Masked Desires (6 page)

‘I’m sorry, I –’ I began, even though I didn’t quite know what I was apologising for.

‘Hey, come here, Summer …’ Crossing the short stretch of carpet that separated us in a couple of strides, he pulled me into an embrace just as close as the one we’d shared on the dance floor, only now the hot, jutting length of him pressed directly into my bare belly. His lips crushed mine in a searching kiss; his hands moulded themselves to my ass and his tongue plundered my mouth. In reply, I pushed my hand down between our bodies and gripped his shaft, unable to keep myself from stroking that gorgeous tool.

He broke the kiss and stepped back, bending to pick up his smart pants from the floor, and I thought for one horrible moment I’d crossed some unstated line and he was calling a halt to proceedings. Instead, he fumbled his wallet out of the back pocket, rifling through it till he found a condom.

‘You can always tell me if you don’t want this,’ he said, fixing me with a look that told me how important it was I answered him honestly.

On fire for him, I replied, ‘Oh, I want this.’ And damn the consequences.

‘That’s all I needed to know.’ He tore open the foil, skinning on the condom while I ran my fingers over the wet terrain of my pussy. Downstairs, the ball would still be in full swing, but at this moment, the world came down to just the two of us.

We fell on each other again, lips locked together. Eddie steered me backwards, until I butted up against the window. Apart from a thick plaster-covered sill about six inches high, it ran the full height of the room. Giving all control over to him, I let Eddie guide me up onto that sill, and spin me round so I faced out into the night. My stomach lurched; anyone looking out from one of the buildings across the way, or glancing up from the street below could not fail to see me, my naked body pressed against the glass. Yet with the golden mask disguising my features, I was truly anonymous; some mystery woman about to get the fucking of her life from an equally naked, equally masked lover.

One of Eddie’s hands came round in front of me, gripping my tits and pinching the nipples till I gasped with the sweet, tormenting pain. His other hand he used to guide his cock to my pussy opening. ‘Are you ready?’ he asked.

‘God, yes.’ I felt him slide just the tip of his dick inside me, teasing me with a taste of what he had to offer until I moaned and thrust my ass back at his groin, urgent to have more of him filling me up.

When he obliged, I thought I’d never known until this moment how good it could be to have a man’s cock lodged in the slick depths of my cunt, fitting so well it could have been designed just for me. Despite that, we struggled to find a rhythm at first, our blind need for each other, and our unfamiliarity with the other’s body, making our movements awkward. Even though Eddie had already brought me closer to his own height by placing me on the window sill, I found it was easier if I stood on tiptoe, the position allowing him to thrust deeper.

Nine floors below us, out on the street, I could see cars passing, headlights cutting a path through the darkness while I was having the wild, spontaneous sex I’d been dreaming of ever since the morning I’d watched that dirty little exhibition on the fire escape.

Eddie’s mouth nuzzled at the side of my neck, and his hand made a swift descent of my body, coming to rest between my parted thighs.

‘Do it,’ I begged him. ‘Make me come.’

His thrusts increased in their ferocity, pushing me harder against the glass, making me glad the window pane was triple-glazed, more than thick enough to withstand the pressure. All the while, his finger skated over my clit, driving me towards an orgasm that threatened to break me in two. When I came, I threw my head back and yelled out my pleasure, loud enough to wake anyone who might be sleeping in the neighbouring rooms. Eddie followed moments behind, clinging tight to me as he emptied everything he had into the condom.

When we pulled apart, he swept me up in his arms and carried me over to the bed, laying me down gently. I removed my mask, and the heels and stockings, while Eddie tossed the condom in the trash and put his own mask on the nightstand.

‘You’ll stay the night, won’t you?’ he said, settling in behind me so our bodies spooned together, his groin pressed against the curve of my ass.

‘Do you think it’s a good idea?’ I asked, even though all I wanted to do was fall asleep in his arms, secure and protected.

‘Would I be asking if I didn’t? Besides, it might look a bit odd if you walked out on me now.’ Eddie dropped a kiss on my shoulder. ‘Thanks for everything, Summer. For putting on such a great show downstairs, and for –’ He paused. ‘I mean, when I asked you to be my partner tonight I’d didn’t think we’d actually end up going as far as we did, but …’

I rolled over to face him. Somehow, it felt strange to be looking right into his face, no longer obscured by the domino mask. ‘You don’t regret it, do you?’ My tone was more anxious than I liked the sound of. ‘I mean, I don’t want things to be awkward between us next time I come into work.’

