Over the Threshold

Over the Threshold

A Scoundrels Short Story

By Mari Carr

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2013 Mari Carr

First electronic publication: July 2013

Cover by Valerie Tibbs

This book is a work of fiction. The names,
characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s
imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be
construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead,
actual events, locale or organizations is entirely
coincidental.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal
enjoyment only. It may not be re-sold or given away to other
people. If you would like to share this book with another person,
please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re
reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased
for your use only, then please return to
smashwords.com
and purchase your
own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of these
authors.

Does she dare say those three little
letters—I Do—that could change her whole life?

Becca Preston is shocked when Hollywood
megastar Parker Banks proposes to her on the Scoundrels stage.
Though they’ve been friends for years, she’s been very careful to
never blur that line. After all, she only has one hard and fast
rule—no actors. Her famous father’s infidelities have taught her to
keep a firm grip on her heart and she’s never been tempted to break
that vow. Until Parker walked back into Scoundrels.

Under the bright lights, he breaks down her
resistance, opens her eyes to what could be and makes her question
her decision to avoid love with movie stars.

And what happens when the performance becomes
real? When sex becomes tied up with emotions? Should Becca cling to
her safe, yet lonely life or take a chance and make that trip over
the threshold?

This short story is the final installment of
a trilogy of stories about Becca and Parker’s romance and it is
connected to the Scoundrels series, available now at Ellora’s Cave.
For better enjoyment, it is suggested that you read Behind the
Scenes and Under the Lights before reading this book. Approximate
word count is 6200 words.

Chapter One

Emma closed her eyes, resisting the urge to
groan as Jack stroked her clit faster. They had claimed their usual
corner table at Scoundrels, enjoying the premiere of her latest sex
show together. However, the scene on the stage had taken a much
different turn from the fantasy Emma had originally imagined. When
she’d called Hollywood mega stud Parker Banks and invited him to
make Becca’s dreams of being captured and ravished come to life
onstage, she’d had no idea exactly how far he’d take things. Emma
had always known there were feelings between her bartender and her
former waiter, but she hadn’t realized exactly how deep they
ran.

“Who do you belong to?” Parker’s voice was
deep and stern as it filled the auditorium, causing countless women
to sigh and fall even more in love with the sexy movie star.
Parker’s dominant tone reminded her so much of Jack’s commanding
presence.

She glanced at her husband, then parted her
legs as his questing fingers found her wet opening. He pressed two
inside as she trembled with need. It wasn’t unusual for them to
play in the club. Their regular table was covered with a long cloth
that shielded their actions, and its location at the back of the
room ensured at least a tiny measure of privacy.

Not that it mattered. The public setting
fueled their arousals, caused them to take chances, to go further.
Exhibitionism was a kink they shared.

Jack leaned closer. “This show is hot.”

She nodded, unable to speak when Jack added a
third finger, stretching her so deliciously.

“You’re going to come, right here at the
table for me, Emma. Before the show is over. And then we’re going
home so I can fuck you properly. All night.”

Emma smiled at his
proclamation, then upped the ante. “We can go home
after
I suck your cock in
the parking lot.”

Jack closed his eyes. “Fuck. I love you so
much.”

She laughed lightly, the sound morphing to a
moan when Jack’s thumb began rubbing her clit as his fingers fucked
her faster. Years of experimenting, of playing in public had taught
her to school her features, to still her body’s reactions, but damn
if Jack didn’t test her skills, push her limits every time. She was
so close, her orgasm hovering right there, on the brink.

Jack pressed his lips to her cheek. To anyone
casually glancing around the room, they merely appeared to be
cuddling, her husband offering her an amorous kiss. Only she knew
that Jack had three fingers buried deep in her pussy, that his
teeth had latched on to her earlobe—the pressure of his nip sending
shards of pleasurable pain to all the right places—and that he was
whispering some of the hottest, dirtiest, kinkiest promises of what
he’d do to her later that she’d ever heard. The combination was
deadly.

Emma closed her eyes and fought to calm her
shudders as her climax ripped through her. Jack’s fingers continued
to thrust, drawing out her orgasm, though he’d slowed the pace.
He’d become a master at reading her reactions, knowing exactly how
to drive her to the peak…and beyond.

She’d only just begun to catch her bearings,
her senses returning, when her attention was drawn back to the show
onstage. Parker was kissing Becca—the scene beautiful, romantic.
Then Emma’s breath was taken away again.

“Marry me,” Parker said to Becca as the crowd
gasped.

* * * * *

Shea lifted her head, peering down to the
stage as Travis fucked her from behind. They were watching the sex
show through the one-way mirror in his office, positioned a story
above and behind the stage. Her husband had taught her the beauty
of voyeurism, introduced her to the pleasures to be found in
watching others have sex, or at least Scoundrels’ oh-so-close
version of it.

