by Alexa Day
The sound of Tal’s name made John’s hands tighten in his coat pockets. He took a deep breath and forced a smile. He needed Tal. There’d be plenty of time to hate him once this experiment was over.
And let’s remember who brought Tal into this.
John forced himself to keep it casual. “Oh yeah? What does Tal want to know?”
She dropped her gaze to the asphalt between them. “You’re going to laugh.”
“I won’t, I promise.”
“He wants to know why you’re not doing the testing.” Grace looked up, beyond him into the dark. “You know. Why you’re not doing what he’s doing.”
John leaned back against his car. The thought of the two of them in bed together had been bad enough. Now he had this to contend with.
“Your friend Tal’s a character,” he said.
“Yeah, he’s something else.” She faced John again. “You know, I keep telling him that you and I are friends, but he’s one of those who doesn’t think men and women can be friends without having sex with each other.”
He took another deep, centering breath and decided that “Tal is necessary” was going to be his new mantra.
“Well, you tell your friend Tal that I’m already a little too involved in this set of experiments. Sleeping with you myself is just about the only thing that would get me fired faster than what we’re doing now.”
She nodded. “See, I knew you’d have a reason that made sense.”
“Yeah.” Against his better judgment, he opened his arms to give Grace a hug. When she stepped into his embrace, the scent that was hers alone drifted toward him and he gave in to the need to kiss her, touching his lips to the top of her head.
A friendly kiss. Just one friendly kiss.
“Grace, I need you to understand something.”
She looked up at him, her chin resting on his chest just above his heart.
“I would never do anything to put our friendship at risk. Anything. Even if I was pretty sure nothing would happen. I mean, I’m pretty sure this stuff works. But I’m not positive. That’s why we’re doing this. Right?”
She nodded. “Right.” She pressed her face against his chest again and gave him a quick squeeze before releasing him. “You’re right.” She stepped away and smoothed her hair back into place behind her ear. “God, can you imagine how awkward and weird we would be afterward?”
John chuckled. His imagination preferred to avoid the parts that were awkward and weird, but the rational part of his mind was pretty attached to the possibility. “Want to go to Bank on Wednesday?” he asked.
“Sounds good.”
He waved at her as she drove off, and long after her taillights had disappeared from view, he stood there in the dark. That afternoon he had thought of all the horrible things that could happen if anyone figured out what he was doing. He had taken comfort from that. Better preparation through anticipation.
He just hadn’t anticipated how difficult this would be in reality, even with all his preparations. And now there was no turning back.
Chapter Four
Power.
At last Grace could give a name to the feeling that had surged through her when she’d swallowed that pill last week. Power added extra length and purpose to her stride and sparked the slow burn that threatened to consume her. Power gave rise to something primitive and wild inside her—the need to mate. She chose Tal not just for his availability and for his willingness, but because he was, on a purely biological level, perfectly suited for her needs.
They’d fucked like animals. And she’d enjoyed it even more than she thought she would, after she’d gotten used to the dizzying loss of control that went with it.
Did she get used to it? Or had she just stopped worrying about it when Tal and Impulse joined forces in her service?
Standing in her bathrobe before her closet, Grace tried to concentrate on what to wear for her first Friday night with Tal. He’d long ago discouraged her from putting a lot of effort into dressing up for their encounters—his thoughts of her, he’d explained, did not usually involve clothes—and she’d lapsed into the habit of wearing something comfortable on top of her just-for-sex underwear. She could do that again tonight. She had a feeling Impulse would make the evening memorable all by itself. But her attention kept returning to a little black slip dress. She rarely wore the short, lightweight garment this time of year, but her coat would keep her warm until Tal and Impulse could take over.
After getting dressed, Grace popped a pill into her mouth and swallowed it with a handful of water from her bathroom sink. She expected the familiar chill to set in immediately; it had started working so quickly last time. This time, she got all the way to her car and all the way to Tal’s neighborhood with no sign that the Impulse had taken hold.
