Role of a Lifetime (3 page)

“
Just meeting didn’t keep us from having sex in your dressing room.”

She bit down on her bottom lip before bursting out in laughter.
“Damn, that’s blunt.” He soon joined in and glanced at her as she wiped tears rolling down her cheeks. “Well, you’ll have to excuse my forwardness. That’s the way I was raised.”

“
What do you mean?” she asked.

“
My grandfather taught me to say what I mean and mean what I say. No pussyfooting around.”

“
Is that an old Lakota proverb?”

His head whipped around at her statement
. “How did you know I was Lakota?”

She had the nerve to blush and bow her head.
“I’ve done my research.”

“
Uh-oh,” he muttered. “That sounds stalkerish.”

She laid a hand on his right arm and began to laugh again.
“No, no, let me explain. I’m a big fan of yours. I pick up every rag on the newsstand with your picture on it.”

His eyes widened at her revelation.
“You’re a fan of mine?”

“
Of course I am. You have to know you’re the hottest thing on television.”

“
I don’t know what to say. Sharese Moore, the biggest star on Broadway, is a fangirl.”

“
Yes sir. I never miss an episode of ‘Loving Life’. The Soap Network is my best friend.”

Before he could respond, she pointed out where he should turn off the highway. While she provided him directions to her beach house, he mulled over her admission that she followed his career. Many a day he wondered if he was wasting his time and talents on the soap. It was good to hear that an accomplished actress appreciated his work.

Soon they pulled into a circular, brick-covered driveway. She directed him to park his car right in front of the entrance to the house. “Welcome to my little getaway.”

“
Little getaway?” He hopped out of the car and sprinted around to open the door for her. “This is a mansion.”

With a wave of her hand, she started for the door.
“If you think this is something, you should see some of my neighbors’ places. Come on in.”

She punched in a few numbers on the keypad near the front door, pushed the door open and pulled him inside. As soon as the door clicked shut, she encircled his neck with her arms and looked up into his eyes.
“I need to give you a proper welcome.” Her tongue darted out to moisten her full lips, a smile threatening to appear.

“
Don’t let me stop you from doing your duty, ma’am.” In an instance, their lips met and his tongue plunged into her hot mouth. There wasn’t one area he didn’t miss: her taste was intoxicating. She did her best to explore his mouth too, exciting him even more.

Reluctantly, he broke off the kiss and simply held her in his arms. Was it only a few hours ago
he met this woman? Already they’ve had one round of hot sex and it looked like another one was right around the corner. Were they moving too fast? Was he really asking that question? Man, he was losing his mind, but if being with her was the result, he welcomed the downfall. Damn.

Sharese almost pinched herself as she walked along the beach, hand in hand with Joseph. It was a beautiful, warm day, the kind she rarely had time to enjoy. For the past four months, she’d been holed up in her Manhattan condo, pouring over scripts. Sun, sand, and a gorgeous man at her side: what more could she ask?

They lunched on a delicious vegetarian dish her chef prepared earlier in the day and left in the fridge. She gave the whole staff the weekend off so they’d have plenty of privacy.  “So this is where Broadway stars spend their time off, huh?” He grinned down at her, causing her heart to skip a beat.

“
What little time off I manage to claw out, I try to slip away from the city. Yeah, this is my refuge.”

He took both of her hands in his and guided her to a spot on the sand where they took a seat.
“Before I get caught up in the allure of the stage and the big time, can you tell me if it’s worth all the trouble? I mean, the lack of privacy and people always wanting something from you.”

“
Don’t you have those problems yourself? Your face is always popping up on the cover of some magazine.” She tilted her head to the side and looked at him, awaiting his answer.

“
Don’t even try it, lady. I’m only some guy on a soap opera and you’re an award winning actress.”

“
Why are you putting yourself down? Many so-called stars started out in the soaps. It’s a good way to get exposure and hone your skills.” After making sure she had his attention, she tossed out, “I had a small part in a soap myself.”

He threw back his head and let out a bark of laughter.
“You? In a soap opera? I’ve followed your career for years and never seen you in any of them.”

“
I’ll have you know that I had an important part in the longest running program.”

“
What part did you play?” he asked, trying his best not to laugh again. 

“
A corpse,” she admitted with a twinkle in her eye.

