Consume Me (2 page)

“Thanks, Matt.”

“I’ll see you around.”

Chapter 1

A
s Taryn drove home, she repeatedly played back Matt’s words in her head.  It was outrageous that he could even suggest such a thing.  How could anyone look at Errol and think him an arsonist?

She meticulously went over every minute of the day of the fire.  In her mind’s eye, she could see the pain in Errol’s face as his restaurant lay in embers behind him.  He was distraught, beside himself with grief.  He may as well have lost a loved one.

Once again she concluded; Matt was mistaken.

She reached her apartment and carelessly parked the car, leaving it a little askew with the back bumper slightly out in the street.  Too eager to speak to Errol, she didn’t want to waste another minute trying to properly squeeze the car into place.  She pulled out her phone scrolled down to his name and placed the call.

“Hi, baby,” he said from halfway around the world.  “Your timing couldn’t be better.  We just wrapped up another episode and my nerves are frazzled like you wouldn’t believe.  Your voice is the perfect balm to such a frantic day.”

“I’m glad to hear that.  So what’s going on with you?”  She heard the eternal longing in her voice despite her attempt to hide it.  She wanted him in the most desperate way and hearing his deep throaty voice made the distance between them all the more unbearable.  She was already wet with desire.

“Just missing you while I work my butt off.  Whoever says stardom is easy has no idea what they’re talking about.  Twelve, sometimes even fourteen hour days, baby.”

“Poor, sweetie.  What can I do to help?”

“You can just talk to me.  Just the sound of your voice calms me down… well, that is most of me.  A few parts only get more excited the more you talk.  So bring me down from the frenzy of cooking in front of a camera and take me on a wicked journey like only you can.”

“In that case, my Master Chef,” she purred seductively, “I think you’d better sit down.  Find a place that’s nice and comfortable, a place where you can be alone, and relax, undisturbed.  We may be thousands of miles apart, but baby, I want you to feel like I’m right there with you.”

“I like it already.”  His voice was husky with anticipation.

Taryn leaned the car seat back a bit.

“I’ve had a murderous day at the restaurant,” she said.  “If you don’t mind, I’d like to just get a little more comfortable.”

“And what would that entail?”

“My bra is too tight and it’s cinching my skin.   I’m going to go under my shirt and find the bra clasp between my breasts.  And voila… with a quick flick of my fingers and my breasts can breathe again.”

“Are they firm?”

She reached for her breast.  “Firm and aching.  My nipples are hard before I even reach for them.”

“Lick your fingers.”

Tar pulled her hand out from under her shirt, licked her thumb and index finger and returned to pinch her nipple with the moist fingertips.  “Yes, that’s so much better,” she growled.

“Are you wet?”

“Too wet.  Let’s concentrate on you for a minute.  It seems like such a long time ago when I last reached into your pants and ran my finger along the length of your cock.  It seems like an eternity since I pulled your hard-on out of your pants and put it deep into my mouth, sucking on it until you groaned.”

He groaned in response.  “Like that?”

She could hear the gentle but distinctive sound of flesh stroking fervently over flesh.

“Do you remember, Errol, the heat of my mouth, the feel of my tongue over the length of you?  Do you remember what it feels like when I suck hard, then coddle you gently?”

“Yes.  Damn, but you're making it all the more difficult to stay here without you,” he growled.  “Now, I want to feel your flesh.  How hot and wet are you?”

She reached under her jeans, under her panties and slid her fingers between the inflamed folds of skin that immediately throbbed under her touch.  “I’m excruciatingly hot, Errol.”

“Where are you?”

“In my car, just outside my apartment.”

“Hmmm, a little exhibitionism.  Even hotter.”

Swallowing a lump of anticipation, she considered his comment. She’d not really planned on making a spectacle of herself.

“Is your shirt open?”

She licked her lips and hesitated.  “No.”

“You wearing a t-shirt?”

“Yes.”

“Take it off.”

Silence.

“Did you take it off?”

“Hold on,” she purred as she put the phone down a brief second and tugged her shirt over her head.  “It’s off.”

“Can you see your breasts in the moonlight?”

“Yes.  They’re shimmering.  White orbs that glow in the otherwise dark night.”

“Your tits are so luxuriously big. I can just imagine them now.”

“I’d love to shove them in your face, have you nuzzle between them.”