She navigated the tangle of one-way streets near her destination, looking for somewhere to park. The city streets were clogged with a confluence of late rush-hour traffic and people heading downtown to start enjoying their weekends. She bit her lip. Of all the possible consequences of meeting on a Friday night, why hadn’t she thought of parking? Still, even after spending an eternity looking for a place to park and then walking from there to Tal’s place, she hadn’t gotten her chill, the heat that followed, or any other indication that the pill was working.
Her fingers were just a whisper away from Tal’s doorbell when the metal door slid open to reveal the man himself. The sleeves of his crisp white dress shirt were rolled up, almost to the elbow, and sharply creased black trousers enticed her to admire the length of his legs. He looked like a glossy magazine ad come to life. When he stepped back to let her in, Grace’s sex grew heavy and warm with anticipation and hunger, just as it usually did when she was near him.
The rush she craved still eluded her, and worry weighed down her rising desire. What if it wasn’t working? John had reminded her of that possibility in the parking lot after their interview a week ago. What if she only got one experience like the last one and then nothing more?
Well, that would account for all those people quitting.
Tal closed and locked the door behind him and then walked slowly toward her, his ocean-blue gaze locked to hers.
“You’re all dressed up,” Grace said. She unbuttoned her coat, slid it from her shoulders and draped it over a bar situated over a weight bench next to her.
Tal boldly looked her over, appraising her from head to toe. “One of my clients had a gallery show tonight.” His golden brows drew together. “You okay?”
Grace nodded. Damn. After just one try, Impulse had spoiled her. Here she was on a Friday night, with a man who made her toes curl just by looking at her. So what if the stuff wasn’t working? She could still have a damn good time.
As if to prove her point, Tal took her hand and gently pulled her closer. He pressed two fingers to the sweet spot just behind her chin and tilted her head back until she faced him. Then he pushed his lower lip out in a little boy’s pout. “You sure?”
Grace laughed. “You’re so damn silly.”
Still pouting, he started to trace tiny circles on the underside of her chin. “Are you mad because I’m so silly?”
She tried to return his petulant expression but couldn’t keep a straight face long enough to do it. “I’m not mad.” She longed to run her own fingers over the hollow of his throat, the sensitive flesh visible through the open collar of his shirt. Things were looking up already.
“That’s good.” His voice made her want to press her lips to his skin and see what other enticing sounds he’d make. “I would hate for Gracie to be mad at me.”
Grace gave Tal a playful shove and he released her, laughing. “I’ll get mad if you call me Gracie again,” she said. Bereft of his touch, her skin instantly went up in goose bumps.
Still chuckling, Tal went back toward the front door to turn off the lights. “So why are you all dressed up?”
Grace rubbed her palms over her arms. Maybe this dress hadn’t been such a go
od idea. She had another one with sleeves that was just as nice. “No reason.”
Wait. It’s cold. I’m suddenly cold. She grinned in anticipation. Game on.
Tal made his way back to her like a tiger, moving through the tangle of stark shadows cast by the streetlights. “Did you take one of your pills?”
The icy tendrils that had begun to take hold of her retreated just as quickly at the sound of Tal’s voice. Grace met him halfway across the room, warmth slowly unfolding inside her with every step until her fingertips stroked the front of his shirt. “I took one right before I came over,” she said.
“Do you think that’s fair?” The sound of his voice made her restless again as his arms closed around her. She craned her neck just a bit, nuzzling the warm skin under his chin. “You have kind of a head start on me.”
Grace’s fingers walked over the fabric of his shirt, nimbly undoing the buttons. Beneath her ministrations, his broad chest expanded on a deep breath, and her nipples shrank to taut, hard points within the constraints of her bra. She craved the hard heat of his body, the taste of him. She ground her hips against him, savoring the surge of desire that swelled within her as she pressed her body to the hardening ridge of flesh in his pants. “I think you’re catching up.”
