Fool's Gold (Contemporary Romance) (18 page)

T
HE
 museum and subsequent dinner with Ben had gone better than Victoria imagined. Had gone so well, in fact, that she found herself sitting across from him at a place in Little Brazil three nights later. Christmas was only a few days away and neither of them were planning to go back to Nebraska, but they hadn’t yet discussed plans. Victoria didn’t want to assume that Ben was planning to see Christine, but she hoped he was.

The waiter dropped off their check, and Victoria reached for it. Ben reached faster. She glared at him. He had paid for her at the museum and at Kyclades, but she was
not
going to let him make it a habit, new job or not.

“Beta, if you don’t let me pick up the check tonight, I’m going to be angry.”

He smiled at her slip with his name. Old habits died hard. He didn’t let go of the check, though.

“I can handle it.” He tried to tug it toward him.

“I don’t think so. This is a two way street. It’s my turn.”

“Vicks, I’ve been waiting for this for fifteen years. I’ll get the check.” He jerked it out from under her fingers. “Besides, you can get the theater tickets.”

“Theater?”

“Well, it’s not dinner and a movie without a movie, is it?”

“That’s such a cliché. What’s your next idea?”

He stopped, stumped. The gears turned in his head while he tried to come up with something else.

Victoria took pity on him. “How about we go get a drink somewhere and think about it? I’ll pick up the tab there, okay?”

“Alright.” He peeled a few twenties from his wallet and left them on the ticket. “Ready when you are; I don’t need change.”

She sneaked a peek at the ticket as they put on their coats. They managed to eat in Midtown for under fifty bucks? She didn’t feel nearly so bad about leaving him with the bill.

Beta had a long, gray coat that reminded her of something Trent would have worn. It was nothing like what he had worn back in Nebraska. It was more professional, more adult.

“I like the coat,” she said as they hit the sidewalk.

“Thanks. Sol helped me pick it.”

“Your boss?”

“Yeah. He’s decided that I need to learn some style. It’s not really working.”

Victoria looked over his navy and crimson scarf, his leather gloves. “I think it’s working just fine.” She caught his hand in hers.

They made it a block before his phone started ringing. She recognized the
Star Wars
theme. “Who’s that?”

Beta dug his phone out of his pocket and checked the face. “Sol. You mind if I get it?”

“By all means.”

Beta answered it. “What’s up, boss?”

The phone warbled, but Victoria couldn’t make out what was being said.

“She’s with me right now actually.” He turned to Victoria. “How do you feel about meeting Sol and Aaron?”

“Uh, that’s fine?” His boss was asking about her? “As long as it’s not karaoke.”

He relayed the news into the phone and stuffed it back into his pocket. “That was weird. They want to talk to you. You specifically. He was actually asking for your number when I told him you were with me.”

“That is weird.” She walked in silence for a few paces. “What do you think he wants?”

“I have no idea. You haven’t been hiding a secret love of software development, have you?”

She laughed. “Definitely not. I need you to look at my laptop sometime, by the way.”

“Okay. Well, I don’t know what he wants. He’s at the Ginger Man, though.” Beta turned them right onto Park and they walked along for a few blocks, breaths forming clouds in front of them.

“I take it you know where we’re going?” Victoria had to resist the urge to check her phone.

“Yeah. It’s just a couple more blocks.”

Beta’s ears and cheeks were pink from the cold when they reached the bar. He opened the door and ushered her inside.

“There are couches in the back,” Beta said.

They walked past a long bar with tap after tap. There had to be a hundred of them. Victoria hoped they had something besides beer, too. Her experience with these sorts of places was mixed, and beer wasn’t really her thing.

Sol and Aaron were already there, and a third guy was with them. Aaron didn’t have his purple hat, but he did have a pair of snakeskin boots propped up on a coffee table. Sol lounged beside him, a great swath of purple silk that couldn’t quite decide whether it was a shirt or a sail stretched over his chest. The third guy sat beside Aaron, wearing jeans and a plaid shirt.

