Tease (4 page)

The two sensations almost exploded against one another—the feel of her mouth on my cock while his lips crushed against mine. I was so
hard,
I felt at any moment I was going to come.

“Oh Jesus,” I muttered, closing my eyes. I pulled away from Ben, unable to concentrate on anything but my own pleasure right at that moment. I sighed, vaguely aware as he took my hand and curled it around his erection.

My grip inadvertently tightened as Brittany began to suck me harder. Her speed increased, her gag reflex seemingly nonexistent as she worked my length from end to end.

“Oh yeah,” I groaned, my whole body tensing as I came hard. Ben gasped, his hand closing over mine, jerking it back and forth as he released. Brittany smiled up at me, her tongue still circling the tip of my dick. I looked down at her on her knees, her innocence almost enough to make me hard again.

I left the hotel feeling a sense of satisfaction, and confusion. Good on me for trying something different, but holy shit, the level of enjoyment I’d gotten out of that ‘scenario’ made me feel a more than a little bit uneasy. What I’d done today, while eye opening and something I’d never regret, left me feeling vulnerable.

Even
I
had boundaries, and I thought I’d just reached one.

My alarm went off at ten in the morning.

Disgustingly early, I know, but I had so much to do that day that I was already running late. I climbed out of bed wishing I could’ve gotten just another half hours sleep—because that would’ve made all the difference. I made my way to the kitchen to put on some coffee, and then headed for the shower.

After putting in a load of laundry, I cleaned up the kitchen by throwing everything in the dishwasher and switching it on,
then
I grabbed my keys and wallet and shot out the door.

On the way to see Mom I stopped at the store for a bunch of flowers and a few magazines that she probably wouldn’t end up reading. They would get thrown on top of the stack of unread magazines that already sat beside her bed.

I pulled into a parking spot at The
Childerdale
Center and climbed out of the car. I grabbed the magazines and flowers from the backseat. Lilies were Mom’s favorite, and every week I brought her a fresh bunch. There was something soothing about the smell of fresh flowers that made everything seem a little bit brighter.

As I approached the entrance, I walked up to the security keypad and punched in the code. The doors buzzed, then swung open, allowing me to walk inside. They shut just as quickly behind me. I smiled as I approached the front desk when I saw who was standing there chatting to the receptionist. She spotted me, her eyes lighting up.

“Liam, I was wondering if I’d see you today.”

I winked at Lucy and handed her one of the lilies. She giggled, her face going a bright shade of red. Lucy was a good ten years older than I was, and my mother’s main nurse. Having consistent staff looking after each patient was another reason I’d chosen this facility for Mom; it was less confusing for her than if she’d had to remember a dozen or more nurses.

Lucy was a sweetheart. She took care of Mom like she would her own mother, and she loved to flirt with me shamelessly. I didn’t doubt that if she knew what I did for a living she’d add herself to the top of my list. And would that be a bad thing? No. She was a pretty, curvy redhead with lots of spunk. I could see beauty in every woman.

“You know I can’t stay away from you.” I leaned across the counter and flashed her a smile. “How is she today?”

“Not too bad. We’ve had a pretty good morning. We remembered the day, and what we’d ordered for breakfast. We even remembered that you usually come in on Thursdays.”

Wow. That was progress. I gave Lucy another wink and walked down to Mom’s room, smiling at an elderly lady I passed on the way.

“Knock, knock.” I hit lightly on the open door. Mom was sitting at her table, reading the paper. She looked up and smiled.

“Liam.” Her face lit up and I saw the recognition in her eyes. I sighed. She remembered me. I walked over and kissed her forehead and handed her the flowers.

“For you.” I sat them down on the bed.

“Oh, honey. It’s been so long since anyone brought me flowers.” She beamed at me. I didn’t have the heart to tell her it was only last week, or that every week she said the same thing to me.

“How have you been?” I asked, sitting down opposite her.

“Good.
Same old same old around here.
I’m not sure where your father is…?” She craned her neck to see out the door, shaking her head, her eyes flashing with annoyance. My heart plummeted. Forgetting that Dad had died over twenty years ago was something Mom did often. Having to remind her he was gone was not fun.

“Mom,” I began gently, “Dad died back in 1992, remember? Nic and I were only little.” Her face clouded over as the memory of Dad dying came back. I couldn’t imagine how painful it would
be having
to be reminded of that
every
single
day
.

“What happened?” she asked me tearfully. I explained it to her as I did every week: He’d had cancer of the liver. He’d fought hard for a year, then it had spread so much that treatment wasn’t an option. The last few months we all spent together, creating memories.

