She answered on the second ring. “Hi.”
Brock walked through his apartment, shedding clothes as he did. “You realize Valentine’s Day is still weeks away.”
Her voice was heaven in his ear. “You found my gift? I’m glad. I hope you like it.”
Standing in his bedroom in just his boxer briefs, Brock said, “The perfect gift would be you here in my bed tonight, but I’ll take what I can get.”
She laughed nervously. “We agreed to slow it down a bit. Being with you every day has been wonderful, but I need to get my life in order, and to do that I need a little space.”
“Space?” He hated that word. Every man should. He usually heard it right before a woman announced she was calling it off or sleeping with another man.
“Yes. I can’t keep going as I have been. Doing nothing. Putting off making decisions about what I want to do. I’ve started applying for jobs at local places. I need to get out of this house. Hopefully I’ll find something I enjoy doing.”
“That’s really good, Kate.” Local. Thank God.
“Thank you for being so understanding, Brock.”
“I want you to be happy. You know that.”
“Speaking of happy, what do you think of the perfume?”
Brock took off the cover and sprayed it in the air, then gagged a bit on the nauseatingly sweet smell of it. “It’s unique.”
“Then you’ll wear it?”
Brock took another whiff and shuddered. “Me? I thought it was for you.”
“It’s unisex and one of my favorites.” Her voice became low and husky. “I’ve always found it really sexy.”
Brock placed the small bottle on his bedside table and made a face at it. If Kate liked it enough to buy it for him, he would wear it. He turned his back to it for now.
“I have another gift for you. I thought I’d give it to you tomorrow night when you come here for dinner.” She paused, then added, “If you’d like to come over.”
Hell, yes. “I’ll be there. But, you don’t have to give me anything, Kate.”
“I already bought it, and I’m actually pretty excited to see you in it.”
In it?
Shit.
“Can you do something for me?” Kate asked in a near whisper, sending his blood rushing to his already half-erect cock.
“Anything.”
“Will you wear the perfume all day tomorrow? I’ll be running around filling out applications and feeling nervous. It’d make me happy, imagining you wearing it and thinking about me throughout the day.”
Oh, I’ll be thinking about you all right. Thinking how soon I can get in the shower at your house to wash off that smell. “Of course I will. Then I’ll come over for dinner. How does five-thirty sound?”
“Perfect. See you tomorrow, Brock.”
Brock stripped off his boxer briefs and took a long, hot shower. He let the water beat against his back while he jacked off to the possibilities of how he and Kate would spend the next night together. Wild and crazy, or slow and tender—he didn’t care. Kate didn’t want vanilla sex. Well, tomorrow night he was going to bring his best. He would make Kate come so many times she would be too exhausted to text Mr. Elf.
And I’ll do it wearing whatever the hell she bought me. He closed his eyes. Edible underwear? Some costume? What would a woman want a man to wear?
Hopefully nothing that matches that perfume.
Chapter Eight
“You sent him to work wearing women’s perfume?” Angie asked gleefully during an afternoon walk with Kate. She leaned forward to push her double stroller up a steep section of sidewalk.
Kate nodded and her eyes narrowed. “I did. I bought it at a discount store. It’s not only for women, it’s also awful.”
“So, a test of his love for you is how bad he’ll allow himself to smell?”
Kate looked away, then back. “No, I bought it because I can’t believe he hasn’t said a single thing about Mr. Elf. Not one little hint. I don’t think he feels guilty about it at all. You should see what I bought him to wear tonight. He’s going to look like a complete idiot, and he won’t even know it.”
“Be careful, Kate.”
Kate glanced over and was surprised to see how concerned Angie looked. “Careful? You almost suggested piercing his genitals. All I did was give him women’s perfume and ask him to wear it. How is that crossing a line?”
Angie wrinkled her nose at Kate. “It’s not what you’re asking him to do that worries me, it’s why. You told me this wasn’t about revenge. Now it seems like it is. Do you love this guy or do you hate him? Testing a man is different than trying to humiliate him.”
