Table for Two-epub Read online

  James licked his lips, and quite impossibly, they pebbled further.

  Then she slipped the shorts over her hips, shuddering as they rasped over her sensitized clit.

  His chest stilled as though he stopped breathing altogether.

  He caught her hand, and instead of letting her bend down to take him in her mouth, he tugged her forward, urging her to shuffle up the length up his body. The pull of his hand was all the encouragement she needed. She climbed his hips and his broad chest until her knees dipped into the mattress on either side of his neck. And then he stopped her.

  “Grab hold of the headboard, pretty one,” he rasped.

  Liv had just enough time to wrap her hands around the slats of the board before he raised his head and drew his flattened tongue along the length of her pussy lips.

  Her strangled groan echoed off the walls.

  James cupped a butt cheek in each hand, spread them wide and licked her again.

  Gooseflesh spread over her arms and back. Liquid heat pooled between her legs, and when he licked her a third time, it spilled onto his tongue.

  “Mmm.” He pressed his mouth more intimately against her, laving harder.

  She clutched the headboard with desperate fingers, breath shuddering through her chest. A cry of pleasure welled in her throat, but she swallowed it down, knowing any loud noise might wake Ava, maybe even bring her into the room.

  The last thing she needed was their friend walking in to find her sitting on James’s face.

  It wasn’t just his mouth driving her to distraction. His fingers played too, trailing over the cheeks of her ass and feathering across the cleft between them. Butterfly kisses whispered over the most secret part of her.

  His touch was carnal, dirty and so light it almost didn’t register.

  Almost, except for the fact that every nerve ending lit up. It boggled her brain until all she could focus on was the hot, wet draw of his tongue over her pussy and the sweet flutter of his fingertips over her ass.

  Liv rocked her hips, dragging her clit over his tongue, increasing the pressure and the sensation. As exquisite as it felt, there was still a hollowness inside, an emptiness aching to be filled. She whimpered in pleasure and frustration, and a thick finger breached her pussy lips, pushing inside her aching channel.

  Her inner muscles clamped down around him, and a gasp escaped her throat.

  He closed his lips around her clit and suckled.

  Sensation tore through Olivia, so wanton and alive, tears filled her eyes. For long seconds she surrendered to the pleasure he lavished on her. Luxuriated in the sweetness and wickedness of it all.

  Liv would have lost herself to sensation if not for one thing. She’d sacrificed her feast for this sensual delight. She’d allowed James to distract her, and now instead of her tasting him, he was devouring her. As amazing as it was, she craved the feel of his shaft in her mouth and his balls in her hands.

  And damn it, if he could tease her ass, she could tease his.

  Though it almost killed her, she pried her fingers off the headboard and sat up, breaking the tantalizing suction of James’s mouth. But the devil refused to remove his finger. He kept it inside her, moving it only enough to tease.

  The teasing worked. Especially when he added another finger, stretching her from the inside, increasing the gratification. She rocked her hips, taking him deeper, then deeper still, biting her cheeks to silence her blissful scream.

  Liv tugged the pillow out from beneath his head. For what she had planned, she needed his head flat on the bed. Reluctant to pull off his talented fingers, but knowing she had no choice, she twisted around, changing direction, so she now faced his feet instead of the headboard.

  Finding her footing—or her knee-hold, as it were—she lowered her pussy back to his mouth and rocked as his tongue met her clit.

  He let out another satisfied, “Mmm,” and she leaned forward, still rocking, and stretched over his massive chest to find his cock.

  With her attention focused on his thick erection and twitching balls, she left her pleasure in his hands—and was not disappointed. His tongue seduced and aroused, licking her clit into a swollen frenzy.

  Liv gave as good as she got. She wrapped her lips around his dripping cock and swallowed him whole. From this angle, she could fit a whole lot more of him in, and she relished every inch, loving the bump of his tip against the back of her mouth.

