Skin Deep

by Cher Carson

  Justin held his hand up. “Okay, I get the picture. Shit, that was probably the stupidest thing he could have said to you. Does that mean he has been sleeping around the last few months?”

  She shrugged and took a sip of her wine. “Who knows? He said he hasn’t, but I can’t believe him. He’s already proven he’s not trustworthy.”

  Justin started to peel the paper label off his bottle. “Tell me again, how did he do that?”

  “He sleeps around, just like Todd.”

  Holding his finger up, he said, “Right, but Todd was your boyfriend at the time; Ryan wasn’t. He’s not the one who betrayed you, Al.”

  “You still think I’m judging Ryan based on Todd’s actions, even after what I told you?”

  Justin laughed. “Do you honestly think he’s the only guy who’s banged a chick while he’s getting off thinking about the one he really wants?”

  Sipping her wine, Alana considered her brother’s words. “Are you saying you’ve done that?”

  “Sure. When Jackie and I broke up awhile back, I was with a couple of different women. I wanted her, but I knew I couldn’t have her because she wasn’t ready for a serious relationship until she finished school. That didn’t mean I would live like a monk while she moved on with her life.”

  Alana gulped instead of sipped her wine. “I don’t know what the hell to think anymore. I’m so confused.”

  “You need to understand something about medical school, sis. It kicks your ass. If you don’t have an outlet, you’ll go crazy. For some, it’s booze, others, drugs, and for guys like Ryan, who can get any woman they want, it’s sex.”

  “What was your outlet?” she asked, not sure she wanted to know.

  Looking her in the eye, he said, “Gambling.”

  “What? Are you serious?”

  “Yeah, I got myself in pretty deep back in the early days. I had to go to Dad to bail me out. Thank God I learned my lesson.”

  “Wow, I can’t believe neither one of you ever said anything to me about it.”

  “You were dealing with your own shit at the time. We didn’t want to burden you with my problems.”

  She reached across the table to grab his hand. “I’m your big sister. That’s what I’m here for.”

  “I love you, you know that, right?” Justin said. “I just want you to be happy, and I wouldn’t sit here defending Ryan unless I believed he was the real deal.”

  Alana raised her empty glass to get the bartender’s attention. “I know you only want what’s best for me, hon.”

  Justin waited until the bartender replaced their drinks before he said, “Finding your soul mate is the hardest thing in the goddamn world, which is why I think so many people just marry the first person who comes along, because they don’t want to end up alone.”

  “Kind of like Mom and Dad?” Alana asked quietly. They’d never discussed their parents’ marriage or the reasons they chose to stay together now that their children were grown, but they knew they hadn’t had the best example of a healthy relationship growing up.

  “I think Dad married for love and Mom married for money,” Justin said, taking another swig of beer.

  “Yeah, so why’s she still with him now that the money’s dried up?” That was part of the reason Alana refused to marry for the sake of security. No one deserved the kind of treatment her father had to endure acting as her mother’s personal ATM for the past forty years.

  “Maybe she’s afraid of being alone. Let’s face it. She’s not the stunning beauty she was when they got married. Her options are pretty limited now.”

  “That’s why I never wanted to be like her,” Alana said, downing half of her glass of wine. “I never wanted to be dependent on a man to take care of me.”

  “Honey, that’s what a relationship is about, learning to take care of each other and compromise. One person may carry the financial burden, while the other partner shoulders more responsibility at home, raising their family. It’s not always a fair or equitable split, but it doesn’t matter if you’re working together as a team to build a life together.”

  Smiling, she said, “When did you get so smart?”

  “When I found my soul mate.”

  Fighting back the tears, Alana raised her glass. “Here’s to Jackie.”

  He touched his bottle to hers. “Here’s to Jackie and finding your soul mate.”

