“Some, yeah. But I’m a professional. I do my job, then leave.”
“So that’s what you’re going to do today—give me a massage, then leave?”
“You—” Marcus shakes his head slowly “—are making it very hard for me to remain professional.”
Now, I take one of his hands and lower it to my vagina. I can’t believe I’m doing this, but damn, I need to get laid.
“I like you,” I tell him. “And I really love the way your hands are making me feel right now.”
Marcus cups my pussy. “Do you like that?”
“I’d like it even more if my thong was gone.”
His eyes locked with mine, Marcus moves onto the bed. Then he skims my thong over my hips, leaving me completely naked.
And completely turned on.
Marcus runs his hands slowly back up my legs, strokes my belly, then my breasts. My breathing grows heavy as he settles between my thighs. And when he plants the first kiss on the skin below my breasts, I moan from the sheer pleasure of being this close to a man again.
“What do you want me to do?” Marcus asks.
I ponder the question, unsure. Part of me wants to fuck him. In the worst possible way. But another part of me questions how smart that is.
“Do you have a condom?” I ask him.
He kisses the soft area between my breasts before answering. “No.”
“No?” I hear the disappointment in my voice.
“No.” Marcus eases his body backward. “Now what?”
I think about that for a moment. “Maybe…maybe you could still touch me. Get me off, even if we can’t fuck.” When Marcus doesn’t speak, I sit up. “Or maybe not. I’m sorry.”
Marcus places one of his large hands on my stomach and urges me backward. “Don’t be sorry. I’m here to please you.”
And then Marcus kisses his way up my left leg. He keeps going, along my hipbone, then up my stomach. His lips ignite my skin, but my erogenous zones are thrumming. I want his tongue on my breasts, on my clit…
Finally Marcus’s lips close over one of my nipples, and I sigh long and loud. He sucks on it reverently, draws it deep into his mouth. Soon, I have completely let go of the last of my inhibitions and am panting shamelessly as Marcus sucks on one nipple, then the other.
“Oh my God, I could come like this…”
“You don’t want to come in my mouth?”
“Fuck, yeah.”
Marcus moves quickly to settle his face between my thighs. The next instant he draws my clitoris completely into his mouth and sucks on me hard. He moves his tongue over my clit the way he did over my nipple.
I lift my head. Watch his mouth as he suckles me. And that’s all it takes to push me over the edge.
My entire body convulses as I come. Marcus laves my clit hungrily, sucks my juices. I squeeze my legs around his face and savor every bit of this illicit pleasure.
When my orgasm finally subsides, Marcus lifts his head and grins at me. “How was that?” he asks.
I reach for his hand and smile. Marcus will never know it, but he just set me free.
Claudia
A
few hours after Annelise’s surprise, I’m sitting in a café with Lishelle. Samera and Annelise decided to head to the pool, which was fine with me. I want some alone time with Lishelle to find out exactly how far she went with her masseur.
Lishelle sips her glass of red wine and eyes me. I tap my fingers on the table and stare at her. We’re both wondering which of us will be the first to speak about what happened—or didn’t happen—earlier.
“Is this place stunning, or what?” Lishelle asks.
“Yep,” I agree.
“I want to go swimming, but I think I’ll wait till later. It’s too damn hot in the day.”
I fold my arms onto the table. “So we’re gonna talk about the weather?”
“Hmm?” Lishelle sips more wine, playing dumb.
“You know what I’m talking about,” I say in an urgent whisper. “Lishelle, how far did you go?”
A grin spreads on her face. She glances left and right, as though trying to make sure that no one will hear her. She doesn’t have to worry about that. I specifically asked for a table near the back of the café because I didn’t want anyone within earshot.
“How far did
you
go?” Lishelle counters.
“You first.” I take a quick sip of my mimosa. “And I promise not to hate you if you tell me you were a total ho.” I smile sweetly.
“Okay, then. I was a total ho.”
I gasp. “You were?”
“Well, not
totally
. We didn’t…we didn’t fuck. But we did have a very good time. I hope you did, as well.”
Now I frown. Ever since Arnold left my room, I’ve had a million regrets. I’m not convinced I made the right decision.
“Well?” Lishelle prompts.
“I had a great massage, but I didn’t have as much fun as you had. In fact, I think I made a fool of myself.”
Our waitress arrives with the chicken Caesar salads we ordered. Lishelle digs in. Not really hungry, I pick at mine.
“What happened?” Lishelle asks around a mouthful of lettuce.
