Shade

by Shayne Ford

  My eyes slip out of his lock and drift down on his body, my gaze sweeping the corded muscles of his arms, and the hard bumps of his chest before it flicks up to the orange glow of his cigarette and his perfect lips arched around it.

  Distracted, I raise my eyes.

  “You mean…?”

  “Uh-huh. That’s exactly what I mean,” he says, throwing me a cocky smile. “The women I fuck are almost always older...”

  Tipping my head to the side, I waggle my finger at him, but for some reason, I can’t wipe away my grin.

  He sounds like a spoiled brat right now, yet, to my surprise, I find it charming.

  Barely suppressing his laugh, he runs his teeth over his bottom lip.

  “I mean... older than you,” he says, pointing to me with the hand holding his cigarette.

  I cock my head to the other side.

  “You don’t believe me, do you?” he asks.

  Tipping his chin down, he runs his gaze on my body, a fiery smile claiming his eyes, glowing over his sculpted cheekbones, setting off the green glitter between his lashes.

  “It’s the truth,” he continues.

  “I believe you.”

  “Fine. Is there anything else you need to know about my age, Tara Hart?”

  His playful smile makes me grin.

  “You are quite a piece of work, Shade Hennessy.”

  “I am, aren’t I?” he says, stretching his hand out to grab the ashtray, drawing it closer and flicking his cigarette.

  Ashes fly over the small ceramic ashtray.

  “Yes, you are. And I still don’t know how old you are.”

  He slides his cigarette between his lips, tilts his head back again, runs his hands through his hair, sweeps it all back, and looks away.

  Smirking.

  “You’re not going to drop it, are you?” he asks, talking around his cigarette.

  He brings his eyes back to me, and slowly runs his gaze on my legs, flicking the end of the cigarette with the tip of his tongue.

  He moves closer while I lean back, his eyes sparkling with mischief. He blows the smoke to the side, snubs out his cigarette, and pops a mint into his mouth.

  My eyes follow him as he pivots back to me and slides his palms onto the counter on either side of me.

  Flashing a sly smile, he looks up–– and behind me, at something hanging on the wall.

  “In about a couple of hours...” he says, and pauses for effect.

  I turn my head and follow his gaze. A wall clock sits above the bar. I look back at him.

  He dips his gaze to my lips before he swings it back to my eyes.

  “I’ll be twenty-one. Is that old enough for you?” he asks, seriously this time.

  I nod, staring at his lips.

  “Is age so important to you?”

  “No, it’s not. It’s merely a surprise.”

  “Why’s that?” he asks softly.

  “Sometimes you feel older.”

  His lips curl into a lazy smile.

  “And...?”

  A grin sprouts on my lips.

  “And sometimes... I simply wonder,” I say, humor lining my voice.

  “About what?”

  “If you’re past eighteen.”

  He chuckles while I smile.

  “Keeping things interesting for you,” he says, his voice sending tingles down my spine.

  “Yeah, that too...” I say, losing my focus fast as he nonchalantly cups my breasts and starts kneading them.

  “Now, if we’re done talking, I’d like to fuck you before I go to my birthday party.”

  My heart sinks.

  Just as fast, his smile falls from his lips.

  I lower my gaze before he grips my chin and tilts it up, his eyes darting back and forth, searching mine.

  “What is it, baby?”

  He lowers his head, his eyes on mine.

  “I’m listening,” he says.

  “Are you going to be with someone else, tonight?” I ask softly.

  He studies me, seriously this time, his eyes expressing unexpected maturity.

  He seems to be fading in and out of these two versions of himself. Playful and cheeky at times, and serious and deep on occasions, but right now, a different man looks at me, weighing my emotions.

  His eyes bore into mine, yet he stays quiet, delaying a response, and that makes me pull back, suddenly cold.

  I may have just received the answer.

  He runs his fingers on my face, studying me, feeding on my reaction.

