by Claire, Ava
****
I breathed in and out and moved forward. My body was already on board. I just had to get my head to catch up.
He was watching my movements, passion flickering in his eyes as I came closer. He shifted to the side, stopping me from stepping outside. His eyes glittered down at me, heat radiating from him.
He cupped the sides of my face. "Take off the dress."
I kept my eyes on him, letting go of my hold on the material. Watching him drink it up as I pulled it over my hips and let it fall the rest of the way. His eyes worked over the contours of my body and the only thing that kept me from gripping him or doing some physical version of 'now what?' was the fact that I saw he was fighting to keep himself from touching me. From taking me right on the spot.
He stepped to the side and I slid past, willing myself to look at the spanking bench and not the building on the other side of the bustling street.
I concentrated on everything else. How the breeze stroked my naked body, delicious against my alert nerves. The sounds of the city instead of my heart roaring in my ears. The smell of the air. Of Jacob coming up behind me. Of his fingers tracing my spine.
"I wish you could see how beautiful you look, Leila." His voice was so low, stroking me as gently as his fingers. "Have you tried out the bench?”
"Yes sir," I said softly, stepping forward and straddling it. As much as I could anyway. Positioning my body near the end, leg on each side and lowering. There were a few key differences. I'd been clothed then. And even though I'd imagined what it'd be like to ease my body forward until it was flush against the bench and feel him beside me, fantasy paled in comparison to reality.
The strokes lengthened, his path angling toward my bottom until his fingers drew up the rounded curve, kneading it and making me squirm.
"Are you ready?"
I must have said ‘yes sir’ because there would have been repercussions if I hadn't. I was in a daze, lowering myself on the bench.
I strained my neck, fingertips millimeters from the pavement. Tingling. I was completely exposed but I wasn’t thinking about any eyes that could be pointed in our direction. The little voice in my head whispered that my zen at being naked on a bench on the patio was because no one could see me. And if they could, all I could see was the cement.
But it was more than that. I trusted Jacob. And even though I was still coming to terms with the part of me that seemed to love pushing the envelope, doing things that would make the old vanilla part of me blush, it was the fact that I was listening to that side that made me smile. My dark, kinky side. The piece of me that was counting down the seconds, aching for him to spank me.
“Do I need to get restraints?”
“No sir,” I said without hesitation. I would lie there and take it. I wasn’t gonna run. Not that I would get very far anyway since the railing was only a few inches away.
“Good girl,” he said huskily. I shivered when his hand rested on my lower back, pleasure vibrating through me. “You will count...and use your color if you need it.”
The hand was creeping downward, cupping my cheeks and my eyes rolled back in my head. We hadn’t even gotten to the main event and already I felt like I could come on the spot. The hand tightened, a piece of flesh blooming as pain snapped me from my daze.
“Are you listening?” he asked sternly.
Uh oh. “No sir.” I clenched my fists as the pinch intensified, grounding me.
“Don’t let that happen again,” he admonished me.
I squeezed my eyes shut, my body tensing. “I’m sorry.” As soon as ‘sorry’ dropped from my lips he released me and traded the pinch for tender strokes.
“Are you ready to begin?”
I relaxed my fists, fingers spreading out. Trembling with anticipation. “Yes sir.”
The first strike was a whisper, lust curling around me, its slice making my core weep. “One.”
I drew a shaky breath as the second landed, any fog officially cleared as my bottom tingled.
“Three.” The tickle became a sting, pinpricks lighting along the surface.
Four spread them, making me bite my lip.
Five...well, five showed me that this was no game at all. I felt every inch of his hand throbbing against my skin, even after he retracted.
Six and I bit down on my lip, connecting the pain on my behind with the new slice of it that clutched my lip.
Seven and my mouth was open, a silent cry echoing through me. I felt his need to release, to take me to the edge with every strike.
Eight.
Nine.
Ten.
I wanted to hold on, to surrender to the bliss of pain; that moment where the two stark emotions bled into one another. Between my legs I knew I could go there and beyond. I was already spiraling out of control, my climax a word away. But the rest of me was on fire.
“Yellow,” I said hoarsely when we hit seventeen. Louder. “Yellow.”
Eighteen didn’t come and when I heard his footsteps retreat I almost leapt up and told him that I took it back. I missed it. I felt like that was crazy, the rational, thinking part of me wondered what screw was loose that made me entertain the thought of him coming back and wailing on me until I went numb. To abandon everything but the count. To focus on nothing except us. But I didn’t move from the bench, using the moments to breathe, to stretch out my fingers and toes.
His feet reappeared beside me, a finger stroking a curl before I heard the click sound of a top being flipped.
“This may be cold.”
I sucked in a breath behind my teeth as I felt the chill of the medicated lotion, the stuff tingling as it warmed, smoothing away the last tendrils of pain. He bent down beside me, his face level to mine. Blue eyes searched me, the concern making me smile.
“You alright?” My smile broadened just as a tear sprung free and he leaned forward, cupping my cheek as he paled. “God, Leila if it was too much you should have-”
I shook my head adamantly. “It wasn’t. I used it when I needed to.” I felt my nipples aching, the place inside me unfulfilled. “In fact, I, uh...”
