Szot, JC - The South Window (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (12 page)

“Why is that? It looks like you have everything you could ever want or need. This place is spectacular.” He tilted his head, looking up at her.

“It’s mostly his. Remember us artists are starving.” Allie laughed. “Dan grew up in poverty.” Her tone was now serious. “His father never worked. His mother had to earn all the money. She took care of Dan and his brother, but his father was a worthless drunk.” She rubbed his shoulders. “His father treated his mother like a piece of garbage.”

“That’s a shame,” Marty mumbled.

“He told me once that he had the same pair of sneakers for four years. His mother kept repairing them with rubber cement.”

“Man.” Marty shook his head in disbelief. “That’s horrible.”

“I think Dan was petrified that he would wind up like him.” Allie sighed, sitting down on the edge of the love seat. “His childhood has made him afraid of certain things.”

“Such as?” Marty asked.

“He watches how much he drinks, and he never raises his voice.” Allie paused. “It’s just his way. He’s conservative, and very cautious.”

* * * *

Two days before Tess came home, Marty took her on a picnic. They drove out to Yardley, which was two hours away. The chances of them seeing someone they knew were next to nil.

Marty pulled his truck down into a farmer’s field lane, parking alongside a stone wall underneath a massive oak tree.

“Is this private property?” Allie gazed over the lush slopes of fields that surrounded them. Stalks of corn dominated one side. Tall orange wildflowers swayed in the gentle breeze on the other.

“It’s okay, don’t worry.” Marty spread a blanket down while Allie unpacked the cooler from the tailgate.

The humidity had dropped. The clouds passed over the sun, casting a moving shadow across the field, the breeze sweet and earthy.

“What’re we gonna do on our last night?” Allie handed Marty an iced tea and rolled into him on the blanket, resting her head in his lap.

Marty took a long pull on the bottle, looking down at her, his expression weighted.

“I’m going to make love to you until I can’t anymore.” His eyes lowered. A weak smile spread across his melancholy face. Allie reached up and stroked his unshaven cheek, the stubble rough on her palm. “What’s the protocol once our swinger neighbor gets home?” Marty’s hard tone sliced through her, icing over the heat that had burned steady between them.

“It’s back to business as usual, I guess.” Allie couldn’t even look at the food they had packed. The idea of Tess coming home had her stomach in knots.

“Well, she’ll be returning to her club.” Marty reached for her hand. “We can sneak a visit in then, can’t we?” His face was hopeful. A seductive grin crept across his lips.

“Yeah, we can, but we have to be careful.” Allie stared up at him. “I don’t want her to find out.” Her tone was clipped.

“She won’t,” he said, his rebuttal strained.

“If we’re careful and don’t get careless, she won’t. Tess isn’t stupid.”

Someone who’d been a friend was now becoming a source of stress and resentment.

* * * *

On their last night together, Allie insisted that she and Marty go over to Tess’s house and check the pool area. They’d both had quite a bit to drink the night they were there. Allie wanted to make sure they’d left nothing behind. They made the decision that Allie would tell Tess she had gone swimming once while she was gone, alone. They returned to Allie’s and grilled a few steaks and vegetables, then ate out back on the deck.

Once it was dark they undressed each other under the moon. Marty wired her senses. His mouth and hands worked over her body. At first Marty was slow, even methodical. Allie could feel the frustrated tension as Marty unbuttoned the front of her dress. The material fell to her feet. She hadn’t worn underwear since that first night in his workshop.

Allie savored the feel of his calloused hands on her skin. They were both fully aware that this would be the last time they would feel the complete freedom of expressing their affections. This reality exploded into flames of urgency, needing and wanting to do all. Allie wanted to weave herself into him.

“So what time do you think we should expect her?” Marty caressed her breast.

“Anytime after we see the sunrise,” Allie said regretfully. “But let’s not think about it,” she breathed. “Let me enjoy you.”

“God.” He pulled her into his arms. “I loved every minute of it, babe.”

Allie unzipped his shorts, the teeth of the zipper filling the heated air. She wrapped her hand around his cock, wanting him inside her until there were no sands of time left.

“Show me again,” she whispered.

Marty fell to his knees. The tip of his nose slid through the folds of her pussy. He fingered her gently, spreading her open. Chilled air hit her clit, then his warm mouth. The flat of his tongue moved over her pussy, filling his palate with her taste. His slick fingers slid back, grazing over her puckered hole.

“Oh God, that’s good,” she gasped. “You’re gonna kill me.”

He leaned back on his heels, his finger still teasing.

“Mmm… Oh, no, baby.” His voice dark. “I’m gonna fuck you, and it’s gonna feel so good.”

His warm tongue touched her tender tissues again. Allie held his head, her orgasm a caged animal dying to get out. Marty had her on the brink. He stood, stepping away. His eyes flashed, filled with a dark, raw desire.

“I’m on the edge, Allie. I’m warning you, I don’t think I can hold back.” His breaths heaved. Allie gripped his shoulders, pulling him into her. Her nails dug at his skin, the eroticism taking her over the edge.

“Then don’t.” She feathered her tongue across his lips, taunting him. A deep moan sounded from his throat.

