This time in her space.
Her apartment wasn’t much to look at on the outside, but the inside? Damn, it was like an upscale hotel room or something. Everything was pristine, white, and clean. There was a contemporary vibe and it was obvious that Simone liked nice things, and took care of the things she had.
Hell, even her cat matched the décor.
Honestly, it was kind of intimidating, and I was sure I had some leftover man residue that didn’t wash off and would taint whatever I touched.
“Uh, where should I put this?” I asked, lifting up my bag, careful not to let it brush against anything.
“Anywhere,” Simone said, oblivious to my discomfort.
I scratched my head and looked around. I didn’t see anywhere my well-worn backpack could go.
“Micah?”
I swung my head back toward Simone and asked, “Yeah?”
“Why are you still standing by the door?”
I lifted my bag, as if that answered everything.
Simone chuckled and held out her hand.
“Here, I’ll put it in my bedroom,” she said, taking it from me and walking away.
I kicked off my shoes and padded lightly after her.
The bedroom was just as clean, and white, as the rest of the apartment. I couldn’t help but wonder how it was even possible to keep everything so bright and un-smudged.
Hell, I think Puck and I only had our sofa two days before he spilled cheese dip on it.
“Are you okay?”
Simone had put my bag on top of her dresser and turned to see me standing in the doorway, with my hands and feet kept firmly to myself.
“Yeah, I just…” I held up my hands, not sure what I could say and not sound like an idiot.
“What?” she pressed, coming toward me.
“I don’t want to mess anything up,” I admitted.
Simone chuckled as she moved into my arms.
“What if I told you I want you to mess things up? That I want to see just how dirty you can be?”
Suddenly, I was no longer thinking about Simone’s pristine home; all the blood had rushed to my cock.
“Oh, I can be absolutely filthy,” I promised, grabbing her face as I claimed her lips.
Simone’s hand moved between us and she caressed my length through my jeans, causing shit to go from one to a thousand.
I swung her up into my arms, never breaking our kiss, and crossed the room to her big-ass bed, where I laid her down.
I broke our kiss long enough to pull my shirt over my head, then went back to worshiping her mouth with mine. Her hands were warm on my skin as they roamed, touching me everywhere she could reach.
I tugged on her shirt, eager to get it off, and she complied, wiggling it off beneath me.
I looked at her body eagerly.
The only bad thing about the storeroom was that I hadn’t been able to see her body when we came together. Now I wanted to drink my fill and memorize every inch of her.
“Get back down here,” Simone ordered, her hand coming behind my neck and urging me down.
Rather than going back to her mouth, I bent lower and kissed her stomach, grinning when she shuddered beneath me and arched her back.
I licked and nipped my way across her skin, while my hands worked on undoing her jeans.
Simone lifted her hips to help me ease them down and I rose back over her to strip off her panties as well. Once I was positioned between her legs, I looked up Simone’s body and caught her heated gaze.
She worked on taking off her bra as I spread her legs and lowered my face.
The first lick had her jerking and clasping the bedspread.
I held her eyes for a moment, then grinned and got to work. Within seconds Simone’s hands were fisted in my hair and her pussy was thrust up as I tongued her core. I had one hand on her lower belly, keeping her steady as my thumb teased her clit, and the other was beneath us, the tip of my finger playing with her ass.
“Harder,” Simone moaned as she writhed on the bed.
I brought my tongue to her clit and began flicking it rapidly.
“Yes, Micah … fuck.”
I applied more pressure and gave her what she wanted. I was rewarded with her hand tightening in my hair and her thighs clenching as she came against my lips.
She was still bucking beneath me as I moved over her, my hands moving to lift her ass, and slid slowly inside.
Her walls convulsed around me, aftershocks from her orgasm making me pause and close my eyes once I was fully inside of her.
Jesus, she feels fucking amazing.
I opened my eyes and stared into her gorgeous face as I started to move languidly.
She was flush, mouth parted slightly and eyes glazed over from her release. She was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen in my life, and I shot out a mental thank you to the power company for the quick recovery from the blackout.
I watched her as I thrust inside of her, so fucking grateful that I was here, in this moment, with Simone, the woman I’d been longing for, for what seemed like forever.
“Micah,” she whispered, her tone almost pain filled. “It’s too much.”
I leaned closer and brushed my lips over hers.
“Take it in, it’s yours,” I returned, reveling in the feel of her … of us. “I love you, Simone.”
“I love you, too.”
Epilogue
“I can’t believe you’re leaving.”
I whirled around to see Big Mike standing behind me, looking positively forlorn.
“Aww, Big Mike, you know I love you. I’ll come back to visit, and you’ll come see us,” I told him, doing my best to wrap my arms all the way around him.
“Yeah,” he said, but his tone was doubtful. “You’ve always been one of my best girls, sugar. First Ginger leaves, now you … My club’s gonna go to the dogs.”
Ginger had finally left us a few months ago. I missed her, but we texted often, and I knew she was happy in South Carolina.
