Playing the Game (10 page)

“Jay is making his apology, dearest. It’s only fitting he make it with his mouth, as his mouth has given the offense. Go on, Jay. You’ve practiced enough.”

Jay licked along her thigh, lapping at the ready lubrication her body provided, until his mouth closed over her clitoris. The suction from his mouth, the first swipe of his tongue, sent her reeling.

Only his hands at her knees and Henry’s grip around her back and stomach held her in place. The rest of her soared and tumbled along cloud lightning that never seemed to strike earth. Jay’s tongue kept her from coming down, thrust inside her and swept her clean and drew the rush forth again and again.

And all the while, Henry whispered to her with unfamiliar words, his tongue mastering their cadence and rhythm as surely as he did hers. “‘Love is a war of lightning, and two bodies ruined by a single sweetness. Kiss by kiss I cover your tiny infinity, your margins, your rivers…’”

* * * *

When she woke, finally, for it seemed a waking to her, a stepping out onto damp blades of grass after a storm has passed and the sun emerged, Alice lay trembling in Henry’s lap still, her head tucked beneath his chin. Her gaze fell on Jay’s head, resting on her thigh, Henry stroking his hair.

“Beautifully done, my boy. Quite the incentive for Alice to consider another night like this one has been, hmm?”

Henry thought she’d needed more incentive after the commanding way he’d brought her to orgasm?
Well, it’s not as if he knows you’ve never had it this good, Allie-girl.
Maybe he’d wanted Jay to have a chance to show off some skills, too. She sure as hell hadn’t minded.

Jay tilted his face up, brown eyes wide. “Alice?”

He couldn’t be worried, not after such a stellar performance. She laid her hand on his forehead and brushed his hair back. Sliding her fingers alongside Henry’s, she remembered why he’d allowed Jay to play.

“It was the best apology I’ve ever gotten, Jay. You didn’t actually owe me one.” She smirked, ignoring the blush heating her face. “And now you’ve built up a nice bank, so the next two times you think you owe me an apology, you can remember the extra orgasms this time and forget about it.”

Jay pushed against her thigh, snuggling closer. He returned her smirk. “Or I could take it as a challenge. Make the next apology an even better one.”

Her body shuddered before she could lock it down. Oh hell yes.

Henry rubbed her left arm, shoulder to elbow and back again. “Jay, if you please–”

“Fresh washcloth, I know. I’m on it.” Jay kissed the inside of her right thigh, and her left thigh, and her swollen lips before he climbed to his feet. “Be right back.”

He wandered down the hall without saying a single thing about fucking her, even though his pants had done nothing to hide his erection when he stood. He hadn’t even hinted. Did he think Henry would tell him no? Did he think she would?

She squirmed on Henry’s lap, feeling his still-firm erection, too, and tried not to frown. She wanted to ask–Jay hadn’t come, and Henry hadn’t come–but the etiquette seemed to be not to.

“It’s not a requirement, Alice.”

“What?” He couldn’t possibly know what she was thinking. But Henry gave a quiet chuckle, and she knew he’d read her mind.

“You’re staring, Alice. And squirming. Do you think I don’t know why?” Henry kissed the top of her head. “You’re not responsible for making certain I achieve orgasm. If I choose to do so, I will. As it happens, I enjoy deferring my pleasures on occasion. And Jay was apologizing, my dear. He ought not benefit
too
terribly much from it.”

“But…I mean…” Was anything ruder than bringing up ex-boyfriends during a postcoital moment with a partner?
For God’s sake, Alice, have some tact.

Glancing down the hall at Jay exiting the bathroom, she yelped when her seat stood. Henry lifted her to sit on the edge of the table, her back to Jay. He pushed her knees apart with gentle hands. Knowing eyes met hers.

“Your previous partners have been more focused on their own needs than on yours, haven’t they, Alice?”

She nodded, her mouth dry. “It wasn’t their fault or anything. I wasn’t looking for anything with them, either. It was just sex. I was thinking about what I wanted, and they were thinking about what they wanted. Pretty standard.”

His hands tightened on her knees before he pushed up her dress.

“Only sex,” he murmured. “And they couldn’t even manage that properly.”

Henry reached out with his right hand.

She swiveled her head and came face-to-face with Jay, who delivered a fresh washcloth.

He handed off the towel and hopped up beside her, swinging his legs like a kid. The walk to the bathroom and back seemed to have calmed his arousal some.

“Thank you, Jay.” Henry cupped her sex with the washcloth. The warmth made her sigh, and Jay’s shoulder bumping hers helped her relax.

She leaned back on her hands and let Henry do as he liked. The cleaning was a personal quirk, she supposed. One she wouldn’t mind getting used to if it was always preceded by the amount of pleasure she’d gotten tonight.
Settle down. When–if–they want another night, they’ll let me know. With that whole…contract thing.

Henry focused between her legs and kept his silence until he laid the washcloth aside and lowered her dress. When he met her gaze and spoke, his voice held a serious note. “It’s not uncommon to experience confusion, guilt, or distress after an encounter like the one we shared this evening, Alice. Even for those who have been playing these games for years.”

His left hand grasped her waist, fingers stroking her back. “I want you to promise me, now, that if you do begin to have such feelings, you will come to me with them before they become overwhelming.”

“Okay, sure, if you want.” She was confused
now
, because his description encompassed every sexual encounter. The disappointing one-nighters that left her wondering why she’d bothered to bring them home. The breakups with the ones who’d hung on long enough for a relationship but never fulfilled her.