She teased the corner of his mouth with the tip of her tongue and he covered her lips with his own. She opened eagerly for his kiss, whimpering with delight as he claimed her. He tasted of fine wine, the sort of thing he’d drink while the ladies of Richmond’s art scene eyed him, wanting what Grace enjoyed now. When he released her, she let her hands roam down his chest, exploring the expanse of muscle, the flat stomach beneath his thin cotton undershirt.
He stroked her bare arms again, his rough fingertips leaving a trail of fire on her skin. “What if I was hoping to get to the bed this time?”
The need to devour him rose up inside her, making her shiver, but she relished each tantalizing taste of him, clean and wild. Her struggle to control her amplified urges only aroused her further. “There’s plenty of time for the bed,” she purred.
Her tongue caressed the contours of his abs through the soft fabric as she slowly knelt before him, barely noticing the hard floor beneath her. While she unfastened his belt, Tal’s fingers played in her hair, and the heat within her intensified. Her hands deftly unzipped and lowered his pants until they pooled in front of her. Then she reached into his boxer shorts—plain white, suitable for the dressy clothes he wore—and wrapped her fingers around his erection.
She heard Tal’s long inhalation, and when his body undulated slowly toward her, her own aching core contracted in response. Grace squeezed his thick cock and tipped her head back to look at him. He towered over her, the faintest grin lifting the corners of his mouth. His hand still rested on her head, his fingers wound in her hair, but her body pulsed with the combined forces of need and sheer power. She might be on her knees before him, but he belonged to her, now more than ever. He was hers to tease, hers to pleasure if she wished, hers to deny if she chose.
Grace made sure he was watching when she stroked the sensitive curve at the edge of his cock head. He released another deep breath on a soft groan and her pussy tightened greedily, wanting to be filled with the hefty shaft in her hand. Her growing need warred with her self-control as she kissed the very tip of his cock, caressing it with her lips, sliding her tongue over the first slick, salty drops of pre-come.
At last, her hunger overwhelmed her and she dipped her head, opening wide to take as much of him as she could. She let her tongue slide down the ridge on the underside of his hard-on and closed her lips around it as she rose. As she bobbed up and down over his erection, his fingers took hold of her hair. The primitive gesture, his growl of pleasure, his crude suggestions never failed to excite her. She quickened her pace, plunging deeper and sucking harder.
She worked her tongue over his hot, rigid flesh, licking and sucking with delighted abandon, making him helpless, the victim of his own sensations. His hips moved in time with her, fucking her willing mouth. All at once, he tightened his grip on her hair and groaned when he slowly withdrew from her eager lips. Grace looked up at him and found the expression on his face both satisfied and hungry.
“Oh no.” The rumble of his voice had her licking her lips. “This isn’t what I had in mind at all.”
Tal released Grace’s hair and extended his hand to her. She laced her fingers in his and rose, her knees aching just a bit from the floor. Her hand caught in his, Tal wound his arms around her, trapping Grace’s arm behind her. She moved closer to him, close enough again that she could run her tongue across the seam of his lips. Renewed need blazed within her. She kissed him, pressing her body to his, teasing the sensitive skin of his lips with her tongue, and he opened his mouth to her. Boldly, she plunged into his mouth, claiming him until he pulled away.
“I think these pills make you just a little wild, don’t they?” His breath tickled her skin, the sensation making her sex heavy and slick.
Damn, she had to have him. Now. “Do you mind?”
He rubbed his face against hers, and the mingled scents of aftershave and clean male arousal tempted her as he whispered into her ear, “I don’t mind at all. Come over here and let me show you.”
Tal bent awkwardly and pulled his pants back up, holding them at his waist with one hand as he led Grace through the maze of weights and bars and benches into his office. His desk lay beneath one of the warehouse’s large windows, facing the alley he shared with the neighboring auto body shop. He pulled her in front of him, as if they were dancing, until she was between him and the desk, and she kissed him again, closing her eyes to indulge in the mix of tastes and sensations he offered. She heard the jingle of his keys and the fabric of his pants sliding down to the floor again just before his hands settled on her hips.