“You’ve still got some great girls, Big Mike,” I assured him. “This club’s not going anywhere.”
He let out a sound of disagreement and moved away.
“I’ve got the tab tonight, don’t even think about paying,” Big Mike said, then turned and fled.
Too much emotion for him, I thought with a chuckle.
I was about to go find Micah when I heard the nervous sound of a throat clearing behind me.
I turned again, but this time saw two of the newer girls from the club.
They looked terrified, so I rose to my full height and thrust out my tits, which looked fabulous in my red leather dress, and arched my eyebrow at them.
I swear, one of the girls looked like she was gonna pass out.
“What’s up?” I asked, my eyes going to the brunette, since she was the only one who didn’t look near tears.
“Ms. Simone, uh, we just wanted to say that, uh, you’re a total badass, and we’re going to miss you around here.”
My lips turned up.
This must have given the smaller one courage, because she added, “Yeah, you’re like, a legend around here, and we’re really sad that we never got to see you dance.”
“Thanks,” I said, gentling my demeaner enough to add, “And, let me give you ladies some advice. Never let a man put his hands on you when you don’t want him to. Big Mike and the bouncers are here to protect you, so be sure to let them know if anyone fucks with you, in or out of the club. Train hard, practice until you can’t move your feet, and have fun. Save your money and go to school … That’s all I got.”
They all nodded eagerly.
“Go on,” I said, and they scattered.
I heard Micah’s soft chuckle at my ear just as his arms came around my stomach.
“You scarin’ children over here?”
“Just had to let the Bitch out one more time before we go,” I said, turning in his arms so I could look at him.
“You excited?” Micah a
sked, running his nose along mine in a sweet caress.
“Excited and scared shitless, you?”
“Same.”
Micah, Puck, and I had pooled out money together and were opening Ice in a couple months. Micah was going to run the bar, while I managed the floor, and Puck was going to be a silent partner.
Well, as silent as Puck could ever be.
We finished out our last day at the club yesterday and were having out farewell party at the club.
It was a bittersweet moment.
“I bet I can make you even more scared,” Micah said, causing me to push away from him.
“What? Oh god … is there a problem with the interior design team? The liquor order? Did our chef quit already?”
These were the worst-case scenarios that had been keeping me up at night.
“Nope,” he said, then, keeping my left hand in his, he lowered to one knee.
“Holy shit,” I whispered.
“Simone, babe, my love. We had a rocky start, but fate must have had a plan for us, because here we are, together, starting a business together, living together, enjoying each other. I never thought I’d be able to land a woman like you … Strong, confident, independent, and sexy as fuck, yet somehow, I’m the lucky guy you chose to stand with you. Simone, you once said you couldn’t find a man who’d want you in the light of day, that you were the kind of woman men loved in the dark. I’m here now saying I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Night and day, you’re the woman of my dreams, and I’d be so proud if you’d agree to be my wife.”
He took a small box out of his pocket and opened it, to reveal a gorgeous solitaire diamond ring.
“Simone, will you marry me?”
There was no hesitation from me.
“Yes!”
Micah slid the ring on my ringer and stood, taking me in his arms and kissing me with every ounce of love and passion he could muster.
My instincts in the Bellagio that weekend had been on point. I’d finally found the man who’d share my dreams and love me … just the way I am.
Bonus Epilogue
We were slammed.
The game had just ended, and we’d won, so the arena had emptied out and it seemed like everyone had decided to stop by Ice.
Luckily, we were used to this by now and had staffed accordingly.
“Hey, babe, I’ve got a couple celebrating an anniversary at table forty, can you take a bottle of champagne over to them?” Micah asked.
He was helping out behind the bar, like he always did when we were slammed, and I was working the floor. I’d recently hired a new assistant manager and she was doing great, but Micah and I always worked on when there were home games, and liked to be on shift together whenever possible.
I grabbed the tray that held an ice bucket with the champagne, two glasses, and a towel for condensation, and weaved through the dining room to the happy couple’s table.
I smiled at the server who was putting up the tray stand for me, then gave her space as she opened the bottle.
“How is everything this evening?” I asked, turning my attention to the couple while their server poured the champagne.
“Great so far,” the pretty blonde said with a cheerful smile.
“We heard about this place during the game and decided to sneak away a little early to grab a seat before everyone else came. We’re not from here, so we weren’t really invested in the outcome,” her husband added.
I was about to tell him what a smart choice that was, when I got a good look at his face.
Handsome face, dark messy hair, boyish charm … He looked exactly the same, only older.
“Cal?” I asked, shocked to see the man I never thought I’d see again.
He looked up at me, blinked, and then the weirdest thing happened … His face paled and he looked at his wife, stricken.
I glanced at her, saw her look up at me, then back at him, and back to me. Then I watched as her face crumpled, and, I swear, her heart broke before my eyes.
“Is everything okay?” I asked, instinctually reaching out to offer comfort.
She flinched from my hand like it was a branding iron and stood up so quickly the champagne spilled onto the table.
