Turn It Up (21 page)

“Good luck, man. Thanks for calling.”

Charlie stared at Bastian in rabid fascination. “My, my, my, Doc, you went above and beyond the call of duty with that little tidbit. Just a fount of information, aren’t you?”

“I take my job seriously.”

Seriously maybe, but humor lurked in his tone.

“I see that and now I’m seriously wishing for a shower.”

“Showers are nice, but I like oysters, Honey.” His tease brought swift warmth flooding her panties. Dr. Hot was turning up some heat of his own.

“Ah, yes, but can you find the hidden pearl?”

“No sense in going oyster diving if you’re not going to find the buried treasure.” Sizzling lust beamed from his eyes, a promise veiled in innuendo.

Charlie canted her head. “Nice to know, Doc. I like a man who can handle his gemstones. You ready for another caller?”

“Yep.”

“Hello, caller, you’re live with Doc and Honey. What can we help you with?”

Behind her, the door creaked and the rich scent of coffee filled the room as Justine brought a heavy-bottomed station mug in. Bastian took it with a grateful look and she ruffled his hair. Justine treated Bastian like one of her college-aged sons, including scolding him when she thought he needed it. Charlie shook her head at the silent offer for a cup and tuned in to the young woman on the line.

“Hi, Doc. Hi, Honey. I love your show. I learn so much. I just have a quick question. Are flavored condoms as strong as regular ones? Someone told me the flavoring weakens the latex or whatever.”

“Flavored condoms go through the same testing and regulations nonflavored ones do.” Charlie kicked off her sandals and pulled her leg up under her behind. “The only thing with flavored condoms is the closer they get to their shelf-life end, the more likely the taste is going to change and sometimes it gets nasty. They are just as durable in every other way.”

“Great, thanks, Honey. Give Doc a smooch for me. Bye.”

“Okay, I’m going to take that caller’s advice and spend a few minutes smooching on the good doctor. You all do some smooching of your own and we’ll be back in three. See you soon, lovers.”

With the commercial plugged in, Charlie muted the sound and hit the seldom-used timer before spinning her chair to the man beside her. “Oysters, huh?”

“The caller said it, not me.” Behind the spill-proof mug, his smirk preceded a chuckle. “So are you going to start smooching anytime soon?”

“Want a kiss, do you?”

“I want more than that but I’ll take a few kisses.”

Reaching behind her, she grabbed a handful of silver-wrapped chocolates and placed them on the console before him. “Have as many as you like.”

“Not exactly what I had in mind, but the sugar won’t kill me, I guess.” He reached for a candy, his eyes locked on her. “So are you playing hard to get now?”

“Getting hard is your department. I just like torturing you.”

“You do it well.”

“So how are your boys doing, Bastian? Sure they don’t need a little smooching to take the sting away?”

“Let’s quit talking about my balls, okay? They ache enough without you getting things all worked up and turning them blue.”

He unwrapped a chocolate and popped it in his mouth. Deliberately, she shifted on her seat, raising her bare feet to his leg. It wasn’t an uncommon position for them and he dropped his palm to her arch, intent on rubbing her foot. His hand stilled as his eyes fell to her bare leg beneath the hiked green print skirt. Provocatively, she bent one knee further, the skirt sliding higher.

He swallowed quickly and glanced away. “Uh, Charlie, are you wearing underwear?”

“I don’t know, am I?”

He focused on the partition and sucked in a loud breath. Justine silently went about her work, ignoring them in her normal way. He didn’t drop his eyes from the older woman.

“Okay, that’s not fair. Now I’m dying of curiosity. You can’t expect me to sit here thinking about this for the rest of the show.”

“So find out.”

Low and sultry, her tease dared him and she parted her legs a fraction more. His hand slipped under her calf and slid upward. Even with his long arms, he was too far away to reach past her midthigh unless he leaned over. She waited and watched. Bastian pulled his hand away, wheeled his chair a foot closer and cupped her calf once more. His eyes never left the control room window as his fingers traveled up the outside of her thigh. At the curve of her hip, his chest began to rise and fall rapidly. His touch slipped under the fabric and skimmed up nearly to the band of her skirt.

“Tell me they’re just really high-cut.”

“Could be. Don’t you want to find out for sure?”

“Justine—”

“Isn’t paying attention and can’t see below the console.”

