They barely made it back to his hotel room. The taxi ride from the dance hall became a blur as Caroline concentrated on where Wren’s hand traveled once they reclined in the back of the car. He trailed his fingers teasingly up and down her thighs, each time getting a little closer to her pussy before withdrawing. The maddening seduction only heightened her arousal.
Briefly she wondered where this new persona of hers had come from. She’d always been the reserved girl, and never would’ve labeled herself as promiscuous or kinky. Yet she’d let a virtual stranger bring her to orgasm, and now she wanted his cock inside her. Caroline couldn’t process it all, so instead of reconciling with the new woman emerging from the shell of the old one, she simply pushed the confusion away and concentrated on the man with her. If she was going to have a one-night stand, she wanted it to be mind-blowing both for her and for Wren.
Although some people lingered in the hotel lobby, the area was virtually deserted since the club and bar had closed for the night. Caroline’s heart beat wildly as Wren placed his hand in the small of her back and escorted her to the bank of elevators. When the doors opened, she had one brief moment where she knew she could forget the whole situation and slink on back to her room. As she stood next to Wren, his hand lingering over the floor numbers, he crooked an eyebrow at her.
He was waiting for her permission.
Slowly, she gave a nod and he swiped his key card to gain access to the penthouse. Cameras hung in the corner of the ceiling so Caroline restrained herself, but once he had opened his penthouse door Caroline launched herself into his arms.
Clothing fell off, thrown haphazardly everywhere. Shoes, tossed in various directions. Once naked, Wren grabbed her by the waist and raised her so she could wrap her legs around him. Her panties and garter belt were still on, but the dress and her strapless bra became casualties of passion. His gripped her ass cheeks as he held her in place, his lips finding hers and as he thrust his tongue deep in her mouth. Her sensitive nipples rasped against his chest hairs, bringing them achingly alive.
He fell back onto the bed, Caroline bouncing on top of him, her legs unwinding from his waist to straddle him. A thin barrier of material separated his hard cock from plunging deep. He ran a hand down her back, over her ass and down her legs until he found the snaps for her garter belt. With a practiced touch he undid each tie until she was free of the stockings. He broke the kiss and sat up with her still on his lap to ease off the stockings, one at a time. Then he unhooked the belt from her waist and let it drop on the floor.
They stared into one another’s eyes as he traced a finger along the edge of her lace panties, dipping under the seam as her eyes flared in excitement. He brushed over her clit, lightly caressing the nerve cluster until she undulated her hips. The pressure of his hard cock plus the caress of his fingers had her on the edge of self-combusting. She leaned down and bit his shoulder, her teeth sinking into tight skin. Wren hissed, and as he jerked in response to the pain, his cock banging forcefully against the material of her panties. She liked his response, but didn’t analyze too closely her gut reaction to inflict the bite. Then the moment quickly fled as he flipped her onto her back, yanking the panties down her legs.
With a wicked grin, he took both her wrists in his hands and then tied them together with one of her stockings. She raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything, her arousal rising at the devilish promise shining in his eyes.
He licked and nipped his way down her body, paying close attention to each turgid nipple. He sucked one peak into his mouth, laving it over and over with his tongue and teeth, while rolling the other between his fingers. Caroline arched in pleasure, her legs falling open as if urging him to continue his exploration. Her hands tested their bond, finding the silk stocking unbreakable––which only intensified the thrill.
“Keep them there,” Wren ordered.
She nodded, so he continued his descent down her body. Warm breath blew against her pussy, sending goose bumps over her skin. A tongue flicked out to run along her slit. Wren spread apart her thighs with his hands, opening her up.
The man knows how to eat pussy.
“I want you,” she moaned.
“You want my cock?”
“Yes,” she gasped as his mouth settled onto her clit and sucked hard. She thrashed her head back and forth, totally lost in the pleasure he wrung from her body. And just as she lay balanced on the precipice, he rose from her. Frustration sliced through her. Barely conscious of him pulling out a condom and sheathing himself, Caroline panted as he lowered his body onto hers and with a drive of his hips, possessed her fully.
Caroline gasped at the exquisite pleasure, her back arching her chest off the bed.
“Oh, fuck!” Wren groaned into her ear. The staccato beat of his heart pounded in tune with hers.
She wiggled her hips in encouragement, wanting more.
“Hold still for a moment, or this ends too quickly,” he grumbled.
Sweat poured from their bodies. He grabbed her tied hands and yanked them back over her head, holding them in place as he rose over her, flexing his hips more firmly into her.
“Do you know how good you feel?” he asked in a strained voice. “I could fuck you all night.”
“God, yes,” she answered. “Please!”
He stared down at her as he started moving, small thrusts at first but speeding up a little at a time, going deeper with each penetration. Their rhythm gathered speed. Caroline strained against her constraint as he hammered into her, using his own strength against him as leverage to help him go deeper. Harder. Faster. In and out, all over again. Wren trailed one hand up her body until he found her breast, squeezing it in time with his hips. And just as she thought the pleasure couldn’t get any better, Wren pinched her nipple, tugging it until she splintered apart in a thousand pieces.
