Chapter 33
James
“Fuck,” James says, staring down at the very ready and eager woman before him. She tasted so fucking good. Felt so tight, squeezing around his fingers as she came like the time before. Why didn’t he do this sooner? Because of The (Stupid) Plan he’d concocted.
But when he realized she was selling her things .
. . well, fuck him. She deserves a little reward.
She’s been so patient since Lessa’s party.
They both have, really. Had she not been so tired last night after her confession and they weren’t sick with worry, he might have fallen into her then.
But with their evidence destroyed and the money he’s built up in his Blackmarks account, he can relax a little.
Because right now his cock needs that tight grip or he thinks he might die.
Fuck whoever is at the door, fuck his plan, and fuck being a good guy. That was all over the moment he tasted her. It’s exactly why he wanted to wait. He knew he’d get lost in her. Time for an update.
The Plan, Revision 1: Step 4. Fuck her senseless is now Step 1.
He can multitask. He’ll have to because he has to have her now. He’ll still carry out Steps 1–3. Date her and all that. He’ll just be pleasuring her as he does.
“Ignore it,” she says, running her fingertips along his length. No shit, sweetheart. I plan to.
Her hand palms him, and he rolls his hips for her.
Yes, grant me mercy, he wants to beg. He needs those delicate fingers to be on the other side of the fabric.
He’s about to tell her that when the doorbell chimes again.
Then three direct strikes reverberate through the space, followed by Lessa’s voice.
“Open up, Kate. I’m here to pick up my purchase.
And so is . . .” They trail off for a moment before their voice rings loudly once again. “And so is Evlyn.”
James groans, running a hand across his mouth, clearing away some of Kate’s arousal.
The door handle rattles. “I want my bag, Kate. No take backs.”
James leans over a half-satiated, half-desperate-looking Kate and helps her adjust her top back over her amazing breasts. He knew they would be amazing.
“She’s coming,” he yells. “Give us a minute.” And he almost winces at the irony.
She would be coming again if it weren’t for her bothersome friend.
At least he was able to get her off once before they were interrupted.
Thank their non-deities she’d gotten there before Kate’s buyers showed up.
He helps her off the couch, adjusting her skirt.
“Do I look like I just had an orgasm?” she asks.
Her straight hair is a little mussed and the fabric of her blouse is stretched a bit from him tugging it over her chest. The pale skin of her chest is pink and blotchy, mirroring her strange yet tantalizing scales, not to mention how kissably swollen her lips are.
She still looks utterly fuckable, and he says, “Yes, I’m afraid so. ”
Her grin is radiant as she says, “Good.” Then she points to his mouth, then his needy cock.
“You should do something about that, though.” Before he can communicate any sort of shock at her bluntness, she flounces toward the door.
She gives him a final look, pointing to his bedroom. Then she opens the door.
When James emerges, freshly showered and momentarily and quickly satisfied, Lessa and an unknown woman with a completely shaved head and fierce orange irises are staring at him.
Lessa has a faux leopard fur handbag looped across their shoulders. Their hand is wrapped around the chain too, making James wonder if they also suspect Kate will tear the purchase away from them.
To test the waters, he says, “Nice bag,” as he approaches the group. He wishes they would leave, because while he’s taken care of himself for now, he’s certainly ready to pick back up where he and Kate left off. Her tits are that amazing. It won’t take much to get him going again.
Instead of ushering them out the door, he takes a seat beside her, casually draping his arm across the back of the couch so he can twist her hair in his fingers.
“I suppose I have you to thank,” Lessa says, holding up their purchase.
“Oh, yeah?” he replies.
“Yes. If it weren’t for your . . .” Lessa clears their throat, then leans forward conspiratorially.
“. . . extension issue, Kate wouldn’t be selling all her things, right, Kate?
” James isn’t entirely sure they’re teasing, considering the wary glance they gave him the last time they saw each other.
He widens his eyes at them, hoping they’ll figure out they need to be more discreet in front of a total stranger.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but me too!
” the woman squeals, lifting her feet, twisting them this way and that so James can get a good look at the multicolor glitter of her shoes.
He gives her a tight smile. Because while right now Kate is giving the outward appearance of laughter, he knows she values these items, and this is costing her something.
