Cutter: A Fight or Flight Novel (4 page)

“I’ve never been a fan of tennis, but I hear you’re good at zombies,” I say, hoping she’ll get the reference to the movie we just watched.

“I like zombies,” she says on a breath, tilting her head to the side and licking her red-stained lips. “I bet I’ll win again.” Her husky voice is the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard. Josette’s hand skims down my stomach and comes to a stop at the waistband of my sweatpants, her fingers running light circles on the sensitive skin below.

“Jo,” I say hoarsely, and take the plunge. Leaning farther, I put my lips on hers and as soon as that innocent contact is made, everything starts to pass in a blur. Greedy hands grope and roam, desperate mouths seek, sexy moans are swallowed between our lips. It’s fucking heaven.

Unable to resist her beautiful body, I pull my shirt over her head, tossing it on the floor next to us. When I rake my eyes up her body, naked except for her underwear, she licks her lips in anticipation. I’m done for. I can’t stand another second without my mouth back on hers. I fist one hand in Josette’s hair and the other finds itself on her generous, more-than-a-handful breast, kneading and massaging the soft flesh, my thumb and forefinger making their way to her nipple and rolling the peak between them. Swallowing her moan, I lay her back on the sofa, finding my perfect spot between her spread legs, the heat from her core grinding against my crotch.

Suddenly, all the chaos stops and both of our heads whip toward the door when someone knocks. Leaping off the couch, Josette barrels toward the door as she puts my shirt back on, exclaiming she’ll answer it. I bury my face in my hands and try to scrub away the tension and the panic that I’ve already ruined things. She couldn’t get off the couch fast enough. Did I come on too strong? Shit.

“What’s going on, guys?” Garrett asks skeptically, stepping into the living room. Great. Fucking great.

“Oh, hi, Mr. Rhodes. I was just…uhhhh…excuse me,” Josette stammers, and then charges through the living room to the bathroom, no doubt to clothe herself.

“Cutter,” Garrett growls, “I just hired her. Is it too much to ask that you don’t screw your coworkers?” he says heatedly in an undertone.

“I didn’t screw her,” I answer, adjusting my pants.

“Answer me this. If I hadn’t come up here, would you have?”

“Yes.” I lower my head to avoid his stare.

Josette reemerges from the bathroom wearing her still-wet sweatpants and my shirt. Grabbing her bag off the floor, she avoids Garrett’s eyes and mutters a goodbye as she flees the apartment.

“You need a workout,” Garrett says to me, his lips splitting into a slight grin. “Looks like you have some energy to burn off. Could do you some good, you know? Blue balls are an excellent motivator.”

Huffing, I slip into my sneakers and follow Garrett down to the gym, surely to endure the workout to end all workouts.

“Do you think I can borrow your truck or Rian’s car for a little bit?” I ask Garrett after a five-mile run and an hour sparring match in the cage.

“I don’t care. You going to see Josette?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s really not a good idea to date a coworker, Cutter. I’m not your dad, so I’m not going to tell you how to live your life, and there’s never been a rule about it here—hell, I married Rian and she was a fighter and I was partial owner—but it can get messy.”

“I get it, but it’s not like that with Josette. We’re not dating and I don’t think that’s in the cards for us.”

“What? Are you guys like fuck buddies or something?”

“I guess you could call it that,” I answer while pulling my shirt over my head and slipping back into my sneakers. “She’s busy with school and work, I’ve got my job here, and now the fight coming up. Neither one of us wants a relationship, but people have needs.”

“If you wanna stay friends with her, I’d highly suggest not jumping into bed. Sex complicates things, makes them messy. At first it’s all fun and games, then the next thing you know, you’re just getting out of the army, promising to marry the girl you’d been screwing because it seems like the right thing to do, and the love of your life walks back into your world guns blazing.”

“I’m not following.”

“Another story for another day, but what I’m saying is people get hurt. They catch feelings they didn’t anticipate, and because sex is so intimate, especially between friends, someone always walks away with a broken heart. You’ve dealt with a lot in such a short time, kid, I’d hate for you to get all miserable.”

“Awww, Garrett. Are you turning into a chick on me? Is this where we have a pillow fight or paint each other’s nails?” I joke, trying to break the awkwardness of the situation. My own father died when I was only a little kid, and Jake wasn’t much other than a drunk. I never got the talk—no birds and bees—or any advice on how to interact with the opposite sex. Hearing Garrett’s obvious concern for me drills down the point that my real family is here now, and it feels nice.

“No, kid. I just know you’re about to make me a shit ton of money if you can think with the right head.”

