Marcus wraps up his deal and finds release with the ladies
Desai leaned back in his chair, swirling his drink like a proper villain.
“You might as well take the deal,” he said, as if my cooperation were already decided. “It’s the only option you have.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” I asked.
Rajesh shrugged. “No doubt you have more money than any of us, but you don’t have what it takes to do what needs doing. It requires more than a lot of money to succeed in this world.” He tilted his head thoughtfully, pausing before sipping his drink. “It takes intent.”
He drank slowly, staring at me over the rim of his glass—all of it, calculated theatrics used to keep the new kid flat-footed and afraid. Once he’d swallowed, he added, “And that, I’m afraid, you have in limited supply.”
I met his gaze without saying a word—afraid anything I did might betray just how much his words rattled me. I knew my start in this world had been rocky. I’d made mistakes, but hearing Rajesh say it like this? It struck home just how much I hadn’t even been playing the wrong game—this wasn’t just checkers vs chess. Despite everything I’d been through, it felt like I was playing tic-tac-toe while everyone else was playing Grand Theft Auto.
Desai sighed and looked around the rooftop, taking in the crowd of beautiful people enjoying my party.
“You know,” he said, “maybe you should think on it. Meanwhile, I’ll just enjoy myself. Sample more of that wonderful food.” He met my gaze again, his eyes glinting with malice. The kind of look predators gave prey before the final blow. “Or maybe I’ll sample one of the lovely ladies. How about Roger’s wife? She looks like a hot piece of ass.”
The thought of Rajesh Desai touching Helen was almost enough to make me snort in contemptuous laughter. I imagined Helen would make a meal out of him, and not the way he would have preferred. Her days of being passed around like a party favor were long behind her—it had been an unspoken promise that we’d shared when I put the collar on her. She was meant for me. Period. Hell, I wasn’t sure how she would react if I told her to be intimate with Desai.
Which was something that would never happen, no matter how much this guy tried to blackmail me. The mere idea of this snake touching Helen sent a sharp, rancid chill through me.
Despite my pulse pounding in my ears, I leaned back, elbow on the armrest, chin on my palm—casually defiant.
“Yeah. She’s good,” I said. “But you’ll never know.”
Desai blinked, clearly surprised. “Won’t I?” One corner of his mouth tugged into a smirk. “Such bravado from someone who knows he’s outmatched. If you had half a brain, you’d give me what I want.”
My heart was thundering, but I kept my voice calm. “I think I’m setting a record for being misread.”
Desai chuckled. “Roger VanCamp isn’t in our league. He’s a minnow in a very large pond.”
I leaned forward, elbows on my knees, and called on every high school drama class, every late-night alibi spun to a parent, and every minute spent helping Emily rehearse lines—every acting muscle I had.
“I’m not talking about VanCamp,” I said. “I’m talking about Hiro Tanaka… about using his wife to outmaneuver him. I’m talking about embarrassing him in the board room, and then fucking his wife after the fact. You think I just stumbled into his wife’s vagina? Tanaka backstabbed me.”
The smugness on Desai’s face cracked as I walked him through the supposed brilliance of what had really been dumb luck.
“Or maybe we talk about my brother… how I threw him out of his own house. With his own bodyguard hauling him out. All his friends saw it, in case you want to fact-check.”
I held Desai’s gaze. “Or Ryo Tanaka. He tried to kill me. Now? He’s locked in a room answering my questions.”
“I’m aware,” Rajesh said flatly.
“Did you also know Tanaka’s kid is a worm with no pain tolerance? A couple of twists and he spills everything.”
His eye twitched.
“And this is interesting—Ryo’s a streamer. Had a full setup in that cabin. He cried when my guy started deleting save files.”
I stopped myself, now that I was starting to wander into improv territory. I didn’t know if Psalter had deleted data off Ryo’s computer as a means of getting him to talk, but it sounded cool.
Rajesh’s grip on his drink tightened, just enough to make the glass tremble.
“Tanaka was grooming him to take over. Imagine the kind of shit that kid has on that machine. Stuff even my grandfather wasn’t privy to. Pair that with my grandfather’s information my team has recovered…”
“You’re lying,” Desai said coldly.