“
And I bet you were a very convincing corpse, too.” This time he could not contain himself and started to snicker, his hand over his mouth. He even had the nerve to fall over onto his back, holding onto his sides as he continued laughing.

“
Hey,” she yelled in a serious tone of voice as she crawled over to his prone position. “They told me I was the best dead body they’d ever had.” This only caused him to howl even louder and roll in the sand. 

She rose to her feet and started back toward her house, her spine ramrod straight. Before she took three steps, he appeared in front of her, all signs of amusement wiped from his face. She tried to side step him, but every way she turned he managed to stay one step ahead.

“I’m sorry,” he said in a quiet tone of voice. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

She let out a loud huff and placed her hands on her hips before smiling.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. I guess I was being a little too sensitive.”

He took her in his arms, and planted a soft kiss on top of her head. She could hear his heart beating in his chest as he held her close. It was a reassuring sound, one that caused her to immediately calm down.

“Joseph,” she said in a tiny voice. “Make love to me again.”

Without another word, he stripped her of her clothing. In short order, he shed his pants and shirt, and stood in front of her magnificently bare. Before she could object, he picked her up and strode in the direction of the ocean, passionately kissing her along the way. He didn’t stop until they were chest deep in the water and near a rock formation.

“Have you ever made love in the ocean?” he asked as he perched her ass on a smooth portion of the rock.

“
No,” she whispered with a tremble in her voice.

“
Then you’re in for a treat.” He used his hands to push her thighs apart, lowered his head and began to kiss her mound.

She let out a series of small whimpers as he took his time exploring her pussy. When he used his fingers to spread her lips apart, all she could do was hang onto his broad shoulders as he plunged his tongue into her honeyed depths. With the yell that followed, it was a good thing her stretch of the beach was secluded.

He took his time lapping up her juices, and at the same time caressed her sensitive tits with the pads of his thumbs. The crash of the waves washing up on the rock along with the sounds of their lovemaking created an erotic song, one she’d always remember. 

“
I need to taste you too,” she said as he took a break from his ministrations. “Trade places with me.”

He took a step back and allowed her to slip into the water while he hopped up onto the rock. His huge cock jutted from the patch of dark hair at his groin, beckoning her to take it into her mouth.

She licked her lips and greedily slid them around his throbbing cock. She heard a hiss escape through his clenched teeth and her tongue began to work its magic. He tasted salty, but also like man, a delicious combination. His hands sunk into her hair, urging her forward. With her hands on his muscled thighs, she alternated between sucking him off and twirling her tongue around his hard length. Just as she felt him beginning to come, he pushed her away and switched positions so her back was now against the rock.

In one smooth motion, he lifted her ass so she was floating and stepped in between her thighs and drove his cock into her quivering pussy. As he began to thrust into her, she clung onto him for dear life. The water churned around them as he moved faster and faster. An orgasm like she’d never experienced tore through her body. One, two, three strokes later he stiffened and withdrew from her body, spilling his seed into the ocean.

“Damn, that was good,” she managed to say in between deep gulps of air.

“
Wait until you see what I do for an encore, baby.” With that, they headed back to the beach, gathered their clothing, and strolled hand in hand to the house.

Chapter Four

Joseph
let a lazy grin spread across his face as he watched Sharese munch on her sandwich. They faced each other while sharing a chaise lounge on her covered patio, their legs intertwined. After their erotic romp in the water, they were famished. Although their vegetarian lunch satisfied him earlier, he now needed an old fashioned sandwich with plenty of meat. She wrinkled her nose initially, but after one bite of his creation, begged him to prepare one for her.

“
Delicious,” she declared after popping the last bit into her mouth. “If you ever leave this acting stuff behind, you certainly have a future as a chef.”

He chuckled as he finished off his meal.
“I wouldn’t go that far.” He leaned over and placed a quick kiss on the tip of her nose. “But thanks for the compliment.”

She blushed and dipped her head.
Tentatively, she reached out and began tracing the wolf tattoo on his chest. A jolt of something he couldn’t name shot through his body, straight to his cock, making it jump against her thigh. She gave him a shy smile as she continued her explorations. “Tell me about your tatts.”

He sucked in a shaky breath before answering.
“You’re touching the first one I got. It’s my favorite.”

“
Why?”

“
Because the wolf holds an important place in the Lakota culture. It’s an adaptable creature, able to survive all kinds of conditions, either man-made or caused by nature.”

“
Like you?”

