Tease (7 page)

Delaney
Balcott
booked me every couple of months. Though she wasn’t a regular, she was a woman who I definitely looked forward to spending time with.

Attractive and single, Delaney oozed confidence in the workforce. On the odd occasion I saw her on the news, her conviction for whatever she was supporting sent chills down my spine. It was actually a huge turn-on, seeing these women on TV or in the newspaper and knowing I knew them in a way that nobody else did. And I was probably one of only a handful of people who could say ‘Yep, I’ve seen you naked.’

Apart from Amalie, Delaney was my only client who preferred me to meet her at her home. Located on the southern side of Manhattan, overlooking the lake, her place could only be described as a palace. And I thought my place was too big for one person. Her house made
my
apartment look like a shoebox.

I pressed the intercom and announced myself. As the gates opened, I drove through, parking in the garage. Getting out of the car, I hit the button on the wall that sent the garage door back down, and then I strolled over to the internal access door and knocked lightly.

“It’s open, Coop!” Delaney called out.

I turned the handle and pushed it open, stepping inside.

No matter how many times I’d been there, the beauty of the house still shocked me. The place was spotless. The living room boasted huge windows that showcased the breathtaking view—almost as good as mine. With the newest furniture and expensive artworks, Delaney’s house looked like something out of a magazine. Everything had a spot and nothing ever looked out of place.

I walked into the kitchen, where I could hear her puttering around.

She looked up and smiled at me. “Coop,” she said, walking over.

Her long dark hair hung loosely down her back. She was still wearing her work clothes, a grey pencil skirt and a white shirt that looked stunning against her dark skin. She leaned into me, her lips connecting with mine in a passionate kiss.

“You have no idea how happy I am to see you. I’ve been working myself into the ground the last few weeks and I need a release.” She grinned and reached over to the counter for the two wine glasses and a bottle of red.

“It’s good to see you too. You look stunning, as usual.” I placed my hand on the curve of her back as she poured the wine.

“You look pretty good too,” she said, handing me a glass. Her hazel eyes wandered over my body as she licked her lips. “Let’s go upstairs, shall we?”

She took off for the staircase, with me right behind her.

Looking at Delaney, the last thing you’d expect to find in her house was a dedicated sex room. We’re talking walls lined with various sized bats and whips, dildos in every color and shape, and various other toys,

“Over there,” she said, pointing to the king-sized bed against the far wall. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

I walked over the hardwood floor to the bed. The good thing about regular clients
was knowing
what to expect. Delaney loved to be dominated by men. Our sessions lasted anywhere from an hour to all night, depending on how busy she was.

You’re imagining all sorts of kinky things now, aren’t you? Well, whatever you’re thinking,
trust
me, the reality is so much better.

Delaney strutted back into the room wearing a matching lace bra and panties. Her hair was twisted up into a bun and fastened into place with several pins. The black stiletto heels she was wearing added several inches to her height, enough so that she now stood taller than me.

“Why don’t you take your clothes off,” she suggested, her voice serious. She stood in front of me, her arms crossed over her chest, watching me, waiting. I let my pants and boxers fall to the floor, and pushed them aside. I lifted my T-shirt over my head and dropped it to the floor.

She took a step forward, curling her hand tightly around my cock. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at me, slowly increasing the pressure her hand had on my dick.

“You want me on my knees, sucking your cock, don’t you?” she accused. I got the feeling Delaney sometimes struggled working in such a male-dominated field, and that encouraged her fascination with BDSM. Our games always started out with her showing her strength, which I slowly broke down until she was at my beck and call.

“I love the feel of a woman’s lips closing around my dick. It’s what women are best at.” I smiled at her. Of course I didn’t
really
believe that; it was what she wanted to hear. She wanted a reason to be pissed at me, because that’s what turned her on.

She wanted me to fuel the fire.

“Come on, Delaney. Stop wasting my time. Nobody likes a cock tease.” I strolled past her and over to the sofa against the opposite wall. I slid onto the seat and whistled her over like I would a puppy. She scowled, but obliged, walking over until she stood in front of me, her hands on her hips.

“On your knees, honey,” I sighed.

She glared at me as she squatted.

“Come on, take it in your mouth. You realize that when you’re at work, every guy is daydreaming about you sucking his cock?” I chuckled. “I bet that’s how you got to where you are, right? By spending a lot of time on your knees?”

