Текст книги "What Caroline Wants"

Автор книги: Amanda Abbott

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Текущая страница: 2 (всего у книги 14 страниц)

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There was a knock at the back door. It was noon and Caroline was just getting ready to have lunch. “Who’s there?” Caroline called as she got up from her desk. Her office was just off the den, about ten paces from the kitchen.

It could be only one of three people.

Either it was her mother-in-law, who liked to walk around and investigate things before she decided to enter the house, or it was Michael or Piper Collins.

The closest route to the Collins’ house was through the back door. As Caroline entered the spacious kitchen, which was decorated in a contemporary style with blacks, whites, blues, and grays, Piper opened the back door and poked her head in.

“Is this an okay time?” Piper asked. “Are you busy?”

“I’m not busy at all. Come on in.” Caroline gestured for her best friend to enter. “My website is down for maintenance today, so I’m just doing paperwork.” Caroline ran a small stationery business out of her home. She sold her one-of-a-kind designs, printed on various cardstock, directly to her customers from the manufacturer’s warehouse.

Piper entered and shut the door behind her. She was taller than Caroline by a good four inches and had a long, beautiful mane of chestnut hair and a pair of sparkling hazel eyes. She was beautiful and always managed to make Caroline feel underdressed. Today Piper wore a pale pink sundress with strappy leather sandals Caroline knew were designer.

Caroline walked over to the island, which took up a good chunk of space in the middle of the kitchen, and fingered her ponytail absentmindedly, wishing she’d at least worn jeans today instead of her usual sweats. It was a silly thought, since she and Piper had been friends since the very first day she and Jace had moved in five years ago, and Piper had seen her in her “work-from-home outfit” too many times to count. Not dressing up was the biggest perk of not working in an office.

But today she felt more inadequate than usual.

“Is it too early to drink?” Piper asked smoothly as she slid into one of the leather barstools next to the island. “It’s only noon, or I would’ve brought over a vat of wine. Instead, I’m going to have to do this sober. I’ll get right down to it and not waste your time. I, hand to the Almighty above”—she thumped her hand over her heart—“wish that Michael had never brought up our personal stuff last night. I’m so sorry. I was wildly uncomfortable, and I’ve been unbelievably embarrassed all day. I hardly even know what to do with myself—and, believe me, that’s a rarity. I know you must think we’re heathens or sexual perverts, and because of that I apologize from the bottom of my soul. Had it been my choice”—she placed a finger on her chest—“that would’ve stayed private until the day we died.”

Caroline blushed at her friend’s confession, remembering all the details Michael had spilled last night, her fingers trailing over the gray-and-white-veined granite. She couldn’t fault her friend for not confiding in her. Caroline had never broached the topic of sex in all their years of friendship. It wasn’t her style. “Honestly, Piper, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Your decisions are your own. Jace and I are not ones to judge anyone’s behavior. Whatever you and Michael choose to do behind closed doors is your business.”

“I know. But I also know you, and you believe that up to a point. But this is different. This isn’t just me deciding to cut my hair or dye it black like I did a few years ago. Or even me deciding to have an affair with another man. This is something that marks us as different. This is the kind of information that changes friendships forever. If Michael had admitted he committed a gruesome murder last night, I think it would’ve been easier to swallow than admitting we get our rocks off with other people.”

Caroline couldn’t help but laugh.

Her friend had that effect on her. Piper knew how to diffuse a situation faster than anyone she’d ever met, and she was one of the wittiest people on earth. “I wouldn’t go that far. Having a few…consensual encounters is a lot different than killing someone.”

“Okay, then how about killing someone’s dog?” Piper appeared miserable. She rested her arms on the counter and settled her head on them face first, like she was a kid in elementary school. “And I won’t blame you if you want nothing to do with us ever again.” Her voice was muffled. “Believe me, after the first time, I didn’t want anything to do with us either.”