Of course I was, but I was gambling on something: that Rajesh, who’d always had power, wealth, and prestige, was even more afraid of losing it than I was. I counted on that fear to do most of the heavy lifting. I didn’t need to convince him. Just sow enough doubt to make him hesitate.
I shrugged, keeping it light. “I’m not trying to start a war with you, but I’m not going to beg, either. I’ve lost my taste for getting kicked around by you guys a long time ago. You want to start something? Fine, but we’re done here.”
“You don’t have to be offended,” Desai said, his voice affecting a lighter tone. “I was just pointing out that if something were to happen to me, information about your family and company would go public. That’s not a threat.”
I rolled my eyes. “Bullshit! You just tried to extort me for a crack at Helen!”
“I wasn’t! I was just asking for details on Roger’s wife. I thought you’d want to gloat a little.”
He reminded me of a bully who threatened one moment, but then claimed it was just a joke the moment they received pushback. However, the bluff was working, and I didn’t see the need to press the issue while I had the high ground.
“I don’t kiss and tell.”
“Boring,” he muttered, taking a drink. Then he sighed. “What about Tanaka?”
“What about him?”
“His offer.”
“Oh,” I said. “He can make it to my face. I’m not dealing with an intermediary.”
Desai scowled. “You’re asking for serious trouble.”
“Serious trouble?” I echoed, laughing darkly. “I just got back from being hunted through the woods for a week! Trouble started a long time ago.”
He stared at me, and something about his expression suggested his presence here wasn’t just a favor for the elderly Japanese man. Maybe Tanaka had leverage on him—perhaps money or some kind of promised favor. Either way, Desai had skin in the game.
“Marcus—”
“I have guests,” I said, standing. “We’re done.”
He stood too. For a second, I thought he was going to take a swing at me.
“Everything all right, sir?”
Desai and I both flinched. Somehow, we’d missed Jon stepping within four feet of us. Calm but ready, one hand lightly resting on his sternum. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who thought Rajesh looked on the verge of choosing violence.
“All good,” I said, eyes still on Desai. “Think you could show Rajesh the exit, Jon?”
“Yes, sir.”
Desai looked spooked. Not just embarrassed—shaken.
“You’re making a big mistake.”
“Wouldn’t be my first,” I said. “Funny, though—I’m still here.”
“I’ll expose you,” he hissed.
Seeming to win with my bluff, my confidence surged. “Fine. I’ll tell everyone about Mumbai.”
I regretted it the second it left my mouth. What the fuck did that even mean? I knew he was from Mumbai and that he conducted a lot of business there, but I didn’t have a single shred of damning evidence that he was doing anything illicit there.
He stared at me for a long, unnerving moment, expression unreadable.
“We’re not through,” he said at last.
Then he turned and walked away, tossing his glass. It shattered at his feet.
“Rude,” I muttered.
As soon as he was gone, I exhaled a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, downed the last of my drink and did the same thing Desai had done—tossed my glass to the ground and watched it shatter. Thanks to the music and general milling about, no one noticed.
Truth be told, I was scared. I thought my bluff had worked on Desai, but I wasn’t one hundred percent sure. What if he woke up tomorrow and decided to reveal everything? What could I do? Henry was working on Ryo, but I doubted the little toad had all that much information… his father didn’t seem to trust him. I guess Desai could confirm with Tanaka, but would he want to let Hiro know that I’d threatened him like that? While Desai had come on the old man’s behalf, I didn’t have the impression that they were close friends. Even if Desai did tell Tanaka, what were the chances that they would know for sure what Ryo knew? The younger Tanaka hadn’t proven himself to be a straight-shooter to his old man; otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone off-*********** and tried to kill me.
There were just too many variables to know anything for sure.
Hannon’s team had the laptop from my grandpa’s office for a month, but they hadn’t reported any breakthrough with data retrieval.
My grandpa had left me with untold wealth, sure, but he’d saddled me with a bomb—a lifetime of secrets and dealings that could go off in my face… and I was starting to wonder whether its detonation was only a matter of time.
Surely, I couldn’t be sent to prison for decisions made decades ago, but that wasn’t my only concern—everything I’d enjoyed the past month could be taken away from me.
Losing it would suck, but I’d survived for twenty-eight years without extreme wealth. I could probably get used to living a normal life again, but I wasn’t the only one I had to consider. There was Bobbi. I was basically her meal ticket now. If my money were gone, whatever happened to her was on me. I’d taken her job and altered her life. She was free of drugs, but she was hardly free.
