The Gallery_A Reverse Harem Romance Page 9

  Christ, what I’d been missing.

  He continued to piston my pussy until another orgasm rocked me. I had to squeeze the sofa cushions for purchase, and my head thrashed back and forth.

  As he slowed, my thighs shook violently. I tried to still them with my hands, but it didn’t help. After he’d rained kisses down the insides of my legs, he gently drew my knees together and crawled up on the sofa, cradling my shivering, wasted body.

  He stroked my now-messy ponytail. “Cara, you are so beautiful, please tell me you’ll spend more time with me and the other guys.”

  “I—I don’t know Gio.” I snuggled into his long arms.

  “What is it that has you worried?”

  “I’m not sure I want to be shared. I may want just one partner.” I sat up so I could face him and smoothed out my dress. God, he was gorgeous.

  I continued, “The most important thing is that I don’t end up with another asshole like my soon-to-be-ex.”

  He gave a small laugh.

  Someone on the other side of my door yanked on the knob. “Av? Av, you in there?” a voice hollered.

  “Shit. That’s Blu,” I said, jumping up and rearranging my dress.

  “Cara,” Gio said, “you have nothing to hide. He knows how we feel about you.”

  I guess he did.

  I pulled the door open as I tucked lose hairs back into my ponytail holder. Blu looked from me to Gio.

  “Oh. Okay. I hadn’t seen you in awhile,” he said.

  I stepped out of my office to look around at the party.

  Sex.

  There was sex everywhere.

  As there should have been. It was a sex party, after all.

  Chapter 16

  ASH

  The first Kink Lab held at Avril’s gallery was a massive success.

  It was clear she’d gone into the venture with a lot of trepidation, but the party came off without a hitch, and Avril’s bank account was about to be richer by one hundred thousand dollars.

  A great night all around, if you asked me.

  And damn, if she wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous at the party. Gio, the lucky bastard, got her all to himself and was now seriously love struck.

  I was right behind him with my turn. I was picking her up at the school for special kids, where she taught art, and then we were going to get something to eat and listen to jazz.

  My cab dropped me where Avril did her volunteering. It looked like any other elementary school, with hand-drawn pictures in the windows and monkey bars over a huge sand pit.

  After I was buzzed inside, I ducked my head into what I guessed was the school’s office.

  “I’m looking for Avril Crane,” I said to the white-haired lady behind the counter.

  “Oh, yes. One moment please. “ She flipped through some papers. “Ash? Ash Singh?”

  “Yes that’s me.”

  “She told me she was expecting you. She’s in the third classroom on the right, if you’d like to go take a peek.”

  School office workers hadn’t changed much since I was last in the elementary grades in New Jersey.

  I took my time wandering down the hall, amazed at both the familiarity and the strangeness of the elementary school where everything was designed to suit the height of four-foot tall mini-humans. The place smelled vaguely of paste and dusty books, and cork bulletin boards were crowded with large stenciled letters reminding people to have a good day. There was a quiet buzz as adult voices floated out of the classrooms, followed by a chorus of children’s’ voices. It was all so sweet, it made me forget for one moment what I’d hoped to do with Avril later that night.

  When I found her class, I stood in the doorway where I could watch her in action. She buzzed around the room with an apron over her clothes, helping her little students with their masterpieces. She was so in her element, laughing and encouraging her charges, hard at work at their tiny desks and chairs.

  Finally, I caught her eye.

  She moved from the crouched position where she was talking to an unhappy little artist crying over, from what I could see, a disagreement about who got to use the green paint next. Smoothing out her apron, she headed over to me.

  “Hi! I’m so sorry. I lost track of time. Let me gather my things.”

  “Hey,” I said. I grabbed her hand and pulled her into the empty hallway.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, her eyes wide.

  Fuck, she was a beauty.

