Sin City Baby

by Rye Hart

  “Are you forgetting that I'm the one who told him the truth about my mom in the first place?” I said, my tone as harsh as his gaze. “I despise what my mom did to him, and I really don't have to explain myself any more than that. Least of all, to you.”

  “No, you don't,” he said, his gaze softening a tiny bit. “But I appreciate your time, Ember. You're a beautiful woman. Downright intoxicating, actually. I just don't want Jude drowning if I can save him.”

  Zane stood and walked toward the doorway. I resisted the urge to turn and glare at him. His footsteps stopped and forced me to glance over my shoulder to see why he'd stopped walking to the door.

  “Just be good to him, Ember,” he said. “That's all I ask of you.”

  The front door opened, and heavy footsteps walked into the house. Zane and I looked at each other. Since the person hadn't knocked, I had an idea who it might be. Jude peeked into the dining room, smiling when he saw me. Then he turned to Zane, a surprised and confused look on his face.

  “What are you doing here?”

  Chapter Nine

  Jude

  “I just saw you at the office,” I said.

  “I know. I didn't come here to speak to you though,” Zane said, his eyes flickering over to Ember. “I wanted to meet your new roommate.”

  “Ember is not my roommate,” I said.

  I tensed up, my fists balled at my sides. Zane was a skeptic. A cynic. He didn't trust anyone. Not that I could blame him, given his past. But, he tended to see everything and everybody through that negative lens that colored his own vision. He never gave anybody the benefit of the doubt and made sure to ask you anything that entered his mind – no matter how intrusive the question might be.

  It was a trait that served him well in his role at the company, but less well in his role as my friend.

  Zane flinched at the tone in my voice. “If not your roommate, then what is she, exactly?”

  “She's my –”

  I stopped and shared a look with Ember. What was she, exactly? She was no longer my stepdaughter. She was more than a friend, though not technically a girlfriend. Did they have words for the type of thing wewere involved in, and I simply wasn't able to think of them? Or was my life really that complicated?

  “It doesn't matter what I am to him, Zane,” Ember finally snapped. “It's none of your business.”

  She stood and faced him, and even though she was much shorter than my friend, she stared at him with an intimidating look on her face, danger flashing through her eyes. It was almost like she was saying, “Come at me. I dare you” knowing she'd win.

  Zane clenched his jaw but held his head high. Giving a curt nod, he said, “Very well. I guess I should be going now.”

  I followed him to the door, right on his heels. Once we were far enough away, I spat out, “What is this all about, Zane? Seriously?”

  “I don't trust her,” he said at last, cutting his eyes toward the dining room. “She's young, gorgeous, and the daughter of the woman who tried to screw you over. Can you blame me for being wary?”

  “I can take care of myself, Zane. I don't need you policing my – my –” I stumbled at the words again. What was she to me? I settled on finishing with, “my love life.”

  “Maybe if I'd said something sooner with Lydia –” he said.

  “I know you had your doubts, but Zane,” I said. “And, don't take this the wrong way – but, you don't trust anyone.”

  He snorted, tried to scoff at the comment, but a tight smile appeared on his face. “I know. Naomi really left an indelible mark on me, didn't she?”

  “I'd say so.”

  The evil witch had pulled a Lydia on him. Except, of course, she was so good at it, no one saw it coming until she'd saddled him with divorce papers and took off with her new boyfriend, bound for some exotic locale – on Zane's dime, of course.

  “Women love us for our money, Jude,” he said. “It's a sad fact of life. Trust no one – especially gorgeous, too-good-to-be-true younger women who just show up on your doorstep looking for a handout.”

  “That's not –”

  I cut myself off before finishing that statement. Yeah, it was what it was like, but I trusted Ember. It was more than the fact that she was honest with me – and that her honesty had cost her everything. I didn't allow her to stay purely out of guilt. I allowed her to stay because I liked her. I cared about her.

  “You wear your heart on your sleeve, Jude,” he said. “Just be careful. We all see it, you're falling hard. And who can blame you? She's a knockout.”

