by A. m Madden
I’m leaving in ten minutes. Chill.
The dots danced, and an immediate reply appeared.
I’ll show you just how chill I can be when you get back here… with my mouth between your legs.
Holy hell, this man. How could someone even respond to that? Thank you? Yes, please?
After our whirlwind morning, Dante said he had a few hours of editing to do before the photos needed to be sent to Taunt, and I took the opportunity to go back to my apartment. I had no clothes to wear besides his, no makeup, no deodorant… although, I loved smelling like him.
Still. We’d been together since he’d brought me lunch the day before, and if I hadn’t insisted on giving him time to do his job, I’d be on his couch right now… or maybe tied to it.
Was that normal? I tried to remember if my friends, when they began their relationships, were with their guys day and night. And thinking back, I did recall barely seeing Brae or Vanessa once Jude and Kyle got their hooks in them.
Regardless, I couldn’t help but wonder how we got there. Was it two people building a relationship or was it infatuation? And needing time away from him had little to do with wanting space, but more to do with worrying whatever this was between us would fizzle out as quickly as it sparked.
The buzzing of another text forced me to hurriedly throw the last of my things into the small bag I had packed. Once I took a quick mental inventory of what I’d need until tomorrow night, including the black dress Dante bought for me, I grabbed my phone, purse, and bag to go back to his place. On the way down in the elevator, I glanced at the text. Through that damn group chat app she loved, Brae asked if anyone was up for Dispatch later tonight. Not knowing what Dante wanted to do, I waited to respond until I got back to his apartment.
As if reading my mind, Dante texted right after Brae, but it was directed only to me.
Don’t respond to Brae yet. I have plans for us tonight.
You’re so bossy.
What came next was a picture of Dante, erect and in all his glory, with the words:
No… he is.
Even while alone in the elevator, my cheeks blazed as my thighs instantly pressed together. Desire flared in every nerve ending south of my belly button. He wasn’t kidding when he said he’d ruin me for all others… it already had happened.
Through naughty texts, Dante continued to entertain me, making the trek uptown go by in no time at all. Just as I swiped my card in the cab’s credit-card reader, a knock on the window caused me to jump.
“It sure took you long enough,” Dante said the moment he opened the door. With one hand on my bag, and the other gripping my wrist, he practically dragged me through the lobby of his building.
“What’s the rush?” I half asked, half laughed, once we were inside the elevator. No response came, because my back was up against the wall and his mouth was on mine before the doors even slid shut. The kiss lasted the entire ride and left me panting. “You missed me,” I said matter-of-factly.
“As if my texts, and the dick pic, didn’t clue you in to that already?” He pulled me by the hand until we stood in his foyer, where he resumed our make-out session. Kissing him usually led to all sorts of salacious foreplay, which usually led to him inside me.
A teeny, tiny seed of doubt festered, wondering if he was so worked up because of Hailey’s pictures he had been editing. But as quickly as it pricked deep inside, it vanished, remembering all he had said after that shoot.
Regardless, my attention was caught by Charlene’s picture over his shoulder as she stared back at me. Dante followed my gaze before bringing his chocolate-brown eyes back to mine. “It’s just art, Cassandra.”
“I know,” I said with a genuine smile. I truly did believe her face on his wall no longer had anything to do with their relationship. That didn’t mean I liked looking at it. He continued to study my expression for a few long moments, and I tried to make it as tranquil as possible.
Before I knew what was happening, he walked over to the picture, lifted it off its hooks, and leaned it against the wall, facing backward. I couldn’t believe he had done that, and I was sure the shock I felt replaced the easygoing aura I struggled to maintain.
He came back to stand before me. “Now go put on that dress I know will hug every damn one of your curves so we can get out of here. Don’t forget your come fuck me heels.”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.” Raising my brow in protest of not being in the know, Dante shook his head. “Don’t give me that look, Cassandra. For once just do what I say.”
