Rising Talent Page 4

  “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

  “If my husband comes here, call me,” the woman said, pulling her wallet out of her purse and flipping a card at me so that it hit my chest and fell to the floor. She turned on her heel and walked away. I stared after her before kneeling to pick up the card. I suddenly knew where I’d seen her before—she was an actress, Maria Sanders. Maria was Luna’s mother. It struck me hard for some reason; Maria was probably the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen, even compared to Lucas’s friend, Alice.

  I closed the door to my apartment, ripping the card in half and tossing it into the trashcan. I felt almost like a child compared to Maria and was no longer surprised I hadn’t heard from Lucas since that night on the couch. Compared to her, I was an inexperienced little mouse. He’d probably been turned off by the fact I didn’t really know what I was doing—I didn’t know how to seduce anybody, how to be really sexy in the way that he was used to.

  I heard the door across the hall and knew that Lucas was home. I didn’t want to go over there, but I knew I should tell him Maria had stopped by. I had to warn him that she knew where he was and that she might find him eventually. I stood up from my couch, drinking down the rest of my wine before I steeled myself to go to his door. I knocked on it, waiting nervously, fidgeting with my hands.

  8

  Lucas

  I opened the door to see Ellie standing there, not looking at me but down at her hands. I took a deep breath. I’d been avoiding Ellie since the night I’d had dinner with her—she was so sweet, innocent and perfect, and I knew that my baggage with Maria would only drag her down. I didn’t deserve somebody so pure and kind.

  “Hi, Ellie,” I said to her. She still didn’t look at me. “Do you want to come in?”

  “No,” she said. I found myself reaching toward her, touching her jaw with my hand. I tilted her face to mine so that she was looking up at me. Her eyes met mine and they were filled with heat but something else too. Embarrassment maybe, or shame. It made my heart sink. She regretted what she’d done with me.

  “Ellie,” I said to her softly. She didn’t pull away from me, didn’t stop looking into my eyes. “Come in.”

  “Okay,” she said in a small voice and followed me inside.

  I shut the door quietly behind us and led Ellie over to the couch, where she sat on the opposite end, a couple of feet away. I wanted her closer but I didn’t move. I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, though I could see in her eyes that she was feeling at least some of the same desire she’d been feeling that night in her apartment. I’d been so close to touching her, to getting to taste her pussy, but we’d been interrupted by Luna. After my body had settled down that night, I’d told myself it was probably for the best. But looking at her now reignited that hunger in me and made me regret how I hadn’t gone to her since.

  “Somebody stopped by today,” she said after a moment.

  “Who?” I asked her, though I knew in my gut who it was.

  “Your wife,” she said, her voice dry. “Maria Sanders.”

  “She’s not my wife—”

  “It doesn’t matter,” she said. Her voice was cold but it was faltering. She was trying to keep any emotion out of it but it wasn’t working—I could see from her face that Maria had said something to upset her.

  “What did she say?” I asked Ellie. She stared at me instead of answering, chewing on her lip. I found myself looking at her mouth and remembering just what her lips had tasted like.

  “Stop doing that,” she said, frowning.

  “What am I doing?”

  “You’re—you’re acting like you’re interested,” she said.

  I raised my eyebrows at her. “You think I’m not?”

  “You’re obviously not,” she said, chewing on her lip again. It was growing red, and I leaned over to her and took it between both of mine, to suck on it gently. She pulled away with a deep breath.

  “What makes you think that?” I asked her, shifting so we were closer. I wanted to touch her, to worship her, to prove to her how badly I craved the feeling of her body against mine.

  “I’ve seen your type,” she said, squirming, trying to keep away although her hips had tilted toward mine. “I’m not it.”

  “You are so much more than anybody’s type,” I said to her, kissing her again, trying to coax her to respond to me. She parted her lips, allowed me to taste her but didn’t respond to the kiss. “You’re perfect, Ellie.”

