Public Display of Affection (2 page)

“What looks good to you?” Sam’s voice pulled her from her thoughts.

“I’m not sure yet.” She shifted in her seat, trying to make herself more comfortable. Maybe the game involved keeping her so turned on she’d be ready for anything by the time they got back to the room. “I’m thinking maybe crème brûlée.” She still didn’t know why they needed to venture out for dessert when it could be sent to the room instead. All part of the plan, according to Sam.

At least it gave her the time she needed to pull herself together. Once they got in bed, she hoped that her nerves would be nothing but a distant memory.

“Always a good choice.” Sam placed her napkin in her lap. “I’m thinking you need something a little more exotic.” The corners of her mouth twitched. “Do you trust me to order for you?”

The question reeked of sexual undertones. “Sure. I’m always willing to try new foods.” At least when it came to dessert. Chocolate always received a yes.

Sam buried her face in the menu, but Lucy thought she caught a glimpse of a wide grin.

“Whoa!” She lurched out of her chair when a vibration ran through her body. Instinctively, she reached for her cell phone, aware of the staring diners at nearby tables. As she groped around, she realized she hadn’t brought it. The buzz came from the strap-on.

Sam set her menu down on the edge table and rested her head in her hand. Holding up her other arm, she displayed a small remote control. With the same suddenness as the sensation started, it disappeared, and she returned the device to her lap.

Slowly, the realization of what happened sank in.
She’s going to make me come in front of the entire dinner crowd.
Her thoughts raced between being turned on and appalled. She didn’t even like her partner looking at her during an orgasm. Having a woman she’d met that night watching her at her most vulnerable moment made her self-conscious, but there had to be at least a hundred other people there. Most of them stared straight at her.
Great
. That’s what she needed to relax.

“Here’s how this is going to work.” Sam placed her other elbow on the table and lowered her voice. “We’re going to sit here and have a nice dessert together. I have the remote control and will use it however I see fit. The idea is that we have to be discreet. The other patrons should have no idea what is going on.”

Lucy couldn’t imagine getting away with that. A few more bursts like the first one and she’d be writhing in the throes of climax in the middle of the dining room.

“There is one rule, though. You aren’t allowed to orgasm.”

Did the woman really believe telling her to hold back would work? As though she could sit there and allow the woman across from her to control everything except her climax. Hell, half the time she struggled to orgasm in the first place. Restraint didn’t factor into the equation.

“Do you understand?”

She nodded. Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself that she’d asked for someone to help make her more daring. Use of a vibrator in public counted. Though, she’d have preferred an activity that only involved the two of them and not the entire dining room.

“Good.” Sam sat back in her seat and returned to the menu.

A few seconds later, the waiter appeared at their table. “Have you decided?”

“She’ll take the chipotle chocolate cheesecake and I’ll have the bread pudding.”

“Can I get you ladies anything to drink tonight? We have a special on margaritas and mojitos.” He glanced back and forth between them, waiting for a response.

“I’ll take a glass of your house merlot. Lucy?” Sam glanced across the table, her eyes twinkling.

“I’ll—” The vibrator switched back on. Focusing on her words, she tried to regain her composure. “I’ll just have a glass of wa—water.” Normally, she’d have ordered it with a lemon, but the buzzing against her clitoris made her skeptical of her ability to get the words out. Hell, she wanted a shot or two of tequila, but that sounded like a bad idea. For her, alcohol and restraint didn’t belong in the same sentence, let alone the same evening. Tonight didn’t seem like a good time to test that relationship.

Their poor man looked a little concerned, but jotted down their order and promised to return shortly. She swallowed the sounds welling in her throat. The minute he left, so did the buzzing. “Why would you do that while I ordered?”

The blonde looked about to burst. “Oh, come on. You liked it. It feels dangerous, doesn’t it?”

Easy for Sam to say. She got to sit at the other end of the table doing nothing while Lucy tried all the crazy stuff. Bread pudding didn’t scream excitement. She could make it at home, and often did, with little notice. While her date enjoyed that, she had to eat a combination of chocolate and chipotle, two things that did not sound like they should go together. On top of that, she had to be stimulated the whole time. In public.