Again, let me be
clear
: the way I was acting couldn’t be further from what I believe. I’d been with Delaney enough to know that this is what got her off. Her idea of Coop was a guy who thought he was better than everyone else, especially women. A guy who saw women as objects
that were
inferior to the male species. She housed a lot of anger and I was her source of release, because I reflected her perception of the ninety-nine percent male field she worked in.

She began to work her tongue around my length very slowly, her dark eyes flashing at me.

“Faster, Delaney. Don’t pretend a pretty little thing like you doesn’t know how to suck cock,” I said, mockingly.

Her eyes narrowed as she began to suck me harder.

“That’s a good girl,” I said, keeping my eyes on her. When she got annoyed she was really fucking scary. Her eyes went so black they looked almost evil as they bored into mine.

I sighed again, pretending to be disappointed.

“Okay, get up. This isn’t working for me, honey. I want to fuck you. Do you like being fucked by a real man?”

She stood up, not saying a word, the hateful expression on her face speaking volumes.

“On the bed,” I encouraged her as I walked over to it. I threw myself down, grabbing the condom from the nightstand and slipping on my dick while I waited. She was so precise in ensuring everything would go as she imagined in her head, right down to having the condom ready—which was the complete opposite of what she wanted to be in this fantasy.

She stood up and inched toward
the me
.

“I hope you don’t work this slow in the office. But then maybe that explains why all the guys get the promotions, huh?” I chuckled.

Her mouth dropped open slightly, and for a moment I thought she might respond. But instead, she closed it and stomped over to me, pulling her panties down and climbing onto me.

“God, yeah. Nothing better than having a woman hanging off your cock,” I said as she lowered herself onto me. “How about you take that pretty little bra off too?” I suggested, cocking an eyebrow.

Her mouth twitched, but she reached behind her back and unclasped her bra. Pulling it away from her body, I smiled as her breasts tumbled out. She began to ride me back and forth, her eyes closing as she got into the moment.

“Mmm,” she sighed softly.

“You feel good,” I muttered, my hands sitting on her hips. “Do you imagine yourself getting fucked by the guys at work? That’s what you like, isn’t it?”

She didn’t answer.

“Tell me it’s what you like,” I ordered.

“I like it. I imagine every man at work fucking me,” she said through gritted teeth.

I eased my hand behind her and tossed her over so she was on her back and I was on top of her. She gasped, caught off guard. Taking both her hands, I lifted them to the steel bedframe, where a long length of blue ribbon was already hanging, waiting. I curled the ribbon around her wrists, binding her into place.

“Mm, that’s better,” I sighed, running my finger down her arm, over her breast and down her stomach. “Are you wet for me, Delaney? Tell me,” I ordered after she didn’t answer.

“Yes!” she cried. “I’m wet. Please, Coop, I need this,” she whimpered.

I smiled and walked over to the wall that housed the toys. I picked off a few, inspecting each one before deciding on a Duet Lux—a two pronged vibrator.

“Delaney, you’ve got a lot of toys for someone who is supposed to be a good girl. What would people think if they saw you like this?” I sat on the edge of the bed, my fingers circling the inner area of her thigh. “Don’t you want people to know what a slut you are?”

She shook her head and groaned as I pushed my finger inside of her. I began to massage her clit as she grinded herself against my hand. Sliding my finger out, I placed some lube on the end of the Duet and pushed it inside of her. She gasped as I switched it on to vibrate, her body trying desperately to squirm away from me. I squeezed the prongs as I thrust it in and out of her pussy, now so wet she was making the sheets under her damp.

“Come for me, Delaney. You love the feel of this inside you, don’t you?” I asked her, twisting the Duet, still deep inside of her.

She cried out, pulling on her arms so hard that the ribbon around her wrist began to dig into her skin.

“Do you prefer my cock, honey? Is that what you’d like?”

She nodded yes as I rubbed the vibrator against her clit.

I pulled out the Duet and discarded it, and untied her hands. She sat up, breathing hard, her eyes on me. I wrapped my fist around the shaft of my dick and began to ride the length. I was hard as fuck and nearly ready to explode.

“Do you like my cock, Delaney? Do you like the feel of your mouth closing around it, sucking it?” I asked.

She nodded, her eyes wide as she crawled along the bed toward me. I closed my eyes as she took me in her mouth, taking in most of my length before sucking, back and forth.

Holy
fuck, that
felt good.

