Good Karma (33 page)

Just the thought made her insides turn to
mush.

“Yes, please. I’m still hungry.” As his
finger stroked that special place inside her, she could already
feel another orgasm building.

“Mmm. Me, too.”

Thank God for stuck Ben Wa balls and
chocolate chunk brownies.

And G-spots. She couldn’t forget those.

Chapter 27

Turn your
face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.

-Maori Proverb

Karma awoke the next morning with a spring in her
step and a smile on her face. A deep ache that had nothing to do
with too much Pilates core work pulsed in her belly.

The things Mark had done to her last night!
With just his hand. There had to be laws against experiencing that
much pleasure.

As she got ready for work, an odd sensation
pulsed between her legs, making her breathless. It sort of felt
like driving really fast over a small dip in the road, making her
stomach flutter for an exhilarating split second. Only, in this
case, it wasn’t her stomach that fluttered. It was her girl parts.
And the quivering, blossoming feeling didn’t diminish. It simmered
and rolled constantly, stealing her breath, and she could barely
think of anything other than Mark. His hand. His fingers touching
her, probing, stimulating her G-spot. And—oh!—there she went again,
her body flying as butterflies took flight in her core.

She had never experienced such acute erotic
awareness. She felt like a sexual Christopher Columbus, discovering
her body and the pleasure it could give.

Stepping onto the stoop outside her apartment
building, she took a moment to stop, close her eyes, listen to the
morning birdsong, and absorb the first rays of sun on her face.
When she opened her eyes again, the sky seemed brighter, the grass
greener, the air more crisp. And she had yet to stop smiling.

She’d had her first official orgasm…
with a
man
.

Maybe she was silly for getting so excited
about what had happened last night, but she didn’t care. To her,
this was huge. Her first touchdown, her first home run, her first
half-court buzzer beater. A major achievement in not only her
sexual growth, but also in her growth as a woman. She felt like
even though she had lost her virginity six years ago, she had still
been a virgin last night, and now Mark had taken her flower, even
though he had yet to pluck her petals with more than just his
fingers.

But that day would come, and when it did,
what came before would be nothing. After last night, she was
convinced Mark would deliver in spades on all his promises.

Her phone dinged inside her purse and she
pulled it out. She smiled more brightly when she saw Mark’s
text.

Truth or truth?

She giggled and replied,
Um, let me think.
Truth.

He replied a few moments later.
If you had
to choose between $10,000 and being able to easily have multiple
orgasms for the rest of your life, which would you pick?

Karma laughed.
After last night, I think
I’m sold on multiple orgasms.

Me, too. Last night WAS rather impressive. I can
still feel you quivering against me.

So can I. Now stop talking like that. I have to be
at work soon, and you’re turning me on.

She got inside her car just as her phone
dinged again.

See you at work. PS You’re turning me on, too.

How was she going to make it through her day
with him just a glance away? It was only seven thirty, and she was
already aroused.

Once at work, she practically skipped up the
stairs then nonchalantly peeked into the conference room.

Disappointment deflated her. Mark wasn’t in,
yet. That was a first. He was almost always there before her. She
assumed he had texted from the office.

She set about logging in to her computer and
checking her e-mail, but her mind remained distracted, and she
squirmed against the ache between her legs.

This was going to be a long day.

“Good morning.”

Karma spun around to see the Adonis named
Mark Strong stroll up the hall. He was dressed in charcoal grey
slacks and a sleek, burgundy pullover. His hair was still damp. The
beguiled smirk on his face told her he was still thinking about
last night.

“Good morning.” She pulled herself
together.

He stopped at her desk. “Nice blouse.” His
chin dipped as he dropped his gaze to her navy blue top.

“Thank you. It’s new.”

Heat passed between them.

“You had a pleasant evening, I assume?” He
made no motion to depart.

Her cheeks flushed. “Yes. Very. You?” These
platonic games they played were so fun.

