Stockings and Suspenders (30 page)

“Of course you can. It’s Christmas
for crying out loud. Miracles happen around this time every year.

“Am I sorry? Not exactly.” Jeanie took
a step back, placing herself directly into the ballroom. “I knew what you were
doing.” She pointed to the mistletoe and raised one of her eyebrows. “I’ m
sorry for bumping into you. I’m not sorry for what happened afterward.”

Blue eyes widened as if he couldn’t
believe what he was hearing. As the man’s lips parted to say something, Jeannie
quickly turned and headed deeper into the crowded room.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Adrenaline
nearly made it impossible to walk. Her legs felt numb, yet at the same time,
Jeanie was sure she could run five miles if she wanted. If Lisa would have seen
her, her shock would have mirrored the strangers. Maybe staying wasn’t so bad.
After all, someone had sent her this ticket for a reason. If tonight was a new
start, she was going to make it the best and hottest one possible.

* * * *

Jared stood rooted to the floor in
amazement. As he watched Jeanie walk away he couldn’t help but laugh. This was
so not the quiet woman he remembered. He couldn’t wait until his best friend
Edward met her. They were going to get along great.

 A smile came to her lips as she
weaved through people. Just witnessing it made his cock harden. He couldn’t
help raking his gaze down the length of her body. To him, she had the perfect
figure. Her breasts were generous, as was her ass. And those hips. God, he
couldn’t wait to sink his fingers into them as he thrust into her tight pussy.
Every fantasy he’d ever had about her was going to become a reality at some
point, and hopefully it would begin tonight. He’d waited for so long now.

Months had gone by since the last time
he’d seen her. The transfer to the other company, along with settling into his
new place with Edward had been hell. Jared and Jeanie had worked in the same
office for over a year together, not once talking. But even so, her being out
of his life completely just didn’t feel right. It didn’t take long for him to
realize that he needed to do something about it. It was Edward’s genius plan
that made it possible.

Deep red curls were barely visible as
she walked further away. Jared took a step and felt pressure on his arm.
Turning, he looked into Edward’s green eyes that were peeking out from the
black velvet mask he wore.

“Please tell me the one you were
kissing was her.”

A laugh exploded out of Jared’s mouth.
He could tell from the look his friend was giving him that Edward was
very
interested in her, and that worked out perfectly. They had plenty of talks of
one day settling down, and that’s when Jeanie had popped into his head. As best
friend’s they’d always been inseparable. Now, for the first time, he and Edward
wanted to share a woman, and he knew the perfect one. It was something that
would truly bond them, and hopefully be more permanent than a typical one night
stand. Jared had no doubt that Edward would love Jeanie, just as much as he
did. But how could they convince her?

“Yes, that was her. Isn’t she
gorgeous?”

“More than I could have ever imagined.
I swear I’ve seen her before.” Edward ran his fingers through his short blond
hair. “Anyway, do you really think she’ll consider this?”

Jared let out a ragged breath. “I
really hope so.”

“That makes two of us.”

* * * *

Edward followed Jared around the
ballroom looking for Jeanie. At times they thought they’d catch the hint of her
red hair, but as soon as they pointed it out to each other, the color would
fade into the crowd. They had to have made their way around the dance floor a
good dozen times and still nothing.

“You think she might have left?” A
worried look crossed Jared’s face as he scanned the couples waltzing.

“I have no idea. I think if she was
still here then we would have passed her at some point. Don’t you?”

Jared shrugged and continued to survey
the area. Edward’s heart jumped at his friend’s intake of breath.

“There she is. Look at her, Ed. She’s
looking right at us.”

Following the direction of Jared’s
finger, he saw the beautiful woman was indeed taking them in. She stood near
three women. They were all huddled together talking in a circle. But not her.
As their heads were huddled close, hers was up, not seeming to care about what
the gossip was all about. The stare she directed toward them was so intense
that Edward could feel his blood surge. He couldn’t remember ever having been
affected by a female this way. Sure, there had been ones that stirred his lust,
but not to the point where he couldn’t even breathe.

“I think we should go to her.” Jared
cleared his throat and stepped forward.

It was nearly impossible for Edward to
take his attention off of Jeanie, but after a few seconds he managed to break
the trance he was in. Turning, Jared was staring at him, smiling.

“You’re really feeling her, aren’t
you?”

Edward shrugged. “You could say that.”

“So what are we waiting for? Let’s go
get our girl.” Jared let out a laugh, took a step, and stopped in his tracks.
Jeanie was gone.

* * * *

Jeanie’s heart was going to explode if
she didn’t calm herself. Whether it was from watching two men track her down
for the last hour, or it was that she enjoyed every minute of it, she wasn’t
sure. All she knew was that somehow she’d outsmarted the men and stayed just
out of reach to where they couldn’t discover her exact location. And now that
she’d just given them a tease, she wanted to do more.

 Couples swirled on the outskirts of
the dance floor, and the majority of the gowns the women wore consisted of the
typical Christmas colors, white, dark green, and of course, deep red. Jeannie
had never felt so relieved that she and Lisa had picked a color where she’d
easily blend in. There was an occasional women wearing black, and that was the
exact shade she almost bought. But in this game she was playing, she’d stand
out for sure. Drawing attention was the last thing she wanted.

Just go around this couple, and you
should be right up behind where you last saw them standing.

To her relief, Jeanie saw the men
settled near the group of people she had just left. They were all playing this
game for a reason, weren’t they? If both men didn’t want her then they wouldn’t
be chasing her down so hard. She really hoped she was right. Now, it was time
to end this charade. Running her fingers across the mask that covered her eyes
she took a deep breath.
 You’re a new person tonight. You can do this. You
want them, so take them.