“Get on your knees, I want to fuck you from behind,” I ordered her, lifting her off my cock. I pulled out another condom and rolled it on. She kneeled on the bed, on all fours, glancing back over her shoulder at me. I massaged some more lube onto my shaft and placed my tip at the entrance of her ass.

She gasped as I thrust my cock inside of her, my balls slapping against her bare pussy. My hands gripped her hips, rocking her back toward me, making each push into her tight ass that much more powerful.

“Rub yourself,” I whispered urgently, “I want you to come with me.”

She lifted her hand to her pussy, her fingers massaging her clit. She began to whimper softly, her feet flexing as her body tensed. I groaned as her ass squeezed my dick, each thrust increasing in speed and power as I began to climax.

“
Ohoooo
yeah,” I mumbled as I came, harder—and faster—than I had in a while. I reached under her, my fingers pushing hers out the way, circling around her clit, while I slid one inside of her. “Come for me, baby.”

She moaned, her hips bucking as she began to come, my fingers furiously rubbing her as she cried out.

“Oh my god, oh yeah!” she gasped, pushing my hand away. She collapsed in a heap onto the bed.

“Holy shit,” she exclaimed, rolling onto her stomach. She gazed up at me with a satisfied grin. “You are one hell of a fuck.”

I chuckled as I dressed. “So are you, honey.”

“Can I see you again next month? I have a pretty hectic few weeks ahead and I think I’m going to need you for the whole night.”

“Anything for you, Delaney,” I smirked as I buttoned up my shirt. She bit her lip,
then
shook her head, a big smile on her face. “Something funny?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

“No, just admiring what I paid for,” she said with a snigger. I walked around her side of the bed. Leaning down, I grabbed her neck, bringing her lips up to meet mine in a rough kiss.

“Anytime you want to admire me, let me know,” I replied.

“Well, that’s all of it.” Mia brushed her hands together and stood up, pushing the loose curls from her face. “Thanks for this, Coop. I know Nic can get quite pushy when she wants something.”

“My sister? No!” I said in mock horror as Mia laughed. “Seriously, though, it’s fine. Stay as long as you like. It will be nice having someone around the house,” I said, surprised that a small part of me actually meant it.

As much as I liked Mia, I loved my privacy more. At least I thought I did. If it were anyone else, there was no question I’d be feeling annoyed at having my space invaded. I was confused as hell by my feelings. This whole thing was a fucking mess.

Thank Christ she didn’t have kids, because that would have driven me mad. Kids were great when you could give them back. I couldn’t see myself ever having kids—but then again, I couldn’t even see myself in a long-term relationship.

Part of the reason Kara and I had married so young was that she had found out she was pregnant at eighteen. It wasn’t the only reason we married and if anything, it strengthened our resolve to make it work.
Until she delivered a stillborn baby girl in her thirty-third week.

We dealt with our grief differently, and we began to drift apart. Our goal and values changed, and suddenly we were no longer the same people we’d been before. That was the beginning of the end of our relationship. I’d moved on from Kara, but I hadn’t moved on from the level of hurt that relationship had left me with.

It took a long time for me to work through not only the grief of losing a child, especially so late in the pregnancy, but I was also grieving the loss of my marriage, my wife, and the guy I thought was my best friend. Max and I had known each other since middle school. I was kind of a loner when I was young, and he was the only person who ever really
got
me.

After what happened, I lost faith in people in general. If my own wife and best friend could do that to me, then what hope did I have against the rest of the world? It became easier to just depend on
myself and my family
.

Add onto all of that the fact that Mom’s treatment relied on the money I brought in from work, and romantically, I was fucked. Even if I wanted a girlfriend, there was no way in hell it could ever work.

“Coffee?” I asked Mia.

She nodded, getting up and wandering over to the kitchen. She sat down at the table.

“I should warn you that Thursday nights I don’t leave the TV between the hours of eight and ten.”

“Oh? And what is so important?”

“
Law and Order
triple night,” I said as a matter of fact.

She snorted. “Of course. Why doesn’t it surprise me that you’re into
Law and Order
?” she giggled.

I pretended to look wounded. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked. “You’re killing me here.”

“Come on, Liam. You’re not the most…well, you can be a little nerdy…at least you used to be.” She chuckled, her green eyes sparkling.

“Give a guy a break, I was fourteen! What fourteen-year-old boy
isn’t
nerdy?” I groaned, throwing my arms up. This girl knew exactly how to break a guys confidence, and it made me want her even more
.