  “What is it, Tara?”

  I look away briefly.

  “You don’t want me to be with someone else, do you?” he asks me so soft and tender, it melts my heart.

  He doesn’t wait for my response before he slips his lips onto mine, giving me a tender kiss.

  “What if I’m not going to be with anyone else tonight? Would that make you happy?”

  For a moment, I examine his eyes, searching for the truth. I nod a couple of times, and he kisses me again.

  “I don’t want to be with anyone else tonight. And that’s the truth. I don’t even want to be at that party, but I have to go,” he says before he reluctantly tears away from me.

  “Is that okay with you? If I go...” he asks sincerely, no irony in his voice, and I almost fall from my chair.

  “Yes,” I murmur while splaying my fingers on his neck.

  “Good, then... Can I fuck you now?” he asks casually as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.

  A sly smile creases his lips.

  I grin as well and thread my fingers through his hair as he leans closer to me.

  “I like this better,” he murmurs as he lifts my thighs, and wraps my legs around his hips.

  He presses himself against me, his erection straining against his jeans.

  Our mouths lock, our tongues swirling together while his zipper whispers beneath my fingers as I slide it open.

  Smoothly, he breaks our kiss and gives me a smile, his thumb brushing my lips.

  “I can’t wait to fuck your mouth, beautiful girl…” he says, mixing dirty words with tenderness with the smoothness of a magician.

  Heat spreads over my face while tingles roll between my legs.

  I clench my thighs around him.

  “You’d like that too, huh?”

  My answer is a smile.

  “I knew you would. But for now, I want to bury myself in that sweet pussy of yours before I go into that den of wolves,” he says, pulling me off the stool and laying me on a table.

  He peels my panties off, flicks my bra open and tears it off as well.

  “You’re a beautiful woman, Tara,” he mutters, running his expert eyes over my heels, stockings, garters, and the waist corset.

  I lie on my back and bend my knees before his hands go up my thighs, his mouth landing right between my legs, his tongue rolling through my folds, licking my clit.

  I slide my fingers through his hair, and soon he starts to kiss his way up to my chest, his necklace dragging––cold, along my body.

  My breasts roll into his hands, my nipples, hard, beneath his thumbs. He sweeps his tongue over them too while I arch and moan, dry humping the air.

  “I need you…” I murmur.

  He straightens and pulls his shoulders back, his eyes narrowing while his chin tilts slightly as he takes me in.

  Bangs come over his eyes, a sultry smile brushing his lips. My legs pull open, my nipples puckered under his touch.

  He runs long fingers down his length, deftly rolling a condom on his hardness.

  With heavy eyes, I observe the slow motion of his strokes as he rubs his erection. He slides my hips to the edge of the table, and without breaking our stare, he slides his fingers into me.

  Moaning, I push my sex against his hand.

  “That’s good,” he says before he slides his fingers out and props my legs against his shoulders, at the same time, smoothly entering me.

  “Shade...”

&nb
sp; He pulls back and thrusts again, his fingers strumming my clit, stroking me increasingly faster, tension building inside me.

  “Don’t stop,” I quietly say, teetering on the edge.

  A smile slides to his lips, his eyes glinting with arousal as he rams into me. The more he pounds me, the more I ache for relief.

  He grabs my hips and fucks me hard, his eyes almost closed, his chest rising and falling fast, his fingers sunk into my skin.

  And then, he opens his eyes and looks at me, his lips parted, softly curved into a smile, intense pleasure soaring through us as we both come undone.

  We shudder, the orgasm sweeping through us.

  It takes a few moments before I finally scale down. Slowly, I pull my legs off his shoulders. Trembling and shaking.

  He slides me off the table and pulls me into his embrace while I twine my arms around his neck.

  Panting, we both lean against the table, catching our breath.

  “I’m gonna miss you, tonight,” I say.

  His eyes sparkle with a warm smile.

