Talking About Sex...

“I’m glad you’re not a virgin. I wouldn’t want to shock you.”

He grew uneasy. After all, she did have that radio talk show. Last night she’d seemed like the woman he remembered, soft and eager for his kiss. But tonight she’d morphed into someone more experienced and sure of herself. She’d become Billboard Katie.

For all he knew, in the past thirteen years she’d turned into a wild thing who’d had more lovers than he’d had. Once upon a time they’d been equally green, equally ignorant of the nuances. Since then, she might have outstripped him.

“Changed your mind, Jess?” Her blue eyes issued a challenge.

He looked at her in that filmy black number and knew he’d never be able to live with himself if he walked away from this chance. He’d be a damned coward if he allowed himself to be intimidated and left now. “No, I haven’t changed my mind.”

“I’m glad.” She finished her wine and held out her glass for more. “Because I’m looking forward to this.”

His hand was unsteady, but he managed to pour her wine without spilling any on her turquoise sofa. “So am I.” He resisted the urge to top off his own glass. He could use the Dutch courage, but more wine might dull his senses. Dulled senses wouldn’t serve him well in the hours ahead. He had to stay sharp.

“So how did you happen to hear my show last night?”

He wasn’t about to confess that he listened to her show almost every night. “I was out. I had the car radio on.”

“Driving around by yourself?”

“Uh, no. I had a date.”

She put down her wine. “Please tell me you didn’t have a date waiting out in the car when you came to the station. If you did, then I don’t know you at all, and this night is so over.”

“I didn’t have a date in the car. I drove her home before I came down to KRZE.”

“Is she…someone special?”

“No.” He took comfort in the way she’d asked that. She didn’t want him to have a steady girlfriend any more than he wanted her to have a steady boyfriend. Once they got past the stage where she felt the need to hiss at him every so often, they would be fine. Once he could hold her in his arms, they would be even better.

“That’s a relief,” she said. “I don’t want to poach on another woman’s territory.”

“I wouldn’t want to poach on another guy’s territory either.” He wanted confirmation of what he suspected—that she wasn’t serious about anyone.

“Oh, don’t worry. You won’t be poaching.”

He could take that two ways. Either he had clear sailing…or she’d keep him moored at the dock. He’d go with the clear-sailing image. “Okay. Good.” He edged closer to her. “You know what? You’re too far away.”

“Hold your position, Harkins.”

He frowned. “What?”

“Stay where you are. It’s been thirteen years, and I want us to have a chance to get to know each other before we start with the physical stuff.”

That totally bewildered him. “Like what? You want to go out to dinner first?”

“I’ve had dinner, thanks. I think we should sit and talk.”

“Well, okay, but at the station last night you seemed ready to—”

“Old tapes playing in my head is all. I’m conditioned from our high school make-out sessions to go up in flames the minute you kiss me, so I reacted that way last night, like Pavlov’s dogs. But we’re starting fresh, like you said. We never did much talking back then.”

He remembered how they’d steamed up the windows with heavy breathing, not conversation. “No, we didn’t.” And he wished she’d save herself some work and continue with that earlier conditioning instead of trying to reprogram herself. Going up in flames when he kissed her sounded A-okay to him.

“So let’s talk,” she said.

“About what?”

“I’m curious to find out how much you know about sex.”

He gulped. “I’m not sure what you mean by that. Besides, I’m more a man of action than words.” Sweat began to trickle down his spine. He might be in way over his head with the new version of Katie Peterson. “If you’re asking me to list techniques, I’d rather show you than try to describe them.”

“Maybe it would help if I asked a few questions. For example, what’s your favorite way to make a woman come?”

His chest tightened. He had a feeling she was going somewhere with this, but he couldn’t figure out where, and that put him at a big disadvantage. He struggled to breathe normally. “Depends on the woman,” he said.

She nodded. “Good answer. You don’t have a one-size-fits-all approach to female orgasms. I like that.”

“I hope you would…like that.” Maybe she was putting him through some kind of test.

“Mmm.” She ran her tongue over her lower lip. “I do like to come. Sadly a girl can’t always count on a man to take the time she needs, though.”

“I would.” He was getting hard, which might be what she’d had in mind when she’d suggested this conversation. “You’ll have all the time you want. We can take it slow or we can take it fast. Whatever feels good.” And he’d like to get started. Now.

“Are you in favor of oral sex?”

“Yes.” He was in favor of it immediately. If she’d let him settle his head between her thighs in the next five minutes, he’d put an end to this conversation and replace it with her satisfied moaning. “I have an idea. Let’s move the discussion to your bedroom.”

“Not yet. First I need to convince myself that I’m going to have a climax with you.”

“Trust me, you will. As many as you can stand. I’ll be happy to take care of that.” He didn’t know if she could achieve multiple orgasms, but he’d give it his all. And his all was currently feeling very restricted inside his briefs. He had on far too many clothes. So did Katie.

“I like a sure thing.” She put her empty wineglass on the coffee table.

His pulse rate jumped another notch. Maybe she was ready to head in the direction he wanted at last. He set his glass on the table, too. “I’ll make you come or die trying.”

