Finished (3 page)

“They’re wet.”

“And they’ll get dryer when you’re not wearing them?”

“They’ll get dryer when I use the hair-dryer on them.”

“I see.” He laughed softly and kept watching as she continued unbuttoning her blouse.

For some reason, she felt both hot and self-conscious. There was no reason for it, but his watching her undress like this felt more intimate than even when he saw her naked in her bedroom. It wasn’t a bad feeling, though. It was strangely exciting. So she kept working on the buttons with slightly trembling fingers.

“Are you cold?” he asked, the guttural rasp in his voice stronger than ever.

“A little. Not too bad. Why?”

“You’re trembling.” His eyes lingered on her fingers, then lifted slightly to focus on her breasts. “And you look cold in other ways too.”

She glanced down and saw that her nipples were very tight, poking out visibly through the lace of her bra. For no good reason, she felt a pulse of desire between her thighs. “Well, I’m wet, and I’m taking my clothes off.”

“I know you are.”

She was shaking all over now, but not from cold. She was suddenly really turned on, and it only got stronger as Mike’s eyes ran up and down her body.

“I thought you were going to take your shirt off.” Mike slouched down farther in the chair. He was slightly flushed, so she thought he must be turned on too.

“I am.” She pulled the blouse off her arms and draped it on the towel rack.

“Take off your bra too,” Mike said, a kind of rough authority in his tone that made her pussy clench.

“What?”

“Take it off.”

When she glanced over at him, he gave her a little smile and added, “It’s wet too, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” She slowly reached around to unhook her bra and pulled the fabric away from her skin, conscious of Mike’s hot eyes on her as she bared herself to his gaze. She was breathing fast and shallow, and the air felt cool against her naked skin.

“Now your skirt too. I want to see all of you.”

She had no idea what had gotten into him—he wasn’t usually like this—but she liked it. She was so aroused she could barely stand still as she unzipped her skirt and let it drop to the floor.

She did lean over to pick it up and hang it neatly near her top, since she didn’t want it to wrinkle. She had to return to work that afternoon.

“Take everything off,” Mike said, in almost a growl. It felt like his eyes were devouring her body.

She slid off her panties so she was completely naked in front of him. “Is this what you wanted?” she whispered.

“Fuck, yeah. Turn around for me.”

She turned in a circle, letting him see every inch of her body. She wasn’t entirely happy with every part of her body, but she felt incredibly sexy and desirable in the heat of his gaze. “Now what?”

“Get over here.”

She stepped over until she was standing directly in front of where he sat in the chair. ‘Did you want something?” she asked, staring down at the visible bulge in his pants.

“You know what I want. Are you going to give it to me?”

“Of course.” She smiled, suddenly as affectionate as she was aroused, and she reached down to pick up his hands and place them on her hips. “You can take whatever you want.”

He made a throaty sound and pulled her into his lap. He kissed her hard while, at the same time, positioning her so her legs were folded on either side of his hips.

The chair was big, so there was plenty of room, and she helped by unzipping him so she could free his cock.

He was big and hard and warm in her hands as she held his erection in position so he could ease her body down over him. She moaned at the penetration and couldn’t control herself very well. She moved over him eagerly for a few seconds, trying to intensify the sensations of his penetration.

“Fuck,” he rasped. “That’s so good, baby.”

She gave a little whimper and managed to control her motion into a steady, pleasing rhythm. After all, she wasn’t a fumbling virgin who couldn’t manage to be on top.

It was harder than she’d expected to sustain the slower rhythm, since her body was screaming at her to let go.

Mike was rocking beneath her, matching her motion, and his eyes kept crawling over her naked body. “Don’t hold back, baby. I love how much you want this. Take me as hard as you want.”

She let out a choppy exhale as she released some of her control and rode him harder.

“Harder, baby. As hard as you want.”

He seemed to know exactly what she wanted, so she let go of her inhibitions. She gasped with effort and pleasure as she bounced in his lap. He was holding her breasts so they wouldn’t slap against her chest. For some reason, it was even hotter because she was completely naked and he was completely clothed. He was still holding onto control, while she’d let go with wild abandon.

“You’re so good,” he grunted, his body tightening beneath hers. “Oh, baby, you’re always so good.”

His words, as much as the motion, kept pushing her toward climax. She was almost sobbing now as the sensations kept building. It felt like she and Mike were alone in the world—and the only thing that mattered was the way they felt now, together, just like this. “Oh, God,” she mumbled, fumbling at his shoulders, searching for something to hold onto. “Oh, God, Mike, I’m gonna come.”