“Victoria!” Sol stood up, holding out a hand to shake. Victoria reached for his hand, but he pulled her into a hug instead of shaking it. “I’m so happy to see you.”

“Thanks, Sol,” she said as she extricated herself. “It’s good to see you again, too.” It was a little weird to have someone hug her the second time she met him, but he was so friendly, so honest, that she didn’t get a creepy vibe at all.

“Benjamin.” Sol nodded at Beta and sat down, not giving him the same hug. “This is Steve, a friend.”

Steve shook their hands. “Nice to meet you folks.” He sounded local.

Aaron waved, but didn’t get up. “Good to see you again.”

Victoria sat in one of the two maroon velour chairs while Beta took the other. “Ben said you wanted to chat with me?” she asked Sol.

“I do.” Sol leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees. “I have a proposition for you.”

Victoria cocked an eyebrow. A proposition from Beta’s gay boss? She hardly knew what to think. “Okay.”

“Aaron, Steve and I have a little project we’ve been working on for the last couple years. We have a band, and we need a singer.”

“You... you want me to sing for you?”

“Yes!” Sol slapped his knee.

“You’d be perfect,” Aaron drawled.

“And it’s jazz?” Beta asked.

Sol bit his cheek. “Not exactly. It’s country and western. And gay.”

Victoria burst out laughing. “You mean to tell me that you have a gay country and western band in New York City?”

“Well, yes. We haven’t played in the last few months, but last spring we did a show most every weekend.”

Of all the things she had imagined, and some of them had been the sorts of things she’d only seen on Cinemax late at night, she hadn’t expected him to offer her a gig. And country?

“I don’t know what to say. Are you just messing with me?”

Sol looked aghast. “No! We really do have a band. I play piano, Aaron plays steel guitar and Steve plays bass.”

“I’ve heard you playing classical in the office, but country?” Beta’s mouth was still hanging open.

Sol chuckled like a flamboyant Santa Claus. “Yes, Benjamin, I play country, too. Beethoven and Einaudi are not the limits of my repertoire.”

A waitress approached and started to say something, but Sol raised a hand, quieting her. “Forgive me, dear. One more point.” He turned his attention to Victoria. “You do not need to accept tonight. We have no gigs lined up currently, though we could have them with some phone calls. We’re highly regarded in The Community here.”

He didn’t say the word “gay,” but Victoria assumed that had to be what he meant. She looked between the gentlemen across from her, glanced at Beta. “I would categorically say ‘no’ to almost anyone else, but I’m not going to do that. Yet. I’ll think about it. I came halfway across the country to escape that style of music.”

“All I ask is that you consider the offer.” He smiled at the waitress. “My apologies. I’ll take a pint of Pliny the Elder.”

The waitress thought about it for a second, then said, “I’m sorry, but we don’t carry that.”

“Tell George that Sol requested one of his bottles. He’ll know who I am.”

The waitress looked dubious, but she agreed. Everyone else ordered, and since Victoria didn’t see mixed drinks on the menu, so she settled for a glass of port.

The drinks came and were consumed. They talked music and programming and Manhattan housing, and then all too soon Sol and Aaron were apologizing and leaving. Steve followed them out, leaving Victoria alone with Beta.

He had two or three drinks in him, at least, but he was holding up well. “You ready to go, too?” she asked.

“Sure.”

He helped her up and caught her hand as they walked toward the front. Halfway to the door, she saw a familiar gray jacket near the front window. Trent and Jennifer were sitting together. Jennifer’s foot was snaked around Trent’s ankle, and they both were leaning in over the table. Beta didn’t notice them, and they didn’t notice her and Beta. Victoria followed him to the door and out of their line of sight.

There was no sadness in her. No jealousy, no bitterness. She squeezed Beta’s hand, felt him squeeze back. He was so easygoing, so earnest. Whatever issues he had, she’d known about her entire life.

Trent and Jennifer deserved each other. They’d never be happy. Not together, not apart. Trent couldn’t be happy. He just didn’t have it him.