  “She's more than just a pretty face,” I said sternly.

  He sighed and ran a hand over his short-cropped hair. “I know. And that's why I fear for you, Jude,” he said. “I really hope I'm wrong about her, but –”

  “You are wrong about her,” I said.

  I held the door open and Zane knew what to do. He stepped outside and didn't even bother to say goodbye.

  “You'll see, Zane,” I said. “She's special. She really is.”

  “For your sake, I hope so, man,” he called over his shoulder to me.

  I closed the door a little too hard. Knots were tight in my back in shoulders, and I could really use a massage. I'd promised Ember dinner tonight, however, and I was always a man of my word. Besides, a date night would be appreciated. Might do us both some good. We'd been intimate, sure, but as far as getting to know each other outside of the bedroom, well, that had been limited. Very limited. I mostly knew what her mother had said about her, and as I was learning, not all of that was factual.

  Ember's soft voice came from the hallway. “Jude? Everything okay?”

  As soon as she stepped into the foyer, wearing a gorgeous green sundress with a bow at the waist, my heart stopped. My body relaxed as I took her in. Every inch of her was perfection. From her ballet flats to the top of her auburn head, she was my dream girl. Zane had a point, this did feel like it was too good to be true at times, but I wasn't about to throw it away just because Zane had been fucked over hard and it had left him a cynic. Had it been anyone but Ember, maybe I would have stopped twice to think about it, but I owed her so much for her honesty.

  “Everything is fine,” I said. “Zane is just, well – Zane. I'm sorry if he upset you.”

  I chuckled, and she smiled at me, but there was something in her eyes. Something was wrong. I pushed away from the door and walked over to her. I stood before her, looking down, and our eyes locked on one another.

  “Did he upset you?” I asked.

  I reached out and stroked her cheek, and she leaned into my touch. Her eyes closed, and she looked content. Truly content.

  “A little,” she said, her eyes popping open and meeting mine. “But only because I fear that deep down, you think the same thing. I know our situation is unique, Jude. But, I hope you know I didn't come here with an ulterior motive. I hope you believe that.”

  “I know,” I said. “Of course, I believe it.”

  “You do?” she asked, her voice sounding uncertain. “Because everything happened so fast. I mean, I was literally sleeping with you moments after you let me inside, and I wouldn't blame you if you thought –”

  I kissed the tip of her perfect little nose. “What happened between us happened because we're attracted to each other, Ember. Nothing more. Nothing less,” I said. “I don't think you slept with me because I was giving you a place to stay or because you want my money – and I didn't pursue you because I thought you owed me anything. You do know that, right?”

  “That you're not using me for sex?” An amused grin spread across her face. “Yeah, I know, Jude. I know you're a good man. It's why I couldn't let my mom use you like that, you deserve better.”

  “And I got better,” I whispered, pressing my lips against her forehead.

  Her breath caught in her throat as she stared up at me.

  “I'm yours, Jude Calloway,” she said, relaxing into me. “If you'll have me.”

  “Does this mean it's
official then?” I teased.

  “As in going steady?” she laughed. “Sounds like we're back in high school.”

  He shrugged. “Whatever you want to call it, I just want to make sure we're on the same page here.”

  She nodded, without hesitation, and stood on her tip-toes to press those lips to mine.

  “It's official,” she said. “Good,” I said. “Now how about we finish what we started earlier?”

  “In the bath tub, you mean?” Her eyes sparkled.

  “A nice, warm bath does sound nice,” I said – the knots in my neck agreed with me. “Then we can grab some dinner.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” she said, patting my ass playfully as she turned toward the stairs, and shot me a glance over her shoulder. “You coming with me?”

  Hell yeah. No way in the world would I miss that. Her tight little ass shimmied as she walked up the stairs in front of me. I couldn't keep my eyes off the curve of her hips, and that tiny little waist. I knew she was sore from yesterday, but damn, what I wouldn't give to fuck her again.

