Dirty Work (13 page)

I
stare
at the phone for a minute and blink repeatedly, waiting for the words to change, but they don’t. She agreed to FaceTime me—and from the bathtub no less.

My cock is already hard as a rock underneath the white sheet from the photo of her bubble-covered breasts. Seeing her body and knowing she doesn’t have a stitch of clothing on has my dick bobbing and weaving in approval.

Lexi must not have chewed her ass out after walking in on us in the dressing room. I figured that Reagan would never speak to me again because Lexi would’ve warned about the risk and talked some sense into her. I can’t imagine if Carl found out about Reagan and me; he’d flip his lid and forbid me to ever speak to her again outside of a debate.

We’re taking a huge risk every time we’re together, but sometimes that’s half the fun. I wonder if that’s the pull that brings us together—the danger. Since returning from the war, my life has become almost boring. The election gave me a purpose I’d been craving, and being with Reagan makes my heart pound nearly as hard as it did when I was ready to go into battle. I’m not scared for my life, but there’s still that secret thrill and rush of adrenaline that I miss.

I prop my phone against the lamp on my nightstand and press connect. While it rings, I tuck my hand under the pillow and pretend to look casual, even though I’m practically bursting with excitement.

“Hey,” she says after it connects. Her hand is moving through the air, and tiny droplets of water are falling from her fingertips, plopping against her bare skin.

“Hey, yourself,” I reply, unable to drag my eyes away from her movement. She’s propped the phone toward the end of the tub, giving me the perfect view of her bubble-covered body. I finally force myself to look at her face. “I’m surprised you said yes to FaceTiming me.”

“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about earlier.”

“I’m pretty unforgettable.” I smirk.

Even though her face is far from the camera, I can clearly see her roll her eyes. “You’re so full of yourself, Jude.” She glosses over my statement, and I let her.

“Did Lexi read you the riot act?”

“No,” she says on a sigh, trickling more water against her naked skin. “But she isn’t happy.”

The way it’s falling from her fingers draws my eyes away from her face. “What did she say?” I want to keep her talking so I can watch without distraction, even if it’s only for a few more seconds.

Reagan giggles. “She said you have it bad for me.” She moves her hand around the water, causing it to part for a brief second, and my eyes are scrambling to catch a peek of anything that’s hidden below the water.

“She’s right,” I tell her when the water settles, and she leans back against a rolled-up towel on the edge of the tub. Tiny ringlets have fallen loose and cascade down her shoulder, kissing the surface of the water.

She gives me a halfhearted smile. “I still think you’re playing me.”

I sit up, taking my phone with me. “I’m doing no such thing, Reagan. This isn’t a game to me—we’re not a game. Neither is the election. Get that out of your head right now.”

“How can I be sure?” Her knees rise out of the water, and the bubbles run down her thighs and disappear into the surface. “Maybe it’s all a giant game of cat and mouse just to bring me down.”

“If I wanted to ruin you, I could’ve done that already.”

“That’s comforting,” she mumbles, staring down at her feet and away from the camera.

“Let me see your face better.” I switch on the light, making sure she can see the seriousness on my face.

She puts her hand out, blocking my view as she sits up. When she moves her palm away, all I can see is her face. “Happy now?”

“Extremely.” I smile. “I don’t want you to think I’m ever using you. I want you to know that whatever I feel for you is real and isn’t part of my campaign strategy to discredit you in the eyes of the voters. What can I do to convince you of this, Reagan?”

She taps her chin with her free hand and peers up at the ceiling. “Touch yourself and let me watch.” She smirks and brings her eyes back to mine. “That should put my mind at ease.”

“Only if you do it too,” I challenge her, rubbing my hands together as I watch her face grow serious.

“I’m game.” She wiggles her eyebrows and smiles. “But I’m staying right here, safely under my bubbles.”

“I just need to see your face,” I lie, placing the phone back on the nightstand and turning off the lamp before lying down to face her with only the light of my screen to show my face. “Tell me your fantasy.” My hand slides down my body until it reaches my stiff cock, and I wrap my fingers around it. “Let me hear what turns you on.”