Tonight’s show had aroused both of them more
than usual. While it wasn’t as graphic as past performances, there
was something about the way Becca and Parker were baring
themselves—heart and soul—beneath the lights that spoke to Shea’s
romantic side. Travis had admitted feeling the same way a few
minutes earlier as he’d lifted her skirt and ripped off her
panties.

Travis’s rhythm faltered for a moment as he
froze. “Did Parker just propose?”

Shea nodded. “Yeah. I think he did.”

“Holy shit. He just put Scoundrels on the
map.”

Shea giggled, then wiggled away. “Always the
businessman. Way to kill the mood.”

Travis shrugged good-naturedly before
frowning as she stood. “Where do you think you’re going,
angel?”

She’d taken a few steps away, but his comment
stopped her in her tracks. Parker’s proposal had distracted her
until she watched her husband rise, his body tense and ready to
pounce, sent shivers down her spine.

She loved the thrill of the chase, those
moments when she played hard to get and Travis captured her. Her
love of bodice rippers had begun back in high school and had molded
her desires. Luckily, her husband was everything she’d ever wanted
in a hero—sexy, commanding, kinky. She laughed at the thought. The
kink characteristic of her fantasy man hadn’t appeared until she’d
started working at Scoundrels and met Travis.

She took another step away, her heart racing
with anticipation when Travis’ eyes narrowed. “I thought you’d lost
interest. Figured you’d want to go out and buy a plaque to hang on
the stage that said, ‘Parker Banks proposed here’ or
something.”

Travis placed his hands on his hips, the
action drawing her attention back to his waist and his hard cock.
“Shea. Get back here.”

Her smile grew as she shook her head. “No. I
don’t feel like it anymore.” Her tone was pure teasing, laced with
the challenge her husband had yet to refuse.

Travis pointed to the coffee table. “Get back
where you were or else.”

She loved his
or else
. Her ass clenched,
anticipating exactly how wonderful his punishments could be.
“No.”

The single word had the desired effect as her
husband sprang into action. He captured her before she’d managed to
take two more steps. With strong hands on her upper arms, he
dragged her back to her previous place, pushing her chest against
the cool wood of the table. She groaned when he placed the first
slap on her bare ass, moving toward the motion rather than away.
She loved his spankings, his dominance, him.

The lights of the stage faded to black, but
Shea was no longer interested in anything except Travis’ hand on
her ass, his cock in her pussy, his soft demands whispered in her
ear. As he pumped inside her harder, driving her to orgasm, she
forgot about the world and escaped into the sheer bliss of a life
lived with the man she loved.

* * * * *

Becca struggled to catch her breath as the
lights onstage faded to black casting them in shadow. The show
ended with the impact of Parker’s last line still hovering in the
air. Shock kept her silent as the house lights rose slowly, the
soft murmur of the audience growing louder. She could hear the
surprise, the confusion in the conversations as the patrons tried
to figure out what they’d just seen, arguing over how much was
pretend and how much was real.

Becca held perfectly still as numbness set
in.

“You aren’t going into shock, are you?”

Parker’s droll voice—mercifully quiet as the
boom mic had been turned off—pulled her from her thoughts. “I’m
f-fine.”

His handsome grin told her he knew she was
lying, but he let her off the hook. “What do you say we finish this
conversation somewhere private?”

Glancing toward the crowd, Becca watched as
the bouncers tried to divert several women intent on coming up
onstage to speak to Parker. She nodded. “Yeah. Looks like your
adoring fans are about to descend.”

Parker chuckled. “Take another peek. I don’t
think I’m the only one dodging admirers tonight.”

It was then Becca noticed there were more
than a few men scattered amongst the women and they were definitely
looking at her. “Wow. That’s disturbing.”

Parker left the bed, laughing as he offered
her a hand to help her up. “You might want to get used to that. I
suspect Emma will move heaven and earth to get you back on this
stage. That is, if a talent scout doesn’t scoop you up first.”

She scoffed at his
assertion, then started to correct him, to remind him that she’d
lived her entire life with cameras flashing in her face as she
walked down the street with her famous father. But she realized
this wasn’t exactly the same thing. The tabloids were never really
interested in
her
,
just the company she kept. “I have no plans to switch careers. I’m
perfectly happy as a bartender.”

Parker took her hand, leading her to the
dressing room as fans yelled out questions, tried to capture their
attention. She walked gingerly, trying not to give away the fact
Parker’s toys were still filling her. While the vibrator was off,
she was uber-sensitive from her recent orgasm. Every step worked
against her, reigniting an arousal she suspected wouldn’t be
completely assuaged until Parker was buried deep inside her.

They made it to the dressing room, but the
cheering, the demands for an encore grew louder. Parker grabbed a
jacket from the rack of costumes and slid it over Becca’s lingerie.
“Grab your clothes. You can put them on in the limo. I’m not sure
Emma’s bouncers are going to be able to hold back the throng for
very much longer. We need to get out of here.”