Caroline pulled out a stool and sat, placing a hand on her friend’s back. “To tell you the truth, I’m actually dying of curiosity.” She leaned closer to Piper, who was still hunched over. “We’ve known each other for a long time, and you’ve never once mentioned anything like this. Not even a whisper. And I don’t blame you. I’ve never been one to kiss and tell. But, I have to tell you, I’ve always pictured swingers to be…I don’t know…less put together.” Caroline began to giggle. She tried to stifle her laughter, but failed as she continued with, “Which is totally ridiculous. I know swingers aren’t total degenerates. I just never thought they’d live…you know, next door to me…and be so…I don’t know…fun.”

“We’re not swingers.” Piper lifted her head, cracking a small smile. “Not in the technical sense anyway.” She sat up and ran her hands through her long hair, bringing it behind her ears as she turned on her stool to face Caroline. “And, just so you understand, we’ve only done it a handful of times—eight or ten at the most. And only with two other couples—but not two at once,” she amended quickly. “Good grief, this is not coming out as planned.” She looked miserable again. “We actually stick to some pretty steadfast rules, or I’d never be able to live with myself.”

“What kind of rules?” Caroline asked. The question had come out on its own, which surprised her. Digging into another person’s intimacy was not in her comfort zone. But, she had to admit, while she’d been shocked by the news last night, seeing Piper being her normal, funny self now, right here in her own kitchen, made her lifestyle choice seem much less outrageous.

That, and she honestly wanted to know how her friend handled it.

Piper raised an eyebrow, but began, “Well, for one, you can’t kiss anyone else’s spouse on the lips.” She spread her palms on the counter and took a deep breath, seeming to gather herself. “You can’t be alone with another partner. All sexual acts have to be within view of the other participants, all the time. Actually, in the beginning, there was no penetration of any kind allowed, only foreplay. We worked our way up to penetration. But, that said, having sex with someone else is always optional. But the biggest rule we have is no intimidation or pressure of any kind. You can leave or stop whenever you want to. It has to be completely mutual for everyone.”

“So have you…done the penetration part? Have you slept with someone else?” Caroline had to ask. Michael hadn’t specified last night.

“I wouldn’t exactly call it ‘slept with someone,’ but yes.” She held up a single finger. “But only once, and it took me a long time to get over it. I might’ve even had a little, teensy breakdown after, so I don’t think I’ll ever do it again. It was fairly traumatizing.”

“Has Michael…penetrated someone else?”

“Yes, a few times, but only with my permission.”

Caroline tried not to look totally aghast, but judging from the look on Piper’s face, she wasn’t succeeding.

“You don’t have to look like I just killed your dog,” Piper said, her voice dejected.

Caroline tried to make her expression impassive, but the news was just so shocking.

“Caroline, to be honest, this has been a very long road for Michael and me. I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that it turns me on to see him with another woman. I used to think something was wrong with me. But over time, Michael has helped me see that I’m not broken. What I like just doesn’t fit into what society thinks is normal. Therefore, I’m labeled a sexual freak.” She shrugged. “That’s really the bottom line.”

Caroline nodded along. It made sense on some level.

Piper continued, “Michael is connected to me during the entire…episode, for lack of a better word. And afterward we go home and have explosive sex—like, the best ever. It lasts for weeks. It’s kind of hard to explain, but it’s satisfying on so many levels. Obviously, it’s satisfying”—she made a funny face—“or we wouldn’t keep doing it. The sexual stimulation I get from it is…mind-blowing. Like hyper orgasms, three or four in a row. There’s nothing like it.”

Caroline tried not to act shocked about Piper’s blatant confessions. Instead, she straightened and focused on the countertop as she asked, “How do you cope with the guilt?” Piper had to feel guilty. “We’re not exactly trained to be okay with sharing our partners, like you said. How do you rationalize it in your mind, so you can get through the second-guessing?” She wasn’t going to confess to Piper that it had taken her much too long to shake the guilt after watching a single porn movie.

“I’m not going to lie. The guilt was extremely brutal at first. I thought for sure we were going to get divorced. There were a lot of tears, agonizing, and hand-wringing.”