Mark’s grin widened. One thick, dark brow
lifted, and he lowered his voice. “I’m never late for work, Miss
Mason. Never. But for some reason, I just couldn’t seem to get out
of bed this morning.”

She checked the clock on her computer. It was
ten minutes after eight. She glanced at him. Her lips parted, but
no words came out.

He leaned closer. “I had a
very
good
night.” His voice lowered further. “And a very good morning, as
well.”

Could the heat around her desk have been any
more tropical? Lust burned her, and she wanted to follow him into
the conference room and climb onto his lap.

Good thing no one was around to see them,
because they would have witnessed sparks flying in all directions.
If Mark wasn’t careful, she would throw aside propriety, shove him
into the conference room, lock the door, and ride him like a
cowgirl for the next hour.

Yeah, right. In her fantasies maybe. Brazenly
having sex in the office was not something she could do. Not even
close. She was too conservative. Maybe she had entered the land of
the sexually affluent last night, but that didn’t mean she was
totally reformed.

“Would you mind getting my coffee, Miss
Mason?” Mark said, standing up straight. “I’ve got to make up some
time this morning. Besides, it always tastes just a little bit
better when you add the sugar.” With a wink, he spun on his heel
and walked to the conference room.

The rest of the day was pure torture. Karma
could barely concentrate, and more than once she found herself
staring off in a daze, her thoughts replaying last night over and
over. His talented finger, finding her G-spot, the way he
effortlessly unfurled its power, the way his tongue danced over her
nipples, and the press of his body in the darkness.

Mark had her downright hypnotized. Entranced.
Mentally enchanted and so heavily aroused that she had to slip away
midmorning for a quick release in the ladies room. And then again
in the afternoon. She had never pleasured herself at work before,
but in one day, Mark had so enraptured her that once wasn’t
enough.

She was turning into a damn nympho. And you
know what? Fine with her.

Chapter 28

Our deeds
determine us as much as we determine our needs.

-George Eliot

Mark ended up going out of town with Don Tuesday
afternoon to visit the company’s subsidiary offices, and the two
didn’t return until late Friday night. Mark had called her a couple
of times from the road, but the conversations had been short
because he and Don were entertaining vendors, customers, or
potential business partners well into the evening.

Apparently, that was the life of a business
consultant. At least, that’s what it seemed like from Karma’s
perspective. How did he maintain such a high level of social buzz?
Karma would have been exhausted.

On Friday night, after going to yoga with
Lisa and Daniel, Karma returned home late with takeout from Greek
Tony’s.

She ate, changed into a pair of peach Capris
and a white graphic tee, and crashed on the couch around eight
o’clock to watch a movie.

When her phone rang a few minutes later, she
was disappointed when the caller ID said it was her dad.

“Hi, Dad. What’s up?”

“Hi, honey. I wanted to make sure you’re
still coming over on Monday.”

Where had the time gone. Was it Memorial Day
already?

“Absolutely. Are you grilling Cuban-glazed
chicken?” Her favorite.

“You know it.”

“Then count me in for a couple pieces and
leftovers.”

“I’m making extra just for you.”

Her dad knew her too well. She would end up
munching on leftover chicken for days.

“Johnny and Estelle won’t be there, will
they?” Those two ruined every event they attended at her parents’
house. Johnny argued incessantly with Dad when he wasn’t hassling
her, and Estelle played Johnny’s cheerleader.

“No. Not this year,” Dad said. “Your brother
said he and Estelle are having a small gathering at his place.”

“Good.”

Dad laughed. He knew the score between her
and Johnny. And he related. Johnny bugged the crap out of him, too,
with his pompous, holier-than-thou attitude.

“How’s everything else?” her dad said.

She wanted to tell him she had met someone,
but she didn’t think her dad would understand that she was involved
in a relationship that was going nowhere but promised to turn her
into an orgasmic dynamo.

“I’m good, Dad. How about you and Mom?”

“Your mom and I are going to see the latest
Marvel movie tonight. You want to come?”