“
Yeah, I suppose you could say that.”

“
That’s fascinating.” Her attention turned to the left side of his chest. “So, tell me about your buffalo.”

“
Bison, not buffalo.”

“
Aren’t they the same thing?”

“
My people call them bison, always have. They sustained us when we lived off the land. Where they roamed, we followed. There used to be thousands of them until the white man came and killed them indiscriminately.”

“
The eagle,” she pointed out the third animal that took up middle of his wide chest. With the tip of her tongue sticking out of her mouth, she reverently traced her fingertips across the bird’s unfurled wings. “It’s so beautiful.”

“
I don’t think an eagle would appreciate you calling him beautiful,” he chuckled while gazing into her upturned face.

“
Alright then smarty. How would you suggest I describe them?”

“
Majestic, powerful, you know, manly adjectives.”

“
What about lady eagles? Can’t they be beautiful?”

Donning a serious
look on his face while her stroked his chin with his thumb and forefinger, he pretended to ponder her suggestion for a hot minute. “Hmm, maybe.” He bent down and captured her nimble fingers in his hand and brought them to his lips. “You have the sexiest hands I’ve ever seen,” he said while feathering tiny kisses on each finger.

“
You’re trying to distract me.” She pulled her hand free and continued her maddening journey along his chest. “What’s the significance of the eagle to the Lakota?”

“
Legend has it that there was a great flood that wiped away all the two-leggeds except one, a young woman.”

“
Two-leggeds?”

“
My people called human two-leggeds and animals four-leggeds.”

“
Okay, I understand.”

“
She escaped death by climbing into the mountains. Cold, hungry and lonely, she was very sad. One day an eagle came along and began talking with her. He also brought food and wood for a fire. They became very good friends and he even allowed her to hold onto his legs as he soared over the valley. Even with his companionship, she remained forlorn.

“
The Great Spirit spoke with the eagle and told him he had a choice to make. He could remain an eagle or become a two-legged like the woman. He thought long and hard and it took several days for him to make his decision. He stayed away from the woman and she missed his company. Just when she thought she’d never see him again, a man came out of the woods sounding like the eagle and with the same warm, brown eyes. They became a couple and went onto to repopulate the Earth. That’s why the Lakota revere the eagle.”

“
Powerful. Yeah, that’s the right word to describe your eagle.” Her forehead scrunched up for a second before continuing, as she searched for the right words. “Can you explain why you won’t consider the part Dennis offered you? I know it’s not the lead, but—”

“
But what?”

“
It’s a foot in the door.”

“
I don’t want to discuss—” He tried to roll away from her, but she grabbed hold of his muscular arm and he stopped.

“
Hear me out, okay?” Once he settled down, she took a deep breath and began talking again. “This part can take you to the big time, Joseph. Broadway, hell, Hollywood will be at your feet.”

“
And they can all go fuck themselves. I won’t change my mind. I’ve taken a look at Sammy’s lines. He’s nothing but a drunken buffoon. Do you realize what alcoholism has done to my people?”

“
Why are you being such an ass about this?” This time she was the one to pull free and he allowed her to sit up on the chaise. “To make it big, sometimes you have to put your pride on the shelf and give in. Lord knows I’ve had to do it.”

“
We’re not talking about my pride, Sharese. This is my heritage, Lakota heritage. Like I said, I’m willing to do almost anything for a part, and in the past I’ll admit I did some really demeaning things to put food on the table, but none of them involved what you’re asking.” He ran his hand through his thick, black hair and stood. He didn’t like the path this conversation was taking. “Maybe coming here with you was a mistake.” He took a step toward the door but stopped when he felt her hand on his back.

“
Don’t go,” she whispered in a tiny voice. “I’m sorry for upsetting you, but—”

“
But what? Why are you so hell bent on getting me to change my mind?”

Casting her gaze downward, she hunched up her shoulders and spread her hands before her in supplication.
“I’m not trying to force you to do anything. I just want to make sure you have all the facts.”

“
Are you sure that’s what this is all about? You’re not running a game on me, are you?” When she didn’t quickly answer, he took a few more steps. “I’m out.”

“
No games!” she shouted as he reached the door. “Please, don’t go. I, I need you,” she said in a shuddering breath. “I won’t talk about the audition again. I promise.”

With a grunt, he whirled around, swept her up into his arms and headed for the stairs.
“Bedroom.”

