NoEasyWayOut (10 page)

The next hour was one of the strangest of her life.

“Right. I’m not Ed, I’m Daniel.” He took off his glasses and
stood straight and glared at her.

She started giggling and he laughed too.

“So you answer the door to me.” He went outside and knocked.

She let him in. “You look divine, darling,” he said in a
crazy English accent. “Now get on your knees and give me some head.”

She laughed. “He’s not like a baron or something.”

He shrugged and grinned.

“Should I kneel down?” She felt silly. How much of this should
she act out?

“Yep. You have to or there’s no way of knowing whether the
cameras are in the right place. Kneel down and pretend or you can do it for
real if you like.” He grinned. “I don’t want to stop you.”

She laughed and got on her knees.

“Okay.” He looked down at her. “Now pretend.”

She held on to his hips and moved her head around like she
was giving him a blowjob as he watched her. She felt silly but she was giggling
and Ed was laughing and somehow it was okay.

“Almost as good as the real thing,” he sighed. “He is one
lucky man. Now into the front room. Let’s try out a few positions. Lie on the
coffee table face up.”

He walked around her. “Now facedown.” She turned over,
feeling a flutter of pleasure as he told her what to do as she lay there in
front of him. She almost wished he’d go further, do the things that Daniel did.
Stop it
.
Concentrate on what you’re supposed to be doing.

But then Ed gave her a few gentle smacks on her behind and a
soft moan slipped out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

“Good. We need to check the sound levels too. Let me just do
that again, harder if you don’t mind, and you moan a bit more.”

“Okay,” she laughed, like it was just messing around. But as
Ed’s hand came down hard on her buttocks, even through the denim of her jeans
she felt the painful pleasure of the sting and she cried out. The familiar
warmth between her legs was growing and she knew she was getting aroused.

Then he knelt behind her and gripped her hips. “I’ll do you
from behind.” he gave a few thrusts. “Then I’ll come round here.” He shuffled
to her head. “And give you some from here.” He held her head, grinning at her.

She hoped he wouldn’t notice she was slightly flushed, that
her breathing was bit heavier than before.

He made a few thrusts in front of her face.

She looked at the denim of his jeans. It would be so easy
for him to unzip his pants, to command her to suck him, for her to open up to
him and take him in her mouth.

He stood. “It would last a lot longer in real life,” he
joked. She tried to laugh.

“Right, now onto the sofa. Sit next to me.”

She stood and joined him, so glad he couldn’t read her mind.

He turned to her. “So I might touch you around here.” He
moved his hands in front of her as if he was touching her breasts without
actually making contact. “You could lie down and I could be here.”

He talked her through the various poses, over each end of
the sofa, over the back of the sofa. Each time he touched her she felt a little
shiver of desire, wishing this was real, not playacting. Of wondering how it
would feel if she was half-naked and he was really thrusting into her from
behind or into her mouth or playing with her breasts or between her legs where
she was getting wetter and wetter.

Was he feeling the same or was this just a job for him?

“Come on. I hope you’re not falling asleep. It’s no wonder
he spanks you.”

She giggled, wondering how it would feel if Ed spanked her
really hard.
Stop it. Keep focused.

They went into the kitchen. She leaned against the fridge
and Ed leaned over her, his body only centimeters from hers. He looked down
into her eyes. “So. Kitchen sex. I like the idea. Maybe a little whipped cream,
some strawberries.”

“Daniel doesn’t whip cream. Only me.”

He laughed and stepped away from her. “He’s missing a trick
then. I think I could do things with whipped cream that you might like.”

She laughed, embarrassed. She didn’t want to meet his eyes
in case he could see how interested she was, how much she’d like to find out
what he could do. The thought was making her throb between her legs.

Don’t be silly. He’s just messing about having fun.
And she needed to concentrate on getting rid of Daniel first.

They went into the bedroom next. He surveyed the room.

“So where would you usually be?”

She sat on the end of the bed facing him. “Here. Doing, well
you know.” She reached out for his waistband and slowly pulled him toward her,
laughing.

“More head.” He groaned. “This guy is the luckiest man
alive.”