His fingers drew to my chin, thumb sweeping across my bottom lip. “You want more, huh?”
I clenched between my legs, nodding enthusiastically. “Yes sir.”
He smirked, his eyes dark with mischief. “You are insatiable, Leila Montgomery.”
I bat my eyelashes at him boldly. “Have you seen yourself lately? I didn’t stand a chance.”
He stood up, gesturing for me to join him. My limbs should have felt like jello but I was so into him, into feeling him that I practically leapt to my feet, feeling sure. Confident. How could I not be with him looking at me that way?
“For curiosity's sake, if I let you take the reins, what would be next?”
My eyes darted to his groin then back up before I asked him coyly, “May I show you?”
“By all means.”
I reached forward, slowly pulling his belt loose and holding onto his heated gaze as I pulled down the zipper. I slid my hand inside his boxers, moaning behind my lips when I gripped him, hand barely able to fit around the engorged bulge. His jaw tightened, still fighting to maintain control but when I started sliding up and down the shaft, his mouth opened as he looked down at me, a low moan hanging in the space between us.
“I want to take you in my mouth,” I said softly.
His lips trembled but his voice was steady and authoritative. Just like I liked it.
“Then get on your knees.”
I lowered my body slowly, bringing his pants with me. They pooled at his feet and he stepped out of them, offering me some barrier between my knees and the cement. Not that I would have felt discomfort. I was focused on nothing other than the way he twitched and throbbed in my hand.
I took him firmly in one hand and leaned forward, tongue dancing over the slit, the velvety taste of him coating my tongue. I let my tongue roam around the mushroom tip, lingering when his muscles flexed and his cock th
umped in approval. I brought my other hand to the base of him, pumping in tandem with my mouth. His hand knotted in my hair as he drug me up and down the length. His grip reminded me that even though he was wildly thrusting his hips, a slave to my mouth, he was still running things.
He brought me back to my feet as his balls tightened, heart lurching to my throat. "Inside."
We barely made it back through the door. My fingers were flying down the row of buttons, not stopping until I saw his hardened chest. It was discarded, the boxers next as we dashed up the staircase. He spun me around and slammed me against the wall, inches from the bed. We were so close but he was already spreading me, fingers plunging inside like he was tired of waiting. I leaned back against the wall, neck fully exposed as I swirled my hips. The fingers were so deep that I was gasping for air, hands clawing at his chest as he filled me before retreating. Eyes watching. Love burning in the blue.
He drove his digits in me, voice deep as sin, speaking the fact of my state of climax. “You’re close.”
I couldn’t speak so I shook my head and moaned.
He pulled me from the wall and threw me onto the bed, chest heaving. Every beautiful, hardened vein popped beneath the skin of him.
When I brought my knees up his eyes devoured the heat between my legs before he rushed into the divide, spreading me as he gripped my hips and thrust inside of my sex.
The feel of him moving, pounding me into the mattress coursed as wildly as the blood in my veins. Every inch brought a new sensation.
As soon as my eyes fluttered closed, I snapped them back open and he smiled his approval. He wanted to look at me, peel back every layer until there was only me. And it wasn't a one sided thing. As he rocked into me, he let me know him. See things no one else got to see. The raw emotion that rippled across his face. Wide open vulnerability. The truth that a man with everything guarded but couldn’t hide when we were so close our souls touched.
He plunged deeper, filling me to the hilt.
“If I ever lost you...” He slowly drew out and slammed back inside me, a moan ripping through his body. It was raw emotion. Anguish. Need.
I brought my hands up, gripping the globes of his ass. Digging my fingers in possessively. I didn’t want to ever lose him either. I was his...and he was mine. “You won’t. Ever.”
He switched positions, taking my legs from his hips and vaulting them to his chest. I was parallel, a foot on each side of his head.
He moved back inside me, my body reaching for him, clenching him as he filled every part of me. I looked up at him, every perfect line of his face connected to me.
His lush lips formed a single word. Together.
I hoped it meant what I thought because when I felt his release I let go, my body clamping, clenching, tingling and alive with love for him. So much love I swear my heart would explode.
We slumped onto the sheets, breathing still labored, speech impossible. But we didn’t need words. He brought me to his chest and I smiled as I listened to his racing heart, closing my eyes.
****
I flipped up the collar of my jacket, the night air crisp. Jacob’s arm rounded my shoulder, pulling me close before I even shivered, his body warmth radiating over me. Perfect. Not that we needed it. The night was already perfect. I was still recovering from the aftershocks of what we’d done on the terrace. Up against the wall. In the bed. And then the leg thing in the shower.
And then there was this night. Stars blinking in the sky. People zipping past, love, life bustling around every corner. It was almost enough to make me forget that me and Jacob weren’t just spending a night out, enjoying some post coital tingles and winks over a cup of coffee.
“You’re the one that told me I should be open to her. That I should give her a chance to explain.”
“Yeah, but-”
“Five minutes. And the moment she says anything offensive, which will probably be less than five minutes in, it’s done.”
I’d let out a begrudging okay, wishing I could take back my attempts at rebuilding bridges. After the night we had, anything happening that could diminish the high I was on made me want to kick and scream.