There was Helen to consider. Would she keep her position at YVP if I lost everything? Would she stay with me? Would she still be my ‘good girl?’
I’d just taken responsibility for Phoebe and Nate. What would happen if I could no longer provide for them?
What about Erin? Surely she wouldn’t leave, right?
I sighed. The truth was, I had no idea what any of them would do if I lost my wealth.
And that was an extremely lonely realization to come to.
I dropped back down in my chair, desperately trying not to spiral as fear, guilt, and loneliness clawed at me as I watched everyone else dancing, drinking, and laughing with each other. Rajesh Desai had completely ruined any chance I had of enjoying the rest of the evening.
“Hey, M.”
A gentle hand dropped to my shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. I looked up to see my sister smiling down at me.
“Hey, Em,” I said, giving her a weak smile.
She dragged Desai’s chair so that it sat next to me, and then eased herself into it, still looking at me. Unlike almost everyone else, her eyes were clear and focused… not clouded over by alcohol.
“Saw what you did to that glass. Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” I said, not meeting her gaze as I rubbed at the back of my head. “Well… maybe.”
I decided right then to tell her about the entire exchange between me and Desai. I didn’t leave anything out.
“Jesus,” Emily breathed. She’d hugged one knee to her chest, resting her foot on the edge of the chair. “And you don't have any of the info your grandpa had?”
I snorted. “No! The old man left me with everything, but explanations or instructions. Don’t get me wrong… I’m grateful for the money, but a little clarity would’ve been nice. Between the attempted killings, kidnapping, and blackmail, it’s like some kind of corrupted wish. You know… like when the evil shopkeeper gives you something cool, but it also does something nasty—like make you irresistible to women, but you lose your sex drive, or something.”
“Yeah,” Emily said. “But he’s not the Devil. He didn’t do that.”
“How do you know?”
“Why would he do something like that to a kid he never met?”
“I don’t know… maybe I was a reminder of his son’s weakness or something. Or maybe he was just a racist.”
Emily looked at me, disbelief etched in every line. “You know it can’t be that simple and stupid.”
“Of course, but what other explanation could there be?”
My sister looked around the rooftop, as if trying to find the answer among my guests. “I don’t know… maybe he died before he could finish setting things up. How did he die?”
“It was unexpected,” I said dismissively. “I don’t think anyone saw it coming.” Then I remembered something. “Chloe thinks he was murdered.”
“Well, that’s an important detail!” Emily said, her eyes wide. “Murdered?”
“Poisoned,” I said, sitting up a bit straighter in my seat.
To be honest, I hadn’t thought about my grandfather’s demise all that much since hiring Chloe. I remembered mulling it over when she first told me about her suspicions, but then it got lost in the shuffle of everything else. Soon after, Natalie dropped the bomb that she was dating someone else. Helen and I were starting to mend our damaged relationship. Someone had pulled a gun on me, and then I’d gone to Vegas and gotten myself kidnapped. While I hadn’t exactly forgotten about Colin Gerrard’s possible murder, it took a backseat in light of everything else.
It didn't exactly provide me with a solution to my Rajesh Desai problem, but for some reason, the idea that my grandpa hadn’t been playing some cruel joke made me feel better. Emily could very well have a good point—perhaps my grandpa had been murdered before he could finish setting up the handoff. Which meant that there could be things out there intended for me that I hadn’t received… like useful information that my lawyers could use to defend the estate, or dirt on his enemies.
Or my enemies.
I still felt the dark cloud hovering over me, but suddenly, it didn’t feel inevitable. I’d get Psalter or the Hannon people to investigate these possible threads, and if they were busy, I’d get more people. It wasn’t like I couldn’t afford it.
I looked back at my sister and took some time to admire her—her kind eyes, the look of sincere concern. Her love for me had always been unfailing, and she had been the one person to push back and challenge my relationship with Bobbi. She loved me. She was honest with me. And I had to remember that above all else, even if I did lose everything, she would still be there beside me.
In many ways, she was the most important woman in my life. She was my rock.
“Em,” I said. “I could kiss you.”
“Hey,” Em said, suddenly not able to meet my eyes. “Natashya might have something to say about that.”
