Kyle’s Bargain (15 page)

Kyle continued to work Meg’s nipples, pinching, squeezing
then caressing and rubbing until desire became a haze fogging the rest of the
scene. The slap of the leather, Cilla’s moans and cries, the smell of desire
and Kyle, along with the feel of his hard cock poking into her bottom while his
fingers wrenched throbbing delight from her nipples filled her senses.

She closed her eyes for a moment to revel in all the other
sensations but opened them again when Cilla let out a louder, more urgent
squeal. As Meg watched, Jason raised the strap, now doubled over in his hand,
and tapped it down on her breast. It wasn’t a hard stroke, barely more than a
pat, but landing on her clamped nipple it must have really jolted.

The woman’s moans sounded almost like sobs as Jason tapped
again and again, getting more forceful. When Charles held up a hand, though, he
stopped. Charles came around and spoke a few quiet words to Jason then went to
the cabinet and took something out. While he was over there, Jason told Cilla
to turn over again and keep her legs on the bench this time. The woman
complied.

Charles returned with another strap, almost identical to the
one Jason held. He took up a position on the opposite side of Cilla. Working in
practiced rhythm, they alternated, lifting their straps and smacking them down
on the woman’s backside and thighs.

Meanwhile Kyle’s hand slipped down to Meg’s pussy again and
began stroking her over the silk of her panties. Her blood heated and surged.
Her breathing quickened. The rhythm of his fingers across her slit kept pace
with the increasing beat of the straps on Cilla’s bottom.

Cilla began to moan loudly and steadily, the sound an eerie
echo of Meg’s panting breaths.

Kyle stopped his stroking at the same Jason and Charles
halted their work with the strap. Cilla continued to squirm on the bench.
Between gasps, Cilla begged, “Please, Master. I need to… come.”

“Not yet,” Jason said, his voice hard. “Roll over.”

With a gasping exhalation somewhere between a sigh and a
moan, she complied. Jason and Charles stood over her. Charles put a hand on her
thigh and rubbed up and down it. He pressed down a bit harder when Jason
grasped the clamp on her left nipple and released it. The woman screamed.

Meg wondered what that must have felt like then got a clue
when Kyle pinched her nipple hard enough to hurt. She drew in a sharp breath,
but the pain quickly transformed into such intense pleasure it seemed to echo
all through her body before settling heavily in her pussy. She sympathized with
Cilla’s pleas for release. The need was escalating rapidly in her too.

Another scream marked the removal of the other clamp.

“Sit up,” Jason ordered. Cilla complied. “Before you can
come yourself, you have to bring Charles and I to orgasm.”

Each man unzipped their trousers and pulled an erect cock
from within. Cilla turned to Jason first, but Charles said, “Both of us. At the
same time. Use your hands. First, though…” Jason nodded at Charles who pulled
several condom packets out of his pocket. They each put one on.

Cilla nodded, reached out and took a sheathed cock in each
hand as the men stood on either side of her.

Meg leaned back against Kyle, and whispered, “Can I do that
with you?”

He froze for a moment then shifted her off his legs. He
fished around in his pocket and found a condom there. Meg knelt in front of
him, unzipped his trousers, reached in and found the solid mass of his hard
cock. She pushed fabric down to release it and drank in the sight of its hard
length and the aroma of Kyle’s arousal while he put the condom on.

She wanted to lean over and take it in her mouth, but she
felt it didn’t suit the mood of following what the others were doing, so
instead she wrapped one hand around the shaft and reached down into his pants
with the other to cup his balls. Given the atmosphere of sensual activity,
highlighted by the soft moans coming from behind her, it didn’t surprise her
when he panted heavily after just a few strokes up and down. His muscles all
went tense and his face clenched in the expression of unbearable ecstasy she
adored.

It took only a few more rides of her hand over his cock, a
glide around the tip with her fingers and a gentle massaging of his sac to make
him come. His breath heaved in and out on giant pants. Every muscle and sinew
in his body froze in tense expectation before he jerked hard several times in
succession.

When the spasm finally wore down, Kyle leaned forward,
resting his forehead against hers. “You’re a miracle,” he whispered to her. “My
own private miracle.”

“It goes both ways. You’re just as much a miracle to me as I
am to you.”

Kyle reached around to get to a box of wipes to clean
himself up.

Meg was so wound up in him, Charles’ voice startled her when
he asked, “Can you toss those over here?”

Kyle took a couple more from the package and set them aside
before he tossed it across the room. Apparently Cilla had been just as
efficient at bringing Jason and Charles to orgasm as she’d been.

Kyle pulled her back onto his lap, but before he spread her
legs across his, he reached under skirt and hooked his fingers in the waistband
of her panties. He paused there a moment, giving her time to object, but when
she didn’t, he slid them down her hips and thighs, letting them roll down to
the floor. Then he pulled her back against him, her back to his chest again,
and hiked her skirt enough to offer access to her pussy for his right hand.