  “Me, too,” he mutters before he glances at the wall clock. “I’ll drive you home,” he says.

  I drape my coat over my shoulders and wait for him, standing next to the window. Minutes later, he strolls out of the bathroom, pulling a T-shirt on.

  He grabs his cigarettes and the car keys and motions me to the elevator. We ride it all the way down to the underground parking garage where he shows me to a black Ferrari.

  Careful not to break a heel, I slip in and slump into the seat. He smiles, amused.

  “What did I do?” I ask, grinning.

  Smiling, he shakes his head.

  “Nothing.”

  The window at his side rolls down before he lights up a cigarette, and steers our ride out of the parking lot.

  Rolling the car onto the road, he glances at me from time to time.

  The wind tousles his hair, a few strands sweeping his beautiful profile. He takes a long drag and narrows his eyes, his lips curving into a secret smile.

  I swing my gaze away, and glance out the window.

  “You okay?” he asks moments later as we near my home.

  We’ve stayed quiet for a while.

  “Mmm-hmm,” I say as I glance at the board clock.

  “Happy Birthday, Shade.”

  “Thank you, baby,” he says in a soft, tender voice just as he brings the car to a smooth stop.

  He leans toward me and locks my lips briefly, his hand cupping mine.

  “Call me if you need me. All right?”

  “Okay. Are you really going to call me back?” I ask, looking at him incredulously.

  “Yes,” he says and smiles. “I told you that I want more, Tara. I really mean it.”

  “So it’s not a whim?”

  He lets out a chuckle while he shakes his head, a few bangs swooping over his eyes. He runs his fingers through his hair and combs it all back.

  “No, it’s not a whim.”

  “Okay,” I say, not entirely convinced.

  “I need something else from you,” he says after a moment in a business-like voice.

  My eyebrows tilt up.

  “Yes?”

  “I’ve had my annual physical exam this week, and I’ve been tested. I want you to get tested as well.”

  I look at him, surprised. And a bit confused.

  “I don’t want to use plastic with you. All right?”

  He reaches to the board and retrieves a card.

  “This is my private physician. The exam and tests are complimentary. Call his office in the morning.”

  He truly sounds like my boss. The boss from heaven, looking and fucking like a God, his mind wired right.

  “Sure.”

  I take the card, my lips creasing into a smile.

  Minutes later, still grinning, I wave him goodbye and run up the stairs. I have to pinch myself and make sure that I'm not dreaming.

  I can’t fucking believe it.

  9

  SHADE

  A breakfast table is set not far from the pool.

  Thick shrubbery lines the concrete wall with pink, red and white flowers. The sky is crystal clear, the city skyline painted in the distance.

  The sound of chirping birds mixed with dog barking travels from the neighbor’s backyard.

  Footsteps draw my eyes back to the house as Chad walks out of the living room and strolls across the terrace.

  He combs his fingers through his raven hair and rubs his muscular neck, blinking to adjust his eyes at the bright summer light dancing outside.

  My eyes stay on his tall, well-built frame as he pours himself a cup of coffee and slides onto the lounge chair next to me.

  The two women frolicking in the pool swivel their heads in his direction, and soak in his ripped body, and the black boxer shorts that barely cling to him.

  His charm never fails to affect women.

  Narrowing his eyes, he nods at them softly, his lips curling into a sly smile as he plops a pillow on his lap.

  I laugh quietly.

  “It’s morning, man. Give me a break, will you?” he rasps, grinning.

  A few stray bangs drape over his obsidian eyes, a stark contrast to his fair complexion.

  “Some party, man,” he says, weighing the women with his eyes, his gaze rolling down their fit legs as they pull out of the water.

  He rakes long fingers through his hair, his muscles hard beneath his skin, his bottom lip rolled beneath the sharp edge of his teeth.

  An all-time favorite trick of his, guaranteed to capture women’s attention. And it works.

  The women start to fidget, flashing flirting smiles, competing for his attention.