Spending the evening with her parents was
tempting, but all she really wanted to do was chill out at home. It
had been a long, busy week at work, even without Mark there. “I’d
love to, but I’m already down for the night. Thanks for asking,
though. But…Marvel? Really? Mom wants to see that?”

Dad made a breathy, impatient noise. “It has
that guy, what’s his name? The guy who played Thor.”

“Chris Hemsworth,” her mom yelled from the
background, as if she was impatiently standing by the door.

“Right, Chris Hemsworth,” Dad said. “So, of
course your mom wants to see it. It was
her
idea.”

“I see.” Her mom had fallen in lust with
Chris Hemsworth after seeing
Thor
and had since bought every
movie he’d been in, even the ones in which he’d played only minor
roles.

“Should I be jealous?” Dad said.

In the background, her mom laughed. “Don’t be
silly. You’re the one who benefits from my Thor addiction,
anyway.”

Karma cringed. “Okay, I sooo didn’t need to
hear that.” The thought of her parents making out like horny
teenagers in the backseat of their car in the movie theater parking
lot was like acid on her brain.

Her dad laughed. “I’ve still got it,
honey.”

“Dad!”

“Don’t ‘Dad!’ me, Karma.” He chuckled. “How
do you think you were made?”

She slammed her eyes shut. “Okay, I’m hanging
up now.”

More laughter from Dad. “One of these days,
you’ll find a good, strong boy who will show you what I’m talking
about.”

“DAD!” What would he say if he knew she
already had a “good, strong boy”? Right now. Who wanted to show her
all of what her dad was talking about…and that he had already given
her a taste…and would probably give her a whole lot more before
summer was over?

“Bye, honey. See you Monday. Your mom is
pulling me out the door.”

“Ugh. Whatever. Bye. Have fun at the
movies.”

“Oh, I
will
.”

In the background, her mom squealed.
“JOHN!”

Karma grimaced. “Get a room. Bye.”

Her dad was still laughing as she hung up.
Her parents were something else. Still together after, what was it
now? Over thirty years? They had waited a long time after getting
married to have her and Johnny, so they were older than the parents
of most people Karma’s age.

Johnny was already married with child number
one on the way, and he was only twenty-two. But then, Johnny had
always known he would marry Estelle, even when they were kids, and
he already earned six figures a year as the founder of a social
media marketing company. Two years at technical college, and he
already had his life neatly put together and figured out. Lucky
him. And he didn’t let anyone forget it, either. He was
ultra-competitive, just like Dad, which was probably why they
didn’t get along. Not the way Dad got along with her. She was
Daddy’s girl
. Johnny was
his son
. The differentiation
didn’t sound like much, but she and Johnny were fully aware what
the distinction meant in her family.

Get-togethers usually turned into contests,
and sometimes Johnny threw her in the middle as bait to lure Dad
into a game of verbal sparring, pointing out her flaws. Of course,
Dad always stepped in to defend her.

This year’s favorite taunt was how, at
twenty-four, Karma still had no prospects of getting married, and
that if she waited much longer, her biological clock would expire
and she would pass her prime to have kids. Johnny could be such an
ass. He had been one when they were kids, and he was still one now.
But he was her brother, and occasionally—rarely—he was a good guy.
But the constant nit-picking and jeers that had gone on since they
were kids were getting old. If he wasn’t careful, he could be next
on Karma’s hit list now that she’d already given Jolene a serious
kick in the ass.

All the more reason why it was best that
Johnny skip the cookout at their parents’ house.

A few minutes later, her phone rang again. If
this was her dad, she was not going to answer. Not after the image
of him and mom getting it on had scorched her brain.

She checked the caller ID and smiled.
Mark.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hey you.” It sounded like he was
driving.

“Where are you?”

“On my way back to Chicago.”

Karma’s heart fell. He hadn’t even stopped by
to say good-bye. She had hoped against hope to see him before he
left, because he was out all next week on vacation.