The bold brunette reached her hand out, resting it on Mason’s shoulder then letting it graze down to his forearm, after he’d asked what she was drinking tonight.
“It’s my twenty-first birthday.” A coy smile pulled across her face as she leaned in.
“Well, happy birthday,” Mason said politely, removing her hand.
He looked down the other end of the bar to where Joss was sitting with Taylin, just in time to see her look down at her planner. She’d come tonight to visit him and brought her work for the photo gallery.
They’d both been busier than usual. One of the waitresses had quit abruptly, and while they tried to hire a new one it made more sense for Mason to pick up extra shifts instead of paying overtime, and Joss had been spending time with Taylin planning the event. Who knew how much actually went into something like that? Picking out the pictures had been a challenge of its own, but then there was the lighting, the linen, and the wine served. And tonight, the bar had been hit with a rush, and he hadn’t had much time to talk with her.
“Don’t I get a free drink?” the brunette asked as her friends behind her snickered.
“Okay. What can I get you, birthday girl? Maybe a shot of Patrón? That’s a classic.”
He rolled his eyes as she leaned against the bar, obviously pressing her breasts up in the low-cut mini-dress. “I’ll take a shot of you.”
“Ah, shucks, sweetie, I’m off the menu.” Mason pulled out a shot glass and started pouring a coffee colored liquor. Topping it off with a hefty amount of whipped cream, he slid it over to her. “Here you go. A Blow Job, that shot is pretty much a birthday tradition.”
When Mason looked back to Jocelyn, he saw her smiling and playfully shaking her head at a salt-and-pepper-haired man seated next to her while Taylin flipped through pictures. He mixed up a martini for each woman and headed down to that end of the bar.
“Taylin.” He handed her the cocktail before setting down Jocelyn’s. “And here you go, sweetheart.”
“Hey, kid, put that on my tab, will ya?” the man said.
Mason thought himself level-headed, but even as innocent as buying his girlfriend a drink might be, it made him angry. The scoff coming from Taylin was oddly validating of his current feelings.
“All of her drinks for the night are paid for,” Mason said, sliding her glass to the side before leaning across the bar. He put one hand around Jocelyn’s neck, pulled her close, and took her lips in an overt display of affection.
“And what about your pretty friend over there?” the man asked Jocelyn, nodding in Taylin’s direction.
Mason had enough of the audacity of this man and was just about to say something when Taylin spoke up, not missing a beat.
“Well… For starters, I’m no one’s second choice, and second, I’m married.” She tossed her hair to the side, sliding off the barstool.
“Babe, you ready to get out of here?” Mason asked Jocelyn.
“Desperately.”
“Me too!” Taylin chimed in, heading straight toward the door, not waiting for either of them.
Mason hollered to the staff that he was leaving and to call in whoever they needed to. He didn’t care if they had to shut the place down, he was leaving with his girl, now. It appeared that Taylin was done too.
Coming around the bar, he held out his hand for Jocelyn, who’d just finished shoving all of her items back in her bag, and in record time they were outside. The fresh air did nothing to calm his nerves.
“Who was that guy talking to you?” he asked, his tone a harsh whisper.
“What? I don’t know? He just sat down,” Jocelyn defended.
“So… I’m gonna go,” Taylin interrupted.
Blinded by his need for answers, Mason had forgotten that the woman was standing awkwardly on the sidewalk with them.
Taylin gave Jocelyn a hug and a polite kiss on the cheek.
“I’ll finish up this stuff tonight,” Taylin said, waving the planner, “and call you tomorrow.” She paused. “Now, you two play nice,” she said, shooting Mason a pointed look before taking off into the night.
Mason rubbed his hand over his hair, trying to straighten out the busy thoughts circling his head. “I saw you laughing with him.”
“He asked if he could buy me a drink, and I told him I had a boyfriend. I guess he was trying to be nice?” Jocelyn said flippantly.
“Were you trying to make me jealous?”
“You’re kidding, right?” Jocelyn scoffed.
Mason shrugged his shoulders, waiting for an answer. They’d promised no games, but he had to be sure.
“I watched that girl put her hands all over you. In fact, every time I come see you at the bar I see some girl hit on you,” Jocelyn said with a stern tone, placing her hand on her hip. “How do you think that makes me feel? But you don’t see me throwing some kind of temper tantrum!”
“So, you were trying to make me jealous?”
“Mason, what’s going on here?” Jocelyn’s voice was meek, turning the tone of the conversation.
Mason didn’t know what was coming over him. It might be the fact that they were spending a significant amount of time apart. And while he felt that they’d moved past the age difference concern, he worried that it might still linger in the back of her mind, like it did his on rare occasions; like tonight, young-ish women hitting on him, mature men hitting on her. Their relationship had been unique in so many ways; most people they didn’t have this challenge to overcome. Working out schedules could be an issue, but worrying about not being enough, not being the right type of guy had him in a whole other state of uncertainty. He’d never been the crazy boyfriend, and to be honest, he always thought jealous men were insecure, and that was one thing he never wanted to be. Then again, he’d never had so much to lose.
