The Offer (25 page)

“Calm down,” I
tell her, knowing she was going to bring Linden into it somehow.
“Okay, I guess it all started with IKEA.”

“IKEA!” Steph
says with a smile, putting her fist down on the bar as if IKEA was
the name of a good friend of ours.

“Yeah, well,
he took me there, you know I told you, to get a new couch.”

“Yeah…and you
had sex on the couch!”

“No. Just
wait. Okay, so it was all fine. He was flirting with me, you know
how he is, so damn direct about it.”

“Just like
Linden,” she says dreamily, her chin propped up on her hand.

“
Not
like
Linden,” I tell her. “Anyway, so later, back at home, he comes over
to help me assemble the couch. I can’t remember if I asked him or
not. Oh yeah, I needed a drill! Anyway, Ava is having a nap in my
room and we’re talking…and…you know, he’s not at all what I
thought.” I don’t want to divulge any of the private stuff he
shared with me about the charity, but I say, “And I think he’s not
at all what you think. Or even Linden. He’s a lot deeper than
that.”

She snorts.
“Bram? Deep? Come on, the only way he’s deep is when he’s trying to
calculate all the women he’s been with.”

I have to
admit, I’m getting a bit defensive. “Not true at all. I mean, yeah,
there’s women. Or there was.”

“
Was
?”

“But I’m
getting ahead of myself—”

“
You are
getting
way
ahead of
yourself.”

“Anyway we
were talking and…God, I don’t know. I just…I know it’s stupid of me
but man, you know, all this time with the flirting and innuendos
and I just wanted to see what it was like to be with him. You know?
It started to become all I thought about, just looking at him,
listening to that damn accent—”

She sighs
loudly. “Yeah, that accent.”

“He was making
me feel things I hadn’t felt in a really long time.”

She gives me a
steady look, her lip pouting slightly. “How come you never told me
about this? I thought you hated Bram.”

“I did! But,
he kind of won me over. And I guess I figured it was just stupid to
have a thing for someone like him.”

“Oh, honey,
come on. Who doesn’t have a thing for Bram? He’s Bramtastic.”

“Oh my God,” I
exclaim. “You’re just as bad as he is!”

She
shrugs.

“Look,” I
point out, “you were just threatening him to not even look at me,
you were threatening me and Kayla about breaking up the balance of
the group. There were a lot of threats. I didn’t want you mad at me
or, God forbid, lecture me.”

“I know I said
those things,” she says, “but that’s only because I care and I just
wanted to warn you. But honestly, you’re like all-aglow and stuff.
I haven’t seen you like this in a very long time. I know you’re
being careful with him…aren’t you?”

I nod. “Well,
I’m not falling in love with him, if that’s what you mean.”

“Good,” she
says. “Not that I don’t want you to fall in love, I would just be
extra wary with a man who seems pretty good at breaking hearts.”
She pauses, watching my face fall. “But that aside…you slept with
Bram. My brother-in-law.”

“Yup.”

“So, you were
assembling the couch and he just, what, took you right there?”

I laugh.
“That’s not so far off. We were underneath the fabric of the couch.
You know how IKEA is, you have to put together everything. We were
zipping this foam thing to the lining and…I don’t know. Some kind
of look passed between us and the next thing I knew, he was kissing
me, his hands were everywhere. I was pushed back onto the ground
and my shirt was up and he was…it was pretty fucking hot.”

“And,
and…?”

I shrug. “And
Ava interrupted us.”

“Cockblocker!”

“Steph,” I
warn. “That’s my daughter you’re talking about. And yes, she’s a
cockblocker.”

“But tell me
you at least got to feel what he was packing.”

“I told you I
slept with him. Obviously dick was involved.”

“Hashtag
dick.”

“And well,
when we were fooling around under there, he did, you know, put a
few fingers in me.”

“This is so
awesome. Give me another beer.”

I pull out an
Anchor Steam, pop off the top and slide it on over. I fill her in
on the rest, including me texting him and wondering if he was
awake.

“So you took
control,” she muses. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you do that. You
know, with a man.”

