Spice

Leyla held up her list. ‘Right, so the thing is, this is something everyone’s talking about and we want to be current. You take this list, pick one thing a day and then blog about the results.’

‘What if she doesn’t want to do something?’ Monica asked, reaching for a pastry.

‘Well … I guess you would blog about that. You don’t have to do anything you or Max are uncomfortable with, but I know you’re open-minded. That’s why I thought of you.’

Jess put her hand out for the list, a little surprised at herself for considering this. She had no idea what Max would say. He was no prude, but who knew what he’d make of this?

They had met in a bar – he was out with his suited-up solicitor friends and she was on a hen night. Unusual for her, but they had fallen into bed that very night. And it had been hot. They had moved in together a year later.

‘What the …’ Jess looked up from the list, laughing. ‘Leyla!’

Leyla grinned and shrugged. ‘Mmm?’

‘Threesomes, anal sex, dogging? I can just see Max’s face when I bring this assignment home.’

Everyone around the table laughed. Most appeared relieved they hadn’t been called on to do it.

‘What are the names and phone numbers for?’ Jess asked.

‘These are readers that Jason’s sounded out already. For each thing on the list, there’s a name and number for someone who does it and is happy to talk to you about it. Why they like it, what to do, stuff like that.’

Jess groaned and put her hand over her face. ‘How can I just ring some random guy and chat to him about why he likes peeing on people during sex?’

Leyla let out a massive laugh. ‘Jess, you’ll be fine.’

Jess looked at the list more carefully. She saw S & M, sex clubs … she couldn’t imagine how Max would react when she discussed this with him. She considered herself open-minded. She had a good sex life. They’d tried role-play and sex toys. Maybe she did have a few hang-ups too. And Max? Straight but very sexual. Maybe he’d be happy that his girlfriend had an assignment involving sexual experimentation. And as favours went, being OK with her getting paid to have sex – with him – wasn’t so bad, was it? It’s not like she was asking him if she could be a hooker. ‘Let me take the list and have a chat with Max tonight. I’ll text you later and let you know for definite.’

After the freelancers’ part of the meeting, Jess and a few others left the full-timers to it and headed home. Jess couldn’t think about anything but what Max might think about water sports.

Chapter Two (#u56ed0c98-2366-56af-8991-2351b3d420ac)

Jess spent the rest of the day pottering around the house, doing washing and ironing and planning how to convince Max that this sex list was a good idea.

It was a good idea, wasn’t it? She was pretty sure it was. People always wanted to know what other people were doing in the bedroom. How they measured up. Were they doing it enough? Not enough? Were they sexy enough, wild enough? Were they normal? What was normal?

She thought she was normal. She had always enjoyed sex, and definitely enjoyed it with Max. They had a loving relationship, and, though she wasn’t into any crazy stuff, she thought she was pretty good at sex. Telling the world what she got up to in the sack was a little more than she’d bargained for as an assignment, but she couldn’t fault it for not being interesting. Plus she needed the money.

It finally came to her as she finished her lunch. The blowjob. A blowjob.

Whenever she’d given one to Max, he’d said the words every woman wants to hear: ‘You could ask me for anything after doing that, and I’d say yes.’

Well, she would test that theory tonight.

As part of her scheme, Jess dressed in a plum-coloured underwear set with a silky crimson wrap over the top. She left her long black hair loose, smeared on some red lippy and poured wine. Two steaks went into the oven and some jacket potatoes in the microwave. Operation Blowjob was underway.

When Max came home he entered in the usual fashion: the door banged against the wall, his keys dropped to the floor, there was a muttered ‘Shit!’ and then a ‘Fuck!’ as he bashed his knee on the hallway table.

‘Can we move this bloody table?’ he yelled by way of greeting as he stepped into the lounge.

‘Hey, honey …’ Jess smiled, perched on the end of the sofa, displaying her long legs.

‘Hey.’

She could tell straightaway that Max was distracted. He barely glanced at her before throwing himself into a chair and running his hands through his hair.

She sat back on the sofa, gave him a minute to grumble. She wanted to do her thing before they ate. But if he was feeling grouchy, there was no point. She knew him too well.

‘I’ve had a terrible day. Such stupid bloody solicitors on the Bertman side. Useless. Stalling. I was all set to go to court next week, now they’ve filed some stupid bloody …’ Max trailed off; he seemed to have finally noticed her existence.

Jess smiled and sat up, letting her wrap drop open, to better show off her cleavage.

Max sat up. ‘You look … great.’

‘Glad you noticed.’

‘You always look great. But don’t you normally have more clothes on when I come home?’

Jess stood and undid her wrap fully.

‘Is it my birthday?’ Max stood up and moved towards her. He cupped her backside in his hands and kissed her deeply. ‘Now my day feels better.’ He moved his mouth to her neck, kissed her soft skin and ran his hands across her bare stomach.

Jess moaned slightly as she loosened his tie. She eased away. ‘I had a plan for you tonight.’

‘Like what?’ Max pulled her closer and caressed her nipples through the lace of the bra.

‘Like me being in charge,’ she said, taking a step back.

‘I don’t mind that,’ he said and reached for her again.

Part of her just wanted to let him ravish her. Her nipples were erect and she was wet. What better way to finish this end-of-the-day greeting than by letting him lower her onto the sofa?

‘So. What. Are. You. Planning. To. Do. To. Me?’ Max asked, punctuating each word with a kiss, before slipping his tongue into her ear.

Jess felt her knees loosen and dropped onto the sofa. Max moved on top of her, his weight upon her, kissing her mouth, his tongue pushing against hers. She wriggled out from underneath him, getting her breath back. ‘I was meant to be treating you tonight, not the other way around.’

Max held his hands up in surrender. ‘Fine by me.’

Sitting back on the sofa, his tie loose and his hair tousled, he looked gorgeous. He always did. He was six feet tall, with dark hair and blue eyes, and was slim, fit and well muscled.

Jess reached for his belt. As she started unbuckling it, he seemed to figure out what her plan was and closed his eyes.

‘One sec,’ Jess said, and reached to the table for his wine. ‘There –’ she passed it to him ‘– now you’re ready.’

Max took a sip. ‘Go for it.’

Jess undid his trousers. Max lifted himself up so she could pull them down. She left his trunk-style pants on and pulled off his shoes and trousers. ‘Socks off,’ she murmured, pulling them off and then stroking back up his legs and across his thighs. Immediately she could see how happy he was that she was taking charge; the bulge in his trunks strained against the material. She knelt in front of him and leaned in, kissed his legs and thighs and caressed his balls through the fabric.

Max groaned, sinking lower down the sofa as her tongue slipped under his trunks. ‘Take them off.’ His voice was gruff, full of longing. He lifted his bum off the sofa so she could pull his trunks all the way down. His cock sprang up and she caught it in her grasp and moved her hand up and down, letting the tip of him touch her lips after each stroke. She moved her mouth down his length as far as his balls, licked them gently, then took them into her mouth. Max’s fingers curled in her hair in encouragement.