Tease Me

Chapter 34

“I still can’t believe you’ve been holding out on me.” The fact that Lolita could even talk, despite running at a frightening pace, was a testament to how fit she was.

I frowned. “What?” I spoke between breaths. “No, I haven’t.”

I was prettycertainshewas still punishingme for making her eat that cheesecake a couple of weeks ago.Even though it had only been about five mouthfuls, I’d learned my lesson.Never force-feed Lolita.

“You never told me Corben was that hot.”

“Yes, I did.”

She played with the buttons on her treadmill, and the spinning tread raised to its highest elevation. The crazy woman was running at maximum speed andmaximumelevation, yet she could still talk as if she were merely taking a stroll on the beach. I loved and hated her right now.

“You said he was hot. That doesn’t even begin to describe him. Now that I’ve metbothBilly and Corben, I know you’re holding out on me.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Your descriptions fall way short of the mark. I mean, Corben was a total fucking babe. Either you give me all the details”—she waggled her finger at me—“or photos. You choose.”

I shook my head; it was impossible to speak anyway. After a couple more seconds, I decided I’d had enough and jumped off the spinning tread. “I’m done.”

“No, you’re not. Get back on there.”

I turned to her and cocked my head. “Nope.” That was the first time I’deverdefied Lolita, and she scowled at me.

“No cake for you this morning, then.”

“Watch me.”

She gasped, then burst out laughing. How on earth she could laugh and runat the same timewas beyond me. I turned off my treadmill and wiped the sweat off my forehead with a towel.

As I sipped my water and waited for her to finish her run, I summarized everything we had to talk about this morning.By the timeshe jumped off, I decided I’d need a large piece of cake to get through all the topics.

Aquickglance in the mirror confirmed my cheeks were as flushed as they felt.Lolita,on the other hand, looked like she could do it all again.We grabbed our things from the lockers and headed to the Blue Haven Café.

Spring was out in all its glory, and the sun was a blazing white ball high over the ocean. The red and yellow lifesaver flags were far apart today, indicating the ocean was behaving itself, and based on the number of people in the water, I assumed it must be fairly warm, too.

While Lolly sat at our usual table, I went inside to check out the cake selection. My mouth salivated as I glanced from one delicious-looking treat to the next. In the end, it was the chocolate Jaffa cake that spoke to me the loudest.

I returned to the table and satso I couldsee both Lolita and the beach.

“How’s Needledick been?”

“Weird, as usual.It’s likehestill doesn’t believe what happened but has no choice. I don’t care anymore; I’m over him.”

“Good. He doesn’t deserve your attention anyway.”

“True.”

Matt arrived, and we placed our orders. The second he left, Lolita tapped her fingernail on the table. “So, tell me all about Corben. He’s fucking hot.”

I giggled. “I know.”As we waited for our meals, I detailedthe unusual date I’d hadwith Corben.I started with what I wore and moved on to hischoice of meal.

“A hotdog stand?”

“I know, weird, huh? It was yummy, though.”

She scrunched up her nose. “Of course you’d enjoy it.”

“I had fun. We sat in the middle of the mall, and as we ate our hotdogs, we watched the people go by. I didn’t mind, and you know what? It suited Corben. I couldn’t imagine him doing fine dining.”

A frown drilled across her forehead, andthen she squinted at me. “I think you like Corben. A lot.”

Matt arrived with our food, and as he placed our dishes on the table, I thought about her comment. There certainly was a lot to like about Mr. Universe. But was he the man for me? I didn’t know.

“So, do you think he’s the one?”

I stabbed my cake with the fork. “He’sthe one for now.”

She burst out laughing. “Ha, you’re a riot.”

“Thank you.” The Jaffa cake was everything I’d hoped for—moist and delicious, with hints of fresh orange complementing the rich dark chocolate. Every forkful was a party in my mouth.

“So, who else are youreallykeen on? What about Billy?”

I sighed as I thought about my hunky cowboy. “He’sreally lovely. They all are. Every one of the men has been amazing in theirownway.”

“Okay, which ones are at the top of your list?”

“What? Out of all of them?”

“Yeah. Which are your favorites?”

“Okay, well, one of the guys at the top of the list is Henry.”

She cocked her head. “The old guy?”

“He’s not old.”

“Whoa, calm down. It’s my way of remembering thesedudes. Okay, so he’s not old. Why do you like him so much?”

“Well . . . he’s incredible. His body is amazing. He’s smart, funny,suave, and oh my god, does he know how to please me.”

“What’d he do this time?”

I cringed at the thought of telling her and instantly regretted it.

“What? Tell me.” She reached forward and clutched my arm.

Knowing I had no choice but to divulge the details, I closed my eyes and hated myselfright at that very moment.“Stuckhisfinger up my . . .” I cringed, unable to say it.

“Holy shit, babe, youreallyare stepping out. Did you like it?”

I shrugged. “It was weird.”

“But you liked it, didn’t you?”

I felt the need to clarify why I liked it. I leaned forward, and with my voice barely a whisper, I described in intimate detailexactlywhat Henry did to me. Lolly barely uttered a sound as I explained how Henry brought my orgasm to a whole new level. When I finished, I leaned back and attacked my cake again.

Lolly fanned herself. “Holy smokes, babe. He sounds fucking amazing.”

I grinned. “Told you.”

She pointed her finger at me. “From now on, that’s exactly howyou’re going totell me about these romps. No more glossing over the details. I tell you what, though—I need to grab Calvin and get me some anal sex going on.”

My jaw dropped, andcringing,I scanned the café, hopinglike hellnobody had heard her.To my surprise, it seemed she’d gone unnoticed. I turned my gaze to her as she pushed back and stood. She came to me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. “You’re amazing, babe.”

