The Endgame (4 page)

Grayson bent to her and gently sucked the strawberry from between her lips, his breath hot in her mouth. He pulled back slightly as he chewed and swallowed, and then he kissed her again, opening her lips with his. She tasted strawberry juice on his thrusting tongue as it tangled erotically with hers.

‘Mmm,’ he groaned as he pulled away. ‘Strawberry and you – sensational.’

Then Mark’s mouth was on hers, hard and demanding, while Grayson’s lips trailed down to her breasts. She closed her eyes, gasping as Grayson drew hard on her left nipple, sucking off the strawberry. Mark kissed his way down her neck, and then they were both licking, nibbling and suckling at her breasts. When she felt teeth graze her nipple, she knew it was Mark even with her eyes closed. His lips closed around the sensitive nub, tugging hard until she whimpered in pain, the violence of his touch contrasting with the sensual tenderness of Grayson’s on her other side.

She became lost in the physical sensation, forgetting to feel embarrassed or ashamed, oblivious to everything but the burning need that was building up inside her. Too mindless with arousal to be self-conscious, she abandoned herself completely to the world of her senses – the touch of their mouths and hands on her everywhere, the rasp of their stubble against her bare skin, the sounds of their jagged breathing and throaty groans all feeding the growing tension inside her, stoking the throbbing between her legs.

Their tongues trailed down her body, leaving her wet skin raw and super-sensitive. She felt warm breath against her skin as lips closed around the strawberry at her navel.

‘Taste,’ Grayson’s voice was husky, and she opened her eyes to see him holding the strawberry in his fingers. As she watched, he placed it lightly between his lips and bent to her. Lisa lifted her head to take it. Her teeth grazed his skin, the sweet juice bursting on her tongue as she bit into the fruit. He opened his lips against hers, dropping the strawberry into her mouth, and pulled back as she ate, smiling indulgently at her.

‘Good?’ he asked, his eyes hot as he watched.

Lisa nodded wordlessly as she swallowed, too dazed to speak as Mark trailed kisses across her abdomen. It felt so wrong to be like this with two men at once, one of whom she had met only a couple of hours ago. Yet she couldn’t deny the excitement surging through her body, or the desperate need for them to finish what they’d started.

Grayson bent and kissed her again, his hands fondling her aching breasts as his tongue tangled with hers. He tore himself away to kiss his way down her body towards the strawberry heart, and then both men were licking and sucking, so close to where all that burning need was focused.

‘Mmm,’ Grayson groaned appreciatively against her belly. ‘Sweet, strawberry flavoured girl.’

When they were almost done, Mark lifted his head from her and picked up one of the last remaining strawberries, smearing it in cream and chocolate sauce. ‘Here,’ he said, holding it out to her, ‘for being such a good girl.’ He watched as Lisa ate it from his fingers, his eyes darkening as she licked her lips.

Lisa shivered as Grayson licked the remaining cream and sauce from her belly and she felt his mouth move lower, kissing her thighs.

‘I think I’ll give our host the pleasure of finishing you off,’ Mark said with a smile in his voice as he glanced at Grayson.

‘Thank you,’ Grayson murmured. Then he buried his head between her legs, while Mark moved to stand at the other end of the table behind Lisa’s head.

She gasped as she felt Grayson’s tongue licking along the soft folds of her flesh, her body jerking and bucking off the table. She was grateful for the pillow Isabel had given her, her head thrashing involuntarily against the wood as Grayson nibbled and sucked the aching flesh between her legs, gently flicking over her clit. Then Mark leaned over her and kissed her with passionate ferocity, while his hands caressed her breasts. She was pinned down by his mouth and hands, so there was no escape from the almost unbearable pleasure.

She groaned deep in her throat, an almost animalistic sound of need as she felt the heat build inside her while the two men stroked, licked and caressed until she thought she might pass out from the sensory overload. She whimpered against Mark’s lips as Grayson thrust two fingers inside her, while he nibbled and sucked on her clit.

‘Ssh,’ Grayson breathed against her skin, putting a hand on her stomach and holding her down when her body would have bowed off the table, so she was held in place and there was no respite from the fire building inside her as he pleasured her relentlessly. It only intensified the explosive burst of ecstasy as she came, wrapping her arms around Mark’s neck and screaming helplessly into his mouth as huge, shuddering waves of sensation racked her body, more intense than she’d ever have thought possible. She felt she might break apart from the force of it, but still neither of them let up, mercilessly stimulating her already fevered body until she felt herself once more pulsating against Grayson’s tongue as another orgasm took hold.