“Yeah, baby. Come hard for me. Just for me.” His hands lowered to her hips, his fingers digging into the soft flesh.

“Yeah. For you. Oh God!” She bit her lip to stifle the cry of her release, her body shaking through a surprisingly hard climax.

Mike was grunting as he held her down on his lap and bucked up into her from below when a climax took him as well. She felt him release inside her, felt his body jerk a few times as he gave her everything he had.

They were both gasping as she collapsed onto him, loving how he wrapped his arms around her.

“That was good,” she heard herself gasping. “So good.”

“Yeah, it was.”

“I can’t believe I lost it like that.”

“You should lose it more often.” His arms tightened as he held her, and after a minute he started to stroke her hair and her back. “You’re amazing, Julia.”

She smiled against his shoulder. “So are you.”

She heard him let out a deep breath. There was something that struck her as unusual about it, so she pulled back enough to look at his face. It was flushed and sated and pleased—and something else that was almost possessive.

The hand he’d been using to stroke her hair adjusted so he was cupping her cheek. His eyes were deep and intense and urgent in a way she just wasn’t used to. Not with Mike, who was always so laidback. “What is it?” she asked, stroking his jaw with her fingers.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. It just looked like you were going to say something.”

That particularly intense look dissipated. “Nah. Just that if you ever feel like taking a lunch break like this again, I’m your man.”

She giggled and leaned down to kiss him. She’d intended it to just be a quick peck, but he held her face against his and deepened the kiss with his tongue. When she finally pulled away, she was breathless with another rush of emotion.

She snuggled up against his chest, letting him hug her close again.

“I wonder where Drayton is,” she said, mostly because she was starting to feel a little guilty about not missing Drayton at all.

She felt Mike tense up slightly, his post-sex languor evidently passed. “Who knows?”

“He doesn’t seem to have been here at all today.”

“For longer than that.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. But there’s dust on some of the shelves out there. I don’t know when he last used this studio.”

“But where else would he be developing all the photos from his shoots?”

“I don’t know.”

Julia straightened up so she could look down at his face. “We’re probably just overreacting. Maybe he just hasn’t had clients here for a while, so he’s let some things slide. I’m sure he’ll call soon and let us know what’s going on.” With a sigh, she climbed off his lap and went over to her clothes. “I guess I need to get back to work soon. And so do you. You’ve got to get back to your boring meetings.”

***

Twenty minutes later, they were in Mike’s SUV, and he was driving her back to work. They’d eaten their sandwiches quickly before leaving the studio.

She was later returning to work than she’d intended, but she could use the excuse of car problems—which was true and would defy any further questions about her extended lunch break.

No one needed to know she’d also fucked a man hard while she was gone.

“I never got to interrogate you on the secrets you were keeping,” she said, slanting a look up at Mike.

He flashed her a quick smile as he parked in front of her building. “The full interrogation will have to wait. For now, you get to ask one question.”

“And you’ll tell me the truth?”

“Of course.”

She thought for a minute and asked the first thing that came into her mind. “What’s your worst childhood memory?”

The question was almost flippant, but she saw Mike’s expression change as he reflected. He stared down at his hands on the steering wheel as he said, “I guess that would be when my mom walked out.”

There wasn’t any sort of strong emotional resonance in his tone, but Julia’s breath hitched anyway. “I knew your parents were divorced. When did she leave?”

“I was eleven. She was an alcoholic, so life with her was never easy or stable. But I loved her. She was my mom. And I came home from school one day and she was…she was just gone.”

“Damn.” Julia reached over and put a hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry. What did your dad say?”

“What could he say? Tell me my mom didn’t love me enough to stick around? He made up some sort of excuse, and every day I hoped she would come back.”

“She never did?”

“No. I never saw her again.”

“Did you ever try to look her up?”

“No. I don’t want to see her.”

Julia’s chest ached with feeling, and she was sorry she’d asked the question. Mike had never told her any of this before, and it felt like there were depths to him that she’d never even realized. “I’m sorry to bring it up like this. I didn’t…I didn’t know.”

“I know you didn’t. It’s fine.” He gave her a wry, little smile. “I told you I’d tell you anything you wanted to know.”

A sudden insight flashed into her mind. “Is that why you never got married? Because of what happened with your mom?”

He looked at her for a long time—and then turned his head to stare out the windshield. “I guess so. It’s hard to trust in things like commitment when you didn’t see them lived out.”

