Erotic Encounters (2 page)

Gillian’s ringing cell phone brought Shasta’s attention back to reality. She attempted to bring her raging hormones under control by taking another sip of champagne, but it didn’t help.

Gillian quickly disconnected from the call. “Can I have everyone’s attention? I know some of you have to work tomorrow morning, but we have one final surprise for our birthday girl before the evening comes to a close. Standing on the porch right now is the hottest male stripper in Seattle who has stopped by to give Shasta a very special birthday present. Ladies…” She nodded to Trudy who opened the front door. “I give you the one and only, the Macho Marauder in the flesh. And what delicious looking flesh it is, too.”

Six-feet one-inch of tanned skin covering hard muscle stepped through the door and into the living room. Dark, shoulder-length hair framed a face hidden behind a mask. Tight black pants hugged his long legs, stretched across a perfectly rounded ass and accentuated an impressive bulge at his crotch. Broad shoulders and the hard planes of a bare chest supported the flowing black cape. The entire package oozed pure sex. Orgasmic electricity crackled in the air.

He glanced around the room at the assembled women, each wearing a look of anticipation. Then his gaze fell on Shasta.

She didn’t know which shock was greater, the one she felt or the one she saw in his eyes. The dark hair didn’t belong, but there was no mistaking those mesmerizing turquoise eyes and that devastatingly sexy smile. Her fantasies paled in comparison to the reality that dominated her living room in the person of Dane Wingate.

Shasta forced herself up from the chair, slightly unsteady on her feet from a combination of champagne and shock. She held out her hand toward him. “Now, this is the type of birthday present a girl can truly appreciate. It’s a pleasure to meet you…Mr. Macho Marauder.”

He took her hand and brought it to his lips, then he reached into the pocket of his cape and produced a rose. After giving a courtly bow, he handed it to her. “A lovely flower for a
very
lovely lady.”

“Thank you.” She felt more like a tongue-tied school girl than a sophisticated career woman. Her entire body tingled with anticipation. Her nipples hardened into taut buds of arousal and pushed against the soft fabric of her T-shirt.

Gillian turned on the pre-arranged music, and the Macho Marauder went into his act. With a dramatic flip of his wrist, he twirled the cape from his body and let it drop to the floor.

Shasta managed to stifle her gasp. Not even in her wildest fantasies had she visualized such a perfect body cloaked in an overwhelming sexual aura. Each pelvic thrust reached out to her, beckoning her to get out of the chair and join him.

She squirmed uncomfortably as she fought the pull of his magnetic presence. Her pussy muscles clenched when his black leather pants disappeared in a flourish. Hard muscled thighs, an intriguing tattoo and a black leather thong that barely held an impressive cock in place. The nearly naked man gyrating in time to the music had her heart pounding with the same rhythm.

Forcing her attention away from his body, she made eye contact with him. His gaze remained riveted on her, the glow of passion simmering in the depth of his eyes. It felt as if he truly danced only for her, oblivious to everyone and everything else in the room.

She couldn’t break the mesmerizing hold he had on her. The only thing she seemed to have under her control, at least for the moment, was her ability to remain in her chair. And that became more difficult with each passing second.

The bumps and grinds, the near nakedness in a room of panting women, did not bother Dane. He had become nearly oblivious to a sea of hard nipples in the audience. He had etched out a comfort zone that allowed him to perform without getting physically aroused. Being turned on to the point of ending up with an erection was not a problem for him the way it was for some of the other male strippers at the club. At least that’s the way it had been until tonight.

To his dismay, the control he prided himself on had slipped away. When he had been hired for a private performance at a birthday party, it had never occurred to him that Shasta Brooks would be the recipient of his attentions. She looked adorable in her faded jeans, T-shirt and bare feet, so different from the properly tailored business clothes she wore at work. And the more he watched her—the excitement covering her face, her nipples puckered against her T-shirt, the soft fabric caressing her full breasts—the more turned on he became.

If he didn’t wrap up his performance in the next minute or two, he ran the risk of his cock wiggling its way out of his thong and leaping toward her. And the last thing he wanted to do was embarrass Shasta. He forced his gaze away from her, taking a minute to glance around the room. Performing had never turned him on the way he was at that moment.