He let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his hands over his face. “Nothing’s going on. I just… I miss you.”
Reaching out and taking hold of her hand, he pulled her off to the side of the sidewalk. Relieved when she went willingly into his embrace, he wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his forehead on hers.
“I was jealous. I am jealous. And I feel like an ass for it. I used to have all your time, now I barely see you. And when we do get a minute alone we’re both so tired we just pass out. We haven’t had a new adventure in weeks.”
“I feel the same way, on all accounts.” She spoke the low words with a desire in her eyes. “But…” She reached up and cupped the side of his face. “You’re the one who suggested the gallery, my adventure, and it will be over soon enough. And then you’ll have me all to yourself.”
Mason considered her words. There was no chance after this event that he was going to have her all to himself again—she was going to be a star. Maybe they’d have adventures once again, maybe more sexy time, but the bubble was popped. The world was going to be her oyster. And it was all his fault.
Fault? You asshole. He was proud of her, and right now he wasn’t being supportive like he’d promised to be. Don’t push it.
“Come on. Let me show you how the gallery is coming along.” Jocelyn playfully pulled him down the bustling sidewalk.
Mason could only smile at the excitement in her eyes. She was taking so much pleasure in this event, and he wouldn’t taint it with his own fears. She deserved this, and he wanted the success for her.
“Okay.”
In a few short blocks they reached the storefront. Thick, black paper covered the windows, with a small banner advertising the upcoming event. He followed her inside and locked the door behind them. Mason was in awe of how put together everything was. It made sense, because they were only a couple of weeks out, but this had exceeded what he’d expected; professional and well-produced.
“This looks great, Joss.”
“You think so?” She shrugged her shoulders. “I let Taylin make most of the decorating decisions. Of course, I had to veto some of it. But I like how it turned out.”
“It looks legit. It’s going to be a great event.”
Jocelyn’s hopeful eyes met his, and the smile on her face was unlike any he’d seen.
“Thank you for pushing me to do this. I don’t think anyone has ever believed in me as much as you do.” Walking over to him, she took his face in her hands and pressed a kiss to his mouth.
“You still love me even though I’ve been an ass?”
“I love you in spite of it,” she said, letting out a warm sigh. “There is something I need from you. It’s actually very important.”
Mason gave her a questioning look, unsure how to read the devious look on her face. Delicate nails traced down his face, across his neck, and down his pecs. He could see where this was going, and he was more than ready to give her want she needed.
His hands roamed her smoking body, finding the hem of her fitted dress, tracing where it ended and the skin began. Slowly, he pulled it up, exposing her sexy panties, and in one swift movement, he hoisted her up. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his hips. His mouth united with hers as their bodies fought to see who could be closer to the other. Mason stumbled his way to the closest table as Jocelyn’s body continued to grind against his growing erection.
Unwrapping her legs from around his waist, he set her down on the table. Mason’s hands pushed in her hair, holding her tight as his mouth continued to devour hers. But it wasn’t enough. His cock was ready for a quick fuck, for instant gratification, but he needed to connect with her, to feel the raw desire that still sizzled between them.
His hands cascaded down her body, over her ample breasts, before reaching their destination at her core. The covered slit of her pussy was already damp before his fingers traced over the entrance, eliciting a shiver up her body. The more he rubbed her sensitive core, the more she rocked into his hand. She was all lust, putty in his hands, and he loved it.
Hooking the panties to the side, his greedy hands sought the tight center of her body. Jocelyn broke the kiss, falling backward, bracing herself on the table. Her hair hung long against her back, face toward the ceiling, eyes closed as his fingers rhythmically moved in and out of her. She rocked into his hands as her panting increased, and he knew that he was bringing her close. Her covered breasts were right at his eye level, and it was all he could do to not come at the sight of his wanton woman coming apart in his hands.
“God, Mason!” she cried as a visible shudder ran through her body and she tensed against his fingers.
Mason didn’t remove his fingers until the waves of her orgasm had finally settled. Leaning down, he pressed kisses to her exposed neck. Running his hand behind her back, he found the zipper on her dress, pulling it down one tooth at a time.
“I need you so fucking bad,” he said, nipping at her ear.
“Yes,” she replied, slipping off the table, letting her dress fall to the ground.
He watched as her hands found the hem of his shirt, pulling it up over his head with his help before making their way to his belt. The tugging at his waist was only turning him on more as the excitement moved through him. Shit. Condom.