She was right
about that. “Well, I initiated it. Once he arrived, he was in
control the whole time. And it was nice. He’s a bit rough, you
know, a dirty talker too. At least with what I’ve experienced. I
don’t think he’s quite as vulgar as Linden.”

“Give it
time.”

“Anyway.”

“And you got
off right?”

“Fuck yeah.
And every time after that.”

“And when does
IKEA come into this again?”

I can’t help
but smile slyly, looking away. The memory of that moment is seared
into my head to the point it’s impossible to shake loose. “We went
back to return the couches. When Ava was in daycare, he hauled me
into one of the showroom bathrooms…”

“No…” she
says, eyes wide.

I nod. “Yeah.
He put me up on the sink counter and went down on me.”

“In the
store!”

“Yup.”

“And there
were people around?”

“There were. I
didn’t see any of them until after. Then we got caught.”

“
You
got
caught
?” she
squeals. Loud. Loud enough that James finally starts walking toward
us.

“Steph, you’re
so loud!” I hiss at her.

“What’s going
on ladies?” James asks, always the nosy one.

“Nothing,” I
say quickly.

“Nothing,”
Steph adds. “Except that Nicola here is a secret
exhibitionist.”

“Steph!”

James looks me
up and down. “Are you sure about that?”

“She might
start dancing on top of the bar,” Steph adds.

“You can do
whatever you want,” he says, “as long as it brings in the
customers.” He stares at the both of us for a moment, trying to
suss out what’s going on but when we give him nothing, he
leaves.

“And with
that,” I say to her, “please don’t tell anyone about what
happened.”

“I’ll keep my
lips shut,” she says. “But obviously I’m telling Linden.”

“No!” I swat
at her arm. “You can’t tell him of all people! I don’t want Bram to
think I’m flapping my mouth off.”

“Oh, and you
don’t think he’s doing the same thing right now? Scoring with the
unpenetrable ice queen?”

“Ice queen?”
That almost smarts as much as “no fun.”

“You know,
that’s what they call any girl who won’t give up their cooch on the
first date. You’re like their white whale.”

“Great, a
whale.”

“Moby Dick,
stupid. Anyway, Linden will know by the time I get home, I
guarantee it. And it won’t be on account of me.” She gives me a
look. “And you know, it’s fun to share. It’s good for you. I mean,
you don’t see me holding back what Linden does in bed.”

“I know,” I
grumble. “And I don’t need another recap about what you guys did
with the sparkly butt plugs you bought in the Castro, either.”

She shrugs. “I
bet Bram is just as much into that kinky shit. And when he shoves
his cock in your pussy and a plug up your ass, I guarantee you’re
going to call me up and shoot the shit.”

“I really hope
you’re not being literal,” I comment dryly.

Steph doesn’t
stick around for long after that. She gets this look on her face
when she’s tipsy and needing to get laid. I wish I didn’t know what
that look was but I’ve seen it too often when she’s thinking about
Linden.

I’m about ten
minutes from finishing my shift when I get a text from Bram.

Are you still
at work?

I can’t help
but get a giddy little thrill just from a simple text. I feel like
I’m in high school again.

Yup, just
about to finish though.

I’ll come get
you. I can’t wait any longer. Been thinking about you all day.

Now I’m
grinning ear to ear. I’d forgotten what fun it was to flirt via
text.

All right, if
you want to.

See you
soon.

It’s not long
until I’m stepping out into the mist, bringing my jacket around me
closely, while Bram pulls up in his Mercedes.

“Get in,
beautiful,” he tells me after putting down his window. He looks so
dapper in his suit, I almost have to pinch myself that he’s here to
get me.

I slide on
into the Mercedes. “Brrrr it’s cold out,” I say, rubbing on my
arms.

He leans over
and flicks on the heat. “You know, you’d think growing up in
Scotland, the drizzliest, dampest, wet crotch of all places would
have prepared me for San Francisco but I don’t know how you people
do it. Your seasons make no sense.”

“Tell me
about,” I say, still feeling the chill. Wearing a skirt doesn’t
help but he puts his broad, warm hand on my thigh and presses
down.

“You’re cold
as ice,” he notes. “You should have had a few shots of Scotch while
you were waiting for me.”