Memories that this disease would end up robbing from my mother.

I stayed with Mom until after lunch before I did some shopping and then headed back home. With an appointment at five, I had enough time to kick back and relax for a few minutes and then be on my way.

I threw a frozen dinner in the microwave and put it on high for five minutes. While I was waiting, I grabbed a can of soda and took it over to the sofa. Setting it down on the coffee table, I arrived back in the kitchen just as the microwave finished.

Yum. Frozen pot roast.

I stabbed at it with my fork, washing down the flavorless meat with mouthfuls of soda. It wasn’t great, but it still beat my own cooking. I forced the last mouthful down, and threw the container in the trash. Maybe I needed to hire a personal chef.

I freshened up—by which I mean I washed my face and changed my shirt, then headed out. I drove toward the hotel where my next client was waiting still thinking about Mom. I was so nervous the treatment wasn’t working. Too many days she seemed to be going backward. That had to be a bad sign. The worst thing about it was deep down, if I were completely honest with myself, a small part of me looked forward to the time when I could start the next phase of my life. Quit escorting. Do something else. God I felt so guilty even thinking about it, and maybe that was why I was so invested in doing everything I could to help Mom now. After all she’s done for me, it mortified me that even think about the future, when she was no longer around. Don’t get me wrong, I knew it was my choice to do what I do—nobody was holding a gun to my head. Plenty of other people have problems and deal with them.

I was definitely not as together as the front I put on.

Have you ever had that thought where you find yourself in a moment and wonder how the hell you got there?

Take right then for example: there I was, my foot resting on the edge of the bath in the penthouse of one of the most expensive hotels in New York with a fucking naked Oscar-winning actress bent over in front of me, taking my cock up her ass. And this was one hell of a bathroom to fuck anyone in; marble and brass everywhere, spotlessly clean (at least it was five minutes ago) and a deep Japanese-style plunge bath I hoped to be soaking in later. That was the one thing I missed in my apartment—a bath.

For sixty, Melinda Diveno certainly still had a healthy sexual appetite. She was “happily” married to her husband of over twenty years, but what I found most interesting about her was that out of respect to him, she declined any role with a graphic sex scene. Yet she saw no problem with paying me two grand to fuck her senseless twice a month.

“Oh lord, harder!” she cried, craning her neck as my grip on her waist tightened. This was it—she was about to orgasm, and I wasn’t far off either. Whoever said you couldn’t mix work with pleasure obviously wasn’t getting paid for sex.

“Come on, Melinda, come for me baby,” I crooned softly, as pushed myself harder and faster.

She whimpered as her body released.

I closed my eyes, my jaw tightening as I came, hard. “God, Mel, you’re so fucking sexy.” I pulled out of her and spun her around. Gripping her neck, my thumb resting on her chin, I tilted her head and kissed her roughly. She wrapped her arms around me, her lips crushing against mine.

“You’re such a sweetie, Coop.” She smiled and moved away, grabbing the bathrobe from the hook behind the door and sliding it over her shoulders before walking out into the living room. “Can I get you a drink?”

“Sure, thanks.” I wrapped a towel loosely around my waist and walked in after her. The king-sized bed, complete with a mountain of pillows and a plush duvet, sat against the far wall. The floor-to-ceiling windows showed part of the reason why this hotel was voted New York’s finest at the last year’s Hotel Association Awards—the view was fucking spectacular. I walked over to the
two burgundy
suede armchairs that sat in front of the TV, sliding down onto one. Melinda smiled at me, her face still flushed from our earlier fun.

She handed me a glass of wine. Her robe fitted snugly against her tight, slim body. She was hot, but then again, most of my clients were. I eyed her as she sat in the other chair, her robe slipping open, exposing her long, lean legs.

“I have no idea how I survived without you, Coop.” She stretched, lifting the glass to her lips. “You’re amazing.”

“I aim to please. Besides, fucking you is a privilege. You’re Melinda Diveno, for Christ’s sake. I feel like
I
should be paying
you
,” I chuckled softly.

I finished my wine and then went back to the bathroom to take a shower. Melinda came in as I soaped myself up. She watched me for a moment, her eyes not straying from my cock. Finally she looked up.

“I’m off, darling. I’ll see you next week. Stay for the night if you want to. Order room service.” She blew me a kiss and left.

She never showered after our sessions, which struck me as odd, considering she was going home to her husband. I don’t know about you, but I can smell sex on a person—especially a woman. There is something about the fragrance of a woman’s scent after she’s been intimate that is enough to drive me insane. Maybe her husband knew what she was up to, and maybe he didn’t. Not my problem. My only concern was making sure she was satisfied with the service I’d provided and making sure I treated her with the respect she deserved.