  Her hands did not remain idle. She caressed his balls and teased his ass like he’d teased hers, sending her fingers over the sensitive stretch of skin behind his scrotum and delving between his ass cheeks.

  James bent his knees to give her better access. When she drew a nail lightly over his asshole, a shudder shook through his chest and fluid leaked from his cockhead.

  “So good,” he murmured, his words vibrating over her clit.

  She pressed a little harder, testing her limits, but he stopped her. “Keep it light, pretty one.”

  It struck Liv, in that moment, just how completely her life had turned around. Her world was falling apart, her professional reputation was an ugly mess, and she was caressing one of her best friend’s privates.

  She had his dick in her mouth, his balls in one hand and his ass at her fingertip. And she felt…fantastic.

  She grazed her nail over him again, and once more he shuddered.

  “So fucking good,” he muttered, driving his tongue inside her. He kissed her pussy as though he were kissing her mouth, swiping his tongue between her slick folds, teasing and tantalizing.

  His hand snaked over her ass and delved between her cheeks. This time he didn’t tempt her with featherlight touches. This time he pushed, just like she had a minute ago, testing her limits.

  It seemed that with James she didn’t have many. While he’d stilled her hand, she didn’t stop him. Couldn’t. Instead, as his finger, wet from her pussy juices, pushed at her back hole, she spread her legs ever wider, encouraging him.

  And as he penetrated her with a pop, and she groaned in a mixture of pain, pleasure and surprise, James’s dick grew just a little thicker in her mouth.

  She sucked harder, took him deeper, but her concentration was shot. Pleasure surged through her, so intense she thought she might burst. Her clit pulsed with every beat of her heart, and she rocked on his mouth, taking his finger in deeper.

  James released her pussy in favor of her clit, and when he ran his tongue over it, hard, she broke. Bliss rippled outward, washing through her in waves of ecstasy. She ground down on his tongue, prolonging her pleasure, and he licked her through it.

  Sobs of elation were muffled by his groin, and she had to force her jaw to relax, lest she do him unintentional damage in the throes of rapture. Her body convulsed for long, electrifying seconds, until the passion overwhelmed her and she had to raise her hips, moving her pussy—and ass—out of his reach.

  As tiny quivers rippled through her in aftershock, she resumed her assault on his shaft, sucking him with renewed vigor. It didn’t take long, less then a minute, and his balls tightened in her palm, pulling in against the base of his cock.

  “Christ, Liv…” he moaned. “God, fuck… Urghhhhh.”

  He thrust upward, filling her mouth, and a stream of fluid shot into the back of her throat. Before she had time to react, he spurted again, come splashing onto her tongue.

  Liv swallowed, and James gasped as another stream flooded her mouth. He pulsed over and over, until the flow ran dry.

  She swallowed once more, and with a hoarse cry he pulled out of her mouth and collapsed back, spent. Liv, exhausted from the force of their orgasms, collapsed too, exactly where she lay, with her cheek plastered against his hip, her belly on his chest, and her knees at his shoulders.

  If James tilted his neck upward, he’d have a clear view of her very well-sated pussy. Too gratified to care, she simply lay there, breathing. For the third time in less than twelve hours, Liv fell asleep tangled up in James’s body.

  It almost kill
ed him, but James had no choice but to disentangle himself from the beautiful form lying asleep along the length of him. He had to bite his tongue hard to stop himself from licking her awake—like she’d done to him.

  Her swollen, pink pussy was inches from his mouth, and he swallowed a groan at the sight. Had she not just wrenched a massive orgasm from him, his dick would have been stiffening in excitement.

  James was running against time. He had to be at the gym in less than half an hour, and it would take a good few minutes to get up to his flat and change before driving over. If he broke every speed limit in the city, he might make it there only five minutes late.

  He sat up a little, intent on gently moving her to the other side of the bed. But the added height only gave him a better view of her tasty cunt, and hunger slammed him backward.

  His mouth watered.