As her legs started to shake, Mark lifted his head and unwound her arms from around his neck. Stretching them out to the sides, he pinned them to the table so she was helpless, completely at his and Grayson’s mercy. His eyes glittered with excitement as he watched her come.

‘Good girl,’ he whispered in her ear as he bent to kiss her again. She squirmed and writhed uselessly against their restraining hands and mouths as her whole body shook, seeking any release it could find from the blissful torment. Finally Grayson’s fingers stilled, his kisses becoming lighter, gentler, soothing her sensitive flesh. Her body started to relax, sinking down into the wood of the table as little aftershocks of pleasure rippled through her. Mark lifted his head a fraction.

‘More?’ he murmured.

‘No,’ she said in a panicked whisper. ‘Please. I can’t–‘

He gave a throaty chuckle. ‘Relax, baby.’ He stroked her sides soothingly. ‘I’m only teasing.’

She sagged in relief. She didn’t think she could take any more.

Grayson lifted his head from her, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt. ‘You were amazing,’ he said, his voice throaty. ‘So beautiful.’ He pressed a soft kiss to her stomach. Then he straightened up, and gave her a smile, his eyes dazzling with something akin to awe.

‘You did great,’ Mark said as he released her hands.

She was relieved that he seemed to be pleased with her, but now that the fog of desire was starting to lift, self-consciousness began to creep back in and she felt horribly aware that she was spread out on the table completely naked while Grayson and Mark were fully dressed.

She felt boneless as she struggled to sit up, her weak limbs uncooperative.

‘Here, let me help you,’ Grayson said, taking her hand and pulling her up to a sitting position. Lisa let her shoes fall to the floor as her legs dangled over the edge of the table. She dropped her eyes shyly, unable to look at Grayson, embarrassment flooding through her as the reality of her present situation sank in. She was completely naked, her skin sticky with fruit juice and saliva, and she had just let this beautiful stranger eat her out on his kitchen table.

‘Are you okay?’ Grayson asked softly as she bent her head, letting her hair fall in front of her face to hide it.

She nodded, blushing furiously.

Grayson cupped her face, tilting her chin up so she was forced to look him in the eye. ‘If it’s too much–‘

‘No,’ Lisa said hastily, aware of Mark’s watchful eyes on her. ‘It’s not. That was ... amazing.’

‘Are you sure?’ Grayson frowned down at her, his thumb gently stroking her jaw in a soothing motion. ‘It’s okay if you want to stop. We won’t do anything you don’t want to do.’

He seemed so kind, genuinely concerned for her wellbeing, and Lisa wished she could tell him how she really felt and bring this weird evening to an end. She could tell by the strain in his features how turned on he was, and she was in no doubt that he wanted to continue. Yet she also trusted that he meant what he said, and he wouldn’t take things any further if she just said the word. But there would be hell to pay with Mark if she chickened out now. She had no choice but to go through with it. ‘I’m sure,’ she said, meeting his gaze, anxious to convince him. ‘I think it’s pretty obvious I enjoyed myself.’

‘Good,’ Grayson smiled, brushing the hair back from her face. ‘Because I want you very badly.’

Lisa smiled back shakily, trying to hide her nerves. She was grateful when the door opened and Isabel came into the room, causing a diversion. ‘How was dessert?’

‘It was delicious,’ Grayson murmured as he stroked a finger down Lisa’s arm. She shivered as it grazed the side of her breast.

‘Compliments to the chef,’ Mark said, grinning as he wrapped his arms around Isabel from behind, pulling her into his body.

‘Mmm, I can feel how much you enjoyed it,’ she said, wriggling against him.

‘I’m ready for seconds,’ he said, bending to kiss her shoulder.

‘Well, the hot tub’s all set. And Lisa’s making me feel rather over-dressed.’

‘I can help you with that,’ Mark said, brushing her hair aside as his fingers went to the fastening of her dress. Isabel dropped her head to the side, closing her eyes as Mark nuzzled her neck while he slowly slid down the zip.

Grayson took Lisa’s hand and helped her off the table. ‘What about you?’ he asked, a smile in his voice as he wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her against him, so she felt his rock-hard erection at her back. ‘Are you ready for seconds?’

‘Yes,’ she whispered shakily as he gently bit her earlobe.

‘Good,’ Grayson said, his breath hot in her ear. ‘Because I can’t wait to be inside you.’