I draw in a deep breath. “I was naked. Facedown. And the way Arnold was touching me…Trust me, I knew where things were going to lead. And I wanted that. Hell, I need a palate cleanser. But when Arnold asked me to roll onto my back, I sort of freaked.”
“Why?”
“Because.” I pause. “I don’t know why, but I suddenly started thinking about everything I’d done to please Adam sexually, and I felt like this evil, dirty person for even considering sleeping with Arnold.”
“Claudia! You’re not evil, and you’re certainly not dirty.”
“I know that. Logically. Then I started worrying about what Arnold would think of me if I
did
have sex with him. I didn’t want him to think I was a slut.”
Lishelle dabs at the sides of her mouth with her napkin, then tosses it onto the table. “See, this is what I don’t understand. If guys fuck a hundred women, they’re heroes. They feel no shame in bedding a woman they’ve just met. But if a woman has a one-night stand, my God, she’s a dirty whore. How dare she like sex? This is the twenty-first century, honey. It’s high time we women embrace our sexuality and bury the shame. We have needs, the same as men do. Why do we feel so friggin’ bad about going after what we want?”
Listening to Lishelle’s spiel, the truth of her words hit me in the face. “You absolutely hit the nail on the head,” I tell her. “You couldn’t be more right.”
“Or maybe you didn’t want to fuck him.”
“No. That’s the thing. I did. I didn’t think I would, but the way he was touching me, I was really turned on. And then I let shame take control of me.”
“You know what’s really amazing? All my life, I’ve heard about how a palate cleanser can really help you move on. But until I allowed myself that today, I didn’t believe it could really work. And it did. I had the most incredible, freeing orgasm with Marcus between my legs, and I swear, I’m a different woman.”
Why didn’t I take advantage of the opportunity presented to me? A no-strings-attached fling with a hot guy who wanted to please me?
“Damn,” I say. “I blew it.”
“Not necessarily. We can get the number from Annelise and you can call him. Or who knows? You might meet someone else you like tonight.”
“Arnold gave me his number.”
“Then there you go. Problem solved.”
“It’s not that simple. Yes, he gave me his number. But I didn’t get to tell you how I freaked out.”
“You didn’t really freak out, did you?”
“Pretty much, yeah. When Arnold told me to turn over, I did. Of course, he checked me out. He told me he loved my pussy, the way it was so naked and exposed. Then I grabbed my towel, covered myself, and told him to leave the room while I got dressed.”
“Uh-oh.”
“He was a perfect gentleman about it, but I felt I owed him an explanation. So I told him about Adam. Went on and on about it, actually. Said Adam had been the love of my life, that he’d broken my heart, that I wasn’t sure I could trust another guy.”
“Ouch.”
“Basically, I treated him like he was my shrink. It was pathetic.”
“When did he give you his number? Before or after that?”
“After,” I reply.
Lishelle grins. “Then there’s still hope.”
Back in my room, I ponder Lishelle’s words. That there’s still hope for me to have a rendezvous with Arnold. Honestly, it’s something I didn’t even think I’d consider, but I’ve certainly done more scandalous things. My trip with Adam to a swinger’s club, the threesome with a stranger, sex in public places.
All this I did to please him. Isn’t it time I indulge my own fantasies?
And I’ll be honest. I have definitely fantasized about having a sensual massage turn into something more.
I collapse onto the bed, groaning softly as I do. Lying on my back, I stare around the room. It’s gorgeous. Everything about this suite is gorgeous. The king-size bed has a canopy that can be pulled around it to enhance a romantic mood. The bathroom is very large and boasts a huge Jacuzzi tub. It’s the kind of tub where lovers indulge their every fantasy. The entire suite is.
My vagina thrums. Damn, I have so much sexual tension built up inside me. Ever since Arnold left my room, my body has craved sexual release.
I get off the bed and dig my vibrator out of my suitcase. I used it last night, but I need it again. I’ve needed it a lot these days.
I pull my dress up, and my underwear off. Then I make myself comfortable on my bed and close my eyes. As I touch myself, I think about Arnold, about what should have happened this morning.
I imagine that when he told me how much he loved my pussy, I slowly spread my legs. Let him see my hairless pussy in all its splendor.
“You like?” I ask him.
I look up at Arnold’s eyes, fogged with his obvious desire for me, and know his answer before he speaks.
“Oh, yeah. I like.”