  A saint couldn’t resist what lay in front of him, and James was no saint. Whatever willpower he had vanished. With a repressed groan, he shoved three pillows behind his head. Paying little heed to the soft, rhythmic breaths coming from Liv, he tugged her close, until her pussy met his mouth, and dragged his tongue along her slit all over again.

  Liv jerked. Warm liquid pooled in her pussy, and she whimpered.

  He devoured every drop, licking her lips and her clit, loving the sweet tang of her cream and the puffiness of her flesh. He loved how she ground down against his nose, as though trying to get closer to his marauding tongue and mouth.

  James could spend hours going down on her. He’d gladly take days to listen to her soft moans, and he’d shift mountains to palm her ass for the rest of the month.

  But he had neither hours, days nor months. Mere minutes were all he had, and he made every one of them count. Flattening his tongue, he licked Liv from her clit to her ass and back. He did it again and again, until she squirmed above him, her breasts squashed against his chest and her nails digging into his thighs.

  He licked her until her legs stiffened, her ass turned rigid and she broke on his mouth, her pussy pulsing and throbbing on his tongue. When the rhythmic clenching slowed to nothing, and she lay panting above him, he drew her clit into his mouth, shoved two fingers in her cunt and sucked until her inner muscles clamped around his fingers and another climax ripped through her slender body.

  As she lay there, trembling in the aftermath, James reluctantly rolled them both over. Before he could lie on top of her—and very well squash her—he climbed to his knees and swung around to face her.

  “I’ve gotta go, pretty one,” he whispered.

  She didn’t respond. She just lay there, dazed, with her chest heaving.

  He smiled, and seconds before he grabbed his clothes, dressed and slipped silently from her room, he placed a tender kiss on her lips.

  Chapter Six

  Olivia gaped at Spencer, struggling to comprehend what he’d said. The words fraud, misappropriation of company funds and investigation floated in the air between them. “You’ve got to explain it to me in simple words, Spence. I’m not sure I’m understanding you.” Liv’s background was in decorating and design, not accounting—or law, for that matter.

  “What Marion has done is illegal. As the director of Beautiful Homes, she used company funds to pay off private debts. The same funds that should have been paid to creditors. She intentionally misled you so you’d invest your money in the business, then she used that money for her own private gain. You can report her actions to ASIC. They’ll investigate and maybe even press charges against her.”

  ASIC, the Australian Securities and Investment Commission. She hadn’t even known what the letters stood for until today. As for reporting Marion… Dear God, could she do that? Would she do that?

  Liv honestly didn’t know. “And if I report her, they won’t land up investigating me? Aren’t I just as responsible because I bought into the company?”

  “You didn’t misuse the funds. Marion did. You can’t be held accountable.”

  Liv massaged her temple, her emotions a mess. Relief was the most palpable sentiment. She’d lived for almost three weeks with the fear that she’d be held responsible for Marion’s misdoings. At least now she could hold her head high, knowing that professionally she’d done no wrong.

  But the relief didn’t mask the upheaval. She was still devastated. The experience had gutted her. She’d lost her faith in herself and her ability to make good decisions.

  Then there was the panic. What the hell would happen now? How could she land on her feet when her feet had been torn out from under her? And if she did miraculously land solidly, how did all this affect her day-to-day living situation, as every cent she’d had she’d invested in Beautiful Homes? She had enough to exist for another few months, but after that? Basics like paying off her home loan and buying food would become a problem.

  Yes, she could always call her parents, tell them what was happening. They’d be only too delighted to come to her financial aid. But Liv would rather die than ask them for help. She had to sort this out alone.

  Then there was the whole question about Marion, a woman Liv had respected for as long as she’d known her. Not just respected, but liked. Marion had mentored her, taught her and helped her grow as a designer and decorator. She’d nurtured Liv for six years then screwed her over in a few months.

  Marion had enticed her into a partnership, taken her entire life savings and blown them on personal debts. Now the respect was gone, shadowed by pity and disappointment. And something Liv suspected was turning into loathing. Because of Marion, Liv was helpless and growing angrier by the minute.