Victoria pulled Beta closer. “Aren’t you going to invite me home for a cup of coffee?”

His eyes went wide, but his surprise quickly turned into a smile. “Say pretty lady, do you have plans tonight? Care for a nightcap?”

“It would be my pleasure.”

They strolled down the street, hand in hand.

B
ETA
 had barely opened the door when Chuckles attacked his ankles. The big furry bastard had his claws out and was using his teeth, tugging and scratching at Beta’s jeans.

“Easy, Chuckster.” He reached down, trying to disentangle himself from the cat, but Victoria pushed past him, moving into the apartment and dragging him by the hand. He kicked the door closed, letting her pull him toward the sofa. Hope and uncertainty weighed him down in equal measure. Going back to his place for a nightcap was such a cliché, but clichés existed for a reason, right?

“Chuckles can wait,” she said, giving him a tug and a push and sending him flopping onto Sol’s leather sofa.

“Vicks, what--“

She was already moving, straddling him and cutting him off with a kiss. Her lips were swollen and wet and amazing. Whatever uncertainty he felt dissolved before the onslaught of her tongue. She was a greedy kisser, plunging into his mouth, tasting him. Then, when he tried to kiss her back, she turned elusive, and he could feel her laughter.

She pulled away, smiling. “That’s better.”

Beta didn’t know what to say. He’d imagined kissing her like that for most of his life. One summer he’d gone to sleep every night, thinking of the different places they would kiss, and how impressed she would be with his skills. His mind was still wandering when Chuckles wound between his legs and meowed.

Victoria looked from Beta to the cat and back to Beta. “Get up.” She rose and stood before him.

“What?” His heart practically stopped. “What’s wrong? Are you--“

“Shut up, Ben. Give me a reason to say ‘yes.’”

He pushed himself up from the couch and--without really thinking about what he was doing--scooped her into his arms. She gasped, but the sultry look she gave him wasn’t one that could be interpreted as a complaint. He carried her toward the bedroom, taking care not to bang her head on the door frame as he pushed the door closed with his foot. He laid her carefully on the bed, the only light in the room a faint red glow coming from his alarm.

“That’s more like it,” she said, grinning wickedly. She caught his hands, pulled him down onto the bed beside her. Her legs twined through his, and her hands roamed to his waist.

Beta didn’t know what to do. He had the girl of his dreams on his bed, and he was stone-cold locked up.

“Touch me,” Victoria whispered.

Beta’s hands slipped over her back and moved downward until they found the twin globes of her ass. He squeezed, and it was better than he’d imagined. Firm and supple, with bounce. He was hard. So hard, and he wanted her so much it hurt.

Her fingers worked upward, undoing the buttons on his shirt. Beta let her peel it over his head, then twisted his hand free as the cuff caught at his wrist. The shirt was no more on the floor than she was kissing him again. This time her lips found his neck and worked down his chest. His blood felt molten at her touch, as if fire flowed in his veins. A cold, shimmering, sparking flame spread outward from the hollow of his stomach as she kissed his chest. His manhood ached, straining powerfully to break free of his jeans.

Victoria pulled away and sat up, her fingers working at her own shirt. She peeled it off, and her hands disappeared behind her back. Honey-brown hair swept over her shoulder, loose and wild. Then her bra dropped away, revealing a pair of perfect breasts, each tipped with deep rose.

Beta circled his hands around her waist, feeling her bare flesh, and pulled her closer until her breasts touched his chest.  A shiver passed through her, and her breath caught in her threat. Their skin burned where it touched, but it was a glorious, luscious heat. Victoria snaked her hands around his neck. Her pelvis ground against his manhood, making him even harder. The ache of desire ate away at him, consuming him.

Her fingers traced downward, over his chest, back to his belt. They worked frantically, tugging his jeans, trying to peel them away without separating their bodies. Beta rolled apart, letting her nails rake over his back.