He shook his head. ‘I have no regrets, I promise you. It was incredible.
You
were incredible. You know, for a fake girlfriend, Summer, you’re better than the real thing.’

‘Thanks, Eddie – I think.’

When he gave me a drowsy grin, I experienced again the same melting sensation I had when I’d first met him in the bar, the same flood of warmth and excitement. He murmured something that sounded an awful lot like, ‘I really think I’m falling in love with you,’ but when I asked him to repeat what he’d just said, his only response was a soft snore.

Still trying to decipher what I’d just heard, I closed my eyes. Sleep came more quickly than I’d expected, and when it did, my dreams were all of Eddie.

Chapter Five

When I woke, Eddie lay asleep beside me, curled on his right side, his broad back facing me. I couldn’t be entirely sure, but in the half-light it looked as though I’d left scratch marks on his skin, carried away in the heat of passion.

Just thinking about what we’d done last night made my pussy flutter, already eager for more despite the faint soreness between my thighs. The prospect was tempting, but as I watched Eddie slumber so peacefully, I knew I had to leave. The moment I stopped thinking of this as a one time only deal, started believing what I thought I’d heard Eddie say in the moments before he’d drifted off to sleep, I risked opening myself up to all kinds of hurt and heartache. I’d played the part he’d asked of me, and now it was time to quit the stage.

A glance at my watch let me know it was gone 7 a.m. The bakery on West 4th would be open by now; I could stop in on my way home and pick up a Danish for breakfast. Careful not to wake Eddie, I shrugged on my bra, then zipped myself into the prom dress. My panties I couldn’t locate anywhere, and I wasn’t in the mood to go hunting for them. Eddie could keep them as a souvenir, if he found them tangled among his own clothing.

Even though I knew it was the right thing to do, it somehow felt wrong to leave without saying goodbye. A notepad, each page monogrammed with the Mallory’s logo, stood on the nightstand. I reached for the pen by its side, and quickly wrote “Thanks so much for last night. See you at work”, signing the note with my initial and a big, scrawled kiss. Then I quietly let myself out of the room. Eddie didn’t appear to have stirred.

The elevator arrived almost as soon as I pressed the button, and I stepped inside. In the seconds before the door closed, I thought I heard someone call my name, but put it down to guilty thoughts about running out on Eddie. I tried not to catch a glimpse of my reflection in its mirrored walls, or think back to how my gorgeous boss had pressed me against those walls on our way up, his big hands all over my body as we’d kissed.

I was halfway across the lobby, congratulating myself on having made a successful escape, when I heard a voice call my name. Looking round, I saw Heather sitting on the chesterfield, smiling at me. Unlike me, she’d brought a change of clothes, looking neat and prim in a long-sleeved floral dress; no walk of shame for her this morning.

I couldn’t pretend not to have recognised her, so I walked over. ‘Hi, Heather, thanks for putting on such a great event. We had a fantastic time last night.’

‘Eddie not with you?’ She rose from her seat, looking at me in a way that made me uncomfortable, though I couldn’t have said quite why.

‘Oh, he likes to sleep in. I’m just popping out for some breakfast.’ It wasn’t entirely a lie. ‘What about you?’

‘I’m waiting for Phillip to come down. I’ve just got a couple of things to sort out with the hotel manager, then we’re off to have our monthly brunch with Phillip’s mother in East Hampton.’ Despite the breeziness of her tone, something suggested she found these get-togethers a chore. ‘But I’m so pleased you enjoyed yourself. You know, what I love about events like this is the chance to catch up with people you haven’t seen in ages. In fact, would you believe I was talking to someone who knows you over dinner?’

I didn’t have a clue who she was talking about, and she must have seen that on my face. ‘Really?’

‘Yes, an old friend of mine, Rebecca Haynes.’ She waited for the impact of the name to sink in, clearly relishing the fact she had me on the back foot. ‘She and I go way back. We were in business school together. She was really intrigued when I mentioned my stepbrother was dating one of her staff.’

God, Eddie had told Heather I sold ads on the
Reporter
, hadn’t he? My stomach gave a sick lurch.

‘You know, Summer, it’s the damnedest thing. When I mentioned your name Heather said you hadn’t actually worked at the
Reporter
for over a month now. In fact, she told me that she had to let you go. Poor timekeeping, persistent failure to meet targets, bad attitude, Crazy Color in your hair – any of that sounding familiar?’

