Double Entendre: (City of Steel 2) (The Vault)

by Katherine Rhodes

  Damn, that was an amazing picture.

  She gently squeezed my shaft and sucked one more time. Finally unfastening her lips, she licked each of the last few drops that leaked out.

  Vanessa grinned. “You taste so male, thank you, Simon.”

  “Damn,” I said, my head falling back.

  She chuckled, smoothing her hands up and down my thighs. “You liked it?”

  “Woman, what’s not to like?” I reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her up and on top of me on those damn uncomfortable stairs. “Thank you. Got any other fantasies for us to work on?”

  “I have a few…” She kissed the tip of my nose.

  I traced the lines of her face with a finger. “This stair sucks. Got a bed?”

  She tossed her head back and laughed. “Oh, do I have a bed. They had to pull out all the stops for me.”

  “Oh really?” I smiled. “Show the way.”

  She leaned back and stood up. I followed her to standing again and hitched up my pants only far enough to walk. Leaning down for just a moment, I gave her a quick kiss as she returned the kiss and scooted by me.

  I popped her on the ass and followed as quickly as she moved. The giggle traveled back to me and I smiled. She led me through the living room to the door that opened to the bedroom.

  She had a king-sized bed in a room too small for it. She had it tucked in the corner, but that just gave her room to walk around it. Her closet had two feet in front of it. She had a dresser in the other corner and there was just nothing else. Except curtains.

  I crowded in next to her, let go of my pants, and turned her so she was facing me. “Why so much bed?”

  “Because I had to sleep in a crib until I was ten, and then I had two crib mattresses until I moved out of the house. So, I wanted the biggest, best bed I could buy with my second paycheck.”

  There was so much pride in her voice, a whole new set of sensations slid into me. Ones that involved caring for her and making sure she not only had a big bed but a big room, and to make her happy in every way I could find.

  I played with the zipper of the jacket she was wearing, slowly pulling it down. “And you’re going to share this with me?”

  “If you’d like to.”

  “Oh, I think I’d like that very much.”

  Her jacket was fully open, and I slipped it down her arms. The sexy little bustier she’d worn to the club was still there and it did things for me. Good things. I pulled her in closer and wrapped my arm around her waist, plucking open the button of her pants.

  I slipped my hand down, finding her center. She shivered and moaned and leaned into my hand.

  “Oh, I need you naked,” I whispered into her ear.

  “Strip,” she agreed, stepping back.

  We shucked our clothes, but I stopped her before she pulled off the bustier. “Leave that on for me.”

  I didn’t let her answer, though, when I scooped her off the ground again and put her on the bed. She squealed and giggled again, and I climbed on with her, crawling up to her. She squirmed back, playing along with me. I crawled closer and she squirmed farther up.

  I snagged her ankles and pulled her legs apart, moving in between them. Wrapping my hands around her hips, I held her in place. “Did you think I would let you get away from me, my pretty?”

  “I was hoping you wouldn’t.” She grinned.

  I licked her from her entrance to the top of her cleft, and the sound she made was just pure sexual nonsense. Her finger dug into my hair, as I had done and she tried to pull me closer. I resisted, holding her in place, and teasing her with the tip of my tongue.

  Slipping past her lips, I stopped. There was a tiny ball of metal there, and my tongue wound around it. Looking a little more carefully in the dim light, I found a flat button on the other side.

  “My my, you have a clit hood piercing.” Raising an eyebrow, I dipped my head back and played with the round fastener. “Oh, I like this.”

  She gasped and thrashed a bit. “Oh, shit, so do I.”

  Flicking the ball over her clit, she gasped and pushed herself onto my face. “Oh, damn it, Simon. More, please.”

  I slipped two fingers inside her and stroked slowly as I played with the piercing and her clit. She was drenched, and her taste on my tongue was wonderful. Smoky and sweet, the scent of someone who was unapologetically sexual and feminine.

  Twisting my fingers, she squirmed again and still tried to push into my mouth. I pinched her clit and gasped, a torrent of wet soaking my fingers.

