Modern Girl's Guide to One-Night Stands (5 page)

“Yes,” she moaned and pushed her hips against his hands. “God, yes. Right there.”

He teased her more, gently brushing her clit with his thumb, getting off on the throaty growls she was making. He slid one, then two fingers inside her already dripping sex. She let out a ragged gasp and ground her hips onto his fingers, desperate for more friction. Simon chuckled softly. She was so fucking hot.

“You want to know what I want, Julia?” he asked as he slowly started to move his fingers.

She moaned a soft
hmm
in response.

“I want to watch you come.” And as if to accentuate the point, he moved up and flicked his thumb against her clit, while his fingers increased their pressure. She bucked under the added stimulation, and moved her legs open a bit wider to give him better access. Simon smiled, thoroughly enjoying her response. He adjusted his position and slowly kissed the inside of her thigh, nibbled the peak of her hip bone, licked the hollow of her pelvis. All the while slowly working his fingers, in and out. Feeling the muscles in her abdomen begin to clench and tighten, Simon removed his fingers.

“Oh, God. Don’t you dare stop,” she said through clenched teeth.

Simon wasn’t about to stop now. Not when she was right where he wanted her. Not until she was screaming his name. He lowered his lips and ran his tongue through her folds before circling her clit.

“Fuck.” The word came out as more of a plea than a curse as her hips rocked under the heat of his mouth. She gripped the comforter, raising her hips in time with his movement. It wasn’t long before her entire body was heaving and coming off the bed.

She was close. Fuck, so was he. The sounds she was making were so fucking erotic and real. Every moan and whimper she made was honest. There was no guessing with this woman. Even her fast little panting was turning him on. When he felt her tighten around his fingers, he knew she was there. He looked up, needing to watch her. Her eyes were closed and she was biting her lip. No. That wouldn’t do.

“Don’t hold back. I want to hear you come for me.”

Simon sucked her clit harder, giving it a firm thrust with his tongue, and he was rewarded. She let out a loud scream as her orgasm took her. He continued to pump into her, feeling her muscles contract against him.

“Holy shit,” she sighed and slumped against the mattress in post-orgasmic bliss.

The only sound in the room was her harsh, throaty breath. Simon stood up and fished the condom out of an old cigarette case he carried. He enjoyed the taste of her and could easily have spent an entire night lavishing attention between her thighs. Maybe some other night. He lost the rest of his clothes and slid the condom over his hard length. But just as he was approaching the bed, she stood.

Pushing him down on the mattress, Julia took charge and crawled on top of him. He didn’t mind her aggressiveness, but the combination of her playful bites and the way she rocked her hips against his hard cock was too much for him to handle.

“Fuck, darling, I need inside you now or this is going to be a really short night.”

He grabbed her hips, raising her small frame just a few inches so he could slide inside. Heat spread through his cock and up his spine as her warmth enveloped his length. She slowly rocked and Simon thought he was going to blow. It was like he was a teen again.

“Give me a minute.” He grabbed her hips hard, holding her still. He hoped she didn’t bruise in the morning, but he couldn't help himself. If she moved even an inch he’d be lost.

She didn’t seem to mind. She seemed content to explore his body. Julia ran her fingers through the hair on his chest, tracing a path down to his hips.

After he’d gained some control, he released her, letting her take charge again. She ran her fingernails down his chest one more time before shifting her position and starting the slow rhythmic pumps of her hips. She took her own pleasure, moving at her own pace. And he was fine with that. He reached up and cupped her breast, enjoying the way the small globe fit perfectly in his palm, and watched her lose herself.

She began to roll her hips at a faster pace. The bright blush across her breasts told him she was close, but if she didn’t get there soon, he was going to finish before her and he couldn’t have that. He slid his hands down her side and found her clit, circling the nub in time with her thrusts.

“Come with me. I can’t hold on.”

“Simon,” she gasped, grinding down on his cock. She arched into his touch, putting her hand on his chest for support. Despite the chill in the room, they were both drenched in sweat, breathing as if they’d run a marathon.

“Yes!” Her cry rang out as she dug her nails painfully into his skin and tensed and came apart around him. That was enough to push him over the edge. He gripped her hips and with a few more thrusts, he let his own release shudder through him.

Julia collapsed, sliding down to his side. Simon wrapped his arm around her and pulled her tight against him. He was lightheaded, exhausted, and he was pretty sure those last scratches had drawn blood. But damn if that wasn’t fantastic. When he finally came back to himself, Simon slipped out of bed and disposed of the condom.

“Holy shit,” she said, echoing his thoughts. She stretched out on the bed, arching her back like a satisfied cat. “You were perfect."

Simon’s low chuckle barely covered a yawn. “You weren’t too bad yourself.”

He wasn’t sure what she expected now, so he decided to push it and crawled back into bed. Evidently it was his
lucky
night, because she pulled his arm around her and closed her eyes. Simon didn’t question the action. Especially with images of having her again in the morning flooding his mind. Christ, he wanted her again, but he was content to sleep for
now
. He pulled the covers over their still-naked bodies and murmured a soft goodnight against her hair. There’d be time for round two in the morning.

But unfortunately, that never happened. She was gone by the time he woke up.

Chapter Three

Modern Girl Tip #1: No Muss, No Fuss—One-nighters are a good way for those of us who have a hard time separating the physical from the emotional to experience a purely sexual encounter—without ANY expectation of it turning into something more.

“Please. You have to come with me to the lake,” Megan begged for the third time. “I don’t want to stay there by myself.”