The more she looked at the gorgeous
dark haired man, the more she knew that she somehow recognized him. She
couldn’t place from where, but Jeanie knew she wasn’t wrong. As for the other…
the blond.  Mr. Edward Collins. There was no mistaking him. He was taller than
most, a few inches over six feet, and he was wide, like a professional athlete.
Everyone in the finance world knew of him. He was a legend. A god. Especially,
amongst the women.

Go, Jeanie. Place yourself under
the mistletoe and lure them in. If they want you, they’ll come. If not, at
least you attempted it. Right? Wait. No doubts. Just go!

Each step felt slower than the one
before. Time seemed to stop as she stared up at the hanging plant that had
awoken her body from a decade of numbness. The mistletoe. If it wasn’t for
that, no doubt the dark haired stranger wouldn’t have kissed her. Just two more
steps and she’d be there underneath.

An older gentleman entered the room
and took off toward the open bar. Jeanie went to take her place and paused. She
was so unprepared. Where were they going to go once she made her intentions
clear? Shit! She needed a room. Slipping out quickly, she walked through the
lobby, to the front desk.

“Hi. Can I help you?”

The clerk looked no more than twenty
years old. A young blonde who’s smile was somehow addicting. Getting a room
here with the possibility of taking two men to bed was invigorating.

“Yes, do you have anything available
for the night?”

The girl’s face fell, her super white
teeth disappearing behind her pouty lips. “I’m sorry. We’re completely booked.”

Heaviness settled in Jeanie’s stomach.
“Booked? Completely?”

“I’m sorry. I think everyone here for
the masquerade has a room. Not to mention others who reserved before time.”

Nodding, Jeanie turned and headed back
toward the party.
Well there goes that idea.
What was she supposed to do
now? Take them home? That wasn’t going to happen. There, she’d lose courage and
be herself. Jeanie. She wasn’t strong enough. This was only the beginning, but
with time she could be whoever she wanted.  Yes, her first time needed to
involve wearing the mask.

Just as Jeanie walked into the
entrance of the ballroom, she abruptly stopped.  The two men she’d been playing
hide-n seek with stood there with looks of amusement on their faces.

“We saw you up at the front desk. Are
you looking for a room?” Blue eyes from the familiar man narrowed as a smile
came to his face. Slowly, his eyes traveled the length of her body. That wasn’t
just any smile. It was pure wicked. Was he thinking about her without her tight
dress on? How about how her breasts would feel against his hand?

Immediately, Jeanie glanced at his
fingers. If they were touching her pussy right now, he’d feel how wet she’d
become just at the thought of the long length of them penetrating her.

“We have one.” Edward’s voice lowered
as he stepped closer. “We’d gladly let you stay if you’d like.”

Fuck! Are they trying to be nice
and hoping they get lucky, or is this an invitation? Or do they just genuinely
believe I’m without a roof over my head tonight and are trying to be nice guys?
She so wasn’t skilled in these things. And if she
wanted to be truthful with herself,
this was not the way Jeanie saw
things going. She wanted to be the one in control. Pausing, she looked them
over while her mind raced. These two men had to see her shaking. The excitement
laced in fear was so stimulating, her whole body hummed.

“I might be looking for a place to
spend the night.” This was it, the time she could take control and make it
clear what she wanted. All she needed was something clever to say to switch
things in her favor. “Of course, I’d only be interested if we were talking
about a room with one bed.”

Both men nodded and the action caused
a glow to ignite inside of Jeanie. They wanted her. The realization of seeing
it in their faces fueled her self-esteem, something she hadn’t known she’d
missed until that very moment.

“Shall we?” She nodded toward the
elevators.

* * * *

Jared couldn’t have been more
surprised by this new Jeanie he was seeing. Looking at the elevators, he didn’t
hesitate to walk forward. Hell yes, he wanted to go up to their room with her.
To finally feel her soft skin against his would blow any fantasy he’d had of
her out of the water.

The sway of her hips as she led pulled
at his attention. The need to reach out and run his fingers down the open back
of her red dress was almost uncontrollable.

Christmas music and the loud roar of
the party died down as the doors to the elevator closed. Jeanie stood stiff
while Edward pushed the button. Was she nervous? For a woman who seemed so in
control not moments before, her body was as straight as a board. And was she
shaking?

Tracing his finger up her bare arm,
Jared could feel heat pouring from her skin. A sigh escaped her lips as her
body melted back into his.  Maybe she wasn’t scared. The softness of her ass
pressed into his leg while her back arched. Tight nipples pushed out the front
of her gown. At the brush of Edward’s fingers, Jeanie moaned and reached for
him.

“I want you both to fuck me.”

Jared pushed his cock against her and
groaned as she rubbed the back of herself against him eagerly. Edward’s mouth
captured hers, sandwiching all three of them together.

Leaning close, Jared lowered his head
and whispered into her ear. “We’re going to fuck you all right. You’re going to
get it so good, you’re never going to forget how we feel rubbing against the
inside of that tight pussy of yours. When you close your eyes at night, and
slide your fingers against the wetness of your arousal, you’re going to call us
to come over and pleasure you because what you’re doing is not going to even
compare. And you know what?”

Jeanie’s body shook against him as she
continued to grind her ass into his hardness. “What? Tell me.”

A smile came to Jared’s lips as he
looked at Edward. “We’re going to come, every night if we have to.”

“You are?” Jeanie turned around and
looked at him. The ding of the elevator cut off what she was about to say.

Edward was the first one out, and Jared
grabbed her hand and followed. The hallway was so quiet, minus all of their
deep breathing. As the key card slid in the lock and the door opened, Jared
waited for her to back out, but to his surprise she didn’t. Jeanie took
control.