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The bowling alley was a decadent two lane affair, with maple and pine flooring, a huge television above pins at one end, and comfy leather couches and a ‘pour your own’ bar at the other. Jax put an image of a roaring fire on the huge screen, set rock music to blast through the sound system, poured us both very good bourbons and then away we went.
On the first frame I got a seven and he got a strike—he used a heavier ball than I did, and had a much more aggressive style. On the second frame he got a five and I got a spare, and from then on we were quite evenly matched—Jax obviously played occasionally, and after a few practice bowls, my bowling arm was back.
By the ninth frame of our game, we were neck and neck. I had a score of 110, and Jax was right behind. Anyone could win with the next three balls.
The loser does whatever the winner asks. I’d been having so much fun laughing and bowling that I’d forgotten we were playing for stakes. It all came tumbling back though, as Jax gave me a wink and prepared for his final bowl. Mmm he had a nice ass.
What would he make me do? I knew it would be something sexual, if he won. There was too strong a connection for it not to be. He knew it too. I could see it in his eyes—in the way he bowled to win.
He finished with 118, then moved toward me. “I hope you like losing.” A finger trailed down my collarbone. “Because I guarantee it will never be so much fun.”
I shivered at his touch. No. Stay strong! We couldn’t be together.
With an effort I brought my concentration back to the alley, knocking down seven pins on my first throw. I smirked at him, then positioned myself for the second run. I only needed a two to win the game. Then I could set the rules, and keep them chaste.
But it was so much more fun when he made the rules. I imagined him taking me again in the hot tub—telling me what to do, teaching me his lessons. My mouth parted to silently mimic the cry I’d made when he’d pressed that snow against my hard nipples. I shook my head. No. I had to be strong. He was a judge, and I was the sister of an Olympic contender.
I lined up the ball. I swung. And then, at the last moment, my fingers moved of their own accord, twisting my aim to the right. The ball curved and then bounced in a gutter, clattering to the end without dropping another pin.
“Looks like I win,” Jax observed with a wry smile. He turned to me and raised an eyebrow. “That last gutter ball was suspiciously bad luck.”
I shrugged, fighting down shivers on my arms and neck. My body had moved of its own accord—knowing what I truly wanted, even if my head was in denial. “So what will you do with me?” I asked.
He heard the anticipation in his voice, and smiled. “I have a few ideas,” he murmured. I felt his eyes travel over my body. Goosebumps sprang wherever he looked, as if by physical touch. Whatever the penalty for losing, it would be worth it.
***
“You want me to do what?” I gaped at him, and at the trench coat he was holding.
“You heard me,” he said. I had heard him, indeed; I also heard a change in the tone of his voice. He was still pleasant, but there was a decided undercurrent of assertiveness now too. I couldn’t help but respond to it, physically.
I took the coat in my hands and looked back up at him. “So I have to wear this? Just this?”
He nodded. “Just that... and your boots,” he added. As if that was some sort of consolation. “And together we’ll walk to the coffee stop just down the road, and we’ll order coffee, and we’ll walk through town before coming back here.”
“It’s freezing outside.”
He burst out laughing, throwing his head back. “I love it!” he chortled. “Most women would complain about being naked in public before they pointed out the temperature!”
I blushed. “Well, that goes without saying,” I said defensively. “But let’s be practical.”
He frowned slightly. “Fine. We’ll compromise. To the coffee shop and back, no walk through town. But!” He held up a finger. “We sit down and drink our coffee, no matter how crowded it is there. And that’s it. Those are my terms.”
Instead of answering verbally, my hands moved to the bottom of my tunic sweater. But then I hesitated, and moved outside the room, just beyond and to the side of the door. Now my sweater came off—I dropped it in the doorframe, grinning as I imagined his frustration at missing the show. The jeans came next, and I swear I heard an intake of breath as they dropped to the floor, too.
I didn’t hesitate unclipping my bra. The old me, the one before Jax, she would never have done this. But around him I could be a different person.
The bra dropped to the floor in a lacy pile, atop the denim. I heard a strangled cry, and bit my lip. It wasn’t that I could be a different person. I was a different person. Jax didn’t know the old me. Here, she was the stranger. I pushed moist panties down excited thighs. My leg appeared in the doorway, holding them out by a toe. I flexed, and they dropped too.
“Good god!” I heard Jax whisper.
I grinned, then appeared with trench coat wrapped around me. “Shall we go for a walk?” I asked.
***
“How do you feel?” he asked as we left his property and turned right, toward the town. He was fully clothed, of course, while I wore nothing but a pair of knee-high riding boots and a navy blue trench coat.
I realized my knees were knocking, and it wasn’t from the cold. My earlier bravado had gone with my first step outside the door. “Cold,” I replied, “and extremely exposed.”
“Now, now,” he said softly. “You don’t look exposed at all. In fact,” he growled, pinching my buttocks, “you look incredibly sexy.”
I slapped him away, some of my previous confidence returning. “Touching wasn’t part of the deal, remember?” I knew this was driving him crazy, and that knowledge had a strange effect on me; it was like the freedom I’d felt when I thought we wouldn’t see each other again. It was strangely liberating, knowing that I could do this to him.