It wasn’t always just about the sex, but Melinda had never been big on the small talk. My clients get from me what they can’t get elsewhere in their lives, and when it came to her, she had a husband and kids. Why waste perfectly good fucking time with talking? Some women liked the banter, and for them that was all part of the experience. Every woman was different in what they wanted from me.

I got out of the shower, dried myself off, and then wrapped a towel around my waist before grabbing a can of soda from the minibar. Payments with most of my clients were done electronically because it was easier—especially when
you’re having
to draw out several thousand in cash every few weeks. And let’s face it, these days you can write off payments as anything, so leaving a paper trail wasn’t an issue.

After I finished my soda, I filled the tub and ordered room service—chocolate fudge cake with
ganache
and raspberry coulis—which I ate whilst immersed in the hot water. With the amount of sex I got I figured I could treat myself every now and then. With the amount of sex I had, I figured I could treat myself every now and then.

I shut off the taps just as there was a knock on the door.

By the time I got home it was well past midnight. I threw my keys down on the counter and took my shirt off. Unbuttoning my jeans, I stepped out of them and my boxers, leaving both in a pile on the floor. I climbed into bed, barely having the energy to pull back the sheets. Fuck, Melinda sucked the life out of me. She always left me feeling like I’d run a marathon. My phone beeped next to me. I reached for it.

Just caught the new cover for New Woman mag…apparently now I’m pregnant. B xx

I laughed. Bethany and I had a different kind of relationship from what I did with any of my other clients. With Beth, it wasn’t just business. I cared about all my clients, but I’d actually go out of my way to just hang with Beth—and I did. Every week—when she wasn’t working—we’d catch up. No sex, just two friends having a drink and a laugh. She was a fun girl with a great sense of humor. There wasn’t anything more there for either of us than friendship and great sex, and that kind of made our relationship even stronger. It was hard to be friends with someone you’re sleeping with, unless you find a way to separate the two things. It wasn’t always easy, but if it meant keeping our friendship in tact then I had to try and do just that.

I texted her back.

Crap, it’s not mine is it? See you Tuesday.

I put my phone back on the table and rolled over, drifting off to sleep.

Friday crept up on me way too quickly, but to be honest, I was looking forward to a few days
without
sex. Now that’s a comment I’d never expected to say.

Getting up to the cabin was a yearly ritual that I loved. It gave me time to spend with Nic, Jake, and the girls. It also gave me a break from work, which every now and then I really needed. The cabin was situated next to a lake, which meant fishing, hiking, and lots of relaxation
was
in store for the next few days.

I arrived at
Steenport
just after lunch. A tiny fishing town,
Steenport
consisted of a general store and a bait shop. There were several cabins scattered around the lake, and being a holiday weekend, most of them were occupied.

Pulling up in front of number three, I noticed another car alongside Nic and Jake’s. It wasn’t unusual for them to invite friends up there with us, so I wasn’t too concerned. Getting out of the car, I opened the trunk and grabbed my luggage. When I reached the door, I knocked loudly. The door swung open and both
Marlie
and Tully stood there grinning up at me.

“Uncle Coop!” they yelled in unison. They ran at me, almost knocking me over, and threw their arms around me.

“Hey guys,” I chuckled, hugging them back. “Wow, you two are getting huge!”

Tully rolled her eyes with her typical five-year-old attitude. “You only saw us last week,” she reminded me as if I was an idiot. I shook my head and gently tugged her hair.

With one of them on either side of me, holding my hands—or, more accurately, yanking me along—we walked toward the kitchen. I loved going there. The wooden cabin was huge, with its four bedrooms, oversized bathroom, and a large living area. A log fire kept the place warm at night. A balcony overlooked the lake and wrapped around half the cabin, big enough for an outdoor table setting and a Weber grill.

We walked into the kitchen, and were greeted by Nic and Jake. My attention turned to a woman who was sitting at the table, her hands clasped in front of her. She smiled at me, recognition flashing in her eyes. There was something so familiar about her, but exactly what, I couldn’t put my finger on.

Then it hit me.

Holy.
Fucking
. Shit.

Mia Westfield. The last time I’d seen her was when I was fifteen and she was fourteen. She’d been on her knees, behind her parents’ shed, giving me my first hummer.

Twelve years later she was sitting there, right in front of me, looking as sexy as hell.

She gaped at me. “Liam?” she asked, astonished.

Her mouth dropped open. Her dark brown hair hung loosely around her bare shoulders, the green top she was wearing clinched at the waist and brought out the emerald color of her eyes. Her tight jeans clung to the curves of her hips.
I was surrounded by beautiful women
every day, yet Mia’s natural beauty left me utterly speechless.

