A Man After Midnight (3 page)

“Hell
no
,” she said emphatically.  “You wanted to know why you and not him?  His actions were cold and calculating, even from the beginning.  Staking out women in a bar, picking his potential bed partner … I wasn’t going to be the next notch on his bedpost.”

The fingers gripping her ass cheeks tightened just a little.  “And
my
bedpost, Caroline?”

She took a deep breath.  Now was the moment to back away if she wanted.  To thank Wren for the drink and dancing, and saving her from being assaulted. She could leave with all her sanity intact, retreat back behind the walls she’d built up, and enjoy the memory of being just a bit daring.

Or she could live a little.  Be
more
daring.

Wasn’t that why she’d come to New York City after all?

Without answering him, she traced a finger down his chest to his abdomen.  A little quiver in his belly let her know how she affected him.  She kept going, until she reached his fly, and the impressive hard-on beneath straining against it.  He groaned as she caressed him through the material, being careful to pull down the zipper.  She slid her hand inside, worming her way through his boxers until her seeking fingers brushed over his hard cock. 

“Christ, Caroline,” he said in a guttural tone.  He released her and leaned back, allowing her to explore.

Wetness leaked from the head, so she coated her hand enough to start sliding it up and down the shaft, learning its sizeable girth and tracing the vein that bubbled from the head. 

“Come here,” he said and grabbed one of her legs to lift up and hook around his hip. Her dress rode up, the cool air touching her intimately.  Wren pressed his fingers against her pussy, moving aside her panties and the garter belt she wore to find her wet slit.  He found her clit, lightly caressing the bundle of nerves that had her humping his hand.  

Everything melted away. She forgot they were in a public place, she forgot they had just met … she even forgot her own name as her body clenched into the beginnings of an orgasm.  His mouth landed on hers just as she convulsed, swallowing her cry of bliss.

Once sanity returned, she realized his cock was still in her hand, and it was still rock hard. Wanting to return the pleasure, she dropped her leg and focused on him. The shaft twitched in her hands, the skin stretched tight.  Curling her hand around it, she pumped it, holding tight around the base and easing up at the top. His body rocked into her caress, seeking the ecstasy she found.  He slammed his mouth onto hers and she sucked hard on his tongue, drawing it all the way into her mouth, and the combined feelings must have tipped the scale, because he moaned deep into her mouth and his body stiffened as he came.  Her palm caught the hot jets of his cum as he pumped a few more times before he broke their kiss and leaned his forehead against her shoulder.

They stayed entwined like that for a couple of moments, while the pleasure slowly faded off and reality settled in.  Her hand, filled with his release, withdrew from his pants. Wren took out a white handkerchief from his back pocket and held it out toward her.

She giggled as she wiped her palm.  “I can’t believe that just happened.”

He kissed her lips and softly ran a finger down her cheek.  “Never had sex in a public place?”

She shook her head.  “I’ve never had sex with someone I just met, either.”

“I seem to be a bad influence on you.”

“Mm.”  She let her head fall back against the wall and looked at him.  “What would you say if I told you I wanted you to be very bad with me?”

His body surged against hers.  “Spend the night with me, and you’ll get your wish.”

With her heart beating erratically again, Caroline grabbed hold of the new found boldness that had flooded through her body, and nodded.

Chapter Three

They barely made it back to his hotel room.  The taxi ride from the dance hall became a blur as Caroline concentrated on where Wren’s hand traveled once they reclined in the back of the car.  He trailed his fingers teasingly up and down her thighs, each time getting a little closer to her pussy before withdrawing. The maddening seduction only heightened her arousal.

Briefly she wondered where this new persona of hers had come from.  She’d always been the reserved girl, and never would’ve labeled herself as promiscuous or kinky.  Yet she’d let a virtual stranger bring her to orgasm, and now she wanted his cock inside her.  Caroline couldn’t process it all, so instead of reconciling with the new woman emerging from the shell of the old one, she simply pushed the confusion away and concentrated on the man with her.  If she was going to have a one-night stand, she wanted it to be mind-blowing both for her and for Wren.

Although some people lingered in the hotel lobby, the area was virtually deserted since the club and bar had closed for the night.  Caroline’s heart beat wildly as Wren placed his hand in the small of her back and escorted her to the bank of elevators.  When the doors opened, she had one brief moment where she knew she could forget the whole situation and slink on back to her room.  As she stood next to Wren, his hand lingering over the floor numbers, he crooked an eyebrow at her.

He was waiting for her permission.

Slowly, she gave a nod and he swiped his key card to gain access to the penthouse.  Cameras hung in the corner of the ceiling so Caroline restrained herself, but once he had opened his penthouse door Caroline launched herself into his arms.

