by Amy Star
And of course, both Charlie and Zeke were dragged onto the dance floor by a series of children, and even after that, Zeke had to entertain Charlie’s sisters. They needed a chance to suss him out, after all. Charlie had… slightly forgotten that no one in her family had actually met him before the wedding. Granted, everything had been a bit hectic, so she supposed she was free to wave the matter off; no one could really blame her for getting distracted, even if she had no plans on telling any of them the full story.
It was good to see them again, though Charlie got the impression that after the wedding was past they would all go right back to only seeing each other on special occasions. She couldn’t say she minded too terribly much, though; letting her family worm into her life too far promised nothing but complication in the future. “Arm’s length,” as she had found, was a perfectly good place to keep them.
And besides, they weren’t actually why her family was at the wedding. Sure, it was nice to see them, but Charlie had invited them with a purpose in mind.
It was when her siblings, siblings-in-law, nieces, and nephews scattered to enjoy the party that her father finally made his presence known.
Maxwell Harrison was a tall, weedy man built like he had been assembled from straws and spare parts, so everything about him looked as if he wasn’t quite put together properly. His skin was a shade or two paler than Charlie’s and his hair was an oddly flat shade of brown, rather matching his eyes. The best that could be said for his face was that it was rather face-shaped; he had never really stood out for anything in the past and Charlie was grateful every day that her mother’s genetics had been the more dominant force, at least in her case.
He greeted Zeke with a sharp eye and a handshake that seemed perfunctory, and Charlie beamed as if she had been given the greatest gift in the world when Zeke remarked blandly, “Oh, Charlie’s hardly said a word about you.” She was positive her father was grinding his teeth to keep a polite smile on his face after that.
It was no surprise whatsoever when he turned towards Charlie to wonder, “Charlemagne, can I talk to you for a minute? Father to daughter.”
Looking as bored as she could manage, she agreed, waving Zeke towards where his mother had been trying to get his attention for the past ten minutes. Ignoring the arm her father offered her, Charlie folded her arms over her chest and led the way to a secluded area of the garden, where a fountain drowned out most of the noise of the party.
She didn’t give him a chance to say anything. She simply held up a hand, preemptively silencing him. “I will give you,” she began, eyes sparkling as his expression began to turn hopeful, “exactly as much money as you gave me once I moved out.”
His expression crumbled into outrage. “I’m your dad,” he tried to protest, but he cut himself off at Charlie’s sharp bark of laughter.
“Is that supposed to mean something?” she wondered, her tone as sugary sweet as she could manage as she laced her hands together in front of herself in a way that was almost innocent. “I mean, it certainly never meant much to you.”
Her father gaped at her for a moment, his mouth flapping like a fish’s as he tried to come up with a retort and failed, to no surprise. While he was still trying to get the gears in his head to turn, Charlie smiled blithely and informed him, “This is my party, so I should probably head back before someone starts wondering where I went. I hope you enjoy the evening.”
She turned on her heel and strode back to the crowd so she could lean against Zeke’s side. He paused in his conversation with his mother to glance down at her, wondering mildly, “Everything in order?”
“Perfectly so,” she replied.
CHAPTER 12
The penthouse seemed unnaturally quiet after the music and excitement and nonstop talking of the wedding and the reception, but it was a relief, honestly. Having been walking around in some breed of finery and heels all day, it took Charlie about thirty seconds after she and Zeke got home to kick her shoes off and start stripping until she was wandering around the penthouse in nothing but her long line bra and panties.
Similarly, Zeke abandoned his jacket, his waistcoat, his shoes, and his tie in short order, rolled his sleeves up, and undid the first few buttons of his shirt.
“Quite a day,” Charlie observed eventually as she made her way into the kitchen to get a drink of water.
“Quite a day,” Zeke agreed, before he tacked on an almost mischievous, “Mrs. Croasdell.”
Charlie rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Are you going to go all alpha male on me?” she wondered dryly, leaning back on her elbows on the kitchen counter, still holding a glass in one hand.
Zeke scoffed and brought a hand to his chest. “I would never,” he returned, feigning offense. “I was raised to be a gentleman.”
“So, prove it,” Charlie challenged, finally setting the glass down and spreading her legs slightly. “Come take care of me.”
Zeke, being an intelligent sort, could recognize an invitation when one blatantly confronted him. With a look like hunger on his face, he joined her in the kitchen, dropping to his knees in front of her. His hands trailed down her sides, tracing her figure through the corset before they came to her hips. Slowly, he dragged his hands down her thighs and then back up, so he could hook his fingers in the waistband of her panties and drag them slowly down her legs to her knees, until they fell the rest of the way down, landing around her ankles. She stepped out of them with one foot and carelessly flung them aside with the other.
