“I don’t like it this way,” she protested feebly. He surged forward, and she bit back a moan as he dragged himself back and forth in her juicy slit, sliding against her clit, nudging himself against the wet folds.
“Why not?” he asked, moving his hand up to cover her breast.
“Because,” she half moaned, trying to ignore the pleasure long enough to form a coherent sentence. “It’s dirty, like you’re an animal who doesn’t even care enough to look at my face.” He moved again, the thick ridge of his erection awakening every nerve ending with delicious friction. Despite her protests, she found herself leaning farther forward, tipping her ass up in an effort to entice Joe to stop all the teasing and fuck her like he meant it.
“But if I fuck you like this,” he said as he worked his cock inside her, “I can watch the beautiful way your back arches.” He rocked his hips, going so deep she felt him at the base of her spine. “And I can touch you like this.” His middle finger drifted back and forth over her clit in perfect rhythm. Taylor moaned and arched her back, pushing against him as she sought to increase his pace. From this angle, he was huge, thick, stretching her wide as he drove impossibly deeper.
“Look at us, Taylor,” he whispered against her neck before sinking his teeth into the sensitive curve. She opened her eyes, startled to realize she had an unobstructed view of them in the mirror over her dresser. Immediately she snapped her eyes shut, not wanting to acknowledge the truth she saw in her reflection, the reality of herself, the pale skin of her body flushed with desire, her lips parted as she moaned like a porn queen. “We’re beautiful together,” he murmured, drawing himself almost all the way out before sinking back in. “How can anything that beautiful ever be dirty?”
At his words, she opened her eyes, unable to look away, even though the primitive sexuality unnerved her. Behind her, Joe looked huge and dark, his tan body a stark contrast to her milky curves. His hand was so big it spanned the width of her belly, his shoulders and chest so broad in contrast to her narrow frame. Yet something about them together, like this, looked so right it shook her to her very core.
He urged her up, sitting on his heels so her knees straddled his thighs and her back pressed against the hair-roughened skin of his chest. Gone was the urgent, aggressive lover from before. Now Joe held himself still, buried deep inside her as he took advantage of their position to explore every smooth patch of skin he could get his hands on. He rained hot, sucking kisses on her shoulders and neck, pinched and cupped at her breasts, making them both moan as she clenched and writhed on his cock.
She became transfixed by their reflection, watching his big, hard hands move over her body with exquisite care, knowing exactly where and how to touch her to take her to the very brink of climax. Finally, unable to stand it any longer, she released her grip on his thighs and grabbed his hand, guiding it firmly between her legs. In the mirror she watched his finger press against the gleaming bud of her clit. He circled once, twice, and she was coming, pulsing and clenching around him as he drew her orgasm out.
She collapsed back against him, her head resting against his shoulder. Tipping her chin back, he took her mouth in a lusty, tongue-thrusting kiss before urging her forward. Once more she braced her hands against the footboard and tilted her hips up, open and willing to his heavy thrusts.
His hands closed over her hips as he pounded into her, his balls slapping against her ass with every stroke. To her shock, Taylor felt herself tightening around him as another climax built deep in her core. She slammed herself back against him, meeting him in a harsh counter-rhythm as she felt him swell even bigger within her. Her pussy tightened and throbbed around him as she came in a blinding wave, even more intense than before. He uttered a muffled curse as his cock pulsed and jerked inside her before he collapsed on the bed.
Wrapping his arm around her waist, he rolled them to their sides, spooning her from behind. “Told you you’d like it,” he murmured sleepily.
She smiled ruefully in the fading evening light, searching her brain for an appropriately witty comeback and coming up empty-handed. “You win,” was the best she could do.
Joe had won the battle, but not the war, as became evident the next morning over breakfast. “My sister’s having a barbecue this Saturday,” he said without preamble, “and I’d really like it if you would come with me.”
Her coffee cup froze halfway to her lips, and his gut clenched as her mouth formed a tight, apologetic smile. “I can’t. Our senior partner is having a party at his house, and there’s no way I can miss it.” And no way would I ever choose my boy toy fuck buddy over anything work-related. Though she didn’t say it, Joe got her message loud and clear.
