The Virgin Sex Queen (17 page)

Virgin. Sophie
Willow was a virgin. Alan grinned slowly.

“Okay, Ghost,
okay. Game face on. I’ve got my game face on. Yes, I am the sex
goddess. I know it all, I’ve done it all.” Sophie laughed. “Yes,
I’ll ring you if I panic or need help. Thanks Ghost.”

Alan didn’t
hear anymore. Instead, still grinning widely, he leaned one
shoulder against the wall and crossed his ankles, waiting.

Sophie Willow,
virgin. Erotic romance writer, virgin. Air of experience, but
virgin. Oh yeah, that tasted sweet, so very, very sweet.

He heard her
put the phone down and waited. When she came around the doorway and
turned into the hall, her eyes widened at the sight of him, her
lush, pink lips parting.

Virginal lips
that had
never
wrapped around a man’s shaft and sucked him
dry. No, those lips were as pure as driven snow.

“Well, well,
well,” he drawled. “If it isn’t little Sophie Willow.” He smiled, a
flash of white teeth as predatory as he felt. “The
Virgin
Sex Queen.”

Her face went
white.

“So, Sophie.”
Alan wagged a finger at her. “Got something to tell me?”

“No.” She
swallowed.

“Going to
brazen it out, Soph?”

“Nothing to
brazen out.”

“How about the
truth?”

“I don’t know
what you’re talking about.” She started to walk past him, but he
caught her arms, swinging her around easily so that she was backed
against the wall, her wide eyes looking up at him.

Catching her
wrists in his hands, he pinned them each side of her head. Oh yeah,
he loved the look of her pinned against the wall at his mercy. His
virginal little Sophie. “Keeping secrets?” he whispered. “Bad girl,
Soph. And you know what happens to bad girls, don’t you?” When she
simply swallowed, he placed his mouth to her ear. “Remember that
titillating talk at the dinner table?”

He felt her
quiver, a little tremor that went right through her. Oh yeah, she
might talk about spankings like she had them regularly, but she’d
never had a hand touch her pristine, curvaceous bottom.
Hallelujah!

“So maybe I
should demonstrate, Sophie, just so you’ll be able to really
experience it, really know what you’re talking about when you write
it.” Unable to resist it, he added, “So you won’t be lying.”

She started to
panic, he could hear it in her voice, feel it in the way she
strained against his hold. “I’m not lying! I don’t know what
you-”

“I heard it
all, Soph.” He shifted back a little. “The Sex Queen isn’t so
experienced. Now I know exactly what you are.”

For a second he
thought she was going to deny it, try to lie her way out of it, and
he grinned. He’d like to see her try. But she suddenly slumped
against the wall, her head dropping forward. When she didn’t reply,
didn’t swear at him or threaten to geld him as expected, he
frowned, all amusement fleeing. “Soph?”

“Please.” Her
voice was thick. “Please, Alan. Please don’t tell anyone.”

Jesus, was she
crying? A cold hand swept through him, followed closely by concern.
“Soph? Are you crying?”

She shook her
head.

“Then look at
me.” When she refused, he caught her chin between thumb and
forefinger and tilted her head up. The misery in her eyes caught at
him. “Soph?”

“Please don’t
tell. Please Alan. You’ll ruin me.”

God, did she
really think that badly of him? Now he felt lower than a worm’s
belly, and that was pretty damned low. “Of course I won’t tell.
Shit, Sophie, what kind of bloke do you think I am?”

“I don’t know.”
She blinked back a tear, making his gut clench. “My
reputation…”

“Most girls
don’t want your kind of reputation,” he joked, trying to make her
smile. Laugh. Anything but cry.

It didn’t help.
Another tear was blinked away. “I’m not pretending to be a
slut.”

“Far from it.
You’re a virgin.” When her face started to crumple, he wrapped his
arms around her, hugging her to him. “Soph, of course I won’t tell.
Cripes, I’m not a total arsehole. Now stop crying or Debbie will
know something has happened.”

“Something did
happen.” Her voice was muffled against his chest. “You found
out.”

“And it’s not
the end of the world.” Pushing her back a little, he wiped the tear
from her cheek with his thumb, tenderness stealing through him as
she looked up at him hopelessly. “Now stop crying, Soph. Game face,
remember? You still have to face that mob out there. Remember,
you’re the Sex Queen.”

