Male Me (3 page)

* * * *

“What happened?” Quinn asked, hurrying over to
Delaware
on her return.

“Nothing happened.”
Everything happened. I had the best sex of my life with a gorgeous stranger, and I want more of him, and I hate myself for being so weak and I should immediately quit my job but I don’t want to.
“Nothing at all.”

Quinn looked at her in concern. “You were gone a long time. Did he talk to you about the emails?”

Delaware
sat at her desk and had a quick look at herself in the mirror she kept there.
I look like I have been thoroughly shagged.
She wondered how long it would take for the keenly astute Quinn to work that out.

“In a manner of speaking.” And Templeton wanted to see her tonight. It smacked of danger, especially the bit about sex with two men. Was he bi? Or maybe he was joking? She shook her head. It didn’t matter. It would be foolish to go on that ride again.

* * * *

“Man she’s hot.” Speed Guthrie told Templeton over the phone as he watched the pictures that had landed in his personal inbox. Although the footage was limited due to the angle of the small desk camera on Templeton’s office desk, he could see more than enough to know that Delaware Brooks was a woman he wanted to get to know intimately. Speed was almost jealous that his friend had tasted her before him. But he knew his time would come soon enough.

“And Miss Brooks is very willing, despite her initial good girl reluctance.”

“I’m hard just watching her.” Speed stood up to relieve the pressure in his crotch. His trousers felt two sizes too small. “She is something special.”

“Yeah, she’s mouthy, but shy. It’s awfully cute.”

Speed loved the shy ones; they always hid the deepest passion. “When do I get to meet her?”

“Tonight.”

Speed gripped the phone with excitement. “Excellent.”

Templeton sighed lightly. “There is a small problem.”

“Yeah?” They never took reluctant women. It had to be mutual, or not at all. It would be disappointing if they could not taste the delights of Delaware Brooks, but they would never force any woman.

“I expect she is going to give me the slip, so here’s what I want you to do…”

* * * *

“Whoa.” Speed caught Delaware Brooks in his arms as she almost fell down the stairs in her rush to leave the building. “Are you okay?”

Delaware
clutched the strong arms that saved her from breaking her neck

“I’m sorry.” She looked up at the blond man and her mouth went dry. He was gorgeous in that casual beach bum kind of way. She licked her lips as she imagined him on the beach in nothing but a tight pair of Speedos, leaving very little to the imagination. She shook her head and tried to pull herself together. Of late, no men had attracted
Delaware
enough to look and wonder. Yet, in the space of a couple of hours, two men had grabbed her attention at first sight.

I must start thinking pure thoughts otherwise I am sure to go to hell.

“Looks like you’re trying to escape someone.”

“You have no idea.”

Her overriding urge had been to leave the office as fast as possible. As exciting as it had been to have spontaneous sex with the boss, it was something
Delaware
knew could get her into a lot of trouble. She wasn’t looking for a relationship, let alone sex. Both always ended up complicated and messy.

“Tell me about it.” Speed still held her arm; his eyes were locked on hers.

There was something about chocolate brown eyes that always fascinated
Delaware
. Maybe it was the depth or the intensity. She wasn’t sure, but these particular eyes were set on hers, and it made her feel all hot and bothered. It was odd. Maybe she was having some weird hormonal incident where all men were suddenly attractive to her.

“You’re a man, you wouldn’t understand.” It had only just occurred to her that he was still touching her. She pulled her arm away, trying not to look like he had affected her.
I’m just all tensed up after Templeton McAdam.

“Try me.” Speed smiled at her with a lopsided grin. It was the type of smile that encouraged her to tell him everything.

Yet, for some reason,
Delaware
had the feeling that he meant more than just chit-chat. His smile was charming, yet the shiver of anticipation that ran down her spine alerted her to be careful.

“Well, there’s this man…”

“That you fancy?”

“Maybe, but he’s pushy.”
And hot and sexy.

“And you don’t like to be dominated?” Speed asked in amusement.

“No.” And why was this stranger smiling at her in such a superior know-it-all way? What was it with men today?

“Why not?”

Delaware
took at step back from him. Even if he had been standing ten feet away he still would have been too close.

“Because I believe everyone should be treated as an equal.” All this submissive-dominating stuff was beyond her.
Delaware
could not imagine allowing any man to treat her like a sex toy.

“Lovers included?”

“Well
─
yes.”
Why am I even having this conversation with this man?

“Can you not see that being out of control can be exciting?

“No,”
Delaware
snorted. Control to her was as vital as breathing. She had totally lost it with the boss and the only way to recover it was to quit her job.

“Never lost control princess?” He leaned in and ran his eyes down her body.

Delaware
stepped back and hit the rough textured wall behind her.

“Excuse me. I need to go, and you are in my way.” She could have quite easily have pushed her hands against his chest to make him move, but she had the feeling they would both enjoy her touching him a little too much.
Oh yeah, the hormones were running wild today.

“Is the conversation a little difficult for you?”

Was it pushy he-man day today or something? Had she missed seeing that on her desk calendar?

“I don’t know you.”

“Then get to know me, princess.”