  Chapter Eight

  A knock on the door woke Ryan from a fitful sleep. He cursed when he swung out of bed and stubbed his toe on the edge of the bed in his haste to get to the door. Only one person would bang on his door in the middle of the night, and he didn’t intend to let her get away.

  “Hey, man,” Justin said, leaning against the door. “Do me a favor, will ya?”

  Ryan rubbed his eyes to clear them. If he didn’t miss his guess, Justin was hammered. “Yeah, sure. What is it?”

  “Go down to the games room and save my sister. The little hustler’s got herself in a whole mess of trouble with this sleaze who’s challenging her to a game of strip poker.”

  “Son of a bitch,” Ryan muttered, reaching for the jeans he’d tossed aside earlier. “Has she been drinking?”

  “Yeah, that’s why I thought you’d like to handle it. I told the guy to back off, but he thought I was just the over-protective brother. Have a feeling it might mean more coming from you.”

  “Thanks, buddy, I’ll take care of it.”

  Justin smiled. “I had a feeling you would. G’night, Ryan.”

  Ryan cursed a blue streak all the way to the elevator. Of all the stupid, asinine things she could do, Alana got loaded and baited some drunken stranger in a bar. His mind raced to the worst possible scenario. The horny bastard could slip something in her drink and lure her up to his room. Hell, he could be a serial killer for all they knew. Didn’t she watch the news? Didn’t she know that beautiful young Americans were killed in tropical paradises like this all the time? Imagining someone hurting her enraged him.

  After stalking into the dimly lit room, he spotted them right away, tucked away at a small round table with a pile of poker chips and cards between them.

  Alana didn’t spot him right away. She was too engrossed in her companion to notice much of anything.

  “Alana,” Ryan said, bracing his fists on the table next to them. “Don’t you think it’s time to call it a night?”

  Glaring at him, she held her cards higher. “Can’t you see I’m busy?”

  “Who the hell is this guy?” her opponent said, hooking a thumb in Ryan’s direction.

  Not jumping over the table and throttling the guy using a card game as a ploy to get his woman out of her clothes took everything in Ryan. “Mind your own fuckin’ business, asshole,” Ryan said, trying to provoke him. He would love nothing more than to lay him out and take the decision of whether or not to abandon the game out of Alana’s hands.

  The guy, several inches shorter and at least twenty pounds lighter than Ryan, stood up, pushing his chair back. “Who do you think you’re talking to, man?”

  Ryan laughed, taking pleasure in the man’s posturing. He was a boxer and wrestler in college. He loved scrapping and was known for taking down men twice his size back in the day. Of course, back then his hands didn’t earn him millions of dollars every year.

  “Don’t be stupid,” Alana said, standing up. She swayed slightly as she grabbed on to the table for support.

  “That’s it,” Ryan said, coming around the table to grab her arm. “You’re leaving, now. And don’t even think about arguing with me.”

  “She doesn’t have to go anywhere with you, so back the hell off,” the guy said, pushing aside the chair that stood between them.

  “Listen,” Ryan said, waving off the bartender who was approaching to try and diffuse the situation. “Obviously, you’re too stupid to take a hint. The lady’s with me.”

  “Really? Then why was she sticking her tongue down my throat a few minutes ago?”

  Ryan’s grip on her
arm tightened until she winced, forcing him to let go. “Now would be a good time to tell me this guy’s a lying sack of shit,” he said, trying to hold his temper. He was thirty seconds away from taking the anger and frustration of the past several months out on something or someone. Not more than a few hours ago, she had detonated in his arms, and instead of trying to work through their issues, she was ready to take the first guy who showed an interest in her? “Fuck this.” He walked away.

  “Where are you going?” she shouted.

  He turned around but continued to walk backwards. “I don’t need this shit. You want this dude, have at it.” Just saying the words aloud caused bile to rise in his throat. The image of her making love to another guy made him want to vomit. And that’s exactly how she must have felt earlier when he described, in detail, how he thought of her when other women were on their knees sucking him off. Shit, he was an idiot.