  Tonight, however, I was going to try something completely different. I was going to ignore my urges, not bend her over and fuck her madly like I wanted to. No, I was going to get to know her.

  She shot me a devious look over her shoulder as we reached the stop of the stairs, and I swallowed – hard. It was clear she had other plans in mind. Sore or not, she was going to make it nearly impossible for me to resist my urges. Ember pulled on my tie, yanking me closer to her and pressed those ruby red lips to mine. Her hands were on my chest, working their way down through the buttons of my shirt.

  “I've been thinking about you all day,” she whispered. “And how I need you in my mouth.”

  Fuck, me. So much for getting to know her tonight. At least, if she had her way. Her hands moved down the buttons easily, and she pushed it off my shoulders, letting my shirt slip to the floor. My tie still remained around my neck though, and she used it to pull me into the master bedroom like a dog on a leash. My heart felt like it might pound right out of my chest.

  She twirled around once inside the room, pushing the door shut with her foot. She had a salacious grin on her face that basically begged me to rip her clothes off and do bad, bad things to her. My cock was already ready to get started, growing hard in my pants, making things incredibly uncomfortable.

  Ember dropped to her knees before me, staring up at me with those giant green eyes. Her tongue slid along her lower lip as she unbuckled my belt. I couldn't think or breathe; my dick was doing all the work for me. All the blood had rushed down to my groin as she unzipped my slacks and slid her hand down the waistband.

  Her hand was warm and tiny, brushing against the head of my cock. She gasped, eyes growing wider, when she felt how utterly hard I was already. With her free hand, she pulled at my slacks until they fell below my hips, my member finally free of its constraints. She lowered her lips and sucked on the head of my dick, and I swear, the world around me stopped. My eyes rolled back in my head, and my knees felt weak as she sunk down lower, taking me most of the way into her mouth.

  “Jesus,” I said.

  My fingers were tangled in her soft waves, raking along her scalp as she bobbed up and down on my shaft. The sensation of her mouth around my cock was more than I could handle, and my balls tightened against my body.

  “Fuck,” I growled.

  Ember's hand moved in rhythm with her mouth. Up and down. Her tongue licking down the sides, circling the head and hitting all the right spots. She cupped my balls, and that was it. A jolt of electricity ran through my body, from my groin to every nerve in my body, and I almost lost it. I shuddered, holding Ember's head against my body now. She took me most of the way down her throat, and seeing her pretty little mouth wrapped around my cock was too much for me.

  “I'm going to – oh God, Ember, I'm going to – ”

  I let go of her head, as hard as it was, in case she didn't want to take me in her mouth. But, she kept moving up and down my shaft, sucking and licking with such enthusiasm, I knew she was enjoying it.

  When I came, I came hard, spewing my load into her mouth. My knees buckled, and my head fell backward, every muscle in my ass and thighs tightened as Ember held onto me for dear life, never taking her mouth off me.

  As soon as my body relaxed, she leaned back on her heels and stared up at me with a content little grin on her face. She wiped me from her mouth and stood up. I was still seeing stars at that point, but I knew one thing was for certain – I had to return the kindness.

  I closed the distance between us and kissed her hard and fast, nudging her toward the bed. My hands glided up under her skirt, stroking her inner thighs as she whispered my name.

  “Jude...”

  When we got to the bed, I pushed her down against it, laying her flat on her back. She pulled her legs up, her dress moving with her, and exposed panties that were soaking wet. She was drenched already, like the naughty little girl she was, and I wanted nothing more than to taste her.

  I pulled her panties down, sliding them off her legs and dropped them on the floor. Dotting kisses on the insides of her thighs, licking along her pearlescent skin until I reached the apex. The folds of her skin were smooth, freshly shaven with just a little landing strip.

  I dove my tongue between those soft folds, her juices tasting like honey against my tongue. Ember's pelvis arched upward toward my mouth as she moaned.

  Yes, Jude, yes!'

