Stealing Hearts Susan Ashworthy Hot PurSuits, Book One
Jason doesn‟t know what possessed him to give Jennifer his great-grandmother‟s locket. She dumped him the second he mentioned marriage, and refuses to return the family heirloom. Desperate, he tests his amateur thieving skills when Jennifer goes out of town—and finds himself at the business end of a gun wielded by a gorgeous stranger. Jennifer‟s new roommate reluctantly helps Jason cover up his bungled burglary. New plan—seduce the roommate into helping him steal the locket. Alison suspects Jason is just using her, but that‟s fine. She has her own agenda, which involves using her roommate‟s studly ex for a little fun between the sheets. Casual sex turns into dating, and the more Alison falls for Jason, the more she wants to rip that locket off her undeserving roommate‟s scrawny neck! Soon a risky plan emerges, one that could gain them the locket…but cause them to lose something far more precious.
Ellora‟s Cave Publishing
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Stealing Hearts ISBN 9781419935398 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Stealing Hearts Copyright © 2011 Susan Ashworthy Edited by Kelli Collins Cover design by Dar Albert Photography: OLJ Studio, Jakub Gruchot and Tangyan/Shutterstock.com Electronic book publication September 2011 The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora‟s Cave Publishing. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora‟s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher‟s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author‟s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author‟s imagination and used fictitiously. The publisher and author(s) acknowledge the trademark status and trademark ownership of all trademarks, service marks and word marks mentioned in this book. The publisher does not have any control over, and does not assume any responsibility for, author or third-party Web sites or their content.
STEALING HEARTS Susan Ashworthy
Susan Ashworthy
Chapter One The Break-in It was two in the morning, and Jason Douglas sat in his pickup truck trying to wrap his mind around what he was about to do. It defied all logic and went against every grain of his being, but it seemed to be the only choice left. He picked up the black ski mask and pulled it over his head, covering his thick brown hair. He adjusted the rearview mirror and looked at his brown eyes peering through the mask holes. “You look ridiculous,” he said, and pulled the mask off, tossing it onto the passenger seat. “God damn it, Jennifer. Why couldn‟t you be reasonable?” The hollow, bitter sound of his voice filled the truck. Jennifer? Reasonable? Who was he kidding? She had never been reasonable—or logical or predictable. It was probably what had attracted him in the first place…someone so completely his opposite, the magnetic forces pulling him into her arms must have been off the charts. What else could explain his irrational behavior when they‟d been together? Maybe it was her bleached-blonde hair, or her bright blue eyes, or her perky nose and luscious lips. Whatever it was, after only two months of dating he‟d been convinced she was the one. He had professed his undying love on Valentine‟s Day and given Jennifer his greatgrandmother‟s sterling-silver, heart-shaped locket with the small, perfect ruby in the center. That locket had been passed down through three generations of women in his family. His only sister, Marie, had been the last to wear the necklace. After the accident, when he‟d gone to identify her body, the locket was the only thing that sparkled in the cold, dead light of the morgue. Marie had no children and so the locket had passed to Jason. Thinking of his sister always brought about a tightness in his chest and made his head feel as if it were filled with helium. If he didn‟t know better he‟d think he was having a heart attack, but the pain eased up after a few seconds. “How could I have been so stupid to give the locket to Jennifer?” he asked the still air in his truck, but nothing answered. Jason knew he had to get it back, no matter the cost. For Marie. After Jennifer broke up with him, he‟d asked her to return the locket but she‟d refused, saying a gift was a gift. But that particular gift was meant for his future wife, his daughter and maybe a granddaughter, not for some woman who had cast a spell on him and then dumped him when he started talking about marriage and children.
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He‟d explained the significance of the locket, shared its entire history, showed her the worn engraving on the back—words of love from his great-grandfather to his greatgrandmother—but nothing moved her to give the necklace back. He‟d even offered to buy Jennifer another piece of jewelry, anything she wanted, to no avail. It just didn‟t make any sense. No matter what he tried, she refused, finally threatening to file a restraining order to stop him from coming by the house, calling, texting and harassing her any chance he got. The more Jason thought about it, the angrier he became. And it was anger that finally motivated him to get out of the truck and walk up the block to Jennifer‟s house. He was dressed in black jeans, a black sweatshirt and running shoes. He kept to the shadows under the trees until he reached her house. Before walking to the side gate, he looked around. The suburban neighborhood in the hills above Orange County was quiet, with only the streetlamps casting circles of light in front of every other house. No other lights came on at his presence. No dogs barked. He walked across lawn wet with dew, reached over the low, wooden fence and opened the latch. His destination was the kitchen door at the back of the house, which opened onto a covered patio. Jennifer‟s parents had given her the house when they decided to move back to New York. With four bedrooms, three baths, a family room, living room, dining room and kitchen, the place was a monster for only one person. Her parents had left almost half their furniture and the place still looked empty. While he‟d been dating Jennifer, he‟d spent a fair amount of time at this house doing the guy thing…fixing a broken window, installing a ceiling fan, doing some yard work on weekends. So even on a dark, moonless night, he knew to step to the right to avoid the trash cans, to be aware of random patio furniture that could trip him up. He also knew there would be no dog in the backyard or house to raise an alarm. At the kitchen door, he peered through its four window panes. There was a light on over the stove, but otherwise the place looked dark. Jennifer was away at a pharmaceutical conference in Dallas for the next three days, the same annual event where she‟d hooked up with some Viagra sales rep last year, driving a stake into the heart of their relationship. Jason reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a brass house key. At least I’m not breaking and entering. Somehow he doubted that small point would make a difference should he get caught. He slid the key into place and turned the handle slowly. The door opened about three inches and then was held in place by the safety chain. He removed the key and placed it in his front pocket. From his back pocket, he pulled out a nifty little device he‟d created for just this situation. He‟d practiced on the safety chain of his own house, soliciting strange looks from one of his neighbors. In two tries, the chain was free and he swung the door open. Ha. That’s what you get for messing with an engineer.
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He pulled a small pen light out of his pocket and clicked it on. The place was just as he remembered. In the year he‟d been out of her life, she hadn‟t added any furniture, painted or even put new pictures on the walls. Her parents‟ stuff still dominated the place. A homemaker she was not. Leaving the kitchen, he walked through the family room, turned left and made his way to the entrance of the hall. The first bedroom on the right was Jennifer‟s. It was the same bedroom she‟d grown up in as a kid. Even though the master bedroom was twice as large, Jennifer preferred her childhood room, complete with four-poster double bed and purple comforter. She‟d considered it too creepy to sleep in her parents‟ room, even after he‟d offered to purchase a new king-sized bed. At six-foot-five, he‟d found sleeping in that double bed uncomfortable, to say the least, but Jennifer didn‟t give a damn about his comfort. He shone the light into the room and stopped the beam on the wooden jewelry box on the top of her dresser. The sound of his own heart beating in his ears was like thunder as he approached the dresser and lifted the lid. Just grab the locket and go. But what greeted him made his mouth go dry. There must have been dozens of chains in a tangled clump. He lifted up the mess of chains and directed the beam of his flashlight to the hanging pendants. None of them were a silver locket. Carefully he put the wad of chains back the way he found them and closed the case. He remembered she sometimes took off jewelry right before going to bed and placed it on a tray on the nightstand. Walking around the wooden cedar chest at the end of the bed, Jason shone the light on the nightstand. Nothing. Not even the tray. His head started to pound and prickles of sweat beaded on his upper lip. Damn it, Jennifer. Where is it? Returning to the dresser, he started opening drawers and moving silken underwear and bras, looking for a hidden box or the velvet bag he‟d used to give her the locket. Again, nothing. He was ready to call it quits when the flashlight beam caught strings of silver hanging from hooks on the wall above the dresser. “This is new,” he whispered. An upwelling of hope caused him to be careless as he reached up to search through the dozens of necklaces hanging in front of him. Dried flowers in a purple vase snagged on the heavy fabric of his sleeve—sending the vase tumbling down to smash on the dresser. “Shit.”
***** Alison lay naked under a thick down comforter, deep in the throes of a dream. She was at the day spa having her weekly massage. She always had a woman masseuse, but
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in her dream it was different. A male voice asked if there was any place in particular that needed special attention. The way he said those words sent a bolt of electricity straight to her pussy. She squirmed in her sleep, pressing her mound into the bed to find relief. The dream continued and intensified. Strong hands massaged the length of her back with slow, deep pressure, moving up to her neck, down to the small of her back, up to her neck, down to the top of her ass, up to her neck, down to her round butt. Up and down, up and down, each time moving lower and lower. In a voice that sounded raw with desire, the masseur said, “You seem to have some tension locked right here.” He dug his thumbs into balls of nerves in each butt cheek. “Are you okay with me working this out for you?” Alison murmured her consent. The next sensation was of oil being dripped generously on each cheek. She felt the soothing liquid slide along her crack and roll down over her hole until it met the wet folds of her lips. With renewed vigor, the masseur went to work, concentrating on her ass like it was a ball of dough, kneading it between his hands, pushing flesh up, pulling flesh down and then pulling her cheeks apart, exposing her. His fingers pressed and glided over her oiled skin. About every third or fourth pass, a finger would “accidently” slide down her cleft, passing over the puckered hole and curling down to slide between her swollen lips. Each time he touched her, Alison‟s ass rose up to meet his hand until it wasn‟t every third time, it was every time. “I can ease your tension if you like,” he said in a husky whisper. “Yes.” She heard the sound of a zipper and felt the massage table give under his weight as he climbed on. She lifted her hips to greet him—and was startled by a crash. From within her dream, Alison knew something wasn‟t right. She forced herself awake, rolled over and sat up, acutely aware of how horny she felt. Holding the comforter to her breasts, she waited, holding her breath. The house was silent. It must have been the dream. Damn, and what a dream. She reached over to the nightstand and pulled open the drawer. Reaching inside, she found what she wanted—a very realistic dildo she called Mac. “Come on, Mac. Let‟s finish that dream,” she purred. Just as Mac made his first dive into the warmth of her pussy, she heard someone say, “God damn it.” That was no dream. Someone was in the house. Adrenaline rushed in to replace arousal as she pulled back the comforter and swung her legs off the side of the bed. Carefully she stood, making sure the bed didn‟t creak with the release of her weight, then pulled her silk robe off the hook from behind 8
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the door. Robe on and secured tightly at the waist, she reached into the back of the stillopen nightstand drawer and pulled out her gun. Her heart was racing as she stepped into the hallway. She could see the glow of a light dancing around inside Jennifer‟s room. Moving along the hall, back pressed against the wall, she arrived at the edge of the doorway. She had to remind herself to breathe. Whoever was in there was muttering something. Okay, now what? She held her breath long enough to hear what was going on in there. Someone said, “Ouch!” What the hell? Curiosity got the better of her. She stretched her neck ever so slowly until she could see around the doorjamb into the room. A man stood in front of Jennifer‟s dresser, a big man dressed in dark clothing. His flashlight now sat on the dresser and he was hunched over, intently picking something out of the palm of his hand. Suddenly she knew what she was going to do. Before she could chicken out, she moved her hand around the doorjamb, flicked on the light and stepped into the open doorway with her gun arm extended. “Don‟t move, asshole!” she shouted in what she hoped was a strong, in-control voice. What happened next took her completely by surprise. The burglar looked up, saw the gun and started backpedaling, arms straight out as if his hands could block a bullet. “Don‟t shoot! It‟s not what you think. I can explain!” Then he tripped over a pile of Jennifer‟s laundry and fell backward toward the cedar chest at the end of the bed. There was a sickening thud when the back of his head hit the corner of the chest—and he slumped to the ground as if he‟d been shot. Alison didn‟t move or lower her gun, which she was now holding with both hands. She‟d seen too many movies where the bad guy pretended to be hurt and then leaped up, overpowering the good guy. This particular burglar hadn‟t acted so tough. As a matter of fact, he‟d looked as terrified as she felt. Alison walked into the room, gun pointing at the slumped body. Giving him a wide berth, she circled around to get a better look at his face. Standing out of arm‟s reach, she examined his features. There was something very familiar about his face…the darkbrown hair, the square jaw, the nose that looked like it had been broken. Then she noticed the red stain spreading on the carpet under his head. “Oh shit.” Alison was torn between making sure he didn‟t try anything if he woke up, and leaving the room to bring back something to stop the bleeding. In the end, she decided she would do a bit of both.
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Chapter Two The Capture The first thing Jason became aware of was the deep, bass-like throbbing at the back of his head and a killer headache threatening to make him vomit with its intensity. Eyes still closed, he tried to move his hands up to his head to explore the source of the pain but, oddly, they seemed to be stuck behind his back. It took a few seconds before he remembered where he was and what had happened. When the memory rushed back, his eyes flew open. He was greeted by a most unbelievable sight. Standing in front of him was a woman with long, thick mahogany hair. It framed her face as she looked down at him with a deep-blue gaze that bore into his. Clothed in a red-silk bathrobe, she stood holding a rather large silver gun in both hands, pointing it directly at his heart. He was able to catch a glimpse of the curves of her breasts, the roundness of her belly, a shimmer of dark hair and a pair of long, smooth legs before she seemed to realize his eyes were open. “Don‟t move!” she shouted. He closed his eyes again. “Did you shoot me?” Her response startled him when her full-bodied laughter filled the room, causing his eyes to fly open again. “No. You tripped and hit your head. You‟re a very strange burglar,” she mocked. “I‟m not a thief.” Apparently confident that he wasn‟t going anywhere, the woman placed the gun on the dresser, pulled her bathrobe tight around herself and crossed her arms. “Really? You break into a house in the middle of the night and—” “I didn‟t break anything.” The woman looked at the purple vase that lay in pieces on the dresser. Jason followed her gaze. “That…was an accident. I didn‟t break in. I have a key,” he replied, looking up at the woman. He was sitting on the floor, leaning against the bedpost, mildly impressed the woman had been able to maneuver his dead weight. Jason scooted his butt back and bent his knees, trying to get more comfortable. Alison took a step backward until she was pressed against the dresser. “I know.” Without taking her eyes off him, she reached to the dresser and found the key, holding it up for him to see. “This key?” “You went through my pockets?”
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She laughed again. The deep throatiness of it made his cock jump in his jeans. “You sound shocked,” she said with amusement. “Like you‟re the victim here.” Hiding his movement, he attempted to free his hands but realized they were bound with something silky to the wooden post of the bed. Jason dropped his chin to his chest, regretting it instantly as shockwaves of pain shot up the back of his neck. When he looked back up, the woman was pulling his driver‟s license out of his wallet. “One Jason Douglas, age…let‟s see. Born 1976. That would make you…35, right?” Jason nodded, the movement making the room spin. “1727 Crestview, Seal Beach. What kind of burglar brings his ID with him to the crime scene?” “I‟m not a burglar. I only came to take back what‟s mine. She has no right keeping it.” “By „she‟, you must mean Jennifer. What were you looking for?” “Look. Before I answer any more questions, would you mind untying my hands? My arms are going to sleep, my head feels like it‟s been split in half and if this headache doesn‟t stop pounding behind my eyes, I just might throw up.” He looked up into her impossibly blue eyes and could see the uncertainty gathering like storm clouds. He softened his voice. “I‟m not a bad person. I‟m Jennifer‟s old boyfriend. Doesn‟t my name ring a bell? We dated for over a year. She must have mentioned me.” The woman walked around to the head of the bed. When she returned she had a silver picture frame in her hand. She showed the picture to Jason. A stranger had volunteered to take the picture of him and Jennifer as the sun went down over the ocean. “That was one of our first dates. I‟m surprised she still has that picture. She dumped me, you know?” “Yes, I know. Something about some hot guy, Viagra and a convention.” “That was just the last straw. The bigger problem was that I wanted to get married and have a couple of kids. She wanted nothing to do with that.” Jason sighed. “I made a mistake. I thought she was going to be my future wife, so I gave her my greatgrandmother‟s silver locket. I want it back. That‟s the only reason I‟m here, the only thing I‟m after. Honest.” The woman stared at him like he was from another planet. “You wanted marriage and kids? That‟s a switch. Usually it‟s the woman.” “Yes, I know. Now can you please untie me? I think I‟m going to be sick,” he said, an involuntary heaving sound backing up his claim. That elicited a response. The woman reached behind him and untied the knot binding his hands together. As she worked, her robe fell open again, fully exposing her right breast. Jason took one long look then turned his head away, fully aware of the mounting pressure in his jeans. With the knot undone, the woman pulled on the silken 11
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belt, releasing his hands. She immediately tied the belt around her waist, holding the bathrobe closed. Jason could feel the blood rushing back into his hands and shook his arms to help the process along. Then, using the top of the cedar chest, he pushed himself to a stand. The blood left his face, black clouds impaired his vision and he started to wobble. The woman grabbed his arm and guided him to sit on the chest. Jason put his head between his knees, forcing blood back to his brain. Feeling his head for the first time, he found his hair was covered with a gauze bandage. “You did this?” he asked from between his legs. “I had to stop the bleeding. You were making a mess on the carpet.” “I really need to use the bathroom,” he said. “I seriously think I‟m going to puke.” He lifted his head and stood. The black clouds didn‟t move in, so he took a few steps toward the open door. He made it to the doorframe and leaned against it to steady himself. “The bathroom is to the right,” she said from behind him. “Yes, I know. I spent a lot of time here,” he said, before moving down the hall. Fifteen minutes later he emerged with the bandage gone and color in his face. He found the woman in the kitchen, sitting on the counter, a glass of wine in her hand. “Can I have my wallet back?” he asked. She pointed to the counter where his wallet sat next to the phone. “However, I‟ll be keeping the key.” He nodded. “You look better,” she offered. “I feel like shit. I think I need some stitches.” He picked up his wallet and stuffed it into his back pocket. “Can I ask you a favor?” The woman took a sip of wine and looked at him over the rim of the glass. “You can ask,” she said. “While I really appreciate you not calling the police, I‟d be even more in your debt if you didn‟t tell Jennifer about this. She‟ll go ballistic. Who knows what she‟ll do. All I want is the locket back and then she‟ll never see me again.” The woman took another sip of wine. “I‟ll see if your story checks out. If it does, I‟ll keep my mouth shut, although I‟ll need to make up a story about how her vase ended up broken. And just so you know, I wrote down your name and address, driver‟s license number and took one of your business cards. I know where to find you if you‟ve lied.” Jason nodded ever so slightly, the movement still causing pain. “Sounds fair. Can I ask you one more question?” The woman nodded. “Who are you? The house was empty two weeks ago.” 12
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“I‟m Jennifer‟s new roommate. Moved in four days ago.” “I didn‟t know she had a new roommate.” “Obviously.” The woman laughed lightly as Jason turned the knob and opened the kitchen door. Jason took one step outside and then leaned back in. “Thanks for not shooting me.” “Any time,” the woman replied before sliding off the kitchen counter and closing the door behind him. The last thing he heard was the sound of the lock clicking into place and the security chain rattling against the door.
***** Five days later, Jennifer came home. As Alison sipped her wine, listening to wild stories of crazy sex, hot doctors and record sales, she was mesmerized by the heartshaped locket hanging around Jennifer‟s slender neck. When her roommate seemed to run out of steam, Alison stood up, retrieved the bottle from the wine bucket and refilled her glass. Then she walked over to Jennifer and refilled hers as well. “Sounds like a great trip,” Alison said. “Unfortunately, working in HR doesn‟t require much travel.” Jennifer drank half of her wine in one long swallow. “You‟d love it. So many rich, sexy doctors, all ready to party.” As casually as she could, Alison reached over and brushed aside Jennifer‟s shoulder-length blonde hair so she could see the locket. She took the silver heart into her hand. “A gift from one of the doctors?” “Hell no. Those guys only want free drugs and hot sex. They aren‟t the ones giving anything away. We are.” Alison let the locket drop back to Jennifer‟s chest. “It‟s pretty, isn‟t it?” Alison nodded. “An old boyfriend gave it to me. Ever since I put it on I‟ve had the best luck. It‟s my good luck charm. I never take it off.” She reached up and rubbed it between her fingers. “It‟s like Aladdin‟s magic lamp. Make a wish and all your dreams come true.” Alison took a sip of wine. Guess the guy was telling the truth. “When we broke up, he tried to take it back. Can you believe that?” “What a jerk,” Alison agreed, though if it was an heirloom, she really didn‟t think he was a jerk at all. “I‟d been sleeping with him for a year. I should get something for my efforts.” “Shouldn‟t we all.” Alison and Jennifer clinked their wineglasses. “Shouldn‟t we all.”