Taking a breath and trying to calm herself, she had to admit that it made her a little excited. Having that guy standing there, watching while Sam toyed with her from the other side of the table had been more than a little hot. She didn’t want to agree, but had little choice. As embarrassed as she’d been at the possibility of being caught by someone, it made the whole experience even hotter to have to hide. Better yet, Sam could turn the toy on again anytime she wanted.

This no longer counted as vanilla. They’d moved far outside the realm of anything she’d done before. Maybe Madame Eve did know a thing or two about matchmaking.

Watching the woman squirm in her seat excited Sam more than she imagined it would. She’d played this game before with a few people, but never received such a strong reaction.
It’s her first time. She’s still adjusting
. A far cry from the experienced women she picked up at bars.

“Why don’t you tell me about yourself?” Small talk might not be part of a typical one-night stand, but it seemed appropriate for the setting. She’d had never been much for chitchat though, so she flipped the switch on the vibrator again. At least this way if the conversation turned dull, there’d be something else to focus on.

Lucy took a few slow breaths before she started talking. “I’m a graphic designer.” After a long pause, she started again. “Mostly, I make logos for small businesses. Nothing big.” She bunched the edge of the tablecloth between her fingers.

“That sounds incredible. I’ve always wished for a smidge of artistic talent. Unfortunately, my skills ended at drawing stick figures.” She snickered. “Do you work for a big company? Any clients I might recognize?”

The brunette bit her lip. “I used to. The economy has been rough, so they had to downsize. I’ve been freelancing since then.”

There was restraint in Lucy’s answers. Not just in relation to her job either. “Must be nice to get to make your own hours and work in your pajamas.” She bit her lower lip and closed her eyes as a look of sheer enjoyment crossed her date’s face. The new experience wasn’t the only thing getting this woman off. No, she was enjoying every second of the encounter. Sam switched the device off. There would be plenty of time, no reason to push things. Their desserts hadn’t even arrived yet.

Lucy’s lids flew open. Her face dropped for a moment, but she recovered her composure before Sam could read her. “It gets a little lonely. I miss seeing people at work. The small town I’m in doesn’t provide a lot of opportunities for me to find potential dates.”

“I know that feeling.” She’d resorted to internet dating a few years ago when she discovered that she’d burned through all the available women in town. “I live in Little Creek. Also not a happening place.” Surprised at her own confession, Sam suppressed the tightening in her throat. As a rule, she didn’t give out any personal information to women she just met. It might be overly careful, but she could never be too safe. Armed with that little trinket, the woman could show up uninvited on her doorstep. Of course, depending on how tonight went, that might not be such a bad thing. But she couldn’t think like that. A one-time deal, that’s all this could be. She didn’t take home the women she played around with. That led to trouble. Soon, they wanted to be the ones in control of the situation, and in her life that wasn’t an option.

After years of feeling her life spinning out of control, she realized she held all the power in the bedroom. Eventually, she worked her way up to restaurants, parks, and anywhere else she convinced her partner to try. The minute they asked her to give up that authority, she walked away. Despite finally having the rest of her life in order, she’d always been in charge of sex and there was no way she’d be willing to give it up. The arrangement worked as long as she kept her feelings and personal life out of the deal.

“That’s thirty minutes away from me. I’m in Lipton.”

Practically across the street. At least for this area. She had driven much farther than that for tonight.
One night. That’s all you get
. Reaching into her lap, she flipped the switch on the remote again.

Lucy flinched, shifting in her seat. A second later, the waiter returned with their drinks. He hesitated for a moment, his gaze wandering between the pair, but left after assuring them their desserts would be out in a second.

“What do you do for work?” The brunette licked her lips and inhaled through her nose.

About now, Sam guessed her date started to feel a sense of urgency. Watching her try to keep her face calm and unchanged when the waiter appeared had made Sam’s heart race. The scene almost made her call off the rest of their night and whisk the woman back to their room.