Still, he must have woken up with a masochistic streak this morning because he couldn’t stop himself from asking, “Maybe Sunday, then, we could go out to dinner.” Just to be sure he was crystal clear on what was going on, he named a restaurant that was well known as a hangout for local venture capitalists and Silicon Valley’s technology elite. He didn’t miss the panic that crossed Taylor’s face before she blew him off with a, “Maybe. We’ll see.”
He left shortly thereafter, unwilling to sit across the breakfast table like some chump, pretending nothing was wrong, pretending he didn’t want something more. His head was screaming at him to end it, to cut her off before he wasted any more time waiting around for whatever crumbs of affection she deigned to throw his way. And yet, there was something under that snobby, image-obsessed surface that drew him in and wouldn’t let go. A funny, sexy woman who for some reason was terrified to show that side of herself to the rest of the world. Something loving and protective in him wouldn’t let him give up on her, needed to show her that it was okay to let the rest of the world see the real Taylor Flynn.
He left for work that morning no closer to a decision. The only thing he was certain of was that he was damn sick of being Taylor Flynn’s dirty little secret.
12
T aylor sipped her white wine and made small talk with Marc Spellman’s wife, Kathleen. A pretty brunette about Taylor’s age, Kathleen was busy making sure everyone felt welcome. Though the event was called a barbecue, the Spellmans had clearly spared no effort or expense. The food was beautifully catered, and the wrought-iron tables placed around the pool and on the lawn were perfectly decorated like something out of a Martha Stewart magazine. “Your house is beautiful,” Taylor murmured, “and I especially love your outdoor kitchen.”
“That’s my brother’s work,” Kathleen said, unable to keep the pride from her voice as she stopped a server so Taylor could get a crab cake. “He’s a genius. If you ever need any landscape design, you should talk to him.”
“Taylor actually has an amazing gardener.” Taylor turned to see Jenna, who hugged Kathleen like they were long-lost sisters. Suddenly, Taylor’s polite handshake seemed rather cold. “You should see him work.” Fortunately, the lascivious tone in Jenna’s voice was lost on Kathleen.
Their conversation continued, and Taylor tried to stay engaged as Jenna asked Kathleen about her children’s summer activities. But her thoughts kept wandering to Joe, wondering what he was doing right now. If he was having fun at his sister’s. She tried to imagine what his family was like. Close, probably, sharing an easy camaraderie and lots of laughter. Her gaze wandered over the guests, most of whom either invested in or worked at high-tech companies. They were clumped in small groups, mostly segregated by gender. The men discussed business, latest technology trends, and which company was about to either implode or go public. Taylor knew she should make her way over to them and impress them with her charm and knowledge of the industry.
Joe never cared what she had to say about the IPO market. In fact, Joe didn’t even know what company she worked at. Still, they never ran out of things to talk about, and she always got the sense that, unlike a lot of the men at this party, Joe was really listening when she spoke. Taylor was nearly overcome by the intense desire to see him to share a sunny weekend afternoon wi
th him, to be laughing with him instead of trying to impress her colleagues and their wives with her perfect manners and business acumen.
“Hey, sis.” Taylor almost thought she had conjured his voice.
“Speak of the devil, there he is now,” Kathleen said, snapping Taylor out of her reverie.
She turned, and to her intense delight and horror, there was Joe. His smile faltered, then widened as he recognized her. “Taylor!”
The bottom dropped out of Taylor’s stomach as Kathleen looked back and forth between them with intense curiosity. Jenna sipped her wine, eyebrows raised, lips quirked in a smile that said she couldn’t wait to see how this all played out.
“You two know each other?” Kathleen asked. “How?”
I’ve been spent every night naked with him for the past month. Taylor knew she needed to seize control of the situation before the truth spilled out. Joe opened his mouth to reply, but before he could speak, Taylor said, “We’re neighbors. Joe, as it happens, lives right next door to me.” She looked at him, pleading with her eyes for him to stay silent about the rest.