“I told you I didn’t want to come to Las Vegas, but you assured me there was zero chance of this happening … of us running into her.”
“Me?” I asked, to no one in particular, since no one was paying any attention to me.
“Shelly,” Cal called, but Shelly wasn’t having it; she turned and ran out of the restaurant.
“What in the world?” I asked softly, wondering what in the hell was going on.
Cal was about to run after him, but I grabbed the sleeve of his jacket and asked, “Cal, why did she get so upset?”
Cal looked devastated and was practically vibrating with the need to chase her.
“Because I told her about what happened … between us. We were finally getting through the day without it being an issue, and then I had to convince her to come here to celebrate our anniversary. I swear, I never thought we’d run into you, not with all the people in the city. She just loves Lady Gaga, so I wanted to surprise her with the concert, I didn’t think…”
“Cal.”
“I’m sorry…” he let out a sharp laugh. “I don’t even know you’re name, but I’m sorry, I have to go.”
“Cal,” I said, raising my voice a little so he wouldn’t run off. He needed to hear me. “Nothing happened between us.”
“What?” Cal asked, shock taking over his features.
“I stayed there with you to make sure you were okay. You were so wasted I didn’t want you to choke on your own vomit.”
“Seriously?”
“I swear it.”
“We have to tell her,” he said, and took off.
I hurried after them, through the restaurant and out the door, cursing the damn heels I just had to wear when I was working the floor.
They made me feel confident, and, call me vain, my legs looked spectacular in them.
When I made it out onto the sidewalk, I saw Cal had caught up to her. She was leaning against the wall, her head resting against the concrete as she cried, and he was talking a mile a minute.
“Shelly,” I called when I was next to them. “I’m so sorry you’re upset, and I know you don’t want to see me, but you have to know, Cal and I didn’t sleep together. Nothing happened. I promise.”
She turned her head toward me and the pain on her face made my heart hurt. “Why should I believe you?”
“Look, you don’t know me, so you have no reason to believe I’m telling the truth,” I said quickly. “But, you do know Cal. You know how much he loves you, that he has since you were sixteen. Hell, Shelly, I only knew Cal for less than six hours and I know all of that. Do you know why? Because you were all he could talk about. He was wasted, had lost his friends, and couldn’t find his hotel. I helped him find it, then stayed with him to make sure he didn’t have alcohol poisoning. I was afraid to leave him alone. I wanted to stay until his friends came, or he sobered up enough to be safe. I had a flight out the next morning, so I left early. I knew he was drunk, but it never occurred to me that he would think something happened between us. That’s the truth.”
“Thank you,” Cal said, and I noticed he had tears in his eyes. “This whole time I thought I could have cheated on Shelly, and I’ve hated myself for it, so, thank you … so much, for telling me what really happened.”
Shelly turned around and looked up at her husband.
“I’m so sorry that you both had to deal with that,” I said softly, hating the thought of what they must have went through.
Shelly shifted and looked at me. “Thank you,” she said softly, and gave me a small smile.
Knowing it was time to leave them alone, I lifted my chin at her and turned away.
When I had my hand on the door to Ice, I looked back and saw them hugging each other as they cried.
; Feeling my own eyes well, I moved along the perimeter of the room, intent on the office. I needed a few moments to compose myself.
“Hey, babe, is everything all right?” Micah asked, stopping me in the back hall. “I saw you heading this way. You seem upset.”
I went into his arms and hugged him tight, then kissed him with everything I had.
“What was that for?” he asked as I laid my head on his shoulder.
“Just because I love you,” I told him, grateful to have him there when I was feeling so fragile.
I was horrified at being the other woman, even though I actually wasn’t, while at the same time, so relieved to know I wasn’t wrong about the love Cal and Shelly had. It was the love I’d modeled my dreams on, and to see they were still together, even though they’d thought he’d been with me that night, only confirmed that I’d been right.
Their love was the kind that lasted, and I knew, as I stood in Micah’s arms, that my dreams had come true.
Want more?
Read where it all started in 1 Night, which will fill in the gaps on Simone and Micah’s past.
Read Cal and Shelly’s story in 8 Weeks.
Learn more about Ginger in More than Exist.
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THANK YOU…
Thank you for supporting the Blackout Anthology. We sincerely hope you enjoyed each and every word! You’re the reason we keep writing…
Thank you also to our host,
Private Party Book Club:
www.privatepartybookclub.com
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Acknowledgments
For T.K. Leigh, Stephanie St. Klaire, Terri E. Laine, Cary Hart, Christi Barth, JH Croix, C.A. Harms, K.A. Ware, K.I. Lynn, Lisa Shelby, Lauren Runow, and Leddy Harper, the authors from Blackout. Thanks so much for including me in your group and for being such classy ladies. It was a joy to work with you all.
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For my family: March was a month of deadlines and this was one of them. Thanks for your understanding and continued support.
Night & Day--A Time for Love Series Novella Page 6