“That sounds a little extreme.” She turned and reached for one of the candles stuck into the candelabra behind her. “I wouldn’t want to put that much pressure on you.”

“I’d welcome the pressure.” He glanced at her holding the lighted candle. “If you want candlelight in the bedroom, you might want to bring the whole thing. Those are a specialty size. They won’t fit just anywhere.”

“I know.” She blew gently on the wick. The flame fanned out sideways and went out. “I know exactly where it would fit.”

A possibility skittered through his brain. But she wouldn’t really do that. Would she?

“These candles really do have an interesting shape.” She turned the candle over and examined the blunt end.

Jess stared at her. She seemed to be almost caressing the thing, as if—no, surely not.

Then, looking straight at him, she slid the blunt end of the candle into her mouth.

His entire groin ached as she sucked on the candle. “Okay, I deserve that. I bought them.” His voice cracked. “And in case you can’t tell, you’re getting to me.”

She took the candle, shiny and wet, out of her mouth. “That was for my benefit, not yours.”

“I don’t—” He caught his breath as she leaned back against the cushions and opened her thighs. He’d missed a significant detail of the harem pants. They weren’t stitched at the crotch.

Now he understood her diabolical plan, one that was sure to drive him out of his mind. And he’d been the genius who’d introduced candles into the equation. He had no one to blame but himself. He swallowed. “Katie, please…”

“Relax, Jess. Relax and enjoy the show.”

TWO GLASSES OF WINE HELPED, but Katie still couldn’t believe she was doing this. Some alter ego seemed to be whispering in her ear, urging her to be a very bad girl, bad enough to have Jess completely in her power, as Cheryl had suggested. From his expression, she was almost there.

In the process, she was arousing herself beyond belief. She’d never tried anything this daring with a man. “I’m not the little virgin you remember, Jess.”

“No.” His voice was a hoarse croak, and he clenched the sofa with both hands. “So I’m supposed to just…sit here?”

“That’s the idea. Unless you want to leave.”

Slowly he shook his head.

“Then let’s get this party started.” Her black thong was soaked as she pulled it aside. She’d begun planning this while she was changing clothes. Her harem outfit, bought in a moment of craziness more than a year ago, had never been on her body until now. Yet it was perfect for what she had in mind.

Using one of the candles he’d brought seemed like the perfect touch. He’d wanted her to think of them as sexual symbols, so could she be blamed for imagining the possibilities?

“Katie…I wish you’d let me…”

“I’m letting you watch.” She barely recognized her own voice. It had turned sultry, the kind of voice that belonged to a woman who was teasing herself with the blunt end of a penis-size candle.

He groaned.

“Consider this a tutorial.” Her breathing quickened. “Pay attention.” She held his gaze as she pushed the smooth wax taper deeper. “You might learn something.” She was learning that being a bad girl was more exciting than she’d ever dreamed. One slide of the candle and she was ready to come.

“All right.” His tone was strained. “Now I’m begging.”

Her words came out in a breathy rush. “For what?” She stroked slowly with the candle, wanting to prolong the moment when she had Jess completely enslaved.

“Don’t make yourself come like that.” His dark eyes glowed with an unholy fire. “Let me touch you…please.” He made a move toward her.

“No. Stay there.”

“I want to satisfy you, damn it!”

Her thighs started to quiver. “But this is guaranteed satisfaction.”

“So am I!”

“I don’t know that.” She jiggled the candle faster.

His breath grew tortured. “I do! Katie…God…Katie.”

“I’m going to come, Jess.” She moaned as the spasms started. “And it’s good…so very…good….” Clutching the candle in both hands, she shuddered and slumped back against the sofa cushions.

Through half-closed eyes she gazed at him. He was a wreck. Her tender, caring side felt sorry for him and wanted to invite him back to her bedroom for the fun and games he’d hoped would happen.

But she needed to remember that he’d broken into her apartment expecting to seduce her. The wine and candlelight had been part of a carefully constructed plan. With the old Katie, it would have worked beautifully.

Instead she wanted to change the dynamics, and inviting him to her bedroom this soon would destroy all the progress she’d achieved so far. A bad girl wouldn’t make things that easy for him. A bad girl would expect him to wait a little longer.

She took a calming breath and laid the candle on the coffee table.

Jess glanced at it before refocusing his gaze on her. “Now what?” he asked quietly.

“We make a date for tomorrow night.”

Disbelief flashed in his eyes. “You’re sending me home?”

“It’s been a lot of years, Jess. I think we need time to get reacquainted, don’t you?”

“Like this? With me watching you masturbate? What kind of ridiculous idea is—”

“You don’t have to come back tomorrow night if you’d rather not.”

A muscle worked in his jaw. “Maybe I won’t.”

“Suit yourself. But if you decide to, make it about six. I’ll have some snacks for us. Maybe something…interesting.”

“I’d expect cucumbers and bananas, at this rate.” His gaze burned with frustration.

“I’m sure I can think of something more creative than that.”

“No doubt you can. But you’d better know now that I plan to take part in whatever you dream up. Sex isn’t a spectator sport, you know.”