“She can hear us.”

“She has her headset off.” Placing her hand on top of his through her skirt, Charlie slid it over the front of her thigh. He continued the slow move, curving between her legs, never lowering his gaze from the manager. His caress sent her stomach into quivers. Every ounce of her focus was centered on his journey. The very tips of his fingers grazed bare flesh. He drew a loud gasp and held it. It eked out with a soft groan.

“You’re killing me.”

“Killing you is not my intention.” Wantonly, she let her legs part, the skirt hiding their connection but both of them very aware. His hand moved higher, liquid silk smoothing his butterfly-light path. His eyes closed as he traced the outer dampness of her sex.

The buzzing timer jerked his hand away. Charlie pulled her feet from his lap, silenced the buzzer and keyed up the theme music. Justine slid her headset back over her ears. Bastian tugged at his crotch. The look he gave her was pure agonized awe.

“Welcome back, lovers. Did you miss us? I missed you. Poor Doc was falling asleep during the break and I had to do something to wake him up. You okay, now, Doc? Was that little bit of sugar enough to get you up and moving?”

Bastian had to lick his lips before speaking. “Thanks, I’m wide awake now, Honey. Wide. Awake. And up.” The hurried sip of coffee seemed hard for him to swallow. Silently, he shook his finger at her like a naughty child though his eyes were sparkling.

“Glad to hear it. There’s more chocolate in my bag if you need another lift, okay? Let’s go straight to the phone lines.”

While a woman told a rambling prelude, Bastian leaned in and pressed his lips to Charlie’s ear. “That’s one point.” He brushed her cheek with a soft kiss before pulling back, a glazed film to his look.

“…so is it possible?”

Charlie had to scramble to recall the question. Bastian’s hot breath had stuttered her brain and blanked her mind. “Uh, just to clarify, you’re asking if it’s possible to have an orgasm just from kissing? No intimate touches at all, just lips on lips?”

“Yeah, because I don’t believe her but she swears it’s true.”

“She’s right. It’s unusual but not unheard of. The largest sex organ
is
the brain. If you turn that on, things just kind of kick in naturally. So, yes, it is possible but between you and me, there’s a whole lot missing in that scenario. Kind of like Thanksgiving with a turkey but no pie, potatoes or cranberries, you know?”

“I hear you.” The caller laughed and Charlie disconnected the line before opening another.

“Hello, caller, you’re live on
Let’s Talk about Sex
with Doc and Honey. What can we do for you tonight, lover?”

“Can you answer something for me?” The rich masculine voice was softened in shyness, and Charlie cocked her head in curiosity.

“We can try. What’s your name?”

“Simon. I have never done oral sex. Not opposed to the idea, it just hasn’t happened. I’m not sure how. I mean, I’ve heard guys say write the alphabet with your tongue, others say it doesn’t work. Does it?”

Bastian chuckled and leaned forward. “Simon, if you’re concentrating on the alphabet, you’re thinking too hard. Forget what you hear in the locker rooms. Just listen to your partner, talk to her if you’re really unsure, find out what she prefers. There is no one technique. It’s what feels good to both of you.”

“Doc speaketh wisely, Simon, so listen closely. Think about it. What’s interesting about the letter
K?
Not a thing. Although the letters
O
and
T
are pretty nice,
B, Z
and
H
are a waste of energy.”

“You’ve thought about this a bit, haven’t you, Honey?” Bastian laughed.

“Sure have, Doc. I learned my ABC’s in kindergarten; I don’t need a refresher course in the bedroom.”

“Okay, I got that,” Simon broke in. “But like I said, I’ve never done that, yet. I have a lady friend that…I want to do this for her but it’s a little…Oh, never mind. Why can’t there be an instruction manual for stuff like this?”

“Simon, relax.” Soothing and gentle, Bastian’s bedside manner flowed over the airwaves like melted chocolate. “A lot of it will come naturally if you care about your partner, a lot more when you listen to what she wants, what she likes. Don’t get stressed over it. It’s not a competition or a test. It’s pleasing your partner and, in turn, feeling good about that.”

“Hey, Simon.” Charlie straightened her spine and laid her hands flat on the console. “Go buy a can of halved peaches in heavy syrup. Trust me on this, okay? Similar size and shape, texture’s not too far off and the syrup is self-explanatory. Think of it as a visual training manual.”