The coffee shop was blessedly close; my nipples were hard as rocks by the time we’d arrived. We walked past a group of people as we approached, and I felt a little thrill knowing that I had a secret they weren’t aware of.
Jax slid an arm around my waist, and leaned toward me to whisper in my ear. “Sort of thrilling, isn’t it? Don’t tell me you’re not excited, knowing that luscious body is bare under your coat.” He let his hand slide over my butt again and gently squeezed it. This time I let him, with a wicked smile. I was excited. I had a fire between my legs keeping me warm.
The smile fell when we reached the shop’s door. There were dozens of people inside! I hesitated, but he took my elbow and led me inside. A coat rack stood just beyond the door. “Can I take your coat, m’lady?” he asked. I blushed furiously, and gave him my filthiest look.
As at O’Hoolihan’s, Jax seemed to know everyone. I felt conspicuous with my trench coat wrapped tightly around, like a spotlight had suddenly been placed upon me, but I forced myself to control my breathing and smile at those who introduced themselves.
“You’re a popular guy,” I murmured when we got in line for coffee.
“You make that sound like a bad thing.”
I shook my head. “Oh, no, not at all. But it must be hard sometimes; it would be for me, anyway. I guess I’m just an introvert.”
“An introvert wearing nothing under her coat,” he pointed out quietly. I blushed and looked the other way. Again I felt his hand brush against my backside, almost casually. I shivered – and not from the cold.
He ordered two lattes; choosing mine for me. “Um, sure. A latte sounds fine. Even at night,” I pointed out.
There was no apology in his face. “Maybe I want to be sure you’re wide awake, for your next lesson,” he said. The smoldering in his eyes made my knees weak. He leaned in. “Because if you think I’m finished with you, you’re sadly mistaken,” he whispered. It was all I could do to keep from moaning audibly.
My next lesson. I shivered. This was where I should say no. This was where I should say things had gone far enough, and were spiraling out of control, and we shouldn’t sleep together, not again. But I couldn’t. I tried to open my mouth and say the words, but my body wouldn’t let me. It knew how good those lessons were. My brain might say different, but my body wanted more.
Maybe nothing will happen when we get back to the mansion. Maybe I can say something then. It was a flimsy excuse, but I stuck to it. Because it gave me more time now.
Just as he had at the bar, he was able to find us a table despite the high volume of customers. The first time I’d wondered, of course, at how he’d managed it. Now I knew it was out of respect. I arranged my coat carefully when I sat, which wasn’t lost on Jax. “Comfy?” he asked. I gave him a sarcastic smile back.
“How does it feel?” he asked quietly. His eyes cast about the room, taking in the crowds around us. “All these people around you, and none of them know your secret. None of them know that only a few buttons stand between them and your naked body.” I felt my heartbeat quicken.
“I wonder...” he continued. “How well are those buttons sewn on?”
My eyes widened. I looked down.
“I mean, there’s a chance they could be loose. I haven’t worn that coat in forever; I don’t remember. Wouldn’t it be something if one of them popped open?”
I searched for the truth in his eyes; there was a mixture of laughter and danger there. “I swear, Stephen...”
“What? What do you swear? What would happen if one of the buttons fell off and everybody here got a look at those gorgeous breasts?”
I gulped, and took a sip of my coffee. My mouth had suddenly gone dry.
But the tigress took over. Because two could play at this game. “What if they got a look?” I asked. “Would you be jealous?” I toyed with one of the buttons. “I mean, something that was all for you... now everybody would be able to see.”
His eyes grew slightly wider. “You mean that? They’re all for me?”
I had him. I nodded, and leaned forward slightly. My hand ran up his leg. “Of course I do. And not just them.” I reached the growing bulge in his pants and squeezed it, gently, under the table. “All of me. I’m all yours.”
He bit his lip and covered my hand with his own. He looked around, but not a single pair of eyes was paying us any attention. “We need to get out of here. Now.”
I giggled and released him. “You sure about that?” I asked, sipping my coffee. “With everything you, ahem, have going on right now?” I glanced down toward where my hand had just been.
He made a disappointed noise. “Maybe... we should talk about other things til I... calm down.”
I smiled, feeling smug.
“So, let’s talk about you. Very seriously,” he said, folding his hands on the table. “Remind me why you’re not cooking professionally?”
I felt my smile fade, and my eyes focused on my coffee cup. “I told you why. My sister needs me.”
“How long will she need you?” he asked. I shrugged, having no idea.
“You’re a great cook; more than that, you enjoy doing it. I loved watching you even more than I enjoyed eating your food. And believe me, I really enjoyed dinner. And that croissant?” He rolled his eyes and moaned. I had to smile.
But then he was serious again. “I just hate to see you putting everything on hold, indefinitely, when you could be doing something you really love.”
I decided to share my protein ball idea with him. “I thought that maybe, since there’s been an interest without my even trying to spread the word, it might be a good idea to make a batch.”
He leaned back in his chair, grinning. “That’s a great idea! See, there’s thinking for yourself. You need to do more of that. And this is what I mean when I say cooking is what you’re meant to do—you can’t even avoid it if you try. You’re gifted.”
I felt yet another blush reddening my cheeks. I wanted to leave all of a sudden, too. I needed to take this coat off. With him.