Clothing fell off, thrown haphazardly everywhere. Shoes, tossed in various directions. Once naked, Wren grabbed her by the waist and raised her so she could wrap her legs around him.  Her panties and garter belt were still on, but the dress and her strapless bra became casualties of passion.  His gripped her ass cheeks as he held her in place, his lips finding hers and as he thrust his tongue deep in her mouth.  Her sensitive nipples rasped against his chest hairs, bringing them achingly alive. 

He fell back onto the bed, Caroline bouncing on top of him, her legs unwinding from his waist to straddle him.  A thin barrier of material separated his hard cock from plunging deep.  He ran a hand down her back, over her ass and down her legs until he found the snaps for her garter belt.  With a practiced touch he undid each tie until she was free of the stockings.  He broke the kiss and sat up with her still on his lap to ease off the stockings, one at a time.  Then he unhooked the belt from her waist and let it drop on the floor. 

They stared into one another’s eyes as he traced a finger along the edge of her lace panties, dipping under the seam as her eyes flared in excitement.  He brushed over her clit, lightly caressing the nerve cluster until she undulated her hips. The pressure of his hard cock plus the caress of his fingers had her on the edge of self-combusting.  She leaned down and bit his shoulder, her teeth sinking into tight skin.  Wren hissed, and as he jerked in response to the pain, his cock banging forcefully against the material of her panties.  She liked his response, but didn’t analyze too closely her gut reaction to inflict the bite.  Then the moment quickly fled as he flipped her onto her back, yanking the panties down her legs. 

With a wicked grin, he took both her wrists in his hands and then tied them together with one of her stockings.  She raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything, her arousal rising at the devilish promise shining in his eyes.

He licked and nipped his way down her body, paying close attention to each turgid nipple.  He sucked one peak into his mouth, laving it over and over with his tongue and teeth, while rolling the other between his fingers.  Caroline arched in pleasure, her legs falling open as if urging him to continue his exploration.  Her hands tested their bond, finding the silk stocking unbreakable––which only intensified the thrill.

“Keep them there,” Wren ordered.

She nodded, so he continued his descent down her body.  Warm breath blew against her pussy, sending goose bumps over her skin.  A tongue flicked out to run along her slit.  Wren spread apart her thighs with his hands, opening her up. 

The man knows how to eat pussy
.

“I want you,” she moaned.

“You want my cock?” 

“Yes,” she gasped as his mouth settled onto her clit and sucked hard.  She thrashed her head back and forth, totally lost in the pleasure he wrung from her body.  And just as she lay balanced on the precipice, he rose from her.  Frustration sliced through her.  Barely conscious of him pulling out a condom and sheathing himself, Caroline panted as he lowered his body onto hers and with a drive of his hips, possessed her fully.

Caroline gasped at the exquisite pleasure, her back arching her chest off the bed. 

“Oh, fuck!”  Wren groaned into her ear.  The staccato beat of his heart pounded in tune with hers. 

She wiggled her hips in encouragement, wanting more.

“Hold still for a moment, or this ends too quickly,” he grumbled.

Sweat poured from their bodies.  He grabbed her tied hands and yanked them back over her head, holding them in place as he rose over her, flexing his hips more firmly into her. 

“Do you know how good you feel?” he asked in a strained voice.  “I could fuck you all night.” 

“God, yes,” she answered.  “Please!”

He stared down at her as he started moving, small thrusts at first but speeding up a little at a time, going deeper with each penetration.  Their rhythm gathered speed. Caroline strained against her constraint as he hammered into her, using his own strength against him as leverage to help him go deeper.  Harder.  Faster.  In and out, all over again.  Wren trailed one hand up her body until he found her breast, squeezing it in time with his hips.  And just as she thought the pleasure couldn’t get any better, Wren pinched her nipple, tugging it until she splintered apart in a thousand pieces. 
She might have passed out, or the world might have exploded … she wasn’t quite sure.  One second she was floating somewhere in space, and the next she heard Wren groaning as he climaxed, their bodies locked together as he erupted inside her.  She could feel the jerking of his cock next to her womb through the thin latex barrier.
And then he collapsed on top of her, his breathing harsh in her ears but matching hers, their skin slick with sweat.  A soft kiss was placed on her temple and Caroline wondered how on earth he had the strength to move at all.  She felt boneless.  Amazingly boneless.

“When do you leave?”  he asked in a ragged breath as he untied her hands.

“Mm?”  She moaned, floating in a wonderful haze.  “Sunday.”

“Stay with me,” he whispered. 

That was the last thing she heard as succumbed to sleep.

Chapter Four

The closing of the hotel door jarred her awake.  Caroline opened her eyes and stared blankly across the rumpled bed, realizing she lay on her stomach.  Naked.  The jostling of trays and the smell of coffee had her scrambling to sit upright and reaching for the sheet just as the bedroom door eased open.

