Текст книги "What Caroline Wants"
Автор книги: Amanda Abbott
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Текущая страница: 10 (всего у книги 14 страниц)
15
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It turned out Emma and Pete lived in one of those expensive communities where the homes were big and fancy. Jace pulled up in front of a beautiful brick house with well-tended garden beds and a wide stone pathway leading up to the front door.
Caroline angled her head to get a better view. “Seems nice. Looks like Emma spends a lot of time outside.”
Jace pulled into the driveway and parked in front of the closed garage door. Pete had instructed Jace to park there. “Yep.” Jace turned off the car. “It would be a bit different if it looked like a run-down crack house, wouldn’t it?”
Caroline shot her husband a look. “That’s not funny.”
“Well, what did you expect?” He chuckled as he got out of the car.
“I don’t know what I expected,” Caroline said, opening her door. “But I definitely got a ‘free love’ vibe from them, which, to me, would point to an older home in a newly gentrified part of the city. Not a McMansion in the suburbs.”
“I’m not sure how much ‘Mc’ is in this mansion,” Jace said as he came around the side of the car to help her out. “It looks pretty nice.”
“It doesn’t matter. The suburbs always have that ‘Mc’ feeling to me. But, you’re right, this is definitely nicer than most. It doesn’t feel cookie-cutter, that’s for sure.”
Jace slung his arm around her shoulders as they followed the winding path to the front door. “I wonder if she plants all this herself,” Caroline commented. “We talked about gardening briefly when we met, but she didn’t elaborate on anything specifically, only that she enjoys it.”
“Maybe that’s how we break the ice tonight?” Jace suggested. “You can have her show you her garden.”
“I’m sure I’ll be seeing a lot of her garden, and if it’s as well manicured as this, I’ll be impressed.” Caroline was cut off mid-giggle as the front door opened.
“Welcome.” Emma stood in front, Pete just behind her. Emma wore a gauzy dress in pale pink, and even from where Caroline stood, she could tell the color accentuated, rather than competed with, Emma’s red hair and complexion.
Caroline had forgotten how really stunning the redhead was.
She swallowed, trying not to feel intimidated while she straightened her shirt and brushed an errant piece of hair behind her ear. She’d worn it down tonight.
Jace pressed her forward, guiding her up the top two steps onto the concrete landing, no doubt sensing that Caroline needed a little boost now that reality had set in. Caroline hazarded a few quick glances over her shoulder as they went. She hadn’t even thought of the neighbors!
What if they knew that Emma and Pete were swingers?
And that Jace and Caroline were their new playmates? Even though it was nine at night, the sky was dusky, edging toward full night, but still bright enough to see if someone tried hard enough. With relief, she noticed that the plots of land in this development were big, and the homes were set back.
Caroline took a deep breath and plastered a smile on her face.
Emma seemed genuinely happy to see them, and Caroline didn’t want to come off as surly and rude. Jace reached around her and extended his hand to Pete, who had come shoulder to shoulder with his wife in the doorway. “Thanks for inviting us over,” Jace said politely.
Thankfully he left off: So we can videotape you having sex.
Pete shook his hand and smiled, stepping back to usher them in. “Of course, we’re happy to have you.”
“Yes, come on in. I have drinks in the kitchen, and I made some light nibbles, just in case you’re hungry.” Emma led them into the house.
Caroline and Jace followed. The space was immense, opening to the ceiling at least two and a half stories high. A winding stairway to the right led up to a balcony overlooking the entryway. All the floors were wide-plank hardwood stained dark. The formal living room was to the right, but they went left, passing through a dining room to get to the kitchen and den area. Once they crossed into that space, there was a sunken room on the left and an open kitchen on the right. The sunken den had a huge L-shaped leather sofa covered with jewel-toned throw pillows, and a massive TV mounted on the wall over a beautiful limestone fireplace. It was likely that’s where the Slaters spent most of their time.
To the right, the kitchen was large, with an island twice as big as the one in Jace and Caroline’s home. The entire place was decorated warmly in rich yellows, browns, and greens, including the green-and-rust-veined granite countertops that went perfectly with the walnut cabinets.