He couldn’t afford the luxury of becoming personally involved with someone, not until he had his life straightened out so that it was his own again. Now that she knew, what did she think about his night job? Was she disappointed? Or perhaps disapproving? For some inexplicable reason, her opinion mattered to him. He cleared the disturbing thoughts from his mind and concentrated on finishing his performance.

Fifteen minutes after his arrival, his clothing lay strewn about the floor, and he wore only a thong cradling his cock in supple black leather.

Trudy was the first of the guests to head toward the front door. She made an exaggerated show of fanning herself. “Damn…it’s very hot in here. I’ve got to hurry home. My husband is in for the thrill of his life. And if I can’t wake him, my vibrator may end up blowing a circuit!”

The others voiced their agreement and quickly followed, each wishing Shasta a happy birthday before hurrying out the front door. Only Gillian remained behind. As Shasta carried empty champagne glasses to the kitchen, Dane picked up the bits and pieces of his costume and shoved them into a small duffle bag. He left the dark wig and his mask in place. Pulling out a pair of sweat pants, he slipped them on as he prepared to leave.

“A very impressive performance.” Gillian held out a check toward him as she blatantly stared at his crotch. “Very impressive, indeed.” She tried to slip the check inside the waist band of his sweat pants, but he deftly avoided her attempt and took it from her hand.

“Thank you. It was my pleasure.” He shoved the check into his bag. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll say good-bye to the birthday girl.” He flashed his sexy smile, gave Gillian a wink, then walked into the kitchen.

Dane shot a quick glance behind him to make sure Gillian stayed in the living room rather than following him. Then he turned his attention to Shasta. “Well…this is a bit awkward.” He kept his voice low so only she could hear him. “The look on your face when I arrived made it obvious my wig and mask didn’t keep you from recognizing me.” He nervously glanced at the floor, then regained eye contact with her. “Thank you for not exposing my true identity.”

“I was as surprised to see you as you obviously were to see me.” An amused chuckle escaped her throat. “And as far as
exposing
you…well, you did a marvelous job of that yourself. And all this time you’ve led me to believe you’re a computer consultant. I must say,” she blatantly looked him up and down, “you don’t look anything like a stereotypical computer geek.”

“It’s my day job. You know that. The bank is one of my clients. I’m good with computers and have a degree in computer science. It’s always come easy for me. This,” he gestured toward the mask and wig, “is my night job.”

“Obviously, Gillian didn’t tell you the birthday girl’s name.”

Dane shot another quick glance in Gillian’s direction to make sure she was still occupied in the living room. “Would it be okay if I came back after your friend leaves? I want to explain this to you. I don’t want you to misunderstand.”

“You don’t owe me any explanations.”

“I may not owe you an explanation, but I’d like to give you one. Please?” He was thankful for the mask that hid the uneasiness he felt.

“How about in an hour?”

A feeling of relief settled inside him. “Perfect. I’ll be back in an hour.”

Shasta walked him across the living room. When they reached the door, the Macho Marauder took her hand in his, brought it to his lips and gave a courtly bow. “Happy birthday, lovely lady.” Then he left.

A quick side glance picked up the curious look on Gillian’s face, but Shasta chose to ignore it. She had far more interesting things on her mind at the moment. Her skin tingled where his lips had touched the back of her hand.

Flopping onto the couch, she let out a long, low whistle. “That is the most gorgeous hunk of man I’ve ever seen.”

Gillian’s soft chuckle quickly turned into a wickedly sexy laugh. “Jeez, that’s got to be the biggest understatement of the century.” She licked her lips as she picked up the jar of chocolate body paint. “Wouldn’t you love to impale yourself on that cock after licking off this yummy chocolate? Hot sex and tasty chocolate…what a perfect combination. Talk about a fuck to die for.” She emitted an exaggerated sigh and set the jar on the table. “Yep, I could go to my grave a happy woman.”

Gillian visibly composed herself as she glanced around the living room at the party aftermath. “I’ll help you clean this mess, then I guess I’ll make the trek home to my empty apartment. Maybe I’ll plug in Mr. Vibrator and see if he can satisfy this twitch the Macho Marauder created.”

