Good Karma (37 page)

Then she remembered Mark’s rule. She wasn’t
allowed to be with anyone while she was with him.

“What do you say?” Hope twinkled in his
eyes.

He seemed so nice.

She looked down. “I’m very flattered you
asked,” she said. “And I would say yes, but I’m sort of involved
with someone already.”

Brad smiled but was clearly disappointed.

Disappointed. Over being told no by her? No
man had ever been disappointed by a rejection from her. Probably
because she’d never been asked out before. Brian had been a
spur-of-the-moment thing, and Richard had been…well, a colossal
mistake. No man had ever stopped her in a bookstore or anywhere
else to ask her to dinner.

Thank you, Mark.

“That’s too bad,” Brad said.

“I’m so sorry. You seem like a great guy,
too.” And he did. “And attractive, if that makes you feel better.”
Was this the kind of thing a woman was supposed to say when turning
a guy down? She had no idea. All she could do was wing it.

His cheeks colored. “Thank you. You’re sweet
to say so.” He pulled out a business card and handed it to her with
a subtle wave of his hand. “If you’re ever not
sort of
involved
with someone…” He paused and smiled. “Or if you just
need advice on books or want to talk about Neil Gaiman…” he chuffed
good-naturedly, “I’d love to hear from you.”

She took his card and tucked it into her
pocket without looking at it. “Okay. I’ll remember that.”

Brad hesitated a moment then pointed to her
stack of books. “He’s a lucky guy.”

Her voice caught in her throat, and she
blushed. “Oh…uh—”

He held up his hand. “I’m only kidding. Gag
gift. I know.” He winked. “Pleasure meeting you, Karma.”

“Same here.”

She watched him leave then pulled his card
out of her pocket. Brad Anderson. He was a partner and the office
director for a local engineering firm.

Nice.

She had faced her fear, struck up a
conversation with a strange man, and even though she had severely
embarrassed herself, she had caught his attention, and he had asked
her out.

And the guy wasn’t a loser. He was a smart,
successful man. One who looked and acted mentally and emotionally
older than fifteen.

So, that was how this flirting thing was
supposed to work, huh? Even when she failed miserably at the task,
she succeeded.

Talk about empowered. Maybe there was hope
yet.

She tucked his card in her pocket and scanned
the store for her next target.

Chapter 31

Lust’s
passion will be served. It demands, it militates, it
tyrannizes.

-Marquis de Sade

Mark sat on the couch in the living room of his
Chicago apartment, his socked feet propped on a round, leather
ottoman. His tablet lay in his lap, and he flipped through another
of Solar’s project manuals as he sipped coffee. He was supposed to
be on vacation, but he couldn’t stop working.

Lightning flashed from the dark clouds
overhead, and he glanced at the open sliding glass doors that led
to his balcony. Thunder rolled, and the first raindrops pattered
onto his deck chairs and table.

He closed his eyes and settled against the
cushions. Not long ago, he had been with Karma during a
thunderstorm. That had been the night he’d almost gotten carried
away and made love to her before she was ready.

So much had happened since then.

Warmth spiraled inside his chest, and things
got serious inside his sweats as a case of the stiffs paid him a
visit for what felt like the hundredth time since Friday night.

Setting his tablet aside, he grabbed his
phone from the coffee table. He needed to talk to her.
Hey. You
busy?

A minute later, she replied.
Hey you. Not
really. Just reading. ;)

He grinned at the wink face.

And just what are you reading?

I’m not sure I should tell you.

Mark arched one eyebrow.
You’re reading
something naughty, aren’t you?

Maybe.

Tell me.

I think I’d rather show you.

Show me?
Now his curiosity was
definitely piqued.

Yes. When the time is right.

I can be back tomorrow.

LOL. No, Mr. Impatient.

How about a hint?

A couple of minutes passed before she
replied.
Okay. Here are a few names of chapters in the book.
Serious Sexercises, Advanced Techniques, and Understanding Your
Man: Using His Fantasies to Your Advantage.

She was reading about how to please a man.
Nice.

