Wicked Steps (12 page)

Ellery

What a jerk. I was still shaking as I began to fill the tub.
How dare he pretend to know how I feel?
In retrospect, he hit the nail on the head, but at least I was able to cut him, too. It appeared some of my words hit closer to home than he cared for.

I snorted as I sat in the hot water. I didn’t want him to be Hartman. Pain had been central to his idea of pleasure. I didn’t want that with Kieran. Maybe he was unaware of his father’s abusive sexual tendencies.

An hour or two with him would be worth it. I wanted the gallery and my freedom. He’d been right; this arrangement was nothing new. I’d done it with Hartman, and the guilt weighed heavily on me. How many more years would I carry the burden of this memory?

I toweled myself off and retrieved a lilac panty and bra set from my drawer. Did what I wore matter? I’d already seen him naked. And tonight, he barged in here with nothing but jeans on. He hadn’t even bothered to zip them. I licked my lips and closed my eyes as I leaned against the mirrored door.

I was a thirty-five-year-old woman bargaining with a much younger man for my life’s dream. I hated the fact that, deep inside, I wanted him. I didn’t care about the consequences. I wanted to touch every part of him. I wanted to feel his fire. To have that ardent heat ignite my senses and singe every inch of skin.

Jesus, Elle. This isn’t a rescue mission. You can’t save him. He’s an empty shell with devious intentions. He let the memory of his father’s actions control how he lived his life.

How was my existence any different? We both had shared a tumultuous relationship with him.

I dressed in a rather plain, pale-violet dress, not actually fall attire, but the house was warm and he had a fireplace in his room. I did as he asked and didn’t wear shoes. That request had seemed off to me. I was expecting him to say, “Don’t wear underwear,” which was more his style. My hair fell loose as I dotted on clear lip-gloss. I was angry with myself for attempting to make myself attractive. This wasn’t a date. This was a business merger.

Holy God, what am I doing? This is crazy.

I walked tentatively down the stairs, ducked into the kitchen, and grabbed the vodka from the freezer. Normally, I had to have a mixer, but tonight called for absolute courage. I coughed as I drank, thinking,
No pun intended
. After two shots, my face felt flushed and my body relaxed. Of course, the path to Kieran’s room rekindled my nervousness. There wasn’t any amount of booze that could stifle my anxiety about sharing his bed.

I heard soft music coming from beneath the door… and whispering. Now I was confused. Maybe it was the TV or he was talking to himself.

I knocked on the door.

“Come in, baby.”

Come in, baby
? Now, that was odd. He’d never called me that, and after our last conversion, baby wasn’t what I expected as an endearment. And his voice sounded odd. I opened the door to find him propped up on the bed. An extremely young and attractive woman was lying beside him. My eyes got huge as I stood there floundering like a fish.

“Have a seat here,” he said as he darted from the bed.

He took me by the hand and guided me to a chair. My legs shook as I sat. I couldn’t wrap my mind around the visual. Was he expecting a threesome? Because that was
never
going to happen.

“What is this?” I asked, looking up at him, thanking God he still had pants on. I refused to let my eyes stray to the woman. I suddenly wished I’d worn better clothes and put on more makeup. I felt self-conscious and old.

“This, Ellery, is Landy. She’s a friend of mine.” He laughed as he passed a look to the woman on his bed. “Okay, friend with benefits. Landy, this is my stepmother, Ellery.”

My face reddened all the way to my breasts. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, will you stop saying that? Every single thing that comes out of your mouth sounds lewd,” I snapped, lowering my voice. “Your father is dead, so even if I was your stepmother, I’m not presently, so quit announcing that to everyone as if it were fact.”

“What bothers you more, the fact that I’m younger or that I’m your stepson? Either way, we both know how tonight ends.”

I started to get up, but he stopped me with his body as he placed an arm on each side of the chair, corralling me in. “Please. I’m asking you to stay. And I never ask. I demand. See, you’re already a good influence on me. The gallery is yours. I swear. Just submit for tonight and do what I ask.”

My body began to hum as his mouth moved toward mine. “If you’re going to hurt me, I want no part of this.”

“I won’t hurt you. Well… not unless you ask. Didn’t anyone ever tell you the line between pleasure and pain is so narrow you can balance on it like a tight rope? But you need to know how to tread the edge.”

I suddenly felt suffocated. His face was too close, along with his body. “I thought we were…”

He jerked away from me as he laughed. “What did you think? We would make passionate love? Oh, Ellery, I want to fuck, not romance you. And if I learned nothing else, I know the difference between the two. Now sit in this chair, because I want to observe you. Then I’ll return the favor and let you watch. If you’re lucky, you may get to participate.”

My hands gripped the embroidered padded arms of the chair. I hated that he had this power over me. If I had the strength, I’d leave. But my gallery was at stake. It wasn’t just Salacity. I wanted him just for this night because I was weak and starving. But the other woman posed a problem for me, because regardless of how broad-minded I was, sharing him was not an option.

I stared as he whispered something to the woman. She laughed as she drifted her hand over his crotch. His eyes impaled me to my very core when he saw me watching.

He gestured the woman off the bed. She was wearing a pinstriped men’s shirt, obviously his. They’d been together while I’d been at work. Maybe he was doing her while I was upstairs. Was this who he was with the last three days? There was no way I could compete with her.

She strolled over to me and handed me a flute of champagne. As I took a sip, she began to unbutton her shirt. My lips paused as she reached the final button. In awkwardness, I gulped the last of my drink as I watched the fabric flutter to the floor.