His smile remained fixed, though his eyes went flat. “There’s a little more to it than that,” he said, sending a bolt of panic down Taylor’s spine. “I also just finished redesigning Taylor’s yard and patio.”
Taylor nearly wept with relief and somehow managed to say, “Yes, and he did an amazing job. Now I know why I was so impressed with your landscaping.”
Joe and Kathleen quickly settled into a discussion about their family, giving each other updates on parents, siblings, nieces, and nephews, leaving Taylor and Jenna with nothing to contribute. Jenna started up a conversation with an attorney who worked closely with their firm, while Taylor awkwardly hovered on the fringes of Joe’s conversation with his sister. He was clearly trying to block her out, even going so far as to position himself with his back to her. But Taylor couldn’t risk leaving him alone for fear he might spill all to his sister.
Finally, Jenna physically grabbed her by the arm, whispering, “Leave them alone. I need you to help me convince Spellman to fund this new idea.” Judging from Jenna’s firm grip on her arm, Taylor wouldn’t be able to resist without some sort of physical altercation. And that would cause a scene, which Taylor of course wanted to avoid at any cost. She allowed herself to be dragged away. When Jenna cornered Spellman, Taylor obediently nodded in agreement and uttered meaningless catch-phrases at Jenna’s urging.
But her attention was focused on Joe and Kathleen on the other side of the lawn. From her vantage she could barely make out their expressions and had to rely on body language. Once, she thought Joe glanced her way as he shrugged. He kissed his sister on the cheek and squeezed her around the shoulders before joining the nearest group of men in conversation.
Taylor’s mind raced with panic, wondering what he had told his sister, but at the moment, four people, including Jenna, were staring at her expectantly, waiting for her to weigh in with her opinion on Jenna’s proposed business model. She gave it, and excused herself to get another drink.
As she made her way to the bar, her gaze was continually drawn to Joe, who seemed to move around the crowd with enviable ease. The men laughed and joked with him, the women flirted benignly. In his button-front shirt, khaki slacks, and expensive watch, only his tanned face and perfectly honed body hinted that he wasn’t just like the rest of these men.
“God, he’s gorgeous,” she heard a feminine voice say. “Maybe I’ll hire him to do my yard. I’d have a Desperate Housewives moment with him, no question,” said another, making Taylor’s stomach clench. She wanted to turn and scream at them that Joe was more than just a pretty face and hot body. That he was smart and kind, funny and loving like no man she’d ever met. But she continued to the bar, saying none of these things, knowing if she did, they’d look on her with amused scorn before spreading the gossip like wildfire.
As she reached the bar, Joe appeared at her right and held out his own glass for a refill. “Don’t worry, I didn’t say anything to Kathleen. I didn’t let her know you’ve been slumming it with your gardener.” The disgust in his voice was enough to curdle her blood.
“Thank you for your discretion,” she said coolly, looking around to make sure no one was listening.
He let out a scornful laugh. “Don’t worry, Taylor, no one here is going to find out your dirty little secret.”
Defensiveness rose within her at his tone. “What did you expect me to do, announce to your sister—my boss’s wife—that I’ve been sleeping with her brother for nearly a month?” The bartender raised his eyebrows and backed away discreetly. “I don’t want to talk about this here,” she whispered through gritted teeth.
“Well, when you put it like that, it does sound pretty sordid,” he said, turning to skewer her with his icy glare. “But I guess I had myself fooled that there was something more going on, that you were deep enough to stop caring about what I do and focus on who I am.”
He walked in long strides across the yard, curtly nodding as people greeted him, and disappeared inside. Taylor followed at a discreet distance, slipping inside with the excuse of finding a bathroom. She looked in five rooms before finding him in what looked like a game room, complete with a pool table, wide-screen television, and full-size arcade game. Joe stood staring out a window overlooking the side yard.