She might have passed out, or the world might have exploded … she wasn’t quite sure. One second she was floating somewhere in space, and the next she heard Wren groaning as he climaxed, their bodies locked together as he erupted inside her. She could feel the jerking of his cock next to her womb through the thin latex barrier.
And then he collapsed on top of her, his breathing harsh in her ears but matching hers, their skin slick with sweat. A soft kiss was placed on her temple and Caroline wondered how on earth he had the strength to move at all. She felt boneless. Amazingly boneless.
“When do you leave?” he asked in a ragged breath as he untied her hands.
“Mm?” She moaned, floating in a wonderful haze. “Sunday.”
“Stay with me,” he whispered.
That was the last thing she heard as succumbed to sleep.
Chapter Four
The closing of the hotel door jarred her awake. Caroline opened her eyes and stared blankly across the rumpled bed, realizing she lay on her stomach. Naked. The jostling of trays and the smell of coffee had her scrambling to sit upright and reaching for the sheet just as the bedroom door eased open.
“I ordered us some breakfast,” Wren told her as he entered. He wore a white terry robe that gaped a little to reveal part of his chest. He held a tray in his hands, piled with food. Caroline scooted with as much dignity as possible while keeping the sheet firmly in place, until her back hit the headboard. Her gaze zeroed in on the cup of hot, black coffee on the corner of the tray.
He set the tray on the corner of the bed and then climbed on the mattress, stalking her on hands and knees. A wicked smile lingered on his lips and desire brightened his slate grey eyes.
“You may not want to bend too close,” she warned, holding a hand up. “Morning breath. I should run to my room and brush my teeth.”
“Then you might not come back,” he countered, his gaze lingering on her lips. He bent his head and captured her lips, nibbling on them before pulling back. “I have mouthwash if you’re too self-conscious, but I have to admit you taste amazing.”
“Hmm,” she replied. “Good answer.”
He winked
. He reared back and retrieved the tray, setting it between them. Caroline fixed her coffee with cream and sugar while Wren picked up a pancake and ate it by rolling it up to take bites.
“What plans did you have for today?” he asked in between bites. “We could go sightseeing, maybe explore near Central Park, SOHO district, and Chinatown.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be attending conferences?”
“I can always ask for the footnotes.”
“You were supposed to be a one-night stand, not a tourist buddy.”
His eyes narrowed. “I don’t really do one-night stands, Caroline.”
She gave a pointed look around the room. “Then how do you explain last night?”
“I never intended for things to lead to sex,” he replied. “At least not right away. But you’re incredibly beautiful, and you excited me to the point of bursting.”
Caroline set her cup on the tray. She ran her fingers through her short bob of a haircut and gave a sigh. “Can I be honest with you?”
“Of course,” he answered, though there was a note of wariness in his tone.
“I’m kind of freaking out,” she admitted.
“Why?” he asked, genuinely perplexed.
She took a deep breath. “I’ve never, ever, slept with someone I’ve just met! I’ve never, ever…” She fell silent for a moment as the images replayed in her mind. “I’ve never been that expressive during sex.”
“You mean liberated.”
“No. I mean I’ve never acted like that during sex. It’s always been very, well…” she paused as she searched for the right word.
“Missionary?”
Caroline frowned at him.
“Admit it.”
“All right,” she replied, a bit reluctant. “I admit that sex has always been more for the man than for me.”
“Some men are selfish. But you liked when I tied you up. You even initiated love bites.” He turned his head a little to show off her mark.
Caroline felt herself flush. “Stop it.”
“Why?” he demanded. “There’s nothing wrong with a little role playing. A little voyeurism. Maybe even a little pain.”
“Only perverted people like that kind of sex,” she said in a low tone.
“Then you must be perverted,” he said with a chuckle. He picked up her hand, twining their fingers together, and brought her hand to his mouth to kiss the back of her fingers. “You never answered my question.”
It took her a moment to think back and remember the original question he asked. “What plans do I have? I have a whole map of places I’d like to visit, but I’m thinking I’ll probably only target a few.”
“Manhattan is pretty big,” he said.
“It’s pretty exhausting,” she corrected. “Mentally and physically.”
He smiled and cocked his head to one side. “Do you trust me, Caroline?”
She tugged her hand, trying to free it, but he refused to let it go. “I don’t know,” she answered. “I just met you.”
“Fair enough,” he said. “Let me ask you this instead: do you trust me enough to try an experiment?”
She hesitated. “What exactly do you mean?”
“I’m suggesting a safe word, to be used at any time you feel too uncomfortable,” he replied. He kissed her hand again, this time swiping his tongue over the knuckle of a finger.
Caroline shivered. The little lick reminded her of what he’d licked the night before. “Ah, what, um…” She cleared her throat. “What safe word?”
“Something innocuous, like banana.”
“I like bananas,” she said. “What if you ruin them for me?”
He grinned. “I don’t think you’ll have to use the word, but it’s good to have it out there. Any time you feel overwhelmed with how things are progressing, then say banana.” He used one of her fingers to tap her nose. “But I mean only use it if you are truly frightened. Otherwise, don’t end the experiment.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You still haven’t said what the experiment is.”