That sounds like fascinating reading.
Learning anything new?

Yes.

Such as?

Not gonna say.

He laughed.
You’re such a tease.

What can I say? I’m learning.

That you are. What about your other lessons?
How are they going?

Great.

Are you still doing your Kegels?

Yes.

And using your Kegel weights?
He had
purchased a pair of glass eggs for her to use in place of the Ben
Wa balls. They were easier to remove.

I have one in now.

His breath hitched.
Will I have to help
you remove it?

I wish. I think I like when you help me remove my
Kegel weights.

She was getting him worked up. As if he
needed help in that department.
I like it, too. Very
much.

Then I’ll see what I can do about getting
another ball stuck.

He cleared his throat and shifted to make
more room for his thickening erection. Maybe he should change the
subject before things got out of hand. Or in hand, as the case may
be.
You do that and I will be happy to assist. What about your
other assignments?

I’m progressing to #4 tonight.

Aw, hell. This was excruciating. Talk about
your bad weeks to take a vacation.

And men? Are you talking to men like I
asked?

He pursed his lips and clenched his teeth.
Why had he given her that damn assignment? Because she needed it,
that’s why. He wasn’t going to be around forever, and Karma needed
to get comfortable talking to men. Period.

Flirt Quest is improving. I failed miserably
Saturday, was too mortified from Saturday’s failure to try
yesterday, but made up for it today by talking to two men. One at
the bookstore and one at the gas station. The bookstore guy
actually asked me out.

His grip tightened on his phone, and he
scowled as he re-read her words. She had gotten asked out? As in to
dinner? Who was this guy? Was he good for her? Would he treat her
right? Adrenaline surged in his blood, making it hard to type.

He did?

Yes. Handsome, older guy. Not a loser.

This was unexpected. If there had been any
doubt before, there wasn’t now. He never should have given her this
assignment. What if she said yes? What if she wanted to go out with
this guy instead of him? Was he about to lose another woman he was
in—

Whoa! He was not in love. She was not Cassie
or Carol or the girl who dumped him at the prom.

What did you tell him?

His breath came in short bursts as he waited
for her reply. He felt panicked. If she said yes…if she had agreed
to a date with this guy…. He blinked and shook his head. He wasn’t
ready to lose her. He wasn’t ready for another woman he cared about
to leave him.

And yet she was just an affair. He had no
intention of staying. Theirs wasn’t a relationship like the one
he’d had with Carol.

In fact, Karma being asked out was a good
thing. Right? Wasn’t that what he wanted for her? In the end,
wasn’t that what this affair was all about? Helping her get out
there and find the guy who would treat her like a queen and marry
her? What if this guy who’d asked her out was
that guy
?
Maybe Mark should step aside and—

His phone vibrated, and his gaze shot to the
screen.

I told him no. I don’t really think he was my type.
Nice guy, though.

Mark breathed a sigh of relief. She had said
no. Thank God. He pressed the dial button and brought the phone to
his ear.

“Hello?” she said, the smile evident in her
voice.

“So, what is your type?” He felt more relaxed
now that he heard her voice.

She didn’t answer right away, as if
collecting her thoughts. “Well, I’d say my type is about six-one,
maybe six-two, with dark hair, amazing greenish-grey eyes,
unbelievably sexy arms, and an uncanny ability to remove small
round objects from tight places.”

“I see,” he said, grinning the smile of a man
who’d just had his ego majorly stroked.

“Yes, my type is very sexy.” She chuckled.
“So, how did I do?”

“What? With describing your type?”

“Uh-huh.”

“I’d say you’ve got good taste.”

She laughed. “I do, huh?”

“Most definitely.”

“Did I mention my type apparently has a very
big ego, as well?”

“No.”

“Or that he commands every eye in a room when
he enters it?”

He leaned back. “You’re not doing anything to
make that ego any smaller, you know.”

“I know,” she said. “But oh well.”

He reached over and turned off the lamp
beside him. “You know, it’s storming here right now.”

“It is?”