“Only good things,” I muttered, remembering how Emily’s girlfriend had teased me in Vegas about wanting to see us together.
“What?”
“Nothing,” I said. I got out of my chair, leaned over, and kissed her on the top of the head. “Thanks. You've given me a lot to think about. I have a couple of phone calls to make. Then, I think I’ll get out there and enjoy the rest of the evening.”
“No problem!” Emily said, giving me a bewildered smile as she got up to follow me. “I’m not sure what I did, but happy to help!”
I turned around and continued to walk backward. “You were just being your smart, brilliant self! Seriously, never change!”
“Aw,” she said, giving me a brilliant smile. “You like me!”
I turned around so I could navigate through some of the people as I made my way to the pool. “I do. You might be my favorite sibling,” I called out over my shoulder.
“Hey!” Richie yelled from about twenty feet away. Sitting on the edge of the pool, his legs dangling in the water, he’d clearly heard me over the music’s loud thrumming.
“Favorite girl sibling!” I called out.
“Hey!” This time it was Emily, voicing mock indignation. “I at least outrank Jacob, right?”
I stopped at the pool’s edge, enjoying the way the lights reflected off the water’s surface. Several people had settled around it, enjoying conversation and free booze. Several people were exchanging flirtatious looks—the air positively hummed with drunken, amorous vibes.
Turning back to look at my sister, I grinned.
“I don't know... Jacob’s never stolen a girlfriend from me before.”
Emily tilted her head, one corner of her mouth twitching up as if she were about to start a fight and was ***********ing her next move with care. Her eyes—brilliant silver—seemed to drink in the ambient light and reflect it back out. Mesmerizing.
“You know,” she said, her voice turning low, her face suddenly serious. She reached up and toyed with one of the buttons on my shirt, and my heart kicked a little harder. My gaze dropped to her fingers as they circled the button at my sternum, then rose to meet her stare.
“Natashya’s been talking lately…”
Suddenly, the world went silent. My focus narrowed to a single thread. What the fuck was she about to say?
She held my gaze—and gave me a slow, knowing smile.
Then shoved me.
I felt my stomach lurch into my chest as my arms flailed, and I pancaked into the water behind me. Cold shock wrapped around my limbs, disorienting me until I surfaced again, blinking and shaking water from my eyes.
Laughter rippled around the pool as I glared up at Emily, who looked way too pleased with herself.
“That’s for picking Jacob over me!” she said.
“Well, you’re certainly not doing yourself any favors!”
Natashya stepped up beside her. “What is this? Are you two fighting over me?”
“Not everything’s about you!” Emily snapped, whirling on her girlfriend with mock indignation.
Natashya blinked slowly, then raised one hand and planted it dead center on Emily’s chest. Emily squealed as she suffered the same fate she’d just bestowed on me. I dodged just in time as she crashed into the water.
More laughter erupted.
The next couple of hours went by in a blink. Emily and I wrestled in the pool like we used to when we were little. When we were little, the two years she had on me meant that I was often on the receiving end of waterboarding. Twenty years later, that difference didn’t mean much for her, and I was able to get some well-deserved retribution on her. Natashya eventually joined us in the pool, thanks to Jonah and Kwan, who unceremoniously picked her up and launched her over our heads. She landed headfirst into the water—her bikini top floating to the surface a moment later.
Natashya surfaced, cackling as she hurled the top at Kwan’s head. A three-way wrestling match ensued, and I got more than one handful of the dancer’s full breasts, which I was all but convinced wasn’t an accident.
Twenty minutes later, I was out of the water and had barely caught my breath before Shea dragged me onto the dance floor. She’d displayed her exceptional skills in Europe, and she didn’t disappoint this time, either, making it difficult not to fall in love with her. I spent the next fifteen minutes being passed from girl to girl—Honey, Erin, Tara, Kelly, some auburn-haired girl I hadn’t met yet, and finally ended up between Venus and Shea for a sexy sandwich that had me tempted to touch Venus in places that I was sure Vikram would have taken offense to.
Then came the water gun fight—Erin, Honey, and me versus Kelly, Tara, and Jonah. We ducked behind shrubbery, dodged partygoers, and jumped over furniture trying to snipe each other. Kelly and I cheated by ducking out early and ended up in a half-drunken, ten-minute dry-humping session while our teammates kept fighting. I never found out which team came out victorious, but as far as I was concerned, I won either way.