For a drawn-out moment, Zeke simply knelt there, staring up at her as if she were a goddess and he had come to worship. Finally, he cupped a hand over her sex, already warm with anticipation. She spread her legs a bit farther and grounded herself against the counter so as he began the first few slow, gentle strokes along the lips of her sex, she stayed steady on her feet.
His movements were slow and steady and insistent, the pressure of his hand light but steady, so it seemed as if the attention was unrelenting. He kept up that slow, delicate pace until she was shifting back and forth and humming impatiently.
Finally, he pressed a finger between the damp folds of her sex, the tip of it circling her entrance for only a second before pushing in. Her head fell back with a sigh, her hands curling loosely around the edge of the counter. She sighed out a slow breath, only to suck it back in harshly as he drew that finger out slowly and then very quickly thrust two fingers in, and after that there was nothing soft or delicate or slow about his methods as he thrust his fingers into her like he was trying to fuck them straight through her. Her toes curled against the kitchen tile and her hands clenched against the edge of the counter and she gasped and moaned, and she swallowed back something like a whimper when he added a third finger to the mix.
Soon his other hand came into play, pressing to her clit and rubbing it carefully at first before he curled two fingers around it and rolled it between his fingers and Charlie moaned like she wanted the neighbors to hear, and then she moaned all the louder when he pressed a fourth finger into her. Each thrust of his hand felt like he was trying to lift her straight off of the floor and onto the counter, and she had to brace her elbows against the counter when her knees gave out on her despite her best efforts. Zeke pressed a shoulder to one of her thighs, spreading her legs farther so he could drive his fingers deeper into her.
Her hips rolled and her toes curled as her feet scrabbled at the floor, most of her weight on the counter and his shoulder and his hand, her own lack of balance bearing her down that much harder onto his fingers. By the time she came, her mouth dropping open on a moan that was loud and shameless and nearly a sob, she was practically bouncing on his hand.
Her back arched and her neck went taut and her grip on the counter tightened until her fingertips hurt. Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath and her hair stuck to her forehead and the sides of her face and neck from the sheen of sweat that coated her.
Zeke slowly pulled his fingers out of her, wet with the same fluid
that was steadily dripping down her inner thighs. As he stood up, he curled an arm around her middle, picking her up as he rose back to his full height. Still catching her breath, Charlie clutched at his shirt as he carried her effortlessly to the couch.
He laid her down on the cushions and she let her legs fall open again, hitching one leg over the back of the couch and pressing her other foot flat to the floor. Zeke tugged his belt off with a few deft movements and dropped it on the floor with a clatter before he opened the fly of his pants, pulling them and his boxer briefs down just enough to free his erection before he knelt on the couch between her legs.
He curled a hand around her thigh that wasn’t over the back of the couch, lifting her leg to instead hitch it over his hip as he shuffled closer to her. Wrapping a hand around his cock to steady it, he guided it towards her entrance, letting go with a sigh only once the head of his cock was enveloped in her wet heat.
He paused for a moment, adjusting to the feeling and letting Charlie adjust in turn, before he thrust forward all at once, sheathing himself within her in one smooth, quick motion. Charlie’s breath left her lungs in a rush before she sucked it back in, and she reached her arms over her head to clench her fingers in the fabric over the arm of the couch.
She gasped and whined and moaned, half-formed words and inarticulate syllables tumbling past her lips like some sort of butchered prayer as Zeke thrust, quick and relentless, scooting her just a little bit farther along the couch each time his hips met the backs of her thighs.
Heat began to build in her core again, and by the time she came a second time, Zeke was still pounding into her with no signs of stopping. Charlie clenched her fists against the arm of the couch and held on for the ride, moaning and sighing her encouragement until he managed to fuck her through a third orgasm and finally his rhythm began to stutter. He leaned over her, hands clenched on her hips with near bruising intensity as he slammed his cock into her three more times before he came, a low groan rumbling from his chest.
Charlie dozed after that. Presumably Zeke rearranged her to some extent, but she wasn’t awake for it. After three orgasms that quickly, awake was not exactly her preferred state.
(She did at least make a mental note to let Sam know that he had the stamina and endurance of a marathon runner. Riling Sam up and laughing at her jealousy was always a good time.)
*
Charlie didn’t rest for long, though. She woke up twenty minutes later, curled on her side with Zeke partially wrapped around her from behind, one of his arms under her head and the other draped loosely over her middle.
Carefully, she extricated herself from his hold and made her way into the bathroom to use the toilet before she made her way out to the balcony. She didn’t bother with pants or even putting her panties back on. After all, if anyone could see her then she was pretty sure they were doing something a hell of a lot more illegal than her partial nudity.
Leaning her forearms on the balcony railing, she took a deep breath and sighed it out slowly, enjoying the peace that could be found so high above the rest of the city. “Quite a day,” she observed once again, quietly and just to herself.
She had two days to appreciate the peace and quiet and get used to being a missus instead of a miss, and then they would be off on their honeymoon. Zeke hadn’t actually told her where they were going, but in fairness, she hadn’t exactly asked. She had just left the planning up to him.