  For a moment I was lost, but I remembered. She liked pain. I didn’t know how I felt about the hard stuff, but I did remember the smiles, the connection between the couple at the club.

  I could work on it.

  She wiggled closer and I pinched again. “Still, Vanity. Lie still.”

  Her gasp was perfect desire and she stopped moving immediately. I rewarded her with a soft, laving flourish of my tongue on her clit and third finger inside. Feeling a little more wild than I had in years, I pressed a thumb over her dark entrance, not intruding—just pressing against, covering her.

  She liked that too, by the sounds.

  Her hands fluttered everywhere, and she was looking for purchase. She needed something to hold while I held her still. Using my one free hand, I grabbed one of her wrists and placed it on her inner thigh, and did the same with the other.

  “Spread yourself wide for me, Vanity. Let me see all of you.”

  She still held herself still but did as I asked and pulled her lips wide. I blew a stream of cool air on her clit and she gasped. I had to take a deep breath before I spoke again.

  “You have such a pretty pussy.” I didn’t use those words. I felt they were too harsh, but by the groan that followed as I lowered my tongue to her again, I figured I could get used to those.

  “Oh, God, Simon…make me come, please?”

  “Not yet.”

  Her body shook, and she moaned. Vanity liked that idea too. I took my time with my tongue, tracing patterns, playing with her entrances, her piercing, the spaces between. She was whimpering in frustration as I took my time playing.

  “Please, sir, please…” she breathed.

  I was having fun teasing and tasting her. But at the same time, I realized she wasn’t going to come until I gave her permission because I had already told her not yet.

  With the flat of my tongue I dragged it up over her clit and the piercing. “You want to come, my pretty?”

  “Oh, God, yes, please, sir. Please.”

  “Will you scream my name?”

  “Yes, yes…yes…”

  I licked again. “Mmm. I want to hear that. Go ahead, Vanity, come.” I followed that with a nip and a twist of my hand.

  She didn’t just come—she screamed and shook, and exploded, her cum running down my fingers and covering my hand. “Simon!” The bed trembled, and she was gasping for air, nearly in tears, grateful for the release.

  I crawled up the bed and pulled her into my arms, my hand covering her still-quivering sex, and tucked her into the crook of my arm. The tears made me nervous. I kissed one off her check and brushed her hair from her eyes.

  “You okay, pretty girl?”

  “Yes,” she breathed out, clearing her other cheek of tears. “Yes. Holy shit, am I ever. That was one of the best orgasms I’ve had in weeks.”

  “Didn’t hurt, right?”

  “You are adorable. The tears are good, Simon.” Even her voice was wavering in the aftermath. “Nothing about that hurt. It was amazing.”

  I kissed her forehead. “Wanna sleep?”

  “But you didn’t fuck me…”

  “No, I didn’t get inside you. That’s okay. We have the morning, unless you have to be up early?”

  She shook her head. “I go in at one.”

  “Good. I go in at two. We can have sex for breakfast.”

  Her laugh was soft and genuine. “I’d like that.”

  She was fading to sleep fast. I unzippe
d her bustier, and slipped it off, and discovered she had two pierced nipples. Dropping a kiss to each, I made a mental note to see what I could do with those in the morning.

  I pulled a blanket over us and pulled some pillows around us. I didn’t bother with the dim light. Before I could give her one last kiss good night, Vanity was snoring softly in my arms.

  A man could get used to that.

  Vanity…Three months later…

  I took a huge swallow of the champagne and put the flute on the bar. Whiskey raised an eyebrow.

  “You want me to make that a mimosa?”

  “No, fuck you. It’s noon. I can drink like that.”

  She leaned forward and perched her elbows on the bar top. “What is up with you, Vanity?”

  I groaned and plunked onto the seat. “Simon is going to be here soon, and I have to talk to him about something I don’t want to talk to him about, but I have to talk to him about because it’s not fair for me to keep things like this from him because it threatens our happiness on both ends, but holy God how do you talk to your boyfriend about a potential girlfriend that you want to tangle in the sheets with?”