That’s exactly how Caroline would’ve reacted. She nodded. “How’d you finally get over it?”

“We just kept talking about it, kept the conversation open. The simplest answer I have is because we love each other very deeply. And what it all boils down to in the end is it’s just sex. It’s not love.” Piper rested her elbow on the island, a slightly amused expression on her face. “About a year after the very first time, and all the angst was behind me, I was ready to try it again. And the second time—lemme tell you—was much better than the first. I knew what to expect, and the experience was greatly improved. Michael and I have since learned to make our own rules on the way over, and we always stick to them. With the couples we interact with, we can only do it once or twice a year. It takes a lot out of us to be with them. But, like I said, the payoff is fantastic. When I watch him with someone else, it’s hard to describe it accurately, but it’s like the biggest vibrator in the world is in my pants. It’s that hot.”

Caroline didn’t want to admit to herself that she was turned on by Piper’s confession, but she was. She wasn’t interested in having a liaison with Piper and Michael, but hearing her friend talk about voyeuristic sex was stimulating. You’d have to be dead not to feel anything. “Why is it hard to be with the other couple more than once or twice a year?”

Piper shook her head. “Because they’re much more adventurous than we are, especially one couple. They’ve been doing it a lot longer and have very few inhibitions. Even though there’s never any pressure to perform, sometimes it still feels like there is. If I could change one thing about our entire experience, it would be that we would’ve entered into this lifestyle more slowly. We could have used a little more patience. But I can’t argue with the outcome. It’s been nine years.”

“Wow. That is a long time.” She tried not to feel hurt that Piper had never mentioned anything about this throughout their friendship. These things were very private in nature. She’d been friends with Piper for the last five years, but like any friendship, it had taken time to build. They were closer now than they’d been a few years ago. “But I don’t understand how you could’ve gone slower.”

Piper smiled. “There are ways, grasshopper. You can have sex with your spouse in front of another couple, never touching anyone else. That’s a soft way to enter the lifestyle. That alone can be explosive, the pleasure intense.”

Caroline shivered.

“Or you can just have heavy foreplay with your spouse in bed with another couple who are doing the same thing. That can be erotic, still with no touching beyond your own partner. The guilt is lessened that way. You can actually do it that way for years. Or you can do the foreplay thing with someone else’s spouse, which is not sex, and is also easier to handle.”

Caroline politely coughed into her fist. The things Piper described so casually with other couples was so intimate. It made her blush. “I see.”

“You think I’m a total slut,” Piper said, a small accusation behind her words. “I can see it in your eyes. We’re never going to get through this, are we?” Piper dropped her head back into her hands. “I wish I could go back in time and snatch the words back from Michael’s loud, over-sharing mouth and erase them.”

“No, we’re going to be fine,” Caroline assured her friend. Then she hesitated. “I have something to admit to you, though, and I think it might help.”

Piper raised her head, a hopeful look on her face. “Like what? That you and Jason are actually swingers?” Piper gave out a choke of laughter. “That would totally make my day.”

“No, but I’m not the prude you think I am.” At Piper’s skeptical expression, she continued, feeling more confident. “Yes, I’m from the South, and I generally dress a little more conservatively than you do, but I’m not as innocent as you think. I do enjoy a little…kink on occasion.”

Piper leaned in, sputtering, “Kink? Oh, really? Do tell. What kind of perversions have you and Jason been getting yourself into?”

“Well, I’m particularly fond of anal beads.”

Piper almost fell off her stool. She had to right herself before she could speak, her palms hitting the countertop with a loud slap. “Whaaat did you just say?” She followed that with a bellow of laughter. “You didn’t just say what I thought you did.”

Caroline crossed her arms. “For your information, when your partner pulls them out slowly, during a climax, it adds to the pleasure exponentially. It’s quite nice, actually.”

Piper was laughing so hard she couldn’t respond.

“You don’t have to act so dumbfounded,” Caroline huffed. “I’m a little adventurous, so what? You just told me you had sex with other people. Anal beads are in a tame fifth or sixth place compared to your revelation.”