“Your home is truly beautiful,” Caroline commented as they came to a stop in front of the island. There were a few stools, but she didn’t know if she should pull one out and sit yet or not, so she stayed put.
“Thank you,” Emma said as she headed across the room to where Caroline spotted a small bar area with a sink and glasses. Emma plucked up a tray and brought it over to the island. “It’s been a work in progress for years. Before we moved out here, I’d told Pete there was no way in hell I’d ever live in the suburbs. But Pete grew up in them, and he was adamant about it, so we did a lot of research, and when we found this area, we both fell in love. There is so much space out here. Great trails with lots of little ponds and lakes. It’s also very quiet. It’s an association, but you can bring in your own architect. So that’s what we did. We had to follow some guidelines to make sure we didn’t stick out too much, but we ultimately got what we wanted.”
“It really is gorgeous,” Caroline said as she took a sip of her drink, taking solace in the pine scent of the gin. “We’ve been renovating an older home for the last four years, but I never thought to go dark. But it’s really warm and inviting in here. I love it.”
“Thank you,” Emma said, offering Jace a scotch.
He took it and grinned. “I grew up on a farm,” Jace said, “and when we ventured into the big city and saw the grand old homes, I knew that’s what I wanted someday. It’s been a labor of love restoring it.”
“I’m sure it’s wonderful,” Emma said. “I love old homes, too. It took Pete a lot to convince me to move here.”
“Yes, it did,” Pete said, grabbing a drink off the tray. It looked like a Jack and Coke. “But it all turned out perfect in the end.” He raised his glass. “I propose a toast to our gathering tonight. To new friends and new experiences.”
* * *
Jace held his glass aloft and clinked it against everyone’s, saving his wife’s for last. He knew she was still jittery, but she was acting like a champ. Once he tapped her glass, she gave him a small nod.
So far, so good.
He wasn’t sure where they would be doing everything later, but they definitely needed this time to relax and get used to the idea.
Like she’d read his mind, Emma went to the fridge and brought out a plate of food and announced, “Let’s go sit in the den.”
They followed her down to the couch. Pete dimmed the lights as he followed. Jace sat on one end of the sofa and patted the seat next to him for his wife. Caroline didn’t hesitate to sit, and as she did, he laid his arm across her back and tried to relax himself. He’d been so busy making sure she was okay, he hadn’t thought of how he’d feel once he was here.
He was more nervous than he thought.
It was kind of surreal to think they were going to be filming these people having sex in an hour or two. He was both excited and worried. If it didn’t go well, they’d have to find a way to make a quick exit.
The deal he’d made with the Slaters was no phones, computer uploads, or new technology. He had no problem agreeing to those terms—it would be disastrous to have their recording somehow accidentally shared. So he’d gone out and purchased a camcorder that ran on a small disc that fit into a DVD player or could be hooked directly to a TV.
The other agreement was no duplicates, and the Slaters could ask for the disc back at any time.
Pete had told him they’d done the video-recording thing a few times before. He’d also hinted that if they did it first, maybe Jace and Caroline would be up for it next. Jace had been noncommittal and hadn’t told Caroline that part. That would’ve sent her packing, and they wouldn’t be here right now. He’d see how this went and then figure out the next step.
Emma was discussing her job at the dance studio. Jace nodded along as he studied the room. They had a lot of family pictures and personal mementos on the walls. That made the Slaters more relatable in his eyes. Caroline shifted positions and scooted to the edge of the sofa, leaning over to grab an appetizer. They were little cups filled with something that Emma had set on the table in front of them.
“These are delicious,” Caroline said. “What are they?”
“Oh, they’re just a crab and mushroom concoction I came up with. The mix is easy to fit into the cups, and they look pretty,” Emma answered, smiling.
“They’re wonderful,” Caroline said, taking another one and settling back on the couch. “I wish I could cook more adventurous things. I mostly stick to the basics for ease.”
