Pleasure for Pleasure (3 page)

Erika gave her a pitying look. “Mind-blowing, bed-
rocking, toe-curling, go-all-night sex. Please tell me you've had it at least once.”

All night?
She couldn't recall any of her boyfriends ever having needed more than twenty minutes, thirty tops.

“Do yourself a favor and go find someone to give you a screaming orgasm.”

Josie tried not to laugh. “Does it have to be a screaming one?”

“You won't regret it if you do, but someday when you're old and your arthritis keeps you from getting into all the more creative positions, you
will
regret it if you don't.”

“Arthritis wasn't slowing down any of my students today,” she joked. But maybe Erika was right. Maybe she was a prude. Maybe she'd spent so many years trying to be different from her mother that she'd taken it to the extreme.

One of her more embarrassing high school memories flashed into her mind—hosting a sleep-over with three of her friends. Josie had felt like dying when Rafaela had proceeded to hold an impromptu sex-ed class for the teenage girls. That was the night Josie had vowed she was going to be the exact opposite of her sex-obsessed mother.

Maybe she'd taken that vow a little too far.

“Trent O'Reilly is the stuff wild sexual flings are made of. He's the perfect candidate for an unforgettable affair.”

Sex with
Trent?
Could she do it? Could she really spend not just one night, but two months, getting intimate with the guy she'd spent most of her lifetime running away from? Could she really teach him how to be the perfect lover?

“Do you know about our history?”

“Rafaela told me you guys were childhood sweethearts or something.”

“Or something. Definitely not sweethearts. We grew up together in the Richmond District, and there have been a few, uh, encounters.”

“But no sex?”

“Just a couple of close calls. Last time was three years ago, when I was still in college. We ended up in my car together, going for a ride to the beach. Things heated up, then I freaked out and drove off with his underwear.”

Erika looked perplexed. “Where was he when you drove away?”

“I kicked him out of the car and left him on the beach. It wasn't exactly my finest hour.”

“Why'd you keep his underwear?”

“They were on the floor—I didn't see them.”

“Boxers or briefs? I'm guessing boxers.”

“Mmm-hmm.” Josie nodded. She kept to herself the fact that she still had Trent's boxers hidden in the glove compartment of her Saab.

“I swear, you therapists are always the most screwed-up people around.”

Josie started to protest but thought better of it. Maybe Erika wasn't so far off base on that charge.

“Just admit you'd like to do the wild thing with Trent.”

“Me and the rest of the heterosexual females in San Francisco.”

“So you admit it!”

“It's purely sexual. Personality-wise, I can't stand the guy. But physically, yes, I can think of a few ways to entertain myself with him.”

“There you have it then, someone to end your drought.” Erika stood and headed for the door, her red dress swishing as she walked.

Josie didn't bother to argue, and then she realized it was because she didn't
want
to argue the point. Somehow, without her brain's approval, her libido had already decided Trent was the solution to her problem.

For the next two months, anyway.

 

T
RENT LEANED AGAINST
the counter of Extreme Sports and surveyed the store. A full-time salesclerk, Max, was talking to a young couple in the bike section about their options for mountain bikes, and two regulars in the store were browsing the summer athletic wear. Trent didn't have the energy to do anything more than remain propped behind the counter, thanks to a lousy night's sleep.

Thanks to his meeting with Josie yesterday.

Okay, so it was his own fault for trying to entangle himself with her again, but now that he had, he couldn't stop replaying their encounter in his head. He couldn't stop thinking about all the ways he could have teased and tempted her if she'd accepted his offer. All night long, he'd thought about it.

Damn, Josie drove him crazy. No one should be able to have so much control over him. Just having her right next door every day was enough to make him think seriously about running for the hills, following through on his occasional dream of selling Extreme Sports and moving to Tahoe. He could lead adventure tours full-time and never have to deal with that woman again.

Trent pushed himself up from the counter and vowed
to find some busywork, anything to take his mind off of…the woman walking in the front door.

He leveled his gaze at Josie as she made her way through the store, a leather notebook tucked under one arm, her expression carefully blank. She wore a suit again, this one navy-blue and cut to hint at her curves, but her hair was slightly mussed, and he could see, as she came closer, dark circles under her eyes. Perhaps he hadn't been the only one watching the minutes tick by last night.

“Morning, Josie.”

“I need to speak with you in private, if you can spare the time.”

Trent maintained a poker face. “Hey, Max, I'll be in the back for a while.”

Max looked up and nodded, while Trent told himself not to get too hopeful about Josie's presence. She'd probably been up all night working up a payment plan—and not the sexual one he hoped for, either.

He led her down a hallway cluttered with boxes and sports equipment, then through the door to his small office.

“Have a seat.” He motioned to a giant baseball-glove-shaped chair, restraining a smile as Josie hesitated for a moment before perching herself on its edge.

Trent pulled out his desk chair and turned it around to straddle it, then realized his mistake when he took in his prime view of Josie's legs. His position pulled his jeans tight and left no room for certain changes that were bound to take place if he kept staring up her skirt.

She cleared her throat, opened her leather notebook and removed a piece of paper. That was when he noticed her shaking hand.

“I've given your offer a great deal of thought….”

Oh, yeah?

“And I've come to the conclusion that it could be a mutually beneficial arrangement if we both approached it in a serious and professional manner.”

“So, you want to have serious and professional sex lessons?”

“I—I would like our relationship to be a professional one, but for the sake of the lessons, I'm sure we'll need to assume whatever mood is appropriate for the occasion.”

“You've got a way of making even the tawdriest scenario sound boring, you know.”

Her nostrils flared, the only sign that she didn't appreciate his observation.