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***** It wasn‟t unusual for Alison to be on the phone with her door closed. There were always confidentiality issues working in HR. So she felt safe from prying eyes when she pulled out Jason Douglas‟ business card and called him from work. First she called his office, and the woman who answered told her he was in the field. So she tried his cell phone. He picked up on the second ring. “Jennifer?” He sounded cautious. “No, it‟s her roommate. We met the other night in Jennifer‟s bedroom.” “Thank God it‟s you. When the caller ID said State Pharmaceuticals I knew it had to be her. I thought Jennifer had found out and was calling to threaten me with violence or arrest.” Alison could hear the relief in his voice. “Sorry to give you a scare. I‟m in HR at State. That‟s how I ended up being her roommate. She posted a roommate request on the company bulletin board.” “Well, thank you for not telling her.” “Your story checked out. She wears the locket night and day. Thinks it‟s some kind of good luck charm. She doesn‟t even take it off in the shower.” “I‟d love to know how you know that but I guess I‟ll leave it up to my imagination.” “So, back to reality…I can‟t see any way of you getting your locket back without ripping it off her pretty little neck.” “I‟ll think of something.” “I bet you will. I have to go. Wanted you to know that the police won‟t be showing up at your door.” “You‟ve been amazingly understanding. I‟d like to repay you in some way. Would you let me take you out to dinner?” Alison took a deep breath, undecided how to respond. Jason jumped into the silence. “We could meet someplace. You would have your own car, although I already know where you live and work.” “Yes, you do.” “Do you like hot and spicy?” “Excuse me?” “Food. Hot and spicy food. I know a great little Thai restaurant not far from your house. What do you say? Let me thank you properly.” Hot and spicy…get your head out of the gutter, girl. He’s just a nice guy who wants to thank you for not killing him. “Okay, I guess. But I will take my own car and I won‟t be giving you my cell number, and above all, we can‟t let Jennifer know about this little dinner.” 14
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“No problem there. How‟s this Saturday?” Alison pulled up her calendar on her laptop. There was a note about having drinks at a sports lounge and watching a baseball game with work friends. Before she could reply, the image of Jason tied to the bed came back to her. Once she knew he was out cold, she‟d reached deep into his pockets, finding his wallet, the house key—and something else that made her juices flow even now. She had to clear her throat before replying. “I guess I can change a few things around.” “Excellent. I‟ll make a seven o‟clock reservation.” A man who takes charge. I like that. The last few guys she‟d dated were so wishy-washy. She‟d wanted to scream at them, “Make a decision!” Could have something to do with the fact that she‟d been dating twenty-year olds. Dating someone closer to her own age might prove interesting. “Seven sounds good. What‟s the name of this place?” “The Thai Bamboo Bistro in Tustin. Do you want me to send you a link?” “No thanks. Then you‟d have my e-mail. Almost as bad as having my phone number.” “Right. Forgot for a second that this wasn‟t a date date.” “Just dinner,” Alison said, feeling strangely disappointed. “Hey, I just thought of something. I don‟t even know your name.” “Alison.” “See you Saturday…Alison,” he said in a voice that was rich, deep and made Alison want to moan. Too bad it wasn‟t a “date date”—because she suddenly found herself wishing it was.
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Chapter Three The Thank You Jason took extra time getting ready for Saturday night‟s dinner with Alison. He wanted the evening to be perfect. If he could befriend this woman, seduce her even, maybe she would help him get his locket back. While driving to the restaurant, his mind kept wandering back to Jennifer‟s bedroom. Images of Alison‟s bare legs, the curve of her breast and the glimpse of her pussy all conspired against him. If I have to take this woman to bed to win her over, it wouldn’t be bad thing, he thought as he pulled into the restaurant parking lot. He was early, so he sat in his truck for about five minutes hoping his raging hardon would fade away. He flipped through the radio stations until he found a country channel. Country was not his thing. After just one song, any thought of Alison‟s hot body was purged from his brain, replaced by sappy lyrics about a hound dog and an old pickup truck. Back in control, he picked up the bouquet of red roses off the passenger seat, climbed out of the truck and headed inside. At the hostess stand, Jason requested an intimate table for two. A young male host led him to a corner in the back of the restaurant. “Will this do?” Jason took in the dim lighting, the deep-red wallpaper and the candles on the table, and nodded. “I‟m expecting a woman. Tall, with long, dark-brown hair and blue eyes. And amazing legs. You won‟t be able to miss her. I‟d like you to give her the roses and escort her to the table when she arrives.” Jason handed the young man the flowers and a twenty dollar bill. “Happy to oblige, and thank you. I‟ll send the waiter right over.” “That won‟t be necessary. I‟d rather wait for my guest before I order drinks.” “Okay, sir.” Jason spent the next few minutes thinking about possible scenarios for retrieving the locket. Each one seemed to end in either Alison or him getting caught. While he wanted the necklace back, he didn‟t want Alison to get into trouble with her roommate and coworker. If she wears the bloody thing morning, noon and night, how the hell will I ever get it off her? He heard the maitre d‟ say, “He‟s right this way,” before he saw her. Jason stood up to welcome her and almost had to sit back down when she stepped around the corner into view. The right-out-of-bed Alison had been beautiful, but the dressed-up Alison was a knockout. Her shoulder-length hair flowed in waves of soft curls and danced around her bare shoulders. He remembered her eyes being bluer than blue, but it was
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her lips—more luscious than the roses—that captured his attention now. Her blue halter dress showed just enough cleavage to remind him of the exquisite breasts beneath the fabric, and the slit that ran up the side revealed her right leg halfway up her thigh. Jason was momentarily speechless. When they arrived at the table, Jason pulled out the chair for Alison and then pushed it in before returning to his seat. He noticed the maitre d‟ stayed around to watch Alison sit, the slit in her dress revealing the length of her leg as she did so. The young man looked at Jason and mouthed the word, “Nice” before turning to leave. Alison set the flowers on the table. “Thank you for the flowers. They‟re beautiful.” “They can‟t compare to you. You are…stunning. Wow.” “Amazing what a little makeup, a curling iron and a dress can to do improve one‟s image.” Alison laughed lightly. “I wasn‟t really at my best the first time we met.” “I beg to differ. I loved your bathrobe. And that right-out-of-bed hair was very sexy.” “Oh, now you‟re teasing me.” Alison looked away as she placed her napkin in her lap, giving Jason a chance to full-out stare. Jason took a sip of water to loosen his tongue. “Thank you for coming. I feel this is the least I can do for scaring you like I did. It must have been an awful experience thinking there was someone in your house. I‟m so sorry I put you through that. I really thought the house was empty.” “I have to admit my adrenaline was pumping full tilt when I flipped on the light and pointed the gun at you. You‟re lucky I didn‟t shoot you.” “Yes, thanks for that. The whack on the back of the head was painful enough.” “Did you need stitches? There was a lot of blood.” Jason turned his head to show Alison the small bare spot. “Five stitches. They‟ll come out in another week, but it will take longer for the hair to grow back.” “What did you tell people when they asked what happened?” “You‟ll probably laugh, but I went online and looked up common household injuries to find a logical explanation.” Alison leaned forward, put her elbows on the table and clasped her hands together. With her chin resting on the top of her hands, she asked with amusement, “Seriously?” Her eyes sparkled in the light of the candles, momentarily making Jason forget what they were talking about. He was saved by the arrival of the waiter, a petite brunette with short, spiky hair and big brown eyes. “Hi. My name is Rachel and I‟ll be your server this evening. Can I start you two off with some drinks?” she asked. “Absolutely. Whatever you want, Alison.”
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Alison turned to the waitress and said slowly, “I‟d like a dirty martini, two olives…extra naughty.” Alison turned to Jason, giving him an innocent smile that did nothing to calm his elevated heart rate. Jason cleared his throat. “Maker‟s Mark on the rocks with a lemon twist.” “Very good. I‟ll be back with your drinks and then take your order.” “Guess we better look at the menus,” Jason said, needing a distraction. The way Alison said extra naughty set his insides on fire. If he wasn‟t careful, this woman was going to seduce him instead of the other way around. Remember why you’re here. The locket. “How are the noodles here?” Alison asked. “Great. I‟d recommend the pad Thai with shrimp. They grill the shrimp first and then add it to the noodles.” “Sounds perfect,” Alison said, putting down her menu and resuming her listening pose, chin resting on her hands. “So finish your story. What did you come up with to explain the hole in your head?” “I wanted to pick something that was believable but wouldn‟t elicit a lot of questions. So I told people I slipped in the shower and hit my head on the faucet. The women in the office were very concerned and had all kinds of suggestion, from nonslip mats to adhesive strips with embedded grains of sand. All the sympathy made me feel a little guilty, actually.” “Yeah, I bet. Guys hate when women get all concerned for their safety.” Alison laughed. “Yes, sympathy from beautiful women sucks. We hate the attention. I‟m sure you feel sorry for me.” “Don‟t think so. I know what really happened. And besides, I was the one who had to cover your tracks. Do you know how long it took me to get your blood out of the carpet?” “Head wounds are real bleeders. There must have been a lot of blood. What did you tell Jennifer about the broken vase?” “I decided to tell her I broke the vase while dusting. But that meant I actually had to dust to back up the story. So in addition to scrubbing the carpet, I ended up dusting and vacuuming the entire house. Jennifer now thinks she has the best roommate ever, thanks to you.” Now it was Jason‟s turn to laugh. “Sorry. I know I shouldn‟t laugh. That was sweet of you to cover my tracks.” Alison shrugged. “The place really did need dusting.” “You‟re amazing,” Jason said, and realized he really meant it. The waitress returned with their drinks and took their dinner orders. The conversation turned exploratory.
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Alison looked at Jason over the rim of her glass as she took a sip of her drink. “What do you like to do for fun besides breaking into people‟s homes?” “I‟m never going to live that down, am I?” Alison grinned and shook her head. “Besides dressing in black and stealing things that are mine—” “Nice.” “I‟m a bit of an adrenaline junkie. If it goes fast or has an element of danger, I‟m in.” Alison leaned forward. “Have you gone skydiving? It‟s on my top-ten list.” “Skydiving, bungee jumping, hang-gliding. Being an engineer isn‟t the most exciting career choice so I make up for it on weekends.” “Most of my adventures have been more earthbound, although I have tried bungee jumping. My favorite, though, was white-water rafting down the Kern River.” Jason tilted his head and looked at her more closely. “I wouldn‟t have pegged you for an outdoor-adventure type of girl.” “Brothers. Four brothers, two of whom are cops. That gun I trained on you—I know how to use it.” Alison made her fingers into the shape of a gun and pointed it at Jason. Jason put up both hands. “Don‟t shoot.” Alison laughed and lowered her “weapon”. “I suppose you drive a pickup and listen to country-western too.” When she shook her head, her hair danced around her face. “Anything but countrywestern.” Another thing they had in common. “You shoot guns, you barrel down a raging river in a rubber raft and someday you want to go skydiving. You‟re like an action hero.” “It‟s true I like a bit of excitement now and then, but I also like curling up with a good book and, on occasion, spending an entire Sunday watching football, never getting out of my bathrobe.” At the mention of her bathrobe, Jason‟s mind was drawn back to what that open robe had revealed. He picked up his drink and took a healthy swallow, hoping to hide his lustful thoughts behind the gesture. Throughout the meal, Jason found himself becoming enchanted by the simplest of things—her easy laugh, the way she leaned in across the table as if she was going to tell him something of extreme importance, her animated use of her hands in telling a story, the intensity of her eyes as she listened, and her mouth…he could write volumes on her mouth. Watching her bring a fork wrapped in pad Thai noodles up to her mouth was pure torture. The parting of her lips, the slow insertion of the fork and, finally, those luscious lips coming together as tenderly as lovers, all conspired against him. The way she ate—slow, savoring every bite—made Jason fantasize about those lips closing around his cock, sliding up and down, savoring every sensation.
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Stop it. Think of something else. This is not a real date. Where’s a lousy country song when you need one? Unfortunately, the restaurant music was instrumental Thai and wasn‟t going to save him. The evening was going perfectly, but not as he‟d planned. A seduction was taking place, all right, but it wasn‟t Jason doing the seducing. He hadn‟t even mentioned the locket or talked about ideas for getting it back. They‟d spent all their time getting to know each other, sharing stories and finding out that they had a lot in common. By the time the meal came to an end, Jason was as taut as a piano string. If this had been a real first date, he would have been thrilled. But he‟d had a plan and he wasn‟t even close to meeting his objective. Bringing up the subject of the locket as the check was being delivered felt wrong and awkward. Guess I’ll have to ask her out again. The thought was not an unpleasant one. Alison excused herself and headed for the ladies‟ room while Jason paid the bill. As he waited for Alison to return, he wondered what her impression of the evening had been. Alison washed and dried her hands before rubbing in a drop of lotion from a small tube she kept in her purse. She applied a fresh layer of lip gloss and checked her teeth. What an evening. She hadn‟t expected him to be so charming. She had felt sure the real purpose of the dinner was to try to make her steal the locket, but he hadn‟t mentioned it all night. Still, he had been Jennifer‟s boyfriend. Probably not a great idea to hook up with her roommate‟s ex. As she adjusted her dress, Alison couldn‟t help but smile, thinking about the way Jason had eaten her up with a gaze that said he was hungry for more than food. Not once did he look around the restaurant at other diners. When he spoke to her, he looked directly into her eyes. And his laugh…she had to admit she loved his laugh. It wasn‟t obnoxiously loud or booming, but a deep chuckle that rumbled like distant thunder. He really seemed to listen to what she had to say, asking intelligent questions, laughing at all her little quips. If this had been a first date, she would have given it high marks. But unfortunately it was a thank-you—a thank-you for not shooting him, for not telling Jennifer and for covering his tracks. Remembering what she had found while digging around in his pants pockets once again made part of her wish the dinner was something more. She knew he wanted that locket back pretty badly. Maybe she could use that. It had been so long and she deserved a little fun. Then she shook her head. “What are you doing?” she asked her image in the mirror. “He has an agenda. Remember that.” She closed her eyes and thought of how she‟d discovered his firm ass when pulling his wallet out of his back pocket. And his cock…his cock, even in the state he was in, 20
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had been impressive. Thinking of what she could do with that cock made her eyes fly open, and she caught a glimpse of the wicked smile curling her lips. “Who says we can‟t have some fun? Jennifer doesn‟t have to know a thing,” she purred at her image, before turning on her heel and sauntering out of the bathroom. Jason stood as she approached, his eyes on her every move. She liked the way he looked at her. It made her feel warm and soft all over. “Shall we go?” he asked. “Or would you like a nightcap somewhere?” “This was great,” she said. “But…” “I have to be up early tomorrow and I want to be well rested and hangover free.” “Sounds like you‟re doing something fun,” Jason pried. Alison gave him a deliberate smile. “Yes, I am.” Jason laughed and nodded. “Okay, then. Can I walk you to your car?” “Sure, that would be nice.” Alison retrieved her flowers off the table before leaving. As they walked past the hostess stand, Jason grabbed a mint from the basket on the counter, unwrapped it and popped it in his mouth before opening the door for her. Wonder if he thinks he’s going to get a kiss goodnight? I wonder if I should give him one? Alison‟s car was parked three cars down from Jason‟s. At her car, she opened the door, placing the roses and her purse on the passenger seat, before turning around. “That was the nicest thank-you dinner I‟ve ever had, Jason.” He took a step closer. “I‟d like to thank you again…maybe next week.” “And what will you be thanking me for this time?” Alison asked. “I don‟t know, but I‟ll think of something,” he said, before opening his arms for a hug. She stepped into his embrace, thinking that a quick hug would be the perfect end to the evening. But she miscalculated the effect his warm, hard body would have on her— especially his arousal, which was now pressing against her crotch. She broke the embrace, taking a small step back. “Good night.” His stare was intense, his reply restrained. “Good night.” Neither of them moved. Suddenly she wanted him to kiss her, the lust in his gaze setting her insides on fire. She waited as long as she could before stepping close again and kissing him, quick and hard. He responded instantly. While his arms were strong and held her tightly, his mouth was gentle, searching, exploring. He moved one hand to the nape of her neck, massaging up into her hair with pressing fingers. Her body was responding to his touch like an orchestra to a conductor. When his tongue danced circles around hers, she felt it all the way to her pussy. In two steps, he had her backed up against her car, pressing his erection against her mons, making her seriously consider ripping his clothes off right then and there. 21
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Instead she reached down, worked her hand between their bodies and took a long, hard measure of the bulge that was driving her wild. She‟d been right. His cock was all she had imagined it would be. But this was not where and how she wanted to do this. This was for teenagers and cheating couples who didn‟t have a place to go. So with great willpower, she gave his cock a good squeeze before pulling her hand away. Immediately he stopped kissing her and leaned back to look into her eyes. “We‟re getting carried away, aren‟t we?” Alison nodded. “It‟s just that your mouth is amazing. I‟m sorry. Probably crossed a line there.” “Guess you now have something you can thank me for next week,” Alison whispered in his ear before climbing into her car. She closed the door and rolled down the window. “Good night,” she said before backing out of the spot. She heard his reply as she put the car in drive. “I‟ll call you Monday,” he shouted. She waved her hand out the window before pulling away. She looked in her rearview mirror and saw him standing there, hands in his pockets, watching her drive away. “You‟re playing with fire, girlfriend.” She laughed. “Good thing you like it hot.”
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Chapter Four His Place A week later, Alison came out of her bedroom and almost ran into Jennifer. “Oh my,” Jennifer exclaimed, looking Alison up and down. “Someone has a hot date.” “I don‟t know if I‟d call it „hot‟,” Alison replied with a shrug. “Well, you sure look hot,” Jennifer said, giving Alison‟s skin-tight jeans the onceover. “Love the blouse too. Looks like you‟re going in for the kill.” “You don‟t think it‟s too revealing, do you?” Alison adjusted the soft draping that revealed a glimpse of the tops of her full breasts. “If you want him all over you, then that‟s the blouse,” she said, her gaze riveted on Alison‟s cleavage. Alison adjusted the blouse again, surprised and a bit uncomfortable with Jennifer‟s unwavering perusal of her breasts. “It has been a long time…too much work, not enough play time. This guy might be fun to play with…nothing serious.” “Want to have a glass of wine before you go?” Alison looked at her watch. “Sure. Just a small one. I don‟t have to be at his house until seven. He‟s cooking me dinner.” Jennifer walked down the hall to the kitchen and Alison followed her. “You‟re going to his house on the first date? That could be dangerous,” Jennifer said over her shoulder. “Actually it‟s our second date and I always carry Mace.” “Good girl. You can never be too careful. My last boyfriend was harmless, bordering on dull. Great in the sack though.” “Lucky for you,” Alison said. And lucky for me. Once in the kitchen, Alison pulled out two wineglasses from the cupboard while Jennifer grabbed an open bottle of white wine from the refrigerator. Alison preferred deep red wine, but didn‟t want to go through the hassle of opening another bottle. This was going to be a quick drink. Her mind was already working on a story for when Jennifer started asking the inevitable questions. Her roommate continued to talk as she poured them each a glass of wine. “He seemed like a nice guy, but he got super weird when I told him I didn‟t want kids. You‟d think it was the end of the world. It‟s not their bodies that get all distorted out of shape, so of course they want kids. Then he went all stalker-like over the locket,” she said, lifting the jewelry in question off her breast and running it along the chain,
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back and forth, back and forth, making a zipping sound. “Really showed his true colors.” “All that fuss over a locket? Was it sentimental or something?” Alison asked, hoping her question didn‟t sound as suspicious as it felt. “He said it was, but you know how guys lie. It was probably something he found in an antique store. Besides…he gave it to me for Valentine‟s Day. You can‟t just take Valentine‟s gifts back.” Jennifer swallowed half her glass in one long gulp. “It‟s really beautiful. Mind if I take a closer look? What‟s the red stone?” Jennifer moved in front of Alison. “It‟s supposedly a ruby, but who knows.” Alison picked up the silver heart, pulling it away from Jennifer‟s body. When she touched Jennifer‟s bare flesh she saw a shiver shake her roommate‟s body. Looking at the ruby, she said, “Something that small, how would you know?” Then she turned the locket over. There, she saw a faint inscription on the backside, almost worn away. “It says something here on the back.” Jennifer took a ragged breath and replied, “Yes, I know. I looked at it under a magnifying glass. It says, „Love always, T.S.‟” Jennifer pulled away suddenly, putting distance between the two of them before downing the rest of her wine. Okay. What was that all about? Jennifer refilled her glass and changed the subject. “So tell me about this new guy. What‟s he like? Where did you meet him?” “You‟re not going to believe this, but I met him in a shoe store.” Alison took a sip of her wine, giving herself more time to think. “Was he the shoe salesman? That‟s kind of creepy,” Jennifer said. “No, he wasn‟t the salesman, but I thought he was and asked him to bring me a pair of red pumps in a size eight.” Jennifer perked up. “What did he do?” “I don‟t know how he did it, but he came back with the shoes and helped me try them on.” Jennifer‟s brow furrowed. “It‟s kind of sweet and sexy, and yet maybe he‟s a freak with a foot fetish who picks up women in shoe stores.” Alison laughed. “I don‟t think it was anything like that. He was just being nice.” “And how do you know that for a fact? You‟ve only been on one date.” Jennifer crossed her arms. “Well, because…he was in the store with his ten-year-old daughter, buying her shoes.” “Oh.” Jennifer sounded disappointed. “He was super nice and he asked me if I‟d like to have dinner some time. He gave me his card instead of asking for my number. A real gentleman.”