“I promise I won’t get hurt or do any hurting. We’re just having fun. The second either of us feel uncomfortable with anything, we’ll stop it. Hell, I’ve got to make
myself
a lot of money so I can get a place away from your prying eyes.”

“Cutter. I’m always around. I’m always there,” he teases, and tosses me the keys to his truck. “I’ll have Rian come get me. Go talk to your girl. And tell her I thought she’d be more of a thong kind of girl, not so much those little short things. Nice touch.” I’m about to stomp across the room until I remember Josette was only wearing a T-shirt when she answered the door.

I make it to Josette’s house off of sheer memory. Granted, I had to drive to the bar, then the way we took to her place, but I get there in one piece and am out of the truck before the engine stops churning. I stand on the stoop for a second, unsure of what I’ll say when she opens the door, knowing only that I need to see her, touch her, feel her. Raising my fist, I knock a couple times and take a step back.

“Can I help you?” her roommate Nichelle asks.

“I’m looking for Josette.” I have to bite the inside of my cheek. It’s true. All I can see is Nichelle swinging from the chandelier while getting railed by some farm animal.

“And you are?” There’s attitude in her voice. Not sure if she’s looking out for her friend or ready to shoot me where I stand, so I take another step back.

“Cutter. I met you the other night? Remember? James and Randy’s friend? From the bar?”

“Oh, shit, I remember you. Come on in.” Women. Complete 180 in two-point-three seconds. Gotta love it. “I’ll go grab Joey.”

By “grab Joey,” she really means
I’ll scream at the top of my lungs for her to come out of her room and join us in the living room.
A few seconds later, Josette’s door cracks and she’s as feisty as ever.

“Niche, seriously? I’ve loaned you my Trig book, given you a notebook, found your rolling papers, and dug through my purse for a lighter. What more could you want? Me to do your homework and smoke your joint for you, too? I mean, Christ, what the hell is it?”

I clear my throat and Josette turns in my direction.

“I was just letting you know you had company,” Nichelle says, “but you know, baby girl, you’re always allowed to share a joint with me. I’d prefer it, actually. You might, too, take some of the edge off. Careful with this one, Cutter—high-strung is an understatement.” Nichelle giggles as she walks back to her room, closing the door.

“What’s up, Cutter?” Josette asks, motioning for me to take a seat as she does the same.

“I just wanted to talk about earlier. I don’t want it to get weird. I know you were uncomfortable when Garrett showed up, but you didn’t have to leave.”

“For real? He’s my boss and I was in underwear. Underwear!”

“I’m sorry. He and Rian have a habit of showing up out of the blue. I’m usually alone, and they like to make sure I have company.”

Her eyes soften, as does her posture. “I like that they take care of you. I bet they really love you.”

“Probably. So, what are you doing that’s got you so strung out?”

“Homework. I’ve only got three semesters of classes until I graduate, then on to grad school. I’ve got finals coming up and if I don’t get at least a ninety-five percent on every test, I can kiss goodbye to my chances of being accepted to U.K. for the master’s program.”

“Accounting, right?”

“Yes, sir. I know, seems super boring, but numbers, they work for me. There’s only ever going to be one right answer. There’s no guessing, no two ways to do it….You see the problem, do every step, and always, always arrive at the right answer. It’s absolute perfection.” The way she talks about her passion has me feeling rather passionate myself. Who would have thought that talk of numbers could turn me on?

“Do you need a stress-relief break? I’m sure I can think of something to take your mind off finals, at least for a few hours.”

“Oh, really, Mr. Greer. You think you can come all the way over here, distract me with your charm, and lure me with promises of no stress? You make a convincing argument. I may have to take you up on this.” Josette’s voice drops to a sultry tone and her eyes blaze with want.

“Lead the way, Ms. Morelli.”

Without hesitation, she stands and walks down the hallway to her bedroom with me quick on her heels. Before she enters the room, she turns back to me and places a hand on my chest. “Friends, right? Nothing else?”

“Scout’s honor.” I put up my fingers to signify the Boy Scouts’ code of honor, even though I was never a Boy Scout. “The second things get too much for either of us, we’re done.”

“Don’t go falling in love with me now, Cutter.”

“You’ve got my word. Now, get in there.” I playfully push Josette over the threshold, walk through myself, and kick the door closed behind me. Grabbing the hem of my shirt that she’s still wearing, I rip it over her head and put my lips on her neck. “Where were we?”

As I push Josette back toward her bed, she fumbles with the drawstring on my sweatpants. When the backs of her knees hit the mattress, she casually sits on the corner, effectively breaking our kiss. Just when I think she’s going to go at untangling the string holding my pants up, she turns around and begins gathering and organizing the books and papers spread out across the blanket.

