Getting Tricky

by Scarlett Finn

  If she didn’t laugh, she’d probably scream. “Trick!”

  “What?” he asked, shrugging and returning his fist to the side of his head. “I’ve had crazy fantasies about that mouth.”

  He exhaled and his eyes sank to her mouth as if he was languishing in memories of those fantasies.

  Tilting her head, she wondered, “Have you ever thought about me? Like that… if you…”

  “Jerk off?” he asked and seemed to enjoy her smile so much that he had to kiss her. “To be honest, since we got married, I haven’t really.”

  “Of course not,” she said, scowling at herself and shaking her head.

  He curled a finger under her chin. “Not because of why you’re thinking,” he said. “Because of the cameras. There are cameras in the shower, in my bedroom, everywhere I might think of having some quality time with myself… I did on honeymoon after I saw you in that bikini. But I don’t guess there were a lot of guys who didn’t after they saw that.”

  Skimming his hand down over her belly, he bowed over her to kiss the swell of her breast. “It was just a bathing suit,” she said. “I like swimming and it’s functional. It wasn’t sexual.”

  “Oh, it was,” he murmured, opening his hand to squeeze it between her back and the bed. When she realized what he was doing, she lifted to let his hand in. Unclasping her bra with one hand, Trick proved his skills, and she helped him pull the straps down her arms to cast it aside. “These are beautiful.”

  Watching his hand as it ran across her breasts, he squeezed each one, then bowed to kiss her nipple before he breathed it into his mouth. His mouth was incredible, he sucked hard and gentle, teasing her into a whimper, and a moan. One of his hands slithered down her body and down the front of her panties.

  Opening her legs for him, she lifted her hips when he slid a finger into her. “Oh, God, Trick,” she exhaled. Her heart was going so hard that she lost her breath. “Stop… please, stop.”

  Taking his mouth off her breast, he took a minute to focus on her eyes because there seemed to be a glaze over his. His hand stopped moving, but he didn’t take his finger out of her. “How can I make you feel good, love?”

  It was almost laughable that he was asking her for suggestions when he was the professional and she was the novice. “It does feel good,” she said, curling her body toward his. “I just… I need a minute.”

  Putting his arm around her, he pulled her to him and sank onto his back to hold her. After she let her eyes open, the first thing she saw was the proud protrusion of his penis sticking up toward her. His need was obvious, but he’d wanted to take care of hers first and even now, he was happy to just hold her when she said she wasn’t ready to be overwhelmed by him again.

  Reaching for him, curiosity made Lyla curl her fingers around him. This had been inside her. She’d gotten intimate with a part of his body that she’d never spent any time getting to know. Drawing a fingertip from the tip of him to his base, she let it move back and forth. He was long, but what did she know about how long penises should be? Thinking about doing research on the subject, Lyla decided it didn’t matter if he was bigger or smaller than what was average because what he had was perfect for her.

  His hand skimmed down her arm toward her hip and he began to lever her weight back, but she didn’t want him taking over, so she moved his hand back to her upper arm and then returned hers to his dick.

  Opening her hand, she spread the span of it flat on him then pushed down to gently rub his testicles beneath.

  “Damn,” he hissed.

  Instantly, her hand leapt away and she coiled her fingers into her palm. “Sorry,” she said.

  But he grabbed her wrist and pushed her hand back down. “No, baby, that feels good. That was good cursing.”

  Good cursing, ok.

  Encouraged, she slid away from his curled arm and moved her face onto his abdomen so she was literally face to face with the head of his penis. She didn’t even realize her hand had moved to his upper thigh until he rested a hand on her head and began to comb his finger through her hair to spread it across his upper torso.

  “What do you think it’s going to do?” he asked with a smile in his voice.

  “Am I making you uncomfortable?” she asked, aware of the weight of her head on his abdomen.

  But when she started to rise, he dropped his palm to her temple and pushed her back down. “Actually, can’t think of anywhere else on earth I’d rather be right now,” he said.