“Once.” Piper held up her index finger. “I had sex with another person one time. But I can truly say I’ve never had the balls to try anal beads. I thought only hookers used toys like that.”

Caroline arched a look at her friend, and then burst out laughing. “Yes, because hookers are taking the time to find ultimate pleasure with their johns.” She shook her head at her friend. “Anal beads are not the only shocking things in my bedside drawer, either. But after that hilarity, I might refuse to share any more juicy gossip.”

“No, no, you have to spill the goods now,” Piper urged. “This is making me feel so much better. Almost like I’m a normal person again and not some kind of crazed sex addict.” When Caroline didn’t readily reply, she continued, “Please tell me! I can’t stand it. What can be dirtier than anal beads? I must know.”

“Nipple clamps.” Caroline had a chance to look smug. “And Jace has used a cock ring.”

Piper looked incredulous.

“What? We watch a lot of porn—and I enjoy it. Most of the time. Especially one girl with two guys. Double penetration is a total turn-on for me.”

“Oh. My. Goodness!” Piper chortled. “This is like reality TV when the neighbors you least expect have the same shocking secret as you do! This might be the best day of my life. I’m so relieved to find out you have a sexy bedroom life.”

Caroline got off her stool and walked over to the cupboard and plucked out two wine glasses. “I don’t care if it’s only noon. We both deserve a drink.”

“Amen, sister,” Piper agreed, automatically heading toward the wine rack, which was mounted on the wall beneath a cabinet, where she chose a bottle of Cabernet. With the bottle in hand, she walked over, opened a drawer by the sink and retrieved an opener. Caroline set two extra-large glasses on the island, and after Piper muscled the cork out, she poured them each a hefty shot. They picked up their goblets.

“To friends,” Piper said.

“To sex.” Caroline laughed. “And lots of it.”

* * *

Jace opened the back door, and the first thing he heard was tinkling laughter. It was four in the afternoon and he was home early, hoping to surprise his wife. Jace had grown up on a farm an hour away, but his parents had moved to Madison eight years ago. Once Jace and Caroline had finished college and gotten married, they’d moved here so he could go into business with his father, buying and selling farming equipment. He enjoyed it, and it was extremely lucrative. His office was less than ten minutes away, and he was eager to see his beautiful wife. Their morning escapades had stuck with him all day, and he was hoping to coax her into a repeat performance.

He walked into the kitchen to find his wife sitting at the kitchen table with Piper. There were more than a few empty bottles of wine strewn in front of them, along with some empty plates of food.

They were both clearly drunk, and very happy.

“Is this why you didn’t answer your phone?” Jace chided as he strode over and gave his wife a kiss on the top of her head.

“I’m sorry,” Caroline said with a polite slur. “Time must’ve gotten away from us.” They both burst out laughing, Caroline hitting her thigh in delight. “I was getting all these texts from the website maintenance people, so I turned my phone to vibrate.” More laughter. “And then I left it in my office. What time is it anyway?” She turned to glance out the window. “It’s still light out.” She looked back at him. “Why are you home?”

“I came home to see you,” he said, winking. “I wasn’t expecting you to have company.”

Piper began to giggle in earnest. “No doubt he wants a repeat of this morning, you little sex kitten you.”

Jace’s gaze whipped to Piper, his eyebrows shooting up to his hairline. Then he glanced back at his wife.

Caroline had never talked to anyone about their sex life, which he knew for a fact because she’d told him on numerous occasions it was no one’s business what they did in their bedroom.

He realized they were both staring at him, waiting for some kind of response. “Ah, yes. That’s a correct assumption. You were…amazing…and I…came home early to see you,” he finished lamely.

This was awkward.

“Oh, that’s so sweet,” Piper said, clapping her hands. “You weren’t lying when you told me you were a good lay, Caroline. Good for you!” Piper slurred the last bit as she put her hand up for a rocky high-five, which Caroline leaned over and smacked with the force of a wet noodle.