A familiar door came into view as our cab rolled up to the curb. It didn’t take long for my pulse to quicken, remembering the last time we were there. Dante might have called it dancing, but I considered it just another method of Dante’s foreplay… and it worked.
Once again, Marisa greeted us at the door. Dante kissed both sides of her cheeks before reintroducing us. Unlike before, I knew what was coming, and my anxiety wasn’t from nerves but from anticipation.
With his hand possessively holding mine, we wove through the small crowd. The deep bass of the Latin music pulsed around us. Rather than stop at the bar for cocktails, Dante led me straight to the dance floor.
The thin silk material of my dress, and the smooth fabric of his slacks, made a poor barrier against his hard muscles. Every nuance, ridge, and dip could be felt as though we were naked. Maybe that was his plan when he bought this band-aid of a dress.
Dante placed one hand on my ass and pulled me into his body, sending an electrifying shudder to reverberate through me. My body had become a live wire, and Dante was the spark plug. His leg slid between mine, forcing the hem circling my thighs to rise.
Falling in line with his moves, I crawled my fingers up his back, around his shoulders, and into the collar of his dress shirt. He pitched his pelvis forward, providing the friction I needed. Our hips rolled in unison, simulating making love and not merely dancing. My body knew how to move with his, and all the apprehension I’d felt the first time no longer existed. Even my trepidation of feeling inadequate with the skilled dancers around us vanished. Tonight, it was just Dante and me in our own world.
One song melded into the next, and before we knew it the only thing that kept us vertical was the fact we were in a public place. Dante’s shirt exposed a tantalizing patch of tan skin at the base of his neck. As always, the outline of that damn piercing beckoned my mouth to suck and tug it with my teeth.
He squeezed my ass harder as his lips took residence all over my skin. They traveled from my neck to my jaw, my lips, and anytime they landed on my ear, he’d nibble my lobe and whisper a naughty thought—the last of which was how badly he wanted to bury his cock deep inside me. We were working ourselves into a frenzy, and if we didn’t get out of there soon I’d be dragging him into the ladies’ room.
“We need to get out of here, Dante.” My plea was met with dark, lustful eyes. “Please.”
“I have a better idea, Cassandra.”
Dante
I hesitated before opening the door. A mixture of intrigue and fear had those cornflower-blue eyes widened in expectation. “Ready?” I asked, trying to give her one more out. But at her nod, just as she had when I brought her up the curved staircase to the private rooms, the eagerness and curiosity she felt appeared to override any nervousness.
Still gripping her hand, I opened the door with the key Marisa provided and led her into the room. A dim burgundy glow, coming from the tube lighting running around the ceiling’s perimeter, gave a womblike atmosphere. It illuminated the space just enough to reveal a black leather chaise, a matching couch, a few scattered tables, and a sex swing suspended in the corner.
Just thinking about her naked, restrained while free for my taking, caused my cock to swell with want.
Cassie pulled out of my grip, took a few tentative steps forward, and appraised what surrounded us. She held herself tightly as her gaze swept over the room before landing on my face. “
No bed?”
I almost laughed at the one thing she noticed, and not the other obvious aids clearly there for patrons to enjoy during coitus. “No. It’s more for exploring than straight up fornicating.”
“Have you been in here before?” she asked, her insecurity revealed by a firm bite of her bottom lip.
“Not this room.”
“How many rooms are there?”
“Four.” Sparing her the next question that no doubt bounced around in her mind, I added, “I usually kept to the one room we used.”
“We?”
“The rare times Charlene and I were in Manhattan together, we’d occasionally come here.” I wasn’t discomfited to admit it had been my ex that I’d been there with. I strived to always be honest with Cassie, and I wanted her to do the same. “Does that bother you?”
“No,” she responded easily. “We both have pasts, and that was well before we met. I am relieved there aren’t ghosts of the two of you in here, though.”