The night nearly ended early thanks to a round of shots with Dillon, Jonah, and Kwan… just like old times. With no interest in blacking out and missing the end of the party, I tapped out early. Jonah threw in the towel after throwing up, leaving Kwan to take a drunken victory lap before disappearing into a room with the auburn-haired girl—his “prize.”
I spent a little time nursing a soda and chatting with Richie, teasing him about his little crush on Venus—I kept catching him eying the girl like she was a fresh steak. We also talked about the logistics of his moving in. I was more enthusiastic than before, considering Desai’s threats to my family. As we spoke, I secretly wondered what it would take to get my mom and dad to move into the city.
Friends came and went—some saying their goodbyes before leaving… others slipping off to pass out or pair off behind closed doors.
And eventually, as the party began to wind down, I found myself tranquilly floating on my back, staring up at the light-polluted sky in relative quiet. I wasn’t sure how long I stayed like that—floating in a daze with the water gently lapping around me—thinking about how much fun I’d had tonight and how lucky I was.
It could’ve all been so different… so many times. I could still be working at Marduke, spending my Friday night hanging out with Dillon, Jonah, and Kwan. It would’ve been fun—Mostly carefree.
But it wouldn’t have been this.
A light disturbance in the water drew my attention, and I carefully turned my head just enough to glance out of the corner of my eye, trying not to break my fragile buoyancy.
It was Rose.
Her long, languid form descended beneath the surface with each slow, purposeful step. The way she moved... the relative quiet around us... it was like something out of a movie.
She didn’t say anything. I didn’t say anything. We simply stared at each other as she crossed the pool, slowly, deliberately, toward me. I stayed floating on my back, curious what she would do once she reached me.
I didn’t have to wait long. In no time, she was beside me, the water just grazing the tops of her breasts. She gingerly placed one hand at the back of my head, careful not to disrupt my float. Her fingers gently threaded through my hair. Her other hand hovered over my bare chest. Long, elegant fingers touched down on my left pectoral, tracing slow, deliberate, teasing lines. Her touch sent chills rippling through me. I had to fight the urge to react—to maintain my buoyancy, to not give up the water to sink into her instead.
Up close, I could make out her eyes, dimly lit by the lanterns and submersible pool lights. They were deep wells of inky black, radiating heat and intent. Her head dipped just slightly.
Still, neither of us spoke.
Her lips—thick, soft, plush—hovered just over mine. I felt her breath on my face: alcohol and mint. She grazed my lips but didn’t kiss me.
Instead, she ran her bottom lip across mine, a whisper-light touch that traveled from one corner of my mouth to the other. Then she reversed course, tracing only my upper lip.
She stopped at the center… and gave me the softest kiss I’d ever felt. It was like clouds brushing mountaintops at sunrise.
Then she pressed just slightly, catching my lip between hers. I moaned into her mouth—what felt like a religious experience—and deepened the kiss, desperate for more.
My feet dropped beneath me as I stood, twisting so we were chest to chest. Her hand on my chest slid up and around my neck, joining the other as she wrapped her arms around me. Her fingers still played softly in my hair.
Our tongues found each other—slow and slick, tasting, teasing.
This time, both of us groaned.
What started as a soft, sensual rhythm quickly became firmer, hungrier. Her head tilted, nose brushing mine, lips parting wide as if she was trying to inhale me. I slid my tongue along the top of hers, dragged it against the roof of her mouth, and pulled back to suck on her upper lip. She suckled my bottom lip in return, and slowly we pulled apart.
She grinned at me, warm and inviting.
“Mmm,” she murmured, her gaze roaming my face like dark fire. “That was a welcome surprise.”
“Surprise?” I leaned into the crook of her neck, raking her skin lightly with my teeth. “You’re the one who came over here.” I kissed up the side of her neck, ending with a kiss to her earlobe. “I was minding my own business.”
“You’re not fucking me in here,” Rose said, a small purr rolling from her throat as her fingers curled in my hair.
The way she said it made it sound less like a boundary and more like a challenge.
“No,” I whispered against her ear. “I know. You’ve got something planned… doesn’t mean I can’t get a warm-up.”
She dropped one hand beneath the water, wrapping long fingers around the hard-on inside my swim trunks. She gave it a firm squeeze. Then let go.