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“Yeah, but he has a ten-year-old daughter. That‟s the instant family plan and it probably comes with a real prize of an ex-wife. No thank you,” Jennifer said with finality. “I wouldn‟t mind having a kid or two. I‟d rather make my own, but if the man of my dreams came along and he had a kid, that wouldn‟t be a deal breaker for me,” Alison said before finishing off her wine. “Would be for me,” Jennifer replied. “I better get going. He lives in South County and there might be traffic.” “Okay, roomie. Be careful. Men aren‟t always what they seem.” Alison patted her handbag. “I‟m prepared,” she said. “If I‟m not back by noon tomorrow, call the cops.” “That‟s not funny,” Jennifer said, sounding a bit worried. Alison walked over and gave her a hug. “I‟ll be fine.” Much shorter, Jennifer pressed her cheek to Alison‟s chest, clinging to her a bit longer and harder than was comfortable. Sounding cheery, Alison said, “Wish me luck,” and pulled away. Jennifer picked up her glass and toasted Alison. “Good luck.” But it didn‟t sound like she meant it. Alison left the kitchen and grabbed her red coat from the closet by the front door before walking out to her car. She was on the freeway heading north before she had time to replay her conversation with Jennifer. She‟d gotten out of there before she had to give too many details. Telling her Jason lived in South County was another lie to throw her off. And adding the kid was brilliant. She knew that would turn the conversation in a safer direction. But there‟d been something else going on there. Maybe one of the reasons Jennifer was so down on men was because she was also attracted to women? Interesting. Thirty minutes later, Alison pulled in front of Jason‟s house in Seal Beach, which was about a mile from the ocean. The tree-lined street, the oversized houses on large lots, the kids riding bikes, a couple of boys playing basketball in a driveway— everything painted the picture of the perfect suburban neighborhood for raising kids. Not where she‟d have expected to find a handsome, single man. She parked on the street and opened her car door. The cool ocean air poured in, making her nipples hard under her thin blouse. Feeling a bit out of place in the bucolic neighborhood in her sexy blouse and high heels, she slipped into her red coat before walking around the car to the sidewalk. There, she was almost run down by a little blonde girl in a purple princess dress, barreling down the sidewalk on a tricycle. The little girl stopped and, craning her head so far back Alison thought her head would pop off her neck, asked, “Are you a princess too?”
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“Why yes,” Alison answered very seriously, crouching down so the child wouldn‟t have to bend her neck so far. “Which princess are you?” asked the girl. “I‟m Rapunzel. She has hair just like me.” “I‟m Princess Alison.” A frown made the child‟s eyes look squinty and her mouth puckered up like a red raisin. “I‟ve never heard of her.” “I‟m a new princess. I‟m going to see Mr. Douglas,” Alison explained, standing back up and pulling her coat around her. “Is he going to be your prince?” “I don‟t know.” The child looked disappointed, so Alison added, “Maybe,” and then walked up the long brick pathway to the heavy wooden front door, where she rapped three times with the brass knocker. Maybe? Who am I kidding. Just here for some fun, remember? Jason was in the kitchen dividing up the ingredients for a wilted spinach salad when he heard the knock. He wiped his hands on a towel before leaving the kitchen, hurrying on bare feet to the front door. If he was honest with himself, he‟d have to admit he was just a little nervous. He hadn‟t cooked for a woman since Jennifer. She‟d been a picky eater, preferring bland pedestrian food to his culinary experiments. Once he‟d made her a Thai peanut soup and after one sip, she‟d pronounced it too spicy for her liking. She‟d walked over to the pantry, pulled out a can of chicken noodle soup and heated it up in the microwave. He couldn‟t believe it. So he tried toning down his favorite recipes to make her happy, because that‟s what you do when you‟re in love, right? Never doing that again. When even the less-spicy dishes didn‟t elicit a favorable review, they tried going out to dinner more since they could each order what they wanted. That was a disaster as well. Jennifer never wanted to go anywhere other than a steak house or an Italian restaurant. Jason could only eat so much red meat and pasta. Near the end, they‟d begun eating separate meals most nights. He couldn‟t understand how someone over thirty could eat mac-and-cheese three nights in a row. Jennifer would never have gone to the Bamboo Bistro. He was happy about the prospect of cooking for someone who might actually enjoy what he made. He hurried his steps and opened the front door, right as Alison was pushing the doorbell. “Hi. Welcome to my humble abode,” he said, holding the door open. Alison looked around. “Doesn‟t seem too humble to me,” she said with a smile. “Let me take your coat.” Alison turned her back to Jason, making it easy for the coat to slide off her shoulders. 26
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“Is it cold outside?” he asked. “No. I felt a bit self-conscious in this blouse and heels in such a…” “Suburban neighborhood?” Alison nodded. “A little girl on a tricycle practically ran me over. She wanted to know what princess I was.” Jason opened a closet and put her coat on a hanger. “Ah, that would be Maddy. She‟s all about the princesses. She‟s a different princess every day. She always makes me guess which one. I guess wrong intentionally just to see her disgust with my utter lack of princess knowledge.” The coat secured, Jason turned around and took his time admiring Alison‟s tight jeans and revealing blouse. “You look amazing. I can see why she thought you were a princess.” “She asked me if you were my prince.” “I‟d like to be.” His answer made her eyes grow wide in surprise then she broke eye contact and changed the subject. “Impressive house. Seems a bit large for one guy.” “Come on in the living room and I‟ll pour you a glass of wine before giving you the ten-cent tour.” Alison followed Jason into the living room, which had a built-in bar in the corner. Jason talked as he opened a bottle and filled two oversized glasses with red wine, handing one to Alison. “I figured I‟d be settled here for a long while, so I had the house designed for me and my future family. This is the living-dining room area, the only semi-formal portion of the house. Then if you‟ll follow me,” he said, picking up his glass, “I‟ll show you the heart of the house.” They entered a grand room that held the kitchen, which featured a cooking island and breakfast table. A step-down area transitioned into a large family room with a bigscreen T.V. and six floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over a large backyard. “Wow,” Alison said, stepping into the room. “This is amazing.” “There‟s a bathroom through there,” he said, pointing at a doorway off the kitchen. “And another one off the living room. That‟s the downstairs. Upstairs is the master bedroom and bath, and three additional bedrooms and two more bathrooms.” “Planning on have a bunch of kids?” “I‟d like to. Here, have a seat.” Jason gestured to one of the swivel chairs at the island. “I‟ve got to put our salad together.” As Alison made herself comfortable, Jason lit the burner under a frying pan on the stove in front of her.
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“So, let me get this straight. You built this big old house for a wife and children you don‟t even have yet? That‟s pretty confident.” Jason chuckled. “I don‟t know if I‟d call it confident. More like hopeful.” Alison took a healthy drink of wine before continuing. “What if Mrs. Right doesn‟t like your house?” “Well, maybe she isn‟t Mrs. Right then, is she?” Jason watched as Alison looked around and then was surprised when she hopped off her chair and started wandering the kitchen. “For instance, if I were Mrs. Right, I‟d want to make some changes, like this floor. And I‟d put shutters on those windows so you could filter the afternoon sun.” Jason ignored the comment about the floor. He liked the parquet wood he‟d selected. “I‟ve been meaning to buy shutters but I haven‟t gotten around to it yet. You‟ll see that there‟s still a lot to be done, especially upstairs. Only the master bedroom has any furniture.” The sound of bacon grease sizzling in the pan drew Jason‟s attention away from Alison. He turned the heat down before adding red wine vinegar and sugar. Into another pan, he dropped a large dollop of butter. Alison walked up next to him, looking into the frying pan, her bare arm grazing his. The heat that passed between them made the sizzling oil seem cold. “What are you making?” “It‟s a wilted spinach salad.” Jason reached for a bowl of sliced mushrooms and his arm rubbed against Alison‟s breast. Trying to ignore how the innocent touch made his cock perk up, he dumped the mushrooms into the melted butter and began to stir. “Want to help?” he asked in a voice that wasn‟t quite his own. Concentrate on the cooking. “Sure.” Jason stepped aside and gave Alison the wooden spoon. “Keep stirring the mushrooms and I‟ll finish the dressing. This comes together real quick.” Watching Alison stir the mushrooms stirred something inside Jason as well. From the side, he could look into the gap made by the folds of her blouse and see paradise awaiting his touch, his mouth. He was in another world when Alison turned to say something and caught him staring. Jason looked away. “Sorry,” he apologized. Alison shrugged. “Wouldn‟t have worn this blouse if I didn‟t want you to look.” Jason laughed. “Wow. An honest woman. I guess I should say thank you then.” Alison looked directly into his eyes and said in a sultry voice, “You‟re welcome.” Dear God, I’m in trouble here.
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It took some effort, but he managed to pull his gaze away from hers and return to the task at hand. He added the final ingredients to the hot dressing and poured it over the spinach. As he tossed the salad, the dressing wilted the leaves. “Okay. Now it‟s your turn. Scoop the mushrooms out and add them to the salad.” Jason went to the oven and pulled out a foil-covered loaf of bread. “I‟ve set the dining room table. Hope you don‟t mind. I never eat in there and thought it would be a bit more special than the kitchen table.” “Sounds perfect. I‟ll bring the salad.” Alison picked up the salad bowl and sauntered into the living room, her high heels clicking on the wood floor. Jason watched her go, admiring the way her jeans seemed to be painted on her perfect ass. He shook his head to clear away thoughts of stripping off those jeans, and brought the basket of bread and butter into the dining room. When he arrived, Alison was already seated. He‟d set the table with plates for the salad, silverware and a dozen candles. “Do you want to light the candles while I get the wine?” “Sure.” Alison picked up the fire starter and began lighting the candles in the middle first. “I don‟t think you have enough candles,” she teased. When Jason came back into the room, he turned off the overhead light. The room was bathed in a warm glow. “You look even more amazing by candlelight. It brings out the highlights in your hair.” Alison‟s laughter bubbled like water bouncing over river rocks. “Remind me to only eat by candlelight from now on.”
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Chapter Five His Plan The dinner conversation flowed like the wine and by the time Jason suggested moving to the living room, Alison was extremely relaxed. She followed Jason, admiring the way his faded blue jeans hugged his ass as he walked. She also liked how, even though he wasn‟t wearing shoes, he was taller than she was, even in heels. She definitely liked that. Once in the living room, Jason turned on the stereo and soft jazz floated in the air, reminding her of a smoky night club. Alison kicked off her heels and curled up in one of the couch‟s deep corners. Jason brought her a snifter of something that, when swirled, left syrup-like drizzles running down the inside of the glass. The first sip exploded as a blast of heat in her chest. “What is this?” She held the snifter in the glow from a table lamp, the drizzles of amber liquid shining like a stained-glass window. “Cognac. It‟s a dessert wine.” “Wine with dinner, wine for dessert…I might need a ride home after this.” “You could always stay the night,” Jason suggested. Alison shook her head. Spending the night was not in her plans. The evening had been wonderful. Just the right amount of sexual tension mixed with a light dinner and sparkling conversation. She wondered when he was going to make his move. If she got any more relaxed, she might melt away. Jason sat down in a large leather chair next to Alison‟s corner of the couch. After taking a sip of his cognac, he asked, “So what do you think of this room? Any changes you would make?” Alison looked around at the beige walls and wooden floor. “It needs color. An accent wall in deep burgundy and then a thick throw rug with the same color. Something to tie it all together. And pictures. You don‟t have any wall art.” “An accent wall…that could be interesting. I‟m not sure about burgundy though. Maybe a dark green.” “Dark green could be nice, with gold accents,” Alison agreed. Why are we talking about home décor when we should be jumping each other’s bones? “When I find the right woman, I‟m sure there will be lots of changes she‟ll want to make. I‟m okay with that.” “What if I— I mean, she, wanted to knock out a wall or two, or maybe even sell the house and buy something else? Would that be okay?” Alison asked, trying to get a rise out of him.
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“For the right woman, I‟d even start all over. Build a new house. But…it would be a shame to find this perfect woman and not be able to give her my great-grandmother‟s locket. Wouldn‟t it?” There it was. The locket. Alison had wondered how long it would take before he brought it up. The dinner, the wine, the candles…all about getting that locket back. While she‟d suspected that might be the case, she still felt a sense of disappointment to discover it was true. For a moment, she considered making up an excuse to leave. She took another sip of her drink, sneaking a peek at him over the top of the snifter, trying to decide. He was still hot, and she was still horny as hell… “Yes, if I were your perfect woman, I would want to wear that locket, especially knowing what it means to you. So how do you plan on getting it back? Robbing the place didn‟t work. You almost got yourself killed.” “Yes, robbery isn‟t my strong suit, which I think is probably a good thing, right?” Jason moved to the edge of his chair. Alison found herself hyper-aware of the smallest things, like how close his knee was to hers. It would be easier to play along if she didn‟t want to rip off his clothes, tie him up and have her way with him. Images of Jason tied to the foot of Jennifer‟s bed popped into her head. It didn‟t take much imagination to picture him in the same position, only naked. “I was hoping you would have an idea. You live with her. Does she really never take the locket off?” Alison shook her head, partly as an answer, partly to clear the visions of Jason‟s naked body. Jason moved from his chair and sat next to Alison. “Maybe you could distract her,” he said, reaching up and pulling her hair away from her neck. “You could be watching T.V. together, and then you could do this.” He leaned in and began kissing her neck with slow, butterfly-soft touches. His right hand massaged the back of her neck while his left moved to cup her breast. Alison closed her eyes and let herself enjoy every sensation. “I think this is distracting enough, don‟t you?” Alison drew a ragged breath. “Right. And how does this get the locket off her neck?” “While you‟re massaging her neck, you could undo the clasp,” Jason suggested before going back to kissing her sensitive skin. “Go ahead. Try taking off my necklace,” she challenged. With one hand, Jason struggled to work the clasp while continuing his gentle kisses. It wasn‟t working. “Looks like you need two hands,” Alison prompted. Jason sat back and pulled Alison on top of him so she straddled his lap and they were face-to-face. “How about this?” 31
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“Uh-huh. Like I‟m going to do this to my roommate,” she protested as he massaged her back. He worked his way up her back then moved around to the front, holding her face in his hands. He pulled her closer, kissing her with a passion that didn‟t seem as if it was part of a game. His mouth ravaged hers, his tongue exploring and tasting, shooting fiery sensations all the way to her toes. As he kissed her, he worked his fingers into her thick hair and then, without warning, pulled his mouth away. For a moment that seemed to last an eternity, they stared into each other‟s eyes. They were both breathing hard. Still holding her hair, he pulled her head back, leaning in to kiss and bite his way from her chin down to the top of her chest. Her pussy clenched as his hand moved inside her blouse and cupped her breast. He pulled and pinched her nipple, releasing a slick heat from deep inside her. “This has got to go,” Jason ordered, clutching the bottom of her blouse. In one fluid motion, he pulled her blouse over her head and tossed it somewhere behind him. His hands found the clasp of her bra and released her breasts from bondage. He feasted on her, kneading her flesh, licking her nipples until they were as hard as his cock. The moan that escaped her lips had him back at her mouth for another round of kisses, leaving her breathless and wanting more than his mouth. She reached between them and felt his shaft straining against his jeans. That was what she wanted. She‟d imagined what his cock would look like fully erect ever since she‟d touched him the night he‟d broken in. She pushed him away, breaking the kiss. Jason looked lost to lust, his hungry gaze never leaving hers. Alison reached up and touched the silver necklace still lying against her neck. In a whisper, she said, “It‟s still here. Looks like we‟ll need more of a distraction.” She stood and popped the button on her jeans. Jason stood as well. He reached down and unzipped her pants, helping to slide them to the floor, leaving Alison in nothing but a triangle of blue satin that covered the mound of her pussy. Jason stood motionless in front of her. “You‟re not a princess, you‟re a goddess,” he whispered. Alison shook her head. “Just a woman who doesn‟t want to be the only one naked.” She unbuttoned his shirt quickly, restraining herself from ripping it off him. Buttons undone, Jason pulled his shirt off, tossing it aside. Alison ran her hands over his firm chest and belly, moving down until she reached his jeans and unbuttoned his pants. In one swift movement, Jason was free of his jeans and boxers. Alison took a step back to admire his large erection pointed straight at her. “Now that’s a distraction,” she purred, before moving closer. With a manicured fingernail, she dragged her throng down until it dropped at her ankles. Taking his cock in hand, she stood on tiptoes and pressed the head to her clit, tracing circles around and around in the warm slickness until her knees went weak. Jason ran his fingers down her back until he reached her ass. He cupped a butt check in each hand, massaging and kneading, slipping his fingers into the tender area between 32
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her cheeks, pulling the flesh apart with every stroke. Each time he brought his hand close to her wet lips, Alison‟s moan filled the air. “You want me to touch you here, don‟t you?” he asked as he let a finger slide between her legs from behind and push its way between her swollen lips. Alison could barely get out the word, “Yes,” before letting go of his cock and pressing herself against him, making it easier for him to continue what he was doing. If she didn‟t have his cock deep inside her soon, she thought she would die. “Condom,” she whispered, her breaths becoming ragged. Jason reached down and retrieved his jeans, pulling a packet out of the back pocket. Separating only long enough for Jason to slip the condom over his throbbing cock, they were back together again in seconds, lips locked and bodies pressed together. Wrapping his arms around her, Jason lifted her up. Alison wrapped her legs around his waist and Jason‟s hand reached between them, guided the head of his cock into the hot, wet opening of her pussy. With one push, he sank deep inside her and they both cried out at the delicious rush of sensations. “You‟re so wet,” Jason whispered into her ear. “So deliciously wet.” “I‟ve been ready for you since the night you broke into the house.” “I had no idea. I‟m so sorry I‟ve made you wait,” he said as he slid out slowly, before plunging in deeper than before. There wasn‟t enough leverage for his thrusts, so Jason eased them down onto the couch. Sitting a breath a part, his cock deep inside her, Alison was torn between savoring the feeling of being completely filled and wanting a good, hard pounding that would shake her to the bone. She didn‟t have to decide, as Jason seemed to have ideas of his own. After kissing her again he said, “As much as I love looking at your amazing face, I want you to turn around. I think you‟ll find it more enjoyable.” What could be better than this? she wondered, before nodding her approval. With excruciating slowness, she pulled away, savoring the feeling of his cock leaving her body. She turned around and repositioned herself with her back to his chest. “Like this?” she teased, not letting his cock back in. “Hell no.” He pushed her forward slightly, found his mark and thrust. “Like this.” While she rocked on his hard flesh, pushing it deeper and deeper, Jason reached around to rub her clit in slow, hard, rhythmic circles that were bringing her to the brink faster than she wanted. “Slow down,” she urged, but he would have none of it. With his other hand he tortured her left nipple, twisting and stretching, sending jolts of pleasure directly to her cunt with every pull. With one final tug of her nipple and more slow, torturous pressure on her clit, any thought of holding back was lost in a tidal wave of pleasure. As Jason pressed his hand against her mound, Alison felt the throb of her orgasm, her pussy clamping down hard on his erection. He let her enjoy
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the spasms, driving her wild by rubbing her clit again and squeezing her breast. Releasing her nipple, he snaked his arm around her waist to hold her tight as he eased them both to a stand, making sure his cock stayed deep inside. “Brace yourself on the coffee table,” he whispered between heavy breaths. With Alison bent over in front of him, her arms braced on the table, Jason began to move in and out of her with a slow, steady rhythm, his left arm still holding her tight, his right hand back at her clit, massaging and circling as his pace began to quicken. In this new position, Alison could feel the full length of him, and the sensation revved up her engines once more. “Harder,” she begged, the pounding of his cock vibrating her every nerve ending. She could feel her second orgasm building, a volcano getting ready to explode. His fingers still rubbed as he plunged into her again and again, bringing her to a second climax that made her cry out in a voice she didn‟t recognize as her own. “Oh God, Oh God, Oh God!” With one final plunge, Jason came as well, holding her so tightly against him, Alison thought she was going to break. As his orgasm subsided, his grip on her relaxed. He sat back onto the couch, pulling her on top of him, where they both attempted to draw air back into their lungs. Alison slid off to one side so she could lie back on the couch, her legs draped over his lap. She closed her eyes and willed herself to stop shaking. Jennifer had been right. Jason Douglas was some lover. He had the right equipment and knew what to do with it. I’m in so much trouble. As her breathing returned to normal, Alison enjoyed the gentle touch of Jason‟s fingers caressing her legs and playing with her belly. It felt heavenly but the heat from their bodies was subsiding, leaving her cold. The realization that she still had to drive home had her sitting up to take stock of the situation. Her blouse was nowhere to be seen, her jeans were a wad on the floor and who knew what had happened to her underwear. Didn‟t matter, it was time to go. She‟d gotten what she‟d come for and it had been good. Very good. She reached down and picked up her jeans, pulling them on one leg at a time. “No. Don‟t move yet.” “I‟m cold,” Alison explained as she stood up, wiggled into her pants. “I could get you a blanket…take you upstairs maybe.” Jason‟s voice was low and seductive, trying to charm her into crawling into his bed. She turned and faced him as she pulled up her zipper. “I need to go,” she said, spying her blouse on the floor behind the couch. “So… You‟re a love ‟em and leave ‟em kind of woman?” Jason grabbed his jeans off the floor, stood and pulled on his pants as well.