She flattens her palm against her chest, right above her breast, and sucks in a breath. Slowly, her hand starts to wander under the surface and stops near her breast. Just her thumb is visible, but I know that she’s fondling herself. “I’m at a hotel with you,” she says, closing her eyes. “We’re kissing and hungry for each other.”

I squeeze my shaft tighter, gripping it roughly in my palm. “Do we have clothes on?”

“No.” Her voice is breathy and barely audible above the sound of the water moving. “I’m in my bra and panties, and you’re naked.”

“Are we in bed?”

“You have me pressed against the window, and my legs are wrapped around your waist.”

I moan softly. “I can almost feel the heat of your pussy against me.”

She opens her eyes, staring straight at me. “I can feel your hard cock pressing against me. I’m grinding on you, begging for you to fuck me, Jude. You’re kissing me deeper, toying with me.”

My hand moves faster, and my strokes become uneven when her hand completely disappears under the water.

“Your hands are under my ass, squeezing me roughly as your lips dip to my neck.” She bites her bottom lip, and a tiny, soft moan comes from her mouth.

I’m picturing her in my mind—her back’s arched with her breasts thrust toward my face. “I’m kissing the curve of your neck, trying to restrain myself from moving too fast,” I take over.

“Yes.” She presses her head into the towel and her lips part.

“Using my teeth, I pull the straps of your bra down to expose your breasts.” I pause and blow out a shaky breath. “I lick a path to your breast, pulling your aching nipple into my warm, wet mouth.” The top of my fist touches the bottom of my head, and my body quivers at the contact. “I take my time, giving each breast enough attention until you’re begging. Your panties are soaked, and you’re riding my cock, trying to come.”

She groans, and her eyes flutter closed.

“My teeth scrape against your nipple, and you shiver in my arms. I’m consumed with their hardness and the softness of your skin against my face. I can’t get enough of you, but my cock is aching so badly I have to be inside of you.”

“Yeah,” she whispers. “I need to feel you inside me.” When she licks her lips, I nearly explode.

“I pull away and rest your ass against my one arm, freeing a hand.” My fingers squeeze my shaft harder as they drift down my length and relax when I get closer to the tip. Thinking of Reagan in my arms and feeling her skin against me has me ready to come quicker than I’d like to admit. What happened earlier doesn’t make it easier. “I reach around your body, putting my hand between us, and dip my fingers into your panties.”

“I need you, Jude.”

The flush in her cheeks has my willpower slipping and my voice sounding needy and edgy. “What do you need, Reagan?”

“I want you inside me. I’m achy and hot.” Her tongue darts out again, and her chest is rising and falling quicker.

My strokes even out, becoming more fluid. “I pull your panties to the side because I’m impatient. I need to be inside you too. My cock’s nudging your pussy. Do you feel it?”

“Yes.” She swallows hard and opens her eyes, turning her head to face me. “I can feel it.”

“I push inside.” I stop talking for a second because my ability to speak is becoming challenged. I’m too close to the edge. “I want to feel every inch of you as I take you slowly at first.”

“Where’s your mouth?”

“Against yours. I’m kissing you deeply and capturing your moans as I thrust into you harder. Your ass is pressed against the glass, and I’m holding you against me, leaving no space between our bodies.”

When the water starts to move and the bubbles part, I stop stroking my cock. I’m too lost in the possibility I’ll catch a peek of her body to even move. “You’re riding my dick, meeting each thrust as our bodies collide. I’m moaning your name with an arm wrapped around your waist and the other still cupping your ass.”

“You feel so good inside me.”

The water moves, and I see a hint of breast, making my cock twitch. “Do you feel how bad I want you?”

“I do,” she whispers.

I grow silent, listening to her uneven breathing and the disturbance of the water as she plays with herself. I’m transfixed. There’s no other way to describe how I feel. Her cheeks are flushed, and her tongue keeps darting out, sweeping against her lip. I watch, waiting for the moment she comes apart.

“Grind on my cock, baby. Come for me,” I say, even though I’m not pumping my fist in my hand anymore. I’m being greedy and selfish, and I know it. She opens her eyes, catching a glimpse of my face, and I can tell she knows. I move my hand, feverishly stroking my shaft to catch up. As if not skipping a beat, within seconds, a looming orgasm is simmering just under the surface.