Lisa bit her lip, stifling a gasp. Her heart hammered in her ribs, and she hoped that if Grayson could feel it he would put it down to excitement rather than the shock and fear his words caused. Her eyes darted in panic to Mark and Isabel, but they both had their eyes closed, Mark’s head buried in Isabel’s shoulder as he peeled off her dress. Lisa was thankful that at least no one was looking at her now because she didn’t think she could hide how desperate she felt in this moment. She had never felt so trapped and hopeless. She was going to have to let Grayson fuck her – and no matter how beautiful or kind he was, no matter how much pleasure he would give her, she didn’t want it. She didn’t want any of this.

She tried to tamp down the rising panic in her chest as she realised she was perilously close to tears. This was what she had come to, she thought miserably – fucking strangers for a quiet life. She had sunk as low as she could possibly go. Her boyfriend had brought her here to pimp her out to another man, and she was going to go along with it, as she always did, just to keep the peace. Was there no limit to how much she would debase herself to avoid antagonising Mark?

She struggled to calm herself, sucking in a deep breath as Grayson kissed her neck and shoulder. She had to be in control when she faced him again. But then Isabel’s eyes flew open and suddenly they were looking right at each other. Isabel’s eyes widened in alarm, and Lisa knew that all her panic and distress must be etched on her features. Shit! She tried to force a calm smile onto her face, but she knew it was too late. Isabel had seen.

‘Why don’t we continue this outside,’ Isabel said smoothly, and Lisa allowed herself to relax a little. Perhaps she had been mistaken, and Isabel hadn’t noticed anything after all.

Grayson lifted his head, and Lisa saw Isabel catch his eye. She gave a barely perceptible shake of her head, a slight frown furrowing her brow. Grayson’s arms dropped away, and Lisa whipped around to see him frowning back at Isabel with a questioning expression. They seemed to be having some sort of silent exchange with their eyes, and as she watched, Isabel mouthed one word at him. Lisa couldn’t tell what it was, but it had an immediate effect on him. He seemed startled, and she caught his horrified expression before he quickly averted his eyes and stepped away from her, putting distance between them.

‘Come on,’ Isabel said, turning to Mark. ‘I can’t wait to get you in that hot tub. ‘ She took his hand and led him to the door. ‘Grayson, maybe you could show Lisa where the bathroom is. I’m sure she’d like to clean up.’

‘Aren’t you joining us?’ Mark asked, already unbuttoning his shirt in the doorway.

‘I think I’d rather have Lisa all to myself,’ Grayson said.

‘Be my guest,’ Mark said with a shrug. ‘But remember what I said – make sure you get her on her knees,’ he added before following Isabel from the room.

Lisa cringed at the way he talked about her as if she were his property, a gift that he could bestow on whomever he chose.

There was an awkward silence as the door closed behind them. She was aware of Grayson, standing very still beside her. Sneaking a look at him, she caught the dazed expression on his face before he turned away abruptly. Suddenly galvanised into action, he moved to the end of the table and picked up Lisa’s dress and thong from the chair where she had left them.

‘Um ... take your clothes,’ he said, holding them out to her, but not meeting her eyes. Lisa took them from him, clutching the dress to her.

‘Come on, I’ll show you where you can take a shower.’ Grayson reached out a hand as if to guide her, but quickly withdrew it, throwing her an apologetic look.

Lisa wasn’t sure what had changed, but something was very different in Grayson’s attitude. Suddenly he seemed hesitant and unsure of himself. He was silent and subdued as he led her to the bathroom, and whereas earlier he couldn’t keep his hands off her, now he seemed to be going out of his way to avoid touching her. He kept a respectful distance between them as they walked side by side down the hall. Lisa felt unnerved, thrown off balance once again by the sudden change in his behaviour, and she moved stiffly, her body rigid with tension as she wondered what was going to happen next.

He led her to a small shower room. Lisa stepped inside and turned to him, still clutching her clothes to her body to cover herself. Grayson remained on the threshold, his arms folded. ‘There are clean towels there,’ he said, nodding to a cabinet against the wall. He seemed to be avoiding even looking at her now, his eyes darting around as he spoke, looking anywhere but at her. ‘You should find everything else you need in the shower.’

‘Thanks.’

‘Come back to the kitchen when you’re done.’

He pulled the door closed, and Lisa immediately darted across and turned the key in the lock, grateful to have some privacy. She had thought maybe Grayson intended to fuck her in the shower, and she was relieved that he didn’t. At least it gave her some time alone to compose herself and get psyched up for whatever came next.