“Once I started keeping ingredients on hand, I was much more comfortable reading a recipe. It gets easier the more you do it.” She laughed. “Just like everything else, I guess. I haven’t always been into cooking. It’s taken a little perseverance on my part. Can I offer you another drink?”
Caroline glanced down at her glass, and Jace saw that she was shocked she’d finished it already. He rested his hand on her back again and stroked, letting her know it was okay, whatever she wanted to do. She glanced at him with one eyebrow raised before she turned back and answered, “Sure, I’ll take another one. Why not?”
Before Emma could get it herself, Pete stood. “I’ll get it. Gin and tonic, right? Anyone else?”
Jace swirled his glass. He was almost done. What the hell? “I’ll take another one as long as you’re up.”
Pete chuckled over his shoulder. “I think the drinks will be flowing freely tonight. I might just bring the bottles over here so we can reach them easily.”
“But we’re agreed not to overdo it,” Emma called. “I don’t think any of us want to be drunk for this.”
“No,” Caroline said quickly. “I imbibed a little too much at the restaurant, and I apologize for that. I definitely don’t want to do a repeat.”
Pete brought over new drinks, but left the bottles at the bar.
He leaned over the couch and handed them to Jace and Caroline. “Here you go.” As he came around to the front and settled in by his wife, he said, “Speaking of dinner, I hope you guys enjoyed your after-dinner dessert at Bella.” He winked. “We certainly did.”
“We did, too.” Jace nodded as his wife politely coughed and took another sip of her drink.
“We’re so glad,” Emma said. “We were worried when you left so quickly, and when we didn’t hear from you for a few weeks, we thought maybe we blew it. It was great to get your call. You never know when you meet a new couple for the first time. We thought maybe we scared you away by being too bold.”
“Nope.” Jace shifted, tugging Caroline a little closer. He knew talking about sex like this wasn’t her favorite thing, but it was inevitable. “We enjoyed the show immensely, but we had to leave in a hurry because we were…more than ready to go, if you catch my drift.”
“I bet that made for an interesting ride home.” Pete grinned, taking a sip of his drink as he sat back.
“Well, we didn’t exactly make it home, so yes, you could say it got very interesting.” Jace smiled at the couple as Caroline fidgeted. “We’ll just leave it at that.”
“Well, cheers to coming in the car.” Pete held his glass in the air before he took a drink. “I love it when a car ride takes a turn for the better.” He leaned over and kissed his wife’s cheek, who playfully shooed him away with her hand.
“You’re so naughty.” Emma laughed. “But we’ve definitely learned to get the most out of a car ride. Um”—she cleared her throat—“maybe you guys can tell us a little bit more about how you ended things?” Jace felt Caroline blanch next to him. Emma immediately noticed it and waved her arm. “But no pressure! I was just thinking it might help get us all in the mood. I love sexy banter. But if you don’t want to, it’s no big deal. Really. We can take our time as well.”
Jace couldn’t see Caroline’s full expression, because she had leaned up to grab another bite of food, but he assumed she was blushing.
Emma’s request had been innocent enough. After all, they were going to see them at their most intimate very shortly. He turned to his wife, who had just sat back on the couch, taking a gulp of her drink, finishing it in one draw.
In that split second, Jace decided to comply with Emma’s request to share. A little dirty talk would set the mood, and it would also serve as a litmus test for Caroline. If she couldn’t take the banter, she wasn’t going to be cut out for the rest of it, and they could make their excuses and leave.
Jace inclined his head toward the Slaters. “I don’t mind giving you a rundown. It was a great evening. Caroline started by touching herself before we left the parking lot and ended by climbing onto my cock in the driver’s seat. She came at least five times, but had the biggest orgasm while she was riding my dick. It was one of the best sexual moments I’ve ever had, thanks in part to you two. I’ve never seen her so primed and ready to go. I get rock hard every time I drive by the spot where we did it, so it’s an experience that keeps on giving.”
Caroline turned to him, her mouth gaping. She coughed into her fist and whispered, “That’s too private to share.”