I tell him I
wasn’t waiting long. Then the car pulls off of Van Ness Avenue and
starts heading toward Golden Gate Park. “Where are we going?”

He doesn’t say
anything. I look over at him and he’s grinning in the dark and his
hand is sliding further up my thighs.

I squirm as
the hairs on his arm tickle my sensitive skin. At the same time I
can’t help but part my legs, wanting to give him easier access.

“Where are we
going?” I ask again, my breath hitching as his fingers push aside
my panties and slink their way between my folds. I know I’m wet
already. My body gives this man the most immediate reaction. Even
the way he says “fuck” gets me going.

“I’m going to
take you for a little ride,” he says. There’s a husky undertone to
his voice that drives the message home.

This is all
still so new to me. I try not to dwell on my insecurities – does my
breath stink after that shift, am I wearing a matching bra and
underwear, am I going to be any good? The car revs, the vibrations
going right through me and I lean back in my seat and close my
eyes.

I’m actually
close to coming – his fingers have skill and my body has no
patience, not with him – but he brings the car to the side of the
road going through the park. In any other circumstances I’d think
he brought me here to murder me. Or I would have been afraid of the
riff raff and secret society that breeds in the park after dark.
But I know Bram won’t hurt me and I know I’m safe pretty much
anywhere with him. He knows how to take care of himself pretty
well.

“This is a bit
creepy,” I still say to him. “Great place to hide a body.”

“Great place
to shag a body,” he says, turning the car and the lights off until
we’re enveloped in near darkness, and twisting in his seat. I hear
his seatbelt come undone. “I’m not taking any chances after what
happened in IKEA. Now, I’m getting in the backseat and you’re going
to get in right after.”

I don’t make
any attempt to argue. He gets out of his seat and walks to the
back. He opens the door and sits down, undoing his belt and zipper.
In the dim light from a nearby streetlamp I can see the length of
his hard cock as he takes it out.

Jesus. He’s
just fucking ready for this at any time.

“Are you going
to get back here and suck me off or what?”

Wow. Okay.
First the cock makes an appearance, then his filthy mouth.

“I’ll be right
there,” I tell him, trying to keep my voice from shaking. Even
though it’s fun, it’s still nerve-wracking. I feel so silly playing
the role of the sexy minx and it’s apparent that’s exactly what he
wants from me.

I open the
passenger door, get out into the cold air and then open the back
one. I’m about to step inside when he says, “Strip.”

“What?” I say
peering into the car at him. His eyes gleam with desire and
control.

“I said,
strip. Take it all off, now. Then get in the car and put my cock in
your mouth.”

I blink. I
can’t tell if he’s role-playing or not, but he sounds dark and
commanding and not at all the happy, grinning Bram that had picked
me up. To be honest, it makes my nerves stand on edge.

“Bram,” I tell
him.

“Do as I
say.”

I sigh and
then start to take off my jacket.

“Slowly,” he
says.

“It’s freezing
out.”

“Do it
slowly,” he grinds out. “And I promise to take it slowly with
you.”

Well, at least
I can’t turn my nose up at the reward.

So I slowly
remove my leather jacket, tossing it onto the floor of the
backseat. Then my tank top until I’m just in my bra.

“Gorgeous
tits.” He nearly growls. “Jeans next.”

I take off my
boots and socks, then slide down my jeans until I’m just in my bra
and panties, standing by the side of the road. No one has driven by
yet but that doesn’t mean they won’t. The air is nipping at my
skin, making it buzz and the grass underneath my feet is cool and
wet. I feel like I’m slowly becoming alive again.

Then I look
down. My bra and underwear do not match whatsoever. You would think
I would have remembered the cardinal rule I used to follow when I
was younger – when sleeping with a guy, always make sure your bra
and underwear match. That and always carry mints or gum on you,
don’t wear too sticky lip gloss and make sure you exfoliate every
inch of you, even when you don’t think you’ll get lucky because
those are usually the days that you do.

“You’re a damn
goddess, you know that?” he says. His voice is so rich and deep, it
could command me to go streaking down the road right now and I’d
probably do that. “Remove your bra.”