“Yes. It reminds me of that night at your
apartment. You know, when I got a little carried away and you
stopped me.” What was he doing? This was dangerous. He was dipping
his toe into emotionally involved territory again. Even so, he
didn’t want to stop.

“I remember,” she said.

“I figured you would.” It wasn’t like that
night had been that long ago. Two weeks maybe?

“Just what does it remind you of, I
wonder?”

Phone Karma was flirtier and racier than
In-Person Karma, but the distinction between the two was beginning
to blur. What would he find when he returned to Indianapolis? Just
how far would she have come in the nine days he was away?

“It reminds me of how you felt under me,” he
said. “How enticing you looked.”

“Anything else?”

“Yes. Such as how soft your lips were and how
good your skin tasted.”

“You tasted pretty good yourself.”

“Did I?” He settled deeper into the couch and
pushed the waist of his sweats down to release his erection. “You
know, you’re different on the phone. Have I ever told you
that?”

“No.”

“You are. Phone Karma is more daring than
In-Person Karma.” He grinned at the nicknames. “At least for the
moment.”

“I’ll have to work on that.”

“Mmm. I wish you were here.” He said it
before he could stop himself, the words tumbling out unbidden. But
he didn’t want to take them back. He
did
wish she were
there. With him. So he could invite her onto his lap and feel the
warmth of her body on his.

“Me, too.”

“If only you didn’t have to work this week,
you could come to Chicago, and I could take you out.”

“I could call in sick.”

“Tempting, but no. You shouldn’t. I’ll see
you soon enough. And it will be better after waiting so long.”

“You know,” she said. “You’re different on
the phone, too.”

“Oh? How so?” He smiled and wrapped his hand
around his shaft, stroking slowly.

“You’re more open, too. Different.
Phone
Mark
.”

He chuckled. “Well, maybe Phone Mark is
feeling amorous this afternoon. Maybe a little lonely. A little
sexually frustrated…”

“So is Phone Karma.” She spoke quietly, almost
hesitantly.

He stroked himself a couple more times and
palmed his sensitive head, neither of them saying a word for a long
moment.

“So, how would Phone Karma feel about phone
sex?” He kept his voice low and soft to match hers.

“She’s open to the idea.”

“Would she like to? Now? With me?”

Pause. “Yes.”

“Mmm.” He sighed and closed his eyes. “You’re
already touching yourself aren’t you?”

“Yes. Are you?”

“Uh-huh.” He stroked more heavily. Long,
twisting strokes. “Are you wet?” He wanted her wet, swollen, and
ready.

She panted into the phone. “Yes. This weight
thing inside of me…? Just…mmm…it feels…”

“Good?” That’s right. She had a Kegel weight
inside her. Applying pressure just like his cock would when he made
love to her.

“Yes,” she breathed.

“Does it make you hot?” It was making him hot
just thinking about it.

“Yes.”

“How are you touching yourself. Tell me.”

She paused then said, “I’m using my middle
finger.”

“More. Tell me more. Are you rubbing
side-to-side? In circles? Is it all external, or do you let your
finger slide inside?”

A heavy breath broke through the phone,
following by a soft moan. “External, at least for now. I’m using my
index and ring fingers to hold my…” She hesitated for a heartbeat.
“They’re holding my lips apart, and I’m using the tip of my middle
finger to draw small circles around my clit.”

“The way my tongue would if I were with you
right now.”

She moaned again. “Yes.”

“Would you like to know how I’d lick
you?”

“Yes,” she whispered hotly.

“I’d lick all around you, up one lip then the
other, avoiding your clit, getting you hot, making you want me that
much more. You want me now, don’t you?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Mmm. Then I’d use my thumbs to draw your
lips open, fully exposing your swollen clit. Very slowly,
torturously, I would run the tip of my tongue in a circle all the
way around it, never touching it, making you squirm until you were
begging me to finish you.”

He stroked faster as he built the
fantasy.

“I would ease my finger inside you, find your
G-spot, and as I stroked it, I would gently flick your clit.”

“Oh God.” He heard the mental image hit her,
and she shuddered through the phone.