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Alison walked around the couch, picked up her blouse and pulled it on over her head. She found her bra on the other side of the coffee table and stuffed it into her back pocket. Her panties were nowhere to be found. She reached up and felt her neck. Her necklace was gone. “Looking for this?” Jason asked, holding up the necklace. “When did you—” “I distracted you, didn‟t I?” Jason asked, sounding pretty proud of himself. “Come here, I‟ll put it on for you.” Alison turned in front of him and lifted her hair. “Yes, you distracted me all right. But you can‟t seriously expect me to distract Jennifer that way. Besides, just like me, after the fun is over she‟d realize the necklace was gone. Things don‟t vanish into thin air, you know.” “I‟m sure you‟re right, but it would be fun trying, wouldn‟t it?” Jason asked, pulling her into him and nuzzling the back of her neck. “I‟m not going to seduce my roommate to get your locket back. Sorry. You‟ll have to come up with another plan.” Jason turned her around and looked into her eyes. “Are you sure you have to leave? I make a mean egg scramble and my coffee isn‟t half bad, either.” The thought of crawling into bed with this man was not unpleasant. Curled up in his arms, she could sleep the sleep of the well fucked. But as much as her body ached to cuddle up against his body, her mind overruled. He just wants that damn locket. Don’t be a fool. “I‟m having breakfast with my parents tomorrow…early. I really need to go,” she lied. The disappointment in Jason‟s face looked real and she began to wonder if this evening had been purely a means to an end. Jason released a heavy sigh. “Okay, let me get your coat. But next time, you should bring a toothbrush,” he said, and kissed her hard and long, making Alison immediately regret her decision. Next time? When their lips parted, Jason asked again, “Are you sure?” Alison forced herself to move away. “Yes.” She followed Jason to the front door, where he pulled her coat out of the closet and helped her into it. When she turned around, he was standing with his thumbs tucked into the waistband of his jeans. Barefoot and shirtless, he could have walked out of a Levi‟s ad. Leave now or you never will. “Thanks for dinner and…all.” She turned the doorknob, gave him one last smile and walked down the path to the street. A long, low whistle followed her, making her
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giggle. Without looking back, she raised her hand over her head and waved before climbing into her car and driving away.
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Chapter Six A Real Date Something odd always happened to Alison when she went without sex for a very long time. The longer she went without it, the more she could. It was as if her body forgot what the big deal was. But once she climbed back into the saddle, her body was like, “Oh yeah, I remember this shit, and I love it. Let‟s do that again!” One night of great sex and she was like an addict who‟d been given a taste of a forbidden substance. That taste only made her want more. The morning after her dinner with Jason, Alison awoke in her own bed wet and horny, wishing she had stayed over at Jason‟s house so they could have gone at it again. The thought of his hard cock inside her pussy had her touching herself, exploring her wet folds, her fingers doing what his cock had done. With images of Jason in her head, she reached into her nightstand for Mac and proceeded to fuck herself until her body shuddered with release. Lying in bed, regaining her composure, Alison heard a creak of the floorboards in the hall outside her door. She looked over and saw that her door was open about an inch. She could have sworn it had been closed all the way when she went to bed last night.
***** On a typical Sunday morning, Jason would make coffee, grab the Sunday paper from the driveway and spend a couple hours catching up on the world. Then he‟d work up a sweat jogging casually to the beach, ending up at the local Irish pub with the other locals for a beer and a dose of whatever sport was in season. This Sunday morning was different. He had dreamed about the dark-haired beauty who had rocked his world the night before and awoke in a fog, half expecting her to be lying next to him. His disappointment over his empty bed was palpable. To clear his mind, he threw on a pair of sweatpants and a college sweatshirt, laced up his running shoes and took to the street in a full-on sprint. His plan—run hard until he cleared his head. An hour later, he found himself outside a beachfront café in Huntington Beach with no recollection of how he‟d gotten there. Things had gone terribly wrong with Alison. His plan to seduce her into stealing the locket for him wasn‟t working. What concerned him even more was that he couldn‟t stop thinking about her, and that was not part of his plan at all.
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As he sat in the café drinking coffee and staring at the newspaper without reading a line, it dawned on Jason that he was more interested in Alison than the locket. The thought excited and scared him. The big question was—what to do about it?
***** When Alison didn‟t hear from Jason on Monday or Tuesday, she wasn‟t surprised. She told herself the only reason he‟d invited her over was to figure out how to use Alison to get his heirloom out of Jennifer‟s clutches. The sex had been on Alison’s agenda, although when she thought back, he had made the first move, so obviously it had been on his agenda as well. She rationalized that two consenting adults should be able to have wild, hot sex because they wanted to and nothing more, but the logical argument didn‟t help. He‟d been looking for a way to get his locket back. She‟d been after some fun. She‟d gotten what she wanted and yet she wasn‟t happy about it. Why hasn’t he called? After sex like that, you’d think he’d want seconds. By Wednesday, she had filed Jason Douglas away in her mind as just another onenight stand when there was a knock on her closed office door. “Come in,” Alison called out. The door opened and in walked Alison‟s assistant, Elizabeth, carrying the day‟s mail. Elizabeth‟s rich brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail, as usual, and her tailored shirt was buttoned up to her neck. She barely wore any makeup and always wore sensible shoes under her dress pants. It was like a uniform. Alison thought she was pretty, in an unassuming kind of way, and would have loved to have given the woman a full makeover. She guessed she would be stunning. Elizabeth had been her assistant for over five years and Alison still didn‟t know much about her. When it came to her life outside the office, Elizabeth was very private. “Here‟s today‟s mail, Ms. Knightly.” She placed the mail on Alison‟s desk, a FedEx envelope on top. “Is there anything else you need this morning?” She had asked Elizabeth a dozen times to call her Alison but the woman still treated her strictly as a superior. Alison had tried on numerous occasions to draw her into a more casual relationship, inviting her to some of the after-work soirees, but to no avail. With Elizabeth, it was formal and professional all the time. “How are the boys?” Alison asked, picking up the Fed Ex envelope absentmindedly and pulling the paper tab that opened the cardboard. Mentioning Elizabeth‟s two teenage boys was the only thing that pulled her out of work mode and brought a smile to her face. “They‟re doing very well. Jack turns sixteen next week and of course he wants to go to the DMV immediately.” “Of course he does.”
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The smile on her face faded. “I‟m actually scared to death when I think of him behind the wheel of a car. He‟s my baby. How can they allow a baby to drive?” “I‟m sure every mother feels the same way. We survived. I‟m sure he will too,” she replied, pleased at the unexpected peek into Elizabeth‟s feelings. As Alison spoke, she turned the FedEx envelope upside down and let the contents fall out onto her desk. “I‟m sure you‟re—” Elizabeth‟s eyes grew wide as a pair of blue silk panties and a folded note landed on Alison‟s desk. “We can talk later,” she said abruptly, turning on her heels and leaving Alison‟s office, closing the door behind her. Alison‟s face flushed a deep red as she grabbed her underwear off the desk and stuffed them into her purse before opening the folded note card. Look what I found under the couch. Considered keeping them as a souvenir but thought you might think that was creepy. Saturday night was amazing. YOU are amazing. I can’t stop thinking about you. I want to take you out. Out on a real date. I’m going to call you. I’m going to pick you up. I have something in mind, something I think you’ll like. And no, it doesn’t involve taking off your clothes again…unless of course you want me to? Just kidding. This will be a proper date. Hope you’ll say yes. Jason When the phone rang, Alison practically jumped out of her chair. She put down the letter and composed herself, letting the phone ring two more times before picking up. “Human resources, Ms. Knightly.” “Did you open it?” asked the warm male voice on the other end. Alison recognized Jason‟s voice and it made her insides do funny things. “Oh my god. My assistant was here when my panties came sliding out of the envelope. She‟s like a nun or something. Who knows what she thinks of me now.” “I‟m sure she‟ll live,” Jason laughed. “Hey. How did you know I would have the envelope already?” “Guaranteed delivery before ten thirty.” Alison picked up the envelope and saw where he‟d checked the early delivery box. “Nice.” “So? How about it? Will you let me take you on a real date?” Alison was tempted, but a nagging voice in the back of her mind asked, Is this another ploy to get his grandmother’s locket back? She knew she would regret it, but she had to know…had to push. “What about the locket? Aren‟t you still worried about how to get it back?” Let’s see if he lies to me. There was a moment of silence. 39
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Then, his voice low and serious, he said, “This isn‟t about the locket, Alison. I want to see you again. And this time, I want to do it right.” Now it was Alison‟s turn to be silent. She wanted to believe him. But even if he were telling the truth, was this what she wanted? God forbid if Jennifer found out… If they could just go out and have some fun on the sly, keep it casual, maybe it would be all right. What harm could there be in another date? “Alison? It‟s not about the damn locket, okay?” He sounds sincere. “Okay.” She could hear his sigh of relief, as if he‟d been holding his breath. “How about this Saturday?” “Let me check,” she said, already knowing she had nothing planned. Last chance to back out, Alison. Make up an excuse or something. But even with all her doubts, she realized she wanted to see him too. “Saturday is fine. What time?” “Four o‟clock. I‟ll pick you up at your office. Dress casual. Wear comfortable shoes.” Intrigued, Alison asked, “What are we doing?” “It‟s a surprise. I was serious about the shoes. No high heels.” “You‟re killing me. Not even a hint?” Jason‟s laugh came through the phone and made her smile. “See you Saturday,” he said, and hung up. Frustrated, Alison jammed the phone back into its cradle. “I hate surprises,” she said to the back of the door, but smiled in spite of herself.
***** Jason pulled into the parking lot of State Pharmaceuticals, saw Alison‟s red car and parked in the empty spot next to it. As he set the parking brake, Alison stepped out of her car and climbed into his. “This feels very clandestine.” Alison checked to see if there were any other employees around on a Saturday afternoon. The lot was empty. Jason leaned sideways and checked out her shoes. She was wearing a pair of lightweight hiking boots. Her jeans looked relaxed and comfortable while her pale-blue sweater made her eyes look even bluer. “Do I pass?” Alison asked. “With flying colors,” Jason said, backing out of the parking spot. “Are you going to tell me where we‟re going?” “I can give you a hint,” he teased. 40
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“You‟re going to make me guess?” The frustration in Alison‟s voice made Jason smile. “Where we‟re going would appeal to Danica Patrick, Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty.” “I‟ve heard of Danica…she‟s a race car driver, right? But I have no idea who the other guys are…racers too?” “Yes. They‟re all NASCAR drivers.” Jason could tell Alison wasn‟t thrilled at the prospect of going to see a NASCAR race. Good thing that isn’t where we’re going. “I guess watching a race could be entertaining,” Alison offered. “Who said anything about watching?” “We‟re going to drive race cars? Real race cars? I didn‟t know you could do that around here.” Jason looked at her and grinned, but wasn‟t talking. “Come on, just tell me. I really hate surprises,” Alison begged. “I like it when you beg,” Jason said, earning him a punch in the arm. “Ouch, you‟re not supposed to hit the driver.” “Then tell me,” Alison insisted. “All right. We‟re going to drive Formula 1 go-karts, only they‟re scaled down for an indoor track. There‟s a track five minutes from here in Irvine.” Alison brightened. Jason knew she was the type of person who would rather do than watch. “I‟ve heard of that place. Sounds like fun.” “We‟ll not only be racing against the clock but against each other. Care to place a small wager on who‟s going to win?” Jason taunted. “I‟m going to kick your ass. Speed is my thing.” “You know I won‟t let you win,” Jason replied, feeling fairly confident he would be the winner. “Let me win…oh, you are in so much trouble and don‟t even know it. How much do you want to bet?” Jason laughed. “Looks like I hit a sore spot.” “Nobody lets me win.” Alison crossed her arms. “Okay, I get it. I‟m going to kick your ass fair and square.” Alison turned and looked at Jason. “Now that‟s more like it. Twenty bucks says I have the best overall time of the day.” “You‟re on.”
***** Head socks and helmets on, Jason and Alison each climbed into their electric gokarts. There were eight other people racing against them for the fourteen laps of race 41
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number ten. The scaled-down cars had twenty-horse-power engines with speeds up to thirty miles per hour. Sophisticated electronics kept score to one-one hundredth of a second. The car‟s engine rumbled beneath Alison as she eased the go-kart into her designated starting position. Her nervous excitement had her strangling the steering wheel and she had to remind herself to breathe. The lights changed from red to yellow to green, and Alison gunned it, shifting into second and then third before the first turn. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she cut off a slower driver going into a curve. This being her first time on the course, she didn‟t expect to have a top score right away. But she could tell she was improving by lap seven. She knew what was ahead and positioned her car to take the straightest line of approach. She had passed three cars by the time she crossed the finish line and saw the checkered flag, but six cars had passed her. She had lost track of Jason during the race and it wasn‟t until she saw him climb out of his car that she realized he‟d been one of the drivers who passed her. She pulled off her helmet and the yellow head sock and exited the race track with Jason right behind her. “Where do they post the times?” Alison asked. Jason reached down and grabbed her hand. “Come on. I‟ll show you. They even have a winner‟s stand.” Alison liked how Jason‟s big hand made hers feel so small. Made her feel safe. This is feeling more and more like a real date all the time. The scores for race ten were being posted on an electronic scoreboard. “Oh my god. Look at the time for the number-one guy. He must live here,” Alison said, looking for her name and finding it two names below Jason‟s, who was in fifth place. “Lots of the NASCAR drivers got their start driving go-karts. Because you drive close to the ground with a highly responsive vehicle, it gives you a sense of high speed. That, combined with the incredible directional response of the kart, helps train the driver‟s reaction timing.” “Wow, you‟re really into this, aren‟t you?” “Not really. I did some research before I brought you here. That‟s all. Ready to go again?” “Absolutely,” Alison said with enthusiasm and pulled Jason toward the line for the next race.
***** After two more races, Alison had moved up two positions to fifth place, but Jason had moved up as well into fourth. Their time difference was less than half a second. After each race, they‟d check the scoreboard before returning to the line. After four more 42
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races, Alison was still behind Jason but the gap was closing. Checking the scoreboard and seeing how close she was, Alison decided one more race should do it. “How about one more?” Alison asked. “If I don‟t beat your time, you win.” “Deal. Then we get something to eat and a beer or two. With all this speed, I feel like I’m on speed.” Alison laughed. “Look at my hands.” She held them out and they were shaking. “I have new respect for race car drivers who have to keep it together for two hundred laps. Jesus. I‟d be a basket case.” “Okay, Alison Knightly. One more race and one more chance to beat me,” Jason said with a grin, before pulling on his helmet.
***** The green light flashed and Alison pressed her foot down hard on the accelerator. She knew she‟d have to push herself and take some chances if she wanted to beat Jason. No waiting until the final couple laps this time. By now she was able to pick out Jason from the other drivers, zeroing in on his blue helmet. She was two cars behind him. The car in front of her was all over the track, making it hard to predict its movements. Newbie. On turn number five, the newbie swung too wide and Alison took the curve on the inside, passing with ease. One car to go. She liked being behind Jason. Knowing where he was made it easier than having him somewhere behind her. On lap seven, she passed the second car and was now shadowing Jason‟s every move. If there had been a cop on this track she would have been ticketed for tailgating. Her strategy was to stick to his bumper and then pass him on lap twelve. He won’t know what hit him. In the previous race, she‟d had a similar plan but had waited until the last lap to make her move. It was too little, too late, with Jason hugging every inside corner, making it impossible for her to pass. Not this time. This time she would make her move earlier and give herself three laps to find an opening. The opening came on lap thirteen. Jason swung too wide, forcing him to stay in the middle of the track, giving her the opening she needed. On the straightaway, she gave it everything her little car could handle and sailed past him. Yes! Alison‟s joy was short-lived when turn number three reared its ugly head and had her putting on the brakes. Then something went wrong. She had too much speed going into the turn and couldn‟t keep her car under control. She spun out, slamming hard into the hay bales that lined the course.
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Before her brain had fully processed what had happened, an attendant was at the car, asking if she was all right and instructing her to stay put until all the cars had finished the race. The cars still racing around the track sounded like angry bees buzzing around and around in her head. Alison was finding it difficult to breathe. She had to get her helmet off. Her hands were shaking so hard she couldn‟t undo the strap under her chin. “Leave the helmet on until we get you off the track,” the attendant said. Alison didn‟t give a shit about his rules. The helmet had to come off, and now. Working with shaking fingers, she finally released the strap and pulled the helmet and head sock off. Tilting her head back, she took a deep breath—and then started laughing. Over the loudspeaker, she heard, “Sir, you can‟t go out there,” and turned in time to see Jason flip off the young kid on the microphone before sprinting across the track to her side. “Oh my God, Alison! Are you all right?” Alison was now doubled over with laughter. “Sir, you can‟t be out here on the track,” the attendant told Jason, who was on his knees next to the car, trying to find out if Alison was laughing or crying. “Back off. She‟s my girlfriend,” Jason said and lifted Alison‟s face. He called me his girlfriend. Interesting. “Seriously, are you okay?” Alison‟s laughter subsided when she saw the concern on his face. She nodded, and the attendant and Jason each took an arm and helped her to a stand. When she stepped out of the car, her legs were a little wobbly and she leaned on Jason for support. He immediately wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in tight. “I‟ve got you.” Alison started laughing again. “What‟s so funny? You could have been hurt.” Alison swatted his comment away like she would an annoying fly. “Naw.” They walked across the course and exited the race area, finding a seat in the food court next to the scoreboard. Alison looked up at the scores that had been posted from race seventeen. Jason had moved up to third and Alison was at the bottom with a disqualification next to her name. “That‟s a bummer. If I had beaten you, I would have been in second place,” Alison sighed. “You made a gutsy move there. Too bad you couldn‟t hold on to it. You would have won. I‟m just glad you‟re okay.” Jason reached out and moved a dark strand of hair away from her face. “You are okay, aren‟t you?” Alison nodded. “I could use a cold beer.”
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Jason stood and held out his hand. “I know just the spot for a couple of crazy race car drivers like us. Cold beer and hot food will have you feeling better in no time.” Alison pulled a twenty out of her back pocket and tried to hand it to Jason. “You win.” “Keep it.” “No way. A bet is a bet. Besides, you‟re going to need it when we go double or nothing next time.” Jason smiled and took the money, stuffing it into his pocket. “You‟re on.”
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Chapter Seven Her Plan For the next two months, Alison and Jason dated in the traditional sense of the word. Jason called Alison at work, asked her out for a Saturday night or sometimes for a Sunday. After the success of the race car date, Jason had come up with other exciting activities, including a scavenger-hunt tour in Hollywood, a hot-air balloon wine tasting in Temecula and a mountain bike ride from the top of a local ski resort. But not every date was an adventure. Sometimes they‟d go to a movie as long as it wasn‟t local, or have dinner in an ethnic restaurant where they were sure Jennifer would never venture. The sex was awesome and often, but neither one of them had spent the night with the other yet. It seemed to be an unspoken rule, as if they were both waiting for confirmation that this was something more than just fun and games. It would have been easy to forget the way they had met if it weren‟t for the fact Jennifer still wore Jason‟s locket. The longer Alison dated him, the more it bugged her. While Jason hadn‟t mentioned the locket again after that day on the phone, Alison assumed he still wanted it back. One day, as she watched Jennifer running the heart back and forth along the chain for the hundredth time, she thought, That should be mine. And with that thought, she knew she‟d crossed some imaginary line. Her only question was, had Jason crossed the same line as well?
***** When the flowers arrived on Monday morning after their bike ride along the coast, Alison was in a meeting. When she came out of the conference room, Elizabeth was waiting for her with a smile on her face. “You have a surprise in your office. I had to sign for them.” Alison hurried her steps with Elizabeth in tow. There on her desk was a bouquet of bright yellow, orange and red Gerber daisies. Alison pulled the white envelope off the plastic wand in the vase. She opened it and read… Thanks for another great weekend. I could get used to this. There was no signature. “From underpants guy?” Alison was confused. “What?”