I pick up the pace, matching her rhythm. “I’m buried deep inside you, pushing myself as far as I can go.”

My words cut out, and I can no longer speak. She’s moaning and so am I. We’re both close and too lost to say anything else. I can’t close my eyes or look away as her mouth falls open and her breathing stops. I’m right behind her, my body quaking from the massive orgasm ripping through my system.

The amount of foreplay and hearing Reagan talk dirty has me so close to the edge that my vision blurs from the intensity. My eyes drift closed for a moment, and the bursts of light behind my lids become blinding. I suck in a few shaky breaths, trying to drag air into my lungs before opening my eyes.

Reagan’s face is closer to the phone, and she’s staring at me much in the same way I had stared at her.

“That was hot,” she whispers, sounding too afraid to admit it any louder.

“It was.” I laugh softly and regret coming in my bed. There are remnants of our dirty talk all over the sheets.

“You make a funny face when you come.” She giggles.

I pull my body closer to the edge of the bed and stick my face right into the camera. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah, it’s something like this.” She sucks her lips into her mouth, making a fish face.

“I do not, Reagan.”

Her laughter grows louder. “Do too. Want proof?”

“You don’t have proof.”

She’s laughing uncontrollably and nodding her head. “I do, though.”

My eyebrows draw together, and my heart hasn’t stopped beating wildly in my chest. “How?”

She inhales and blows out slowly, trying to catch her breath from laughing so hard. “I took a screenshot.” She bites down on her lip and blinks a few times, feigning innocence.

“You’re lying,” I say, but my stomach drops because it’s something I would totally do, but I didn’t even think about it.

She raises an eyebrow and smirks. “Want proof?”

My eyes grow wide, and I know she has it. “No!”

“I’ll keep it for my enjoyment.”

“Reagan,” I whisper and move a little closer to my phone.

“Yeah, Jude?” she asks smugly.

I smile because payback can be a bitch. “I’ll get you for this.”

“I count on it,” she says, giggling hysterically. She reaches forward, and the screen goes blank.

I gawk at it, shocked she’d hang up on me after that. But then a text pops up with the screenshot of my face.

Reagan lied—I don’t have a guppy face, but I’m most definitely mid-orgasm.

She outsmarted me, and I’m impressed.

One thing I know for sure—Reagan Preston isn’t the woman I thought she was before I entered the race, and I’m seriously in trouble.

T
he campaign bus
just pulled out of the hotel parking lot five minutes ago, and already my staffers are having a heated conversation about something. I’m oblivious, my mind still on last night.

I’ve never had a more erotic experience than last night’s FaceTime with Jude. Even actual sex with other men has never given me as deep a thrill as his low, husky voice did as he told me to come for him.

That’s exactly what I did. I came for him, getting a rush out of my body unconsciously obeying his command. And it had been an orgasm that went on and on, with waves of pleasure still washing over me after I ended the call.

If phone sex with him did that to me, what would happen if we did the real deed? My pulse picks up at just the thought. After I’d fallen into a deep, satisfied sleep last night, I’d dreamed of Jude’s bare, muscled body against mine. I’d woken up hot and achy this morning, my body wanting
more
.

“It’s not like we have a choice in the matter,” Lexi says, her tone sharper than usual. “It’s
my job
he’s taking, you guys, so if I can deal with it, you can too.”

I snap out of my daze and furrow my brow. “You mean Tom? He is not taking your job, Lex. No one will ever do that.”

She shrugs. “We’ll see. Tom’s got a reputation for running things his way.”

I can’t deny that. “We can hear what he has to say, but that doesn’t mean we have to do it.”

“I think we probably should listen,” Lexi says, her shoulders sinking. “We had some poll numbers done after the debate last night. It was only a sample of those who watched it, but…”

“It was bad,” I finish.

“Really bad.”

I shake my head in disgust. My opponent smoked me in our debate, and I FaceTime fucked him after. Well, not
right after
… Right after, I made out with him in my dressing room and got busted by my campaign manager.