  “Then why haven’t I seen you since we…?” she didn’t finish her sentence. She was blushing, something that only made her look more tantalizing.

  “I don’t know,” I told her. “Because I’m an idiot.”

  She smiled despite herself and I took that as permission to kiss her again. This time, she responded with a thinly-veiled hunger that was threatening to come to the surface.

  “I want you,” I said to her. “I do want you. Over and over again.”

  “Yeah?” she asked, her lips against mine. I shifted her body so she was underneath me on the couch, nodding in response and bringing my mouth to her neck, kissing the soft skin there. My hand trailed over her throat, her shoulders, between her breasts and down her belly.

  “Whatever type you are, Ellie, that’s my type.”

  She squirmed against me as I started to lift her dress over her hips, unable to keep myself from touching her any longer.

  “Why?” she asked me, and I lifted my face up to look down at her. I brought my hand to her cheek, pushing her hair back from her face.

  “There’s just something about you,” I said, looking into her eyes. “I want to make you happy. I want to make you come.”

  She bit her lip again before I kissed her, my hands working to pull the straps of her dress down over her shoulders. She pulled it down to reveal her bare breasts, just as beautiful as I remembered them. I kissed each of her nipples, feeling them harden beneath my lips. She whimpered and I looked up at her face.

  “Quiet, baby,” I said to her softly. “Can you be quiet for me tonight?”

  She nodded, her hand covering her mouth. The look on her face was so sexy, her eyes wide as they met mine. I grinned at her, taking her breast into my mouth and tracing her nipple in circles with my tongue. I knew it was teasing her because her hips were lifting and falling beneath me in a way I knew was beyond her control. I teased her other nipple too, then slid my hand down her body to cup her pussy, already wet through her panties. I stroked her on the outside of the fabric, wanting desperately to fill her with my cock but knowing I needed to work my way up to it with a woman like Ellie.

  I stroked her, rubbing her clit as I made my way down her body. I needed to taste her, to pleasure her, to make up for the fact I’d disappeared like an idiot when all I’d actually wanted was to be near her all the time. I hadn’t stopped thinking about her since the last moment I’d met her. I looked up at her as I pulled her panties down. Her hand was still over her mouth and she was watching me with a shy interest.

  When I lowered my face to nuzzle the inside of her thigh she shifted, bringing them close together.

  “What is it, angel?” I asked her, kissing the tops of her thighs. She took her hand from her mouth to speak.

  “Nobody’s ever…”

  “Nobody’s ever eaten your pussy before?” I asked her, my cock growing so hard at the thought of being her first that it ached.

  “N-no,” she said, allowing me to part her thighs with my hands. Her pussy was swollen and ripe, pink and glistening. I lowered my face to kiss her folds and she gave a soft whimper. I shot her a look and she covered her mouth again. I paused, listening for any sign that Luna had woken up. After a moment, I felt sure we were safe, and I kissed her lower lips again before swiping my tongue from bottom to top. She jerked underneath me the moment my tongue touched her clit, squirming while I started to lash at it. I was surprised when she shuddered and came right away, her pussy gushing in my mouth while I licked her. I chuckled.


  “Already?” I asked her. She looked embarrassed, flushed, her chest rising and falling quickly. I lifted myself to kiss her mouth, pulling her hand away to taste her lips. “Do you always come so easily?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t—I couldn’t help it,” she said in a soft voice.

  I kissed her again, grinning at her. “I’m going to make you come again,” I told her. “And I don’t want you to hold it back. Okay?”

  “Okay,” she breathed, nodding as I tasted her one more time, then crawled back down her body to where her pussy was dripping onto the couch. I lapped at her, tasting her fully, slipping my tongue into her channel to gather the moisture at the source. I took my time spreading it all over her folds, teasing her with my tongue before I got to her clit again. I started sucking on it and her hips began to move against my face, riding my mouth in a rhythm that suited her. I felt her body building again and knew she was going to come. I wanted to give her more—I slipped one finger into her pussy and stroked inside of her. She gave a whimper when I sank it in fully and started to pump it in and out.