Now she
blushed.

“At least as
far as anyone apart from you and I are concerned. Okay?”

“Alan-”

He shook his
head. “We’ll talk later. Right now we have a barbie to go back to
otherwise people will start wondering where we are and come
looking.” Releasing her, he gave her a little push towards the
bathroom. “Dry those tears, chickie. Wash your face, pull yourself
together and come on out.” When she cast a distressed look back at
him, he said sternly, “Your secret is safe with me, Soph, now do as
I tell you.”

He waited only
long enough for her to shut the bathroom door behind her before
retreating to the kitchen to pick up the can of light beer. The
evening had turned out to be very enlightening in more ways than
one. Yeah, Sophie was upset, her secret revealed to him, but hell,
he couldn’t help but be happy. Very happy. Very smugly satisfied,
in fact.

No man had ever
touched his Soph in any way. Yeah, that knowledge felt bloody
awesome. No lecherous male had pawed at her, seen or tasted her
delectable body, undressed her voluptuous curves, or experienced
anything even vaguely sexual with her.

Feeling like he
could beat his chest and howl at the moon in triumph, he left the
house and returned to the table.

Marty cast him
a curious glance, his gaze flickering from Alan to the house and
back.

Alan just
smiled, popped the tab on the can and waited.

Sure enough,
Sophie slid into the chair beside him minutes later.

“Are you all
right?” Chelsea asked. “Your eyes are a little red.”

“I had a drink
of water,” Sophie relied cheerfully. “It went down the wrong way.
Just about coughed up a lung.”

“Agh, I hate
when that happens.”

Alan slanted a
glance at her and she happened to glance at him at the exact same
moment. She stiffened slightly, he just smiled amiably and started
talking to Frank.

Sam brought the
meat to the table and sat down. The bowls of salad and meat were
passed up and down the table and everyone was soon eating. Alan was
certain no one else noticed how polite Sophie was being to him, but
he missed her sharpish tongue and sense of humour. Damn, he had to
get them back to that. He liked hearing her laugh, loved surprising
her, loved teasing her.

When she was
still being polite at dessert time, he turned to her with the full
intention of teasing her about something to do with anything but
her writing, only to be waylaid by Elsie.

“Oh my, the
cream and strawberries on these Pavlovas remind me of a scene from
Hot in the Kitchen
.” She smacked her lips. “I’ve never been
able to look at a can of spray cream the same way.”

Alan knew just
how she felt.

Smiling, Sophie
lowered her eyelashes over her eyes. How long had it taken her to
gain that knowing air? Especially given that she’d never had cream
sprayed up her whazoo. Or been eaten out. He could certainly take
care of that. Would love to, in fact. Not the cream bit, the only
thing he wanted in her whazoo was his finger, tongue and dick.
Crude but true.

If she knew
what he was thinking she’d slap his lights out. Maybe he’d wait
awhile before suggesting it. Would tomorrow be too soon? Jesus,
he’d wanted to do more than kiss her since he’d shared that
cream-filled smooch with her in the kitchen. Just the memory had
his toes curling.

“I’ll say.”
Chelsea sighed dreamily. “You know how to make a girl think of
different positions, Soph, I’ll give you that. How did you find
time to personally research all of that?”

“Yeah, Soph?”
Alan couldn’t help but ask.

Immediately she
stiffened, but it was swift and she turned to him with a warm smile
and cold, warning eyes.

Ooohhh, it was
snowing in hell.

Alan smiled
widely at her.

“I make time
for all my little projects,” she said.

“I’m glad you
write those experiences down,” Elsie announced. “I go through a
panty per chapter.”

Frank
sighed.

“Is that all?”
Chelsea asked. “I go through-”

“Chels!” Max
groaned.

“Control your
wife, please,” Sam begged. “My ears are burning, my brain will go
into overload and I’ll stroke out. There are some things brothers
just don’t need to know!”

If Sophie
thought she was getting away with anything she was wrong, because
Elsie looked at her admiringly. “You must get a lot of people
asking you for sex advice, Soph.”

“Oh, I-”

“I mean, is
there anything you haven’t done?”

Alan grinned.
She’d be surprised.

Before Sophie
could answer, Debbie spoke mockingly. “Sounds like you’ve done
everything but have sex dangling from the chandelier.”