  I leaned close to her, so closely, I could smell what I guessed was simple shampoo and a small spritz of Chanel. Bringing my finger to her cheek, I said, “You have a little smudge of paint right here on your cheek.”

  Her hand flew to her face. “Oh, I do? Where? Here?”

  “I’ve got it,” I whispered, pushing her hand out of the way.

  Just as I’d gotten it nearly off, I heard a sound behind us. Two little artists from the class were peeking out the door at us.

  “Well, hello,” I said to the spies.

  They giggled. “Are you her husband?” one of them asked.

  I shook my head. “No, I am not.”

  “Are you her boyfriend, then?” Something about the line of questioning struck them as funny. They ran away in a fit of giggles, screaming, “Miss Avril has a boy. He’s over there.”

  I never would have guessed I’d be so completely intimidated by a bunch of six-year-olds. “Hey, let’s get out of here before they trap us and pin us down.”

  She burst out laughing. “Give me one minute to wash my hands and grab my purse.”

  While Avril did her thing, I stood in the doorway again. Every six-year-old in the room stared me down. They were clearly a little protective of their Miss Avril. Just like we four guys were.

  We settled into our table at the cozy, dark jazz club I’d chosen and ordered a couple martinis.

  Avril took a sip of hers, first. “Ahhh. Just what the doctor ordered. I so need this. And just what one should drink when at a jazz club. Cheers,” she said, raising her glass.

  “You were so great with those kids. I loved watching you.”

  It was hard to tell in the dim light, but I could swear she blushed just the tiniest amount. I loved a modest woman.

  “They’re great. I just adore them,” she said. “I’m so lucky I get to work with them. It’s been such a great thing to look forward to.” She stared thoughtfully into her martini glass as the music started.

  “Avril, speaking of this time in your life, I wanted to talk to you about your ex-husband.”

  “Really? Well, he’s my soon-to-be ex. We’re meeting with lawyers tomorrow.”

  “Okay, good. Then what I’m going to tell you is more important than I’d thought.”

  She furrowed her brow with a what the hell are you talking about look.

  “Devon’s alleged to have committed some serious crimes. Avril, I don’t know how much you know about this, but you are very, very lucky you two split up. You could have been considered an accomplice. Spouses are often in on the husbands’ misdeeds.”

  “WHAT?” she said, nearly slopping the contents of her martini out of its glass.

  “You know he’s under investigation, right?” I asked.

  “Yes, but Chase, he told me high profile people are under investigation all the time.”

  Of course he said that. He was an asshole.

  “Well, that’s partly true. But in his case, the investigation was warranted. He has potentially engaged in insider trading and also in defrauding clients. He’ll probably be going before a grand jury very soon.”

  Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my god. And it was probably going on right under my nose. I hate that man.” She rubbed her forehead.

  “Hey, hey. This will all be behind you some day.” I reached for her hands.

  She shook her head. “Wow. Just wow. How it is that you know this?”

  “We work in the same circles. There are no secrets. Only rumors, lies, and the cold hard truth. And this one turned out to be t
he truth.”

  She pursed her lips then looked at me with wide eyes, absentmindedly flipping the ends of her long hair.

  “Hey. Want to get out of here?” I asked.

  “Yeah. Yes, please.”

  “Where do you want to go?”

  She stood. “My place?”

  Who was I to argue with that?

  Avril’s penthouse apartment was everything I’d thought it would be. I mean, I had a nice place, and it was just a few blocks away from hers, but this one was freaking palatial. It was filled with lots of old world architectural details but decorated with the kind of modern art only a gallery owner would have an eye for. The effect was stunning.

  Like Avril.

  Her heels clicked over the marble floors, but before we got halfway down her huge foyer, I took her hand and pushed her up against the wall.

  “I can’t help myself,” I breathed, running my hand over her silky black hair. “I’ve been dying to kiss you since I wiped that paint off your face.”

  She gave me a shy smile. “Then what the hell are you waiting for?”