“I’d say you’re plenty warm.” Her fingers lingered for just a second before she backed away, slipping out of my arms. “I’ve come to get you.”
“Lead the way,” I said.
She led me out of the pool, grabbed a towel from a chair, and tossed it to me.
I caught it, toweling off as I followed her toward the garden.
“Do I get to know the plan?”
“Patience,” Rose said, nudging me with her shoulder as she gave me a reproachful smile. “You’ll find out in literally two minutes.”
She led me through my house to the first floor. On the way, we found Dillon and Kelly passed out on the couch in the foyer/living room—her naked and lying on top of him with one arm draped to the floor, fingers loosely curled around the neck of an empty champagne bottle.
“So,” I said, “That’s happening.”
“Maybe,” Rose said. “Kelly is going to be a hard one to pin down. She says she’s not relationship material, but she won’t stop talking about that boy’s dick, so he might be able to tame the untamable.”
“Hope that works out,” I said as she led me out of the living room. “Dillon seems to like her. He’s a little goofy, but he’s a good guy. He deserves something nice.”
“And so do you,” Rose said, grinning at me as she stopped by an open doorway and leaned against it, folding her arms against her modest chest.
I peered inside, and my mouth went dry.
It was one of the common rooms that had been filled with distractions—a couple of pinball machines, a pool table, table tennis, foosball, a few MAME cabinets with old-style arcade games, and three couches forming a semicircle around a coffee table with several different styles of gaming controls under a massive, large-screen television.
On the middle couch sat Charity. Her long, jet-black hair was done in two twin tails that draped down the back of the upholstery. Dark eyeliner made her large eyes stand out, giving them a cat-like quality by emphasizing and sharpening the outer corners. A gentle blush had reddened her cheeks, and her lips were painted a matte black—her style reminding me of Erin’s.
She wore a matching black lace lingerie set—a bra that was just sheer enough for me to see a vague outline of the large areola that surrounded a slight swell at the center of each bra cup. A matching lace thong ran around her hips and over swollen outer lips, perfectly visible thanks to her spread legs. The fabric looked so flimsy that I could have easily torn it away, like tissue paper.
This was the most I’d ever seen of Charity, and she did not disappoint—she was a small, tight package, somewhere between Shea’s and Erin’s height, with a slender waist, and a set of large B-cup breasts that looked larger on her frame. Her skin was a dark cream, inherited from her Filipino ancestry—smooth and blemish-free aside from the occasional freckle.
Like Erin, she was also one of the few ladies in my life who had a prominent tattoo. I’d seen glimpses of it, but now that she was wearing next to nothing, I could make out a collection of dark shapes that started just above her elbow on her right side, and then continued up her shoulder before going along her ribs and curving behind her at her waist. Put together, the black geometric shapes made up some kind of creature’s tail… probably a dragon.
She currently had one hand between her legs, staring at the wall beside me, just inside the room, where the television screen hung next to the door. Her small fingers ran back and forth lazily… dark eyes and skin illuminated by flickering lights from the television.
Moments after spotting her, she finally noticed me and smiled shyly. That look, along with the pig tales, dark makeup, and tattoo, once again reminded me of a corrupted schoolgirl, which was the impression I had when I first met her.
I took a couple of steps into the room and glanced at the television against the wall—the sound was off, so I hadn’t been prepared to see a video of two women sucking a cock. Their lips were running up and down its length before sharing the head between them as they made out.
“Hope you don’t mind,” Charity said demurely. “I thought I’d stay warm while waiting for you.”
“Not at all,” I said, my throat feeling like sandpaper as I admired the demure little woman presenting herself to me.
I felt cool hands on my back, and moments later, Rose pressed her small breasts against me. Her full lips brushed my ear.
“Just so you know,” she whispered, “this is the appetizer.”
She slid around me and sauntered into the room, walking behind Charity’s couch, running her slender fingers along the length of the furniture’s back. Her eyes stayed on me, gazing at me the way a jaguar sizes up a rodent. Still keeping her eyes on me, she leaned forward and whispered something in Charity’s ear. Charity nodded and removed her hand from between her legs—a tad reluctantly, I noticed.
She stood to her full height—five feet and some change—and waited for me to approach. I did, but before I could reach out and touch her, Rose placed a hand on my arm, stopping me.