  She cried out, the sound muffled by her hand when I slipped another finger inside of her as I licked her clit. Her body shuddered and she came again, humping against my face. I wished desperately that she didn’t have to stifle her cries—I wanted to hear them loud and clear, wanted to hear her whimper my name while I made her come. I continued to lick her through her orgasm, and when she came a third time I was careful to avoid touching her sensitive clit too directly. I lapped at her gently, then sat up and pulled her into a sitting position so I could kiss her. She kissed me back hungrily, her body rubbing against mine, and I nearly groaned when her hand went to my pants to free my cock.

  I put my hands on hers to stop her and she raised her eyebrows. I kissed her again.

  “I want to fuck you so bad, Ellie,” I said to her. “So fucking bad. But I want to hear you moan when I do it. I don’t want you to have to be quiet.”

  “But—” she protested, but I cut her off with a kiss. She sighed against my lips.

  “We’ll have some alone time soon,” I promised her.

  She gave me a small smile, biting her lip. “What if I can’t wait?” she asked softly, her voice innocent and sweet as a kitten. I almost gave into her then. Just those words sent a wave of lust through me that was hard to control.

  “It’ll be worth it,” I promised her, knowing it was true. When I was finally inside of Ellie, everything would be perfect. Considering how easily she came for me, I could pleasure her over and over, give her a night that she would never forget.

  “I should go, then,” she said. “Don’t you think? Otherwise, we might—”

  I nodded and she leaned in to kiss me, standing up.

  “Are you still mad at me, Ellie?”

  She smiled and shook her head. “No,” she said. “I’ll see you later.”

  “Goodnight,” I told her and watched as she left the apartment.

  9

  Ellie

  I saw Lucas again several times in the next week, though it seemed like we never got a moment alone together. Alice would watch Luna on the days I couldn’t but he would always pick her up before he came back to the apartment. I didn’t ask Lucas if it would be okay to leave Luna with Alice overnight so that we could spend time together—I had a feeling he was always trying to make up for Maria’s absence in Luna’s life, that he wanted to be there for her as much as possible. I couldn’t put myself in the way of that, so I enjoyed the time we did get to spend together. Often, Lucas would bring Luna over for dinner. She would fall asleep in my room and we would spend a few frustrating hours on the couch, touching and laughing, before he snuck a sleeping Luna out in his arms with one last kiss to me.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked, sitting next to me on the couch. My legs were in his lap and he was tracing them up and down with his fingers, teasing me because he liked it when I was frustrated. He touched my lips, looking into my eyes. “You’re frowning.”

  “My book sales,” I said, sighing. “I just have a lot on my mind. The sales have been terrible and I have no idea how to get things moving.”

  “You’ll figure it out,” he said, kissing my forehead. “Is there anything I can do?”

  I bit my lip. There was something I’d been thinking about asking him but didn’t know if it would be crossing the line. At this point, though, I knew I had to try. Nothing else seemed to be working for me.

  “Actually, there is,” I said. He was staring at my mouth, and I licked my bottom lip to make it shine for him. When he leaned in to kiss me, I pulled back before he could make contact.

  “Anything,” he said, his voice a soft growl as he tried to kiss me again. Again, I pulled away, a grin on my face.

  “Anything?”

  He nodded, lifting his hand to my face to pull me against him, to take my mouth in the kiss that he wanted. I let him kiss me, let him taste my mouth before I pulled back again.

  “I want you to be my cover model.”

  He lifted his eyebrows. “Your cover model.”

  “Yes,” I said. “For my books. I think they would sell like crazy.”

  He ran his hand through his hair. “I’ve never done modeling before.”

  “You’re perfect for it,” I said to him, touching his cheek with my hand. “You’re so gorgeous.”