Kate stuffed her hands angrily in the pockets of her coat. “You’re right. This isn’t what I thought the game would be about, but I can’t help myself. I’m so angry with him. He’s doing everything I ask, but all I really want is for Mr. Elf not to exist. To have never existed. I want to go back to seeing Brock as the simple, honest man I thought he was before I found the phone.”
Angie shrugged. “I want to not have stretch marks, but you know what? Shit happens, Kate. I’m beginning to think you shouldn’t play this game with Brock. You’re not a spiteful person. This is not the way to find out if he loves you.”
Kate stopped walking. “First you tell me he should pay. Now you’re second-guessing everything I’m doing and calling me spiteful? Maybe the only mistake I’ve made was turning to you for advice.”
Angie stopped her stroller and turned toward her. “I said you’re not spiteful. Listen, you’ve been through a lot this year. I don’t want you to lose Brock over something stupid that I thought could be funny. You were supposed to enjoy the game, Kate. You’re not. End it now.”
Kate felt cornered and exposed. She snapped, “You know what I’m sick of? People telling me what I should or shouldn’t do. My mother planned out every moment of my childhood. My ex-husband tried to make me into the wife he thought I should be. The last thing I need is a friend who thinks she knows what I should do better than me. You have two kids, Angie. Mother them, not me.”
Kate turned and walked away from Angie. She heard Angie calling after her, but she didn’t stop. She kept walking until she was safely back inside her house. She threw her coat on the back of a chair and stood in the middle of the living room for several minutes, shaking in anger. As her adrenaline rush subsided, Kate sank into the couch and dialed a number on her phone.
“Angie?”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken my bad mood out on you.”
“It’s okay. I know you’re confused right now.”
“I bought him a fishnet thong. Should I throw it away?”
Angie chuckled. “Wow. That’s quite an image you just gave me. Before I answer that, I need to say something. You were completely justified in telling me to back off. Your relationship with Brock and how you handle it is your business. I wouldn’t want you telling me how to handle Mike. So, ask me, if you want my opinion, but know that I’ll be okay if you don’t follow it.”
Warmth spread through Kate. She didn’t know what she’d done to earn a friend like Angie, but she was so glad she had her. “I want your opinion. Fishnet or no fishnet?”
Angie was quiet for a moment, then said, “Fishnet, if you give it a chance to be sexy. Don’t laugh at him while he’s in it. Hey, I’ve seen him at the gym. Brock has an amazing body. He may rock that thong. It really isn’t about what you give him, Kate. It’s why. I don’t believe Brock ever meant to hurt you with his game. Don’t hurt him with yours.”
“I don’t think I can give it to him without smirking.”
Angie chuckled again. “Just laugh with him, Kate. Have fun with it. Hell, tell me where you got it and maybe I’ll pick one up for Mike.”
Kate’s eyes rounded. “You really think Mike would wear one?”
“Kate, you have a lot to learn about men. He’d do anything for a blow job. Oh, and me. We can do shit like this to
each other and laugh about it later because it’s all in fun. Does that make sense?”
“Angie, I am so lucky to have met you.”
“I feel the same way. Hell, Mike loves that we hang out. You reminded us to make time for each other. Have fun tonight, Kate. Forget about everything else, and just have fun.”
***
That night, after they had eaten dinner and swapped stories about their week, Kate led Brock to the living room. Her eyes watered a little from the perfume that hung heavy in the air between them. She wondered if he had really worn it all day and felt more than a little guilty thinking he might have.
Once on the couch, she handed him a white rectangular box and said, “I’ve never been to a strip club. I know I told you I wanted to tone things down, but I bought something I thought would be fun. You don’t have to wear it if you don’t like it. But I had a fantasy of you stripping for me in this.”
He opened the box slowly, and both of his eyebrows shot up into his hairline. He picked up the small scrap of material and inspected it before replacing it in the box. “You want a stripper, huh?”