He held her head, his hands in her hair.

Ruthanne liked the feel of his hands on her, holding her.

“Then what?”

“Maybe like this.” She felt embarrassed still but she knelt
down over the edge of the bed, her butt sticking out. She felt Ed right behind
her.

“Yes, yes. I can see how that would appeal. So I should
spank you a little bit so we can test the sound in here and you say no or yes?”

She tensed herself and then his hand smacked down on her
behind.

“No,” she said, feeling silly.

“Is that hard enough?” Ed asked.

“Not really.” She didn’t want to explain that she was
usually naked and that Daniel often used something—a paddle, a crop.

“Okay. Try this.” He smacked her much harder this time, his
open hand meeting her ass with a satisfying sound.

“Mmh,” Ruthanne said, then remembered what she was supposed
to be saying. “No, Ed, no.”

He smacked her again, two, three times and she cried out,
wondering if he knew just how much it was turning her on, wondering how it
would feel if she were naked. How would it feel for Ed to bring to her that
point where pleasure and pain crossed over? She could feel the wetness
spreading between her legs, the warmth growing.

“Harder,” she said without thinking and Ed slapped her
again, putting some force into it, making her gasp and say, “No, no, no,” for
real.

He stopped, breathing heavily and she felt a flicker of
disappointment.

“I could get into this,” he said, his voice deeper, his hand
still resting on her behind, stroking it now. “Okay.” He talked to himself. “Right,
come on, pull yourself together, Ed.”

“So next I’d do some stuff.” He ran his hand over her
buttocks, squeezing them, almost dipping between her legs where she wanted him
to touch her. “Then I’d give you some.” He laughed, knelt behind her and bumped
his hips against her a few times.

Ruthanne was almost sure she could feel his erection as he touched
her, sure she could feel it ramrod-straight inside his jeans. Was he enjoying
this as much as she was?

But then he stopped. “Okay. Then I tell you to get up.”

Ruthanne stood.

“Then I’d throw you on the bed and make crazy love to you.”

He pushed her back so she fell on the bed and he fell on top
of her, his weight pinning her to the bed. He was leaning on his elbows looking
down at her.

She could feel the length of his body pressing into her and
how aroused he was. She could definitely feel his erection now, long and hard. So
he was excited too.

She didn’t want to say that Daniel never lay with her.
Daniel was always standing away from her, dong something to her. He didn’t lie
with her, on her, his face close to hers, his eyes looking into hers. She
smiled up at Ed and pushed her hips up, pressing him into her even harder,
wanting to feel him grinding against her and liking the feeling.

“Ruthanne,” he said and then he lowered his head and he was
kissing her.

This wasn’t playacting. This was real. His mouth was warm
and his lips were soft as he kissed her.

Then he lifted his head. “Sorry,” he said shaking his head. “I’ve
stepped over the line but I…”

“Please. Kiss me.”

His eyes widened and he didn’t need asking again. He lowered
his head and his mouth was on hers, his lips warm and soft, his tongue between
her lips. His hips were pressing into her, grinding into her and she pressed
back, arching into him, wanting him to do more, go further.

But he won’t want you, not once he’s seen what you do
with Daniel.
She closed her mouth gently, turning her face to the side.

“Too much? Do you want me to stop?”

No. Kiss me again, make love to me, hold me and never let
me go.
“No but until, until…”

“Yes. I see. Wait until we’ve got the job done?” He raised
his eyebrows, questioning.

She nodded.

“And then?”

She leaned up to him and kissed him, wanting to feel his
lips on hers, his body pressing into her again full with desire.

They kissed for moment then he pulled away. “Promise?”

She nodded and he rolled away, groaning a little. “What have
you done to me?” He laughed a little as he rearranged his clothes.

She stood, feeling self-conscious too. She wanted him so
much. She could have made love to him there and then, knowing the cameras were
filming it from four different angles and not caring.

Ruthanne poured them both more coffee as Ed hooked the
receiver up to the TV, ready to review the footage. She sat on the sofa
watching Ed lying down, stretched out as he fixed the cables into the back of
the TV.