“That will be tonight.” He let go of her hand and rose from the bed. “But for now, let’s go sightseeing in the Big Apple.”
Caroline sighed and wrinkled her nose as she caught sight of her abandoned black dress. “Time for the walk of shame,” she said.
“Hey, no shame involved,” he admonished. “Banana.”
“You know what you can do with your banana? You can go stick it up your––”
“Uh-uh!” he said, laughing as he held up his hands and backed out the door. He closed the door, cutting off a pillow as it flew toward his head.
Chapter Five
She wrote a message for Aldy and set it on the table in their room, explaining where she planned to be and with whom. Caroline stared at the words and bit her lower lip, not sure how to feel about the fact that she was planning on plunging into a vacation affair. She grabbed a pen and some hotel advertised paper, drawing a line down it with one side saying ‘Pros’ and the other saying ‘Cons’. She quickly started writing all her thoughts down, the whys and the why-nots. Then she sat back and read over her inner turmoil.
All the second-guessing came down to one simple fact: that in three days, she could leave it all behind. What happened in New York could stay in New York. Her fantasies explored. Her body sexually satisfied. Her heart untouched. As long as she was careful not to read anything more into Wren’s words and actions, then all that would remain after the trip were the amazing memories.
Yes, the perfect weekend affair.
As she adjusted the temperature of the shower, Caroline knew she didn’t want to be that woman who let one bad experience ruin an opportunity of a lifetime. She had never imagined that she would be involved in a little vacation affair, but she hoped she was pragmatic enough to handle it. Wren Calder could only be a fling, and perhaps that’s exactly what she needed right now. Someone who didn’t know her too well, who could point out all her faults and missteps. He wouldn’t expect her to look perfect all the time, to never have a zit or PMS and bloating. There would be no petty arguments over what was for dinner, or who would take out the trash. There would be no decay of communication until all that remained were generic questions. He wouldn’t expect her to be anyone except his bed partner for three more nights, to share in the bliss and ecstasy of sexual abandonment, which she had never, in her entire life, experienced. Sex with her ex-husband, Greg, had been routine, slightly boring. The only way she could climax was by being on top. Could it be Wren himself who had managed to turn her body into a quivering mass of sexual need, or was the thought of all the naughty delights he promised the true culprit?
Did she even care?
Caroline stepped under the hot spray of the shower. The last day with Greg filtered through her mind as she washed her hair.
He lay on the bed, staring up at the bedroom ceiling when she had walked into the room. Caroline had spent the day mindlessly walking through the mall, not really knowing what else to do because she didn’t want to be at home.
She stood in the doorway, looking at him with emotions that fluctuated between half-angry and half-sad. He hadn’t bothered to crawl beneath the covers and his rumpled clothing stood out like a sore thumb––the same clothes he had worn when he had left the night before, to go drinking with some buddies. There was a slight scent of stale alcohol clinging to him that permeated the bedroom, so she moved to open a window. Then she sat on the edge of the bed not saying a word until the tears choking her throat had cleared enough for normal speech.
“I can’t go on like this,” she finally stated.
“I know,” was all he said. It was the first verbal confirmation that things were over.
“I want to ask you a question.”
“All right.”
She turned sideways to look at him, capturing his gaze. “Are you having an affair?”
“No,” he replied softly, maintaining eye contact until her shoulders drooped a little in relief.
> “I’m not happy anymore,” she continued, casting her gaze downward to the bedspread to study it.
“Neither am I.” Such a simple reply, but for the first time in a long time they agreed on something.
“Where do we go from here?”
In his usual logical manner, he started outlining the possibilities. “Well, one, we ignore what’s been happening and continue on as we were. Things might work themselves out or we might end up hating each other. Two, we move into different bedrooms and try to work out our problems, rehashing the same old things we’ve been trying to hash out for a while. Or three, we separate and try to remain friends.”
Tears started falling down Caroline’s cheeks as he talked. “I don’t want to try to work things out,” she admitted.
He didn’t say anything for a moment. Then, almost too softly for her to hear, he replied, “Me neither.”
When she looked at him again there were matching tears rolling down his cheeks, and he was doing nothing to wipe them away or hide them. It was the first time she had seen him cry openly.
And she had believed him. She had believed that he’d been just as heartbroken as she that their marriage couldn’t survive, that their love hadn’t been deep enough or strong enough to carry them through the bad times. It was only after he had moved out that she had learned he’d used her emotions against her, to cover up his infidelity. And by the time she had found out, it had been too late to really do anything about it.
Being played for a fool really sucked.
That was when the armor had come on and the walls had been put up. Caroline made a plan: the first thing she’d done was to leave California behind to move back home to Louisiana, away from memories––and away from Greg.
After washing and drying her hair, she tackled the problem of deciding what to wear. April in New York promised to be humid with a hint of bright sun, so she opted for a flowing skirt and a short-sleeved shirt.
Caroline finished putting on her mascara and studied herself in the brightly lit mirror. She studied her reflection, trying to see past the superficial image staring back at her to the woman who lay underneath. Almost thirty, and she had never dared live out the fantasies that played deep within her mind.
A Man After Midnight Page 3