  I grabbed a fistful of her hair and tilted her head until her neck was exposed. Running my lips from her collarbone to her earlobe, I feasted on her sweet skin.

  My hands ran down her back until they landed on her ass, where I filled my happy mitts with fistfuls of her fleshy behind.

  “Angel,” I said, “where’s the bedroom?”

  “Mmmm. This way. Come with me,” she said, throwing a look over her shoulder.

  When we reached her room, I wasted no time in lifting her dress over her head. There she stood before me, in nothing more than matching lace bra and thong.

  I stepped back to take it all in. Yeah, she was one fucking amazing beauty.

  Her breasts nearly flowed over the cups of her bra, and the smooth, flawless skin of her stomach led the way to some of the most gorgeous lace I’d ever seen. I could only imagine what lie beneath.

  She grasped my cock through my trousers and damn if I didn’t almost shoot my load right then. That’s how hot I was. Seriously worked up.

  I kicked off my shoes and flung my suit jacket aside. Avril made quick work of my shirt buttons, and I opened my trousers and let them and my boxers fall to the floor. As soon as I was free, she moved for my hard-on, stroking me with determination. She was hungry for release, just like I was. The only thing that would wash away the intensity of her emotions—and mine, too—was a physical experience of epic proportions.

  And I was ready to give her just that.

  Chapter 17

  AVRIL

  No one had ever called me angel. A month of firsts.

  Ash stood before me, gloriously naked with a brutally hard cock, which was heavy as hell and throbbing in my hand.

  I stroked him in slow motion, enjoying the velvet of his brown skin. When I reached the head of his erection, I had to loosen my grip to fit over its swelling. A glistening drop of precum hung from his tip. I swiped at it with my forefinger and brought it to my mouth to taste.

  But before I did, I made sure he was looking at me. I wanted him to know I was relishing him and everything about him.

  “Yeah, baby, taste my cum,” he growled as my finger entered my mouth.

  It was sweet and salty, just like I knew it would be.

  “You like it?” he asked.

  My gaze was locked with his as I nodded, yes.

  “Turn around,” he demanded.

  I did as he said and faced my bed. I didn’t know what he was up to, but whatever it was, I could pretty much guarantee it would be earth shattering. He was just that kind of guy.

  With my back to him, he now had perfect access to my bra clasp, which he quickly unhooked. His hands flew to my breasts, by now aching for his attention. As if he knew just what I needed, he pulled my nipples until I whimpered. It was a good thing I was standing just before the bed, because I was not at all sure how long I’d be able to remain upright on my feet.

  He pushed my hair forward and over my shoulders, leaving the bare skin of my back uncovered for his lips. His hands smoothed over my belly, then returned to the cheeks of my ass. He stroked them so lightly that I was moments from losing my mind. After a small nibble on the back of my neck, he hooked his fingers in the lace of my thong and pulled it to the floor where I stepped out of it and kicked it aside. He remained crouched behind me, his face level with my ass.

  “Bend forward,” he said, his hand on my lower back, gently directing me.

  Was he serious? My behind would be right in his face.

  Oh. Maybe that was the point.

  I leaned onto the bed to support myself in a ninety-degree angle. Ash’s warm breath traveled up the crack of my behind, and I squirmed from the sensation. My legs quivered, and my breaths came long and deep.

  “Reach back here,” he said.

  Really?

  I put my hands on the cheeks of my ass. What was he getting at?

  “Open yourself for me, baby,” he murmured.

  No, no, no. Don’t think so.

  “You’re beautiful, Avril. Let me see all of you.”

  Oh. God.

  Ugh. I squeezed my eyes closed in shame, and pressed my fingers lightly into the cheeks of my ass.

  “Yeah. Like that. Now give me a bit more.”

  Okay, now would be a good time to die.

  But no such luck.

  I pulled a bit more on my cheeks, hoping this would satisfy his dirty curiosity about my most private parts.