The kiss.
Ruthanne could still feel it on her lips.
She tried to think about Ed objectively. Was he really boyfriend material? He
was scruffy, he was unconventional, he needed a shave, a decent haircut and
some new clothes. He was obviously into filmmaking, not making money.

He turned to her and smiled and all her thoughts vanished.
She wanted him and nothing else really mattered. He was kind, he was capable,
he was fun to be with and he was really hot. She smiled back. But this made it
worse, she thought. Now if he couldn’t bear to look her in the eye once he’d
seen the footage of her with Daniel she would really care.

He joined her on the sofa. “Ready for the show?” He grinned
and they clinked mugs.

Ed was all business and she could see how passionate and how
knowledgeable he was about making films. He talked about angles and focus and
depth of field. All she could look at was Ed and how good they looked together.
She wished they were doing it for real, not playacting scenes.

He talked her through how to stay in the center of the
frame, how to hide her face, how to exaggerate the sound.

They got to the bedroom scene. He was flicking between the
different cameras, showing her how each one took a different angle, talking
about how she could position herself best for each one.

Then they got to the moment where Ed pushed her back onto
the bed and lay on top of her. “Shall I skip that?” He looked embarrassed.

“No.” She wanted to see it, to see how they looked together.
She watched him kiss her, their bodies pressing together. She watched
carefully. They looked like they fit, like they were meant to be together.

“Can I keep that for my archive?” he asked suddenly. “I’ll
call it ‘Best Moments of My Life.’”

“Do you really keep film of stuff like that?” she asked, a
bit shocked.

“I haven’t before. This would be number one. This is this is
the first best moment I’ve had.” He laughed. “I’ve had moments. Don’t think I’ve
not had moments but not ones like that.” He looked into her eyes and she leaned
into him again and they were kissing again, slow and soft and warm.

“Damn. I didn’t get that one on camera. Can we do it again
sometime and film it?”

She smiled.

“Otherwise my Best Moments file will be a bit thin.”

She smiled again but it had made her think and she suddenly
felt anxious. “If you edit it, you won’t keep any of the footage between me and
Daniel?”

He shook his head. “You can check. Come to my studio, bring
the receiver and we’ll do it together. You can see exactly what I’m doing,
where I’m saving things to, what I’m deleting.”

“Okay. That would be reassuring. “

“And I’d like you to see the studio anyway. Where the magic
happens,” he joked.

“I’d like that too.”

“But you might get bored. Editing takes hours and hours.
Would you mind hanging out there all day?”

“I could bring a picnic and a book for if I get really
bored.”

“Sure,” he said. “And I’d like you to be there.”

But will you? Once you’ve seen me on my knees, whipped,
dildo in, choking on Daniel’s cock. Will you still want to hang out with me
then?

“Okay. It’s a date.” He grinned at her. “But for now you
might need some body cams in case it goes outside the apartment, for your hair
and handbag. And how do you feel about getting a picture for that bedroom wall
today? We could hang it this afternoon, get a camera in it and then you’d be
covered properly.”

“Really?” she said. “Do you have time?”

“I’ve got all day. And all night if you like.”

She laughed. “There’s a Sunday market near here. We could
try there.”

* * * * *

They wandered round the stalls in the spring sunshine
looking for old pictures. They found dusty old prints of galleons sailing into
the sunset, faded landscapes that could have been anywhere and one of a
senorita doing the flamenco dance which Ed tried to persuade her to buy.

“Do the flamenco.” He held one hand above his head, striking
a pose and grabbing her by the waist. “Come on senorita, get your castanets.”
He stamped his feet. “Olé.” She couldn’t stop giggling.

People looked at them and smiled. She smiled back, wondering
how long it had been since she’d felt so relaxed.

They rummaged through another pile of dusty pictures. She
pulled out a big print of Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss.”

“I love this,” she said. “I used to have it on my wall when
I was a student.”

“I like it too. And look, the detail means I could even put
the camera into the picture. See, down here, among the flowers. The center of
one of them could be the camera. What do you think?”

She looked at the picture again. It was an old print in a
cheap plain wood frame, the glass dusty but it reminded her of happy, carefree
times.