Kate wavered back and forth on how much she should push. “Only if you think it’d be fun.”
He stood up and shrugged. “I’ll need music.”
Kate swallowed hard. “I’ll put some on.”
The lusty smile he gave her took her breath away. “Then I’ll be right back.”
Kate put on some Enrique Iglesias and sat back down on the couch. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest. Angie had been right: Anger didn’t belong in this part of their relationship.
When Brock returned to the living room a few minutes later, he was still dressed in his suit and tie from work. For a moment Kate thought he was going to tell her he’d changed his mind. Then she saw him begin to move his hips to the Latin music.
Kate pulled her legs up on the couch, her lips parting in anticipation as he loosened his tie with slow, rhythmic moves. His eyes never left hers. He whipped the tie off with one final powerful move and threw it on the couch beside her. All the while he moved his body to the music, his hips surprisingly fluid. He shrugged off his jacket, tossing it down on the floor. Slowly, purposefully, he began to unbutton his blue work shirt. She gasped audibly when he pulled it free of his pants and flung it on top of his jacket.
She had seen him naked many, many times, but as he danced for her she found herself appreciating the flawlessness of his body as she never had before. His shoulders were perfectly muscled. His abs were flat and toned, with just enough hair to guide a woman’s mouth southward. He was flexing for her as he moved, but there was nothing comical about his dance. Had he been on a stage, Kate had no doubt she would have been trampled by a stampede of women vying to hand him twenties.
His eyes burned with a desire she knew well, and Kate’s thighs quivered. He unbuckled his belt and pulled it out, watching her as he did. When his hands finally reached the top of his trousers, Kate was biting her bottom lip to stop from drooling.
He slid his pants off, stepped out of them, and the gift she’d bought as a joke strained to contain him. There was nothing funny about how it held him proudly in place while he stepped closer to her.
The music continued, pulsing between them, and he thrust his hips back and forth with strong, confident moves. He held out a hand to her, and she took it wordlessly, falling naturally into a rhythm with his body as they moved together to the music. He unbuttoned her shirt and let it fall to the floor. As they danced he turned her in his arms and undid her bra with such skill that it effortlessly dropped off her. He held her eyes and continued to lead, commanding her body with a mastery that couldn’t have come to him without tutelage.
“Where did you learn to dance?” Kate asked in wonder.
“Don’t talk,” he said and rolled her into a dip over his strong arm. “Feel.” He took advantage of her position to unbutton the top of her skirt, then lifted her so it also fell from her. She was left in a pair of silk panties, dancing a rumba with Brock in a thong. It was so sexy she was wet, and they hadn’t even kissed.
He picked her up by her hips and stood her on the coffee table. Still moving with the music, he slid her panties down. Once she was fully naked, he swung her up in front of him and ran his mouth and tongue slowly across her as he lowered her. His tongue flicked the inside of her thighs. Teased her shaven mound. He nipped at her stomach and kissed his way to her breasts. All the while, he kept his body moving back and forth to the music in a way that was driving Kate wild for him.
When they finally kissed, Kate was out of her mind. She ran her hands through his hair and thrust her tongue in his mouth. He walked her over to the fireplace and set her on her feet in front of the rug. He lifted one of her legs so it was hitched on the coffee table, spreading her wide for him. He moved to stand behind her, kissing her neck and stroking her ass with his thick cock. The feel of the netting on her bare skin aroused Kate even more.
One of his hands caressed her clit, bringing her from ready to whimpering for what only he could give her. His other hand roughly massaged her breasts, tightening on them each time he thrust a finger inside her.
He kissed her shoulder, her back, every inch of her, while his hands worked their magic. Each time she reached for him he took control again and brought her to a mindless level of pleasure with his caresses.