She opened her eyes when he slowly turned her around and away from him. Once she faced the window, she let her head roll back toward him and he covered her breasts with his hands, expertly working them through the stiff cups of her bra. Grace reached up behind her, tugging at Tal’s hair. She sighed his name as she arched her back, need building steadily within her.
Tal kissed the bare skin at her shoulder. “Stay here,” he whispered. Grace glanced over her shoulder as he moved away from her and she couldn’t help chuckling as he struggled out of his pants, cursing under his breath. Tal shot her a dark look and went to the doorway. She slowly turned around and started to slide the straps of her dress from her shoulders. She didn’t know why he’d want to shut the door, but at least she could be ready for him when he came back.
Instead, Tal turned on the lights.
Grace squinted for a moment until her eyes adjusted. “What’s wrong? You lose something?”
Tal shook his head and pulled off his shirt, advancing toward her in his t-shirt and boxers. “Just want to see what I’m doing.” He backed Grace up to the desk, pinning her between its edge and his body, trapping her there with his hands. She took a shallow breath and met his gaze.
“See anything you like?”
“I think I’m about to.” Tal slid his big hand up her thigh, beneath her dress, and Grace eased her legs farther apart, making room for him. Nothing separated the warm, wet folds of her flesh from his touch. He made a quiet sound of approval as he stroked her, parting her swollen lips, delving into creamy heat, caressing the ripe peak of her clit. Grace rocked her hips toward him and moaned as his fingers slid over her, into her.
She tugged restlessly at his t-shirt. “Show me yours.”
He swept his fingertips over her pussy one last time before withdrawing and putting his hands on her hips, turning her toward the window again. With the office lights on, Grace could see their reflection in the glass and she watched eagerly as Tal pulled his shirt over his head, revealing the muscular body she couldn’t get enough of. The sight of him ignited her anew, setting off that incredible chain reaction she’d wanted as soon as she’d swallowed the pill. The te
nsion building between her legs made her sway helplessly toward him. She gripped the edge of the desk as Tal slid his boxers down over long, powerful legs and rummaged through the pockets of his pants for a condom, which he slapped down onto the desk before nudging her legs apart with his own.
He finished pushing the straps of her dress down off her shoulders, tugging the garment down over her bra, and then pulled her back toward him. His thick fingers struggled to get beneath her bra cups, and his harsh breath on her bare shoulder sent lightning flashes of heat over her skin, from her nape to her taut, aching nipples to the place where her core pulsed with need. She pushed herself up into his hands. She needed more, his hands on her, between her legs, squeezing her breasts, tugging at her hair. She wanted more, wanted everything, wanted it now, and the force of it slammed into her with every searing breath, every galloping beat of her heart.
He let go of her just long enough to yank the dress over her head, long enough to disengage the hooks of her bra with a snap and then they were skin-to-skin, the close quarters of the room all but vibrating with their mutual hunger. She faced herself in the window-turned-mirror and watched him touching her, the golden tan of his skin against the deep brown of her thighs, between her long legs.
Moving on pure, intoxicating instinct, she made an offering of her body. She arched her back for him, lifting her ass toward him, spreading her legs for him. Soon his aggression matched hers and he groped her eagerly, his rough hands grabbing the full roundness of her ass before rubbing the slick heat of her mound. His strong fingers found her clit again and parted the swollen lips of her sex. A cry broke from her and she started to roll her hips toward him.
“God, Tal, please!”
He let go of her for a moment and she could hear him opening the condom. She whined with desperation when he moved away from her, but she listened for the soft sound of the rubber stretching over his shaft. She bent at the waist, leaning on the desk.
Tal entered her roughly, filling her easily. She moaned, bending back toward him, and he began to fuck her hard and deep, rough sounds of masculine pleasure punctuating his long thrusts. His fingers dug into her hips, but he didn’t have to pull her back onto his cock. She met each push eagerly, wanting still more, more hard flesh, more heat. More.