Delaware
looked at him in shock. ‘Princess?’ ‘Get to know me.’ He used the same words as Templeton. A wild feeling of panic rushed through her body.

“Ah, there you are,” Templeton said as he pushed the door open. “I see you’ve met my fiancée.”

“She is delicious.”

Huh?

“I am not your fiancée.”
Delaware
looked from one man to the other. The truth dawned on her. “You two know each other?” It suddenly occurred to her that this was the ‘friend’ he had mentioned.

“Yes.” He held out his hand. “My name is Speed, and I want to get to know you.” Speed’s eyes never left hers.

Speed?
As in head rush? It certainly was what she felt at that moment.
Delaware
took the chance and pushed at his chest. Hot and hard
─
just like she imagined. Her hands immediately let go as if scorched by the contact. He moved back, indicating she was the only one that held her there. “Whatever games you’re playing, I am not interested.”

“Yeah you are,” Templeton responded as it was perfectly obvious to him. “I could tell when I mentioned sex with two men you were interested, but chose to hide it.”

“You’ll enjoy it princess.”

Who were these arrogant sods?

“I am not a princess, I am not interested in either of you, and if you want sex so desperately, go fuck yourselves.”
Delaware
marched down the stairs.

“We only make love to women, darlin’,” Templeton called out as she stomped away.

Delaware
turned on her booted heel and looked at them angrily.

“I’m not a bloody ‘
darlin’
’ either!” She stormed off, annoyed when she stumbled slightly in her rush. “Sexist, frigging pigs.”

“I love her.” Speed was hooked. Her whole attitude turned him on. While she was not classically beautiful, she had full curves he liked, and the intelligence in her eyes made him aware that she would not allow them to take her without a fight. “Meet us at Noir at 8pm,” he called to her.

“Piss off!” She yelled back.

“Think she’ll be there?” Templeton looked at his friend.

“Oh yeah.” Speed knew a risk taker when he saw one.

Chapter Four

For the rest of the afternoon, Delaware had raged around her home alternating between declaring she would not go to deciding she would go, just to show them she wasn’t intimidated by their masculine bullshit.

“I have nothing to prove or disprove.” She told herself as she crashed about doing household chores. “Men are animals.” Okay sure, that pair were sex on a stick, but it did
not
mean she was interested in licking them. Even thinking of her tongue anywhere near their bodies made her shiver in anticipation. “On no, I’m definitely not going.”

Three hours later, Delaware Brooks stood outside Noir. It was one of those ultra hip bars, in the middle of Brisbane, that she would never have thought to frequent because the people who did struck her as too ‘cool’ to be real.

“Jeez,” she muttered as she stood out the front and debated whether she would go in or not. Part of her wanted to run and grab the nearest taxi while another part wanted to show those bozos she could be as calm and collective as the next person.

“Are you coming or going, lady?” The burly bouncer who stood at the entrance of the bar asked. He ran his eyes down her body insolently.

Oh ick.

“I’m not coming that’s for damn sure,” she muttered to herself. As much as she had enjoyed what happened in the office, she was annoyed that she had responded to Templeton McAdam with so little effort. No wonder they thought she was easy. The thought appalled her.

“What?” The bouncer looked at her, an angry look on his face. He seemed pissed off at something.

What’s his problem? Did he have two men wanting to jump his bones?
She shook her head and decided to ignore him and concentrate on the problem, or in this case, problems
─
two of them
─
at hand.

“Nothing…” Okay
I can do this. I am not scared of them
.

Delaware
adjusted the strap on her shoulder bag, held up her head, and walked inside. She almost walked back out as the music was so loud, however, she was not fainthearted and she had a point to prove. So what if she got deafened making it?

She looked around warily as she tried to make her way through the chatting groups of people.
Delaware
hated crowds. She again wondered why she was there in the first place. As suspected, the club was full of stick thin people with various parts of their bodies pierced and their hair all the colors of the rainbow. They all looked extremely bored.
Delaware
assumed this was all part of the looking ‘cool’ thing. If so, they could keep it to themselves. She did a quick scan around the bar and sighed in relief when she did not see either man.
Whew.

“Excellent.” She started to head out. She had proven a point to herself and that was all that mattered. “I win.”

“Hello princess.”

“
Holy hell!
”
Delaware
jumped in alarm at the arms that wrapped around her waist from behind. When her back made contact with hard male front, she lurched forward in shock. But Speed held her tightly against him

“I’m glad you made it.”

The delicious warm breath on her neck made
Delaware
close her eyes for a moment.
I have to get a grip.
She struggled out of his arms. Just because he smelled divine and felt heavenly against her tense frame did not mean she would allow herself to be held so close.

“I just came to tell you what I think of you.” She turned around and faced him, feeling the same dried mouth feeling she had when she first looked at him.
Oh boy, be careful.

“You smell delectable.” Speed made no further move to touch her, as if to leave whatever happened next up to her.

So do you.
She had the overwhelming urged to taste him.
Down girl.

“I didn’t put perfume on for you. I always wear it.” She was annoyed she felt the need to justify herself.

He smiled at her sweetly. “Of course you do.”