These people are only too caught up in their own worlds to notice.
Precisely the reason Kate longed for something more.
“I’ve been trying to get Kate to part with this bag for years. I even had an alert set up, so if one went up for sale, I’d get a notification. So imagine my surprise when I saw it listed.” Lessa smirks at Kate, who only shrugs.
“It’s not like I was going to give it to you,” she says.
“I told you I would pay for it every time I asked. You didn’t want to give it up. But then you got James, and it seems you’ve turned over a new leaf.” Lessa purses their lips into a disapproving frown.
Suddenly, he’s defensive. “I told her there was no need.” He turns toward Kate, strongly wishing he could spell it out for her, but Evlyn is leaning forward, intently focusing on their exchange.
“Why don’t you hit pause on the items you are trying to sell?
If you decide to keep me, we can always re-list them. ”
She shrugs, eyeing Evlyn. “I explained my reasons. I want to keep you.”
He sighs, guessing her meaning. She wants to do this for him.
He feels the same way—but he’s him. He must be someone who can stand on their own and take care of those around them.
There is no need for Kate to put herself through this for him.
But how can he argue with her when she’s looking at him like that?
“Trust me,” she urges.
Okay, if this is what she wants—what she thinks will make him a better person, he’ll try, despite his discomfort. “Okay.”
“And stop pushing me about it,” she adds.
He wants to groan. Instead, he says, “I’m trying, Kate.
This doesn’t come naturally to me.” But then the irony that he was meant to be a manupartner strikes him.
He grins. “You were the one who selected my traits after all. If you didn’t want me to be to be like this, then you should have made different selections. ”
Evlyn giggles. “I have to know what you selected.”
Kate playfully rolls her eyes, but her amusement quickly fades when the doorbell chimes. Is she going to get spooked now every time someone comes to the door? Saving her from the act, he quickly goes and opens the door.
Oro1 steps inside. “Ready to test the prototypes?”
He sends a reluctant glance back to Kate. She’s perched on the edge of the couch like she’s won something.
“Have fun!” Kate says, clearly trying to shoo him out to avoid an argument from him. That’s fine. They’ll discuss it later, because he refuses to allow her to be nervous about the doorbell. Even if he is trusting her to handle the next month.
Surely Kate will make an excuse to Evlyn about why he’s leaving with her friend. She wants him to trust her to handle things, so he collects the prototypes, then slips out of the unit before guilt has a chance to change his mind. “Let’s go,” he says, and Oro1 falls into step beside him.
It isn’t long before they’re approaching Y Quadrant’s SAT garage.
Their SAT hums as it swiftly transports them through the city, smoothly passing through several interchanges.
Occasionally, it slows enough for him to catch a glimpse into someone’s apartment or business.
People go about their daily tasks, and he wonders about their lives.
Who among them has manupartners? Who went out on Holiday, pulling sticky candy from fishes’ pouches?
Who is plotting with their own schemes on BLACKOUT, trying to subvert the pay bracket system?
Does Viper live in this quadrant or another?
“Were you able to find out anything about Kate’s old friend?” James asks, unable to say the man’s name without cursing, something he’s trying and failing to get better about.
“He’s worked at GROW for the last seven decades in their marketing department and lives in D Quadrant. I’ve been able to trace a couple of BLACKOUT profiles back to him. One from a different sports betting application. Another that sells a digital product,” Oro1 says.
“It seems like he’s pursuing a variety of avenues to increase his income. How concerned should we be?” James asks.
“I haven’t seen anything that makes me think he’ll report us to the authorities.
Especially considering his activity on BLACKOUT.
My guess is that he’ll try to get us banned from Off-the-Books Boxing,” Oro1 pulls out the plastic sleeve containing the PalmPrint prototypes.
“Maybe other clubs he’s a member of too, but I don’t think it’s anything we should worry about since we don’t plan to go back. ”
“What about Sable?” James asks.
Oro1 releases a full belly laugh. “Of the three of us, I’m the least worried for her.”
James shakes his head, considering the tough woman and what circumstances might have led her to be so guarded and serious when most of the people he meets are flippant and unaffected.