Where the hell is the real Reagan Preston?
The tenacious woman of steel who lets nothing stand in her way?

I bury my face in my hands. If my father only knew…

I can’t help laughing at the thought. If he knew, his head would explode. I’m being stupid and careless. And I already know I’ll do it again. This thing with Jude is the first time in my life I’ve done something completely for me.

“Are you losing your shit?” Lexi asks.

I stop my crazed laughter and sigh deeply. “No, I’m good.” I look around at the solemn and confused faces of my staff. “Look, guys. I want to win this election. We’re all working our asses off here, and I couldn’t be prouder. Sometimes in politics, you get an order from above that you can’t ignore, and that’s why Tom’s coming. It’s not because anyone on this staff is lacking in any way. Let’s get our game faces on and remember that this isn’t life-and-death. No matter what the outcome of the election is, life will go on. We’ll all be okay.”

Lexi nods but looks utterly perplexed. This isn’t something I would have said yesterday. I thought then that my very life depended on winning this Senate seat. But then I conclusively lost a debate. And I survived. I did more than survive, actually. I let myself feel something other than defeated. Jude helped me remember there’s life outside this race.

“Let’s get doughnuts,” I suggest.

Lexi glances down at her watch.

“We’ll be late meeting Tom if we stop.”

I smile. “Even better. Doughnuts it is.”

Roy somehow manages to park our giant bus in front of a small bakery in downtown Chicago. After we’ve stocked up on doughnuts and coffee, everyone’s spirits are higher.

Tom is waiting in front of the Palmer House when we pull in front of the hotel. His black hair is starting to gray at the temples, but other than that, he looks the same. I take a deep breath and square my shoulders before I walk off the bus to greet him.

“Reagan,” he says, his gaze sliding down my body. “It’s been a long time.”

Not long enough.

“Are you ready?” I ask.

“What, no hug?”

I give him a fake smile. “No hug. I assume you need help with your bags? You are getting on in years.”

He narrows his eyes. “I’m only forty-three, Reagan. I’m going to have the bellhop load my bags on the bus because this is an expensive suit and it’s hot outside.”

He turns to board the bus, and I step in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. “Listen, you need to keep this completely professional, okay?”

Tom’s smirk, which I found charming seven years ago, now just makes him look like the asshole he really is. “Already having impure thoughts about me?” he says in a low tone.

I roll my eyes. “Absolutely not. I made a mistake once, and I own it. But never again.”

“As I recall, it was three times. Once in my hotel room, once on the elevator—”

“Stop,” I say, my cheeks burning. “Either forget about the past and be a professional or don’t even step on this bus.”

“Well, well, well. Tough girl now that you’re all of thirty?”

I cross my arms. “It’s your decision.”

“Your father never mentioned these terms.”

I hold his gaze, which no longer intimidates me like it used to. Jude would tell this asshole to fuck off, and knowing that gives me the courage to do it, too.

“What’s it gonna be, Tom?” I ask impatiently. “My coffee’s getting cold.”

“Professional, of course,” he says smoothly. “We have a lot of work to do, from the looks of things.”

“I suppose we do.”

“So let’s get started.” He waves a hand toward the bus door. “Ladies first.”

I nod and climb the stairs to the bus, the brush of his fingers across my ass making me tense.

Fucking asshole. I pretend I didn’t even notice because it’s not like I can call him on it in front of my staff. Once the introductions are made, I sit down next to Lexi, making sure I’m in a spot with no room on my other side.

So now, in addition to my Senate race against a tough opponent, I also have to fend off Tom’s advances. It wasn’t so easy when I was a young virgin basking in the attention of an older man. I hate that Tom was my first. I thought I meant something to him back then, but I was just one of many.

My phone buzzes with a text, and I look down at the screen.

Lexi: He seems nice.

I look at her, and she rolls her eyes. At least I’m not alone in disliking Tom.

“I’m glad to be working with you all,” Tom says to my staff. “I think we can get this campaign back on track. I’m experienced at winning against the odds. Reagan, you’re familiar with my experience, right?”