I reach for his hand then, bring it to my mouth and kiss each finger. Slowly. My gaze holds his while I close my lips over his thumb and suck it gently.
“You’re gorgeous.
Fuck
.”
“This is what I want to do to your cock,” I tell him. I flick my tongue over his finger, coaxing a moan from his lips.
“You have no clue what I want to do to you.”
Arnold gets onto the bed beside me and rolls me onto my stomach. Then he sweeps my hair to one side and plants his moist lips on my neck.
“Mmm.”
Arnold’s lips move over my neck and shoulder blades as skillfully as his hands did earlier. But he keeps going, running his tongue down my spine. When he gets to my ass, he sucks on my flesh. Sucks on it as his fingers skim my vagina.
Grunting, Arnold grips my hips and jerks me to my knees. He fingers and eats my pussy from behind. Spreads my folds and tongue-fucks me until I am panting and screaming his name.
“Fuck me,” I beg. “I want to feel your cock so far inside me…”
I hear the rustling of Arnold’s pants. And then he enters me fast and hard, giving me no mercy. This is pure ecstasy, and I lean forward so that Arnold’s penis has no trouble reaching my G-spot.
Arnold pounds his cock into me, over and over. I brace my hands on the bed as his shaft goes deeper and deeper with each stroke.
I’m growing weaker. My breathing is getting shallower. I feel my orgasm building with each merciless stroke of his cock.
I plunge the rabbit deep inside me, imagining that it’s Arnold’s cock. And when the little ears on my vibrator play over my clit, I implode. A shock wave of pleasure rips through every inch of my body.
I bite down on my bottom lip to stifle my cry. For several seconds I don’t move. Not until I enjoy every last drop of my orgasm.
But when it’s over, I feel…I feel ambiguous. Nowhere near as satisfied as I should be.
Kind of hollow, really.
Fucking my vibrator is fun while it lasts, but it’s no fun lying next to it after you’ve come.
I reach for the card Arnold gave me and scoop it off of the night table. And as I stare at his phone number, I wonder if he’ll be as good in bed in reality as he was in my fantasy.
Samera
I
had a major blow-up with Annelise at the pool. With a wink, wink, nudge, nudge, she asked me how I enjoyed my massage. I point-blank told her that I didn’t appreciate her hiring some guy for me to sleep with.
“I hired them to give
massages,
” my sister explained. “But I did ask if they’d be open to the idea of…of a little more.”
“Why would you do that? And where the hell did you find them?”
“I did it because you need to get laid.”
I shot to my feet inside our poolside cabana. “I need to get laid? I got laid plenty in Costa Rica, thank you very much.”
“And ever since then, you’ve been miserable—”
“You don’t know
shit,
” I told Annelise. Then I gathered my belongings and stormed out of the cabana. I went to the room, changed, then hit the Fashion Show mall.
It’s where I spent the next four hours, trying on cute outfits, beautiful shoes, and in the end buying only a pair of flip-flops with glitter on the straps for $12.99. I also called my friend Maxine back in Atlanta, who still works at the strip club where I used to. Before I left for Vegas, I told her about the trip my sister had planned. I was really hoping to chat with Maxine, but her voice mail picked up. Instead I left her a message to let her know I’m having a good time.
I was doing everything in my power to avoid thinking about why I’d gotten so mad at my sister. Hell, I’ve never been prudish when it comes to sex, especially the idea of a hot, fun fling. But Annelise was right when she said that I’ve been miserable since returning from Costa Rica, and it really struck a nerve.
I am miserable. Because I’m still missing Miguel.
Oh, I’ve tried to put him out of my mind. Told myself that he’s no more special than the other guys I’ve fucked and forgotten in the past. He certainly didn’t have as large a cock as Reed’s, something I’ve assured myself over and over since leaving Costa Rica that matters to me. The truth, however, is that regardless of the size of Miguel’s penis, he never failed to please me in bed. In fact, every time I fucked him, it seemed like more than just sex.
Maybe that’s why, when I lie in bed at night, I remember him. Remember his soft mouth on mine. Remember the way his eyes lit up every time he looked at me. The way there was such reverence and love in his touch. Remembering him makes me feel warm inside in a way I’ve never experienced before, not even when I thought I was head-over-heels in love with Reed.
I force Miguel out of my mind when the taxi driver pulls up to the hotel. My stomach tightens as I think of my sister. I’ve avoided Annelise for hours, but in just a few minutes I’ll see her, and I don’t know if our fight has ruined this trip for us.
And the strides we’ve made as sisters.