“I’m setting the mood.” He rubbed her back as he nodded to their hosts. “We’re about to watch Emma and Pete have sex. It doesn’t get much more private than that.” He kept rubbing her back as he directed the next comment right to her. “You were so fucking wet, I almost came the moment you slid onto my cock.”
16
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Caroline was wet, almost against her will, the moment those words tumbled out of Jace’s mouth. She was completely incredulous her husband would say such things in front of others, but knew why he was doing it. He was a smart man. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t completely mortified. “Okay, I get it”—she patted his leg—“but can you tone down the explicitness a bit?” She gave the Slaters a tentative smile.
“No, that’s okay,” Pete said. “We like it explicit. In fact, your husband got us going in about two sentences. That might be a world record around here.”
Caroline glanced over to witness Pete’s hand trailing up his wife’s leg and watched as it slid under her dress. Emma repositioned herself slightly to give him better access.
Was Emma naked under there?
Without Caroline’s consent, more wetness hit her panties.
Yes, she’d worn panties.
Now, maybe in hindsight, she shouldn’t have.
“Um, with the general direction this convo is headed, I believe I need another drink,” Caroline confessed as she edged off the couch. “But I don’t want to interrupt the…mood, so I’ll just get it myself.” She stood before anyone could say anything and made her way around the sofa. “Jace, you can keep talking if you’d like. I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure,” she called over her shoulder. If she really examined her feelings, she found that she was, in fact, fine. After the initial shock of what Jace had just blurted out had worn off, and as she’d watched Pete touch Emma, her libido had gone into overdrive, and very simply, she liked it.
Maybe loved it?
It’s the sole reason why they were here, after all. She couldn’t lose sight of that. Now she just had to keep her head on straight and try to keep the guilty feelings that were beginning to creep in at bay. She smiled to herself as she grabbed the bottle of gin. If anything, this was going to be an interesting night. The Slaters had purchased her favorite liquor, Tanqueray—or maybe it was the one they preferred, too? Who knew? She poured a generous amount in before the tonic, but as she did, she vowed this would be her last drink. She was already feeling the effects of the first two, and she had a nice buzz going. She wanted her head fuzzy, so she didn’t have to think too hard, but she definitely did not want to be drunk.
“As you were saying?” Pete prodded Jace in the background, a joking tone behind his voice. Pete had dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt. Caroline really did have to admit the man was handsome. Where Michael Collins had model good looks, Pete Slater had a carefree appeal that seemed to go well with his lifestyle. He had high cheekbones, tan skin, and a pair of stunning blue eyes. His blond hair was carelessly styled and worn a little long. He still didn’t hold a candle to her husband, but seeing Pete and Emma together was completely erotic. They were hot personified. “You have a way with words, man.”
Caroline turned and headed back to the couch, but instead of sitting down next to her husband, she paused behind him, settling her hand on his shoulder.
His arm immediately snaked up as he grabbed hold of her.
It felt nice to be connected, but she wasn’t ready to sit yet.
“Well,” Jace started, “Caroline had already had three orgasms on her own before I stopped the car, which was a first for her. Once I parked, it was only a matter of seconds before she came again, and then she came again with her ass undulating on my lap. It was fucking incredible.”
Pete whistled low, and Caroline blushed.
Then he gave Caroline a heated gaze that made her tingle and her toes curl. As he looked at her, Jace increased the pressure of his hand on hers for a moment, and Caroline had to stifle a giggle.
So this wasn’t that easy for him after all.
That was nice to know.
“That’s so sexy,” Emma cooed as she opened her legs a little farther apart, but not enough for Caroline or Jace to get a good glimpse of anything. It was a seductive move, and Pete welcomed it, moving his hand up a little higher. “You must have what we call a hot button. For most women, it’s a struggle to get there—well, without battery-operated help anyway—much less come multiple times on their own. I can do it, but only if I’m extremely turned on.” Emma’s eyes were hooded as her husband’s hand started to move back and forth.