She sure as hell wouldn’t be depressed and shoveling in ice cream after a successful, satisfying sexual encounter with not one but two considerate guys.

Henry frowned. “I don’t make this request lightly, Alice, and I want you to treat it seriously as well. You will call me, or you will present yourself at our door, if you find yourself overly emotional this weekend. Is that understood?”

His voice held the hard edge he’d used with Jay earlier, the one that had spurred Jay’s instantaneous apology for upsetting her. The forcefulness of Henry’s concern for her stirred a startling arousal. He had a way of asking questions and making requests that weren’t questions or requests at all, his politeness covering a demand that commanded obedience.

“I promise, Henry. I will.”

But when she lay in bed later, alone, wondering whether Henry and Jay were giving each other the orgasms they’d denied themselves in her presence, she didn’t reach for her phone. She didn’t cross the hall to knock at Henry’s door.

She wasn’t overly emotional; she was
just right
emotional. It was natural to be unsettled. To question whether they thought of her at all while they tenderly made love or fucked each other hard in their bed. Where they slept. Together. Because they were lovers, and she was…
what am I?

She rolled on her side, wrapping the sheet around her.

“I am one well-fucked woman,” she said to the darkness. “I don’t need to be anything else to them.”

Chapter 4

Alice slept late Saturday.

Her slumber had at first been the dead-to-the-world sleep of the sexually satisfied, a change she appreciated. God, seven months? Brandon shouldn’t count anyway, because those two months had fallen short of expectations, which meant way too long, if she had to think to count that high.

She’d woken at a decent hour, well rested and lazy, so she’d let herself drift. And drifting had taken her mind to the night before, to Henry and Jay. Which naturally had taken her fingers to her panties and invited them inside.

The result had satisfied as well as it could when the principal actors were in her head. But she’d fallen asleep again afterward.

She jolted awake to knocking, well into the afternoon.

“Alice?” Henry’s voice, coming through the door.

Oh, fuck me sideways.

“I’ll wait, if you’re presently indisposed, but I would like to see you for a moment.”

She tried to scramble out of bed and tangled herself in the sheet, narrowly missing a face-first drop to the hardwood floor. At least the futon was low to the ground.

“Just a minute, Henry.”
Yeah, just a minute, Henry, while I pull on pajama pants and wash my hands and pretend I didn’t come twice this morning thinking about you fucking me.

It was more like three minutes after she ran a brush through her hair and splashed water on her face. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.

“Checking up on me?” She managed a casual smile, or what she thought was one.
I am completely unflustered. See how you don’t fluster me, Henry?

“I am, yes, though I realize you haven’t yet given me that right.” He frowned. “Nor are you required to do so, of course. But as you showed an interest in pursuing something beyond last night, I’ve brought you papers I’d like you to peruse.”

Papers. “A contract?”

Henry held up a manila envelope. “Precisely that, my dear.” He tipped it forward. “If you’d care to have a look?”

“Sure.” She took the envelope as if she didn’t want to tear it open and start reading. “Did you…want to come in and talk about it?”
While I am in pajamas my sister bought me? With little icons of gears and rulers and hard hats all over them? No, really, Henry, please come in.

He shook his head. “No, thank you, Alice. I won’t intrude upon your territory. I would prefer you take the time to look at the contract privately, so you won’t feel unduly influenced to accept.”

He clasped his hands behind his back. “If, after reading, you find you are no longer interested in furthering this experience, we need not speak of it again. Our interaction will return to the friendship we already enjoy with no questions asked. However, if you find you are interested in moving forward, contact me in whatever way feels most appropriate to you, and we will discuss it further.”

“You’re awfully formal today.” She was aiming for lighthearted, but he tilted his head and studied her until she dropped her gaze to the envelope.

“Does that distress you, Alice?” His voice was soft. Kind. “If you’re feeling unbalanced after last night, perhaps–”

“Nope. No. Balance is just fine. Not even walking funny. You’re not taking this offer back that easily, mister.” Ugh. She’d caught the babbling disease. Time to get her shit together. “So I’ll take a look at your proposal–” Fuck, no, that was a terrible word for it. “I mean, the contract, and get back to you.”

There. Crisp. Professional. If Henry wanted formal, she’d do formal.

He nodded, slowly. “Of course. Please do take your time, Alice. There’s no need to rush things.”

“Right. No need to rush. Got it.” She smiled at him. No need to rush. Unless she wanted to get in his pants again. And Jay’s. Two reasons to rush.

“Very well. I expect you’ll contact me if you need anything, including if you simply wish to talk.”

“Yup. If I need anything.” Which she would do her damnedest not to. She wasn’t some clingy basket case or a stalker chick who couldn’t separate a night of great sex from a declaration of love.

“Have a pleasant afternoon, then, Alice.” Henry stepped back from the door.

“Will do. I’ve got reading material to keep me busy.” She waved the envelope. “Homework assignment.”

He chuckled.

“Hopefully not quite so onerous, though you’re not far off the mark, my dear.” He inclined his head.

She was positive he’d have doffed his cap if he’d been wearing one. He behaved so adorably polite and old-fashioned sometimes.
Sometimes? Try most of the time. Except when he’s ordering me to spread my legs so he can fuck me.
She took a deep breath.

“Bye, Henry.”

“Alice.”