Uncover Me

‘You’ll have to share it with me. Any others that turn you on?’

Carrie shook her head. ‘You next. I want to know how you found my blog.’

‘By accident. I fired one of my employees for being a fuckwit and, when I sat down to have a look at his computer, he had the link in his bookmarks. The first one I opened up was you lying in bed with the sun creating this glow around you.’

His voice changed in the way people did when they were relishing a memory, and when Carrie looked at him his expression was almost blissful, a half-smile on his face as he stared down the street.

‘You weren’t completely naked. Your bra was pushed down to your ribs and your panties were twisted around your knees. You had your hand between your legs. It was like you were waiting for someone. I got so hard thinking about what came next I unzipped right there in my office and jerked off.’ He shook himself and looked at her. His smile turned mischievous. ‘You’re blushing.’

‘Of course.’

They arrived at an intersection and Carrie discovered that having to wait for the light brought back her anxiety. She kept looking straight ahead.

‘Who is the woman in the video you sent me?’

‘My wife.’ Carrie bristled, but she still didn’t look at him. Brendan chuckled. ‘My ex-wife, though your reaction was interesting.’

‘How else would I have reacted? For about five seconds there you were some creep trying to start an affair.’

‘It didn’t occur to you before you met me?’

‘I imagined much, much worse. The video could have been a fake. Besides, I didn’t feel like I had much of a choice. For all I knew, you’d show up at my office with an envelope full of my pictures.’

‘I still could.’

The red hand turned into a little green man and they crossed, heading for the wrought-iron fence that surrounded the large garden showcased in the middle of downtown.

‘But you won’t,’ she said once they’d reached the swinging gate, and she turned to block his entrance. ‘Because you’re only here for one thing.’

Brendan drained his cup and crumpled it in his fist. ‘What do I want?’

‘Like you said in your message to me, you want to play.’

He stepped closer, backing her against the cold bars. ‘And what about Maggie? Does she want to come out to play with me?’

His mouth was so close to hers, she could touch her tongue to his if she dared. She’d bet he tasted sweet, like the red drink he had been slurping on their way here.

She stopped his kiss with a hand pressed against his chest. ‘I have more questions.’

‘Of course you do.’ He pushed forward, she thought to kiss her, but instead the gate swung inwards. ‘It’s my turn to ask a question, though, isn’t it? What do you do for a living?’

She shook her head. ‘No, ask me something else.’

‘Come on. You know where I live. You know where to find me.’

‘Who said I wanted to find you? And I don’t want you finding me, either.’

‘All right, enough of this bullshit.’ He stepped in front of her and blocked the gravel path. ‘I’ve left it wide open for you to walk away, but you’re still here, busting my balls about my motivations for being here when you’re here for the same thing.’

Carrie opened her mouth, but he just went on. ‘You won’t come right out and say it: it’s not taking the pictures that gets you off, it’s the thought of someone out there stroking off to those pictures. That’s why you do it. That’s why you like it. You’re just as dirty as the rest of us, and Maggie, let me tell you, I’m dying to show you how dirty things can get.’

There wasn’t even a hint of a smirk left on his face. His words bled into her skin and trickled through her veins.

Carrie wanted to back away from him, but found herself fixed to the ground like one of the statues around her. This small part of the world she shared with him seemed to close in, and she didn’t so much as flinch when he slipped his arm around her and splayed his hand at the small of her back.

‘You want to be fucked. Tell me, where do you want to be fucked?’

She licked her lips and watched him mirror the action. She felt his cock pressing between them. With the pressure of his hand drawing her closer, it was harder than ever to breathe.

She tilted her head. She intended to shake her head, ‘No,’ but lost the intention entirely halfway through.

‘My place is five minutes from here.’

The corner of his mouth turned up, delectable and tempting. ‘What’s your name?’

She brought her hand up and pressed it against his chest, not to push him away but to steady herself. She struggled through a deep breath and curled her fingers. ‘Carrie. My name is Carrie.’

Chapter Four (#ulink_a1d9ddb7-7240-51c9-a5dc-cd744fb5b129)

Having him in her space put her on edge.

Her knees wobbled as soon as she opened the door. She charged on through with Brendan trailing behind her. She found she couldn’t breathe as she stood with her back to him, stripped off her coat and tossed it on to the edge of the sofa.

She was terrified.

‘This is where all your money goes,’ he said quietly, and Carrie turned.

‘Excuse me?’

He stood in front of the door, gaze roaming over every inch of her apartment. ‘You’ve got nice things, expensive things.’

Carrie crossed her arms over her chest, mostly to keep her hands from shaking, but also to show her annoyance. ‘So I like nice things. I buy nice things. What else would I do with my money?’

‘How much did that mirror cost?’

‘What does it matter?’

Brendan shrugged. ‘Just thinking of the other fun things you could have bought with the money.’

She shrugged. ‘It’s a knock-off. Forty bucks at Pier One.’

‘Forty bucks could still get you a lot of goodies to show off.’

He glanced at his shoes and then at her, and with a smirk pushed them off his feet. A mad little panic skittered through her belly.

If he gets too cosy, I can’t push him out the door.

‘Do you want to give me the tour or should I just make myself comfortable?’