Almost.

“I’m a forensic accountant. I consult for companies who think there might be discrepancies in their books. Make sure all the entries are on the up and up.”

Lucy lifted her glass and took a long gulp. “Now that sounds like a fun job. I love watching all the crime shows on television.”

“Most of the time it doesn’t work quite the way it looks on the shows.” She laughed. Whenever someone found out what she did, they always referenced popular culture. Of course, none of the shows included a protagonist with finance training. “A lot less drama and a lot more paperwork.”

“It still sounds fascinating.” The woman looked like she might say more, but the waiter appeared with their desserts before she could spit out the words.

“Enjoy, ladies.” He stepped back and waited for them to nod that everything looked okay.

Lifting her spoon, she dug into her bread pudding. Not bad. Just enough cinnamon and vanilla to be flavorful, but not so much that it took away from the dish as a whole. She was more interested in seeing how her date reacted to the spicy chocolate cake.

She’d put a small bite on her fork and sniffed the piece. “It smells like Mexican food.”

Sam shook her head. “Live a little. If you hate it, you don’t have to eat the rest. If you love it, well, I’m sure there’s plenty left in the kitchen.”

Slipping the cake into her mouth, the brunette paused for a minute before she started to chew. Her face went through a wide range of emotions from uncertainty to disgust to delight. Sam enjoyed every minute of it, trying to determine what Lucy’s final opinion would be.

“I wouldn’t want to eat it every day, but it’s not bad.”

“Should I order you another slice?” She raised her arm a little, as though about to beckon the staff over.

The brunette jumped up. “I think I have all I can handle for one night.”

Smiling, she turned back on the vibrator. “We’ll see about that.”

For the remainder of their dessert, Sam amused herself by turning up and down the speed settings on the remote. At times, Lucy appeared to have the clarity of mind to eat her dessert and carry on a conversation so well that she wondered if the strap-on worked. Then, with no warning, her facial expression would change and she’d appear to have trouble even managing to remain upright. She’d shift in her chair, cross and uncross her legs, and gather her napkin or tablecloth in her fist.

Sam couldn’t help but watch intently. Every little movement, small noise, or motion made her system come alive. She’d always enjoyed watching as the person on the other side of the table neared climax, but no one had ever made it quite as exciting as this woman. It all seemed new and exciting with her.

“Please. You’re trying to kill me.” Lucy put her fork down next to the last two bites of cake. “I’m not sure I can hold on much longer.” Her jaw clenched as she spoke.

“Are you asking me for something?” Sam pushed her plate off to the side.

“Can we—” She cut off and squeezed her eyes closed. “Upstairs?”

“You don’t think we did all this for foreplay, do you?”

A small tear appeared at the corner of Lucy’s eye. The woman looked tortured. Hell, Sam considered hanging on this long without coming undone a feat in itself. Especially since Lucy’d never done it before. Frustrated, she began rocking in her seat. Trying to hold the woman off any longer would either lead to a murder or an orgasm. Neither of which would make the restaurant staff very happy. “I think we should get out of here.”

Lucy raised her head with a look of desperation. Getting up, she moved around the table and offered the woman an arm. The least she could do is help her out of the room.

Once they made it to the hall, she looked around for a moment, searching for somewhere to steal away for a few minutes. She hadn’t gone through all of this with the intention of retreating to the room. A side hall containing a pay phone jumped out at her. Out in the open, yet safe and hidden from plain view. Everyone had a cell phone these days, so the no one would be interrupting them. Grabbing her hand, Sam pulled her back into the corner and pressed her against the wall.

“Remember when I told you that you couldn’t come?”

The brunette nodded, her breathing heavy and uneven. Her eyes fluttering, often shutting for seconds at a time.

Sam imagined Lucy could think of nothing but release. “Well, now I’m telling you to come.”

The woman’s eyes flew open. “Here?” Her voiced squeaked as she spoke.

She decided not to answer, instead she leaned in and kissed her date as hard as she could. It took a moment, but the woman responded by grabbing hold of her shoulders and pulling her even closer.