I closed the distance between us, coming toe-to-toe but otherwise not touching her. “I don’t have any ghosts, Cassandra. It’s just you and me.” Her eyes tracked the slow movement of my hand as it raised up to cup her chin. “I didn’t bring you here to relive some erotic fantasy I once had. I brought you here to create our own. This is something I enjoy doing, and I want to share that with you. I also want you to feel comfortable telling me anything that’s on your mind, anything you would like to explore, or not. If this is too much, I’ll throw you over my shoulder right now, hail a cab, and take you back to my place to fuck you senseless.” I skimmed her bottom lip with my thumb before bringing her face closer to mine. “But if this is something that interests you…” I then took her hand and pressed it against my hardened cock. “Then I’ll bring you to a level of pleasure that you’ve never experienced in your life.”
In her eyes, I could see the stages of her decision-making. “I want you to… to give me that. I crave it, Dante. I never realized how much before you came into my life. I trust you and want you to share all your fantasies with me… I want to be your fantasy.”
My lips were on hers in an instant. She immediately opened for me, allowing my tongue to stroke, to tease. I may have started the kiss, but she took over, sucking on my tongue and molding her curves against my body. I wasn’t sure if it was her last declaration or if it was me that caused a switch to flip.
Cassie held nothing back. Nowhere could I detect any doubt, any shyness, any hang-ups on her part. Maybe it was the exhilaration of being a wall away from others bursting with their own sexual escapades, or maybe it was a precipice she finally hurtled within her, but either way, the door had been opened for me.
With our mouths fused, our tongues dancing as erotically as our bodies had downstairs, I found the zipper to her dress and lowered it. My palms sought out the smooth, warm skin of her back, searching for more of her flesh to touch. Dragging the silky fabric with my hands, I peeled it away until it restricted her arms. I broke the kiss and allowed the dress to fall, only to catch sight of it pooling at her feet. “Fuck,” escaped without conscious thought. Seeing her in the skimpiest black lace bra, one that barely covered her nipples, and a matching thong forced my hand down to bring relief to my engorged cock.
“It’s new.” She looked at me with a blazing intensity. “So where do you want me?”
“Everywhere.” I offered my hand, which she accepted, and helped her step out of her dress. The photographer in me snapped image after mental image of the perfection that was Cassandra Brooks. The stark contrast between the black lace and her creamy skin, the way her curves called to me, and how golden spun silk framed her gorgeous face all made her the most priceless work of art I’d ever seen.
Wordlessly, I led her to the one place I desperately needed her. The grosgrain straps holding a minuscule leather hammock would give me unfettered access to every part of her body. Again, just the thought sent a surge of anticipation through me, rivaling any and all previous feelings of lust.
Cassie pivoted on her stilettos and stripped herself of her thong and bra. Wearing only her heels, she looked up at me before reaching for one of the foot-straps. “This is interesting.” The corners of her mouth quirked up at the sides, most likely wondering how it all worked.
I placed my hands on her waist and hoisted her up so the curves of her ass were nestled on the leather seat between two horizontal straps. Taking the loops that she had just had in her hand, I placed one foot in and then the other. On her own, she gripped the harness attached to the ceiling.
Seeing Cassie in this element, one so far removed from her own, gave me pause. I needed to take a moment to study her. Taking a couple steps back, I stared at the woman who was not only my fantasy, but one who had taken a piece of my heart.
The swing rocked back and forth, bringing her bare pink pussy closer and closer to me. My resolve was starting to diminish, but this was all about her tonight. All about showing her a piece of my world. I reached into the side table, pulling out a black-lace blindfold along with a rectangular box.
Cassie’s eyes widened before softening. “Everything here is brand new. Don’t worry.”
“I’m not worried,” she whispered, sounding like a true seductress.
“Good. Now close your eyes.” Once I impaired her vision, I watched as her breasts rose and fell with every deep breath. Her legs flexed, causing the swing to move. Not being able to wait a second longer, I pulled the apparatus toward me and kissed her lips. “Fucking beautiful… and addicting. That’s what you are, Cassandra. And mine.”