“I ordered us some breakfast,” Wren told her as he entered.  He wore a white terry robe that gaped a little to reveal part of his chest.  He held a tray in his hands, piled with food.  Caroline scooted with as much dignity as possible while keeping the sheet firmly in place, until her back hit the headboard.  Her gaze zeroed in on the cup of hot, black coffee on the corner of the tray. 

He set the tray on the corner of the bed and then climbed on the mattress, stalking her on hands and knees.  A wicked smile lingered on his lips and desire brightened his slate grey eyes. 

“You may not want to bend too close,” she warned, holding a hand up. “Morning breath.  I should run to my room and brush my teeth.”

“Then you might not come back,” he countered, his gaze lingering on her lips.  He bent his head and captured her lips, nibbling on them before pulling back.  “I have mouthwash if you’re too self-conscious, but I have to admit you taste amazing.”

“Hmm,” she replied.  “Good answer.”

He winked.  He reared back and retrieved the tray, setting it between them.  Caroline fixed her coffee with cream and sugar while Wren picked up a pancake and ate it by rolling it up to take bites.

“What plans did you have for today?” he asked in between bites.  “We could go sightseeing, maybe explore near Central Park, SOHO district, and Chinatown.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be attending conferences?”

“I can always ask for the footnotes.”

“You were supposed to be a one-night stand, not a tourist buddy.”

His eyes narrowed.  “I don’t really do one-night stands, Caroline.”

She gave a pointed look around the room.  “Then how do you explain last night?”

“I never intended for things to lead to sex,” he replied.  “At least not right away. But you’re incredibly beautiful, and you excited me to the point of bursting.”

Caroline set her cup on the tray.  She ran her fingers through her short bob of a haircut and gave a sigh.  “Can I be honest with you?”

“Of course,” he answered, though there was a note of wariness in his tone.

“I’m kind of freaking out,” she admitted. 

“Why?” he asked, genuinely perplexed.

She took a deep breath.  “I’ve never, ever, slept with someone I’ve just met!  I’ve never, ever…” She fell silent for a moment as the images replayed in her mind.  “I’ve never been that expressive during sex.”

“You mean liberated.”

“No.  I mean I’ve never acted like that during sex.  It’s always been very, well…” she paused as she searched for the right word.

“Missionary?”

Caroline frowned at him.

“Admit it.”

“All right,” she replied, a bit reluctant. “I admit that sex has always been more for the man than for me.”

“Some men are selfish.  But you liked when I tied you up.  You even initiated love bites.”  He turned his head a little to show off her mark.

Caroline felt herself flush.  “Stop it.”

“Why?” he demanded.  “There’s nothing wrong with a little role playing.  A little voyeurism.  Maybe even a little pain.”

“Only perverted people like that kind of sex,” she said in a low tone.

“Then you must be perverted,” he said with a chuckle.  He picked up her hand, twining their fingers together, and brought her hand to his mouth to kiss the back of her fingers.  “You never answered my question.”

It took her a moment to think back and remember the original question he asked. “What plans do I have?  I have a whole map of places I’d like to visit, but I’m thinking I’ll probably only target a few.”

“Manhattan is pretty big,” he said.

“It’s pretty exhausting,” she corrected.  “Mentally and physically.”

He smiled and cocked his head to one side.  “Do you trust me, Caroline?”

She tugged her hand, trying to free it, but he refused to let it go.  “I don’t know,” she answered.  “I just met you.”

“Fair enough,” he said.  “Let me ask you this instead: do you trust me enough to try an experiment?”

She hesitated.  “What exactly do you mean?”

“I’m suggesting a safe word, to be used at any time you feel too uncomfortable,” he replied.  He kissed her hand again, this time swiping his tongue over the knuckle of a finger. 

Caroline shivered.  The little lick reminded her of what he’d licked the night before.  “Ah, what, um…” She cleared her throat.  “What safe word?”

“Something innocuous, like
banana
.”

“I like bananas,” she said.  “What if you ruin them for me?”

He grinned.  “I don’t think you’ll have to use the word, but it’s good to have it out there.  Any time you feel overwhelmed with how things are progressing, then say banana.” He used one of her fingers to tap her nose.  “But I mean only use it if you are truly frightened.  Otherwise, don’t end the experiment.”

She narrowed her eyes.  “You still haven’t said what the experiment
is
.”

“That will be tonight.”  He let go of her hand and rose from the bed.  “But for now, let’s go sightseeing in the Big Apple.”

Caroline sighed and wrinkled her nose as she caught sight of her abandoned black dress.  “Time for the walk of shame,” she said. 

“Hey, no shame involved,” he admonished.  “Banana.”

“You know what you can do with your banana?  You can go stick it up your––”

“Uh-uh!” he said, laughing as he held up his hands and backed out the door.  He closed the door, cutting off a pillow as it flew toward his head.