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“You know.” Elizabeth winked. “The guy who sent your underwear back via FedEx.” Alison put her hand to her forehead. How could she have forgotten that Elizabeth had been in the office when that package arrived? Lately, Elizabeth had been opening up a bit more. Maybe if she shared some of her life, Alison decided, Elizabeth would feel safe enough to share some of hers. Besides, she trusted Elizabeth wouldn‟t tell another soul. She highly doubted she had any friends to tell anyway—not that Alison had a full stable of friends either. Sure, she went out with work people, but because she was in HR, she was limited to how hardy she could party with coworkers. She had hoped when she moved in with Jennifer that they would develop a strong friendship, but that hadn‟t gone the way she‟d thought either. They had too little in common. It would be good to have someone to talk to. “Close the door,” Alison said. Elizabeth closed the door and was seated in the guest chair so quickly, Alison barely noticed she had moved. “I met this guy…” she began.
***** It was a Saturday morning in June and Alison was drying her hair with a heavy towel after a shower when there was a knock at the bathroom door. Alison slipped into her bathrobe. “Come on in,” she called out. The door opened and in came Jennifer. “Hey,” Alison said, going back to drying her hair. Jennifer leaned against the counter and crossed her arms. “I need a favor.” Alison looked up and caught Jennifer looking intently at the opening of her bathrobe. Jennifer blushed and looked away. “Sure, if I can.” “I have to go on another business trip, this time for a week. I really don‟t want to leave my car in the parking lot all that time. I just had it painted and the windows tinted—” “Yes, I know. It looks great,” Alison interrupted. “You can understand why I don‟t want to leave it sitting there baking in the sun.” Alison nodded, putting the towel back on the rack. “So you want a ride to the airport?” “Yes, if it wouldn‟t be too much trouble. I‟m flying out of John Wayne, not LAX,” Jennifer reassured her. John Wayne was only fifteen minutes away. “When?” “Today at two. I‟m sorry for the last-minute request, but the person I had lined up bailed on me,” Jennifer sighed. 47
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“Was that Todd?” Alison asked, guessing it was her last in a long line of boyfriends. “Yes. He‟s such a flake.” Looking back up at Alison, Jennifer‟s features softened as she said, “I‟d really appreciate it.” Alison pulled her brush out of the drawer and started brushing her hair. “Sure, I‟d be happy to. I‟ve got nothing going on until tonight.” “Another date with that guy…Fred with the daughter?” Jennifer asked, her hand moving up to the locket. Alison watched as she habitually moved the locket back and forth on the chain. Every part of her being wanted to rip it off Jennifer‟s throat. You don’t deserve that locket. Keeping the anger out of her voice, she said, “No. Fred is out of the picture. His daughter always came first.” “Been there, done that,” Jennifer laughed. “I‟ve had it up to here with guys. They‟re undependable, self-centered pains in the ass.” “You said it. More trouble than they‟re worth.” Alison turned to the mirror to finish her hair. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Jennifer looked her up and down before leaving the bathroom, calling over her shoulder, “We should leave around noon.” “Okay,” Alison replied, putting the brush down and shooting her mirrored image a thoughtful look while pulling her robe tight around her.
***** It was a beautiful summer day, the kind that lures you outside and away from whatever it is you‟re supposed to be doing. Traffic was light on the 405 freeway and they made it to the airport in record time. Jennifer was in a great mood and chattered away for the entire drive. Every once in a while the sun would alight on the locket, sending a bright-white reflection bouncing around the car. While Jennifer talked, Alison thought. In scenario after scenario, any attempt to get the necklace ended in failure or discovery. As long as Jennifer kept the thing around her neck, she‟d have a part of Jason that didn‟t belong to her, and Alison didn‟t like that idea. She wanted Jason all to herself. Selfish but true. She was ready to take the next step. They‟d spent plenty of evenings at his house, but for once Alison wanted him in her bed. She was tired of being the one who always had to get up and leave. With Jennifer gone for a week, it looked like she was going to get her wish. As they exited the freeway, Alison asked, “So you‟ll need me to pick you up as well, right?” “That would be great. But if something comes up and you can‟t, just call my cell and let me know. I‟ll get a cab, even though they‟re few and far between here in Orange County.”
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“What day do you get in?” Alison asked. Jennifer pulled a sheet of paper out of her purse. “Here‟s my itinerary. I‟ll put it in the glove box for you. I‟m back Sunday afternoon. My flight lands at 3 p.m.” “From what I can remember of next weekend, that should work,” Alison said as she pulled into the entrance of the airport, following the signs to departures. Jennifer reached over and placed her hand high up on Alison‟s thigh, giving it a little squeeze as she said, “That would be wonderful. You don‟t know how much it means to me to see a friendly face after a long business trip.” She didn‟t move her hand until Alison had pulled up at the curb in front of United Airlines. “Here we are,” Alison said brightly, trying to ignore the warmth of Jennifer‟s hand. “I‟ll help you with your luggage.” Alison popped the trunk and jumped out of the car. Jennifer met her at the trunk and helped pull out the last piece of luggage. “You have a lot of stuff,” Alison observed. Jennifer looked at her four bags. “Only one is clothing. The rest is samples and marketing materials for the show.” Once the bags were on the curb, a skycap came and moved everything to his counter. Jennifer didn‟t follow immediately but turned back to Alison. “Thanks for the shuttle service. If you can‟t pick me up, I understand. Just give me a heads-up.” “No problem. Have a great trip.” Jennifer closed the distance and before Alison knew it, she was engulfed in a tight hug. As Jennifer released her, Alison thought the awkward farewell hug was over. What happened next came as an even bigger surprise. Jennifer took Alison‟s face in her hands and said, “Thank you, girlfriend,” before swiftly pulling her in and placing her soft lips on Alison‟s. The kiss lasted longer than a peck but short enough that Alison‟s defense mechanisms didn‟t have a chance to react. By the time she processed what was happening, Jennifer was already releasing her and walking away. Stunned, Alison just stood there. It wasn‟t until she saw the knowing look of some man that she realized she hadn‟t imagined what just happened. Without looking at Jennifer, she climbed back into her car and pulled away from the curb, almost hitting a shuttle bus that was pulling up. Suddenly all the pieces fell into place—the long stares, the intimate touches, the hugs that were too long and too hard. Jennifer was into her! “Well, this is just great,” she said, banging the steering wheel with her hand. I better start looking for a new place to stay, she thought as she accelerated up the freeway onramp.
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Jason is going to think this is funny. I just know it. Maybe he suspected her of being bi all along, which was why he had that silly idea of me seducing her to get the necklace back. That or he was hoping to watch…every guy’s fantasy. “Fantasies. I have a fantasy. I want to live in a normal house, with a great guy and have hot sex whenever I want. Now that‟s a fantasy for you,” she practically shouted, banging her hand on the steering wheel again. Her mind was full of thoughts and possibilities—moving out, not moving out, sleeping with Jason, the damn locket, her horny roommate, the night on Jason‟s couch, Jason tied up to Jennifer‟s bed, Jennifer always spying on her, touching her. “I should tie you up, Jennifer,” she said with a laugh. “But knowing you, you‟d probably like it.” Then an idea began to form. An idea that blended together all her thoughts into one perfect plan…a plan that would get the locket off Jennifer‟s damn neck and give Alison a reason above suspicion to move out. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that it could work. By the time she pulled in front of her house, her plan was fully formed. As far as she could tell, it was virtually foolproof. She couldn‟t wait to get inside and call Jason. Not only was he going to sleep over for the first time this weekend, she was going to get his locket back. Then she‟d know once and for all how he really felt about her. If he ended the relationship once he had the locket, she‟d chalk it up to another bad decision on her part. But she just knew he wouldn‟t. He couldn‟t. He had to feel the same way about her that she felt about him. Now he would have a chance to prove it. But first, she‟d have to put her plan into place. A rehearsal was just the thing they needed to make sure everything would go off without a hitch. She was dialing Jason on her cell before she reached the front door.
***** Jason knew something was up. Alison had called him, her voice full of so much excitement he‟d thought she was going to explode like a firecracker. “What are you doing right now?” she‟d asked. “Mowing the lawn,” he‟d replied. “How soon can you be over here?” “You mean to your house?” “Yes. Jennifer is out of town for a week. I just dropped her off at the airport.” “I don‟t know. I need to finish up and take a shower. An hour, hour and a half?” “Perfect,” she‟d said. “The garage door will be open. Pull in next to Jennifer‟s car and close the door. We don‟t want any nosy neighbors telling Jennifer you were here.”
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“Boy, you‟ve thought of everything.” “Yes I have,” she‟d said before hanging up. He hadn‟t been back to Jennifer‟s house since the night of his botched burglary. Alison was right about worrying over the neighbors. He‟d been a regular fixture for a year. He was sure if his car sat in the driveway overnight, someone would recognize it and say something to Jennifer. As Jason finished mowing the lawn, his mind worked on what could be behind Alison‟s excited call. Maybe she’s finally going to let me spend the night. While making love to Alison was always amazing, watching her get dressed and leave each time put a damper on the whole experience. For once he wanted to wake up with his arms wrapped around her. Unless he was way off base, this was going to be the night. After all, she couldn‟t leave—and he‟d be damned if he‟d get out of her bed and drive home.
***** Driving down Jennifer‟s street in broad daylight brought back all kinds of memories, both good and bad. Luckily, no one was outside except kids on this perfect summer evening. He pulled into the garage and parked. The button to close the garage was right next to the door that led into the house. Once the garage was completely shut, he walked inside. “Hello. Anybody home?” he called out. “I‟m in the kitchen,” Alison shouted. Jason made his way through the living room into the kitchen, where he found Alison wearing her bathrobe, pouring a healthy glass of red wine. “Wow. There‟s something about you in that robe that does it for me every time.” Alison walked over, the glass of wine in her hand. She kissed him lightly on the mouth and handed him the glass before going back to the bottle to fill her own. Jason was having none of that. He followed her, set his glass on the counter and spun her around. The look of surprise on her face made Jason smile. “You‟re not getting away with a kiss like that, not when you‟re wearing that bathrobe.” He pulled her into his arms and smothered her mouth with kisses, plunging his tongue deep inside as he pressed his body into hers. His desire came on hard and fast and he had the erection to prove it. When he finally released her, he liked how she looked flushed and slightly off balance. “Well, hello to you too,” she said rather drunkenly. “This,” she said, grabbing his cock through his jeans, “I have plans for later.”
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“I‟m glad to hear it.” Jason laughed before picking up his wineglass and drinking deeply. “So what—besides some smoking-hot sex—were you so anxious to get me over here for?” Alison also took a deep drink, draining half her glass. Jason refilled it as Alison lifted herself up onto the kitchen counter. Memories of the night he broke in rushed back. Just like that night, there was plenty to see in and around Alison‟s wonderful silky robe. “I have an idea on how to get your locket back,” Alison blurted out, as if she‟d been holding it in for weeks. Jason was momentarily confused. He‟d thought this was about sex and sleeping over. But, even though he wouldn‟t admit it to Alison, he still thought about the locket. He‟d wake up in the middle of the night mad as hell that Jennifer still wore it around her neck. He‟d lie there awake, running through dozens of options, each one ending in a disaster. What could Alison have thought of that he hadn‟t? “Really?” he asked, his curiosity at maximum. “Okay, remember your silly idea about me seducing Jennifer and somehow getting the locket off her?” “Yes. And as I recall, we decided it wouldn‟t work.” “Right. But something has happened that makes me think otherwise.” Jason‟s eyebrows arched up in surprise. “And what might that be? Have you discovered you‟re bi? Because you certainly aren‟t gay.” Alison laughed. “No, you wish. But I think maybe Jennifer is.” Jason‟s mouth dropped open. “Really?” Alison was all bright and giggly, like a schoolgirl with a grand secret. Jason had never seen her this way before and it made him want to rip off that bathrobe and take her right here in the kitchen. “So what‟s this great plan?” “I‟d rather walk you through it than tell you. Are you game?” she asked, daring him to say no with her smile. “Absolutely.” “Great,” Alison declared, as she slid off the counter and grabbed both wineglasses. “Follow me. I have everything ready. I‟ll explain as we go along.” As Alison walked out of the kitchen and down the hallway, all Jason could do was follow. When they reached Alison‟s room, she stopped. “Do you trust me?” she asked. “Do I have a choice?” “No.” Alison laughed. “Now take off all your clothes.” “I don‟t know what this plan is all about, but I like it so far,” Jason said as he unbuttoned his shirt.
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Jason watched as Alison went into the bedroom and set their wineglasses on the nightstand before returning. She stepped up to him and unbuckled his belt, whipping it off so fast it made a series of sharp pops as it passed each loop. She tossed it into the hall. Next she unbuttoned his pants and then pulled down his zipper. Putting both hands inside his boxers, she forced them and his pants down to the floor. “What about my shoes?” Jason asked, looking down at the puddle of pants around his ankles. “Lose them,” Alison demanded, leaving Jason to finish what she‟d started. The shades were pulled down in Alison‟s room, with several candles giving off the only light. The bed pillows were on the floor and the comforter was folded up on a chair in the corner. “Okay, I‟m ready. For what, I‟m not exactly sure,” Jason said, stepping cautiously into the room. “Go lie down on my bed, face up,” Alison told him as she pulled her bathrobe belt from around her waist. Jason did as he was told, not missing a thing as he passed by Alison. Once he was on the bed, Alison crawled up and knelt beside him. “Put your hands over your head, wrists together. I‟m going to tie you up.” “Really?” Jason asked as he raised his arms. Alison used her satin belt to cinch together Jason‟s wrists, tight enough that he couldn‟t pull free. Then she tied the belt to the decorative wrought iron headboard. “Comfy?” she asked. “So far. How is this going to get the locket back?” “All in good time. Now your feet.” Alison pulled a man‟s necktie out of her robe pocket and wrapped it around Jason‟s ankles before securing it to the metal of the footboard. Jason was now securely tied down in the middle of the bed, his penis standing at attention like a flagpole. Alison retrieved her wineglass from the nightstand before making herself comfortable next to him. She took a deep drink then offered the glass to Jason, who lifted his head to drink. Alison set the glass down before starting her explanation. “So,” she began, taking hold of Jason‟s cock, moving her hand up and down slowly as she spoke. “Ever since the night of your break-in when I tied you up, I‟ve wanted to do this.” Jason watched as she gave him a slow hand job, the gap of her open bathrobe offering him an unobstructed view of her full breasts. “This is amazing. And don‟t get me wrong, I don‟t want you to stop, but I still don‟t understand what this has to do with the locket.” Alison laughed. “Okay, now that I have you where I want you, I can tell you. For a while now, I‟ve gotten the impression that Jennifer was kind of into me.”
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Jason moaned as Alison emphasized into me by stroking a bit harder. “Who wouldn‟t be?” “Today, when I dropped her off at the airport, she kissed me on the mouth…with parted lips. She did everything but stick in her tongue.” “Wow.” “I knew you would think that was hot.” Alison bent over and put the head of Jason‟s cock in her mouth. “Wow…” Jason said again, but this time it was more of a moan. Alison pulled her mouth away. “So that gave me an idea. What if I told her I was interested and wanted to plan a special evening for us?” “An evening like this?” “Exactly. I‟d bring her in here, tie her up and then do fun little things to her.” It was hard to think clearly with Alison stroking his cock, but he managed to come up with an objection. “How is this any different from my idea, which we decided wouldn‟t work?” “Ah ha. Here comes the brilliant part,” Alison said with glee. “I‟m going to blindfold her like this.” Alison pulled out a scarf from her other pocket and wrapped it around Jason‟s eyes. “Picture this. Jennifer is naked—” “I can picture that,” Jason said, which earned him a light slap to his cock. “Hey!” “As I was saying, Jennifer would be naked, blindfolded and tied to the bed. I would be tickling her with feathers and stuff, nothing too crazy. Then you would „break-in‟ again and find us. I‟d scream.” Alison screamed, making Jason jump. “You‟d slap me—not too hard—and I‟d say, „he‟s got a gun.‟ Then you would tie me up as well, but not too tight. Then you‟d take my jewelry, which you would give back later, and finally—” “Rip the locket off her scrawny neck.” “Yes!” “It‟s risky but brilliant. She can‟t identify me as long as I don‟t say anything. She‟ll think you‟ve been robbed so she won‟t go looking for the locket or blame you.” “I‟ve thought of every angle and I can‟t think of how it can fail,” Alison said, tickled with her idea. “So I do have one question?” “Shoot.” “Why did you need to tie me up to tell me all this?” Jason asked. “Well, that should be obvious,” Alison replied.
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Jason felt her weight shift on the bed and then her warm mouth encompassed the entire length of his cock. Her lips moved slowly, creating a tight ring that slid down to the base and up to the tip. Each time she came up, her tongue licked a circle around his head before she plunged back down. “You‟re amazing,” Jason murmured, drunk on the pleasure she was giving him. Giving Jason a blowjob always made Alison hot, and tonight was no different— except tonight she was totally and completely in control. That heady rush of power made her juices flow. Now it was time for him to pleasure her. She removed her bathrobe and tossed it to the side. “Your turn,” she said, before turning around so she faced his feet. She swung one leg over his body to straddle him and then backed up on her hands and knees until her pussy was inches above his mouth. “Do you want it?” she asked in a voice thick with sexual meaning. Jason barely got out an affirmative answer before she lowered herself to his mouth. His warm tongue lashed out immediately, tasting and teasing her lips. She could pull up or press down, controlling the pressure from above. Without the use of his hands, Jason had no choice but to let Alison determine the tempo. When Jason started flicking his tongue back and forth over her clit, Alison cried out, “Yes, yes!” and Jason kept up the pace. She could feel her orgasm building and pulled away from his mouth, not ready for such an easy climax. She scooted forward before swinging her leg over and sitting next to him. Bending forward, she licked and tasted his lips, which were wet with her own juices. Sitting back up, she grabbed her wineglass and took a mouthful but didn‟t swallow. She bent over and put her lips to Jason‟s, who opened his mouth right away. Slowly, she let a stream of wine enter his mouth. After they both swallowed, she traded the glass for a small bowl that had been warming atop a potpourri heater. Holding the little pot by the rim so as not to touch the hot bottom, she nestled it onto a pillow before dipping in a finger to test the temperature. “Warm…almost hot,” she said before licking her finger. “And yummy.” “What are you up to now?” Jason pulled against his restraints, tilting his head this way and that, trying to peek under the blindfold. Alison pushed him back down. “You‟ll see.” She grabbed a paintbrush and stirred it ‟round and ‟round in the bowl. Then she held the loaded bristles over Jason until a drop of warm, dark liquid splashed on his chest. Jason‟s body jerked as each tiny bomb met its target. She dripped dots in circles around his nipples, and ran a warm line down his stomach to the start of his pubic hair. Then Alison grabbed his cock in one hand and held it tightly.
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“You ready for this?” she asked, trading the paintbrush for the pot. “Do I have a choice?” Alison shook her head, knowing full well he couldn‟t see it, before tilting the bowl. A continuous stream of rich, syrupy chocolate poured over the tip of his penis and ran down the length of his cock. Jason arched his back in what Alison hoped was pleasure. “Jesus Christ!” he called out. “What torture is this?” “Does it hurt?” Alison asked sweetly, noticing that his cock was still rock hard. “No. It just feels…I don‟t know, different.” Alison put the bowl aside. “You know, I love chocolate,” she purred before bending over his chest and licking off each and every drop with long, slow passes of her tongue. As she licked the sweet, sticky liquid off his nipples, she gave each one a small bite, coaxing a passionate moan from Jason. “Now that’s nice,” Jason sighed. Alison worked her way from his nipples down to his stomach. Looking at Jason‟s swollen cock, she replied, “Oh yes, it is.” Grabbing his coated cock at the base, she licked the chocolate off his shaft with long, upward strokes. Each time her tongue made it to the top of his cock, she took the head into her mouth and sucked, slow and hard. Jason arched up to meet her, the headboard rattling as he struggled to be free. “I‟m warning you. I can‟t take much more of that,” he moaned, as Alison sucked harder. “Untie me so I can pleasure you too.” Releasing his dick, she sat up. “Don‟t worry. I‟m having my pleasure.” Enough of these games. There was no waiting any longer. She had to have him inside her. She reached for another bowl on the nightstand, this one holding a small hand towel submerged in warm, shallow water. Wringing out the towel, she swiftly wiped away any traces of stickiness on Jason. Swinging a leg over his body, she straddled him once more before bending down to kiss him deeply. Then she backed up, reaching behind her until she found what she wanted. “That night I had you tied up, I searched your pockets. Besides your keys, I found this,” she said, grabbing his erection. “You don‟t know how close you came to being raped right then and there. Ever since then, I‟ve fantasized about doing just that. And now my fantasy is coming true.” “I‟m happy to oblige,” Jason managed to say. Guiding his cock to the opening of her cunt, Alison took her time lowering herself until his full length was inside her. She took a moment to take in all the sensations…her heart beating rapidly, the warm tingles in her stretched thighs, her shallow breath, the pulsing of her pussy around the girth of his rod. Using her muscles, she grabbed and released his penis over and over again. 56
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“Can you feel that?” she whispered. “God, yes,” Jason moaned. The urge to move became overpowering. Alison reached between her legs and started rubbing her swollen clit. At the same time, she rocked back and forth, slowly at first but then increasing in intensity with the rhythm of her rubbing. It didn‟t take long for her orgasm to slam into her, rocking her with wave after wave of contractions. She pushed down hard until Jason‟s cock filled her. As she sat perfectly still, feeling her contracting cunt, Jason let out a cry of his own and she could feel his cum shoot deep inside her. To torture him a bit more, she began rocking back and forth as she watched his face, his mouth open, his neck and back arched. “Stop. Please stop,” he begged. Alison stopped. She leaned forward and removed the blindfold. Jason was looking directly at her. The lust was gone from his eyes, replaced by a sweet tenderness. She bent and kissed him then, ever so slowly, pulled herself off his cock. “Gone so soon,” Jason whispered, sounding disappointed. Alison moved to the end of the bed and untied his ankles. Then she untied his wrists and he immediately pulled her into his arms. “Now that…is some plan,” he whispered against her neck, before flipping them over so he was on top. “Ready for more?” Alison asked. “Maybe tomorrow…in the morning…before coffee,” he answered while kissing her throat and breasts. “I guess you think you‟re sleeping over,” Alison whispered as his lips caressed her skin with soft kisses. “Try to make me leave.”