  Marion’s life was her own to destroy, but she’d taken Liv down in the process, and that was unforgivable. Unforgivable enough to press charges against the woman who’d been there for her for six years, though? Liv just didn’t know.

  Spence must seen the indecision on her face. “Even if you don’t report her, ASIC may still get involved. Once she files for bankruptcy, a trustee will be appointed to oversee the process. He might choose to report her.”

  She spent another hour with Spencer as he explained the procedure of bankruptcy further, talking about assets and creditors.

  While appreciative of his time and grateful for his help, she left his office bamboozled. Facts and figures raced around her head in dizzying circles. For weeks now she’d felt lost in this mess. Lost and hopeless, with no options for her future.

  Liv should have been on top of the world. She should have been growing a business she now part owned, but Marion had destroyed all of it. And Liv hated that. Passionately. She hated it enough to vow that she would never trust her future or career to another person ever again.

  She wasn’t sure how she’d do it, but somehow she’d gain back the power and the control she’d lost. Somehow, she’d find the strength of mind to get back on top of her game. It might take a while—and a shitload of hard work—but she’d do it.

  In the meantime, she knew only one certainty about her future. Tonight would be spent in a state of alcohol-induced bliss.

  “C’mon Jimmy, show ’em who’s boss,” Ava yelled, pumping her arm in the air as James grabbed the ball and sprinted down the field with three hulking giants on his tail.

  Olivia winced as he was tackled from behind and hit the ground with a sickening thud. The sound reverberated through her skull, and she had to squeeze her eyes shut against the thumping pain.

  The gin had done its job last night, anesthetizing Liv to her woes for a good fourteen hours. But the numbing effects had worn off by the time Ava marched into her room, demanding she wake up or they’d be late for James’s game. The minute her flatmate had thrown open her windows, blinding her with the rays of the early-afternoon sun, the incessant throb of a headache had begun.

  Four painkillers and two bottles of water for much-needed hydration later, and the pain was still intense. Probably as bad as James’s would be when he stood up.

  “Oh, great pass,” Theo enthused, trumping up James’s throw to a Randw
ick teammate a fraction of a second before being tackled.

  Play ensued, regardless of the man down, and when a third Randwick player flew over the try line and slammed the ball to the ground, the crowd went wild.

  “Go the Galloping Greens,” Ava yelled.

  James was on his feet, grinning like a fool and hugging the try scorer before Liv even computed he’d sustained no serious injury.

  God, she needed a coffee. Or another four Advil to get through the rest of the match. She eyed James wearily. Splattered in mud, sweaty and with a gum guard shoved in his mouth, he looked ridiculous. And sexy as all hell. Big and bad and delicious.

  How come she’d never noticed that before? It wasn’t as if she’d never been to one of his games. She, Theo, Zoey and Ava came to most of the home matches. Theo had played for Randwick a few years back too, but he’d never been as passionate about the game as James. Still, he never missed a chance to see James and his old club in action.

  They celebrated the team’s win with beer at the Coogee Bowling Club, the local hangout for the Randwick players. In deference to her throbbing head, Liv chose sparkling water instead of alcohol. As she placed her order, James winked at her, making her stomach somersault beneath her ribs.

  Apart from that wink, he gave no sign that she and he had partaken in not one but two episodes of mind-blowing sex in the past week.

  Yep, he subtly asked how she was doing and if Spencer had been helpful, and he ruffled her hair affectionately. But that was all. He didn’t shoot her secret looks across the table or openly leer at her breasts as he’d done at dinner.

  Nor did he give any sign that he’d kissed her until she almost lost consciousness from desire, or that he’d nearly made her come just by sucking on her nipples. He made no reference to the way he’d tossed her over his shoulder and carried her into his flat so he could fuck her into next week, and he didn’t allude to the fact that just over thirty-six hours ago he’d had his tongue shoved deep in her pussy while she’d swallowed his cock whole.