“That can’t wait?” I joke, pulling off my own shirt.

“I’ve been working on this damn project all semester and if I lose track of one single thing, it all goes to shit. Calm down for a second, Rocky,” she teases right back.

Instead of pushing the issue, I look around her room, noticing sticky notes with quotes from various people scattered on the walls.

“What you do today can improve all your tomorrows.” —Ralph Marston

“If you dream it, you can do it.” —Walt Disney

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” —Mark Twain

And those are just the ones on the mirror attached to her dresser, although at further glance, I can see all of them have a common theme: inspiration.

“I’m almost done, I swear. God, this has to be the least sexy thing in the world,” she gripes as she dog-ears pages in a book, then uses a stack of papers as bookmarks in another and gathers a half dozen pens, markers, and highlighters.

Taking a seat in the armchair near the window, I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “Actually, it’s quite sexy. There’s nothing hotter than a woman with dreams, aspirations, and ambition. You’re kinda turning me on right now, Jo.”

“Hell, if I’d known that homework was like Viagra for you, I’d have invited you over sooner.”

“It’s not the homework, babe. It’s how all these quotes around your room show me who you really are, what you want out of life. It’s watching your tits sway when you move from one place to the next. And, fuck me, it’s how gorgeous your ass looks in those tight little pants, which I’m fairly sure you’re not wearing anything underneath.”

Kneeling on the bed, she pulls the waistband of her pants down past her hip on one side, exposing bare skin. “Look at you making accurate observations and whatnot.” Putting my knuckle between my teeth, I suppress the groan threatening to escape my throat and playfully shake my head.

“You’ve got about thirty seconds to finish up or I’m either gonna come in my pants or fuck up all that organization you’ve got going on.”

“Cool your jets,” she retorts, and goes back to carefully making sure everything’s in its correct place.

“Thirty…Twenty-nine…Twenty-eight…Time’s running out, Jo….Gotta move quicker than that….Twenty-five…Twenty-four…Don’t forget that pen on the pillow….Twenty…Nineteen.”

Josette looks up at me through her thick lashes and bats them playfully. If only she’d realize there’s nothing funny about this. I need to get inside her or I really am liable to come in my pants. She’s crazy if she thinks I don’t notice the extra swagger in her ass as she bends over, or the sashay in her hips as she walks to deposit books on the desk, or how her back arches, pushing her tits out toward me, almost beckoning me.

“Hey, Cutter,” she calls, moving to stand in front of me, her skin mere inches from my face.

“Yeah,” I answer.

“Three…Two…One.”

She barely finishes the countdown before I’m on my feet, lifting her by the backs of her thighs and thrusting my hand into her hair. Josette starts giggling, but I capture her lips and the soft moan that follows shortly after. Making my way to the bed, I gently lay her on the blanket and get to work ridding her of those sexy-ass pants that probably are made for comfort but do nothing but make my dick uncomfortable in the confines of my sweats.

After I wrestle her leggings off, Josette pushes herself up the bed, resting her head on the pillow. An unmistakable lustful glaze appears over her dilated pupils as she curls her finger, calling me to join her. Slowly, but shyly, which makes it even hotter for some reason, her legs fall open and Josette bares herself to me, exposing the promised land between her thighs.

“Fuck, you’re beautiful,” I whisper, raking my greedy eyes up and down her perfectly toned body.

“I wish I could say the same, but you have far too many clothes on,” she huskily says, pointing to my sweatpants. Wasting not another second, I rip them down my legs, and I don’t miss her gasp as my dick springs free of my boxers, hard and ready…more than ready.

It’s been a while for me, so I already know I have to pace myself or I’ll embarrass the hell out of myself by coming on her thigh, before I even get inside. So, instead of pouncing at the opportunity, I gently grab one of her legs. Starting at the instep of her foot, I softly kiss there and chart a path up her body. Each time my lips graze another area of untouched skin, Josette squirms a little beneath me and arches her hips, silently begging for me to finish torturing her. If only she knew this was for her benefit….Okay, that’s a lie, I’m enjoying the hell out of myself right now.

When I reach the apex of her thighs, I place one small, chaste kiss over the small patch of hair covering the mound and devilishly grin up at her. “How ya doing up there, Jo?” I ask playfully as I start to kiss my way up to her stomach.

“Cutter,” she breathes. “I’m not one for being hasty or making rash decisions, or even being forceful, but if you don’t get back down there, I’m going to explode, and not in the good way.”

Allowing my tongue to retrace my steps, I wind up back at the delicate skin, running my tongue in circles where she’d like me, but not where she needs me. “You want me back here? Is that what you mean?”