I thank the taxi driver, pay him, then get out of the car with my one small bag. A couple minutes later, I’m standing outside the suite. I sigh heavily before I open the door.
I don’t immediately see my sister. “Annie?” I call, walking farther inside.
There’s no sign of her, so I step into the bedroom and look around. “Annie?”
Hearing the sound of a toilet flush, I whirl around. A moment later the bathroom door opens and Annelise appears.
“Annie.”
“Hey.” She speaks but doesn’t meet my eyes. But then she starts to move forward. “Are you still mad at me?”
“No.” I hurry across the room and wrap her in a hug. “I’m sorry I got mad. It’s just…I didn’t expect…”
“I only wanted to do something nice for you. You know? I didn’t hire those guys to sleep with you. I just thought if there was an attraction there, you could. If you wanted. But that wasn’t why they were there.”
“I know. I overreacted.” We pull apart and I stroke her hair. “The truth is—and this is going to sound weird coming from me—but I just didn’t want to go there because…well, because I’m still thinking about Miguel,” I finish hurriedly.” “There, I’ve said it. And I know it’s crazy, because obviously it’s over between us. He was a vacation fling, for God’s sake.”
“That’s not what you said when I left Costa Rica. You told me you thought you were in love.”
“I know what I said then, and Miguel is a great guy. But the truth is, he lives thousands of miles from where I do. Even if I wanted to…” I don’t finish my thought.
“You really have it bad for him,” my sister says, tenderness in her voice.
“It’s probably because he’s off-limits,” I quickly say. “I can’t have him, therefore I’m obsessing over him.”
“Or maybe it’s something more,” Annelise suggests. “Maybe you
did
fall in love and would still be in Costa Rica if Reed hadn’t shown up and messed things up for you.”
The very words make my heart accelerate, but I don’t want to acknowledge that she could be right. That if it hadn’t been for Reed, I would still be with Miguel. My feelings for Miguel were incredibly strong, but when Reed showed up in Costa Rica claiming he still loved me, I foolishly believed him, gave him another chance, and ruined things with Miguel.
“But if I really loved Miguel, why did I give Reed another chance?” I ask, but my heart knows the answer isn’t a simple one. “Whatever I think I’m feeling for Miguel, I have to get over it. The guy’s out of my life.” I pause, then say, “Let’s talk about something else.”
Annelise nods her understanding, for which I am grateful. “Where did you go?” she asks me.
“Shopping,” I tell her. “More window-shopping, really. I didn’t buy much. What did you do?”
“I couldn’t find Claudia or Lishelle, so I hung out for a bit. Watched some TV, then talked to Dom. Went downstairs and gambled a little. I lost three hundred bucks on the slot machines, but I’m gonna win that back.”
“That’s how they get you.” I wag a playful finger at my sister.
We’re both silent for a few seconds. Then we smile at each other. “I really am sorry,” Annelise tells me.
“No, I’m the one who’s sorry. I guess I just have to get used to the new you. The one who’s not afraid to go after what she wants sexually. It’s not like I didn’t preach that to you for years.”
“This is true.”
“Want to get something to eat? Or did you make plans with your friends?”
“I was going to,” Annelise says. “But why don’t we get dinner? Just the two of us?”
“You sure?”
“Of course I’m sure. You’re my sister. That’s what sisters do.”
A feeling of warmth spreads through me. “Are we gonna dress up or go casual?”
“Dressy. Let’s show this town what we’re made of.”
It’s while Annelise and I are eating dinner at a restaurant called Postrio that I see him again—the man who first caught my eye yesterday, when I was having a smoke outside the lobby. And it’s clear by the way he’s not-so-secretly stealing glances at me from the table where he’s sitting that he’s definitely interested.
I hold his gaze for a second, then turn away.
Annelise lowers her fork as she stares at me. “I am either boring you to tears, or someone has caught your eye.” She twists in her chair to look over her shoulder.
“No! Don’t do that!”
She faces me again, grinning. “So there
is
someone.”
“No,” I protest. “Well, sort of.”
Annelise leans across the table and asks, “Who is he?”
I glance at the sexy stranger, and he smiles. “Why is it that guys haven’t mastered the art of how to check a woman out without being noticed? I think a guy’s cute, I can steal glances of him all night without him knowing.”
“Maybe he
wants
you to notice that he’s checking you out.”