I want to slap him. Or better yet, kick him in the balls. Tom is deliberately flaunting my young stupidity in my face. This is exactly why I didn’t want him here.

“I think so,” I say, drawing my brows together. “It’s been so long, it’s hard to even remember.”

“I’ll jog your memory,” Tom says with a wink.

“Ew,” Lexi mutters.

My thoughts exactly.

* * *

S
ome of Tom’s
ideas are good. He wants me to emphasize my legislative experience and rally the Democratic base in our heavily Democratic state. It’s like home-field advantage.

But mostly, we’ve spent the morning and early afternoon arguing about his plans to discredit Jude.

“Let’s focus on me, not him,” I say for at least the fifth time.

“We have to work both angles.”

I get up from my seat, my muscles sore from sitting on the bus all day. We’re heading to Southern Illinois for a rally tonight, which gives us all day to strategize during the drive. I managed to escape Tom for an hour when we stopped for lunch, but other than that, I’ve been dealing with him all day and I’m on edge.

“Lexi, get me a spreadsheet of all county party chair email addresses,” Tom says. He’s looking over the top of his glasses, which are perched low on his nose.

“Don’t order her around,” I say before Lexi can respond. “Ask her.”

Tom glares at me. “We need to dispense with formalities.”

“That’s fine, but let’s not dispense with common courtesy.”

Tom flips the pen in his hand across the bus, and it bounces off the window. “Look, Reagan. I’m not doing this back-and-forth with you all the time. Your father sent me here to run this campaign.
Run it.
Not hold hands with your circle of friends and share ideas. Are we all clear about who’s in charge?”

The bus is completely silent. No one is moving a muscle as Tom and I stare each other down. I unclench my jaw and force a smile.

“Yes, we’re clear.”

“Good. When we get to the hotel, you and I will be tweaking your stump speech in your room.”

“You, me, and Lexi,” I correct. “Lexi and I share a room at hotels.”

We’ve gone back and forth up to now, but things have changed now that Tom’s around. I want Lexi rooming with me at every hotel from here on out.

“Sure,” Tom says, looking back down at the paper on the table. “She’s welcome to sit in.”

He’s so condescending. I wish I could vent about him to Jude, but that’s not happening. When I take out my cell phone to sneak a look at his mid-orgasm pic from last night, I see a waiting text from him. He sent it more than an hour ago.

Jude: Thinking about u.

Me: Same. Sorry it took me so long to write back, I was working out a deal with the Trib to sell that photo of you from last night.

Jude: Funny. Tell them u got me off with ur sexy moaning.

Me: Where are you today?

Jude: Near the MO border at St. Louis. You?

Me: Rally down south.

Jude: I hear you hired The Barber.

Tom’s known in political circles as Tom “The Barber” Harbor because he cuts off opponents. I wonder if Jude is intimidated that he’s on my team now. I also wonder how he got the news so quickly.

Me: Are you spying on me?

Jude: Always. Don’t forget it. Tom’s a perv, so steer clear of him.

Me: He’s not a personal fav of mine, but I need help.

Jude: I wish we could both get what we want. I want to win, but there’s a part of me that hates you having to lose to make it happen.

Me: I’ll be okay either way. I’ve gained a new perspective.

Jude: So after the election, can we start seeing each other?

I shake my head and smile.

Me: November’s a long way away, Titan. And the race only gets tougher from here. You may hate me by then.

Jude: Never.

Me: So you want to crush me and then date me?

Jude: Something like that.

Me: You sure it’s not just the thrill of the forbidden with your political opponent?

Jude: I’m sure. I’ll make a Republican out of you yet. ;)

Me: Never.

Jude: I like your fire. And I’ll always respect you, even when we don’t agree.

I soften inside as I read the words.

“Reagan?” Tom says, pulling me out of the moment. “We’re just about there. Can you finish up whatever
very important work
you’re doing?”

Again with the condescension. Tom’s such a dick. I roll my eyes and look back down at my phone screen.

Me: Will you still want to date me after the election if I win?

Jude: Hell yeah.

Me: Okay. Because I plan to. Game on, Titan.

Jude: Game on. And let’s FaceTime later.