She seemed unabashed by her nudity. Her body was amazing, and for some reason, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Her breasts were large and incredibly perfect. They were obviously implants, but her surgeon did an amazing job. You had to admire a person who took their craft seriously. Her stomach was flat and toned, embellished by a diamond stick through her belly button. Good God, was everyone pierced?

As my eyes drifted downward, I saw her sex was bare. From what I could see, she was hairless everywhere. This woman obviously took care of herself, even the flesh under the clothing. I worked hard to keep my body and mind in shape, but being waxed or pierced—I was too old for that shit. I’d never even thought about being intimate with another man until Kieran arrived. The music grew louder as the woman began gyrating her hips. I tilted my head back but kept my eyes open. I felt strangely peaceful and calm. This woman captivated me.

“You really are beautiful, you know. I can see why he likes you,” she murmured as she struggled to pull my dress over my head. I wanted to say no, but for some reason, I lost the ability to speak. My body felt both frozen and like Jell-O.

“Beautiful. You take my breath away,” I heard Kieran utter.

I gazed at him through cloudy eyes and watched as he removed his pants and began stoking his hardened shaft. The skill it took to manipulate his fingers and thumb through his piercings was intoxicating. I wanted to go to him right then, but the energy required to get out of the chair was too much.

“Let’s get you naked. Then we’ll be twins.” I looked up at Landy as she unhooked the front of my bra. “Rise up a little for me. Can you do that, baby?” She pinched both sides of my panties, and I felt them slide down my legs. I was now nude, but not embarrassed. Any previous inhibitions I might have had simply vanished. “God, your pussy’s hot,” she moaned as I felt a soft finger brush along the seam.

The contact startled me as I looked over at Kieran for assistance. His eyes were fixated on me as he spit into his hand and slipped it up and down faster on his cock. My emotions were out of control. I was letting a woman seduce me while he was jacking off. I had no idea what was happening; confusion obscured my mind and obviously my judgment.

Landy tilted up my chin toward her as she bent to kiss me.

No. What the hell?
I don’t kiss women. I’m not gay. What is happening to me? Why am I not stopping her?

When our lips met, it was soft and feathery, nothing like kissing him, which had been rough and demanding. She increased the pressure on my mouth as her tongue eased in. I’d never had a French kiss so gentle and warm. I leaned into her, not being able to stop myself. Her hand drifted to my left breast, and she flicked the nipple. As she deepened the kiss, I struggled to regain some self-control. I felt absolutely out of it. I hadn’t had that much to drink, yet I felt drunk and couldn’t get a handle on my willpower.

Everything that was now happening was out of my comfort zone. I’d never even thought about kissing another woman. I’d never experimented in college as Coco had. My mind was in denial, but my body was giving permission.

I relished the ability I suddenly had to make Kieran crumble. I witnessed his emotional demise when he saw me undressed. I did have power. I was no longer concerned that he and Landy had fucked, because it was obvious I was the one he coveted.

She broke the kiss as her tongue began licking my neck, then drifted down to my breasts. Both were swollen and aching with need. She licked around one areola, then the other. She leaned into me as she suckled on a glistening tip. A moan slipped out of my mouth.

“You like that, baby? I’m going to make you come so hard,” she cooed to me.

I heard groans coming from the bed, and I knew he was getting close to orgasm. I wished it were my hand causing him to make those sounds. Just the thought of his face, lips, and cock made my body desperate and wet.

Landy put her hand under my chin and made me look at her. She let her hand slip as she dropped to her knees, peppering kisses to the tops of my thighs. I stiffened at the sudden contact, keeping my legs closed.

“Let me in. You’re going to love it. I promise. Look at him while I eat you. Pretend it’s his tongue swirling and lapping up your juices. Nibbling on the tip and licking you like a creamsicle.” I looked down at her as she inhaled deeply. “God, you smell good. I need a taste of that.”

My legs fell open as she prodded their crease with her nose. Her nails gently traced the skin on the inside of my thighs. It felt strangely arousing.

“Your pussy is heart shaped. It’s very pretty,” she whispered as her tongue flicked across my vulva.

“Oh God,” I softly moaned as she took two fingers and separated the lips.

My body was no longer a stiff entity, but now had the consistency of soft clay, ready to be molded and shaped. This was the first true pleasure I’d know in many years. And if I were truly honest, I’d never known gratification—not like this. I no longer had any kind of restraint. I was eager to see this end in climax.

I was ready for Kieran. I no longer just desired him, but was anxious to explore every inch of that mouth-watering cock he was so expertly handling. Everything from the moment I stepped into this room was manipulated to drive me to his bed. He hadn’t had to go to such extremes. Not that I was complaining, because blissful euphoria had set in a long time ago. All of tonight had been premeditated for my sexual compliancy.

Using her fingertip and thumb, Landy began to massage my pussy. I held my breath as she slowly lowered her mouth and placed her tongue inside. She stopped, then withdrew.

“Breathe, baby, or you’re going to pass out, and I need you conscious when I make you come, because it will be mind-blowing.

I gradually exhaled as she licked a path all around the inside without touching my clit. I moaned at her velvety touch and the sensuality of the act. Unlike men, she didn’t rush, but traced her tongue languidly everywhere but my center. She enjoyed the art of teasing and taunting me.

“Oh fuck, it’s too much—I can’t take it.”