Caroline’s nipples hardened under her shirt, and she blushed even more, if that was possible.
She’d never considered herself to have a hot button and certainly hadn’t had one until her talented husband had coaxed her into finally letting go enough to have one orgasm, let alone many. “I’m not sure about the hot-button thing—or if I qualify. I certainly wasn’t born that way, which Jace can attest to many times over. In the beginning of our relationship, I was very cold, and terrified to try new things. Only because of him did I finally find any sexual awareness”—she couldn’t believe that last part had come out of her mouth—“and once I did, well”—she shrugged—“a whole new world opened up for me.”
“I think the key is that you’re just really hot for your husband.” Emma smiled. “Maybe that’s how we came to be here, in this room. Two completely smart, confident women in great relationships, searching for that next thing that will take us over the pleasure abyss. Our husbands have given us a great gift, but they’ve also given us a curse. They’ve gifted us ultimate pleasure, but it’s a drug, and like any drug, you need a bigger dose each time you take it.”
Caroline would agree there was some truth to that.
Piper certainly fit into that category as well.
Jace had patiently helped Caroline scale a wall she’d initially thought was too high, but once she was over, it had brought her divine pleasure.
But Caroline didn’t know Emma well enough, and did not want this woman as a close friend with whom to share secrets and meaningful conversations. It would be much too hard to meet up with her for a casual lunch or go to the gardening store to pick out planters after having shared such private things with one another.
It just couldn’t happen.
So, instead of getting into a possible philosophical conversation about pleasure being the drug of choice, and where they both stood on the matter, she opted to go a different route. “That might be true,” Caroline conceded. “We might be addicted to pleasure, but like any drug, it needs to be consumed first before there’s any high.” She stroked Jace’s hand for a moment. “And we’re not consuming anything sitting here, are we?” She raised an eyebrow as she glanced around the group.
Jace turned in his seat, a half smile playing on his lips. “No, we certainly aren’t,” he answered, grinning. “I think the Slaters have enjoyed our banter, but maybe we should move on to the next phase.” He turned back to the group. “What do you guys think?”
Caroline watched Pete slip his hand out from under his wife’s dress, both of them sitting up. “I think that sounds like a great idea.” He stood, reaching for Emma’s hand. “We’re going to head down to the basement. We have a nice space down there for entertaining.” He winked. “Follow us.”
Caroline almost burst out laughing, and it didn’t help when Jace got off the couch and made a funny face that only she could see.
But she wasn’t at all surprised the Slaters had a love nest in the basement. It seemed the Strattons shared more than they knew with the Slaters.
Souped-up basements to give women with hot buttons even more pleasure.
* * *
Jace had to stop the party for a second while he ran out to the car to grab the video camera. But he was back before the others headed downstairs. It hadn’t seemed appropriate to tote the thing in when they’d arrived. The bag wasn’t that big, but the intent to videotape people fucking would have been written all over it.
Caroline reached out and grabbed on to his hand, and they followed Emma and Pete downstairs.
Once they started down the first few steps, it was clear it wasn’t a typical basement basement. The stairway was open and curved, and ended in a huge lower level with high ceilings, big double egress windows, and tons of wide-open space.
The Slaters hadn’t relegated their “fun zone” to just one guest bedroom, like Jace had. The entire lower level had been decorated like a palace.
A sex palace.
“Goodness!” Caroline exclaimed. “This is…intense.”
The main room was as big as the upstairs kitchen and family room put together, with six pillars integrated into the architecture to support the floor above, which made it feel huge and open.
The entire room was covered in wall-to-wall, dark gold, plush carpet. There were couches, chairs, and over-sized beanbags, furniture that looked like they could be beds, except they were round and smaller than a twin bed. Absolutely everything was covered in rich fabric. It was clear no expense had been spared, at least that Jace could see. As they made their way into the main room, Jace noticed all the walls were hung with thick, red velvet curtains. He was pretty sure the curtains were there to set the mood, but also covered up a TV, or multiple TVs, or sound system, or who knew what?
Maybe they had a theater screen down here?