  “Ryan, wait,” she called. “Please.”

  He slowed his pace, but continued walking, praying she would follow him.

  She finally caught up, falling into step beside him.

  “Is it true? You were making out with that guy?” he asked, clenching his fists. If he was at home, he wouldn’t have hesitated to put his fist through a wall, but given their surroundings, he’d likely get his ass thrown in a third-world prison if he even thought about it.

  “I’m a lousy drunk,” she said quietly. “That’s why I rarely drink.”

  “Probably a good idea if you’re slipping the tongue to every guy you meet,” he muttered, punching the button for the elevator.

  “Ryan, please,” she said, stepping in front of him. “Can we just start over?”

  He took a step back when he got a whiff of the other guy’s cheap cologne lingering on her clothes. “I can still smell his scent on you and it’s making me want to heave. Go take a shower and talk to me in the morning.”

  “You could take that shower with me,” she whispered, pressing up against him. “Come on, please.”

  He cursed his cock for standing at attention as his hands itched to cup her soft curves. “I think we both need to sleep on it,” he said, grabbing her wrist and pulling her onto the elevator.

  “I know what I need to do,” she said, pressing the button to stop the elevator.

  “What the hell are you doing?” he asked, watching her drop to her knees. “No, you’re not. You just used that tongue on some other guy. No way in hell are you going to…”

  Before he could finish, she had his jeans open and pooling around his ankles. “This is the only way I can think of to get the taste of him out of my mouth.”

  The thought of washing away his taste by spewing his hot come down her throat pushed him past his breaking point. This wasn’t about pleasure for him; it was about punishment. He hadn’t touched another woman in the past three months, not even an innocent kiss, and he intended to make sure she knew how much it cost him.

  “You sure you want this, baby?” he asked, grabbing the back of her head.

  “God, yes,” she murmured, gripping his cock in her hand. “You have no idea how many times I’ve thought about this.”

  He knew the feeling. “Open wider,” he said, drawing her head closer. “Wider,” he said, slipping his cock inside her hot, wet mouth. “Fuck, yeah,” he groaned, leaning against the wall at his back. “That’s it, take it all, sweetheart. Deeper…”

  She moaned around his cock, making sexy slurping noises as she wet his hard shaft with her saliva. “Hmm,” she said, gripping his ass as she continued sucking him harder and faster with each passing second.

  “Yeah, I’m gonna wash the taste of that prick out of your mouth with my come. Is that what you want, baby?” he asked, fisting her hair in his hands.

  “Yes,” she said, drawing him out of her mouth only long enough to respond before letting him force it down her throat again.

  “I’m gonna do this every time I see you look at another guy. I’m going to feed you my cock to remind you of who you belong to. Is that clear?” he asked, feeling like a savage beast who couldn’t control his urge to feast on his prey. “I’m gonna fuck your mouth, your pussy, your ass,” he groaned as she slipped her hand under her top. She fondled her nipples as she moaned around his cock. His possessiveness obviously turned her on. Thank God. He was half-afraid she’d slap him across the face and walk out on him again.

  “I want to taste your come,” she whispered, sliding her hand up and down his wet cock.

  “You’re mine,” he said, forcing his cock back into her mouth. He didn’t give her enough air to breath as he fucked her mouth, hard and deep, forcing her to take every inch of it down her throat. “You ever stick your tongue in another guy’s mouth, and I’m going to fuck you in the ass right there in front of him just to show him who you belong to.”

  She started taking him faster, and he knew the thought of him taking her ass in front of someone else was turning her on.

  “Would you like that?” he whispered, watching his cock disappear between her full lips. “Do you want some other guy to fuck your pussy while I take your ass?” he asked, clenching his teeth to suppress his fury.

  “Yes,” she whispered, as one hand disappeared under the waistband of her pants to rub her clit and finger fuck her pussy. “Oh God, yes.”