“Really?”

“Really. And the best thing you can do is look for the little nub that holds the pit inside the fruit. That is the key to a successful…session. Remember, nubbin, good, alphabet, bad. Good luck, lover.”

“Peaches?” Bastian’s tone was astonished as the phone line closed. Mouth open, he stared at her. “Where’d you get that idea?”

“Now, Doc, if I told you all my little hidden talents, it’d ruin a few surprises in your possible future. You wouldn’t want that, would you?”

“I don’t know. At this minute, I have to say my brain is no longer functioning properly. You’ve totally floored me with that exercise. Never again will I look at canned fruit the same way. And I don’t know about any of the listeners, but I have a sudden intense craving for honeyed peaches.”

She swayed one leg back and forth. Like a magnet, his eyes fell to the skirt bunched around her hips, barely hiding what he knew didn’t lurk beneath. “Now, I can arrange for that treat any time you like, Doc. Just say the word.”

“The word is
stop.
Two points to Honey for driving me crazy,” he growled, yanking his head up and grabbing for a silvered kiss. “Take a call. Fast.”

Her laugh rang loud as she clicked the phone line. Through the male caller’s greeting, Bastian ran an unsteady hand down his face, blinking several times. He drank deeply for long seconds before lowering the mug.

“…vasectomy mean you have less feeling or, you know, are less…aggressive in bed?”

“No.” Regaining his voice, he sat straighter in the chair. Defensiveness flashed in his eyes and a forced calm cooled his tone. “All a vasectomy does is block the live sperm from mixing with the seminal fluid before ejaculation. It does not affect testosterone levels, masculinity or anything of that nature. Aggressiveness, sexual competency or skill in bed…Being a man doesn’t come from a sperm count.”

Catching Justine’s eye, he held up his empty mug with a pleading look and she nodded. A more normal flow to his words poured out.

“Most times, if there are issues, they’re more emotional than physical. A large number of men find sex better, more pleasurable, after a vasectomy because the worry of birth control is removed. If you or your partner are having any sensation problems, you need to talk to your doctor. There’s always the extremely small chance there was some nerve damage, but it’s not likely.”

Silent as a deaf church mouse, Justine slipped into the room to take his wide-bottomed cup for a refill. The door made no sound as she closed it behind her.

“Good to know, Doc. Time for a quickie in the broom closet, so sit tight, lovers. Doc and I will be right back with emails from you. Then we’re going to lube up and slide on into the tally sheets in the Race for Wed or Bed. Stick around. We’ll slide back in three.”

As Charlie fingered the controls, Bastian reached for her. His tongue burst into her mouth on her surprised gasp. Cupping her face, he plundered and captured. Hunger laced his kiss. Her hands flew to his before sliding onto his arm. His biceps hinted at how he struggled with his desire, filling her with intoxicating feminine power.

There wasn’t a damn thing lacking in his sexual aggressiveness.

“The no-underwear thing was bad enough, but peaches? Do you know what sitting beside you, talking about oral sex, knowing you’re naked under that skirt, is doing to me?”

“Yes,” she whispered with a smile. “I believe it’s called seduction.”

“It’s called twisting me inside out. Stop it. My nuts hurt and I’m too tired to fight,” he grumbled against her mouth. He nibbled and nipped, sharing his flavors of chocolate and coffee. Each taste was exquisite, surging lust through her until it settled deep between her thighs with a dull wet ache. Buried in his chest, a sound she now recognized as want rumbled, increasing the sweet pulse.

The click of the door handle forced his lips from hers. Bastian spun to the sleeping laptop as the door opened wide.

“Here you go, Doc. This is only regular strength or you’ll never sleep tonight.”

“Thanks, Justine. Appreciate it.” She set the mug on the console edge and left the room as the printer fired up. Charlie faded the commercial block down and the theme music up and used her toe to nudge his backside. Over his shoulder, they shared a secret smile of stolen kisses.

“Welcome back, lovers. Our own Dr. Hot is over in the corner yanking things out of the printer so let’s see what lover-ly letters you sent to us via the World Wide Web. Having trouble yanking there, Doc?”

“Not at all, Honey. It’s just too hot to handle at the moment. Want to blow on it and see if it cools down any?”

Charlie let a purr trill out. “Oh, I love it when you talk about warm email, Doc. It makes me all tingly.”