  Why didn’t he just lay me on my back and crawl up between my legs, like normal men did?

  Or was everyone doing this, now? It was like there was this party going on that I was finally invited to.

  And I was accepting the invitation.

  Opening myself further, much to Ash’s delight, gave him the space he needed to reach for the wetness between my legs. I pushed back a bit against him because I just couldn’t help it. I didn’t know what he intended to give me, but I was quite sure I was going to like it.

  I took a deep breath. “Ash. Will you fuck me? Please.”

  I’d never thought those words before that night, much less muttered them out loud. But I felt so safe in Ash’s worship. I wanted to feel him inside me, filling me up, stroking me hard.

  He turned me back to face him and laid his lips on mine with a desperate ferocity. I ran my hands over his nipples and down his muscular abs until I reached his cock once again. I pulled back to watch his pleasure, and his eyes fell shut. He sucked his breath in a harsh gasp as I ran my fingers over his balls, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind. I stood a little taller, satisfied with my feminine prowess.

  I swayed for a moment, and he caught me, his eyes having snapped open into pools of deep, dark brown. He backed me up to the bed, lowering me onto it and reaching for his trousers at the same time. He came back with a condom.

  When he was done rolling it over his long erection, he touched between my legs, cupping my sex.

  “You’re so goddamn wet, angel,” he growled.

  By now, I was weak with desire, ready to beg him for whatever he could give me. Yeah, I’d been with his friends just days before, but at that moment in time, we were the only two people in the world.

  And that was fine by me.

  He notched the head of his cock in my slit, sliding it around for a second until he found my opening. I gave way to an inch of him, when he stopped.

  “You okay?”

  I loved that he checked in.

  I could only nod and whisper, “Yes, yes, yes…”

  He paused, then drove deep inside me, leaving me screaming from the intensity.

  Over the sound of my own moans, I heard him growl my name. He tunneled inside me one more time and held himself there while an orgasm hit me like a truck. My back arched as if I could actually take more of him, and my arms flailed on the disheveled bed, trying to find purchase in the sheets. He pistoned me through another climax and quickly joined me in his own with a
violent shudder and long, loud roar. He dropped his forehead onto mine, our eyes so close, we couldn’t even see each other.

  That was okay, though. He was burned into my memory.

  The next day was going to be an unforgettable one.

  I was floating, thanks to the hotter than hot night I’d had with Ash, a feeling I was struggling to hold on to with everything I had.

  And I was now sitting with my lawyer in a fancy conference room that I was sure was being paid for, in part, by the huge fees he was charging me. We were waiting for Devon and his attorney.

  The door flew open, and an admin showed them in. But Devon and his lawyer had not come alone.

  No. They’d also brought Dagney, my former assistant.

  Speechless. That’s what I was.

  My lawyer spoke up. “May I ask who you’ve brought along with you here, Mr. Crane?”

  Clearly oblivious to the gravity of his dick move, Devon smiled brightly.

  “Oh, this is Dagney Gardner. My fiancée.”

  What. The. Actual. Fuck.

  “You two are getting married?” I asked.

  My lawyer patted me on the arm in an attempt to quiet me, but it did no good.

  I popped to my feet and leaned over the conference room table. “How the hell are you getting married? We’re not even divorced yet.”

  They were all taken aback by my ferocity.

  How did I ever love this fucking asshole? And how had I ever thought he was handsome? He was now the ugliest piece of shit I’d ever laid my eyes on.

  “Now calm down, Av. That’s just a technicality. Of course we aren’t getting married until you and I are—”

  He looked around the room, as if realizing a bit too late that maybe he should have kept his big goddamn mouth shut.

  “Okay, let’s all remain calm,” Devon’s attorney said. “Mrs. Crane, let’s sit down again, shall we?”

  I was sure I didn’t owe it to my husband’s attorney to return to my seat, but I did it anyway. None of us wanted the meeting to drag on any longer than necessary.