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Chapter Eight The Seduction Alison was amazed at how easy it had been to get Jennifer to go along with her “fantasy” of tying her up and having her way with her. All she had said was, “Lately I‟ve been thinking about what it would be like to be with a woman.” That had opened up the conversation, eliciting a full-on confession from Jennifer about how she‟d been thinking the same thing and what she‟d want to do to Alison. When Alison wrestled back control of the conversation, she told Jennifer about her little fantasy. Jennifer had been ready to strip naked right there in the kitchen but Alison explained that she wanted to plan the seduction, go buy some toys and things. Jennifer was like a child the day before Christmas and couldn‟t wait for the big evening. They decided on the following Saturday, and Alison had to put up with a week of intimate touches. It took great self-control not to roll her eyes or sigh in annoyance when Jennifer ran a finger down her bare arm while sitting at the kitchen table, or slapped her playfully on the ass when she was bent over pulling dinner out of the oven. It wouldn‟t have been so bad if she had found Jennifer at all attractive. Sure, she was pretty—but the stuff that came out of her mouth was such a turn-off, it was all Alison could do not to slap some sense into the woman sometimes. She’d probably like that too. “I don‟t know how much more of this I can stand,” she confessed to Jason two nights before the big event. “Sounds kind of nice, actually. Maybe you‟ll come to like it,” Jason said. “But I‟m not into Jennifer, so it‟s not so nice. It‟s annoying. I can hardly wait to tie her up. At least then she won‟t be able to touch me anymore. I‟m thinking of gagging her as well so she can‟t say stupid things.” “Yes, I can hardly wait as well.” Jason‟s voice was thick with desire. “I know this turns you on,” Alison said with a huff. “I‟m sorry. We can call the whole thing off if you want,” Jason suggested. “That would be impossible. Jennifer is wound up tighter than a top. If we don‟t follow through I‟m afraid I’ll be the one who ends up tied to the bed. Better that I‟m in control, not Jennifer.” Alison sighed, knowing that short of quitting her job and moving out, Jennifer would never let her back out of their little party. “Okay, if you insist,” Jason said, not able to keep the happiness out of his voice. “Pervert.” Alison laughed and then hung up on him.
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***** Alison had asked Jennifer to leave the house in the afternoon so she could prepare for the evening‟s fantasy. Jennifer had been more than happy to oblige, heading to the mall to shop for new lingerie. Getting ready had been more fun than Alison expected. It was like throwing a party, only for two. She‟d put together a light salad and had chilled several bottles of wine for the evening. In her bedroom, she‟d pulled the shades and filled the room with candles. She‟d even sprinkled rose petals on the bed sheets. On the nightstand was everything she‟d need for tying and titillating Jennifer, including a large feather, the same liquid chocolate that had worked so well on Jason, a paintbrush and a can of whipped cream. If I’m going to do this, she thought, I might as well go all out. Jennifer returned to the house at seven thirty, her arms filled with packages. Alison had the table set, complete with flowers and candles. “It‟s so beautiful!” Jennifer exclaimed. “Guys never go to this kind of trouble. Thank you, Alison.” Jennifer kissed Alison lightly on the cheek. Holding up one of the bags, she sang out, “I bought you something too!” “Oh, you shouldn‟t have,” Alison replied, and meant it. But Jennifer was too excited to catch the truth in the statement. She pulled a box from the lingerie store out of the bag and thrust it into Alison‟s hands, setting the rest of her packages on the kitchen counter. “Open it,” she demanded. “Since you‟re so much bigger than I am, I bought you a large. Hope it fits.” So much bigger? Really? Oh, you just wait. Placing the box on the counter, Alison opened the lid, peeled back the bright-pink tissue paper with caution… And found what could only be described as the height of bad taste—faux deadanimal style. Smoothing her features to hide a look of horror, Alison lifted the piece of satin out of the box gingerly, holding it away as if to admire it but actually afraid the thing might bite. The one-piece, black-and-brown, sheer leopard-print teddy was something you might see on an actress in a really bad porno. “Wow,” Alison said. ”Isn‟t it awesome? I took one look at it and thought of you.” You saw a porn outfit and thought of me? Lovely. “I don‟t know what to say.” And she really didn‟t. Mentally groaning, she knew if Jason saw the teddy, he‟d never let her live it down. Please don’t expect me to wear this thing. “I thought it would be perfect for tonight,” Jennifer said, bouncing with excitement.
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“Just perfect.” “And look at the crotch,” she said, pulling the teddy out of Alison‟s hand. “It‟s slit for easy access.” She winked lasciviously. Alison took the teddy away from Jennifer and dropped it back in the box. ”What will you be wearing?” Jennifer pulled a beautiful white satin robe out of one of the shopping bags. The beautiful garment had delicate pink roses embroidered down the lapels. “Isn‟t it classic?” Great. We’re all set for an adult version of Beauty and the Beast. “This is going to be the best night ever,” Jennifer gushed, giving Alison a quick hug. This is going to be the worst night ever. I don’t think I bought enough alcohol. Alison pulled out of her embrace. “I think we need some wine.” Lots of wine. ”Sure, and then we can change into our new stuff. We should get dressed up for dinner. I think that would be exciting, don‟t you?” Jennifer asked, babbling in her excitement. “I even bought little white-heeled slippers with feathers. I‟ve always wanted a pair. I would have bought you a pair, too, but I didn‟t know your size.” Apparently extra-large. Alison turned away so Jennifer couldn‟t see her grimace.
***** The women both sat at the dining room table, glasses of wine in hand—Jennifer in her stylish new robe and feather slippers, Alison covering her new teddy with her trusty bathrobe. There was no way she was sitting around in only that thing, her crotch on display. Jennifer was overly enthusiastic about the simple salad and French bread, complimenting Alison‟s culinary skills and homemade salad dressing to the point of ridiculousness. She chatted away nonstop, all the while moving the locket back and forth on its chain. “You know, guys just don‟t get it. All they want to do is stick their dicks in you and get off. They know nothing about setting the mood like you‟ve done.” Jennifer drained her wineglass and held it out to Alison for a refill. Alison kept her smile planted firmly on her face as she watched Jennifer toy with the locket. She refilled both their glasses—and nearly choked on her next gulp when Jennifer continued. “My old boyfriend, Jason, wasn‟t too bad, but he wasn‟t very creative. He would probably die if he could see me now. Those engineer-types are so uptight.” She took another sip then set her glass down. She pulled the locket away from her chest and caressed the heart. “I‟m so glad I kept this silly little thing. It‟s the best good-luck charm ever.” She laughed. “He would have wasted it; given it to some bimbo he thought he was in loooove with…pathetic bleeding heart.” Alison‟s hands balled into fists in her lap.
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That fucking locket is going to be mine. It took two more healthy swigs of wine before Alison felt she was back in control of her emotions. When Jennifer wasn‟t looking, she snuck a peek at her watch. It was only nine o‟clock. Jason wasn‟t due until ten thirty. Good thing she‟d made dessert, but that wouldn‟t take an hour and a half. She didn‟t want to have Jennifer tied up for longer than necessary. Why hadn‟t she timed this more carefully? Then she had an idea. Brilliant. “Are you ready for the next part of our evening?” Alison asked coyly. “Absolutely.” Jennifer smiled, giving Alison a look that she usually only got from men. “Great. You sit tight; I have to go get something ready.” “Oh my god, the suspense is killing me!” Jennifer squealed in delight. “I‟ll be right back.” Alison hurried off down the hallway. She grabbed three candles from her bedroom and brought them into the bathroom, setting them on the edge of the oversized bathtub. She put the stopper in place and started the water running. Looking in the cupboard under the sink, she found lavender-scented bath oil. Perfect. She tested the water with her hand before returning to her bedroom to grab her CD player. Soon the bathroom was filled with the mellow strains of classical jazz. The tub ready, Alison went back to the kitchen. “I heard water running. Are we taking a bath?” Jennifer asked, a twinkle in her eyes. “Not just a bath—we‟re having dessert in the tub. I picked up chocolate mousse from that French Bistro on the corner of Bristol and Main.” “Yummy! Let me help,” Jennifer said, standing. Alison opened the refrigerator and pulled out two individual servings of dessert. “Why don‟t you fill our wineglasses and bring them into the bathroom? I have these.” Jennifer filled their glasses and practically sprinted for the bathroom. Alison grabbed two spoons and followed. She could hear Jennifer‟s appreciative oohhs and ahhs before she arrived at the bathroom. “You‟ve thought of everything,” Jennifer gushed as she put her hair up with a giant clip. “You first,” Alison suggested, setting the desserts on the floor within arm‟s reach. Jennifer slipped off her robe, revealing a petite body, small, perky breasts with large areolas, a tiny waist and a firm, shapely ass. No wonder Jason liked her. What’s not to like? The sudden burn of jealousy surprised Alison. 61
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Don’t be stupid. He’s with me now. Jennifer was taking her time stepping into the warm water, as if she wanted to make sure Alison had plenty of time to admire her. Once she was settled, Alison handed her a wineglass. Here goes nothing, she thought as she slipped off her robe, removed the teddy and joined Jennifer in the tub. Alison could feel her roommate‟s eyes on her as she slipped under the water. “You have a lovely body,” Jennifer purred in a sultry voice. “I hope I get to play with you tonight too.” Alison took a sip of wine. The warm water was working wonders and Jennifer‟s comment didn‟t make her as nervous as she would have thought. “Tonight is all about you,” Alison replied, handing her a spoon and the cup of chocolate mousse. “You can pay me back another night.” Like there’ll ever be another night! Jennifer took the dessert and immediately scarfed a spoonful. Her eyes closed in obvious ecstasy. “I like the sound of that,” she murmured, before taking a second bite.
***** They stayed in the tub a good thirty minutes, Jennifer chatting away nonstop about all her past boyfriends‟ shortcomings, the doctors she‟d screwed and the wonders of Viagra. Alison kept sneaking peeks at her watch. It took all her willpower not to stuff a wet washcloth in Jennifer‟s mouth to shut her up. The entire time she was talking, Jennifer rubbed her feet up and down the outside of Alison‟s thighs. When Jennifer moved a foot in between Alison‟s legs, that was the signal that bath time was over. “Time to get out,” Alison chirped as she moved Jennifer‟s foot and stood. Drying off, Alison was keenly aware that Jennifer was watching her every move. “You‟re going to put the teddy back on, aren‟t you?” “It‟s a little too big,” Alison tried, but Jennifer was having none of it. “I thought you looked hot. Come on. For me…” she whined. With everything else that was going to happen, putting on an ugly teddy was the least of her problems, so Alison pulled it back on. Jennifer clapped like a kid getting a new pony. “Why don‟t you get out of the tub and dry off. I‟ll get the room ready. I want everything to be perfect.” “It already is,” Jennifer assured her. Alison unplugged the clock radio and disappeared down the hallway. A few minutes later she called Jennifer‟s name. When Jennifer walked into Alison‟s bedroom, soft music was playing and dozens of candles filled the room with a muted orange
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light. When she walked over to the bed and saw the rose petals, she looked up at Alison. “You are amazing,” she said, her voice filled with awe. “It only gets better,” Alison replied, approaching and slowly pulling Jennifer‟s robe off her shoulders. Then, fixing an image of Jason firmly in her mind, she closed her eyes, bent down and kissed Jennifer as if she meant it. Jennifer‟s response was immediate. She kissed Alison back, making the kiss at the airport look like a peck. The kiss went on and on, and if Alison were honest with herself, she‟d have to admit it wasn‟t unpleasant. With Jennifer being much shorter, her breasts pushed into Alison‟s ribs. She could feel the hard points of taut nipples—and was shocked to discover her body responding, her nipples pulling in tight until they were hard and her pussy getting slick. Jesus Christ. Maybe I am bi. But when Jennifer reached down between them and palmed her pussy, Alison knew she needed to take back control. Pulling away, she took Jennifer by the shoulders and spun her around. “Onto the bed you go,” she commanded, giving her ass a healthy slap that got Jennifer moving. Jennifer arranged herself face up on the bed, her hair fanned out beneath her. “Now comes the fun part,” Alison whispered, as she took three men‟s ties off the nightstand and crawled up on the bed. Jennifer willingly placed her arms over her head and let Alison tie her hands to the headboard. “Try to pull free,” Alison told her. “I don‟t want you to get loose but I don‟t want to cut off your circulation either.” Jennifer pulled and pulled. “Nice and snug.” Next came her feet. Alison tied each one individually to the footboard before rejoining Jennifer at the top of the bed. “So here‟s what I‟m planning on doing,” Alison whispered in a voice dripping with honey. “First I‟m going to blindfold you. Then I‟m going to pleasure you with a variety of toys,” she said, reaching for her dildo and showing it to Jennifer. “Oh god, yes,” Jennifer hissed. “This will be for last,” she said, setting the dildo aside. “First some fun to heighten your senses.” “Any higher and I‟ll be in the clouds,” Jennifer gasped, as Alison tied a silken scarf around her eyes. “Can you see anything?” she asked. Jennifer tilted her head back, trying to see under the scarf. “Can‟t see a thing.”
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“Good. I don‟t want you to know what‟s coming next. The surprise is part of the pleasure.” “I am so doing this to you next time.” Like never, Alison thought before looking at her watch. It was ten o‟clock. She needed to keep this up for another half hour. Better get started. First, Alison picked a large ice cube out of a glass on the nightstand. Pretending the ice was lipstick, Alison painted Jennifer‟s lips before dragging the melting cube down her chin, along the length of her throat to the valley between her breasts. Jennifer‟s body shuddered as Alison drew circles around and around the soft white mounds, stopping above each pink, tight nipple to drip melting ice. Jennifer flinched as each drop made contact. With the ice cube only half the size it was when she‟d started, Alison traced a line down the center of Jennifer‟s body, stopping long enough to fill her bellybutton with drips of water. Barely touching her hot flesh, the ice cube continued its journey south but just as it came to Jennifer‟s bare mound, Alison diverted the ice to the inside of the thigh, causing Jennifer to struggle and moan. “Not fair!” she protested. “That‟s the whole idea,” Alison purred, moving to the other thigh. With the ice melted to a sliver, she carefully parted Jennifer‟s lips and let the last of the ice slip from her fingertips to land on Jennifer‟s clit, where it melted into nothingness almost immediately. Jennifer arched her pelvis and cried out at the brief, frosty kiss of the ice. “There, there. The ice is all gone.” Jennifer sighed and relaxed once more. Alison then leaned over to retrieve her next instrument of torture, a white ostrich feather. She‟d bought it just for tonight, but entertained thoughts of Jason using it on her as well. Starting at Jennifer‟s throat, Alison brushed her down to her toes and back again with light, feathery touches that were clearly driving Jennifer wild, based on how much she was squirming. “What is that?” she asked breathlessly. “A feather. A very large feather.” “It feels amazing, although it tickles when you hit the inside of my thighs.” “Oh, like this?” Alison teased as she brushed the feather along the length of her legs, making sure she brushed over Jennifer‟s mound, causing her to squirm even more. Alison looked at her watch. It was almost time. She had to go unlock the kitchen door, and had her excuse ready. “Now it‟s time for something warm and delicious. I‟ve just got to heat this up in the microwave. Don‟t go anywhere.” “Very funny.”
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Alison took the bowl of liquid chocolate to the kitchen and stuck it in the microwave. While it was warming, she unlocked the door and made sure the chain wasn‟t on. She looked through the window, but there was no sign of Jason. She looked at her watch again. It was ten twenty-five. He’d better not be late. The microwave dinged and she pulled out the bowl, testing the temperature of the chocolate with her finger. It was a bit hot, but it would cool. She licked her finger clean and she walked back to the bedroom. “I think you‟re going to like this,” Alison said as she picked up a paintbrush and crawled onto the bed. “I smell chocolate!” Jennifer giggled. “That can‟t be a bad thing.” Alison dipped the paintbrush into the creamy chocolate and painted Jennifer‟s lips. Her tongue swept out between brush strokes to taste the warm syrup. Alison added one more coat and then bent to kiss her, sharing in the chocolaty delight. Next, Alison grabbed the can of whipped cream. “I call this an ice cream sundae without the ice cream. Open your mouth.” She shook the can, turned it upside down and sprayed a dollop of whipped cream on Jennifer‟s waiting tongue. Then she gave her own mouth a squirt of cream. Alison looked at her watch once again. Ten-forty. She shook her head. Damn him, she thought, before giving Jennifer another squirt of whipped cream. Jennifer swallowed and licked her lips. “That was delicious. Now what?” “Now I‟m going to paint your body with chocolate—and lick it off.” Jennifer moaned with anticipation. “Sounds divine.” Alison placed the can of cream on the bed before retrieving the chocolate and paintbrush, more than a little pissed over Jason‟s tardiness. Well…here goes nothing. She started with Jennifer‟s breasts, painting long lines that swirled up and around each. Dipping the brush into the chocolate once more, she spent extra time painting the areolas and coating the hard nipples. Then she bent and started licking the chocolate away with long, slow sweeps of her tongue. She licked around and around the nipple before taking it into her mouth and sucking. Jennifer moaned and cried out when Alison sucked a bit harder. And Alison‟s body was betraying her still, responding as much as Jennifer‟s. She could feel the slick moisture making her pussy wet and ready. She looked over at her dildo. Maybe later. With Jennifer‟s right breast clean of chocolate, it was time to move to the left. Straddling her roommate, Alison didn‟t want to think about what she would need to paint next if Jason didn‟t show up soon.
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***** Jason turned the knob on the kitchen door with a gloved hand and found it open. Then, as planned, he used a screwdriver to gouge the doorjamb so it looked like someone had broken in. It was taking longer than expected to make the job look authentic. He was wearing what he now referred to affectionately as his crime clothes—black jeans, black sweatshirt, black gloves and the ridiculous black ski mask he had purchased for his first attempt at burglary. Alison had insisted he wear the mask just in case Jennifer could see under her scarf. He was almost done when he heard a loud, excited shriek come from down the hall. Someone’s having fun. His heart was already racing, adrenaline pumping through his veins, but now a different kind of tension and excitement invaded his body. Two more scrapes and he was done. He shined his penlight on his work and was satisfied with the effect. He stuffed the light and screwdriver in his back pocket before softly walking through the kitchen to the hallway. He could hear quiet jazz music and see a warm glow spilling out of Alison‟s bedroom. As he got closer to the open door, he heard giggles and then Alison‟s voice. “You like this, don‟t you?” “Oh yes!” came Jennifer‟s reply. “I can‟t wait ‟til it‟s your turn!” Jason reached the doorway and peeked around to make sure everything was as planned. Even though he‟d known what he was going to see, the sight of it made his cock instantly rock hard. His former girlfriend was spread-eagle, blindfolded and tied to the bed, while his current girlfriend—wearing something that looked like a Frederick‟s of Hollywood special—was bent over on top of her. Licking Jennifer‟s breasts. Jesus Christ. He knew what he was supposed to do next but he was frozen in place, watching as Alison sucked then licked then sucked again. Jason remembered doing the same thing to Jennifer but she‟d never reacted the way she was reacting to Alison. Her head was thrown back, as she pushed her breasts up to meet Alison‟s mouth. Moans and whimpers poured from her mouth every time Alison went from licking to sucking. Alison sat up and scooted lower on Jennifer‟s body, until her stomach was exposed. Jennifer and Alison were now pussy to pussy. Jason thought he was going to explode as he watched Jennifer squirm, writhe and buck, trying to press her mons to Alison‟s. He‟d never seen anything so hot. Alison picked up a bowl and dipped a paintbrush into what looked like brown paint and started drawing circles on Jennifer‟s stomach. When Jason took a step into the
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doorway to get a better look, Alison looked over. She gave him a head nod that clearly meant come on! before going back to painting Jennifer‟s stomach. As quiet as a thief, Jason crossed the distance between the door and the bed. Instead of moving to the side of the bed, he walked to the end. Unable to resist, and making sure he didn‟t touch the bed or the footboard, he reached out and ran his hand down Alison‟s back. Alison turned her head and shooed him away like an annoying fly. But Jason wasn‟t done. His hormones were in overdrive and he wanted to join in on the fun, or at least take advantage of Alison‟s position before the big “robbery scene”. “Alison. Lick it off! Lick it all off,” Jennifer moaned. Alison turned and gave Jason a look that said knock it off, but he just grinned and shrugged. He gestured to her outfit, mouthing, “What‟s this?” Alison gave him a dirty look and flipped him off before bending and licking off another swirl of chocolate. With Alison‟s ass in the air, Jason got a view of the teddy‟s best feature—a slit in the crotch. Now he really couldn‟t resist. Reaching out once more, Jason took hold of Alison‟s ass with both hands, pulling her cheeks and the satin fabric apart. Then, leaning forward carefully, he ran his tongue from her nether hole to her pussy, separating her lips with his tongue. Alison wriggled down farther on Jennifer‟s body, until she was straddling Jennifer‟s legs and licking below her navel. Her ass was closer, making it even easier for Jason to lick, poke and caress with his tongue. Now both women were moaning, and Jason had thoughts of pulling out his cock and fucking her from behind as she went down on Jennifer. But luckily, one small, rational portion of his brain was still hanging on to the plan. But I can still have a little fun, can’t I? He pulled his mouth away and regained his balance before going back to lightly dragging his fingers over Alison‟s ass. Then he let his hand do what he wanted so much to do with his cock. He slid his fingers along her crack, past the tight bud of her asshole and between the wet, swollen lips until he found the entrance to her dripping cunt. Using two fingers, he pushed up inside her, in and out, coming out every so often to rub her clit. Alison moved back even farther, allowing Jason to push in deeper. She began to rock on his fingers, her head firmly between Jennifer‟s thighs—and she must have been doing something wonderful, because Jennifer was writing and moaning and crying out. He‟d never seen anything so hot in his life. It sounded like both women were on the verge of coming, and he was right. Jennifer cried out first. “Oh god, yes, yes! Don‟t stop, Alison! Please don‟t stop!” And Alison didn’t stop, and neither did Jason. He rubbed her clit harder and just as she climaxed, he slid a wet finger into her ass, which made her shudder and jerk with release.