“Yes. Why not?” She paid for the picture but Ed insisted on
carrying it.

“I’ve got some tools with me but I need some picture hooks
and wire so I can hang it.”

They found a stall selling hardware and bought what they needed.

Is this what it would feel like to live with him? We’d
wander the market on Sunday, maybe do some home improvements.
Instead of
sounding dull and middle-aged it suddenly felt like it might be nice, fun even.

They stopped for coffee, finding a table out in the sunshine
and propping the picture up against the table.

“I’m taking up nearly your whole day,” she said to Ed.

He shrugged. “Can’t think of a better way to spend it.”

“You really don’t mind? And I can’t pay you for your time?”

He looked hurt. “No.”

“Oh good. I just meant—because I’m having a good time and I
didn’t want to assume you were.”

“Are you having a good time?” he asked.

She nodded and smiled at him. “I am.”

He looked doubtful.

“Really. I am.”

“Enough to want to do it again? You know, hang out, have lunch,
go the market, the movies or a gallery or something? Would you?”

“Yes,” she said.

“Okay, when?”

She laughed.

“No,” he said seriously. “I want you to commit before you
can change your mind. So assuming you get some footage during the week on
Saturday we could edit the film and Sunday we could have a date day? What do
you think?”

She laughed again and nodded. “I’d love to. It’s a date.”

“Excellent.” He reached over and held her hand. He looked at
the picture. “Look at the way he’s holding her head and she’s kneeling. It
looks like he might be a dom and she’s a sub.”

Is that what I am? A sub?
She looked at it again. A
dom and a sub, perfectly matched. And when she was in college she had just
thought it was a pretty romantic picture.

“The original’s in Vienna. They have loads of his pictures
in a gallery there,” he said.

“How do you know that?”

“I studied film at college but I took a few art history
courses too. It’s all related.”

“I’d like to see the original.” She looked at it, wondering how
the colors would look, how the gold leaf would glint and shine.

“Me too. We’ll do it one day. It’s another date.” They both
laughed.

But she knew inside that all this talk of art galleries, of
trips and dates was in the future—a future that probably would never happen,
not once Ed had seen her with Daniel.

They chatted more, about his college days and hers and the
courses they’d taken and the way life hadn’t turned out anything like they’d
thought or planned. Ed talked about the documentary he was working on and his
eyes lit up as he spoke.

It seemed clear to Ruthanne that however good it was, he’d
need some effective PR for it when it was finished. She suggested a few ideas
and approaches to making sure it was well-received and got good press coverage
when it was finally released and he was delighted.

“You’re hired! But seriously, will you help me?”

She promised she would, hoping it meant they would have an
excuse to stay in contact after all this.

Eventually a gust of wind made her shiver and she realized
they’d been there for almost two hours.

“Come on,” he said. “We’d better finish this.”

Back at her flat, he put the picture up quickly and
installed the camera and checked it.

Ruthanne wondered about opening a bottle of wine, suggesting
he stay for dinner but she knew where that would lead. And she didn’t want
that, not yet. Not while there was still the risk—the almost certainty, she
told herself—that he wouldn’t want her once he’d seen her with Daniel.

It was time for Ed to go and suddenly she felt nervous. When
Ed was there it seemed like fun. It seemed easy. But once he’d gone, she’d be
on her own, checking the cameras, waiting for Daniel. She stood at the door,
thanking him for everything he’d done, putting off the moment when he’d leave.

“Don’t thank me. You know I did it for you. Because I,
because of this.” He put down his tool bag and held her face gently between his
hands. He leaned in and kissed her again.

She closed her eyes and concentrated on the feel of his lips
on hers, firm and full and the way his tongue insistently pressed against her
lips until she eased them open and his tongue touched hers.

She felt the flicker of electricity between her legs and his
tongue pressed into her deeper and she responded, pushing back against him.
Then his tongue eased back and she closed her lips again, feeling him pressing
on her lips, kissing again. She didn’t want him to stop but he did.

“Until next week. Saturday and Sunday. It’s a date. Two
dates.” He smiled and she smiled back.

“Two dates,” she agreed and he left.