The curtains gave it a harem feel.
In fact, it felt straight out of a movie about people who loved to host sex parties.
“We call this our Pleasure Paradise,” Emma announced from the middle of the room, taking a seat on one of the small, round beds, crossing her long legs.
“Well, it certainly is a paradise,” Caroline answered, her voice a little shaky. “It’s really…quite something.”
“Once we committed to this lifestyle fully,” Pete explained as he strode farther into the room, “we realized we couldn’t just meet couples in some seedy motel room. So we decided to devote this space to what we love the most.”
“Having sex parties?” Jace joked.
“We don’t do orgies,” Emma corrected quickly. “They’re too complicated. But we have had more than one couple down here at a time. The reason we have so much space is for variety, not quantity. The bed I’m sitting on actually spins, and the height is adjustable.” She bent over and pulled up the sham that ran around the bottom to show the mechanics.
Jace bent his head to take a look. The custom platform had a foam top with what looked to be some kind of hydraulic jack attached. He shook his head and let out a low whistle. “I put together a room in our basement recently, but it’s nothing even close to this. We do have a swing, though.”
“Oh, you like swings?” Emma asked, her eyebrows raised, a smile on her lips. “We actually have a few. Some of the couples we hook up with like things a little…harder than we do, so we installed some playthings in one of the bedrooms.” Her head tilted to the right, and Jace followed her gaze. He could see nothing but red velvet fabric.
“Bedrooms, plural?” Caroline asked.
Pete started in the direction Emma had indicated. “Yep, come and see. Who knows what you guys will enjoy down the line, right? One room has a few swings and some other naughty contraptions, and the other is what we like to call the ‘theme room.’”
As he and Caroline followed Pete to the doors, she whispered, “Themes?” into Jace’s ear.
Pete pulled back a section of the red velvet and secured it on a hidden hook, which exposed a very short hallway. He went to the right and opened what appeared to be the naughty room first. Jace and Caroline poked their heads in. It was a big bedroom with lots of space and no bed. There was a swing, similar to the one they had borrowed from Michael and Piper—theirs had come from Sweden, but they hadn’t used it yet—attached to hooks in the ceiling. Another set of hooks was visible, but not in use. Various whips and crops dangled from one wall, as well as a bunch of other things Jace had no names for. He had no idea how any of that stuff worked, except for the leather cuffs he spotted.
Caroline cleared her throat beside him. “Um, this is interesting, but we don’t…we don’t go that way. The swing was fun, but we didn’t use it in a dominating way.”
Emma stood behind them. “Oh, no worries,” she said. “We don’t go that way either. Like we said, it’s just here for others. We’ve watched a few times. It’s always hot to see someone else have sex, but none of the paraphernalia does anything for us—except the swing.” Her voice got throaty. “We do use that on occasion.”
Pete shut the door and turned to open the one on the left. At first glimpse, the room looked like the dressing room at some sort of playhouse or theater. Costumes hung from hooks on the wall, bins held wigs and hats, and a huge bed sat right in the middle of everything.
“We call this the Playhouse,” Pete said. “Some people like to dress up and role-play. They like to escape their everyday reality for a little bit. Plus, it makes it spicy. This is always fun, if you’re into that kind of stuff.”
Jace put a hand on Caroline’s shoulder, and she turned, arching an eyebrow. He could imagine what was going through her head and tried to stifle his laugh as he commented, “I can see the allure of role-play, but that’s not us. Naked is all the stimulation we need.”
Pete shut the door, and they all walked back into the main room.
As Pete put the velvet curtain back down, he grinned. “You never know. After a few years of watching, you might feel the need to spice things up more. Seeing your wife as a brunette could be incredibly sexy.”
Jace chuckled. “Blonde is all the sexy I need. But I make it a rule to never say never.”
Emma had gone before them. She had stopped in the middle of the room. In one motion, she lifted her flimsy dress over her head, revealing a smokin’ body, curvy and lush. She was absolutely stark naked, as she said, “So, where do you want us to start?”