“You know damn well what I mean.” She groans and bucks her hips before I can pull back and my tongue glides between her folds, leaving enough of her arousal on my lips that I have no other choice but to continue. One small taste is not nearly enough.

“I kinda like you bossy, babe. Tell me what you want.” I slowly, so painfully slowly, place open-mouthed kisses between her thighs, not putting enough pressure to give Josette any relief.

“Cutter,” she moans, trying to inch closer to me.

“Tell me, babe,” I whisper, situating myself to dive in as soon as she says the words and wrapping my arms behind her legs and pressing down on her stomach to hold her in place. “Tell me.”

“If you’re not gonna do it, I’ll do it my damn self.” Josette pulls her hand from above her, dragging her fingers lightly down her chest and stomach, through the patch of hair and between her legs, slowly running circles around her clit. Hell, it’s so fucking hot, I don’t know whether to join in the fun or stop her. Deciding on the latter, I nip at her fingers until she pulls them back and swipe my tongue through her folds, paying extra attention to the little nub at the top.

“God, yes,” she cries, and I pull away.

“We can play this game all night. You taste good enough to eat,” I wittily joke.

“So do it already!” she whines.

“Do what, babe?” I ask, feigning innocence.

“You know what, Cutter? Eat me,” she infuriatingly says, not in a sexual manner, but those two words are like music to my ears.

“That’s all you had to say.” Removing one of my hands from her stomach, I use those fingers to spread her for me, then thrust them inside her opening at the same time my mouth comes down on her clit, sucking and nipping, until she’s writhing beneath me, fisting the sheets and panting my name. After the first wave of her orgasm passes, I don’t give her a moment to recover before I make sure she’s chasing down the second. God knows I’m ready to come just at the taste of her. I won’t last long once I’m inside, but I need to do this for her. I can’t be that guy.

“Cutter. Cutter!” she screams, desperately trying to push my head away. When the realization strikes her that I’m the stronger of the two of us, she grabs my hair and pulls me up her body while I laugh throughout the entire journey, kissing every inch of skin I can. She drags me to her mouth, presses her lips against me, nibbles on my bottom lip while fumbling for something next to her. For whatever reason, she can’t reach it, so she shoves me back, turns slightly, and opens the drawer of her nightstand, retrieving a condom and ripping open the wrapper between her teeth.

I take the latex from the package and roll off to the side to put it on, but again she surprises me when she straddles my legs. With her hands over mine, together we roll the condom down my length. With a devilish, sexier-than-all-hell smirk, she winks and crawls up my body until her entrance is positioned just above my dick.

“Tell me what you want, Cutter,” Josette orders in a husky whisper, using my own personal brand of torture against me.

“You, babe. I want you,” I answer without hesitation. “Any way I can get you.”

Gently, she lowers herself, her wet heat surrounding my sensitive-even-while-sheathed cock, and I’m pretty sure my eyes roll into the back of my head.

Her ass rests against my balls, and she gives herself a few moments to adjust to my size, but then it’s game over, she’s the winner, someone get this woman a trophy. With a wild look in her eyes, she rides me like it’s the last dick she’ll ever get. I had no idea hips could move like this, and I would have never seen it coming from someone who’s an accounting major. It’s gotta be like that sexy librarian thing.

Josette’s nails dig into my chest as she chases yet another orgasm, and the second her pussy starts to convulse around my cock, I’m done for. Unable to lie back and do nothing, I grip her hips and meet her thrust for thrust, ensuring that her final orgasm is as good as mine.

“Fuck,” I growl as the tingle in my balls explodes. I jab my hips up once more, filling the condom with every ounce of sexual energy I’ve not used in a long-ass time, and she cries out a mixture of curses and other unintelligible words.

Josette collapses on top of me, our panting mirroring each other’s as we come down from the epic high we both just experienced.

“I think I’ve died and gone to heaven,” I finally say when I catch my breath.

“Not heaven, Cutter…Josette’s. You’ve died and gone to Josette’s.”

“Come and gone.”

“How very punny of you. Shower?”

“Yep,” I answer, rolling out from underneath her and disposing of the condom in the trashcan next to the desk. When Josette jumps up and starts her sexy saunter to the attached bathroom, I can’t help but laugh when I see a sticky note clinging to her ass.

“What’s so funny?” she asks.

“Just do it,” I chuckle.

“What? Did I fuck the smarts right out of you?”

“Babe, your ass. The sticky note. Just do it.”

“Oh my God. You’ve got to be kidding me.” She giggles and reaches around to take off the note, but I’m quicker on my feet and get to it before she does.

Bending down and nipping at the soft flesh of her neck, I whisper in her ear, “Don’t mind if I do.”