  Smiling, she was so flattered by how genuine he sounded that she turned her face and kissed his abs. Her cheek grazed the tip of his penis and she felt a shiver go through him. Wrapping her fingers around his shaft again, she edged forward, extending her tongue.

  At the first flicker of contact, he tensed and his fingers twined in her hair. “Don’t let me hurt you,” she said as she lifted a little to move lower.

  “Mm hmm,” he growled, the strained sound coming from the back of his throat. “Malloy, you don’t have to—”

  “I want to try,” she said, keeping her focus on his dick as she slid her fist up and down his shaft.

  She was never going to be a pro, and he’d probably had enough oral sex to last him a lifetime… or two. But she was curious and the best research was hands on.

  Kissing his head, she opened her lips and dipped to take him into her mouth. The mass of him was difficult to accommodate. Sucking him as far in as she could, she forgot to breathe and pulled back fast.

  Hmm, this wasn’t like she remembered it.

  Declan was the only man she’d tried oral with and he hadn’t been impressed by her efforts, so she had just assumed it wasn’t one of her strengths.

  But, for some reason, Lyla felt a real urge to do this. It had been Declan’s suggestion when they were together, but this was her choice. She wanted to do this for Trick; she had to at least give it a good try.

  “Come on, Lyla,” she muttered to herself and rose to her knees as she gathered her hair in her hands and held it in one hand at the back of her head.

  This was a challenge and she wasn’t giving up without a fight.

  Holding him tight, she bent over and kissed him again. Instead of going straight for the hard suck, she circled his head a few times. Sliding her tongue around the smooth crown, she dipped it lower over the ridge to his shaft. He’d said it felt good when she stroked his balls, so she slipped her hand from his shaft down over them, but that took him from her lips.

  Twisting to seek him out, Lyla was surprised to find that Trick was watching her. His head was propped on a pillow, his eyes were little more than slits, but he was definitely looking at her.

  “Will you hold my hair, please?” she asked because she didn’t have any ties on her. Scooping his hand up the back of her neck, he curled his fingers around hers to take over management of her hair. She smiled. “Thank you.”

  He kept his fingers tight around her hair, but managed not to restrict her movement as she went back to licking and tasting him. It helped her to have both hands freed up because she could explore and support him as much as she wanted to and while her mouth opened around him again, she sucked hard and squeezed her fingers around his base. Trick groaned and his hips rose, which pushed him deeper into her mouth.

  Drawing in a breath through her nose, Lyla tried her best to go with it. “Damn,” Trick moaned. “I’m sorry, baby.”

  But she’d got this far, and she was doing it. So she smiled and twisted to blink at him as she pulled back and went down to suck him deeper again. He bared his teeth and hissed. Yes, this was it, breathe, suck, it was all about the rhythm. Taking her time, she didn’t push too far and let him move in her one increment at a time.

  Her confidence grew and she kept going, letting her hand spread on his belly as the other fondled him, she twisted her head on the next descent and he swore.

  “Baby, I’m gonna come. You need to move.”

  Tugging her hair, he began to pull her up. But she whimpered and grabbed f
or his hand, frowning as she shook her head and sucked him again. Pulling his hand from her hair, she tossed it backward and saw his smile just a fraction of a second before her hair cascaded down over her face.

  Lyla gasped when he smacked her ass and gave her a squeeze, but her concentration was absolute. Making him come was her ultimate goal and if she could do it on her first try—

  “Damn,” he said and clenched as the warm, thick milk from his body burst into her mouth.

  Rising some, she kept her mouth around him, but didn’t want to choke, so she swallowed over and over, keeping the seal of her mouth around him until she was sure he was done.

  When Lyla rolled to her side, her head flopped back to the spot it had started on and she exhaled. “How was that?” she asked, pressing her hand to her hammering heart.

  “How was…?” Trick didn’t finish his sentence, he just took a breath and then laughed out loud.

  Hmm, maybe not the response she wanted. When she flipped her head over, he probably didn’t have time to read her frown before he grabbed her arms and hauled her up the bed to put her on her back.