“Grab them, Tar.  Squeeze them tight.  Lift them up so that you’re almost choking on them.  Can you feel how luxurious they are?”

Reveling in the sensation of her firm flesh in her hand, she groaned her pleasure.  “I want you to slide your dick between my tits.  I want you to cum and slather my tits.” Being so far away from Errol, Taryn talked as naughty and sexy as she could, wanting the words to convey her lust for Errol. In phone sex with Errol, it was either go strong and hard or don’t bother at all.

“Is anyone passing by?”

“In the distance, there’s a guy coming.  Hold on, there’s a girl with him, too.”

He hissed a deep breath.  “Can he see you?”

“No.  Not yet.”

“Are they getting closer?”

“Yes.  Now.  I think he just spotted me.”

“Does he see your tits?”

“Um… Yes.”

Errol sucked in a deep and jagged breath.  “Lucky bastard.”

“He’s staring at me.”  Her own breath was difficult to control.  “His girl doesn’t seem too happy, though.”

“Put your hand down your pants.”

Fully aroused by the sound of Errol’s voice in her ear and the stranger’s eyes on her, she hurried to unzip her jeans, pull them open and pull them down just enough to give the passers-by a peek.  Shoving her finger deep inside the heated moisture and rubbing herself where she was heated the most, she gasped, surprised by the intensity of the long-distance orgasm that Errol was giving her.

“He just slowed down,” she said through raspy breaths.

“Are you about to cum, Tar?”

“Yes.”

“And I’m about to explode.  Are his eyes on you?”

“Yes.  He’s looking straight at me.  His lips are parted… He just licked his lips.”

“Look directly in his eyes.”

“I am.”

“Do you see his hunger?  His desire to have you?”

She growled.  “Yes.”

“Do you see my hunger for you in his eyes?”

“Yes.” Staring into the man’s eyes, she could see his burning desire in them, and he stopped to move a hand down to his cock, where there was an unmistakable large bulge in his pants.

“Can you feel me, Tar?”

“Yes,” she shouted as her orgasm took control, and she began to shake.

He growled in her ear deeply and she knew he’d also reached that climactic moment.

Tar closed her eyes, her last vision that of the hot and bothered young man being tugged along by his angry and flustered girlfriend.

“As great as that was,” Errol whispered, “it can’t beat having you here in person.  I want you here, Tar.  I need you… bad. I want to feel you wrapped around me while I go deep into you. Why don’t you take the weekend off?  Go straight to the airport, get on a plane and come be with me.”

Taryn considered his invitation.  She couldn’t deny how she longed to see him, to feel him, to hold him.  The sound of his voice, and making love to him over the phone only emphasized how she missed him.  Added to that were Matt’s words.  If she were to speak to Errol about the whole fire situation, she thought it best to do it in person.

“You know, I think I’d like that.  I could just run in, see my mom a bit, pick up a few things and head straight to LaGuardia.”

“I’ll call right away to make sure there’s a ticket waiting for you,” he said.

“That’d be great.”

“But, Tar…”  There was a strange hint of shame and embarrassment in his voice.

“Yeah?”

“Look, since the whole thing with the fire…”  He cleared his throat.  “The insurance money didn’t come in like I’d expected and the remodeling is almost more expensive than building the place to begin with and it’s busting the bank.  And… well… First class is a little pricey, so do you mind if…”

“Errol, of course I don’t mind.  I don’t care whether I fly first class, coach or economy.  Hell, I’d fly in the baggage compartment if it meant I could be with you for a few days.”

“Baby, you're amazing.  That’s one of the things I love about you.  You find pleasure in the simple things.”

“Well, I find a lot of pleasure in you, but you're far from simple,” she teased.

He chuckled.  “Just get your ass over her as soon as you can.”

“Will do.”  She hung up, euphoric at the thought of seeing him.  Then the wave of dread hit her.

What if Matt was right?

Chapter 2

“
I
s that you, Tar?” Samantha called from her bedroom.

“Yes, Mom.” Tar kicked off her shoes as her mother came out to meet her. “I brought you a little something for dinner. A bit of salad and a few grilled shrimps.”

“I’m not really hungry.”

“Mom, you know what the doctor said.  You have to start eating a bit more.” She walked to the kitchen and pulled containers of food out of a paper bag.

