Part 8 (1/2)
To my surprise, James smiled. He sat up and kissed me softly. ”If I believed in fate, I'd say that was a sign. What are the odds?”
”And are they better or worse than the odds of being struck by lightning?”
His smile turned into a laugh. ”Was that a pun?” In a flash he pulled my legs onto his lap, spanking me playfully several times. I couldn't help it. It was like being ambushed by tickling. I kicked and giggled and shrieked.
I wriggled free, hug-tackled him, and ended up on top of him in the center of the bed, kissing him all over his face. ”I'm still mad at you, you know.”
”If you say so,” he said. ”By the way, I agree with your mother. This is a nice dress.”
”She bought it for me today. She wants to meet you.”
”What have you told her about me?”
”That you're rich and good-looking, which is what she cares about most. My sister wants to meet you, too. They know you're an art-world type but that's all.” I was coming to my senses a little, now that the intense pleasure of the o.r.g.a.s.m was receding and the play-spanking had woken me up. ”And if you'd really put the rock star stuff behind you, that'd be all they need to know. But that sounds like a big if.”
”A very big if.” He nodded slowly, his face sobering again into his usual mask.
That would not do. The biggest question he still hadn't answered for me was the story of Ferrara Huntington. It was the biggest thing that I thought could still be a deal-breaker and send me out of here a single woman. I leaned down and nuzzled his neck, as if the subject were closed for now. He smelled delicious, igniting all my cravings again. I nibbled behind his ear. He arched under me, his c.o.c.k not yet ready to harden again, but the rest of him responding just fine. He pulled me down beside him, kissing me back and exploring my neck with his mouth.
Hadn't we just finished having s.e.x? I felt my insides melting again though, my desire rising like a tide. Maybe my body felt we should make up for lost time.
Making out was nice and I enjoyed the feeling that we were in no hurry. When had we ever done this, kissed for the sake of kissing? I lost track of time. Minutes ticked by in my haze of affection, pleasure, and relief. Yes. We needed this kind of connection, too. Affection, exploring each other, letting chemistry take over.
My hands roamed his back, his sides, his hips, until one of them strayed between his legs, and I sucked in a breath as I met the scorching hot stiffness there.
There was no reason to wait. There was so much we had to talk about. ”You're ready for more?” I teased.
”With you, Karina, I always am.”
”But you know what it means, don't you? If we're going to continue, you'll have to spill the beans about Ferrara.”
”I will be unburdening myself when I do,” he said, pumping his shaft into my hand as I tightened my fingers around it. ”You don't know how much it means to me that I can trust you, Karina.”
”Even if you had to set spies on me to be sure of it?” I squeezed a little too hard.
”I never should have done that. Never. But I do not regret the trust I have now, no matter how I came to it,” James said, his eyes fluttering under the pressure of my hand. ”I need your forgiveness, Karina.”
”Need it? Why do you need it?”
”Because you're the person who means the most to me. The person whose esteem means the most. You understand me. You understand my art. I... I will never forget the way you drove that point home to me in London.”
I stroked him lightly, then, quickening his arousal. I'd said those things to him. To hear him say them back was deeply gratifying.
He went on. ”There's no one I'd rather share my secrets with. No one else I can imagine sharing my secrets with. No one else who gets this close.”
Meaning not even Stefan, or Chandra, or Lucinda, or any of the other people in his life I had met. It struck me suddenly that our positions had reversed in another way: Once upon a time I knew nothing about him and he had seemingly known everything about me. Now I was the one who had met his friends, patrons, and ex-lovers, while he had yet to meet the people in my life other than Becky.
His c.o.c.k pulsed in my hand. ”How much do you want me, James?”
”Enough that I can't put a number on the answer.”
”And how do you want me?”
”So many ways, Karina. So many ways.”
”Such as?”
”All the ways I've already had you, and more.”
”Oh? Tell me what you're imagining.”
”My mind is full of images. Of you, bent over, blindfolded, tied. Of me taking you in public, in private, with my fingers, with my gla.s.s, with my c.o.c.k, in my bed, in my car, on the roof of a building...”
”Hmm. I don't remember the roof of a building.”
”That's part of the 'and more.' ”
His desire was palpable. ”Go on. What are you going to do to me, James?” I ran my thumb over the head of his c.o.c.k, spreading slickness. ”It's not enough to just f.u.c.k me, is it?”
”Man does not subsist on meat alone,” he murmured, nibbling my neck. ”Or woman. Admit it, Karina. You like what I do. You like what I demand.”
”I do.”
”Which is why you'll let me tie your legs apart and spank your p.u.s.s.y.”
”Yes, James.” Another deep thrill ran through me as I felt the power s.h.i.+fting, as I felt his dominant side coming forth after being in check all evening.
”In public.”
”Yes, James.”
”With my c.o.c.k in your a.s.s.”
My b.u.t.t cheeks clenched at the suggestion. ”Yes, James.” That wasn't something we'd done yet, or even discussed. I supposed we were discussing it now. ”But remember what we talked about.”
”You give me your heart, your body, I give you a piece of my past.”
”Tell me about Ferrara,” I said, leaning down to lick the head of the c.o.c.k in my fist like an ice cream cone.
His grimace was feral. ”Tell me everything you know about her and I'll pick up where you leave off,” he said, ”after I get this dress off you, before I ruin it.”
Yes, I decided, this trading s.e.x for knowledge rule was working out very well. ”Well, let's see. I know she's the ex-wife of your record company guy.” I helped him by wriggling free of the top of the dress. ”And that she's claiming you're married. That's all.”
He kissed his way down my naked torso and then breathed softly into the pubic hair I'd kept. He parted my lips with sure fingers and licked in a careful circle around my c.l.i.t until I wriggled to put him right on target. Then I yelped because he nibbled at my c.l.i.t, not hard, only to warn me, to remind me who was in charge now. With it trapped between his teeth, he could flick his tongue mercilessly across it and I dug my fingers into the bedspread.
I noticed, of course, that while his mouth was busy, he couldn't answer my questions. I supposed if the delay was buying him time to think about his answer, at least I approved highly of the method. He let go and returned to gentle licks then, making me whimper, but I held perfectly still this time.
”Good girl,” he whispered when he lifted his head. ”Now. Things you should know about Ferrara. She's been l.u.s.ting after me for more than ten years. Since before I signed with the record company, in fact.”
One of his fingers played lightly up and down my seam, distracting me slightly, but only slightly. ”How old is she?”