“Hold on.” He pulled his jeans clear, and when he looked up hers were already halfway to her knees. He wanted her so badly his whole body trembled. She kicked the jeans across the room and crawled toward him, her ass a ripe, pale peach rising and falling in the darkness. Her eyes were dark pools in the dim light. They flashed, a pair of glinting emeralds, and he could see a reflection of his own hunger in them.

Her body slithered over his, pushing him to his side. Her hand cupped his manhood, feeling him through his boxers. She gently squeezed his sack, then gripped his shaft, her fingers squeezing into a fist. Her breath whispered in his ear, “You’re going to fuck me.”

Damn right
, he thought, but the only word that would form was a weak, “Okay.”

Victoria wiggled out of her panties and pushed him to his back, crawling on top of him. She slipped him through the opening of his boxers and slid herself against him. She was so wet and so warm. He nearly whimpered, it felt so good. The ache was unbearable, a fire that could only be quenched by burying himself inside her like a sword in its sheath.

Victoria edged away, settling back on her ankles, her knees pointing at him.

“What? Why are you stopping?” Beta asked. “God, don’t stop.” He stared at the dark cleft between her legs, the cold skeletal grip of fear tightening around his heart.

“I’m not stopping.” Victoria ran her tongue over her lips, then lowered her head. Her breath was hot on his stomach. Her tongue traced around his belly button, then dipped lower as she tugged the band of his boxers away.

Beta shuddered.

She took him in her mouth and it was like a bolt of lightning arced through him. Every nerve in his body opened wide, turning him into an antenna of sensation.

Everything else in the world disappeared, leaving only Victoria’s tongue and the silky warmth of her mouth. She traced around his crown, then took him fully inside, sucking up and down the length of his shaft.

It only took seconds for the first spasm to course through him and he knew he didn’t have long. “I’m coming,” he gasped. His back arched, driving his manhood up and into her. Victoria wrapped her hands under his ass, pulling him closer, supporting him and holding him and squeezing and sucking and then he was spent and shaking and couldn’t breathe.

He gasped as she settled him back onto the bed and crawled up on top of him. She lay on him, her breasts poised on his chest and her channel actually touching the tip of his quivering dick.

“Give… give me a minute,” he said.

“I’ll give you more than a minute, if you can last that long.” She grinned as she rolled off him and moved to kiss him on the mouth. She hesitated, then kissed him on the forehead instead.

Victoria stood in the middle of the room, looking around. “Do you have any condoms?”

“No.” Beta twisted around, sitting up properly, his cock flopping lazily as he rearranged.

She met him with a serious expression. “Beta, have you been doing dangerous shit?”

His jaw worked, but nothing came out. Did he dare admit that he had not only not being doing dangerous shit, but… “I haven’t been doing any shit. At all.”

Victoria’s mouth formed a big “O.” “Beta, are you a virgin?”

He looked away, blushing. He nodded.

He felt her move more than he heard her, and then she was settling her weight into his lap, straddling him again. “Do you trust me?” Her voice was low, measured.

He met her eyes. “Yes.” God, he didn’t care. He wanted her so badly it hurt. His cock was moving again, already starting to stiffen, just from having her near.

She reached down between their legs and felt him. He was close, but not quite ready. Two more minutes, he prayed. She looked him right in the eyes. “I’m on the pill, but I will walk to the closest store and buy a rubber if you want me to.”

“I trust you.” And he did. More than anyone else. She owned his heart. Had owned it for a decade or more. He had just been waiting to give it to her.

“God, I can’t believe I’m even offering.” She looked away, then back. “You know, it normally works the other way, right? It’s the guy that’s trying to get the girl to skip protection?”

Beta shrugged. If she said so, he’d believe her.

She wriggled her ass once, then lifted herself off him and sat beside him on the edge of the bed. “So, since I have you as a captive audience, tell me what you know about girls. Who else did you date beside me?”

There was no hiding, not without lying, and that wasn’t something he wanted to do to Victoria. Not ever.

“I went out with Charlotte once last summer. You know about Vidya. We went out a couple times.”

“That's it?”