Because they were so blitzed, Jace didn’t take as much offense as maybe he should have. “So, I take it you two have been drinking?” He glanced at the table. “Was it three bottles of wine? Or four?”

Caroline cocked her head up at him and gave him a sloppy smile. “Only three. But we drank them over a very long period of time. Hours.” God, she was gorgeous, even drunk on wine at four in the afternoon. “You’ll also be happy to know I am now much more educated about sex than I was before, thanks to my best friend, Piper. She’s been around the block way more times than me and has filled me in on everything.” She leaned toward him in her chair, putting her hand in a half-hearted arc around her mouth to whisper, “And good grief! There’s so much we’ve been missing out on!”

Jace didn’t think his eyebrows could get any higher. “Missing out? I think we’ve covered quite a bit. You don’t have anything to worry about. How about we get you up to bed? You look a little tired.” Drunk.

“I’m not tired, Jason. I’m horny! I’m wasted, and all we’ve talked about all damn day is penetration, sucking, fucking, fingering—”

“Okay, babe!” Jace knelt in front of his wife. “I need you to stop while you’re ahead. I know you, and you’re going to regret saying so much right now in front of company. So how about I take you upstairs, and Piper can let herself out? You’re going to need at least twenty-four hours to sleep this off.”

“Jace, I’m not that drunk. I mean, yes, I am drunk, but not blackout wasted. And I’m not lying. From what Piper’s been telling me, we’ve been missing out on lots of stuff, and I want to try it.” Her smiled widened, her blue eyes twinkling with mischief, which made him want to kiss her soundly.

“We can try it as soon as we go upstairs. I promise.” Jace reached out to help her up. “Just come with me.”

“No, I want to try it now,” she said coyly, dodging his grip by settling back in her seat, while glancing over at Piper and waggling her eyebrows.

Piper snorted. “I told you, this is probably not the lifestyle for you. Your thing, from what I’m gathering, is look, don’t touch.”

“No,” Caroline argued, “you look, but don’t touch. Right now.” This was making no sense to Jace, but before he could stop his wife, she pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it across the kitchen.

She was wearing one of his favorite bras.

It was a lacy see-through pink demi bra he’d given her as a gift. It came with lacy pink thigh-highs and a rose-colored garter, if he remembered correctly. “Caroline, please,” he pleaded. “Let’s talk about this first. I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret later. I know I was the one who brought it up this morning, but honestly, I was just trying to get you hot and bothered, which totally worked in my favor,” he pointed out. “You’re all I need. You don’t want to do this.”

“You’re all I need, too. But right now, I want you to suck me, and I want Piper to watch. But she’s only going to watch.” Caroline glanced over at Piper and squinted her eyes. “You’re only going to watch, right?”

“Yes, I’ll watch for a total of three seconds,” Piper answered, holding up three fingers. Her hand wavered in the air. “Then I’m leaving. Remember what I said. If you’re interested in this kind of life, you have to take it slow. Baby steps. Cute, little baby steps.”

“Yes,” Caroline agreed. “Baby steps to sexual fulfillment. Works every time.” Then they both burst out laughing. Once Caroline was done with her fit of mirth, she met Jace’s questioning look. “I guess you had to be there.”

“I guess so,” Jace said, still on his knees in front of his wife. “Care, please don’t do anything you’re going to be too guilt-ridden about later. You’ve battled enough bad feelings in the past. You don’t need any fresh angst.”

She leaned over and set her hands lovingly along the sides of his face, caressing his cheeks as she leaned in to kiss him. She tasted like wine, but the kiss was meant to ignite a flame. It was deep and sensual, and his cock jumped instantly, without his total permission. As she sealed her mouth over his, pushing her tongue deep, she moaned into his lips. When she finally broke the kiss and eased back, he was in. She said, “It’s okay, my love. I’m ready for baby steps. And I’m so incredibly turned on. I want you to do this right now. In front of Piper.”