  I grin.

  “Is that what life looks like at home, Hennessy?” he says pointing at the women as they stroll by the pool, wearing eyepatches between their legs and bras the size of stamps on their tits.

  One is blonde, the other brunette.

  Water rolls onto their skin, draping them in glittering beads that make them shimmer like prizes. Their tits move lazily with each step.

  Smirking, I take a sip of coffee.

  “It’s not what it seems,” I say before he shifts his eyes to me.

  “Things the same here?”

  “Yup.”

  The blonde edges to me, her barely covered crotch stopping inches away from my face. She bends at her waist, her breasts dangling in front of me.

  Her hand slides onto my shoulder as she leans closer to me, and whispers words in my ear, tempting me with her proposal.

  Grinning, I sway my head from side to side in response.

  She straightens her back and curves her lips into a sizzling smile.

  Chad’s eyes sit on her chest.

  “Are you sure?” she asks.

  Shielding my eyes with my hand, I take in her beautiful grin.

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Okay, then... Call us if you change your mind.”

  “I will, sweetheart,” I say, and wink at them.

  She curls her arm around the brunette, and they both stroll to my bedroom.

  “What the hell was that?” Chad asks, plopping another pillow on his lap. The pillows tip over and roll on the floor.

  We burst into laughter.

  “Shit man, I thought you got enough last night,” I say.

  “I got enough all right, but now it’s fucking morning and the thought of you tucked between them makes me hard as hell,” he says, running his hand over his groin, adjusting his erection. “Fucking Hennessy.”

  I breathe out a chuckle.

  “You haven’t changed a bit,” I say.

  “Neither did you, man. What was that all about, anyway?”

  I put the cup on the side table and pick a glass of juice.

  “Well, I didn’t fuck them last night.”

  He rolls to his side, almost falling off the chair.

  “What the hell was wrong with you? Were you that wasted?”

  I shake m
y head.

  “No. It’s not that.”

  “Didn’t they just come out of your bedroom?”

  I grin slyly.

  “They did, but they’re only a decoy.

  “A decoy from what?”

  I smile mysteriously.

  This time, he shields his eyes from the sun and studies me.

  Suddenly awake.

  “Decoy you say...” he says, examining my expression.

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  Revelation rolls on his face.

  “Sneaky motherfucker. Who are you fucking then?” he asks under his breath. “Is she married?”

  “No. She works for our company,” I murmur, my eyes trained on the door.

  “Real fucking, huh?”

  “Yeah... Real fucking,” I say, smiling over the rim of the glass,

  “Lucky bastard. Why is it such a big secret?”

  “I don’t want anyone to know,” I say.

  The smooth sound of a car engine wafts through the air.

  A door slams, the rhythmic noise of Elia’s heels against the marble floor making my hair bristle.

  “Especially her,” I say, lifting my chin and pointing to the door as Elia struts through it and heads to us.

  On cue, Chad jumps out of his chair, straightens his back and smiles charmingly.

  He stretches his hand out to her, the polishing we received in our boarding school for so many years, shining through.

  “Elia, you look wonderful today,” he says as she offers her hand to him, flattered.

  “Chad. Oh, my God. I’m so glad you made it. I haven’t seen you in a while,” she says, grinning from ear to ear.

  She pushes up onto her toes and hugs him, placing a kiss on his cheek.

  Chad glances at me briefly over her shoulder while I smile wryly before she looks at me, and my expression shifts.

  “Shade didn’t expect you,” she says, flashing a sly grin.

  “Well, I thought I'd make him a surprise.”

  “That’s good. How is school?” she asks him while glancing at me reproachfully.

  I roll my eyes.

  “Everything is fine.”

  “It’s good to hear that,” she says, this time throwing me a pointed look.

  It takes her a moment–– my indifference to her remark disappointing to her, before she starts to glance around, scanning the place.

  “So, how was the party?”