“Well, Steve Guinness wasn’t.” She grinned.

Steve Guinness?

My mouth dropped open and I shook my head, trying not to smile. “Steve Guinness had too few brain cells to be anything other than a quarterback for our high school football team. Where do you think he is now? Living in an upscale Manhattan apartment?” I retorted, raising my eyebrows. I smirked at her.

She giggled. “Uh, no…he was signed to the Atlanta Falcons and is making several million a year.”

He was?
Shit, well that knocked me off my high horse.
I rolled my eyes at her and walked over to the sofa, slumping down, trying to cover the fact that I had no response to that.

Still giggling, she joined me, throwing
herself
down beside me.

Focus on the TV, Coop, and not on the fact that she is less than an inch away from you.

Of course, that was easier said than done. Her perfume was intoxicating. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her bare legs, one crossed over the other, her black cotton skirt riding up and showing enough of her thigh to make my heart race. She had a tiny scratch just above her right knee that when paired with the two freckles above it, made a little smiley face. I fought back the urge to run my fingers along it.

“I’ve seen this one already,” Mia muttered.

“Yeah, so have I,” I said, my eyes glued to the screen.

She glanced at me sideways and laughed. “So you’d rather watch a repeat of this than catch up with me?” she asked lightly.

I turned to her, amused. Reaching for the remote, I turned the volume down. All she had to do was ask, and I was ready for whatever she was thinking.

“And what did you have in mind?” I asked suspiciously.

“I don’t know. We could order some takeout, talk and stuff.” She shrugged.

I nodded, not letting on how curious I was about exactly what “stuff” entailed.

“Okay.” I stood up and walked over the TV, sliding open the cabinet drawer. Grabbing the handful of takeout menus, I handed them to her. “Knock yourself out.”

She shuffled through them, finally deciding on Chinese.

Mia ordered a few different dishes for us to share while I went to get us some drinks. I grabbed two beers from the fridge, handing her one. She popped open the top and took a sip.

“A girl who can handle her beer,” I chuckled. “I love it.”

“Come on, you know I’m more of a guy than most men are. That hasn’t changed much in the last twelve years,” she laughed.

That was true. Part of the reason I’d been so smitten with Mia was that she wasn’t a girly girl, by any means. She’d do anything, and make sure she was having fun while doing it.

Most girls would’ve avoided rabbit chasing in the dead of winter after a storm. Not Mia. We had gone out early to hunt and had come home covered from head to toe in mud—with no rabbits. And she’d been the only girl I knew who could still look hot in doing so.

“I still can’t believe you
knew
I had this massive crush on you,” I muttered. I thought back to fourteen-year-old Coop and some of the things he’d done around Mia thinking she had no idea how he felt. It made me want to cringe.

“What are you thinking?” she asked with a smile, taking in my pained expression.

“I was just thinking how mortified I would’ve been, had I known that you knew.” I groaned, covering my face with my hands. Mia laughed.

“But you didn’t know, so what’s the point in thinking back?”

“Because I’m still embarrassed,” I admitted. “Twelve years later, and I’m still insanely attracted to you. I don’t feel as though anything has changed. Around you, I still feel like that tongue-tied scrawny kid.”

Why was I telling her this?

“Maybe you should have told me yourself. Maybe I had feelings for you, too but was too shy to do anything about it.” She toyed with a loose thread hanging off the sofa.

God don’t tell me that! Now all I can think of is all those wasted nights…

“You didn’t seem shy that last day,” I commented, raising my eyebrows. She laughed and peeked at me, her cheeks red.

“Well I knew I was never going to see you again. So what did it matter. At least I thought I’d never see you again,” She muttered. She glanced at me, her green eyes suddenly guarded. “I’m really glad I’m here, Coop.”

I reached out, my fingers touching the velvety soft skin of her hand. “Me too,” I admitted. We stared at each other, neither game enough to make a move.

The intercom buzzed. Thank god our food chose
that
very moment to arrive.

“I’ll get it,” I said, jumping up before she could answer. I couldn’t get to the door fast enough.

I took my time paying the delivery guy, before walking back into the living room with our food. Sitting down on the sofa, I pulled the coffee table closer to us and began to unpack the cartons of food. I let her choose first—honey chicken—before I picked up the beef satay for myself.

We watched the TV in silence as we ate. Out of the corner of my eye, I suppressed a laugh as I watched her struggle with a particularly large piece of chicken.

