Real Women Don't Wear Size 2 (20 page)

“Oh!”

“You’re so tight, so hot,” he said appreciatively.

“Yes,” she whimpered, and to Clarise’s complete and utter shock, he withdrew the finger, slid it between his lips and sucked it while she watched. This wasn’t a dream. Even in her most wicked Ethan Eubanks fantasy, she’d never conjured anything like this, which was proof her sexual imagination was in dire need of this. In dire need of Ethan.

“Very hot,” he added, inserting the finger once more, then dragging it up her swollen lips to her clit. He ran a tiny circle around its heat, and her core clenched. Hard. Her hips jerked forward, and her hands gripped the handle until she knew she’d pull it off the wall. “Please.” Ethan didn’t need to be asked twice. He parted her curls with his fingers, then thoroughly stroked her clit with his tongue.

Sex had been nice, when she’d had it. She’d actually had a real orgasm a few times, but for the most part, she’d faked it. However, she had enjoyed sex enough to know she wanted it again, but not the kind she’d had before. Clarise wanted sex like in the movies, where bodies convulsed and screamed and got hot and sweaty and unraveled beneath a lover’s skillful touch. She’d never had that. Until now. Lick, flick and suck. Was
that
the technique going on down there? Cause that’s what she was feeling over and over and over, building and building. Lick, lick, flick, flick, suck. Lick. Suck harder. Goodness, she wasn’t going to last very long at all. A current started deep inside, circling and spiraling toward Ethan’s talented mouth. Her nipples were on fire, stomach dipped in and bore down on the oncoming tremor, then his fingers slid down her lips and one jutted inside. Then two. In and out. Lick and flick. In. Out. In. Out. Lick. Flick. Suck.

Clarise screamed through her release and fought to hold on to the handle. If she let go, she’d drop—and probably drown, because if she did let go, there was no getting up. Her body had shattered into a million pieces before completely melting at Ethan’s touch. She wouldn’t be surprised at all when this magnificent orgasm ended if she no longer existed and were a mere puddle in the base of the shower. Completely liquid and extremely hot.

He rose and pressed against her, holding her trembling body while she collapsed against his muscled frame. “You can let go now,” he said, prying her fingers from the bar.

“I don’t think I can.”

He kissed her neck. “Clarise, you’re beautiful.”

She released her grip on the handle.
Beautiful?
No, she knew better, but she was too spent to argue. And amazingly enough, her insides were already clenching in anticipation of something quenching that stronger fire. The one deeper inside. “I want you,” she whispered.

He smiled against her cheek. “And you’ll have me. We’ve got several more things to cover on your list.”

To hell with the list. She wanted him, and she didn’t think covering the things on that list was going to quench her desire. Oh no, if having intercourse was anything like what she’d just experienced with Ethan Eubanks, one time would only fuel the flame. Heck, six times would probably just whet her appetite. She wanted him. Period. All of him. The man she’d come to respect and know and want so desperately, not just physically, but emotionally too, over the past three years. The man she’d thought was completely unattainable. A few romps in the hay weren’t going to fix this hunger, and Clarise knew it now more than ever. She wanted, desperately wanted, Ethan.

She breathed a heavy, contented sigh against his chest. Telling him would ruin everything. He was simply going above and beyond the call of friendship duty to fulfill her sex fantasies, so she’d stay quiet, for now, and enjoy everything on her list. If she’d only known, that list would have been much, much longer. Long enough for an eternity. But for now, she’d take what she could get, and the next thing she’d get would have to wait until after the “bonding” luncheon. She bit her inner cheeks to keep from laughing out loud; that’d spoil the sensation of her face nuzzled against his warm, wet chest, but Clarise inwardly smiled, certain that none of Ethan’s other employees were bonding quite like this.

Chapter 13

I
can’t believe the resort gave away Ethan’s room,” Jesilyn said, leading the way toward the Tampa Convention Center, the site for their luncheon.

“Yeah, he pays for all of this, and then he doesn’t have a room to show for it,” Rachel said, pausing to stick her nose against a jewelry store window. “Oh man, that sapphire is incredible!”

Clarise and Jesilyn peered over Rachel’s shoulders to look at the ring, the exact color of Ethan’s eyes when he was aroused. Clarise smiled. Until a couple of hours ago, she wouldn’t have known.