Meanwhile, Cilla lay back down again while Jason and Charles
cleaned up. They moved around her until Jason was at her head and Charles stood
at the other end of the bench where her legs parted to hang off either side.
Jason put his hands on her breasts and began to massage them, concentrating on
her nipples. Charles knelt down and put both hands on the insides of her
thighs. He stroked up and down a few times, going higher and higher. She jerked
and squealed when his fingers touched her clitoris.

“You’re not permitted to come yet,” Jason warned again. “Not
until we say you can.”

Cilla emitted a long, low moan that culminated in a sharp
yell of pleasure. She squirmed on the bench while panting loudly.

Her harsh breaths and groans echoed Meg’s own as Kyle’s
fingers found her clit and stroked. Molten heat erupted inside. But…

“Don’t come until Jason says that Cilla can,” Kyle whispered
in her ear.

Meg doubted she could restrain herself for however long that
might be. She was so close now. Her muscles all pulled up tight and thrummed
with a tension that demanded release. So close. Her breath huffed in and out on
rapid pants. The keening moan that filled the room came from Cilla, but it
could have been from her. The orgasm hung over her, threatening to explode despite
Kyle’s order.

Still Jason and Charles worked over Cilla, who squirmed and
moaned and begged to be allowed to come. “Not yet,” was the answer.

Cilla had to be as on edge as she was. Meg sobbed deep in
her throat as she struggled to hold back the release straining to burst out.
Need to come battled the need to obey Kyle, to submit to his desire for her to
wait.

It was no easy thing to hold back, to keep the wave from
crashing, but she fought it until her breath came so fast she feared she’d
faint and the need formed a red haze around her. Without the support of Kyle’s
arms holding her, his solid chest behind, she’d have collapsed.

When she knew she couldn’t hold it any longer and felt
herself tipping over the edge despite her best efforts, she heard Jason say,
“Now.”

Gratefully she let the orgasm sweep over her and carry her
off in its tide of bliss, confident Kyle would hold on to her while she jolted
and spasmed.

The next morning, Kyle stared at the piece of paper on his
desk as if glaring could change the brief, direct message. He reached for the
coffee cup and tried to drown his anger and disappointment in caffeine. The
effort failed completely. Liquid slopped over the edge of the cup as his hand
shook and it took some work to get any into his mouth. He set the cup down and
again reread the note. Why did he think the words might be different this time?

The bank had turned down his request to emend the terms of
the loan. Finally he picked up the phone but put it down again before dialing.
Drawing a deep breath, he got up and walked down the hall to Gary Ryder’s
office.

Ryder was in, speaking on the phone, but he put it down when
he saw Kyle and nodded him to a chair. “What’s cooking?” he asked.

“It’s what’s
not
cooking that’s a problem,” Kyle
answered. “The bank nixed the extension.”

Gary’s unflappable composure used to startle him, but Kyle
expected it now and wasn’t surprised by his partner’s lack of reaction.

“What’s Plan B?” Gary asked.

“I didn’t expect to need a Plan B.”

“But you’ve been working with me for more than five years
now, so you’ve got one.”

Kyle shrugged. “There are other banks.” He hadn’t realized
he’d brought his favorite Mont Blanc pen with him until he began rolling it
between his fingers.

“But none of them are run by your father’s best friend.”
Gary stared at him. “What’s the subtext?”

“My father thinks I’m being dragged around by the balls.
Again.”

“Meg Travis? Something going on between the two of you?”

“We’re dating.”

Gary gave a quick, wry half smile. “Probably not your wisest
move, but you’re both adults and unencumbered.” He stopped and thought a
moment. “Your dad sees ulterior motives. Does he really have that little trust
in you?”

Kyle kept his tone even when he said, “I’ve never measured
up to his standards. Wasn’t the president of my class, wasn’t the quarterback
of the football team, didn’t join the right fraternity and I sure as hell
married the wrong woman.”

“Rumor has it you were a damn good safety on your high
school football team and probably his fraternity wouldn’t have been right for
you anyway. Yeah, Rita was a mistake, but everyone’s entitled to a couple.”

The pen almost slipped out of his hand but he grabbed it and
held on. “He thinks I’m making the same one.”

“True?”

“I don’t think so, obviously.”

“But it does look like you’re changing the project plan
purely to accommodate her,” Gary pointed out.

“I know. It’s even partly true. But it’s not just to
accommodate her. It’s for the entire group of shop owners there. Being
displaced would be a serious hardship for several of them.”

“You couldn’t find another place to locate them?”

“I’ve looked around. There’s nothing zoned properly within
easy walking distance or on a bus line, and a couple of them don’t have cars.”

