It’s what I would be telling her in person tonight anyway.
I could have warned her off Sutton as well… suggesting she might do better to avoid the smaller, more scandalous parties he tended to host. It would hardly be a problem to make sure her schedule was filled with enough work elsewhere. I could have told her everything over the phone. She would have listened to me and I knew it. Persuasion was one of my strengths…
I set up another swing, and the sharp crack of wood filled the silence around me. I’d struck far harder than necessary, sinking the blade deep into the stump and sending chips flying in all directions. I stopped and wiped a sleeve across my sweating forehead. Cool as the day was, especially up in the mountains, my shirt was plastered to my back and only added to my growing irritation.
I peeled it off and chopped the remaining wood without the pleasure it usually gave. I stacked the last of it neatly enough, and headed inside for a shower. The ice cold water did little to cool the heat inside me. My cock responded to the pounding of the water the same as if I’d been driving it into sweet, tender flesh.
That undeniable need was the only reason I’d be taking Emily to dinner tonight and I knew it deep down… where the demon inside me lived. That dark part of me wanted to take her a hundred different ways… in a hundred different places… giving pleasure neither of us could even imagine. But it would drive me to use her and leave her too, all in search of the next challenge… the next fucking conquest. And that was something I could never allow…
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