We stopped at the crosswalk in front of the coffee shop. We were that much closer to the end of this buzz.
I perked up on my toes and pressed my lips against his cheek. Lingering. Inhaling the warm, dry smell of him.
He peered down at me with a smile. “What was that for?”
Just because would have been romantic. The truth was decidedly less so. “For courage.”
His smile faltered, but the hand wrapped around mine tightened reassuringly. “It’ll be okay.”
The signal beeped for us to cross and I exhaled as the world around me changed. The sounds that I’d loved before were suddenly too loud and grating. Instead of ignoring the people that seemed too close before, I glared at the backs of those who hustled past, invading my personal space. When we stepped inside the coffee shop, the usually welcome aroma of coffee beans was overwhelming.
We scanned the room, seeing no one that looked out of place. Just the usual coffee shop patrons. Businessman on a blackberry. Young people in beanies, gripping lattes.
“Why don’t you go and find us somewhere to sit?” Jacob asked, watching me carefully.
I nodded and scoped out the unoccupied spaces. There was a small two seater near the back. Near the bathroom if I needed to put a wall between us. But that meant close proximity to Alicia.
There was an L shaped couch with a rectangular table near the middle, people sitting at the single tables around it. More space and the fact people were a few feet away would help Alicia keep things in perspective...and give us witnesses if she tried anything.
I slumped down into the seat, bringing my nails to my mouth as I stared at the door. Like he knew exactly what I was doing, Jacob stepped into my line of sight, giving me a steely look.
I rolled my eyes and cut my attention back to the front, looking at some painfully abstract painting before going back to biting my nails.
Jacob came over, ball cap barely shielding his intense blue eyes. Not that anyone here was of the squealing, picture snapping variety. His disguise was still hot. He wore a heather gray tee and deep blue jeans that fit him perfectly. The women perked as he walked by, eyes on his ass.
He held out my coffee. “I got you an extra shot.”
“Thank god,” I murmured, cradling the cup between my hands. I gave him a sidelong look. “And thank you.”
“No problem.” He lowered himself to the cushion beside me, already sipping his drink. He was trying to seem ambivalent but I knew he was more nervous than he let on. His foot tapped out a staccato beat and he just couldn’t keep still.
“It’s gonna be alright,” I said, even though I was already running through all the ways this meeting could go wrong. None of them had to do with the inevitable jabs she’d make about me. They were all about her little remarks about Jacob. About his father. I couldn’t deal with that. Not after I learned about his past. Which meant I might have to give up my pacifist ways and take Alicia out.
He glanced at his Rolex. “Maybe she’ll stand us up. See the address and decide it’s a little too middle class for her taste.”
I gave him a chuckle even though I could hear in his voice that wasn’t what he wanted at all. As much as he acted like he couldn’t stand his mother, there was a part of him that cared about her. That wanted her to do right by him.
I put my coffee on the table, putting a hand on his knee. Steadying him. Maybe me and Alicia’s talk shook something loose. Chiseled through the ice. Helped her find her heart.
The door swung open.
We were about to find out.
I nearly spit out my coffee when I saw that she was in an oversized white shirt and denim leggings. Her salt and pepper hair was held back by a flowered hair scarf and oversized Jackie O shades were over her eyes. I guess that was the only thing remotely Alicia Whitmore-like about her get-up. Wearing
sunglasses at 10 at night.
She saw us and flashed a brief smile before turning to the barista and giving him her order.
Jacob glanced at me, his expression glum. “Here we go.”
I brought my coffee to my lips, taking a hearty gulp and wishing I had some wine. A shot. An extra something-something to prepare me.
She started in our direction and the closer she got more waves of dread crashed into me until I sat there, stomach knotted, water up to my chin.
“It’s so great to see you two.”
Up to my mouth. Choking because the BS was too much. It was freaking unbearable. “Please don’t.”
She feigned innocence as she sat down in the seat opposite us. “What? I can’t be cordial?”
I felt the anger stifling me. Jacob and I could still be in bed, away from her toxicity. “Why don’t we try something different? Something real maybe?”
Jacob put his hand over mine. “Calm down, Leila.”
I bristled until I looked at him and saw the strain. I wasn’t helping things. I was making things worse. The eyes that were turned on us weren't looking at Alicia. They were ogling me.
I leaned back, taking a few breaths and tried to ignore the patronizing smirk on Alicia’s lips.
She got comfortable, bringing her cup to her nose and inhaling before she looked at us. “This place is very—” Poor? Unbearable. Beneath you? “—Quaint.”
I rolled my eyes and brought my cup to my lips to snuff out the smart comment rising in my throat.
“Do you two come here often?”
I let out a disgusted sigh, dropping my coffee on the table and crossing my arms.
“Is there a reason you asked us here?” The tightness in Jacob’s voice was proof he was tired of this game too.
Alicia put down her cup, her eyes looking back and forth between the two of us. “I’m trying here.”
“Trying what?” Jacob asked gruffly.
“To be nice.”
Oh geez. I opened my mouth but the snort Jacob let out was incredulous enough for the both of us. “Nice? Since when?”