“Why is it your problem, though?” Gary asked the question in
a flat, even tone with no color, just a simple inquiry.

“Because I have a conscience and it balks at destroying the
livelihood of a group of people who are already struggling to hang on.”

“You’ve tried to find other solutions.”

“Hell yes. I looked at everything I could think of. I know
Meg did too.”

“Tell me something,” Gary said. “If you hadn’t met Meg,
would things be different?”

Kyle paused, holding the pen in one hand. “Probably. I
didn’t know about the problem. Maybe didn’t want to know. She made me see those
people and talk to them.”

“Say you had known about them but you didn’t know her.”

He had to think about that one. He gave what he hoped was an
honest answer. “I like to think I’d be doing the same thing I’m doing now.”

“But you’re not sure?”

“Hard to tell.”

“So maybe she is leading you around by the balls?”

“I don’t think so. The only thing she really talked me into
doing was going to see and talk to the shop owners. And even that was more
blackmail or coercion than anything else.” When Gary’s eyebrows rose, he added,
“That’s just between us.”

“You didn’t report it to the cops.”

“No. I understood her motives and she didn’t actually do
anything, just made a couple of threats.” Again Gary’s eyebrows rose.

“Damn it,” Kyle continued. “She snuck in while I wasn’t here
and waited for me. She knows computers. She brought up some utility that would
have wiped out all the information on my laptop.” The pen slipped out from
between his fingers and dropped to the floor this time. He bent over to pick it
up. “On the other hand, she was willing to let me call the police and press
charges afterward, though I think she was pretty sure I wouldn’t.” He stared at
the pen. “I was the one who pressed her for a date. In fact, I sort of
blackmailed her for it in return. She was reluctant. And she hasn’t made any
attempt to manipulate me other than that first time and she was pretty straight
up about what it was. Rita would never have approached a problem that way.”

“Okay.” Gary stared at him for a moment then said, “Go for
Plan B. With my blessing. And tell your father I think he’s wrong.”

Kyle stood. “Thanks is inadequate, but it’s all I’ve got at
the moment.”

“Forget thanks. Just bring it in. I’m not opposed to that
whole ‘Development with a Conscience’ shtick. For what it’s worth, I see where
you’re coming from with it. Won’t say it doesn’t worry me. We’ve got a lot
invested. But the reasons are good so let’s proceed.” He flashed that wry grin
again. “Let’s see what kind of hay we can make with the PR on it.”

“I’m with you,” Kyle answered as he left.

He’d planned to call his father next, but the phone was
already ringing when he got back to his office. His parent had saved him the
trouble of dialing.

Those waters had sharks, but Kyle dove right in. “You know
the bank turned down my emended request?”

“Conrad asked me what I thought,” his father answered. “It
sounded like a crazy idea to him, and he wondered what had gotten into you. I
didn’t tell him it was a woman, just that you were doing some kind of humanitarian
thing.”

“Which is the exact truth. But obviously it didn’t impress
him.”

“He’s running a bank, not a charity. He has a duty to his
board and his shareholders.”

“And he never takes any risks. Please, Dad. Quit beating
around it. What’s the real bottom line?”

“The real bottom line is you’ve got to show us you weren’t
pussy whipped into this. We aren’t totally cold-hearted and unfeeling and we do
understand that there can be special circumstances. But we have to know that’s
the real reason. So ditch the girl and we’ll talk about how to finance this
venture the way you want to do it.”

Kyle’s hand tightened on the phone and he had to draw a deep
breath before he could respond. “You son of a bitch. You could have given Rita
lessons in manipulation. I don’t want to lose Meg. She might just be the best
thing that ever happened to me.”

“I seem to recall you said that about Rita.” His father let
that sink in for a moment. “Just think about it, Kyle. You can do the project
any way you want. I’ll guarantee it. You just have to lose the girl.”

Kyle couldn’t say anything more. If he let the words loose
they’d both regret it and it might create a rift that could never be repaired.
He wasn’t sure his father hadn’t already dug one, but he didn’t trust himself
at that moment so he just hung up the phone and sank his face into his clenched
hands. The fire in his gut burned white-hot, churning and searing his insides.

After a few minutes he lifted his head and looked at his
watch. Barely lunchtime, but he couldn’t sit there a moment longer.

An hour’s workout at the gym helped mitigate some of the
anger and returned him to a state of rational functioning. He still had to make
an effort to put the conversation with his father out of his head while he made
inquiries about other loan possibilities. Consultations with their attorney and
the builders took up the rest of the day.

His friend Rick Harrison called that evening to invite him
and Meg to dinner on Saturday with himself and Lindy. After tentatively
accepting, contingent on Meg not having any problems with it, he told Rick
about the bank’s decision. They spent some time discussing his next move. Kyle
couldn’t quite bring himself to talk about his father’s involvement or the
content of their call, even with his best friend.