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The girls weren‟t the only ones who came. With Alison‟s cry, Jason, too, felt an explosion of his own as his came in his jeans—hard. Both women were breathing heavily. When Jason finally pulled out of Alison, she immediately stretched out and collapsed on top of Jennifer. “That was amazing,” Jennifer managed to say between sighs. “Now untie me.” “Sure.” Alison turned her head and looked at Jason, who was now standing at the side of the bed. She shook her head and grinned ruefully, flipping him off once again. Showtime. Jason reached over, grabbed Alison by the arm and swiftly pulled her off Jennifer. Right on cue, Alison screamed. Panic strained Jennifer‟s voice. “Alison? What‟s wrong?” “Oh my god! He‟s got a knife!” Jason pushed Alison down on the bed next to Jennifer. “Who‟s got a knife?” Jennifer screamed. Alison turned her head and whispered into Jennifer‟s ear, “Shhh! Quiet. We‟re being robbed! Don‟t move.” Jason went to work tying up Alison‟s hands and feet using some of the items she had on the nightstand. Alison thrashed around to make Jennifer believe she was putting up a fight. “What‟s happening?” Jennifer whispered, her voice hoarse with fear. “He tied me up too,” Alison whispered back. Jennifer started thrashing around and screaming. “Ohmygod, ohmygod! He‟s going to rape and kill us! I know it. That‟s what they always do in the movies!” “Shhh! Jennifer, be quiet! He doesn‟t seem interested in us. I think we‟re going to be okay. Shhhh.” Pulling a pillowcase out of his back pocket, Jason went to Alison‟s jewelry box and emptied the entire thing into it. Then he opened all her dresser drawers and made a nice mess of things. He also opened her closet and moved things around a bit there too. The entire time, Jennifer was dropping rapid-fire f-bombs faster than a machine gun. “You fucking fucker! You are so fucked!” He walked over to the bed and looked down at his grandmother‟s locket lying against her bare flesh. Alison looked at him and mouthed, Take it and go. Jason reached down, grabbed the locket and jerked the chain until it broke free. As soon as Jason‟s gloved hand touched Jennifer‟s skin, she let out a bloodcurdling scream that scared the shit out of him, making him stumble back.
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“He’s touching me! The fucker is going to rape me!” she screamed. “I told you so! I told you so!” “Leave her alone!” Alison shouted, gesturing for him to go, eyes wide. “Leave her alone!” Jason was flustered. It wasn‟t supposed to be this real. Alison really sounded mad and Jennifer was freaking out. What have I done? He stuffed the locket in his front pocket and rushed from the room, Jennifer‟s screams ringing in his ears. Once Jason was out of the room, Alison tried to calm Jennifer. “It‟s all right. He‟s gone now. We‟re safe. He only took some of my jewelry. It‟s okay.” Jennifer stopped screaming. Her silence was more unnerving than her screams. Then a voice burst out of the petite woman that sounded like the roar of a lion. “That son of a bitch! I‟m going to kill him.” Alison watched helplessly as Jennifer wiggled and pulled until her hands were free of the silken restraint. She pulled off the scarf covering her eyes and started untying her feet. “Untie me too,” Alison urged, but Jennifer ignored her. “That fucking bastard is going to pay. No one robs Jennifer Waters. Nobody!” she roared. With her feet free, Jennifer was off the bed and heading for the door as Alison called after her, “What about me?” “No time. He‟s getting away!” she heard Jennifer shout from somewhere down the hall. Then she heard the very distinctive click-click of a shotgun being cocked. Holy fucking shit. “Jennifer, wait! Let‟s call the police. Jennifer…” The last sound Alison heard was the slamming of the front door. Jason had left the house the way he‟d come in, through the kitchen door. He moved slowly through the side yard, making sure not to bump into the patio furniture and trash cans. He opened the gate and moved into the front yard. Alison had suggested keeping both the gate and the back door open so it would be obvious how he had broken in. The ski mask was driving him crazy and he reached up inside to wipe the sweat away before moving on.
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The plan was to stay close to the neighbors‟ houses so he‟d have plenty of places to hide should a car come down the street or a neighbor arrive home. But he had to move out to the sidewalk first to get around the next door neighbor‟s waist-high hedge. Walking at a steady pace along the hedge, he heard a front door slam. He had just stepped onto the sidewalk when Jennifer‟s voice rang out, breaking the silence of the night into a million pieces. “Where are you, you bastard? Nobody steals from me and gets away with it!” Jason froze. He turned back and saw a most amazing sight. Jennifer was standing on the sidewalk in front of her house, buck naked, holding a double-barrel shotgun and looking up and down the street. What is it with me and naked, gun-toting women? Then she spotted him and brought the gun to her shoulder. “Jesus Christ,” Jason whispered, turning his back to her and running. The next thing he heard was the boom of the shotgun blast. Almost at the same time, he felt a dozen sharp stings pepper him in the back, from his calves to his head. The shock of being hit caused him to trip and fall, the bag of jewelry shooting from his hand and spilling all over the sidewalk. He touched his fingers to his head to find warm liquid oozing from a couple spots on his scalp. I can’t believe she shot me. The crazy bitch actually shot me. Jason stood and, without looking back, took off running, even though it felt as if he‟d been stung by a dozen hornets. He imagined blood running down his back and legs in rivulets, leaving a trail of blood on the sidewalk behind him. Houselights were coming on, making him run even faster. He needed to get to his car before a tornado of shit broke loose and he found himself smack dab in the middle of it all.
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Chapter Nine The Aftermath Alison struggled and twisted until she pulled her hands free. They were shaking so hard it was difficult to loosen the knots around her ankles. As her feet hit the floor, the sound of a shotgun blast shattered the quiet. “Holy shit!” Alison slid off the bed and grabbed her robe, pulling it on as she rushed through the house to the front door, her heart beating wildly. Running out into the cool night air, Alison saw a figure sitting on the sidewalk in front of her. A dozen horrible thoughts raced through her mind. Jason’s been shot. Jennifer’s been injured. This is all my fault. What was I thinking? All for a stupid locket. When she got to Jennifer, she found her sitting naked on the ground laughing hysterically, the shotgun resting on her lap. “Oh my god, Jennifer! Are you all right?” Jennifer couldn‟t stop her high-pitched laughter and managed to nod her head. Alison looked around. No one had come outside yet. She looked down the street and caught a glimpse of a shadowy figure running away. She let out a sigh of relief. “Come on, sweetie. Let‟s get you inside,” she said, extending Jennifer a hand. Jennifer let herself be pulled up. Alison opened her robe and wrapped it around Jennifer‟s back the best she could. The shotgun hung down at Jennifer‟s side. “I got the bastard,” Jennifer giggled, hysteria making her voice three octaves higher than normal. “I saw him fall. I got him.” Alison shook her head. What a disaster. Once in the house, Alison shut and locked the front door. She took the gun. “We need to hide this,” she told Jennifer. “And you need to take a hot shower and get dressed.” “I‟m calling the police first.” Jennifer walked toward the phone but Alison cut her off. “You can‟t call the police! You shot someone.” Jennifer crossed her arms and stuck out her chin. “The fucker broke into our house. He practically raped us! He deserved to be shot.” “If he had been in the house when you shot him, that would be one thing. But you went outside, followed him and, I assume, shot him in the back. The only one going to jail here is you.”
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The color drained from Jennifer‟s face and her knees buckled. Alison grabbed her around the waist before she collapsed to the ground. “Oh my god. I can‟t go to jail!” “Come on. A nice, warm bath is what you need. I‟m going back outside to make sure there isn‟t anything that will lead the police here,” Alison said as she walked Jennifer down the hall and left her in the bathroom. “I‟ll be right back.” Alison grabbed a coat from the front closet and went back outside. She looked to see if anyone else was around. Lights were still on in two of the houses, but no one was outside. She returned to the sidewalk and found the shotgun shell on the lawn. Sticking it in her pocket, she looked down the sidewalk and saw something glittering in the grass, catching the light from a streetlamp. She ran down the sidewalk and found the pillowcase with her jewelry, with several pieces scattered on the lawn. She picked up the few pieces she could find easily and then checked the sidewalk for blood. Finding none, she felt her body relax. The sound of police sirens had her hurrying back to the house. Once inside, she closed and locked the front door, leaning against it for support. Her heart was beating furiously and she was breathing like she‟d run a marathon. With a deep breath, she forced herself to move into the kitchen to close and lock the back door. Finally she returned to the bathroom, where she knocked on the closed door. “Can I come in?” she asked. “Sure.” Jennifer was up to her neck in warm water, her eyes closed, tears running down her checks. Alison sat on the lid of the closed toilet next to the tub. “It‟s going to be all right. I found the shotgun shell, and look,” she held up the pillowcase, “I got the jewelry back too. He must have dropped it when you shot him.” Jennifer wiped her eyes. “Do you really think I‟m going to jail? There weren‟t real bullets in that gun, just little BBs. My dad said it was good for scaring off thugs or shooting birds. I didn‟t mean to kill anybody,” Jennifer sniffed. A shiver shot through Alison‟s body at the thought of Jason lying somewhere dying. “You didn‟t kill anyone. I went next door and looked. No body. No blood. Whoever it was, he ran away. I‟m sure you gave him a good scare and that was all.” Alison hoped she was right. “You think so?” “Absolutely. If the police knock on the door, I‟ll take care of it.” “What will you say?” “I‟ll say I heard a truck backfire.” Jennifer nodded her head. “That‟s good. And we aren‟t going to tell them about the burglary?” 72
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“No. If they go after the guy and find him, then he‟s going to tell the police you shot him. Best not to say anything.” Alison forced a smile to her face, although she felt sick inside. Jennifer reached up to her neck, rubbing the spot where the locket had been for so long. “Did you find my locket in the bag?” “I haven‟t looked yet.” Jennifer sighed. “After all we‟ve been through, I suppose it doesn‟t matter. I think its luck has officially run out.” Alison shook her head. “You can say that again.”
***** That night, the police had driven down their street with floodlights on but had apparently found nothing out of place, and moved on. The next day, their neighbor asked them if they had heard a gunshot. Alison told him she‟d heard a truck backfiring but that was all. The neighbor didn‟t look convinced but dropped it. Jennifer was sure she‟d shot the intruder and that he would never come back unless he wanted more of the same. But she still had a complete alarm system installed throughout the house and the kitchen door replaced with a more solid one with a deadbolt. Alison was relieved that Jennifer was handling everything so well. Actually, she seemed pretty proud of herself for shooting someone. Alison, on the other hand, was a wreck. First off, she hadn‟t heard from Jason except for a text message the next morning saying, “I‟m fine. I‟ll call you later.” She was going crazy waiting for his call. This was all my fault. I should have left well enough alone. Three days later, when Jason finally called, he had sounded tired, explaining that he had to go out of town for a week-long business trip. Even though he said they would see each other soon, it had felt like a brush-off. Was this really how it was going to be? He‟d gotten his damn locket and now he was done with her? The thought made her so angry she could scream. As each day passed, she felt less and less bad about Jennifer shooting him. Served him right. The one good thing about all the craziness was it had kept Jennifer focused on the burglary—not what had transpired before said burglary. But Alison knew that distraction wouldn‟t last for long and, sooner or later, Jennifer would be back to her old self, touching and stroking, slapping her bottom and giving hugs that lasted too long. She might even insist on “returning the favor” and tying up Alison. The thought made her very jumpy and nervous whenever Jennifer was around, especially with Jason‟s continued absence. She wanted to get out of Jennifer‟s house right away but with Jason out of the picture, she didn‟t have a ton of options. Alison 73
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finally decided she needed a break, time to think about what she wanted to do next. It was apparent she needed to move out, but that couldn‟t happen fast enough to soothe her ragged nerves. The solution presented itself at work the week after the robbery. She was having one of her crying spells when Elizabeth walked in. “Guy trouble?” Alison wiped her eyes and shook her head. “Something really bad happened last weekend.” Elizabeth closed the door and sat down. “Are you okay?” “We were robbed,” Alison said and started crying again, not because they were robbed but because it had all been for nothing. “Oh my god. You and Jennifer?” Alison nodded. “But you can‟t tell anyone.” “Why not? You called the police, right?” Alison shook her head. “But why not?” Alison looked into Elizabeth‟s worried eyes. “Because,” she said in a whisper. “Jennifer shot the guy.” Elizabeth‟s hand flew to her mouth. “Seriously?” “Seriously. She shot him on the sidewalk, in the back, with a shotgun. Fortunately it was loaded with something meant to shoot small birds. The guy went down but then ran away. We couldn‟t tell the police about the robbery because we are afraid if they find the guy, it will be bad for Jennifer.” Elizabeth shook her head. “No wonder you‟ve been out of sorts all week.” “I can‟t stand staying in that house anymore. I want to move out, but need time to find a place. I‟m so desperate, I‟m thinking of renting a hotel room.” Elizabeth stood up. “You‟ll do no such thing. You‟ll stay at my house until you find a new place. I have a guest room you can use.” Alison looked up. “I can‟t. Won‟t it upset your boys to have a guest?” Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “They‟re teenage boys. If anything, they‟ll develop a major crush on you, but they won‟t be upset. The only thing that seems to grab their attention at home is when dinner is served.” Alison seriously considered Elizabeth‟s offer. She wouldn‟t stay long, maybe only a few days. She needed to get her head together, find an apartment and forget all about one Jason Douglas. If she didn‟t have to worry about Jennifer, it would make the rest a whole lot easier. “You sure it wouldn‟t be too much of an imposition?” Elizabeth smiled. “Of course not. I wouldn‟t have made the offer if I didn‟t mean it.” 74
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Alison nodded her head. “Okay. Maybe just through the weekend. That will give me a chance to look for a new place.” “Stay as long as you need,” Elizabeth reassured her.
***** Two nights later, Alison was sitting at Elizabeth‟s kitchen counter, watching her assistant peel potatoes. “Are you sure I can‟t help?” Alison asked. Elizabeth shook her head. “No, I‟ve got this. It‟s nice to have company while I‟m cooking. You can see how it is with the boys. They stay in their man caves until I call them for dinner. I‟m kind of afraid to know what they do in there all the time.” “It must be hard raising two boys on your own.” Elizabeth shrugged. “It was harder when they were little, but now, it‟s pretty easy. Sure, we butt heads over homework and curfews, but other than that, they‟re good boys. They seem to be staying out of trouble, as far as I can tell,” she laughed. “So what about you? What do you do besides go to work and raise two kids?” Elizabeth washed the peeled potatoes and then started cutting them up. “I go to the gym twice a week. Other than that, I don‟t do much. I‟m more of a homebody.” “You don‟t date?” Elizabeth shook her head. “It‟s not that I don‟t want to, but with the boys it would be too difficult. I brought a man home once to meet Jack and Adam, and it was a disaster. First they grilled the guy about his intentions with their mother. Then they turned into people I didn‟t even know, saying and doing all kinds of outrageous things to scare the guy off.” Alison thought it was sweet. They were protecting their mother. “What did they say?” Alison wondered out loud. Elizabeth shook her head. “First Adam stuck green beans up his nose. When I asked him why he‟d done that, he told me he‟d seen it in a movie. Then Jack told my date that on Saturday nights, I sneak away and am gone all night. He said he thinks I‟m a spy.” Alison raised an eyebrow. “Sneaking away on Saturday nights? Maybe you are a spy.” “Yeah, right. Suburban mom by day, hot spy at night. I do go to a bible group every other Saturday night. It‟s the only night I reserve for myself. I guess Jack was hoping it would scare the guy off if he thought I had some suspicious secret life.” Alison sighed. A secret life. That was what she‟d had with Jason. Secret lives are not all they’re cracked up to be. “Did the boys succeed in scaring him away?”
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“Never heard from him again.” Elizabeth filled a pot with water and added the potatoes. “That night, after he left, I caught Jack and Adam high-fiving each other. I guess they knew they‟d run him off.” “He couldn‟t have been worth much if that‟s all it took.” Elizabeth nodded. “You‟re probably right. After that experience, though, I decided to wait until the boys go away to college before attempting the whole dating thing again.” “You don‟t get lonely?” Elizabeth shrugged. “Sure. Who doesn‟t? But my boys are more important. They won‟t be sixteen and fourteen forever. Then it will be my turn again…if I even want a turn. Truth is, except for sex, I‟ve done just fine without a man in my life.” Alison sighed. “Except for sex… That‟s a big exception.”
***** Alison stayed with Elizabeth four nights. Over the weekend she found an apartment that would be available the beginning of next month. Now all she had to do was break it to Jennifer that she was moving out for good. When she‟d left to go to Elizabeth‟s house, she‟d told Jennifer that she was freaked out from the robbery and needed some time away. Jennifer had a couple of short business trips to San Diego and San Francisco, so she hadn‟t been around much either. Now both of them were back, and it seemed to Alison that Jennifer was trying to avoid her as much as she was trying to avoid Jennifer. Two weeks later, on a Friday night, Alison had taken an early bath to try to soak away the bad work week she‟d had. She was cuddled up in bed reading a book when there was a light rap on the door. Alison looked up to see Jennifer. “Can I come in?” she asked. Ever since the burglary, they had both been more aware of barging in on each other. “Sure. What‟s up?” Alison scooted over and Jennifer climbed onto the bed, sitting cross-legged. Her mouth was a straight line and her eyes look troubled. It took a moment before she said anything. Then with a deep breath, she began. “So, I was thinking about the other night. The part before that asshole spoiled our fun.” Oh god, here it comes. “What you did for me…that was pretty amazing. I could tell, even blindfolded, that you got off on it too.” Alison sat up a bit straighter. “About that night—” Jennifer leaned in and put her finger to Alison‟s lips. “Shhhh. Let me finish. This is hard enough.”