“You don’t think so?” Her research for the talk show was really coming in handy. “Don’t you ever use mirrors?”

“I—no.”

“You should try it sometime. Mirrors give a whole new dimension to the action.” She didn’t know that from firsthand experience, but she had no trouble imagining it.

He studied her, his jaw tight. “I don’t know what to make of you, Katie. I thought we could just have sex.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“I can see that.”

Maybe now was the time to dangle a carrot in front of Jess’s nose. “In any case, if you decide to show up tomorrow night, I’ll make you a promise.”

“What’s that?” He looked wary.

She smiled. “You won’t be just a spectator.”

5

JESS DIDN’T GIVE KATIE a firm answer as to whether he’d show up at her apartment on Sunday night, but he was certainly firm in one specific area. He drove home with an erection that refused to wilt. The image of Katie masturbating with the candle followed him the whole way back to his town house, which explained his continuing problem.

Once he was in the privacy of his own shower, he took care of that immediate situation, but he still wanted Katie. He would go back tomorrow night. No matter how much he’d like to stay away and salvage his pride, he wouldn’t be able to do it. She had him hooked.

Besides, tomorrow night would be different. She’d said so, and even if her plans didn’t include full participation from him, he’d make that happen. He wasn’t going through another session where he only watched while she brought herself off.

But even as he ranted against her treatment, honesty made him admit that he’d never been so aroused in his life. She’d raised the bar on sexual excitement with that trick. And when he finally made it to the major attraction with her, the rewards would be greater because he’d been forced to wait and required to suffer extreme frustration.

So, yeah, maybe her technique wasn’t all bad. Once was enough, though. She’d proved her point and he’d gone along for the sake of future benefits. He expected those benefits tomorrow night. Either they’d indulge in the whole enchilada or he was outta there.

KATIE WOKE UP AT DAWN the next morning feeling wired even though she hadn’t slept all that well. Wearing her faded KRZE sleep shirt, she wandered into the living room to see if she’d dreamed Jess had been here. But the candelabra with the penis-size candles told her that he’d been there, all right, and she’d acted like a very bad girl.

Thank God she was scheduled to meet Cheryl at Sabino Canyon this morning for a run. She needed to work off some of her excess energy. After changing into shorts and a sports bra, she grabbed a water bottle, her cell phone and a visor before heading out of the apartment. Now that vehicular traffic had been banned from the canyon, the road into it made a perfect walking and jogging trail.

Cheryl was late, as usual, but Katie didn’t mind. Strolling the parking lot at the entrance to the canyon, she listened to the birds and watched the sunlight move down the granite cliffs. She loved Cheryl, but her constant chatter tended to drown out the beauty of any natural surroundings.

“Here I am!” Cheryl’s cheery greeting sailed across the parking lot like a kite in the breeze.

“Let’s go.” Katie set off at a jog. She still wasn’t sure how much she wanted to say about last night, so she let Cheryl talk.

That was never a problem for Cheryl. She’d built up her lung power over the years and could carry on a conversation even when running. “I set my alarm,” she said, “but it’s a new Zen kind with a chime instead of an annoying ring, and it turns out that the cute little chime doesn’t do squat to wake me up. I sleep like the dead, you know.”

“I know.” They’d roomed together in college. Some mornings Katie had resorted to a glass of water in the face to get Cheryl out of bed.

“I love to sleep. Do you know how important those REMs are to your overall health? People in this country are sleep-deprived, I tell you. Why, the SATs would probably go up amazingly if high school kids could only get enough sleep.”

“Probably.” Katie jogged up the trail and listened to Cheryl’s dissertation on sleep, which morphed into a diatribe about lack of productivity in general before moving on to the values of massage, which continued with a list of the best places in town to get one.

Then unexpectedly Cheryl threw in a question. “Any word from Jess?”

Katie had been lulled into complacency by Cheryl’s monologue and stumbled with her answer. “Uh, yes. He…when I got back last night, he…was in my apartment.”

“What?” Cheryl stopped in the middle of the road. “What do you mean, in your apartment? Did you leave a window open?”

“No, he sort of…picked the lock.”

Cheryl stared at her. “Jess? Our Jess?”

Katie explained about Jess’s father while Cheryl stood there, uncharacteristically speechless. Then Katie added the info about the candles and the wine. After that she wasn’t sure how much she wanted to tell, so she suggested they continue on up the trail.

Cheryl went along with that, but she kept glancing over at Katie and shaking her head. “I still can’t get my mind around Jess picking your lock. That’s bizarre.”

“I guess he figured if he knocked on the door like a normal person, I wouldn’t let him in.”

“Obviously! And he had seduction on the brain. So did he succeed?”

“Not exactly.” Katie felt flushed, and it wasn’t only because of the run. “I…teased him a little, pretended I would go along with him, but then…I didn’t.”

“Good for you! That’s excellent. He had some nerve coming over there, breaking in and then expecting you to fall into bed with him. I mean, after his past history, he can’t expect you to welcome him with open arms. I don’t care if he floats your boat or not, you have to be careful with a guy like that. So now what?”

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