The invitation from Rick did give him an excuse to call Meg.
He’d wanted to do that since the moment he’d gotten the message from the bank.
Just the sound of her voice soothed him in ways he’d never experienced before.
Not with Rita. Not with any of the women he’d dated before or after his
marriage. Meg could brighten his day with just a gentle word or a small joke.

She sounded pleased to hear his voice and just that improved
his mood. “I’d love meet your friends and have dinner with them,” she said.
“Will that be a problem for our other, um, obligations?”

“Might make them a bit later getting started,” he answered.
“But I don’t see why it should be an issue otherwise.”

“Okay.”

He went on to tell her about the bank rejecting his
application but assured her there were other banks and he felt confident one of
them would pick up the slack.

“And if they won’t?” Meg asked.

“I’ll build that bridge if I need it.” He wished he could
tell her about his father’s ultimatum, but he worried she might see that as a
burden he passed on to her. The next couple of days passed in a whirlwind of
activity as he supervised the digging of foundations at the site and talked to
one banker after another about financing. No one made any promises other than
that they’d take a look at his application. He spent Saturday morning filling
out forms, going over figures, assessing what already looked like some overages
from his original estimates and trying to come up with alternate ways forward
that wouldn’t bankrupt him.

It didn’t put him in the best of moods, but he resolutely
pushed aside his depression. The prospect of seeing Meg again improved his
outlook, along with introducing her to his friends.

He wasn’t the only one fighting a bad mood he discovered on
getting to Meg’s apartment.

Instead of a joyful whoop and a squishing hug, Laurie gave
him a sulky pout when she saw him. “You’re taking Meggie away again,” she said.

“Just for the night. I’ll have her back to you in the
morning. Hey, where’s my hug? I’ve had a hard day and I need a squeeze from the
best hugger I know.”

“I’m mad at you. No hugs.”

Meg sighed and shook her head. “There’s not much you can do
when she’s in this kind of mood, except wait for it to pass.”

She turned to her sister. “Laurie, we talked earlier about
how people need to get out on their own sometimes. Kyle and I need some time
together. We’re going out tonight. I’ll see you tomorrow. Mrs. Smith is right
next door if you need anything.”

Laurie turned away and stood there, her body stiff with
disapproval as they left.

Once out the door, Meg let out a sighing breath. “I hate it
when she does that.”

“Does it happen often?”

“No. But I’ve never gone out as often as I have since I met
you. It was a nice novelty at first, but I think she’s starting to resent the
amount of time I spend with you.”

“She’s had you all to herself for quite a while.”

“Pretty much all the time since our parents died.”

He tried to read her tone and expression but couldn’t glean
anything from it, so once they were on the road to Rick’s place, he asked straight
out, “Is this going to be a problem for you? For us?”

“I hope not.” That didn’t sound too convincing.

“This isn’t meant to be telling you what to do or trying to
convince you to do any particular thing,” he said, “But have you given any
thought to the future? Her future?”

“Of course. A lot.”

“What will she do when she’s finished at school?”

“She still has three more years. But after that… I don’t
know. I’ve been trying to train her to do most of the routine work at the
bookstore, but I don’t know if she can handle it as a real job.”

“Will she always live with you?” He hoped that she heard
genuine curiosity and concern in the tone and not a different sort of agenda.
She’d already been down that route with one man.

“I don’t know. Maybe someday she’ll go to a group home but
maybe not. Would it bother you to know I might be saddled with her forever?”

“I could deal with it. I’m more concerned with how you’d
feel about it,” he answered. He stopped at a traffic light and turned to look
at her.

Meg’s eyebrows rose in surprise before she raised her
shoulders in a deep shrug. “Most of the time I have no problem with it. In
general she’s pretty sweet and good-natured. But sometimes…”

“Like tonight.”

“Like tonight, but it can get a lot worse. The temper
tantrums can be loud and even destructive. Occasionally she throws things or
bangs her head against the wall.”

The light changed and he accelerated again. “That’s got to
be rough on you.”

“It is. And it makes me ask myself whether I can really do
this and…”

“And?”

“I feel guilty saying this, even thinking it…” She waited a
moment before she added, blurting it out in a quick breath, “I wonder if it
wouldn’t be better for both of us if she were in a group home.”

“I think—”

“No.” She went on before he could give his opinion. “I
couldn’t really. I’d be betraying her and the trust my parents put in me. It’s
just that, sometimes, it sort of overwhelms me.”

“Hardly surprising. You got instant parenthood dumped on you
at a time when most women your age were enjoying being young and free. And not
just instant parenthood but of a child with special needs to boot. It’s amazing
you do as well as you do. Your parents would be proud.”