I had no idea why. But adhering to Henry’s advice, I nodded and said, “Thank you.”

She hooked her bag on her shoulder. “Calvin better answer his phone, or I’ll have to get my Venus Probe out.”

I had a good idea what the Venus Probe was, and thank God she’d looked away, or she would’ve seen the shock on my face. Lolita jogged off, and as I watched her non-existent ass disappear into the crowd, I thought about her choice to own a vibrator.

I’d never used one myself. Maybe that was because, prior to this year, sex hadn’t even been close toamazing. Now, though, I understood just how incredible it was. But once I had a man in my life, like Lolita did, I couldn’t imagine the need for a vibrator.

I chuckled as I hoped that the man who I did fall in love with enjoyed having sex because he was going to be getting a hell of a lot of it.

As I smiled at thatwonderfulthought, I put a twenty-dollar note under the saltshaker and stood to push my chair in.

Back in my room, I showered and crawled into bed.After the workoutI’d had, sleep came quickly.

The evening shift started slowly and didn’t get any better as the night rolled on until just after eleven o’clock when a handsome stranger strolled through the lobby doors and enchanted me with his beauty.

In a flash, my boring shift had become a hell of a lot better.

His skin was creamy white, with atouch ofrose on his cheeks.It was obvious thathe hadn’tbeen exposedto Australia’s harsh sunshine for long.His blond beard was full, covering the lower half of his face, butit was his eyes thatdrew me in.Fierce, cornflower blue eyes that grabbed me and wouldn’t let me go.

Hewas younger than me, I’d say,by at least three years, and hisstrong, confident stride was that of a man who’d figured out the mystery of the universe.He struck me as someone who had an excellent work-life balance. But from the second I glanced into his intense eyes, I was ready to tilt that balanceway overto the life side. At least, that was the plan.

“Good evening.” I cleared my throat. “Welcome to the Hot Horizon Hotel.”

“Hello, I’m Maxximus Diederik. I’ve booked for one night.” His European accent was strong and sexy.

Dragging my eyes away from his, I stepped to the back counter, and after a quick flick through the check-in cards, I removed his card.

“Here we go, Mr. Diederik. Do you have your identification there?”

As he fished around in a leathersatchelover his shoulder, I took the opportunity to explore his body.

He wore a navy T-shirt that showed off thefinetone of his arms, and his hands were exquisite—smooth skin with perfectly trimmed nails. His only jewelry was aninterestingsilver ring with unusual engravings around the outer edge.

As he handed his passport over, it took all my might not to accidentally-on-purpose touch him. I flipped to his information page and noted his age; this fine young man was indeed younger than me by four years. As I took a photocopy of his passport, I decided it was time I explored some younger flesh, and my insides did a dizzying flip at my naughty decision.

I turned back to him, and my breath caught in my throat at his side profile. The discreet downlighting captured the golden tones of his slicked-back hair, and his beard was thick and bushy, adding length to his already strong chin.

“What brings you to the Gold Coast, Mr. Diederik?”

His smile was extraordinary, and as I blinked at him, I realized Maxximus could be Bradley Cooper’s twin. “Please . . . call me Magic.”

My eyebrows shot up with a will of their own. “Magic?”

“Yes, Magic Maxx. It’s my professional name. I’m here for the Evolution International Yoga conference.”

Yoga with Bradley Cooper. Count me in. “Oh, wow.” I started undressing him with my eyes, peeling off layer after layer to review the body sculpted by the art of yoga.

“Do you do yoga?”

“Oh, ummm no.” But I’m ready when you are.

“You should try it. You train your mind to see peace, train your body to feel peace.”

I’ll be feeling a piece of your body later.“Oh.” I cleared my throat again and forced my brain into Jane-the-hotel-manager mode. “Sounds wonderful.”

“Here, give me your hand.” He could have told me to tear my clothes off, and I would have. With my hand clasped between his and our eyes locked, his calm composure enveloped me like a soothing balm.

“Now, close your eyes.”

I did.

“Can you feel it?”

The only it I felt was my insides purring and saying hell yes. “Uh-huh.” I snuck a glance at him. Memphis’s next conquest was stunning. With his eyes closed, his long lashes looked even longer, and his slender nose divided his symmetrical features perfectly. If hewasn’tstanding rightin front ofme, I’d think he was Photoshopped.

“You have an inner energy begging tobe explored.”

You have no idea.“Okay.”

“Yoga teaches you how to feel deep inside.”

“It does?”

“Learn to tap into that energy, and your world will shine.”

When he released my hand, I wanted to weep. Magic Maxx curled a thread of hair behind his ear, and it was a simple yet stunning move.

I realized he was waiting for me to be a hotel manager again, and I cleared my throat, hopeful that my voice wouldactuallywork. “Okay, you’re staying in room twenty-eight on the fifth floor.” I passed his details card across the counter. “Here’s your room key. Do you need any help with bags?”

“No, I’m good.”

“Yes, you are.”

Oh shit.Judging by the intrigued look onhisface, I’d said that aloud.A blaze of heat racedupmy neck as I prayed for him to drag his eyes awayfrom me.

It was an eternity before he reached down to grab his bag. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. See you soon. I mean tomorrow, probably.”

He chuckled, and I watched, mesmerized, as he glided to the elevator. He walked on his toes rather than his heels, and it gave the appearance that he ice-skated across the polished lobby tiles.

From the moment he disappeared into the elevator, I was obsessed, possessed—taken over by a horny nymph who wanted a man.

No, not wanted, needed.

It was as if I wouldn’t be able to breathe again until he was inside me.

I put the ‘back in five minutes’ sign on the counter, grabbed my bag from under my counter, and raced after my next sexual conquest.

It didn’t even occur to me that what I was doing was so, so wrong.

To be continued. . .