  Pushing her hair up out of her face, she took a second to catch her breath. “Some women aren’t as naturally talented at this stuff,” she said. “I’m trying, Trick. I don’t think it’s right for you to laugh at me when—”

  “Laugh at you? Baby, I’m in love. How was that? It was incredible! And you swallowed, you didn’t have to do that, love.”

  “I wanted to,” she said, “was that wrong?”

  Shaking his head, he dipped to kiss her jaw then her neck. “No, baby, it was incredible. You’re incredible. You get top marks, extra credit, and a gold star… If I had the world, I’d give it to you right now. Geez, Malloy, what are you doing with a schmuck like me?” Tracing a fingertip up and down his chest, she was pleased that he was so happy, but suddenly felt a web of anxiety closing around her, which Trick must have sensed. “Baby, talk to me. You never have to do that again if you didn’t enjoy it. Never, Ly. I don’t need that—”

  “No,” she said, her eyes bouncing to his. “It’s not that, I was just thinking… I’ve… I’ve never felt like this before, Nairn.”

  “Good,” he said, curving a hand around the side of her neck when her eyes dropped to her finger again. “It’s selfish of me, and arrogant, but I want to be the only guy you ever feel this way for.”

  “We’re married.”

  “Yeah.”

  “We’re part of this show.”

  “Yeah.”

  “What if it’s all fake?”

  He drew back an inch. “You think I’m messing with you? That I’m lying about how I feel?”

  “No,” she said, grabbing his shoulder before he could pull away. “I mean, what if the show and them forcing us together, what if it’s making us feel this way? Intensifying things, you know? Like with Tanya, you said you were infatuated, what if that’s what it is? What if we’re just infatuated because we’ve been forced to be together?”

  “I know the difference between infatuation and love,” he said. “I’ve experienced both… have you?”

  Had she? Maybe… But didn’t they say if you weren’t sure, then you hadn’t? “I guess I just wonder… how will this work when the show is done? When the cameras are switched off and the lights go down? What happens next?”

  He exhaled. “Malloy, I love you, I know that for sure. This is real for me. All the way… But if you don’t feel that way…”

  Lyla had switched off her emotions plenty of times over the years. It was the best way to avoid getting hurt. She’d said that she was going to let herself love Trick, but every second she spent with him was intensifying the emotion that she wasn’t sure she was equipped to handle.

  His phone rang. When he rolled away, straight off the other side of the bed, she couldn’t stop him from going. Staying on her back, Lyla focused on the ceiling, something she’d seen Trick do plenty of times.

  “Yeah,” he said. “Yeah, gimme five.” Something landed on the end of the bed. “Ly, I’ve got to get in the shower.”

  He was working tonight, or maybe he was meant to be working now, she didn’t even know what time it was. “Right,” she said and forced herself to get up, wrapping the blanket around her body as she scooted to the edge of the bed.

  “You don’t have to get up if you don’t want to,” he said.

  “Don’t you have to put the bed away?”

  He shook his head. “Not if you’re using it.”

  “Won’t you get in trouble if you leave me here? If I’m in here without you?”

  “You’re my wife, Ly,” he muttered.

  Oh no, he wouldn’t look at her. She’d seen this guy before. Pissed off, dejected, grumpy, she’d broken him… again. “Can I use your shower when you’re done?”

  His attention rose to hers. “When I’m done?”

  “You’re pissed at me,” she said. “You don’t want me in there with you when you’re pissed off… do you?”

  “Malloy,” he exhaled and smiled as he shook his head and ran a hand into his hair. “Baby, I’m not pissed at you.”

  Going over, she squeezed herself in close to him, still clutching the blanket at her chest in both hands. “But you’re doing your grumpy face thing and I said a stupid thing. I upset you and I—”

  “You didn’t say a stupid thing,” he said, holding her face. “You were honest and I want you to tell me what you’re thinking. Always. Okay?” She nodded. “Promise me, baby?”

  “I promise,” she said and then squirmed. “So why are you doing your grumpy face?”