She guided him to a large room on the right once they reached the second floor. As soon as her feet hit the floor, he began to remove her clothing, almost ripping them from her body. She trembled as he haphazardly tossed her expensive togs on the floor. Without breaking eye contact, he quickly shed his jeans and once again lifted her in his arms and strode toward the bed. He gently set her down, all the while kissing her sweetly, tenderly.

A pang of guilt shot through her body, along with the realization that she really wanted this man. What if he found out that she lured him to her home to talk him into taking the smaller part in the play? Would he have anything to do with her after that? All rational thought disappeared when he captured one of her breasts with his hot mouth, teasing the nipple until it became a hardened nub.

“
So sweet, so sweet,” he murmured as he switched his attention to her other breast, giving it the same treatment. His hands alternated between tweaking her tits to smoothing them alongside her curves.

She whipped her head back and forth on the pillow, overwhelmed by the sensations he aroused in her body. How could he have this effect on her so soon? She’d only met him earlier today and knew beyond all reason that he was someone special, someone she wanted to spend more time getting to know, possibly love. Her hands reverently touched the black, silky strands flowing down his back. His hair was untamed and strong, a perfect description of the man himself.

After giving her mouth another crushing kiss, Joseph’s lips continued their journey down her overheated body and planted kisses on almost every part he passed. When his tongue dove into her bellybutton, she almost bucked him off the bed.

“
I think I’ve found the spot,” he said while continuing to tease it with his clever tongue.

Her breath speeded up and she felt as if she were about to lose her mind when he moved his mouth lower and straight into her hot channel. He pushed her legs further apart to allow him full access to her pussy. The man certainly knew how to please a woman.

He took a moment to sheath himself with a condom then flipped her over onto her stomach. After he crammed a couple pillows underneath her body to prop her ass in the air, he slowly entered her, filling her completely. He felt so good behind her, his cock stretching her pussy in an almost painful manner. In and out he slid, slowly at first. But when she yelled for him to give her more, he quickly complied. The headboard banged against the wall with each thrust. Her shouts could probably be heard throughout the house, but she didn’t care. She came first, her voice now hoarse from her screams. He soon followed, pumping into her body a few more times before he sagged onto her body.

Once her heartbeat returned to normal, she let out a loud breath and smiled. She could get used to this kind of loving if she wasn’t careful. He was turning her body out and her life upside down.

“I hope that smile means you’re happy,” he asked when he returned from the bathroom and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

“
Beyond happy,” she admitted. The remnants of her orgasm continued to radiate throughout her body.

“
Joseph?”

“
Yes,” he replied sleepily.

“
Can I ask you one more question about your tattoos?”

He rolled ont
o his side to face her. “You can ask me anything.” He planted a kiss on the tip of her nose and winked at her.

Urging him to lie on his stomach, she bit her lip while tracing the intricate, circular design on his back with her fingertips. The tattoo took up most of his back, spread from one shoulder to the other.

“It’s a dream catcher.”

“
I’ve seen them before. What are they used for?”

“
The elders gave them to the children. They snagged the child’s bad dreams in the netting and allowed the good dreams to filter through the feathers at the bottom.”

“
Oh,” was all she could say as she continued to study the design. The feathers he mentioned dangled from the edges of the tattoo, skimming the top of his perfect ass. Not able to resist, she bent over and used her tongue to trace the path of the longest feather.

He quickly rolled onto his back and placed a giggling Sharese on his chest.
“My, you’re being a bad girl.”

“
And what are you going to do with this bad girl,” she responded, wriggling her eyebrows.

Before she could say another word, he proceeded to kiss her with a passion that honestly surprised her. She could feel his cock swelling against her abdomen once more and automatically spread her legs, allowing him to enter her in one stroke. They made love without abandon, their gazes locked onto each other as their bodies moved in unison.

She didn’t know what was going on between them. Of course she was sexually attracted to him: four rounds of sex within one day proved that. But there was something else happening, something she didn’t want to delve into right now. For the moment, she wanted to enjoy this man, savor his lovemaking, and store away these erotic memories for later.

Too soon, they both climaxed, and she slumped onto his prone body, deliciously worn out. She was too tired to do anything other than rest her head against his chest and try to catch her breath. As she fell into a deep sleep, she felt him kiss her on the top of her
head and whisper “sweet dreams.”