She came with a shudder and sagged forward as she floated back to earth. He released her for a moment, then returned, now sheathed in a condom instead of the thong, and bent her over before him. He thrust upward powerfully. Kate opened her legs wider for him, wanting him deeper. He pounded into her, and she felt herself floating toward a second orgasm.
She cried out as she climaxed, and she thought he would join her, but instead he withdrew. He turned her around and lifted her, settling her onto him with an ease that was ecstasy all by itself. Still inside her, he walked to the edge of the couch and laid her back on it.
His hands roved over her body as he entered her again and again. She gripped his forearms, not once concerned that she would fall, because she trusted him completely. He threw his head back and groaned as he finally came, and she felt an explosion of heat rush through her. Orgasm, or the sheer pleasure of having him come inside her, she couldn’t be sure. Every inch of her was on fire, burning just for him.
He gently laid her down on the couch and cleaned himself off. When he returned, he was already half erect again, and Kate sat up and crooked a finger at him. He walked over to stand in front of her, and she took him eagerly in her mouth. She dug her fingers into his well-defined thighs and took him deeper and deeper. When he came she welcomed it, enjoying his pleasure as much as he had enjoyed hers.
Spent, he sank onto the couch beside her and pulled her into his arms.
Kate said, “You’re a really good dancer.”
He kissed her lips gently. “You’re pretty good yourself.”
“Are you going to tell me where you learned those moves?”
“Which ones?” he asked with a smile.
Kate slapped his chest playfully. “The dance ones.”
He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. “Linda made me take dance classes when we were in college. She wanted to learn and didn’t want to go alone. She told me it would come in handy one day. Too bad I can’t tell her how it finally did.” He eased his arm out from beneath her and stood, gloriously naked, like her own private, naughty gigolo. “Come on, let’s go to bed.”
A sudden panic filled her, erasing the warm glow of their lovemaking. He’s never going to tell me. Looks like I have a choice to make. I need to either confront him with what I know or walk away. Because being with him and not trusting him is killing me. I can’t think straight around him. I can’t think straight when we’re apart. I don’t know what I’m doing anymore. “Do you mind not staying over tonight?”
He frowned down at her. “What’s wrong?”
Kate picked her shirt off the floor and put it on. She wa
ved a hand around, referencing their clothing. “Nothing. Everything. Tonight was great, but—” She tapped her temple frantically.
He pulled on his pants, keeping his eyes on her as he did. “I don’t understand.”
Kate put her skirt back on, then turned off the music. No more putting it off. She walked over to her purse, took out a phone, and typed his name into it. A beep went off in one of the pockets of his coat. Tears filled her eyes. “Now do you understand?”
A flush spread over his cheeks; he went pale as he looked back at his jacket and then to the phone in her hands. “Shit, Kate. I can explain.” He frowned again. “Wait, how long have you known?”
Kate shook her head sadly. “Long enough. I thought I could get you to tell me the truth by playing games like you did, but I’m not good at them, Brock, not like you.”
He gripped her arms. “Kate, listen to me.”
Kate pulled herself free from him. “Do you know how I felt when I found that phone in your desk drawer? I thought I had finally found someone I could believe in and then there it was—proof that I didn’t know you at all. I trusted you—both of you—and you both humiliated me.”
“You said you enjoyed what we did.”
Blinking back tears, Kate waved her hands angrily. “It’s not about the sex. It’s about how it felt to open up to you and trust you, only to find out you were playing me. I am so angry with you for not being the man I thought you were. I keep trying to move past it. I keep thinking you can prove to me that I’m wrong, but maybe you can’t. Maybe nothing good can come from the kind of start we had. All I know is, being with you hurts even when it’s wonderful. In fact, it hurts more when it’s wonderful because I know it’s not real.”
Kate began to walk away but Brock blocked her. “Kate, what we have is real. I do love you. I should have told you everything, but I didn’t want to lose you. Don’t talk like it’s over.”
Kate shook her head sadly and walked to the door, holding it open. “It is over. Go home, Brock. I can’t do this anymore.”