“So I guess a relationship that offers sex and no emotional obligations is just about perfect for you then.” She pitched her tone to be teasing, but something felt poignant in the words. They made her chest ache. Like something was lost in the world because Mike was too wounded to give his heart.

He had such a good heart.

He released a raspy exhale. “Yeah. I guess.”

“That doesn’t sound very confident. You’re happy, aren’t you?” Her voice broke on the last two words as she felt a spike of fear.

She’d been restless lately, but she was sure the feeling didn’t mean their relationship needed to end. She thought the restlessness meant it should get deeper—give them all more of what they needed.

She hated the idea that Mike might not be happy in it.

His eyes shot back to her face.

“With me and Drayton, I mean.” Her throat felt tight, and her heart was racing for some reason. “You’re happy. Right?”

He didn’t answer immediately, causing cold fear to wash over her.

“Mike?”

His eyes softened in that way she loved, and he raised a hand to cup her face. “You make me happy. I’m not about to leave you, baby.”

She let out a deep exhale and leaned over to kiss him. “Good. Because I’d fight to keep you. You know that, right?”

He smiled against her lips. “I’m glad to hear it—because you better believe I’d fight to keep you too.”

When Julia graduated from college, she’d gotten a job in the Accounts Payable department of a local software company. Nine years later, she was now the manager of the department. While she wasn’t particularly brilliant or ambitious, she was efficient, dependable, and agreeable, and those traits paid off quickly in a company such as hers.

She liked her job well enough. She didn’t mind the responsibility, and she liked the increased salary that came with every promotion. With it, she was able to indulge herself more often than she had when she was younger—like buying the strappy designer heels she slipped on her feet on Saturday evening.

Looking in the mirror, she decided she looked quite nice in her new shoes and the dark blue cocktail dress. In the last couple of years, she’d finally grown comfortable with her body—accepting she’d never be built like a model. She looked pretty damn good in size eight and the occasional size six. Drayton and Mike certainly seemed to appreciate her body.

She fluffed her dark hair, which was cut in a shoulder-length bob, and added lip gloss before she concluded she looked as good as she was going to tonight.

“I definitely approve of the cut of that dress.”

She glanced back to see Drayton—irresistibly sophisticated in all black—leaning against the door frame to her room. “I thought you’d like it.” She twirled in front of the mirror, once more checking out the very low back to her dress that revealed a wide expanse of her fair skin. “I hate going to these stupid, pretentious parties my boss likes to throw, but it is nice to be able to dress up occasionally.”

She noticed Drayton had something in his hand, and as he approached she saw it clearly. He turned her around gently and reached around to place the necklace at her throat. “Weren’t you wondering about that present I promised you?” he murmured, the texture in his voice making her shiver.

Her heart lurched painfully as she saw the diamond solitaire on the platinum, wide-linked chain. She stared at it in the mirror blankly for several seconds before she could finally get her voice to work. “Drayton.”

He hooked the chain with skillful precision and gently moved aside her hair so he could press a few kisses on the side of her neck. “Do you like it?”

“I do. But it’s too much. You didn’t have to—”

“I wanted to, and it’s not likely to cripple my finances.” He slanted her an ironic smile, one she couldn’t help but respond to.

Turning around, she pulled him down into a kiss. “Thank you, Drayton.”

He’d explained that an unexpected job had come up, making him unavailable a few days ago, when she’d been trying to reach him when she’d had car trouble. It happened. She wasn’t going to hold a grudge about it, and things between the three of them had been fine for the last few days.

She’d realized now that the even keel wasn’t really enough, but it was a place to start. There was potential for more between them. She knew it. She cared for both of these men—a lot—and she thought they cared for her.

Maybe they could transition their relationship into something deeper.

Drayton returned the kiss with immediate passion, sliding one hand up her thigh, under her dress, until he could squeeze one of her bottom cheeks. Julia unconsciously lifted her leg and tried to wrap it around his as the kiss became even deeper.

“What did he give you?” a voice asked from the doorway.

They broke off the kiss abruptly and, flushed and panting, turned to look at Mike. He was dressed in khakis and a white t-shirt, with bare feet and rumpled brown hair. He had an odd expression on his face—one she couldn’t immediately recognize.

Pulling away from Drayton, she walked over to Mike to show him the necklace. “Isn’t it gorgeous?” she asked, hoping Mike wasn’t feeling left out. Despite their best attempts to accommodate each other’s needs, it wasn’t always easy to manage the complexity of a relationship like theirs.