“What?” she asked, defensively.

“Do you need me to cut it up for you?” I teased.

“Shut up!” She grinned and went back to the same piece of chicken, forcing the whole thing into her mouth. Her eyebrows shot up as if to say “see?”

“Very talented. But then, I already knew that,” I murmured softly.

“Liam Cooper. You’d better not have been talking about what I think you were just then.” She smirked at me, her eyes narrowing. I looked at her, innocently, feigning surprise.

I looked at her, innocently. “I have no idea what you’re referring to,” I protested. “All I meant was you are a smart, intelligent woman.” I furrowed my brow. “Did you think…
Mia!
Why does
everything
have to be about sex with you women?”

She went red. “Hey,” she giggled. “Stop trying to play Mr. Sweet and Innocent. I know exactly what you’re like, Coop.” Her eyes narrowed in on me. She pointed her fork accusingly, her eyes flashing with amusement. I laughed nervously.
God, she had no idea.

I laughed. She had no idea. At that moment, I almost,
almost
told her the truth, but something stopped me. I didn’t doubt I could trust her, that wasn’t the issue. Telling her would basically ruin any chance of something happening between us and I wasn’t ready to let go of that just yet.

After dinner, I cleared away the dishes—by shoving them in the dishwasher—then sat back down with Mia. I was getting to the point where every moment I spent with her I’d run over and over in my head. I was getting creepy. But at least I was keeping that creepiness internal.
Most of it, anyway.

“So what did you miss most about New York?” I asked her. The need to keep her talking was all about giving me an excuse to look at her. I could ask her something, then just watch her

“Oh,” she began, surprised by the question. “I’d have to say the people. Just walking down the street here you’re surrounded by all these people from different walks of life. You’d struggle to get that anywhere else in the world.”

“Florida not quite the same?” I teased. She rolled her eyes.

“Where we lived, imagine a giant retirement village. That’s what it felt like, especially to a fourteen-year-old,” she grinned. “But really, it didn’t matter where we moved to. Nothing was going to be good enough. I’d been uprooted from my school, my friends…my home for fourteen years, and forced to start again.”

“That must’ve been hard,” I murmured.

“Yeah. I made friends, but it wasn’t the same, you know? By that age, everyone has their own little groups, and unless you’re a social butterfly, it’s really hard to fit in.” She turned to me suddenly, her green eyes alive. “Oh, you know what else I miss?” she asked excitedly. “The cheesecake from that diner over on Tenth.
Malson’s
.

I shrugged. “Never been there,”

“Shut up,” she gasped, jumping up.
her
eyes wide as she jumped to her feet.

“What are you doing?” I asked, laughing as she grabbed hold of my hand and attempted to pull me out of my seat. We stood, inches from one another, her hands still on mine.

“I’m about to give you the best experience of your life,” she said dramatically.

I followed her to the door, chuckling.

Every moment I spend with you is pretty damn good.

“So?” she demanded, staring at me impatiently.

I nodded slowly. “I admit
,
this is pretty damn good.”

I
placed
another mouthful of cheesecake into my mouth. It
was
fucking
good
, but honestly, seeing how happy it made Mia that I was enjoying it, I would’ve lied my ass off even if I hated it.

“Yes!” she cheered, her head dancing from side to side.

“How did you find this place, anyway?” I asked, licking the back of my fork.

“My parents used to bring me here for special occasions. I never forgot this place, and never found cheesecake anywhere near as good. Trust me, I’ve looked.” She smiled and leaned over to me. “I have a bit of a thing for cheesecake,” she whispered.

“I noticed,” I chuckled. I glanced at her empty plate, which had been literally scraped clean. I loaded up my final mouthful onto my fork. “Here,” I said, placing the spoon near her mouth.

She giggled and opened, allowing me to feed her my last bite.

I watched as her lips hit the fork, sliding the gooey dessert into her mouth. She closed her eyes and smiled, a tiny dab of cheesecake sticking to the corner of her mouth. She was so fucking
cute
.

“You’re so sweet, Coop,” she giggled.

“What can I say?” I said as I shrugged off my embarrassment. “Here,” I said. I leaned over and wiped the corner of her mouth. “You had a bit there…” I stopped as she caught my wrist and placed my finger in her mouth, gently sucking off the remnants of cake. I swallowed hard, my throat drier than a desert as all the blood in my body rushed to my dick. She let go of my finger and smiled at me.