  Whiskey blinked. “Was that one breath?”

  Pursing my lips, I gave a sharp nod. “Yes.”

  “This is serious.”

  “Fuck you. Again.”

  “Thanks, I’ll leave that to Darcy.” She winked.

  “God, you two suit each other.” Looking at the half-drunk glass of champagne, I opted to chug the other half. “Seriously. Why does this have to happen right now? I’m deliriously happy with Simon, but then this woman walks into my life, and she’s just as perfect as him.”

  “Are you bi?”

  “Um…duh?”

  “Well, you know. Singular same sex attractions are totally a thing. I just ask. I have too many friends who are somewhere on the spectrum for me to just call it any more. Y’all are freaky-deaky.”

  Both of us chuckled. She was right. A lot of people in the lifestyle were more pan-sexual than anything definite. “I was distinctly bisexual before I even found out there was a lifestyle. I enjoy both. Clearly.” I covered my face with my hands. “Why now?”

  Whiskey grabbed the rag and started wiping something down. “You need to figure out what you want.”

  “No, first I need to tell Simon everything. Then I need to figure out where he stands and what we can stand together.”

  “Well, I hope you’re ready, because he’s here.” Whiskey tossed her chin at the door. I took a deep breath and turned around to see the amazing man I had been dating—dating—walking through the doors of Club Imperial.

  He was so fucking hot, and I was a mess again. This was so not fair.

  “Two beers and dark table?” Whiskey asked.

  I nodded.

  “Go find a dark table, I’ll bring them over in a minute.”

  Letting out a nervous breath, I stood and headed to meet him halfway across the well-lit dance floor. The club was open, but it wasn’t popular at noon on a Saturday.

  Simon swooped in, wrapped an arm around my waist, and held me still while he gave me one his of patented panty-soaking kisses.

  Worked like a charm, every time.

  “What’s wrong?” he whispered against my lips.

  “We need to talk.”

  He looked around. “On neutral ground. Hmm.”

  This guy. He was a detective for a reason. He probably already figured out everything I wanted to tell him. I nodded and pointed to the back corner away from everything.

  “Yes. Please.”

  He took my hand and walked me over. God, I was risking so much in this. Simon was the best thing that had ever happened to me, and Laicy’s appearance couldn’t be at a worse time.

  He held my chair for me while I sat, facing the dance floor. Moving the other chair over, he cozied right up to me at the table, staring out at the goings on. Which was mostly Amaryllis rolling napkins, Darcy dusting bottles, and Whiskey walking toward us with two beer bottles. She put them down, gave a quick nod, and walked back to flirt endlessly with Darcy.

  “What’s wrong?” Simon asked, not even touching the bottle.

  “You’re getting good at reading me.” I smiled.

  “One does that when one is between your legs so often.” His grin said he was trying to keep me calm. I was a wreck anyway.

  “Si, I’ve been blissfully happy with you for these past three months. Even when we’re at Sadique and mostly on watch, just being near you has been amazing.”

  He cocked his head. “But?”

  “Please do not freak out at this statement. Please. I can’t stress that enough. It’s not going to sound good, but it’s not as bad as you think.” Silently he nodded, and I took a hard, deep breath. “I’ve met someone.”

  I could see him swallow, trying not to react to it. Those words, in the vanilla world, were a disaster in the making. With everything I had, I prayed I hadn’t just thrown everything away.

  “Go on,” he said quietly.

  “Her name is Laicy. I met her at the warehouse, about six weeks ago. I didn’t mean…I haven’t done a thing about it. Well, no that’s not true. I’ve kissed her a few times, and we’ve had coffee. She’s asked me out…but…”

  Tears just rolled down my face. “Simon, you mean so much to me, but…she’s something special. I have been trying to figure this out for weeks. I don’t want to lose you, I don’t want to walk away from this or change what we are.”