“It looks gorgeous on you,” Mike said softly, his brown eyes drifting between the diamond and her face.

“What are your plans for the evening?” Drayton asked, stepping over to drape an arm around Julia.

“Watch the game. I might order a pizza. You all have a good time.”

They followed him out into the living room, where he sat down on the couch and picked up the remote. Drayton went to get Julia’s jacket out of the coat closet, but she stood and watched Mike for a moment.

He looked perfectly natural and relaxed—not annoyed or reproachful at all. But for some reason, sitting on the couch by himself, he seemed almost…lonely.

His eyebrows lifted in a silent question when he caught her staring at him. Without speaking, she walked over and slid herself into his lap. She twined her arms around his neck and gave him a slow, deep kiss.

His arms went around her immediately, and they tightened as the kiss continued. When Julia finally pulled her mouth away, she asked, “Are you sad you have to stay home by yourself?”

“Hell, no. I’d rather watch the game. And Drayton does better at those fancy parties anyway.”

That wasn’t entirely true. Mike was different, but he could be every bit as charming as Drayton.

“Ready to go?” Drayton asked, holding her jacket and looking slightly impatient.

Reluctantly, Mike released her, and she went to join Drayton, who helped her into her jacket. Mike still watched them, but he was smiling, and she was satisfied that he didn’t look as lonely as he had before.

“I’m not sure what time we’ll be back,” she said. “But maybe we can have some fun later on. After all the kissing, I’m getting kind of horny.”

“I’m sure I’ll still be up,” Mike said, as Drayton gave a teasing growl of appreciation at her suggestion.

Julia glanced at her reflection in the hallway mirror before she left and grumbled about her lip gloss having disappeared. As she reapplied it, she stared at the diamond again—pear-shaped and sparkling exquisitely against her skin. Both Drayton and Mike had given her jewelry in the past, but this might be the most expensive gift she’d ever received.

She loved it.

But she was almost positive it wasn’t what Drayton had hidden from her when she’d caught him in his room the other day.

***

“Drayton,” Julia began, trying to readjust his arm so he wasn’t touching her ass. “You don’t get to grope me in front of my boss.”

Drayton laughed—low and sensual—and slid his other hand down her side in a very suggestive way.

Julia felt her cheeks growing hot, even as she tried to compose a natural expression. The CEO of her company owned a huge house in an exclusive neighborhood to the north of the city. He liked to entertain, so she’d been to cocktail parties there several times over the last couple of years.

This evening, she and Drayton had made a circuit through the huge great room and out onto the patio, where more of her coworkers were mingling. They’d ended up next to the pool. It was a brisk night, but there was a fire in the fire pit, and the fresh air felt good after the overcrowded house.

The sun had set, but the patio and landscaped yard were brightly illuminated. So she really hoped no one saw how Drayton was touching her at the moment.

“Drayton,” she tried again, when she felt one of his hands on her right breast, “I mean it.” She pushed his hand away and was relieved when this time it stayed down.

Turning to meet his eyes, ignited with a familiar, taunting heat, she said, “I’m serious, Drayton. I work with these people, and you’re embarrassing me.”

He made no other moves, except to take both of her hands in his. “Are you sure you don’t find it exciting? I seem to recall you enjoying that time when Mike and I made you come—and come again—in the dressing room of a certain department store.”

Julia flushed even hotter at the thought, but she didn’t let the tantalizing memory distract her from her point. “That was different. Those were strangers. Not here, Drayton. I mean it.”

He just smiled, but she could tell he’d understood she wasn’t just playing coy. So she relaxed a little and was able to conjure an appropriate smile. 

“We probably should go ming—” She broke off her comment when she glanced over at Drayton again.

He obviously wasn’t listening. In fact, he didn’t appear to be conscious of her at all. He was oddly stiff and staring in the direction of one of the V.P.’s who’d just arrived.

Actually, Drayton was staring at the man’s date—a beautiful woman she’d never seen before.

“Do you know her?” Julia asked, a little sharply. It was silly, but she couldn’t help the tiny twinge of jealousy at Drayton’s absorption with the exotic-looking woman with stunningly long, black hair and a highly inappropriate red dress.

“Hmm?”

Julia actually had to poke him. “Do you know her?”

Drayton blinked a few times and shook his head. “Oh, no. I thought she looked familiar. But no.”

She studied him suspiciously, but he smiled at her in his whimsical way and appeared to forget the woman even existed.