“Sorry, I'll shut up now,” he said, forcing a serious countenance. This was almost too good to be true.

“I have some stipulations for you before I can agree to anything.”

“Okay, shoot.”

“As your instructor, I feel it's important that I guide and control the lessons at all times.” Her voice wavered.

“Sounds reasonable.”

“I choose the subject matter based on what I determine to be the areas in which you need improvement.”

His first instinct was to protest, but Trent bit his tongue and waited. He wanted to hear what else she had to say.

“And I'll need you to complete this questionnaire, so I'll have a clear idea of your current knowledge base.” She held out the piece of paper, and Trent took it, intrigued.

He scanned the list of multiple-choice and short-answer questions.
What is your sexual orientation? How
many lovers have you had? What percentage would you say have left unsatisfied? Describe your ideal lover. List the five most important qualities you believe you should possess as a lover. Describe your favorite sexual fantasy.

Whoa.

He looked up at Josie, who was watching him, her expression completely serious.

“This is kind of personal, don't you think?”

“You did ask me for sex lessons. I can't think of a more personal subject matter than that. If I'm going to offer the lessons, I need to know you intimately.”

“Babe, you will know me intimately by the time these lessons are done.”

“This is the kind of information I'll need ahead of time, if you want the instruction tailored to your needs.”

What the hell. He scanned the questions one more time and decided this could get interesting, considering how ill at ease Josie already seemed to be.

“Okay, let's go through the questions right now.”

Her cheeks turned scarlet. “No, no, that's not necessary. I'll just leave the questionnaire with you and—”

“This way, if you need any explanation of my answers, you can just ask. Let's start with the first question. Answer A, strictly heterosexual. Question Two. ‘How many lovers have you had?'”

He looked up to see that curiosity had won out over discomfort. Josie was listening, enthralled.

“A gentleman never tells. And besides, I don't keep count.” He grinned at her, and she forced a smile back.

“I've never met a man who didn't know that number immediately.”

“And I've never met a woman who was satisfied with the answer.”

“It goes both ways,” she said. “Most men like to believe they're going where no man has gone before.”

This new boldness intrigued Trent. He wondered how far he could entice her to go. “You know, it's not really fair that I have to answer all these questions, when I don't know any of this information about you.”

“I'm not the one who needs lessons.”

“But how can I practice establishing intimacy with you when it's all one-sided? I think I'd be much more comfortable if this felt like a real relationship.”

Her jaw sagged ever so slightly. She definitely hadn't anticipated this curve ball.

“If I know these things about you, it'll make it easier for me to please you,” Trent offered.

“But—”

“We'll start with the easy questions. Sexual orientation?”

Josie licked her lips. He saw that boldness in her eyes again, and then he knew he had her. “Hetero.”

“Number of sexual partners?”

“Less than five.”

“But more than zero, right? You're supposed to be the expert here.”

“More than zero, yes. And let me point out to you that number of sexual partners does not necessarily correlate with sexual expertise.”

He watched her defend herself and his body responded with a surge of heat to his groin. He should have already been one of those lovers, and why hadn't he been? Why had she run away from him but not the others?

“Your turn.” She grabbed the questionnaire from his
hand and read it. “‘What percentage of your lovers have left unsatisfied?'”

Trent shrugged and made up a number. “Lately, I'd say eighty percent.”

“Define ‘lately.'”

“Since I've been mature enough to tell the difference between a woman who's faking and one who's really satisfied.”

“I need a number.”

He made like a man ashamed to admit the truth. “Five years.”

Her brown eyes formed big Os. “And you're just now asking for help?”

“The opportunity just now presented itself. How about you?” he asked. “How many men have you left unsatisfied?”

Trent pinned Josie with his gaze, and her eyes sparked fire. He'd trapped her right where she didn't want to be, forced to admit she was a cock tease.

“Men I've gone to bed with? None.”

“You know that's not a fair answer. Women leave men unsatisfied by
not
going to bed with them.”

“You want me to count the number of men I haven't gone to bed with?” she said with a little smile, obviously enjoying the game again.

“Just the ones you left hot and bothered. But I realize that'll be a long list to compile, so we can move on to the next question for now, and you can give me your answer at our next meeting.”

Josie narrowed her eyes at him, probably formulating a snappy comeback, but then she looked down at the questionnaire and smiled. “‘Describe your favorite sexual fantasy.'”

He snatched the questionnaire back. “That's not the next question on the list.”

She shrugged. “It's the next one I want to hear the answer to.”

How could he tell her that his favorite sexual fantasies all involved her? Getting her so hot she couldn't take another moment of anticipation. Making love to her again and again, until they were both so sated they could only lie in a naked heap, resting up for the next round. Okay, so that was his adolescent fantasy. His adult ones were a bit more sophisticated. And detailed.

“Well, let's see… Do you want the R-rated version or the X-rated one?”

He was pretty sure her breathing quickened at that moment. She crossed and uncrossed her legs. “I suppose for the sake of accuracy, the X-rated version would be preferable.”

“You're not gonna psychoanalyze me with this, are you?”

Josie shook her head. “This is purely for the sake of our lessons.”

Trent leaned back, his chair resting against the wall and closed his eyes, picturing a favorite scenario he'd always wanted to act out with Josie. “I'm with a woman out in the woods somewhere. There's a shallow creek, and we're in it, playing around, splashing and stuff.”

“Is she a woman you know well, or a stranger?”

“Someone I've known for a long time.”

“Have you had sex with her before?”

“Maybe, maybe not. Doesn't matter.”

“What happens after you've been playing in the water for a while?”

“We wrestle around, kiss, start taking each other's clothes off. Pretty soon we're naked.”