“I think you’re right. I saw him when we first got here. When I was having a cigarette outside the lobby. He walked by me. Definitely checked me out.” Annelise starts to angle her head. “Don’t! Seriously. If you do that, he’s gonna think I’m interested.”
“I’m dying to see him. Is he cute?”
I shoot a quick glance his way, though I already know what he looks like. “Yeah. He’s cute.”
“Are you gonna talk to him?”
I shake my head.
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. I just—”
I stop short when the man gets up. He’s with the same guy I saw him with yesterday, and both of them head our way.
“Oh, shit. I think he’s coming over here.”
I reach for my glass of water and busy myself putting it to my lips. From my peripheral vision, I see the sexy stranger. I fully expect him to stop.
But he doesn’t.
I shift around to look at him, but all I see is his back as he heads out the restaurant door.
“Was that him?” Annelise asks. “Which one?”
“The taller one. With the sandy-blond hair.”
“The well-built one. Oh, I wish I’d seen his face.”
“No big deal,” I say. “Ready to blow this joint and hit the slots?”
Annelise chortles. “I’m always ready to hit the slots.”
Annelise and I make the rounds on the casino floor, dropping quarters into various slot machines. We win a few quarters here and there, but mostly we lose.
“All right,” Annelise announces as she sits down at a Lucky 7 machine. “This is the one. Right here.”
“You’ve said that about how many machines now?”
“But this is it.” Annelise grins at me. “I can feel it.”
“If you say so.”
Annelise puts three quarters into the machine, pumps the handle and yells, “Big money, big money!”
“Why don’t you just put a twenty in and press maximum bet until you run out of money?”
“Because I have a system,” she replies, then puts one, two, three quarters into the machine.
“You really think it makes a difference?”
“Shh! Big money, big money!”
Lights flash, music plays, and a dinging sound fills the air. I quickly look at the display. The number of credits rapidly increases.
Now I’m getting excited. “How much did you win?”
“Looks like eighty credits.”
I quickly do the math. “Twenty bucks? That’s all?”
“It’s better than a slap in the face.” Annelise presses a button to release all the coins, then scoops them up and puts them in her bucket. “I want to try another machine.”
“I’m going to wander, find my own lucky machine. If we lose each other, let’s meet at the bar. Say in half an hour?”
Annelise doesn’t even look at me as she sits in front of a nearby machine. “Sure.”
Famous last words.
I chuckle and walk away. But I don’t get far. My eyes spot a Wild Cherry dollar slot machine. The thing about Las Vegas is that everywhere you turn is potential fortune. Is it this machine or that one? Make the right choice and you’ll be happy. But make the wrong one…
Kind of like men, really.
I sit in front of the machine, but before I start to play, I reach into my purse and dig out a cigarette. I perch it between my lips and look for my lighter.
“Looks like you need a light.”
My eyes fly to my left. And there’s the guy. The sexy stranger I’ve sort of been flirting with since I got here.
“Allow me.” He takes the cigarette from my hand. I watch as he presses the tip of his lit cigarette to mine. He passes it back to me and I take a long drag off of it.
“We keep running into each other.”
“We’re staying at the same hotel. It’s bound to happen.”
“Have you got your mind set on gambling, or can I lure you to the bar?”
I stare at the Wild Cherry symbol, and decide to take a different gamble. If only for tonight, I’m going to live in the here and now and put the past out of my mind. I get to my feet. “Actually, I would love a drink.”
It dawns on me as we enter the Tao Lounge that I still don’t know this sexy guy’s name. He heads to an empty leather lounge chair, and I follow him there.
As I sit and cross my legs, he whistles. “Have I told you that you are fucking gorgeous?”
I roll my eyes. “Please tell me you’re not into lame pick-up lines.”
“Pick-up line? Babe, that’s just the truth. From the moment I saw you…” His unfinished statement hangs in the air between us.
I realize immediately that I’ve gambled and lost. This guy doesn’t want to get to know me. He wants to get to know my pussy.
I start to rise. “You know—”
He grabs my hand. “Hey, where are you going?”
“I’m not sure a drink is a good idea.”
“What are you talking about? We just got here.”
“I know, but.”
He urges me down beside him. “What—you think I’m a creep? I assure you, I’m not. I’m just a guy who finds you fascinating. C’mon. Let me buy you a drink.”
I eye this guy skeptically. “All right,” I say after a moment. “I’d love a glass of Cristal.”
It’s a test, of course. To see if he thinks I’m worth a glass of such expensive champagne. “Of course, you have to buy the whole bottle to get one glass.”