T W E N T Y T H R E E
T W E N T YT H R E E
- Avery -
T he restaurant was really stylish. Dark with flickering candles in red glass votives. Hindu art. And the food was unbelievable. Not only was it served in beautiful golden bowls, but it was so fragrant and flavorful it felt like all my senses were feasting.
“So tell me again what we just had,” I said, glancing at my clean plate.
“I love that you want to know,” Oliver said, his eyes on mine.
“Of course I do.” I pointed at one of the empty bowls between us where the chicken in green sauce used to be. “This was the Gorkhali, right?”
He nodded like I was a star student.
“And this one?” I asked, pointing to the next bowl.
“That was the Ledo Bedo.”
“Too good,” I said, leaning back in the maroon velvet booth, which matched the dark walls and made the gold accents on the traditional plates and artwork pop. Best of all, dining with an expert meant I didn’t have to make any decisions at all.
Admittedly, when we first sat down, part of me felt like I should try to have an opinion about what we ought to eat and drink. But he seemed happy to take the lead, so I let him. And I was glad I did. It was fun to be out with someone who wanted to treat me, someone who didn’t make me feel like I was on trial or needed to prove I was worthy of his company. And the fact that that someone came in Oliver-shaped packaging…. Well, I wasn’t complaining.
“What about the little dips that came with the poppadoms at the start?” I asked.
“Mint sauce, mango chutney, and onion chutney,” he said. “Did you have a favorite?”
“Mixing them together like I saw you doing?”
He smiled. “Any interest in dessert?”
I met his eyes across the candlelit table, and a warm flutter fired in my belly. “Do you want dessert?”
“Immediately,” he said, his gaze darkening as the electric heat between us intensified.
Was he suggesting what I thought he was suggesting?
He reached for his wine glass, gave the last sip of his Syrah a swirl, and swallowed it before licking his lips as he looked at mine. “You should use the bathroom before we go.”
I could tell by the way he said it that it wasn’t a suggestion, and I fought the urge to squirm in my seat.
“I insist.”
His hunger for me was so intense it was making me wet.
“Okay,” I said quietly. “But I want to split the bill.”
“Maybe another time,” he said, his black cashmere V-neck hugging his upper body in all the right places. “I already took care of it.”
“When?” He literally hadn’t left my side all night.
“This afternoon.”
“That’s not a thing.”
“Of course it is,” he said. “I gave them my card number over the phone and told them what percentage I wanted to tip.”
“You tipped in advance?”
“It’s the only way to tip.”
I squinted at him. “Says who?”
“Says me, after years of testing.”
I cocked my head, willing him to continue.
“When you tip in advance, you give people the opportunity to rise to your expectations instead of leaving them to guess what they are. It’s better for everybody.”
“Interesting theory.”
“Didn’t you say you wanted to use the bathroom?”
“Thanks for dinner, Oliver. You really didn’t have to—”
“I did,” he interrupted. “And I still feel indebted to the pleasure of your company.”
I would’ve rolled my eyes, but he said it so sincerely it felt like every chili pepper I’d eaten that night was kicking in all at once. “If you’ll excuse me….” I stood up from chair, smoothed down my little black dress, and grabbed my small purse from the back of my chair.
“If you’re not back in one minute…”
I raised my brows and waited for him to finish the sentence but all he gave me a was a conspiratorial smirk that said, “Ready or not, here I come.”
But he had no idea how ready I was.
I hurried down the hallway at the back of the restaurant and let myself into the spacious and spotless restroom, which was full of gold accents that sparkled under a maroon crystal chandelier. Then I turned towards the mirror, gave my hair a tousle, and breathed into my hand moments before the door opened behind me.
“Excuse me,” he said, stepping inside. “I didn’t realize anyone was in here.” He locked the door before looking at me like a wolf that hadn’t eaten in weeks. “You knew I would follow you if you came in here.”
“Yet I came.”
“And not for the first time.” He stepped up and kissed me hard, opening his mouth to mine. My lower body gushed at the first touch of his tongue, and I smiled as he pulled me against him. His hand reached down to cup my ass gently at first, but then he squeezed me so hard I almost cried out. Instead, I clawed at his sweater and tilted my head so he could kiss me deeper.
“You make me want to be very bad,” he said, his teeth grazing my ear as he spun me towards the sink top. I braced myself against it as he forced my legs apart and reached between them, his hand gliding up my inner thigh until it met my naked need. “Christ,” he said when he realized I wasn’t wearing underwear.
“You make me want to be bad, too,” I said, my body aching for his attention. My breath hitched as his fingertips found my swollen bud, and I moaned as he coated it with the warm silk dripping from me.
I gasped for breath against his lips as he slid his fingers inside me, the friction of his thrusting raising the temperature of my boiling core even higher.
When he added a finger, I buried my face in his strong shoulder, desperate to keep my ecstasy between us as he crushed his cock against my hip.
My fingers fumbled their way across his expensive slacks, the smooth fabric making it easy for me to feel the shape of him beneath. When I looked up from my hands, his eyes were locked on me and his brows were closely drawn.
I bit my lip and unbuttoned his pants, the heat of his need escaping against my palms. “Avery.” His hand slid around the back of my neck, and he squeezed until sparks sizzled up my spine. “Stroke me,” he said, tightening his hold on me as he drove his fingers deeper.
I used all the strength I could muster to do as he asked, my mouth watering as I wrapped my fingers around him and stroked his dick hard enough to make him growl.
“Shhhh,” I said, looking deep into his dark eyes as he finger fucked me until I was lightheaded.
He leaned over and kissed me then, bringing us back to each other so we’d have something to do with our mouths besides scream each other’s names.
“Stop,” he whispered against my lips. “You come first.”
I eased off to see if he really meant it.
“Thank you,” he said into my hair before his thumb flicked a switch between my legs.
I gasped, and a devilish grin spread across his face. “Melt for me,” he said as my body pulsed around him.
I tightened my grip on his cock, and when my neck fell back, he dropped his lips to it, sucking my delicate skin as I shook in his arms and flooded his fingers with my pleasure.
When I finally caught my breath, it was impossible to tell how much time had passed, but if there were half as many stars in my eyes as there were in his, our bliss was written all over our faces.
He leaned down and snagged my bottom lip with his teeth. “Your body…” He shook his head and pulled his silky fingers from between my legs, sucking them clean as his eyes searched mine.
“Your turn,” I said, stroking him gently again, marveling at how good he felt in my hand.
He took his dick from me and put it back in his pants carefully.
I opened my mouth to object—
“I love that idea,” he said, pushing some flyaways from my face. “Let’s get out of here.”
Light filled my chest as I looked up at him. “I thought you’d never ask.”