Shasta laughed as she gave her friend a hug. “You and every other woman who was here tonight. Thanks for the surprise party. This is the best birthday I’ve ever had. Don’t worry about this mess. I’ll tackle it in the morning.” She ran her gaze over the array of gifts on the table. “As soon as I get rid of you, I might just try out some of my new toys.”

Gillian’s laugh joined Shasta’s. “Personally, I’d much rather try out the Macho Marauder.”

“Well, one has to make do with what one has.” Shasta glanced at the clock.
And in forty-five minutes I’ll have the Macho Marauder all to myself. Happy Birthday to me!

As soon as the door clicked shut behind Gillian, a wave of anxiety washed over Shasta. She looked around the living room at the party remains. Suddenly, the full impact of her agreement to let Dane return hit her in force. Fantasizing about sizzling sex with him was one thing, but reality quite another. What had she done? Had it been the champagne talking?

As long as the situation wasn’t real, she had easily entertained a myriad of erotic thoughts about Dane Wingate. But did she have the nerve to act on her fantasy when faced with it in the flesh? And would her desire for more than a quick roll in the hay with this incredibly sexy man lead her to expect more from him than a one night stand?

The earlier buzz from the champagne had worn off. Maybe another glass would prop up her dwindling courage and slow down her rapidly growing anxiety. She shook her head at the surprising turn of events. Dane Wingate…a male stripper. Never in her wildest imagination would she have guessed that one.

And judging by the way her friends had behaved, he could have had his pick of any of them, even the married ones. That was probably the way things were for him every night when he performed at the male strip club. He obviously had women constantly throwing themselves at him, providing him with all the sex he could ever want. So why did he ask to return after everyone had gone? He said he wanted to explain something, but why would he feel he needed to? And why specifically to her?

That thought continued to nag at her consciousness. Was it nothing more than a ploy to add her to his list of conquests? One more notch on his bedpost? She experienced a moment of sadness. Could her dream man possibly be that shallow and self-absorbed?

A slight frown wrinkled her forehead as another thought made itself known. If that was the case, why hadn’t he ever asked her out? She had openly flirted with him just as much as he had flirted with her. Surely he must have known she would accept his invitation to dinner. Definitely a puzzling situation.

She poured herself a glass of champagne, hoping it would help dull her disappointment at the thought of him considering her nothing more than a quick fuck for the night—do a sexy strip, get her juices flowing, then cash in on his investment of time and energy. Was that standard procedure for him whenever he performed at private birthday parties? One of the fringe benefits? Bang the birthday girl before calling it a night?

She drank deeply from the glass. It might not dull her disappointment, but it certainly made her feel fuzzy all over…warm and fuzzy. Or was the heat the result of the knowledge that Dane Wingate would soon be back in her living room? Just the two of them all alone.

Shasta picked up the book of erotic photographs and leafed through the pages as she finished the glass of champagne. She squirmed uncomfortably in the chair as her mind substituted the image of his face and nearly naked body for each of the men pictured in the book. Her pussy throbbed with need. Her bare nipples puckered against the soft fabric of her T-shirt, creating a sensual feel that added to her growing arousal.

In a moment of champagne fueled impulsiveness, she pulled up the front of her T-shirt, fastened the clip-on nipple rings, then pulled her shirt down again. She cupped the underside of her breasts through the fabric and jiggled them, causing the nipple rings to pluck at the tautly puckered buds. She couldn’t decide if the odd sensation excited her senses or merely pinched.

She grabbed the opened bottle of champagne and emptied the remaining couple of swallows into her glass. As she brought the glass to her lips, the doorbell rang. Her heart skipped a beat before pounding with a strange combination of excitement, anticipation…and trepidation. The nipple rings teased her senses while stimulating her awareness of the tantalizing sensation.

One unsteady step toward the door brought her to a quick halt when the full impact of the champagne hit her.
Holy shit! I’m swacked. I can’t let him know.
She wrinkled her forehead into a frown.
Think sober. Think sober.

Sucking in several deep breaths, she held each one for a moment before exhaling. One foot in front of the other, one step at a time, she carefully made her way across the living room. She paused at the door long enough to take another deep breath before opening it.