“I didn't date much, okay? I was too busy.”

“Playing video games?”

“And masturbating.” It just slipped out, and he flushed as he realized what he’d said.

Victoria just laughed.

“But I’ve read books,” he offered.

“Books?”

“You know, magazines. Playboy. Maxim. And I’ve seen videos on the internet.” He sat up straighter, slipped a hand behind her shoulders. “Lean back. I’ll show you.”

She narrowed her eyes, but she leaned back, leaving her hips still perched on the edge of the bed.

Beta swallowed, suddenly unsure of himself. He really had read magazines. More Cosmo than Playboy, but he couldn’t exactly admit that. He slipped off the bed, feeling the rough texture of the carpet on his bare knees.

Victoria’s legs dangled before him, so he lifted one, planted a kiss on the inside of her knee. It was rougher than he expected. A little stubbly, actually. He had expected smooth, storybook skin. A fantasy brought to life, but as he kissed her, tracing up her thigh, he realized that he wanted her in reality. Stubble and all. He’d had enough fantasizing in the last ten years.

A shiver went through her as his lips got closer to her crease. He stopped, just at the very top of her thigh, and planted a kiss in the hollow of her leg. It was hot, open mouthed, right at the edge of her lower lips.

Victoria gasped. Her fingers found his head, twining in his hair, applying gentle pressure, enough to guide him forward. And up.

He touched her carefully with his tongue, savoring that first contact, that first taste. She was clean and salty and sweet. He pushed her legs wider open, let his tongue dance across her folds, flicking her nub carefully, just like the magazines said. She moaned, so he flicked harder. Her nails dug into his scalp, pushing down, zeroing him on that one spot. He traced the alphabet across her, each letter a different motion than the last. The tremors that coursed through her were all the indication he needed. He slipped a finger up, dipping it in her wetness and drawing another, louder moan.

Then she was pulling him up, dragging him by his hair and begging him to fuck her. He entered her in one long, smooth motion, her channel slick and silky, seemingly made for him. It was his turn to gasp. He marveled at her tightness, the way she wrapped perfectly around him, squeezing thought from his mind by way of his dick.

They fucked.

Deep, shivering thrusts mixed with sloppy, wet kisses. If he pulled his mouth away for more than a few seconds, more than the bare minimum needed to suck in a breath, she moaned and begged for him to kiss her again.

Victoria raised her knees, her thighs sliding up against his hips, welcoming him ever deeper. Her ankles locked behind him. Beta’s back arched and he dug his toes into the mattress. He was on the knife’s edge, trying to hold off until she came, praying he wouldn’t disappoint her, not after all this time, all these years.

Her chest thrust up, pushing her breasts into him. He ran his tongue around one hard bud as she begged him to suck her. He sucked, desperate to please her. Her breathing turned to ragged gasps and she let a long, low wail of what could only be molten pleasure. She clenched around him, shuddering and he couldn’t hold off any longer.

He let himself go with a long groan, feeling himself harden and flex, thrusting as he came.

When it was over, they lay on the bed panting, still joined together. Beta cupped her face with one hand, stroked her hair from her forehead with the other. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“Sorry?” She asked. She kissed him lightly on the lower lip. “That was wonderful.”

“Did you--“

"YES!"

She smashed a kiss into his mouth, deep and long. He started to get up, but she clenched her legs around his back, holding him there. “Don’t go.”

“I won’t.” He gazed into her eyes, wishing the moment would never end.

Just then, the door squeaked. They both looked over, frantic. It was just Chuckles, nosing his way into the room.

Victoria sighed. “Did the cat really just walk in on us?” Her ankles relaxed, and she gently pushed him up and away.

“I think so.” Beta sat on the edge of the bed and watched as Victoria rolled to her feet.

“I’ll be right back.” She slipped into the hall, then paused, one hand on the door. “You should feed him.”

Beta watched the soft swell of her ass until it was out of sight and he heard the sound of the bathroom door snicking closed. Then he got up and set about finding clothes and finding Chuckles some dinner.