OK, so I hadn’t exactly been the model employee, but Rebecca had clearly oversold my faults in a major way. I started to protest, but Heather cut me off. ‘So, does Eddie know you don’t actually work at the
Reporter
any more, or are you spinning him a line so he doesn’t realise what a failure you are? And could you be lying to him about anything else? I mean, Rebecca told me that you and some little friend of yours were always bragging about the rich, flashy guys you met in bars. You’re not maybe still meeting those guys behind my stepbrother’s back, by any chance?’

‘Oh, that’s total bull –’ I began, but a stocky, silver-haired man, looking rather ill at ease in a raspberry polo shirt and khaki chinos, had come hurrying over.

‘Is this girl bothering you, darling?’ he asked, casting an anxious glance from Heather to me.

‘No, Phillip, it’s fine,’ Heather assured him. ‘Eddie’s little tramp of a girlfriend was just leaving, weren’t you, Summer?’

My hackles were up and I bristled with anger, but I knew better than to make any kind of scene, not when the girl at the front desk was looking our way, no doubt wondering whether she ought to be calling security. So I turned and headed for the door, holding my head as high as I could, not wanting Heather to see how her words had wounded me.

Central Park West seemed eerily deserted as I walked down to the 72nd Street subway station; too early for the tourists to be out, too late for the night birds and last straggling clubbers. At least no one was around to see me, coat pulled tight over my beautiful, too-tight dress, trying to blink away the tears that stung my eyes.

Somehow, I just knew that as soon as Heather had the chance, she’d confront Eddie, letting him know I was a liar, a loser, and most likely a slut too, even though I hadn’t dated anyone since Todd, and before him – well, I couldn’t even remember. What had Rebecca said, that Delia and I had “bragged” about the guys we picked up? I didn’t remember any bragging; usually just me consoling Delia when her latest conquest turned out to be married, or some other shade of sleazebag. But the information would have reached Rebecca via a sneaky little chain of Chinese whispers that started and ended with Mary Lou, who’d never been able to resist making me look bad. Or Delia, for that matter. A sudden guilty pang shot through me about the way my best friend was being dragged into a situation that really shouldn’t involve her; a situation that, when you looked at it rationally, boiled down to some pointless little family squabble.

Not that I could be mad at Eddie for what he’d said to Heather. He’d only been trying to protect me when he claimed I was in ad sales, wanting to spare both of us from whatever tongue-lashing she’d choose to dish out on learning he was dating one of his staff. Yet I’d still ended up taking a torrent of unfounded accusation from her, based on the word of my former boss, who loathed me as much as I loathed her, and with no opportunity to fight back. Although what would that have achieved? Heather had made her mind up about me the night she’d first seen me in the bar, and even if I managed to end world famine and discover a cure for cancer, it wouldn’t change her opinion one whit.

At the ticket booth, I tried not to catch the eye of the woman behind the toughened glass as I handed over the money for my fare. I supposed she saw distressed-looking passengers all the time, but I knew if I received a look from anyone that was even vaguely sympathetic, I would break down and cry.

My footsteps echoed in the vast, empty expanse of the station as I descended the steps to the platform. On a weekday, any number of commuters would have been hurrying past me, jostling for space, but now I pretty much had the length of the platform to myself. The downtown train arrived, and I slumped into the seat nearest to the door, burying my head in my hands.

I couldn’t go back to working at Eddie’s, not after this. I’d been prepared to accept that we could only enjoy one glorious night of sex together, just as long as we could return to the relaxed, comfortable working relationship we’d had before. Everything we’d said to each other before we’d fallen asleep had led me to believe that would be the case. But whatever bombshell Heather chose to drop would make it impossible. He’d never be able to look at me the same way, not if she managed to convince him I really was the kind of girl who went out and picked up men for the hell of it, and who might choose to keep on doing so even while she was in a relationship.

When I emerged from the subway at West 4th, I checked my phone through force of habit, as I always did whenever I’d been underground a while. No one had rung. On impulse, I called up Delia’s number, even though I knew she’d more than likely still be asleep in her old bedroom at her mom’s house. When her recorded voice kicked in, asking whoever was calling to leave a message, I blurted, ‘Hey, Delia, it’s Summer. Give me a ring as soon as you get this, would you? I really need to talk to you.’