But had he changed his mind about fucking her at all, she wondered. It seemed strange that he had given her her clothes. There wasn’t much point in getting dressed again if he was going to have sex with her as soon as she was ready. She wished she knew what Isabel had communicated to him in that silent exchange. Had she somehow let him know that Lisa was out of her depth? If so, maybe he was planning to go easy on her. Mark had talked up her oral skills. Perhaps Grayson would just get her to give him a blowjob, and he would let her keep her dress on while she was doing it. On the other hand, maybe he just didn’t find her that attractive naked. She didn’t have a lush, sexy body like Isabel. She looked in the mirror, cupping her small, shapely breasts in her hands.

But there was no time for brooding. Whatever he wanted, she shouldn’t keep Grayson waiting too long. She quickly stepped into the shower, washing away the stickiness of strawberry juice and saliva from her skin and trying not to dwell on how it had got there. She kept her head out of the spray as much as possible to avoid getting her hair wet. The warm water was soothing and relaxing, and she fought the temptation to linger. She couldn’t hide in here forever, she thought, shutting off the water and stepping out of the shower. She dried herself quickly and put her clothes back on, grateful to be covered up again. The dress that had seemed indecent just hours earlier now felt comfortingly modest. Everything was relative, she thought, smiling wryly at herself in the mirror as she smoothed her hair. She took a deep breath, steeling herself, and went to rejoin Grayson in the kitchen.

She padded barefoot down the hall and hovered uncertainly in the doorway before going in. Grayson was leaning against the worktop and looked up as she entered.

‘Everything okay?’ he asked with a gentle smile. He was making eye contact with her again, she noted.

She nodded stiffly, her tension returning. ‘Yes, thanks.’

‘Would you like something to drink? Tea? Coffee? Something stronger?’

She could probably use something stronger to steady her nerves, but tea sounded comforting. She was surprised he was offering it, though – it didn’t really seem in keeping with the spirit of the evening.

‘Tea would be lovely.’

He opened a cupboard. ‘Earl Gray, Ceylon, jasmine?’

‘Jasmine, please.’ It was her favourite – she found it so calming and soothing. It might help her relax.

He nodded. ‘Um ... have a seat,’ he waved vaguely in the direction of the table.

Lisa sat, watching in silence as he switched on the kettle and busied himself with making tea. His attitude had changed so quickly and dramatically, it was hard to believe that only a short time ago he had gone down on her in this very room. Her eyes drifted to the table, and she blushed at the memory of his mouth on her. Everything had been cleared away now. He had obviously spent the time she was in the shower cleaning up in here.

‘Here we go.’ He set a tray on the table, jolting her out of her thoughts. Then he sat beside her and poured tea from a Chinese-style pot into little bowl-like cups. He handed her one, and she cupped her hands around it, breathing in the soothing flowery aroma.

‘I brought you some chocolate cake,’ he said, setting a plate in front of her with a big slice of dark, fudgy cake. ‘You haven’t had any dessert.’

‘Thank you, but I don’t really eat sugar.’ She pushed the plate away.

‘I think you should have something sweet. I get the feeling you may have had a shock.’ He smiled ruefully to himself, shaking his head. Lisa got the feeling he was laughing at himself rather than her, but she didn’t understand why.

She took a sip of her tea. ‘What makes you think that?’ she asked.

He looked at her carefully. ‘You haven’t done anything like this before, have you?’

‘No,’ she admitted, feeling very gauche. ‘Did Mark tell you that?’

‘No,’ he said, his tone scathing, a contemptuous curl to his lip. ‘He didn’t.’

She blushed. He clearly found her lack of experience distasteful. Was that why he’d stopped – because he was disappointed? He’d obviously expected someone much more experienced and sassy – someone like Isabel. ‘I’m sorry.’

He frowned. ‘Christ, don’t apologise! It was too much for your first time. It’s perfectly understandable.’ He shrugged. ‘But why didn’t you say something if you were uncomfortable?’

She shrugged. ‘I didn’t want to ... spoil it for everyone.’ She couldn’t tell him the real reason – that she was afraid of Mark.

‘Jesus!’ He rolled his eyes. ‘So you’d have let me –‘ He broke off, raking a hand through his hair in a gesture of frustration, his expression pained. ‘I told you we’d stop anytime you wanted to. Didn’t you believe me?’

‘Yes, of course. But I thought I could ... go through with it.’

He sighed. ‘If Isabel hadn’t come in when she did–‘

‘She said something to you.’ Lisa frowned, still curious about their silent conversation. ‘What was it?’

‘Red.’

‘Red? Just that?’