  I slid my tongue deeper, circling her clit as her eyes glazed over. Her hands slid over the back of my head, her fingers pulling gently at my hair as if she was guiding me where I needed to be. I happily obliged, letting her fuck my mouth with her hot little body. Letting her use my tongue for her pleasure. After one hell of an orgasm that she'd given me, she deserved it and more.

  Ember's pleasure meant more to me than anything else. I enjoyed hearing her moan and whimper, more than anything in the world. I'd do anything to please her, to make her come over and over again. In my mouth. Around my cock. Even around other men's cocks as I watched if that's what she wanted. I just wanted her to feel so fucking good. I wanted her life filled with nothing but pleasure.

  She dug her nails into my head as her body spasmed, her hips bucking upward, wildly. A sound that was half moan/half scream poured from her mouth as she writhed against the bed. Her juices rushed into my mouth, and her pussy spasmed uncontrollably.

  “Yes!” she cried out. “Oh God, yes.”

  I didn't stop until Ember collapsed against the bed, her body a dead weight. She went limp and stared down at me with hazy, sleepy eyes, and a faint smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

  “You're fucking amazing, do you know that?” she said. She rolled around on the bed like a content little kitten. “God, you drive me crazy.”

  I crawled up into the bed with her, wrapping my arms around her warm body. She let her head fall against my chest, her hair tickling me, but I didn't care. She smelled so good, and she felt even better pressed against me.

  “The feeling is definitely mutual, Ember,” I chuckled.

  I kissed the top of her head and closed my eyes. The idea of going out to dinner didn't sound appealing any longer, and I wondered if she'd be okay with just ordering in instead. That way, we didn't even have to leave the bed if we didn't want to.

  As relaxed as she was against me, I had a feeling she wouldn't be opposed that at all.

  “What do you want for your birthday?” she asked me, drawing circles on my bare chest with her fingertips.

  “I want you to be happy,” I said without a pause.

  “I am happy, silly. Besides, I was asking you,” she said.

  She propped herself up on her arm and looked at me, her eyes narrowed and serious.

  “What can I do for you?” she asked. “What can I give you that will make you happy?”

  I cocked my eyebrows. “You really want to know?”

  “Of course,” she said. “I wouldn't have aske
d otherwise, silly.”

  “Fine,” I said, taking a deep breath. “Remember when I asked if you'd like to fuck Dominic?”

  Her eyes widened, but she looked intrigued. “I do,” she said. “Go on.”

  “What I want – what I've always wanted – was for a girl to mesh well with my friends,” I said, speaking slowly and hoping it didn't freak her out too much. “I've always wanted them to love her as I do.”

  “I'd love to be close to your friends,” Ember said, trailing a finger down my chest. “But I have a feeling you have another idea in mind?”

  “I do,” I said. “I'd love it if they pleased you, Ember. Like I please you. All of us together. One big, fucking happy family. Literally.”

  I chuckled at my own bad pun. Ember wasn't laughing, however. She stared at me, biting her lower lip, uncertainty on her face, but deep in thought. I gave her a second to process everything. It was a lot to take in, for sure.

  “So you want me to sleep with your friends? All of them?” she asked. “Not just Dominic?”

  “As long as wanted to be with them,” I said. I shrugged. “I know Zane can be difficult, but he warms up to people pretty easily.”

  “Are any of them married? Or with someone?” she asked.

  “No. Zane is divorced. Dominic and Nathaniel are anti-marriage, they have no intention of settling down anytime soon,” I said and stroked her hair, worried that maybe all of this was happening too fast for her. “If you'd rather not, it's okay. It's more a fantasy actually, than something I expect to happen.”

  Ember's eyes flared to life. “Would they want to do it?”

  “I know Dominic and Nathaniel would fuck you in a heartbeat,” I said.

  “Zane, not so much.” she finished for me.

  “If he doesn't want to, he doesn't have to do it,” I said, a smile pulling at my lips. “But he'd be a dumbass for not wanting to fuck you.”

  She contemplated it for only a moment longer, a smile touching the corners of her mouth

  “Then let's do it, baby. On your birthday,” she said. “Just for you.”