“Mia. What the hell are you doing here?” I sputtered, finally finding my voice, which came out as a squeak. Nic eyed me strangely as she emptied the dishwasher.

“You remember Mia?” Nic asked, surprised.

I nodded. How the fuck could I forget her?

‘Shocked’ was an understatement to describe how I was feeling. She was my sister’s childhood best friend. I’d had the biggest crush on Mia for four years, until she and her family relocated to Florida. The day before she left, she’d asked me to go with her down the back of her parents’ yard. Never in a million years had I expected what had happened next: Mia had made all my adolescent wet dreams come true in the space of five minutes.

“Wow, Liam. You look different from the last time I saw you.” She grinned. She bit her lip as she moved her gaze over my body.

I narrowed my eyes at her, not sure if she was playing with me. The last time I’d seen her, my pants had been around my ankles and my cock was in her mouth. Of course I looked different.

“So do you,” I replied, my eyebrows raised. “Last time I saw you, you were about this tall.” I motioned to the height of my crotch and she laughed, her eyes narrowing slightly as they locked on mine.

“Mia and I ran into each other the other day at the hairdresser’s. Can you believe it?”
Nic’s
voice startled me. I’d momentarily forgotten we were in a room full of people.

“So, what the hell are you doing back in New York? Are you back permanently?”

“I just moved back. My husband and I divorced, and I wanted to be closer to my parents. That, and I’m starting a new job at Mercy Hospital next week,” she grinned.

“Wow, that’s great. What do you do?” I asked.

“I’m a nurse.” She shook her head again. “I still can’t believe it’s you.” She glanced at Nic and frowned. “And I can’t believe we lost contact. I’ve thought about you guys a lot over the years.”

Nic nodded. She looked the happiest I’d ever seen her. “When I saw you the other day I was so rapt. I
hated
that we drifted apart after you moved. I’m so glad you could come up here with us.” She raced over and hugged Mia.

God, how I’d love to be the one hugging her.
I shook my head again.

Mia-fucking-Westfield
. This was unbelievable.

“So tell me everything,” she said as I pulled up a chair. “Married? Kids?”

“No and no,” I replied. “I was married, but things ended badly. Now, I’m just happy being single. I’m too caught up in work for a relationship right now.” Which was true. A relationship combined with my line of work was just asking for trouble.

“He works way too hard,” Nic chimed in. “Hey, are you in contact with anyone from school still? Candace Baker? Sally
Bunton
?”

She shook her head. “Not really. Moving back, it’s like starting completely over. Most of the people I used to know have either moved on or I’ve lost contact with.” She took another sip of her coffee and I tried not to notice the way her lips parted slightly as they met the edge of the cup. “That’s why I’m so looking forward to starting work. It will give me a chance to meet some people.”

“My friends and I catching up for a drink next weekend. You should come with us,” I said.

Nic glanced at me strangely. Not that I blamed her. Why the hell was I offering to take
her
friend out?

Coop, what are you doing?

Hell, I had no idea what I was doing. Trying to be nice, I think? What I
didn’t
consider was how many of my friends were just plain assholes when it came to pretty women. I could just imagine Pete trying to get her into his bed. Pete tried to get
everyone
into his bed.

“Maybe we could have a drink sometime and really catch up?” she suggested with a tiny shrug. “Pass me your phone and I’ll give you my number.”

I handed it to her.

She added her details and handed the phone back to me. Nic was looking back and forth at us like we were crazy. I began to chuckle; the look on her face was priceless.

“What the hell is going on here?” she demanded.

Mia blushed and looked at me. I was too busy laughing to answer.

“Probably not suitable for me to say with underage people in the room,” I said, hinting that the story wasn’t appropriate for the kids. Nic looked confused as she glanced at the kids and then her expression broke into one of astonishment.

“No! Please tell me you didn’t....” Her voice trailed off as she clapped her hand over her mouth in horror. “God,
eww
! Seriously?” she frowned, her mouth hanging open.

“It’s probably
not
what you’re thinking. But close.” I winked at her.

“Mia!” Nic gasped. “With my
brother
?”

“What?” Mia protested, laughing. “How come I’m in trouble? What about him?” She pointed at me. I stuck my tongue out at her.

“Oh come on. We both knew he had a thing for you—”

“Wait a minute,” I interrupted, holding up my hand. “You
knew
I had a crush on you?” I repeated. “And here I’ve been thinking all these years that I was the master of deception.”