‘It’s a safe word she uses sometimes when we’re, um, playing ... certain games. It’s a signal that she’s not enjoying what we’re doing and she wants to stop.’

‘That’s why you suddenly changed your mind,’ she said. ‘About having sex with me.’

‘Yes. She saw that you were ... overwhelmed. I’m sorry I didn’t see it myself. I should have been paying more attention.’

‘It’s not your fault.’ Lisa took a sip of her tea.

‘You haven’t touched your cake,’ Grayson said, nodding to it.

She pulled the plate to her and picked up the fork on its side. Maybe she could eat it, just this once. She wasn’t going to pile on the pounds after one slice of chocolate cake. And if Mark should find out, she could say that Grayson had insisted she eat it. Mark could hardly argue with that – not when he’d made her promise to go along with whatever happened tonight. If that included eating cake, then so be it.

She took a tentative bite of the cake, savouring the feel of the thick, glossy icing in her mouth. It was delicious – dense, moist and rich.

‘I’m sorry if I’ve spoiled your fun. ‘I mean I’m sure this wasn’t how you expected the evening to pan out,’ she said wryly. ‘Drinking tea with me in the kitchen.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous. It’s only fun when everyone’s enjoying themselves. Anyway, Isabel is more into this sort of thing than I am, to be honest. I just go along with it for her sake – to make up the numbers, as it were,’ he said with a crooked smile. ‘I mean, it’s no hardship, obviously. But it’s not something I particularly crave.’

At least Grayson didn’t appear angry that she had upset his plans for the evening. In fact, he seemed almost as embarrassed as she was. But she couldn’t let it end like this. What if Mark discovered they hadn’t had sex? He’d be so mad if she didn’t keep her promise.

‘It’s not that I wasn’t enjoying myself,’ she said. ‘It was just a bit of a shock when I realised what tonight was about, and it knocked me off balance. I felt a bit out of my depth because you all knew what was going on and I didn’t. If I’d been prepared–‘

Grayson went very still. ‘What do you mean?’ he asked, his voice laden with dread. ‘What did you think was going to happen tonight?’

‘I ... I just thought we were going to have dinner.’ She blushed at how stupid that sounded now. She felt such an idiot, realising she had been the only one out of the loop.

‘Oh, Christ!’ Grayson put his head in his hands. ‘And then I practically assaulted you–‘

‘You didn’t assault me. You couldn’t have known–‘

‘I should have realised.’

‘How could you?’

‘Well, let’s just say you’re very different to the type of woman Isabel usually ropes in for her games.’ He rolled his eyes expressively.

‘But I wasn’t unwilling – I never said no. I would have let you do whatever you wanted.’

‘
Why
?’

‘Because–‘ She looked down at her hands, wringing her fingers. ‘I promised Mark I’d go along with whatever happened tonight.’

Grayson raised his eyebrows. ‘But he didn’t tell you what it would be?’

‘No. He– he wanted it to be a surprise.’

‘Jesus! I’m so sorry. Please believe I would never have touched you if I thought for a second it wasn’t what you wanted.’

‘It’s okay,’ she said, blushing. She just didn’t want to talk about it. It was too mortifying.

‘It’s not okay,’ he said angrily. ‘Mark should have told you. He had no right to bring you into a situation like this unknowingly, like you’re his toy to share. And I don’t appreciate him making me party to it.’

Lisa flinched at the anger in Grayson’s tone. He was furious about what Mark had done. What if he confronted him about it?

Grayson drained his cup and sighed heavily. ‘Finish your cake,’ he said, ‘and then if you’d like to go home, I’ll get you a car.’

‘Oh.’ Her heart started to pound. Obviously Grayson meant to be kind, but he would just get her into trouble. But if he wanted to get rid of her, what could she do?

‘Lisa?’ He frowned at her. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘Nothing. I just–‘ Maybe she could seduce him, she thought. It shouldn’t be that difficult. He had been all set to have sex with her earlier. She put down her cup determinedly. ‘Look, I was a bit overwhelmed earlier because I didn’t know what to expect. I was taken aback, that’s all. But I’m fine now. So, if you’d like to finish what we started earlier,’ she said with a suggestive smile. She reached a hand out and touched his leg tentatively.

‘Stop,’ he said softly, putting a hand over hers.

Feeling rejected and humiliated, Lisa fought the urge to recoil. Instead she reminded herself how hot he’d been for her earlier. At least thanks to Mark she had plenty of experience appeasing men with sex. ‘Like Mark said, I’m very good with my mouth.’ She looked up at him seductively through her eyelashes. ‘Why don’t I show you?’