Julia let down her guard—laughing inwardly at her petty reaction—and was feeling at ease again when her host came over to speak to them.

“I’m Bruce Becker,” her boss said as he approached, extending a hand to Drayton. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

Drayton introduced himself smoothly and gave the man a glib, intelligent compliment on the landscaping.

Bruce preened and talked for a while about the work he’d recently had done on his yard. Julia just listened, feeling ridiculously proud of having as an escort a man as charming and desirable as Drayton. She could see other women looking at him—some with admiration and some with jealousy. While she tried to suppress the feeling, she couldn’t help but enjoy being the object of such jealousy.

She’d never considered herself particularly special before. Until Drayton and Mike had come along.

She was wondering what Mike was doing at home and wishing he could be here too when Drayton slid an arm around her waist. “I think she’s pretty spectacular myself.”

Julia blinked. She hadn’t heard what Bruce had said to prompt the comment, but she assumed it must have been some sort of compliment of her.

“And maybe one day I’ll catch up on my sleep.” The tone of his voice and the way his hand spanned her ribs so possessively made the implications of Drayton’s words quite clear.

She stiffened and felt her cheeks burning, while Bruce laughed appropriately and wandered off.

When he was out of earshot, she jerked away from Drayton’s arm. “Damn it, Drayton, I told you not to do that!”

He drew his eyebrows together with a look of innocence that was absolutely absurd on the face of someone as knowing and experienced as him. “You told me not to grope you.”

She was shaking with her anger and was hard pressed to keep her voice low enough to avoid being heard. “You knew exactly what I meant about acting sexy in front of my boss. And you did it anyway—intentionally.”

“Why are you so uptight, Julia? It was a joke. Male bonding. He didn’t think a thing about it. I promise he likes me.”

“I don’t care if he likes you. I want him to respect me as a professional. Not think about my sex life. I told you—”

“If you want a whipped lapdog as a date, next time you can take Mike.” Drayton never lost his temper, but she could tell from the bite of his tone that he was annoyed.

Her rage surged forward at his insult of Mike, and she whirled around and walked away so she wouldn’t attempt to strangle him in front of the gathered guests.

 He didn’t try to follow her, and she wasn’t sure whether she was relieved or disappointed. She went to the bathroom to cool down and then chatted with some friends and got another glass of white wine.

She was feeling more herself—and ready to accept an apology—when she went in search of Drayton again.

She had some trouble finding him. She searched the patio, and then the great room, and then the kitchen, and then the den adjoining the entryway. Guests were scattered everywhere, but she saw no sign of Drayton.

Finally, she asked around and someone mentioned seeing him heading toward the library.

Stewing again at the evils of charming, over-indulged sex-gods, Julia went back to the library and home office to investigate. Guests hadn’t spilled over to the back hallway, so she couldn’t imagine what Drayton was doing in this wing of the house.

Surely he hadn’t gone off alone to pout. That wasn’t like him at all.

As she approached the half-opened door, she heard soft voices. So she slowed down and walked carefully so her heels wouldn’t clip on the hardwood floor.

“There was no underlying agenda. My date is a vice-president in the company. He brought me to the party. It’s perfectly harmless.”

Julia felt her hands and feet grow cold at the sound of the lilting, female voice. And she knew exactly whom she would see even before she got close enough to peek through the cracked door.

The gorgeous woman with the sleek, black hair falling down to her waist and the kind of long legs Julia had always dreamed of having.

“You must have known there was a chance I would be here too,” Drayton said. “You know Julia works for this company. And you came anyway. I wouldn’t be surprised if you arranged your ‘date’ on purpose.”

He was angry. Julia could tell from the cool hauteur of his tone and expression.

“Believe it or not, I don’t arrange my life around you.”

“I’m not the fool you take me for. I’m here with
Julia
tonight. We’d arranged to meet later tonight.”

Julia’s heart had clenched up painfully when she saw who Drayton was talking to, and now it felt frozen in her chest. Her vision blurred a little, and she felt kind of dizzy.

“I know. I was looking forward to getting together later, and that has nothing to do with my being here now. Your Julia is a lovely girl, but she seemed a little pissed at you. Perhaps she and I should have a little chat.”

Julia had never seen Drayton lose control—or even lose the upper-hand in a conversation. But he was losing it now. His fists were clenched at his side while the woman remained relaxed, almost insouciant. “Is that a threat?” he gritted out. “What possible purpose could you have in making it?”