Nic rolled her eyes. “Come
on
,” she said. “You followed us everywhere. Everyone knew. Even
Mom
knew you wanted to get in Mia’s pants.”

Oh god.
That
was a comment I wanted erased from my mind.

“Well, this changes everything.” I sighed dramatically. “I feel as though everything was based on a lie.”

“I’m sorry,” Mia chuckled, her hand over her mouth. I smirked at her. She wasn’t sorry; she didn’t fool me for a second.

Jake snorted. “Dude, if you scored out of it, I’d say that makes you the winner.”

I shrugged. “Fair enough. I’ll take that.” I stood up and walked to the fridge, grabbing a beer each for Jake and me. I tossed him a can. “Good talk. I’ll be outside. Coming?” I asked Jake. He laughed and nodded.

“You think I’m going to sit around here and listen to these two? Fuck yeah, I’m coming.” Nic glared at him, and he shut his mouth abruptly.

“Daddy said a rude word!” Tully whispered loudly, her eyes wide as she stared accusingly at Jake.

“You tell him off,” replied Nic, ruffling her hair.

“I’m sorry. Daddy won’t use a bad word ever again,” he assured her. I chuckled and walked outside, leaving Jake to deal with his language problem.

Leaning against the balcony, I took in the view. It was stunning. The mountains in the background, the tall trees,
the
gray sky…it all tied in to create a perfect winter afternoon. Despite the beauty of the scenery before me, it was the beauty inside that was still occupying my mind.

“Lovely, isn’t it?” I turned to my left and saw Mia.

“Stunning,” I mumbled, my eyes on her.

She blushed and looked down.

“So I’m still in a little bit of shock that you’re here,” I added with a stupid grin on my face.

Very smooth, Coop
.

“I’m glad I came. It’s great to see you again.” She paused, her lips parting into a smile. “You’ve definitely grown into your body.” Her gaze ran over me.

I laughed. “Are you saying I was a skinny teenager?” I teased.

“No. I mean yes—”

“It hurts me that you’d be so shallow,” I joked. “Next you’ll be telling me I was ugly. Go on, hurt a man while he’s down,” I chuckled.

She reached over and whacked me. “Stop twisting my words.” She grinned. “I was just saying you’ve definitely changed. In a good way.” Her eyes swept over me again, this time resting on my crotch. The way she was looking at me was enough to send a shiver down my spine.

“You haven’t changed much at all,” I said honestly. “You’re taller and older obviously, but you still have that dark, dark hair that curls at the end, and the deepest green eyes I’ve ever seen.”

She smiled and looked down again, her face flushing at my compliment.

“And those lips,” I sighed. “God, I used to dream about those lips every night.”

Did I just say that out loud?

The sliding door opened, and Jake joined us outside before she could reply. I wanted to hug the man for his timing. “Mia, Nic wants to know if you want a wine.”

Mia smiled. “I’ll go in.” She nodded, flashing me a smile, then headed back inside.

After she was gone, Jake let out a low whistle.

“That’s some serious sexual tension there, man. I hope you’re going to, uh, work that to your advantage?” He winked at me and I laughed.

As much fun as that would be, that was not the sort of complication my life needed at the moment. And besides, this weekend was all about no sex.

“I don’t think so, man. Women complicate life.”

Jake laughed. “Don’t I know it.
”

After dinner, the kids went to bed and the four of us sat around the fire, drinking. Nic and Jake snuggled together on the sofa while Mia and I occupied the two armchairs. I reached forward and grabbed a handful of chips.

“God, I hope those two sleep in tomorrow,” groaned Nic. She rested her head on Jake’s shoulder.

“Good luck with that,” I chuckled. Nic shot me a look.

“Speaking of sleep, I’m absolutely wrecked,” yawned Nic. She turned to Jake. “Come on. We’re going to bed.”

“If you say so,” Jake said, rolling his eyes. It was easy to see who wore the pants in their relationship.

I turned to Mia.
“Do you want another drink?” I asked, gesturing to her empty glass.

“I should probably head to bed too…but why the hell not?”

I took her glass from her outstretched hand and wandered into the kitchen. I poured her wine and grabbed a beer for myself. I walked back into the room and she shivered as I handed the drink to her.

“Cold?” I asked.

She nodded.

I walked over to the closet behind the front door and retrieved a thick blue blanket.

“Thanks.” She smiled. “So, how about this, huh?”

I chuckled.
Yep.
How about this.

The last thing I’d expected to be doing over the weekend was…well,
anything
with Mia Westfield. She reached for the remote and turned on the TV. It was blaringly loud. She jumped and frantically pressed the volume button as I laughed.