  “Because I’m thinking that karma is a bitch,” he said, peeling each of her fingers away from the blanket, forcing it to fall to the floor. Resting his hands around her narrow waist, he stepped back to admire her body. “I think that with all the crap I’ve done in my life, it would be the perfect punishment if the woman I love more than I’ve loved any other couldn’t love me back.” Her mouth fell open, but he used a single finger beneath her chin to close it before she could speak. Smiling, he bowed to rub his face in her hair. “I don’t want you to ever lie to me, ok? And never feel guilty if this isn’t enough for you… I’m going to do what I can to be everything you ever need. But if there comes a point I’m not satisfying you, cut me off. If you get a better offer from a better guy, take it. Don’t hesitate. Don’t think about it. You just do it, because you deserve the world, Lyla Malloy. Understand?” Again, she nodded and after a second, he kissed her forehead then smiled at her. “Now, who said something about sharing the shower?”

  TWENTY-TWO

  Noah was hilarious. Nathaniel, who she’d learned preferred just Nath, was more serious, and he was smart, really smart. They hadn’t ventured out of the wine bar, and Lyla enjoyed having some time to bond with the other two members of the Threens. Sadie stuck to her side, and Lyla was just beginning to relax when Cliff came over to tap her on the shoulder.

  “We need to get back to the studio,” Cliff said into her ear.

  “What?” she asked, looking at her watch to see that it was just after eight PM, she still had time. But Cliff looked so serious that she panicked. “Is it Trick? Is something wrong?”

  But he didn’t answer her, just nodded sideways and backed off. Saying her goodbyes in record time, she paid no attention to the guys’ pleas that she should stay put. Sadie said she was coming with her and Lyla was so desperate to find out what was wrong that she didn’t even argue.

  Racing back to the studio, she followed Cliff through the dark lobby and up in the elevator to the executive floor. Oh, God, if something had happened to Trick, she didn’t even know what she’d do. They’d had sex in his dressing room shower, but she’d been kicking herself for voicing doubts about their relationship. She didn’t have doubts, not really. She just opened her mouth and said things; it was idle speculation, conjecture. She didn’t think that her words could really upset him.

  Her, Lyla Malloy, how on earth could she h
ave the ability to hurt the megalith that was Nairn Strickland?

  Sadie was at her back as she went into the office after Cliff, but she slowed in her pace when she saw Bunyan and Paul seated on either side of what she guessed was Bunyan’s desk because she’d never actually been in his office, until now.

  “Where’s Trick?” Lyla asked.

  Sadie closed the door behind them. “Was there an accident?”

  “We need you to sign something,” Bunyan said.

  “Sign…” Lyla glanced back at Sadie who looked just as confused as she did. “You called me here with an emergency… And the emergency is… you need me to sign something?”

  “Yes,” Bunyan said.

  Her new friend stayed at her side. “Wow,” Sadie said. “I think we need to get you a dictionary for Christmas.”

  “You’ve caused a problem with legal,” Bunyan said. “On Boys Night… you should never have appeared on the show and especially not in the way you did.”

  “It’s a sexual release,” Paul said.

  Lyla was pleased to hear Cliff laugh. “Damn,” she breathed. “Trick would’ve had a great comeback for that. Where is my husband when we really need him?”

  Sadie smiled, but Bunyan scoffed. “You seem to have forgotten what this is, Miss Malloy,” Bunyan said. “You are the property of this network and while you are, you act in the best interest of this studio. This isn’t a game. This is business and you are an asset. That’s all you are. And when assets stop working out for us, we sell them.”

  “Sell them?” Sadie said. “Now I know why Trick isn’t here. If you spoke to her that way while he was in the room—”

  “Yes, yes, he’d fly off the handle. He’d get defensive and threaten us all. Well, he’s not here, he’s working, for the studio. As we speak, he’s filming his quiz for us.”

  “Yeah,” Sadie said and pulled her phone from her pocket. “He’s in the building and he’s expecting to hear from Lyla in five minutes. If he doesn’t, I guarantee you he’ll walk off set.”