Marty spun her around, grinding her hips into the railing of the deck. He jammed his knee between hers, spreading her. The head of his cock eased inside. Allie pulled him into her. She lifted her ass, pressing back against him, giving him access to her slick, wet passage, wanting him to fill the deep recesses of her. Allie’s fingers gripped the railing, her eyes staring into the black. Stars exploded. Her heart pounded into overdrive. Her thighs burned in rebellion, accommodating his quick, upward thrusts.

“Don’t stop.” Her voice cracked. The sensations were overwhelming. They reached inside of her, tugging at the root of her emotions. Her body and mind battled. She leaned over the railing, needing more, her senses overloaded. She pushed away any thoughts, needing to only feel. It was safer not to think, and to only feel. The feelings were like a fantasy, consequences were a hard-core reality. Their sweetened scents of arousal escaped into the air. Sweat beaded from their skin like morning dew. Allie breathed them in, addicted. Marty filled her every cell, their swan song unforgettable.

“Easy, baby, I’m not going anywhere.” His hand smoothed over the small of her back. He settled into a slow, deep rhythm. “Fuck,” he growled. “You feel so good.” He cupped her ass in his hands. His hips rolled with hers, their bodies adhered, connected. Their desire peaked in unison. Their choral cries of pleasure filled the sultry night air.

* * * *

Tess must have taken a red-eye flight with her nocturnal swinger friends. When Allie got up at 8:00 a.m., her car was carelessly parked in front of her garage. Allie’s internal being that had felt more alive than it had in months died right in front of her kitchen window as she looked out across the street. The weather reflected her mood. Massive gray clouds blocked the sun, holding captive a living light needed by all. Marty was out early, weed whacking the trim around his house. Allie stood and watched him from the sliding glass door of the kitchen, trying to soak him up from seventy feet away.

She worked until noon then called Dan. They needed him to stay on longer. Allie was disappointed. She needed him as a diversion. It served her right for being such an opportunist. The company offered to send Dan home for three days, but he didn’t want to deal with the hassles of overseas travel just to come home for a few days.

Tess finally revealed herself, blowing into Allie’s house at five thirty, forceful as a hurricane wind.

Chapter 15

“Well, hello there, stranger.” Allie was as upbeat and pleasant as she could be without sounding phony.

“Hey, Al, how are you?” Tess walked up to her and kissed her cheek. Her trip must have been quite therapeutic. She looked amazing, her skin a deep, rich brown, golden highlights streaking through her dark locks as if she’d been struck by the sun.

“I’m good, but not as good as you look. Your trip must have been incredible.” Allie poured them both a cup of coffee.

“Oh, it was. You and Dan should go. I’m telling you, it’s a paradise.”

Allie started reflecting on her own paradise that had ended right when Tess’s had. Allie forced those thoughts from her mind and slid Tess’s coffee across the counter. They settled on the stools around the island. Allie caught her look across the yard. Marty was still outside doing his lawn.

“So, how’s our neighbor?” Her dark button eyes were back on Allie like a hungry detective, yearning for a good bust.

“He’s okay.” Allie paused, stirring her coffee, debating how she should play her cards. “He asked me to do a mural for him, so I’ve been busy with that.”

“A mural?” Tess leaned on the counter, her hair fanned over her darkened shoulder.

“Yeah.” Allie waved her hand, downplaying the task as if it was almost an inconvenience. “He wanted a mountain scene on his living room wall, so I told him I’d do it.”

“Mm, so how’s it looking?” Tess kept staring across the yard at Marty through the window as she spoke to her.

“He seems pleased with it,” Allie said.

Allie could feel her fingers clench in her lap. Tess was making her nervous, scoping Marty out. Allie noted the uncertainty in her face, second-guessing her decision to ditch him for her swing club crowd. God, she hoped Tess wasn’t rethinking her strategy now that she was back home.

“Well, I’ve got to run.” Tess got up and brought her mug up to the sink. She circled the island like a black crow looking for roadkill. “I’ve got a ton of laundry to do, not to mention some catching up. I’ll catch you later.” Tess patted her arm and strutted out of the kitchen.

Allie’s coffee was swirling around in her stomach like motor oil, eating through her raw internal tissue. Tess was planning her return visit. Allie could feel it like a pending illness. She dumped the rest of her coffee in the sink and went up to her studio to try and bury her thoughts in her art. It usually worked, but somehow today she didn’t think so.

Allie couldn’t eat, so she drank. She was on her third glass of wine when the phone rang. Thinking it was probably Dan, she was elated when she heard Marty’s deep, raspy voice.

“Hey, you gorgeous, hot thing.” He laughed, sounding groggy from either a nap or fatigue.

“Hey, I’m surprised it’s you.”

“I know. It seems silly to call, but we must take precautions because our neighborhood vamp is home.”

Allie laughed. Marty’s reference was fitting.

“Has she been over to see you?” Allie dreaded his answer.

“Oh yeah, she bought me a T-shirt. I told her I was exhausted, so she didn’t stay long. She must be too tired to romp. She’s still home. I didn’t think she got tired.” Marty laughed.

“I’m scared,” Allie whispered over the line.

“Why, baby?”

“I think she’s having regrets about you. She was over for coffee earlier and watched you work outside the entire time she was here.” Allie sighed, her stomach tipping.