Smirking, Rachel turned from the window. “Well, at least Ethan found a friend willing to let him bunk in.” Then she spotted something at the next store and hurried ahead. Grabbing an oversized pirate’s hat from a wire rack, she pushed it on top of her blond curls. “So,” she said, looking at her reflection in the store’s window, “is there any chance this arrangement could turn into more than merely bunking in?” She took off the hat and placed it back on the rack, then handed Jesilyn a bright red one. “Come on, Clarise, it’s Gasparilla. Maybe you two should, you know, investigate exactly how far your ‘friendship’ can go.”

“Friends don’t sleep together,” Jesilyn said, putting the hat back without trying it on. She attempted to smooth Rachel’s curls, springing out in even more directions than usual. “Besides, Ethan isn’t just her friend; he’s her boss. Not a smart move. It’s like Clarise said, she’s helping him out because he needs a place to stay, simple as that.”

Rachel turned back toward the window, shook her head, then fiddled with the curls until they were wild again. “Nope. I disagree. Friends definitely sleep together.” She grinned, then, before Jesilyn could ask specifics, she changed the subject. “So what happens if you decide to hook up with someone while you’re here, Clarise? I get the feeling Jake is planning to ‘get to know you better’ on this trip.”

Clarise shook her head. “Miles told you that, didn’t he? He heard Jake ask me to walk the beach with him yesterday and jumped to conclusions. Trust me. Jake Riley isn’t interested, not beyond friendship.” Or at least she didn’t think he was. Sure, he’d been flirting, but Jake flirted with everyone. Then again, Jake had seemed to imply he wanted more on this trip, but she didn’t want to talk about that now. It didn’t matter anyway; she had her sex slave for the week all lined up, thank you very much, and his name was Ethan Eubanks. She bit back the urge to giggle. If Rachel and Jesilyn knew what she’d done this morning, they’d—well, she didn’t know what they’d do, but they sure wouldn’t believe it.

“Which leads back to what we were saying,” Rachel said. “There’s nothing wrong with friends sleeping together.”

“Something you want to tell us?” Jesilyn asked accusingly.

“Me?” Rachel asked, placing a palm against her chest. She let her red-tipped fingers drum against her sternum then shrugged. “What on earth would I have to tell?” Laughing, she ran ahead to a street performer juggling several bowling pins.

“What do you think?” Jesilyn asked Clarise, while Rachel giddily tossed several dollars in the performer’s hat.

“About sleeping with friends?” Clarise responded, and tried to keep her face from turning beet red.

“No,” Jesilyn said. “About whether she’s already slept with Miles, or whether she’s merely planning on it happening before the day is over. And how awkward are things going to be at work after the two of them sleep together and then it doesn’t work out? Trust me, it won’t be pretty, but I doubt Rachel cares.”

“You don’t think they should get together?” Clarise asked, her chest clenching. “Weren’t you the one who said, ‘What happens in Tampa stays in Tampa’?”

“Come on,” Jesilyn said, cocking one arched brow as she spoke. “You don’t really believe that, do you? And I’d say they’re definitely going to get together, that’s a given. I just hope it doesn’t ruin everything. Miles is a player, and Rachel won’t like being played.”

“Are you guys coming, or what?” Rachel called, motioning for them to hurry. “I’m sure everyone else is already there.”

“We’d have been there a half hour ago if you hadn’t stopped to window-shop,” Jesilyn observed. “And I’m betting ‘everyone’ isn’t who you’re wanting to see.”

Rachel winked. “Don’t you remember? What happens in Tampa stays in Tampa.”

“Oh yeah, they’re going to get together,” Jesilyn said under her breath. “I’d say it’s as sure as—well, as sure as I’m going to get with Andre.”

And as sure as I’m going to “get with” Ethan,
Clarise thought. Would sleeping with her friend ruin everything? And did it even matter? Because there was no way she’d ever tell Ethan no, and there was no way she’d ever regret finally being with him completely. No matter what.

Saturated with partyers who’d started celebrating early at the annual invasion brunch, the Convention Center bristled with Gasparilla energy, providing an electric atmosphere for the company luncheon. Rachel, Jesilyn and Clarise entered to find a surplus of beads and an excess of partying.

“Oh wow, this is incredible!” Rachel exclaimed, her blond spirals bouncing against her back as she took it all in.

An abundantly muscled hunky pirate placed several shiny strands of red and gold beads around her neck. He leaned close and brushed a fingertip down her cheek. “A virgin to Gasparilla?” he asked.