  “Maybe you’d like another guy straddling your face?” he asked, gripping her hair harder. “Feeding you his cock just like I am? Do you want a different guy fucking every orifice, sweetheart?”

  She nodded her head as she moaned around his shaft.

  He knew she was close to coming; so was he. “Take your hand out of your pants now.”

  She opened her eyes, looking up at him, startled. “What’s wrong?” she asked, letting his shaft slide from between her lips.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, tugging her head back. “The woman I love is talking about fucking two other guys while I take her ass and you’re asking me what’s wrong?”

  “But I thought you wanted to hear about my fantasies…”

  “I want to hear that you fantasize about me,” he growled. “Me… fucking you, sucking you, playing with you, anywhere, everywhere, using toys and…”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

  “Don’t just tell me you’re sorry. Show me.” He reached behind him to grab the waist-high railing wrapping around the small cubicle. He watched her worship his cock, licking it from root to tip, before taking it into her mouth again.

  She moaned around his sensitive, engorged flesh, as though she was getting as much pleasure from this as he was.

  Not guiding or forcing her took everything in him, but he wanted to know she understood what he tried to convey, that she was his, and he was not backing down.

  “I love your cock,” she whispered, caressing the slit with her tongue. “I love the way you taste.”

  “Lick my balls,” he said between clenched teeth. He wished they weren’t on an elevator. He wanted to lay her across a bed and feast on her pussy while she licked his balls until he came in her mouth.

  “Can I stroke my clit?” she asked. “Please?”

  “No.” He knew he was being cruel, but he didn’t care. “You stuck your tongue down some guy’s throat; you don’t deserve to experience any pleasure until I’m goddamn good and ready to give it to you.”

  She whimpered, gripping the railing behind him as she started sucking him off furiously. She was obviously angry with his terms, but she wasn’t going to argue.

  “Fuck!” he shouted, not caring if people were on the other side of the door. “I’m gonna come and I want you to swallow every fuckin’ drop.” He knew he was out-of-control, pushing her too far out of her comfort zone too soon, but he couldn’t contain himself. He’d been without her too long, and seeing her with some random guy tonight, knowing that she was secretly fantasizing about group sex with other men, cut him to the core. “Swallow,” he said, wrapping his hand around her neck. “I want to feel your throat working…�
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  He shot hot bursts of come down her throat as she worked hard to take it all. Holding the back of her head, he forced her to stay in place until he was satisfied that she had met his demands.

  Finally, never taking her eyes off him, she lifted up off the ground. “What the hell?”

  He smiled, trying to conceal his inner rage and turmoil. He’d treated her like some random woman he picked up to satisfy his needs, and he hated that he may have made her feel that way. Stroking her cheek, he said, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have tried to resolve my anger that way…”

  “It seems like you’re still angry,” she said, pressing her palms into his chest.

  “I am, with myself. I was an asshole for making you—”

  She reached up and pulled his head down to meet hers. Forcing her tongue past the barrier of his teeth, she engaged him in a wild, wet tangling of tongues that left him gasping for breath.

  “Shit,” he said, gliding his hands up and down her back.

  “That was to prove a point. I don’t do anything I don’t want to do,” she said, bracing her hands on his shoulders as she glared at him. “I went down on you because I wanted to. You didn’t force me to do anything, and I know if I’d told you to stop, you would have.”

  She was right, of course. He would never force her to do anything against her will. He would rather slit his own wrists than hurt her. “Will you at least let me return the favor?” he asked, grinning.

  “Oh, I intend to make sure you do, Doc.”

  Chapter Nine

  Alana closed the door to her suite, flattening her back against the cool wood. The air-conditioning was turned down and her nipples responded to the blast of cold air almost immediately.

  Ryan’s eyes zeroed in on the front of her tight tank top. Rubbing his hands together, he said, “I’m going to enjoy warming you up.” He planted a hand on either side of her face, whispering, “Making you hot.”