Taylor’s throat was tight. “Joe, I’m sorry I hurt you—”
“So am I.” He whirled around. “But what I’m really sorry about is that I let you hurt me. I stupidly let myself believe that there was something better underneath the surface you show the world. I convinced myself that there was someone in you worth knowing, and worth loving.”
Every word poured through her like acid, and she held her hand up, but he wouldn’t stop. Didn’t he understand, she could never let go of the disguise? If she did, he’d see the ugliness of her past, the hopelessness she’d worked so hard to escape. He’d see that she was nothing but poor trailer trash, constantly polishing herself to keep the stains from showing.
“I told myself that the connection we had meant something, that I couldn’t possibly be interested in someone so shallow.”
She wrapped her arms around herself as though she could protect herself from the onslaught of pain. She’d tried to keep her roots hidden from the world, but he could see through her mask to the real Taylor, and she couldn’t bear it. “Joe, please stop—”
“This whole time, I’ve been patient, waiting for you to open up, waiting for you to give me a chance.” He stared at her, the disgust on his face nearly sending her to her knees. “You think I’m not good enough for you, Taylor. But the truth is, you’re not good enough for me.”
Something shriveled inside her with the knowledge that he was right.
“You have got to be the stupidest woman I’ve ever met.” Jenna stormed into her office the following Monday. Slamming the door, she threw her arms up in exasperation. “Seriously, Taylor, you blew it. Big time.”
“Did the deal fall through?” Taylor asked, trying to sound like she really cared. But since Joe had walked away on Saturday, she couldn’t seem to drag her mind away from him and the awful feeling that she had made the worst mistake of her life.
Jenna’s face knit into a disgusted frown. “Deal? I’m talking about Joe, and the fact that you let possibly the most perfect man in the universe slip through your fingers. No, wait, you didn’t let him slip through, you practically strapped a jetpack to him and pushed him out the door.”
Taylor’s throat tightened and she went on attack to prevent herself from dissolving into tears. “You were the one who encouraged me to have a fling with him, to use him as my transition man before I was ready to date.”
“That was before I met him,” Jenna said, flinging herself into a chair.
“Just because he’s gorgeous doesn’t mean it could ever work,” Taylor said, trying to convince herself as much as Jenna. “It never would have worked,” she repeated.
&n
bsp; “Okay, let’s put looks aside. He cooks for you. He’s smart too. I talked to him at the party, and he’s a lot smarter than most MBAs I know.” Taylor tried not squirm at her pointed look and didn’t argue Jenna’s point.
Tears burned the backs of her eyes as Taylor struggled to maintain control of her emotions. “He’s nothing like us, nothing like me. If everyone found out—”
Jenna cut her off with a raised hand. “Taylor, I’ve known you for about a year now. And despite some major personality quirks, I really like you. So I’m going to tell you this for your own good.” She leaned forward intently. “You care way too much about what people think of you. And people would like you a lot more if you cared a little less.”
Taylor started, her preoccupation with Joe momentarily subsiding. “What do you mean? Don’t people like me?” Of course she realized she wasn’t best friends with everyone she worked with, but she’d always assumed she was well liked, at least on a professional level. Which, until now, was the only one she thought mattered.
“You don’t let anyone get to know you, Taylor. The only thing anyone besides me knows about you is your professional track record and that Stanford MBA you mention within the first five minutes of being introduced. When I first met you, even I thought you came off as cold and potentially ruthless.”
Taylor swallowed heavily at Jenna’s portrayal. Uptight bitch. Joe’s words knifed through her heart. All this time spent trying to morph herself into the perfect female executive, only to find out it was holding her back personally and professionally.
“You’re so bent on showing people only what you want them to see, that people have a hard time trusting you,” Jenna said softly.
Taylor stared blankly at her desk, pens and papers blurring as she blinked back tears. She didn’t know how to respond to Jenna’s harsh assessment of her, didn’t know how to begin to explain herself. Jenna could never understand the drive to escape her past, to remake herself and her life into what Taylor considered the epitome of success. Somewhere along the way, Taylor had convinced herself that there was only one path to success, and straying from it would result in an express ticket back to poverty in the trailer park.
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