Shoving the phone back in my purse, I headed for the baker’s, needing the comfort of a warm, sticky pastry more than ever. Unable to choose between the oven-fresh cinnamon roll and the raspberry Danish, I bought both. When I got home, I’d brew a pot of coffee and gorge myself on sweet things. Then I’d sit and consider my future. Kenny had told me there was a job at the Comic Cavern if I ever wanted it. Maybe spending my day surrounded by nerds wouldn’t be all bad; some of them might even be cute, though I doubted any of them would be willing to put up with my inability to tell my
Star Wars
from my
Star Trek
.

I took a different way home for once, so I didn’t have to walk past Eddie’s. Even though he wouldn’t be there, just the sight of the bar would stir up feelings I was trying hard to keep buried.

The climb up to my apartment seemed to take twice as long as usual. I hadn’t bothered to put on my stockings when I’d dressed, and my shoes were rubbing sore spots on the backs of my heels. As soon as I was through the door, I got changed, pulling on a comfortable robe. When I’d had breakfast, I intended to take a long bath, easing the slight soreness between my legs and washing the last traces of Eddie from my skin. In other circumstances, I would have wanted to keep any reminder of him, and the way he’d made me feel as his cock ploughed into my snug depths, for as long as possible. But it was all over now. Best to let the memories go.

I’d just torn a piece from the cinnamon roll and popped it into my mouth when my cell phone rang. Swallowing it down, wiping my fingers so as not to cover the phone in sticky frosting, I answered with a brisk, ‘Hey, Delia, thanks for ringing me back …’

‘This isn’t Delia.’ Eddie’s voice interrupted. If I’d bothered to look at the display, I’d have known that wasn’t the case. Hell, if I’d seen it was Eddie calling I’d have let it ring unanswered. I didn’t want to speak to him, but I didn’t have the heart to put the phone down on him.

‘Hi Eddie. How are you?’

‘Fine. Hoping I might get invited up.’

‘Why? Where are you?’ I’d assumed he was calling from the Mallory, but the hooting of a car horn on the other end of the phone told me that wasn’t the case. A hooting that, I realised, sounded very like the one I could hear through the open window of my living room.

‘Take a look out the window,’ he instructed me. When I did, it was to see his familiar figure standing on the sidewalk directly below me. He waved, just to make sure I’d realised it was him.

‘What are you doing here?’

‘We need to talk, Summer. And I thought I could stand here and discuss things with you, or maybe we could do it the civilised way, and you could invite me up.’ When I didn’t immediately answer, he continued, ‘You ran out on me this morning, and I didn’t know why. Then I had the most interesting chat with my darling stepsister …’

Oh God, he’d seen Heather. What had she said to him? My fingers gripped the phone so tightly my knuckles had gone white. ‘OK, I’ll let you in.’

I went over to press the door buzzer, still not sure I was doing the right thing. A minute later, Eddie knocked at the door. Taking a deep breath, praying this wouldn’t turn ugly, I answered it.

‘Summer.’ Despite everything, the sight of him stopped me in my tracks. Like me, he’d left the Mallory dressed in the same outfit as the night before, and I couldn’t help but think how handsome he looked in his tuxedo, hair rumpled and an expression on his face that mixed hurt with resolve. The way he regarded me made me all too aware that I wore nothing but the loosely belted robe.

‘Eddie.’ I clutched the robe a little tighter to myself. ‘I’m sorry I left without saying goodbye, but I had to. I couldn’t stay, not after what happened between us.’

He took a pace closer. ‘You see, this is what I don’t understand. What happened last night was that I had some of the greatest sex of my life, and I’m pretty sure you’d say the same. I made a connection to you like I’ve never made with anyone else, felt things I’ve never …’ He sighed, running a hand through his hair. ‘And then you just up and leave without a word, like it didn’t mean anything.’

Shaking my head, I grasped the sofa arm for support, gathering my strength for what I was about to say. ‘Eddie, it meant more to me than you could ever know. But you’d said it was only going to be one night, just to make Heather think we were a real couple, and I couldn’t do anything that would let myself believe we had more of a future than that.’ Something he’d said about my leaving without a word struck home. ‘But I didn’t just leave – didn’t you get my note?’

‘Note? I didn’t see any note.’

‘Well, I left it on the nightstand.’

He rubbed his face. ‘Now you say that, I do remember a piece of paper falling off the nightstand when I was scrabbling for the room key. I never thought to see what it was, and I didn’t stop to check. I’d woken up to see you shutting the door on your way out. I stuck my head out into the corridor and called after you, but you couldn’t have heard me.’

‘The elevator came straight away. I must have been in it by that time.’ I didn’t mention that I thought I’d heard someone shout my name, but had dismissed the idea.