Rachel’s blue eyes blinked rapidly, and her lips curved into a silly grin. “A virgin? Me?”

Miles had been standing at the bar with Jake when the female trio entered. But after hearing the man’s comment—and Rachel’s response—he left without placing his order and unflinchingly stepped between Rachel and the smiling male. “We’ve been to Gasparilla before, but it’s the first time any of us have been to the convention center for the invasion.” He wrapped an arm around Rachel’s waist, pulled her close and made her jump. Rachel’s attention moved from the bead guy to Miles, and her grin broadened. She looked toward Clarise and Jesilyn, watching this odd display with interest, and winked.

Muscle guy didn’t seem to mind his current use as jealousy bait. On the contrary, he obviously enjoyed Rachel’s schoolgirl response and Miles’s discomfort. “So I guess that means you’re a virgin too,” he said to Miles, whose face quickly tinged red. “Hardly,” he growled, then he turned and looked pointedly at Rachel.

Rachel absolutely glowed, and Clarise realized she and Ethan weren’t the only Eubanks employees who had seen a bit of sexual interaction during their first night at Gasparilla. And speaking of sexual triumphs, as in the guy who’d readily supplied her first experience with oral sex—make that phenomenal oral sex—this morning in the shower . . .

Clarise scanned the restaurant for Ethan. He’d left right after their shower to make sure everything was ready for the luncheon. He’d actually asked her to come along, but she’d insisted it wouldn’t be smart to let the others in on the new aspect of their relationship. Everyone knew they were close, but no one knew how close they’d become as of this morning. Or rather, last night, if she counted Ethan’s big hand slapping against her breasts at the parade, or the memorable moment when she boldly cupped his jewels in the elevator.

She laughed loudly, but since a jazz band was belting out an upbeat tune by the entrance, and another live band geared up onstage, no one seemed to notice. So she laughed again. It felt good to release the surge of minor hysteria that developed as a result of her major shower orgasm, so she let the laughter bubble free, continuing until thick tears trickled down her cheeks, which made her laugh even more.

“Clarise?” Jesilyn stepped away from Rachel, Miles and Jake, currently moving toward a gathering of tables in the far corner of the restaurant, and tilted her head questioningly. “Are you drunk?”

Clarise blinked away the tears and fought the impulse to start another bout of stomach-tingling laughter.
Drunk?
No, not today; last night, however, was a different story. But she wasn’t complaining about the outcome of her first tangle with overindulgence. As a matter of fact, after last night, Clarise would have to say her three most favorite words were “Dead on Arrival.” She laughed again, and finished off with a very unladylike snort. Thanks to that potent daiquiri, after three years of dreaming about wild sex with Ethan, today, probably in a matter of hours, she’d finally experience the whole shebang. Totally. And it would be even more amazing than the shower sex this morning. Shower sex. With Ethan. Goodness, she needed to laugh some more. She inhaled, with the full intention of saying something coherent, but then her jubilance with the situation intervened, and she cracked up again.

“You are drunk!” Jesilyn exclaimed, her big brown eyes popping wide at this realization. She quickly turned her head toward the group and sent her black hair swinging. Then she pivoted back toward Clarise, lowered her voice, which really wasn’t necessary with all the party noise, and whispered, “I’m not believing it, Clarise Robinson, drunk in Tampa, and before noon.”

“I’m not—” Clarise started, but Jesilyn didn’t give her a chance to finish.

“Stick with me. I’ll make sure no one takes advantage,” Jesilyn instructed, in her I’m-sober-and-you’re-not tone, then she paused, and added, “Unless you’re wanting to lose your senses with one of these hotties. I’ve got to tell you, I met tons of gorgeous guys last night at that wedding.” With a stern grip on Clarise’s biceps, as though she thought her friend might topple over at any moment, Jesilyn slowly steered her toward the group.

“I’m not drunk, Jesi.” Clarise stopped walking and swallowed through another itch to giggle. “I’m just excited to be here, experiencing all of this.”
And experiencing Ethan.

Jesilyn released her death grip, and Clarise rubbed her arms in relief. “That’s right,” Jesilyn said. “You never came down for any of the other bonding trips. And each year, Ethan makes sure we do something different, like the convention center luncheon. We’ve never been here before to see the invasion firsthand. This place is unreal, isn’t it? The
Jose Gasparilla
will dock right outside, and we’ll get a great view of the hot pirates storming the city. It’ll be almost as incredible as the wedding last night with Andre.”