He glanced over at Piper. She was an attractive woman, tall and curvy, but not his type. He was surprised to see the heated look in her eyes. But, from what he could ascertain, it wasn’t directed at him, nor was it directed at his wife. Piper was in her own little world and Michael would be getting a nice surprise tonight.

Jace directed his gaze back to his wife.

She lightly directed his face toward her chest. He nodded and smiled. “Okay, Caroline, I’ll play. I’m always up for a game. I’ll give you what you want, but only up to a point. How bad do you want to feel my mouth on you? You’re going to have to tell me if you want to join this party.”

He was rock hard.

His wife moaned, urging him forward by pressing her fingers against the back his neck. He slowly peeled the flimsy bra material down around one breast to reveal her hard peak. Her breath sped up in anticipation of his mouth. He obliged, running his tongue around her nipple, laving her.

Again and again.

Big, wet strokes over her silken bud. He wanted her to tell him, like she had this morning, what she really wanted.

Her hands clinched around his head, drawing him closer. “More,” she whispered. “Please.”

“How bad do you want me, Caroline?” He took the sensitive nub between his teeth, pulling and sucking, sliding his hand under her breast to get a better angle and guide it into his hungry mouth.

“Oh!” she cried. “Yes, please, Jace, I want it so bad! Then I want you to lay me over this table and fuck me from behind.”

He groaned against her silky skin, his cock throbbing into the seam of his jeans. She’d blindsided him again with her words, showing him how incredibly turned on she was. He stood, hauling her out of the chair with both hands, grabbing her ass, cupping her bottom and squeezing, grinding her against his erection. He took her nipple into his mouth and sucked hard, until his beautiful wife screamed in ecstasy.

He knew that yell.

She was close and he wasn’t nearly ready.

In one motion, he turned her and bent her over the table.

He swept his arm, clearing a space for them, ignoring everything as it crashed to the ground. Piper had slipped away not more than a few seconds in, just as she’d promised. He was relieved. Jace couldn’t decide if it had turned him on to have her watch their very brief interlude or not, but having her there for a tiny bit of foreplay was one thing—this was another matter altogether.

He was going to take his wife hard over this table, just as she demanded, and it would stay between them.

“Jace, please hurry,” Caroline cried out.

He stripped her pants over her ass in one motion. She wore a tiny thong, and he took a moment to enjoy seeing the pink nestled against her beautiful backside. She was so sexy, and most of the time she had no frigging idea.

She wiggled her ass at him, and he grabbed the thong and whipped it down, tugging everything to her ankles. Once her pants and underwear were down, she kicked them aside. “Caroline, lift your right leg and set it on the rung of this chair.” He hooked the chair with his foot and positioned it so she could use it. “I want you wide open.”

She did as she was bid. “Jace, I need you inside me yesterday.”

“I know, babe, and you’re going to get it soon. I promise.” He brought his hands to her cheeks and spread them so he could see all of her. He sighed. Then he circled a finger through her wetness and slipped it in. She gasped and clenched around him immediately.

She was so close.

Without wasting another second, he unbuckled and unzipped, pushing his jeans down past his hips, then took his cock in hand and drove himself deep. “Ahhh, you’re so wet.” His jaw clenched. “And so tight from this angle.” He began to thrust.

“Yes,” she moaned. “Yes, yes, yes. Faster. I need it hard, Jace. I need you to fuck me harder.”

He grabbed on to her hips and did as she asked, whipping her toward him as he pounded into her again and again, the motions frantic and frenetic. The table rocked back and forth, and the rest of the dishes and food clattered to the floor.

She cried out. He could see her knuckles white against the edges of the table. “I need more,” she cried. “Put your finger…in there.”

He knew were “there” was without asking.

He angled his thumb over her beautiful ass and pressed it into the opening without breaking his rhythm. It didn’t get more than half an inch in, and she broke apart beneath him. He yelled as her tightness clenched around his cock so hard it triggered him into spilling.

He knew it was, bar none, one of the biggest orgasms she’d ever had.

He continued rocking into her, coming just as hard.