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Alison nodded for Jennifer to go on. “I don‟t know if you know this, but that was the first time I‟d ever been with a woman. And you were amazing…so creative and fun. I wish guys could be more like you.” Alison shrugged. “Me too.” “But…and I hope I don‟t hurt your feelings…but I think, when it comes to sex, I think I prefer guys.” Alison couldn‟t help herself. “What?” “I know, I know!” Jennifer said, taking Alison‟s hand in hers. “I led you on and I‟m sorry. I thought I would love it. I thought it would be great. But honestly, I missed the penis.” Alison couldn‟t believe it. “You missed the penis?” she managed to say. “I‟m so sorry I‟ve hurt your feelings, really I am.” Jennifer gave Alison‟s hand a squeeze. Alison pulled her hand away. “You missed the penis. That‟s perfect.” Then she started laughing. “That‟s just perfect,” she said, wiping tears from her eyes. “It‟s okay. I learned that I prefer penis to pussy too.” “Really?” Jennifer asked, her shoulders dropping in relief. “Really. We were just experimenting. I‟m glad we both arrived at the same conclusion, that way no one‟s feelings are hurt.” Jennifer let herself fall back onto the bed. “I‟m so relieved. I thought I was going to have to ask you to move out.” Alison didn‟t say anything for a moment. Guess this is as good a time as any to tell her. “Funny you should say that…” Jennifer turned on her side, propping herself up on one elbow to look at Alison. “I found a new place. Something smaller…an apartment close to work.” Jennifer sat up. “No! Why are you leaving? Everything is perfect now. We can just be friends.” “I know. But I‟m a little freaked out by what happened here. Not the sex, but the robbery. I don‟t feel safe anymore,” she lied. “Even with the alarm system and the new door?” “It happened in my bedroom. I can‟t get the images out of my head.” Jennifer started to cry. “You‟re going to leave me here alone?” Alison pulled Jennifer into her arms. “You can get another roommate. Remember how easy it was to find me? Just post another notice on the bulletin board at work.”
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Jennifer sniffed and pulled away. “I suppose. I thought I was going to have to ask you to move out, and I was perfectly fine with that, so I don‟t know why I‟m so upset.” “The whole thing is a crazy mess. I‟m so sorry,” Alison said, and meant it from the bottom of her heart. Jennifer swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. “When do you leave?” “Two weeks. I can stay a bit longer if you need extra time to find a roommate,” Alison said, although she hoped Jennifer wouldn‟t take her up on the offer. “No, that‟s okay. I‟m sure I can find someone. And besides, knowing that I can shoot any asshole who thinks he can rob me has done wonders for my self-confidence. I‟m really not afraid to be here alone. If I don‟t get a roommate right away, it won‟t be the end of the world. Who knows? I might actually like living alone.” “I hope someday I can say the same thing,” Alison sighed.
***** Jason stood in the shower letting the warm water wash over his burning back. The birdshot had slammed into him like a dozen mini-missiles. Luckily, because he had been far enough away and wearing heavy clothing, the birdshot hadn‟t penetrated the skin on his back and legs but had left raised welts…painful welts. The shot had broken the skin in three places on the back of his head, causing plenty of bleeding. The wounds on his head had already healed, but three weeks later, the water hitting his back still hurt. The night of the fiasco, he‟d jumped up and took off running as fast as his legs would take him. His car was parked three streets away and once he was behind the steering wheel, he felt safe. Doors locked, seatbelt on, he pulled away from the curb and drove out of the neighborhood nice and slow. About a mile later, his hands started shaking so hard he had to pull over until his heart rate returned to normal. His first instinct had been to go straight to a hospital. But then he realized the police would be checking local hospitals for a man shot in the back. He‟d had no idea how bad his injuries were, only that they hurt like hell. He drove the speed limit all the way home, wondering if he was bleeding to death. Once in the safety of his house, he‟d pulled off his sweatshirt and strained to see his back in the bathroom mirror. That‟s when he had discovered there was no blood, just the welts. His relief had been massive. The back of his head was another story. His hair had been matted with dried blood. He couldn‟t see where the pellets had broken the skin, but could feel with his fingers that nothing was lodged in his head. He‟d poured himself three fingers of scotch and carefully lowered himself onto the couch. He‟d texted Alison that he was okay and then fell asleep sitting up.
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In the days after the botched burglary, Jason had been swamped at work, including a last-minute, weeklong trip out to Owens Valley in the eastern California desert to supervise a project. He‟d been happy to get away…anything to keep his mind off what had happened. He‟d called Alison before he‟d left but the conversation hadn‟t gone as he‟d hoped. He‟d mentioned lying low, figuring it was important in case the police were investigating the robbery. She‟d let him know they hadn‟t called the police, and wanted to see him right away. Instead, he promised to call as soon as he was back in town. That hadn‟t gone over well. “What? You have your necklace and now you don‟t have time for me anymore?” “That‟s not it and you know it. It‟s just work, Alison. Don‟t make a big deal out of it.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew he‟d said the wrong thing. There had been silence on the other end, followed by a single word. “Fine.” Then Alison hung up on him. He should have called her back. He should have rushed over to her house, Jennifer be damned. But he just got into his car and headed for the desert. Part of him was relieved. He needed a break, time to clear his head, time to figure out what was important. What they had done was pretty stupid, and while he still thought Jennifer was a bitch for not returning his grandmother‟s locket, he never would have done anything to harm her. Sometimes at night he could still hear her terrified screams. What were we thinking? Jason finished his morning shower and dried off before pulling on a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt and walking barefoot into the kitchen. He‟d been back from Owens Valley for a week and he was more than ready to see Alison. Spending a week baking in the desert sun had been just what he needed to clear his mind. After beating himself up mentally over what they‟d done to Jennifer, he‟d turned his thoughts to Alison. While getting the locket back had been important, he realized during a particularly hot desert day that the necklace didn‟t mean a damn thing if he didn‟t have Alison to wear it. Alison was all that mattered. He knew that now. After giving her extra time to cool down from their last phone call, he was ready to let her know as well. He picked up his cell and dialed her work number. The phone rang four times before she picked up. “State Pharmaceuticals H.R. department. This is Ms. Knightly.” “Alison. It‟s Jason.” There was silence on the other end, so Jason hurried on. “Are you okay? Is Jennifer okay? I‟ve been worried.” “I‟m fine. Jennifer‟s fine.” Alison spoke so quietly, Jason could hardly hear her. “I thought maybe we‟d gone too far. Jennifer was pretty freaked out. I never wanted to hurt her…or you.” Jason‟s words were met with silence. 79
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“I want to see you.” More silence. Then… “Look, Jason. You got what you were after and I had fun along the way. Don‟t see much point in continuing this relationship—or this phone call, for that matter,” Alison said, her voice a monotone. “But Alison—” It was too late. She‟d hung up.
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Chapter Ten The Locket Alison was in a mood. On top of having to deal with moving to a new place, now Jason wanted to see her. What about when she had wanted—no, needed to see him? Needed to feel the reassuring pressure of his arms around her, needed to touch him to make sure he was all right? He‟d been too busy. Presumably even too busy for a phone call from the road. Well, maybe she was the one who was too busy now. Many sleepless nights had left her exhausted. She‟d come to the conclusion that it had been one big scam. Everything Jason had done was just to get back the locket. But while one side of her brain screamed, Screw him, another side couldn‟t reconcile all the facts, especially the one where the whole plan to steal the locket back had been her idea. Alison crossed her arms on the top of her desk and laid her head down. “I don‟t need this right now,” she mumbled, wishing she could curl up somewhere and fall asleep. She closed her eyes but it didn‟t stop her brain from swirling around and around her various options. A light knock on her door made her bolt upright, her heart thumping loudly in her chest. “Come in,” she called, louder than necessary. Elizabeth opened the door. “The meeting is about to start. I thought I‟d get the folders and set everything up.” “Sure.” Alison motioned her in. She could feel the other woman‟s gaze on her as she pretended to be looking at the papers on her desk. Elizabeth walked to the filing cabinet behind her. On her way back to the door, she stopped next to Alison‟s desk. Placing her hand lightly on Alison‟s shoulder, she asked, “Having a bad day?” The kindness of the gesture broke the dam holding back her tears. A shudder preceded the flow. “Oh, Alison,” Elizabeth said, setting down the folders on the desk and closing the door. “What‟s wrong? Is it about the robbery?” Alison sniffed and Elizabeth pulled a tissue out of a box on a cabinet, handing it to her. Alison dabbed the tears away and blew her nose. “I must look like hell.” It was a statement, not a question, and Elizabeth was polite enough not to comment. “What can I do? Do you want me to start the meeting without you?” Alison shook her head. “Stall them a bit while I go freshen up.”
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Elizabeth nodded, picked up the folders and opened the door. Before leaving, she turned back to Alison with one final bit of advice. “He‟s probably not worth it. Few men are.”
***** Jason sat looking at his phone. I got what I was after? Could she really think their relationship was only about the locket? Maybe it had been at first, Jason admitted, but that had changed. She was beautiful, smart, amazing in bed, creative and had a great sense of adventure. When they were together, things seemed to click. Until her wacky plan to steal back the locket, he had been so happy. When he compared how he had felt about Jennifer with how he felt about Alison, it was like comparing a childhood crush with finding your soul mate…no contest. He knew Alison was who he wanted. Now he had the locket, but he‟d lost Alison. It wasn‟t a good trade-off. There was only one thing he could do.
***** Alison was in and out of meetings all day. When she returned to her office, she was both relieved and disappointed to find no messages from Jason. She checked her cell phone. No messages there either, which only confirmed her suspicions that it was really over. She spent the drive home listening to sad love songs and crying until she had no more tears. She was glad Jennifer was at another trade show so she wouldn‟t have to explain why she‟d been crying. A hot bath and a good book were the only things on her agenda for the night. And maybe a glass of wine or two. Twenty minutes later she was up to her neck in hot water, reading a romance novel from one of her favorite authors. Reaching over the side of the tub, she picked up her glass of red wine and took a long, deep drink, almost draining the glass. Between the hot water and the cold wine, Alison was beginning to relax. She put down the glass and turned the page of her book. The hero and heroine had escaped from a trap set by their psycho neighbor, who was trying to kill them both. Locked in each other‟s embrace, they confessed their love, begged forgiveness for past wrongs and basically vowed to be together forever. Yeah right. Happy endings only happen in these damn novels. Alison tossed the book onto the floor and retrieved her wineglass, finishing what was left. It wasn‟t like her to be so cynical but she couldn‟t shake her sour mood. She
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had known there was a chance Jason was only dating her to get the necklace back. Had actually taken it as fact at one point. So she had tried to convince herself she was only in the relationship for sex. And at first that had been fine. But she hadn‟t expected to fall for the guy, and fall for him she had. What else could explain her worry, her anger or her reactions of late? It must mean she cared. Cared for Jason. And look where that has gotten you. Alison let herself slide under the water. Her bent knees broke the surface like twin icebergs as she pushed her head under, her hair swirling around like seaweed. If she could have held her breath longer, she would have liked to have stayed in the warm, quiet stillness. She let a stream of bubbles escape through her nose before pushing herself back into a sitting position. Her hair lay in long, wet strands over her shoulders and back, making her feel like a beached mermaid. “Get out of the tub, get dressed and stop moping,” she told herself. Taking her own advice, she stood, dried off and wrapped her hair in a towel. She was pulling on her sweatpants when she heard the doorbell ring. She looked at her watch. Seven thirty. It was still light outside so it didn‟t seem that late. She pulled on a tank top over her towel head and left the bathroom. Once at the door, she looked through the peephole to discover Jason standing on the front porch. Jesus Christ. She pulled the towel off her head and tossed it to the floor. She raked her fingers through her hair, but decided it was hopeless. Then she unlocked the door, grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him inside, closing the door behind him before he could say a word. “What are you doing here in broad daylight? What if somebody sees you? Where is your car parked?” Jason stepped up to her, wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in tight until their faces were inches apart. “I‟m here to see you. I don‟t care who sees me and I‟m parked in the driveway.” Then he closed the distance between their lips, kissing away her objections, kissing away her last bit of resistance, kissing away her anger. She felt her insides go liquid as his tongue explored her mouth and his fingers worked their way into her wet hair. When he finally released her, he had kissed the fight right out of her. “You don‟t get to end our relationship over the phone. If you really are dumping my sorry ass, then you can do it to my face, but first you‟re going to hear me out. This,” he said, pointing first at Alison and then at himself, “this has nothing to do with a locket. Maybe it did at first, but after the second date, I was hooked. I didn‟t mean to fall in love with you, but I did. I‟m not going to let you end this because you think I was only after the locket. If you want me to leave and never come back, it has to be because you don‟t feel something too.”
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Bits and pieces of what he was saying made small explosions in her head— relationship, hooked, love. Did he say he was in love with me? Alison took a step back, pulling out of his grasp. She wanted to see his face clearly when she asked, “You‟re in love with me?” Jason let out a sigh. “Yes,” he said, looking directly into her eyes. “God, yes.” When Alison didn‟t answer he continued. “I want us to be together. I don‟t want to sneak around anymore, worrying about Jennifer. I don‟t care about Jennifer…I care about you. I love you and I‟ll prove it to you.” He reached into the front pocket of his jeans and pulled out the locket. Alison backed away as if he were holding a snake. “You can‟t give that to me! Jennifer will see it.” Jason ignored her protest and unclipped the clasp. In two steps, he was in front of her, securing the locket‟s chain around her neck—a new chain, she noticed. He pulled her hair out of the way and stepped back, admiring the shiny heart lying against Alison‟s bare skin. She reached down and touched the heart-shaped locket. It feels so real. Alison wanted to be the woman in Jason‟s life who wore his great-grandmother‟s locket. She really did. If things didn‟t work out between them, she would give the locket back…she wouldn‟t want it in that case, anyway. Jason wouldn‟t have to break into her apartment to steal it back. But still, she wondered if Jason knew what he was doing. He had been sure Jennifer was the one, and look how that had turned out. Now he was sure Alison was the one…in love with her even. Was this the ultimate scam or the real deal? She looked from the locket to Jason. “Jason. You can‟t give this to me.” “Why the hell not?” “This is for your—” ”My wife,” he finished as he moved in closer, until his face was just inches from hers. His eyes were clear and bright as he stared into Alison‟s. “I want you to marry me, Alison.” He said it as a command more than a question. “I want you to move out of here and move in with me…redecorate, knock down a wall or two if you want, I don‟t care. I only know that when you‟re not in my life, I feel like every day is a Monday. You‟re my Saturday, my Sunday, my three-day weekend.” Alison gave him a smirky smile. “Your three-day weekend?” “That‟s about as poetic as an engineer can get. What do you say?” “What if I want to rip up that hideous flooring?” 84
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Jason stepped back. “What? Does that mean you‟re saying yes? You‟ll move in with me, get married and have enough kids to fill all those bedrooms?” Alison laughed at the confused look on his face. “Yes, yes, yes and we‟ll see.” “Yes? Yes! You‟ll marry me?” Alison nodded. Then she was in Jason‟s arms, kissing away his confusion, and he picked her up and spun her around and around. When her feet touched the floor again, she undid the clasp at the back of her neck, handing the chain and locket back to Jason. “What are you doing? I want you to have this. It‟s tradition.” He tried giving it back to her, but she wouldn‟t take it. “I can‟t wear this. I love the gesture and everything it means. The fact that you gave this to me says it all, especially when I know how important that locket is to you. But while Jennifer and I still work for the same company, it would be like…wearing a time bomb around my neck. Who knows what she‟ll do? She shot you with a shotgun.” “Well, what is she going to do when she finds out you‟re marrying me?” “Good question. She‟s kind of crazy. She might believe we met by chance but if she ever sees this locket again, she‟ll figure everything out…the burglary, the seduction, everything.” Jason shook his head. “I‟m not living my life worrying about Jennifer.” “Look. It‟s not so bad. I‟ve rented a small apartment near the office so I won‟t be living with her anymore. You can buy me a ring, we‟ll plan a wedding and then I‟ll move in with you. By then, who knows?” She grinned. “Maybe I‟ll quit my job and have all those children you keep talking about.” It took a moment for Jason to digest everything she‟d said, but finally his smile reappeared. “I‟ll buy you whatever ring you want, just say yes.” Alison smiled. “I thought I already had.” Jason stepped in closer and said, “Just making sure,” before he pulled her into his arms, lowering his head until his lips covered hers. His first gentle kiss turned hot and demanding as he eased his tongue deeper into her mouth, darting and plunging. He slanted his mouth to deepen the kiss as his fingers moved into the wet hair at the back of her neck. Alison could feel the hard bulge of his cock straining against his jeans as he pressed the full length of his body against hers. She shivered, and not from her wet hair, as every nerve ending tingled and jumped under his touch. But even the joy of having Jason touching her again paled in comparison to the knowledge they were going to be together forever. His kiss felt like he was trying to possess her as his other hand, firm and hot, found cool, bare flesh under her tank top. When he moved his hand around to her breast, a jolt of liquid fire filled her veins and contributed to the building ache between her legs. In one swift movement, he pulled her top off and tossed it aside.
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Alison laughed in delight, pulling at his shirt until the buttons flew off in every direction. Jason looked down at his shirt, then back up at Alison. “Hey, that was a good shirt, you know.” Alison gave him a wicked grin. “Why yes, it was.” She laughed again as she dragged it down his back and pulled it off his arms. “You‟re a bad girl, and now you‟re going to pay,” he replied as he bent down to plant moist kisses and purposeful caresses from her throat to her breasts. “God, I hope so,” she moaned as he sucked one of her nipples before walking her backward until she was pinned against the wall. “You know,” she said between shallow breaths, “even if I can‟t wear your locket, one day our daughter will, and your tradition will live on.” Jason sucked harder on Alison‟s nipple, pulling the tension in her tighter than a piano string. She moaned, her need becoming more desperate with every stretch of her nipple. Jason finally relented, straightening to look intently into her eyes. “I think we should make that daughter right now,” he whispered, reaching down and cupping the mound of her pussy, grinding his palm into her in slow, torturous circles. The gravely sound that came from deep in her throat gave voice to her need as she pressed her body against his hand. “I prefer to get married first,” she managed to say in a hoarse whisper. “But by God, we sure can practice.” That was all Jason needed to hear. He slipped both hands into her sweatpants and followed them down to the floor, helping her step out of them one leg at a time. Off came his jeans and boxers as well before he knelt in front of her. He kissed her swollen lips before gently pulling them apart with his fingers so he could press his mouth to her clit. Stroking her with his tongue, he wrapped his arms around her, until he had a hand on each butt check. He dug his fingers into the soft flesh of her ass as he slid his tongue in long, slow strokes between her moist folds, curling it up and over her clitoris with every pass. He pulled her cheeks apart, until the tips of his fingers could brush and tease her hole. Alison shuddered every time his tongue touched her small erection, making her legs tremble with the effort to stay vertical under his tender assault. She grabbed Jason‟s head in an attempt to control his actions but his tongue had its way with her as he increased its tempo, delivering a wet lashing. She could feel her climax building with every touch of his tongue and fingers. “Jason, please,” she gasped. “Don‟t stop.” She was teetering on the precipice, not knowing how much longer she could hold out. He answered her plea by sucking her bud into his mouth with a soft, steady pull. He moved one hand around to the front to slip two fingers deep inside her, driving her over the edge to a shuddering release. He pressed his mouth to her throbbing sex as each wave of sensation crashed over her. Alison could feel her contractions clamp 86
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against his fingers as he slowly pushed them deeper and deeper. When her shudders subsided, he finally pulled out, giving her clitoris a playful farewell lick before allowing her to slide down the wall to join him on the floor. Jason moved aside until both of them sat with their backs against the wall, legs stretched out in front of them. Alison was panting. Her eyes were still closed as she reached over and took Jason‟s hand. A satisfied sigh escaped her lips and she gave Jason‟s hand a squeeze, hoping it conveyed what words could not. Minutes later, she opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him. “So what can I do for you?” she asked dreamily, glancing down at his erection. Jason moved her hand to his rigid penis and moaned when she gave it a couple firm strokes. “You could take me and my cock into your bedroom. I hear you have a thing for tying people to your bedposts.” She smiled, her gaze shining under heavy-lidded eyes. “You shouldn‟t believe everything you hear.” Jason stood and held out a hand to Alison, helping her up. “I think it‟s time for you to be the one who gets tied up.” That cleared the fog from Alison‟s eyes. “I don‟t think so.” She dodged his attempt to slap her ass. “Playing hard to get, are we?” Jason lunged and caught Alison by the wrist. She tried to twist away, but he pulled her in close for a kiss. As it deepened, Alison relaxed and Jason made his move. Breaking the kiss, he swiftly bent and scooped her up into his arms. “Put me down,” Alison laughed. Jason walked toward the bedroom. “I‟ll be putting you down, all right. Then I‟m going to tie you to the bed and torture you until you beg me to fuck you.” “And what if I don‟t?” Alison asked, before taking his earlobe between her teeth and gently biting. “What will you do to me then?” “Oh, I‟ll think of something,” he said as he walked through her bedroom door and dropped her on her bed. “I can hardly wait.”
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About the Author Susan Ashworthy is the hotter, sexier alter ego of author Christie Walker Bos, who has several stories in Ellora‟s Cave‟s Blush line. As Susan Ashworthy, I‟ve cranked up the heat level to bring you the same contemporary characters—with a touch of humor to keep it real—plus more passion and steamy lovemaking. Writing as “Susan” keeps my mother from fainting, my two children from rolling their eyes and saying, “Jesus, Mom,” and my brothers and sisters from blushing. My family and friends love my Christie Walker Bos‟ romantic comedies, and you will too. But if you want something a bit steamier, give Susan Ashworthy a try and get nicely hot and bothered!
Susan welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
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Discover for yourself why readers can‟t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora‟s Cave. Whether you prefer ebooks or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.
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