Hopefully it wouldn’t be anything too weird, though she supposed she didn’t mind trying out new things.
For five minutes, she contemplated the city skyline, listening to the distant noises from far below. She glanced up when she heard footsteps approaching from behind her, glancing over her shoulder as Zeke stepped through the door to join her on the balcony. He wrapped his arms around her middle, resting his chin on her shoulder.
“Enjoying yourself?” he wondered wryly, pressing a knee forward between her bare legs as he asked.
“I didn’t see any reason to get dressed up for the occasion,” she returned airily, tipping her head to one side just enough to tap her head against his. She rocked herself against his leg slightly, welcoming the attention. “You know, you never told me where we’re going in a couple of days.”
“And I don’t plan on it,” he informed her dryly, lifting one shoulder in a shrug and shifting his knee slightly beneath her. “That would take half the fun out of it.”
Charlie blew a raspberry at him, if only to mask the way she sucked in a breath as he pressed his knee more firmly against her sex. “And what if I just keep asking until I drive you crazy?” she asked primly. “What then?”
“Then I guess I’ll just have to distract you,” he rumbled against her ear. He still had a knee between her legs and he pressed it upwards to make his point, his hold around her middle shifting until his hands were around her hips so he could grind her down against his leg.
Charlie’s eyes drifted halfway shut and she mused, “You’re going to need to work pretty hard if you want to distract me. I can be very persist—oh!” She cut herself off mid-word with a sharp gasp as he reached around her to rub her clit, pressing three fingers against it and rubbing firmly. He pulled his hand away again to lick his fingers and when his hand returned to the task, the motion was smoother and Charlie sighed out a shuddering breath, spreading her legs wider to accommodate both his hand and his leg between her thighs. The friction was quick and firm. He knew what she liked by then, so she was largely helpless to do anything about it.
For a few moments, he distracted her that way, before he pulled his hand away. She whined in disappointment, her hips jerking as if to chase after his hand, and he shushed her quietly.
Instead, he pressed his leg more firmly to her sex, letting her grind herself against his leg as he instead began unlatching the line of clasps down the back of her corset. Charlie sighed in quiet relief when he unlatched the final clasp and pulled the bra away, dropping it to the balcony floor. Her breasts spilled free and he reached around her once again, fingers circling her nipples until they hardened into pert, dusty pink buds.
He pinched her nipples between two fingers, tugging at them and twisting them gently, rolling them back and forth between thumb and forefinger. All the while, he let her carry on masturbating against his leg, grinding herself closer and closer to completion. He shifted his thigh back and forth slightly to aid her, giving her that little bit of added friction.
It was obscene, when she thought about it. They were outside and she was as naked as the day she was born, not a stitch of cloth between her and the rest of the world as she fucked herself against his leg while he lavished attention on her breasts and kissed the back and side of her neck. She was moaning and whimpering shamelessly, loud and wanton, without a care in the world even as her voice got louder and higher pitched each time she ground her clit against the fabric of his pants, until she swore the whole of Crestholme could probably hear her and she didn’t even care. If anything, she only got louder still, bearing more of her weight down against his leg.
It was obscene and she had never done anything like it before, and it was that thought that pushed her over the edge to her fourth orgasm of the night.
When she came again, her weight slumped forwards so Zeke’s hands on her breasts were all that kept her from leaning all of her weight on the railing. He rolled her nipples between his fingers a few more times, pinching them harshly at the end just for good measure before he released them, and from there he scooped her up, right off of her feet. With a startled yelp, she curled an arm around the back of his neck, her other hand latching onto the front of his shirt.
Scowling at him playfully as he shoved her bra back inside with his foot, she pointed out, “You know, I can walk just fine on my own.” She squiggled pointedly in his hold, though there was no real intent to escape behind the motion. She didn’t want him to drop her.
“True,” he acknowledged easily, as if he hadn’t just picked up a full-grown adult woman lik
e it was nothing. “And I can carry you just fine. My way is more fun.”
Charlie rolled her eyes good-naturedly and let him carry her into the bedroom. She supposed it wouldn’t hurt; she still sort of felt like she was made of jelly anyway and she was relatively content not to walk if he had decided he didn’t want her to do so.
He laid her down carefully on the bed, and she rolled onto her side to watch appreciatively as he dropped his pants and boxer briefs to the floor and unbuttoned his shirt the rest of the way, shrugging the garment off and abandoning it on the carpet. Charlie was pretty sure they were going to need to go on a scavenger hunt tomorrow to find all of their discarded clothing, but that was a concern for tomorrow.
Zeke joined her in the bed soon enough, spooning up behind her and pulling her close. Slowly, Charlie’s eyes drifted closed until she remembered that she was supposed to be trying to weasel their honeymoon plans out of him.