“Hold on.” He placed a swift kiss to her lips as he fished out his wallet from his back pocket, searching for the backup rubber he kept on him. But it wasn’t there. Shit. Now he remembered that they’d used it weeks ago, and he’d forgotten to replace it.
“What’s wrong?” Jocelyn asked, running her nails up and down his bare chest.
“You don’t by chance have a condom, do you?” he asked sheepishly.
Jocelyn pressed her lips together, a blush hitting her cheeks before she broke eye contact with him. Mason was lost by her meek reaction. Was she worried that he’d be upset if she didn’t have one?
“It’s okay, baby. We can finish this later,” he said, blowing out a hard breath. It was going to be hard, to say the least, but later it was going to have to be.
“No. It’s, um…well, I’m on the pill, so we could…” Jocelyn batted her eyelashes at him in a brazen move that he hadn’t expected.
Mason could feel his jaw go slack as he stared down at her now bashful body language. This was news to him. They’d never even discussed it. Condoms were fine with him. They’d always been, always.
“How long have you been on that?”
“Long enough for it to be working,” she said with a half-smile.
The idea of being inside the woman he was beyond infatuated with, bare, skin on skin, had his body tingling and his cock aching.
“You want to go without?” He eyed her carefully. He wanted her to want to, not that she felt like she had to for some absurd reason.
“Badly enough that a forty-year-old woman asked for the pill.”
Mason pulled her against his body. Not speaking, he ran his hands down her back and over her ass, slipping her panties off. She followed suit, finishing what she had started, making quick work of what was left of his clothing.
Mason raised her back to the table just enough that her ass rested on the edge, the right height that his dick pressed at the apex of her body. Jocelyn placed her hands on his shoulders for support as Mason’s hands on her hips guided their bodies together.
He could feel the pounding of her heart when he pushed his bare tip in slowly, his cock shuddering as it filled her. The warmth of her pussy contracting against his skin was a smooth, silky experience. And it was clear that Jocelyn was having the same reaction as she let out a heavy, jolting breath, her eyes meeting his.
“I love you, Mason.”
“I love you.” The husky words were a mere whisper as he tried to keep it together.
Grabbing her ass, he rocked her into him. He captured the gasp on her lips with a kiss. The force and speed growing between them had him on edge, trying to hold out until he could make Jocelyn come again. He needed her to finish this way. Call it ego, but he needed it, with his bare cock penetrating her in the most vulnerable way.
Breaking the kiss, he bent down and captured the hard nub of her nipple in his mouth, sucking and pulling as his shaft continued its exploration deep into her taut, little body. She bounced on his cock, rubbing her clit against his base as she went, and he knew the need was getting to be too much for her.
He maneuvered his hand around, sliding it between their bodies, and his thumb massaged the powerful button hidden between the wet folds of her cunt. It was her undoing as the walls of her core squeezed him, a pleasure that was too much, unmanning him as he came along with her. Spots dotted his vision as their bodies trembled together as the waves of the orgasm continued to wash over them for what seemed like a beautiful eternity.
Jocelyn rested her head forward on his chest, breathing heavily, while Mason’s hands ran up and down her arms lovingly. They sat in a comfortable silence until both had caught their breath. Mason pulled back gently, breaking the sensual connection.
Jocelyn pressed a chaste kiss to his lips, her hair a mess and cheeks still flushed, and he was proud of how thoroughly fucked she looked.
“I’m gonna slip away to the bathroom real quick,” she said. “You can use it after me if you need.”
Mason nodded. Oh yes. Far more clean-up this way. But totally worth it!
* * * *
“Mason!” Jocelyn shrieked. “We’ve made a mess of this table sheet.” She blushed.
“Flip it over?” he called as he walked out of the bathroom.
“Noo-ah. I’m going to have to take it to the dry cleaners.” Jocelyn broke out into laughter. “Oh God. This is…oh my God. We’re officially horny teenagers.”
“I’m okay with that,” Mason said, giving her a swift pat on the ass.
“Ugh. You know what?”
“What?” he teased.
“I need food,” she said resolutely.
“Yes. A woman after my own heart.”
“I thought I already have it?”
“Yes, you do.” He nodded. “And I have a great place for dinner. Up for an adventure?”
“You know me…sometimes.” Jocelyn giggled.
“There is this great little place that’s only open from eight PM to four AM. It’s under the bridge, and they have alligator on the menu.” He winked.
“No. Not that adventurous.”
“Fine, no alligator.” He kissed her on the forehead. “But that’s where we’re going. You’ll love it, trust me.”
“Trust me too then,” she said pointedly.
The events of earlier in the night hadn’t been completely wiped away with the larger-than-life lovemaking, and that was fair. He knew he’d been an ass, and he needed to own it. He’d apologized, and now he needed to promise.
“Promise,” he said solemnly.