Dying to hear
Sophie’s answer to that, Alan looked at her and caught the little
flicker in her eyes, a little flicker that apparently only he
noticed.

She glanced
briefly at him before lying right out. “There are such things as
harnesses, Debbie.”

“Really.”
Debbie smirked disbelievingly. “With who? A man?”

Damned if the
bitch was going to trip up Sophie. “Yeah,” Alan said, “because she
certainly didn’t do it alone.”

Sophie cast him
another glance, this one almost panicked. Good grief, was he going
to dob her in? Now he knew her secret, he could destroy her. Would
he do it? His smile was devilish, his eyes gleaming as they went
from her to Debbie and back again.

“Yeah,” Alan
repeated with a slow, lazy grin. “I remember that harness.”

It wasn’t only
Sophie’s eyes that widened.

“Oh, come on,
Soph.” He waggled his fork at her playfully. “Time to confess.”

Oh shit. He was
going to dob her in. She felt her palms break out in a sweat.

Debbie looked
eagerly from Sophie to Alan and back again. “Confess?”

“Yeah.” Alan
took a leisurely bite of Pavlova and chewed. “The harness was fun,
but boy, it was pretty mild compared to some of the things we
experimented with. Right, Soph?”

Her heart
stopped. Then hiccuped. Then resumed beating. “Ah…yes?” She
couldn’t help the squeak in her voice. The shock.

“Oh, come on,
Soph.” He grinned widely. “Time to stop hiding and come out into
the open. We had sex. Often. Hot and heavy. And plenty of it.”

Debbie
gaped.

Marty’s mouth
fell open.

Sam’s eyes were
wide, but the light in them wasn’t amused. “Jesus, Alan! Before she
left town? She was a kid!”

Alan rolled his
eyes. “I take holidays, remember? Sometimes I actually leave town.
Soph and I hooked up a few times.” His grin widened even more as he
looked Sophie directly in the eyes.

It was a wicked
look, dangerously wicked, and she didn’t know whether to gulp, hide
or just stay as she was, frozen on the spot. With her mouth hanging
open.

“I don’t
believe it,” Debbie murmured.

Neither did
Marty, going from his shocked expression.

“Believe it.”
Alan took another hearty bite of Pavlova. “This erotic romance
writer knows what she’s writing about. Trust me, her experiences
and ideas are based in reality.” He waggled his eyebrows. “If you
know what I mean.”

Sam looked like
he just might murder Alan.

Alan sighed
happily. “She is
the
Sex Queen.”

“Is this true?”
Debbie demanded.

“Yeah,” Elsie
echoed. “Is it? Did you and Alan hook up?”

Sophie dragged
her fascinated gaze from Alan to look at the women.

“Yeah,” Frank
added. “Is it?”

What else could
she do but add her lie to Alan’s? To deny it now would cast a
shadow on her reputation. Most things she could lie lightly about,
hell, she’d known that Alan had said he wouldn’t blow her cover,
but that he’d suddenly cast himself in the role of her sometimes
lover? Ye gods.

More than aware
of every speculating eye on her, every breath held in anticipation
and, in some cases, a touch of disbelief, what could she do?

Especially with
Alan watching her, the challenge in his eyes only visible to
her.

Leaning back in
her chair, Sophie plucked Alan’s fork from his hand and stabbed it
into the untouched sausage still on his plate. One hard stab, the
tines going through the meat to ding on the plate. Bringing it to
her lips, she licked the end of it nice and slow - which had some
of the men gulping - slowly engulfed a small portion of it, bit
down suddenly with an audible click of her teeth - which had the
same men flinching - and chewed leisurely and with obvious
enjoyment before swallowing and licking her lips.

No longer
amused, Alan’s eyes were hot. Oh God, were they hot. His gaze
followed every movement of her tongue and lips.

Picking up the
napkin, she delicately patted her mouth before picking up her glass
of Diet Coke and smiling around at them all. “Yes, it’s true.”

Turning to look
directly at Alan, she met his challenge with one raised
eyebrow.

Smiling right
back at her, he picked up his glass of beer and held it loosely in
long fingers as he touched his lips to the brim. “Yeah.” His voice
was husky. “And we’ve hooked up this time as well.”

What the
hell…?
It took all Sophie’s control not to gape at him. “Have
we?”

“Oh, sugar.” He
practically purred. “You do like to tease.” His eyes smouldered.
“As we both know.”