“You’ve been gone more than a month,” the dancer husked, “so there’s no way this night is ending without you putting that beautiful cock inside me.”
I felt small, delicate fingers wrap around mine and looked down to see Charity holding both of my hands in hers. She started to back away, pulling me with her, leading me to a slatted door nearby. Rose slinked her way to the door, just beating us there, turning the knob, and nudging it so it swung open. I could see a couple of coats and what looked like a dress hanging just inside and wondered who they belonged to. As far as I knew, all my stuff was in my room. Then it occurred to me… I had at least seven women living in my apartment along with me—God only knew how many garments they had between them.
“But since this is your first time with Charity,” Rose continued, leaning against the wall beside the open door, fixing me with a stare full of need and desire, “I thought I’d give you a little alone time. I believe seven minutes is customary.”
Charity dragged me into the closet, and as I passed by Rose, she grabbed my head in both her hands and pulled me into a lip-bruising kiss, snapping at them with her teeth and lapping them with her tongue before pulling away. She kept her face close as she whispered, “Make every second count.”
Then she released me and shut the door, leaving Charity and me in near total darkness—slivers of barely-there incandescence thrown across our bodies from the slats in the door.
I turned to look back at Charity… or more accurately, the barely-there presence of Charity’s silhouette. The experience reminded me of my first time with Chloe—darkness had surrounded us, making sight almost useless. On one hand, I’d been disappointed that I couldn’t have had a better look at my bodyguard as she hovered over me nude and poised to appear herself on my member. On the other hand, it made the sensations of touch, taste, and smell so much more vivid. Even though I’d been robbed of my sight, it had been a delicious experience.
At least I’d been able to see most of Charity’s beautiful body before she dragged me into the closet.
“Just so we’re clear,” I whispered, feeling it was necessary to maintain the moment’s quiet mystique as the two of us were prepared to be intimate for the first time. “I get you for more than seven minutes, right?”
I got the vague impression that Charity had nodded, but she must have realized I might not be able to see her response. “Yes,” she said. “She thought we would appreciate a few minutes together… some place intimate… you know. I kind of liked the idea. I hope you’re—”
“Yes,” I said, reaching up to place my hand on her cheek. I ran a thumb across her skin and felt the tip brush the side of her nose before running over her full lips. “I love this. I just want to make sure I get to have you when I can see you too.”
Charity made a little sound—a cross between a whimper and a moan. I felt her lips part, and my thumb slid between them, plunging into wet warmth.
Oh, fuck…
As Charity sucked on my thumb, I gently tilted her head to the side, exposing a luscious expanse of neck on which I immediately feasted.
Charity was twenty—the youngest woman in my circle by a few years. She’d only just started college. She still had much of the innocence of youth about her: a youthful, innocent-looking face, lips full and lush, a complexion completely free of laugh or care lines… and the softest, smoothest skin. My lips glided effortlessly over her neck as I tasted her, moving to a bare shoulder where I came in contact with the strap of her bra. I grasped it with my teeth and dragged it down until it reached the gentle slope, then let it fall along her arm.
Meanwhile, she continued to alternate between sucking on my thumb, breathing loudly around it as she circled it with her tongue, and biting down on it playfully as she moaned. Her hands wandered my naked chest, back, arms.
“Aw Gaw,” she rasped, her words impeded by the digit in her mouth. “Yew tho hawt…”
I kissed the soft skin just under her ear and then trailed kisses up her jaw, extracting my finger from her mouth as I murmured against the side of her chin. “Fuck… so are you.”
She turned her head slightly and shoved her tongue into my mouth as we began to make out. My hand landed on her waist as both of her arms wrapped around me, her fingers tracing along my back as they traveled up it. My hands followed suit, sliding up her delicate waist and along the hills and valleys of her ribs until they bumped into the elastic of her bra strap. My fingers traced the trail around her until they found the small clasp. By now, I was a master at taking off bras, and with a subtle shift of my fingers, hers came loose and shifted downward, trapped between us as we held each other tight.
She gasped in my mouth and broke the seal of our kiss just long enough to say, “I mean it… you could easily let yourself go…” She plunged back into my mouth, humming against me as her tongue lapped at my lips. Then she pulled back again, breathing heavily as she continued, “But damn… you have a really nice body.”