“Yes, yours.”
I popped the lid off the box, took out a vibrator from its packaging, and rubbed a dab of lube around it. It wasn’t as large as I was, but it was going to serve its purpose. I gently pushed Cassie back and when she swung forward, the tip of the purple toy entered her. My thumb then pushed the button, bringing it to life.
The buzzing sound brought a smile to my girl’s face. Even with her eyes closed, she knew what was coming. Stopping her mid-swing, I teased her pulsing clit with the toy. She bucked forward and moaned “That feels so good. Please… don’t stop, Dante.”
Stop? Was she kidding? I was just getting started.
Chapter 20
Cassie
Every part of my body ached in the most delicious of ways. As I sat in the restaurant waiting for the girls to arrive for brunch, I couldn’t stop remembering the menu of erotic delicacies Dante manipulated my body with. The way he touched me with his fingers, tongue, and sex toys ignited my inner fire. And each time he did, and I took a deep sharp breath, he’d moan in satisfaction.
The swing held and moved my body, making me pliable, and open, to anything he desired. Being blindfolded, limiting my sense of sight, only heightened the other senses and brought me to a place I didn’t even know existed. The entire experience left me with a newfound sexual appetite. By the time we left Alessandro’s, I was on such a high, and Dante was my drug.
Giggles and chatter brought me out of my daydream. Looking up, I saw Brae, Vanessa, and Sabrina heading in my direction.
“Good morning, sunshine,” Vanessa said, plopping in the chair across from me and next to Sabrina. Brae followed, kissing the top of my head before sitting to my left.
“I hope you weren’t waiting long, Cass,” Brae said before signaling for our waitress. We all ordered coffee, and, of course, Vanessa ordered our customary mimosas.
“Not at all, but you’re usually the first one here, Brae.”
“Well, Jude was being Jude this morning, and it took me a little while before he released me.”
Vanessa rolled her eyes. “That man is as possessive as they come. I’m surprised he doesn’t make the guys come here rather than go to the gym on Sunday mornings.”
“Don’t give him any ideas,” Brae said with a smirk, although she truly didn’t look too upset that her husband was a classic caveman when it came to her.
The waitress returned with our beverages,
and once she took our orders conversation resumed.
“I love Sunday brunches. Thank you for including me,” Sabrina said with a genuine smile.
“Of course.” Brae reached across the table to clasp her hand. “We’ve been meeting for Sunday brunch for so long. It used to be every week, but once the men came into the picture we were forced to give them one Sunday a month,” Brae informed with an eye roll. “They know not to complain, or we’ll go back to weekly brunch. If Desiree were here, she’d be annoyed we conceded at all.”
“Oh, please,” Vanessa said with a sarcastic gape. “You were worse than Des. You and your damn yoga. I should kiss Soren’s feet for sinking his claws in you, or I’d be dead by now because of all the damn namaste torture you subjected us to.”
Brae scoffed, “Your core is suffering, Vanessa. If you stuck with it, you’d have more stamina.”
“My stamina is just fine.”
“Well, I appreciate the girl time,” Sabrina said with a sigh. “Luca takes Mikey out for breakfast on the Sundays I join you guys. It gives me time to sleep in, and it gives them time together. Between Mikey and work, I relish the mornings when I don’t need to set an alarm clock.”
“That’s so sweet.” Brae’s dreamy expression brought a smile to my face. It warmed my heart how happy she was, and that reminded me of my own euphoria.
“Technically, it’s still Saturday night for me,” Vanessa announced with a wink. Lifting her mimosa, she added, “That’s why I need this to wake up. Once we got home from Dispatch, Kyle caught his second wind.”
Before the conversation took a turn down Vanessa’s sexual avenue, I quickly veered it to safer ground. “How was Dispatch last night? Oh, did they have any info on the Halloween party yet?”