  “I really want to help you,” he said. “I do, but I have no idea what I’m doing—”

  “Please?” I asked him, making my eyes wide and innocent and sweet. It was a cheap trick, a look I’d learned he couldn’t resist. There had been several nights when he’d tried to keep his hands off me and I’d had to convince him to do otherwise.

  He sighed, grinning, knowing exactly what I was up to.

  “I can’t say no, can I?” he asked. I shook my head, leaning forward to kiss him in the way that he had been craving. He kissed me back, shifting our bodies so that he was on top of me.

  “Daddy?” Luna called from the other room. Lucas sighed and sat up, shooting me a look before he stood to go to her. A few minutes later he emerged with Luna wrapped around him, and I stood to give him a kiss over her shoulder before they left for the night.

  We made arrangements to have Alice come over and do the shoot for us one evening after Luna went to bed. I was nervous to be around Alice again—even though I knew Lucas wasn’t interested in her in a romantic way and that there was nothing between them, I still felt intimidated by her presence. She was so beautiful, like one of the women from my novels. I felt a tension in my stomach when Lucas came over with Luna, who was already asleep. He disappeared into my room to put her on the bed and came back out, wrapping his arms around my waist.

  “Are you ready for this?”

  “Not really,” he said. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”

  “I’ll tell you what to do,” I said to him.

  He gave me a sly look. “It’s usually the other way around, isn’t it?”

  I felt myself blushing. There had been a few times that I’d found Lucas to be quite bossy when we were both on edge. I still hadn’t managed to fuck him, something that I thought about constantly whether he was around me or not.

  He leaned in to kiss me again when the doorbell rang. I answered it to see Alice on the other side, a camera around her neck.

  “Hey,” she said, giving me a small wave. I invited her in and she looked around the place, taking in the light and the setting.

  “This place is perfect,” she said. It was pretty early and there was a little summer light left, a soft glow that illuminated the room in a way that was almost dreamy.

  “Thanks,” I said to her. “Lucas says you’ve done this before?”

  Alice nodded, aiming the camera at me and taking a picture. I shied away from the camera, instinctively placing myself behind Lucas.

  “I’ve done fashion photography before,” Alice said. She gestured at Lucas. “Take your shirt off, Luke.”

  “So bo
ssy,” he said, but did as she told him. I drank him in for a moment, looking over his perfect body, the lines of his muscles. I met his eye when he caught me staring and he winked at me with a grin, making me blush.

  “What exactly do you want him to do?” Alice asked.

  “I just need some standard shots,” I told her, dragging my eyes away from Lucas. It was hard when he was so gorgeous. Just looking at him, I had no doubt my books would get a boost in sales. He was impossible not to fall for. “We can start on the balcony.”

  Lucas laughed. “Seriously?”

  I nodded. He shrugged and we went outside. Alice started to take the pictures as soon as he leaned against the rail. He was a natural, perfect, and as I looked at the photos over her shoulder I knew I’d made the right choice.

  “Relax a little, Luke,” Alice said. “And stop smiling so much.”

  “Sorry,” he said, but there was still a smile on his face when he met my eye. “I’m distracted.”

  “Do I need to send the pretty girl inside?” Alice asked, her voice teasing. “You can’t even focus for a minute when she’s out here.”

  “No, I’ll focus,” he said, looking away from me. Alice shook her head, continuing to take the photos until we lost some of the light. We went inside afterward and took some on the couch, then in the spare bedroom. I’d thought that things might be tense and awkward with all three of us in the room—it wasn’t that I didn’t like Alice, but it usually took me much longer to feel comfortable around someone than it did with her. I found she was easy and fun to talk to and that she brought out a silly side of Lucas that I loved seeing.

  By the end of the night, the three of us sat on the couch and looked through the photos she’d taken on her camera. They were perfect, and I knew right away which one I wanted to use for my most recent novel.