“Wasn’t that the point?” Julia looked at her over the menu, frowning. “You said, and I’m quoting here, you would need the entire summer alone at the lake if you were going to meet the deadline for your next book.”

“I didn’t mean alone, alone. I meant I needed to get out of town. Away from distractions. But I don’t want to be alone. Have you read 'The Shining’? All work. Up there all by myself. No play time. I might go on a murderous rampage, so you have to come. You’d be doing a public service.” Megan pulled out her puppy dog eyes. “I need you. I was there for you when you needed me.”

“I only stayed with you for three months. And I thanked you by picking up that pigsty, cooking for you, and not smothering you in your sleep. I think that was more than generous on my part.”

“What do you mean, smother me?” Megan stared at her in wide-eyed confusion.

Really?
It was a good thing Julia loved Megan, because she’d been tempted to kill her on more than one occasion.

“To start with, you’re a slob,” Julia tried to explain. “And you always forgot the important stuff, like turning off the oven or paying the phone bill. You constantly talk to yourself. I never knew if I was supposed to answer you or if you were talking to one of the people who live inside your head. To be honest, after I left, I thought about calling adult protective services because I wasn’t sure you were safe to live alone."

Megan perked up at that last comment. “See. You are just proving my point. I need you there. I need adult supervision and you’re the only person I know who can come.” She set her menu down and started sipping her coffee. A smug expression lit her face, as though she’d won the argument.

“Megan. I’m planning to work this summer.”

“No. You were planning a trip to London this summer, but that’s not happening. So come to Michigan with me. It will be fun, and you could use the break. All you’ve been doing is working since The Incident.”

Megan refused to even speak Luke’s name any more, and she kept calling that night Julia had caught him banging the secretary, “The Incident.” As if talking about his betrayal would send her into a spiral of depression. Sure, it still hurt a little, but now that she had time to reflect, Julia wanted to send that woman flowers. She’d probably saved her from a lifetime of misery.

“Just like you, I need to focus. This gallery show is important to me. It’s the first major show I’ve ever done.”

“I know you need to focus, but you’ve been killing yourself. Honey, when was the last time you went out? Had a date with a guy? Seen another person socially besides me?”

The last time? Julia remembered that crazy, spur of the moment one-night stand she’d had months ago. She wondered where Simon, her sexy stranger, was now. There were times she regretted slipping out of the room before he woke up, but it was better for both of them. She wasn’t that woman he met at the bar. Julia didn’t even know who that woman was. That woman was bold and daring. No, she couldn’t face Simon the next day and let him see the real her. The quiet girl everyone overlooked. The woman who let her fiancé dictate her life.

“Julia?” Megan snapped her fingers. “My God, you’ve lost the ability to socialize. This has officially turned into an intervention. You are coming,” she said with finality. “We always throw a big party over Fourth of July. My brother always brings a couple of his hot friends up for a weekend or two. We need to get you back on the horse, if you know what I mean.”

Julia was about to protest again when the waitress approached the table. After placing their orders, she tried to end the conversation by giving Megan a little hope. “You might be right. I’ll see if I can shift some things around and maybe come up for a week."

“Great. We’ll leave in two weeks. Isn’t your last class Friday? That should give you some time to get things ready.” Megan drummed her fingers on the table, staring off into space. “I’ll call and see if the guys want to join us over the long weekend to celebrate the start of summer. We could take the sailboat out. It will be nice to have help preparing for the Fourth of July party. I should be done with my work by the first week of August, so we’ll have a couple weeks to do nothing before we have to come back for the fall semester. This is going to be great.”

“I said I’d try to work in a week, not the whole summer. I really want to focus on my photography. The gallery only agreed to have a show if I had some new pieces.”

“Then spend the summer at the lake. The views from the house are spectacular. Didn’t you say you wanted to do some nature shots? You can spend your day shooting while I write, and it will be nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of. This new series is giving me fits."

And Megan was off. She spent the rest of the lunch talking about her writing. By the time they were finished eating, Julia knew more about Megan’s fictional character than she ever wanted to know, but at least she’d stopped pressuring her to come.

As they said their goodbyes, Megan grabbed her in a big hug. “Please, come to the lake with me. It will be fun.”

“I said I’ll try, and I will. I’ve got a class tonight. We’re doing a special seminar on night photography, so I’m going to have to miss out on our usual Friday night drinks for the next two weeks.”

“If you must,” Megan said and frowned. “I guess I’ll have to settle for a three-way with my good friends Captain Morgan and Jack.”

“Just be sure to use protection,” Julia said and left some money on the table. She gave Megan a hug goodbye and grabbed her backpack. She would have loved to spend the summer enjoying the lake with Megan, but she couldn’t. While she’d been with Luke, Julia had let go of her dream of being a photographer. Sure, she taught photography at a small liberal arts college, but it wasn’t the same. So if she wanted to follow her dreams, Julia needed to focus on her art photography, or no one would take her seriously.

Before she headed back to set up for her final class, Julia decided to do something nice for herself. She caught a cab to the Cypress Boutique downtown. The trendy designer boutique was one of her favorite places to shop. It was pricey, and since Julia now had to be conscious of her spending, she hadn’t been there in months. Back when they were still a couple, Luke preferred she dress in designer clothes to show off his status. It wasn’t that he dictated what she wore. It was just, after several years of being together, Julia found it easier to buy what he liked and not have to endure his subtle jabs at her attire.