“I know. I will. How was everything at the restaurant?” Picking up a container of plain noodles, she took a whiff.

“Great.  Everything went smoothly.”

“And…?”

“And what?”

“You have that expression on your face; the one that appears whenever you have to tell me something, but don’t want to tell me anything.”

Taryn chuckled.  “Will I ever be able to hide anything from you?”

“Maybe when I’m old and senile.  So, what’s on your mind?”

She turned to her mother, a confident fist propped up on her hip.  “Okay, let’s make a deal then.  You eat a bit more than just a few mouthfuls and I’ll tell you what’s on my mind.”

“You drive a hard bargain, daughter of mine.” Sam grabbed the wide and flat platter of salad at sat at the little dinette table.  “Well, you lose, honey, because I was ready to dive into this salad anyway.”

Taryn pulled up a chair and sat facing her mom.  “Errol is in Paris.”

“Taping his cooking show.  Yeah, I know honey, you told me.”

“For the past weeks we’ve called each other a few times.  It’s great hearing the sound of his voice and…”

“Go to Paris, honey.”

“Huh?”

“That’s what you really want to do, right?”

“Yeah, but…”

“But what, honey?  I’m out of commission?  Bobby is in school?”

“Well, yes.”  She reached out to pick a piece of lettuce.

“Look, Errol or not, you need a vacation.  You’re not going to do anyone any favors if you collapse from exhaustion. You’ve been running the show on your own long enough.  I’m finally back on my feet and I’d fully intended to go back to the restaurant Monday morning anyway.  The timing couldn’t be more perfect.”

“Mom, Bobby is in school full time now.  He’ll hardly be there to help you… maybe a few hours on the weekend if you're lucky, but that’s all.”

“You still have Errol’s crew helping us out, don’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“And they’re doing a terrific job, aren’t they?”

“They sure are.”

“So where’s the problem?”  Sam speared her fork through the salad and took a big mouthful of vegetables.

Taryn smiled.

“Hmm, really good.”

“Thanks.”

“Your vinaigrette?”

“Yeah.”

“Nice.”

“Thanks.”

After a few more mouthfuls, Sam looked her daughter in the eye.  “You know what, honey… Errol is the kind of man who won’t just sit around waiting for the next phone call.  I mean phone sex can only take you so far.  He’ll get bored, he’ll get restless, he’ll get needy and he’ll get laid somewhere else.”

Taryn’s jaw dropped open as she gaped at her mother.  “Mom!” she whined.

“Don’t look at me like that, sweetie.  I’ve been around the block a time or two.  I do know what men want, you know.”

“I know, but…”

“Look, all I’m saying is… don’t neglect him.  Don’t take him for granted.  Don’t forget that he’s a strong, rich and powerful man, who needs a woman like you at his side.”

Taryn nodded.

“But also make sure you don’t forget the sensitive soul that he is.”

“There’s so much to do here,” Taryn whispered.  “I can’t imagine leaving you to…”

Sam reached out to take her hand.  “You managed to do what I’m sure hundreds of women have attempted; you broke through Errol’s hard exterior and melted his loving interior.  But I have a feeling that if he’s away from you too long…”

“The hard exterior will come back,” Tar finished.

“If he has abandonment issues, he could come to feel abandoned by you if you ignore him too long.  I assume he’s the one who asked you to go see him.”

“He asked me to get on the next flight out.”

Sam threw her fork into the salad and shot out of her chair.  “Then what the hell are you doing here talking to your ole ma over a salad?  Get packing and get out of here.”

Taryn stared at her mother, amazed with her strength and wisdom.  “Are you sure, Mom?”

Not wasting another second, Sam grabbed Taryn’s arm, pulled her out of her chair and led her to her bedroom.  “I’ll help you pack.”

Giggling, Tar sat on the edge of her bed and watched her mother.  With more efficiency than she would have thought her mother capable of with her injuries, Sam pulled a small suitcase off the top shelf of Taryn’s closet.

Suddenly solemn, she whispered, “Mom?”

“Yeah, sweetie.” She threw the suitcase open on Taryn’s bed.

“What happened to Dad?”

She froze for a moment and simply stared into the empty suitcase.  “Your father had a lot of demons,” she finally said.  “He didn’t really have the makings to be a father to anyone.  Not that I’m defending him, but he didn’t have an easy childhood and he was constantly haunted by his past.”