  He put a hand on my back and rubbed slowly there. “Take a breath, pretty girl. First do that for me. Then I want you talk to me about this. Breathe.”

  I gasped. There was no breathing. I sucked in air, nearly hyperventilating. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close, his thumb tracing over the inside of my wrist. It took me what seemed to be nearly an hour to calm but was probably about two minutes.

  “Okay?” he whispered in my ear. “Now, calmly and slowly, walk me through what you’ve been thinking.”

  I took a sip of the beer and stared at it on the table for a few seconds. “Everything we’ve had these past three months has been everything I’ve wanted. I didn’t expect Laicy to walk into this.”

  “Hold a moment,” he said. “Just to make sure I’m not missing something here. Laicy is a woman.”

  Using a jerky, terrified nod, I confirmed that. “Yes. She’s a woman. I’m bi, Simon. I just hadn’t told you yet because it hadn’t come up.”

  “That’s fine. I just needed to know before you went further with this.”

  I swallowed. “She’s intelligent, sweet, patient, kind. I’ve been holding back because I didn’t know what to do. You’re my dream man, literally, and now…my dream woman walks in. She and I have had coffee and chatted. I don’t want to lead her on, but I’m also kidding myself if I think I can walk away.”

  Pressing a kiss to the top of my head, I felt him sigh. “I’m not giving you up without a fight, so what else is going through that mind of yours?”

  Here went nothing. “Have you heard of poly relationships?”

  Drawing in a long slow breath, he didn’t answer right away. It was taking him so long to answer, I turned my head to look at him. He was staring back at me, and I could see the wheels turning.

  Finally, he answered, “Yes. I have heard of that.”

  “I was thinking…that maybe we could try that.” I turned in his arms and looked at him. “You wouldn’t have to meet her or compete with her because the reasons I like her are different from the reasons I like you and I know this seems like I’m trying to have my cake and eat it too, though it’s more like a pie, but I’m just trying to not lose everything good in my life and you’re good in my life and I want you there, but there’s an ache—”

  His finger landed on my lips, and he smirked. “You always do the run-on sentences when you’re petrified, pretty girl. Take a breath.”

  I hauled in the air and held it, then released it in a whoosh. I smeared the tears off my face
and took another breath. “I’m sorry.”

  Shaking his head slowly, he kissed my nose again. “Now. Let’s talk about this. You want me to consider a poly relationship for you.”

  My head bobbed furiously while I stayed mute.

  “And you don’t want me to meet her?”

  “No, no no. Nonono. You don’t have to meet her. If you want to maybe I can set that up if she’s okay with it, but I’ve talked to her and she’s okay—”

  His finger was on lips again. “Vanessa. Relax. I’m not kicking you out of my life. I want to talk this through with you. You’re clearly, clearly upset that this is all crashing together and I think we’re strong enough to talk it through.”

  I felt more tears escape. “Simon, I wish I were a simple person. You deserve someone who can be simple and—”

  “Simple walked out on me a year ago, Nessa. I’m here with you now, and your lifestyle is different. I want you here, and we need to figure out how to make this work.” He paused and then took another deep breath. “What we’re talking about here is a poly. Not swingers, not open relationship. Correct?”

  “Right.” I nodded. “It would be just her.”

  “And her? You said you spoke to her. Is she okay with this arrangement?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is she seeing anyone else?”

  “No.”

  “Is she clean?”

  “I…” I stopped. “I haven’t asked. We haven’t done anything.”

  “If you’re in relationship with her, she’s in a relationship with me. I need you to be careful with that. You and I both did all the testing so we could ditch the condoms. I don’t expect less from her.”

  I nodded, nervous.

  He let out a puff of breath again. “Nessa, I can’t say yes to this right now. I need time to process and think about it. It’s a huge, huge step outside my normal.”

  “I didn’t expect one today at all. I just don’t want to lose you.”

  “I get that. And you get where I’m coming from, right, baby?”

  I nodded. “Honestly, Simon, I never thought I would ever ask this from anyone. I’m just drawn to her.”