Again, I was reminded of what Chloe said back in the forest—Damn… you’re coming along nicely.
A swell of pride ran through me, enjoying their words. I’d worked hard over the last month and a half, and it was nice to hear women as smoking hot as Charity and Chloe pay me genuine compliments—it made me feel desirable… powerful.
Instead of responding, I tore free from the kiss and pulled back just enough to grasp the bra between us and remove it. It slipped free from her shoulders and arms as I tossed it over my shoulder and let it disappear into the darkness. I wrapped my arm around Charity’s narrow waist, placing my hand on her firm, rounded ass, and hauled her off the ground.
She squealed as I launched her into the air, her arms tightening around my back. I buried my face into her throat, kissing and suckling on tender flesh, my hungry, starving mouth feeling the vibration of every gasp that escaped her beautiful lips.
“Oh god,” she whispered.
I began working my way down her flawless chest—lips and teeth grazing perfect skin. My back burned as I felt her nails dig in. One leg, then another wrapped around my waist and pulled her crotch into mine. Her hips immediately set to work, rolling against me, seeking any friction that would provide her with even a modicum of relief.
My lips traveled further south, and I could feel the gentle slopes of her breast as I kissed down her sternum… mere suggestions of mounds as they hung free of support on each side of my face. I pressed the flat of my tongue to her chest and dragged it across, traveling up a soft, supple hill toward its zenith where a thick nipple sat fully erect and ready for me. It was a little thicker than Erin’s or Helen’s nipples… more on par with Shea’s, but not as prominent as my masseuse’s.
As I pinched it between my lips and sucked on it, I enjoyed the reaction I got from the tiny, young woman. She bucked against me, as her fingernails dug even deeper into my back, raking across and leaving eight rows of long scratch marks across me. I felt her weight shift as she arched her back and leaned away from me, her tits becoming less pronounced as they stretched a little across her chest.
I sucked harder, inhaling half her tit into my mouth as I ran my tongue across it, still holding her pretty ass in one hand as we dry humped each other.
“Fuck,” she breathed. “Been waiting… so long…”
I felt delicate fingers fumble with my fly. Charity impressed me with her flexibility—able to hang onto me with one hand, arch back while I held her, and undo my pants with her other hand. Forget PR… she needed to be a dancer like Natashya and Rose!
Charity shivered in my arms as I continued to feast on her nipples, switching from one to the other as I drove her wild. She let go of my back and grasped my arms… fingernails digging into each bicep. “Oh god yes… need it in me…”
And we were well on our way to it. My fly popped open and I felt the zipper slide down, my cock springing free as fingers curled into the hem of my shorts and dragged them down my thighs.
…while Charity still had a firm grip on my shoulders.
…with both hands.
I suddenly realized just as I felt a pair of lips engulf my cock, plunging so that the mushroom head hit the back of someone’s throat… Charity and I weren’t the only ones in here.
“Oh fuuuuck,” I groaned around the nipple in my mouth.
The little woman in my arms giggled and then gasped. “She’s just… making sure you’re ready for me…”
I released the nipple from my lips and hauled her up so that we were face-to-face, our foreheads touching. Our breaths mingled as we stared at each other through the total darkness, chests rising and falling as lust built. “I was ready before you dragged me in here.”
Emphasizing my meaning, I reached down, grasped the flimsy excuse for panties she was wearing, and gave them a firm tug. I was right—they tore apart like wet construction paper and left me with a fully nude young woman in my arms… ready to fuck.
“Put me in,” I groaned and then crushed my lips to Charity’s for a deep, soul-searing kiss.
Whoever was down there slowly backed off my member, carefully pulling it from her throat and out from between her lips at an agonizing pace. Fingers curled gently around my balls massaging them as the tip of my cock slid out of wet warmth. I felt delicate fingers wrap around the base of my cock, and moments later, moist heat kissed my member as I felt myself poised at the opening of Charity’s pussy. Whoever was under Charity held me in place as her fingers continued to caress my testes.
With my mouth still locked firmly on Charity’s, I lowered her, finally getting a chance to fuck this little vixen I ate out more than a month ago in Vegas.
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Book II is now underway, with Chapters 1–36 already available. 11 bonus chapters for Book II are also available as well as several other one-offs for the story and a few non-related stories.