Third Vision of Destiny - Joan Page 3

He blinked twice under her hard gaze, the tip of his tongue flicking out to moisten his lips. After a couple more seconds, he reached for his tie, pulling on it to loosen it.

  “No,” she said, sharply enough that he started. “Leave the tie on. Just that.”

  He froze, as though taking her words in, then nodded and let go of the tie, reaching beneath it to undo the buttons of his shirt.

  She uncrossed her legs as she watched him, then crossed them again the other way, causing her skirt to ride a little higher. He didn’t fail to notice, and his fingers fumbled a little on the buttons of his shirt. She wanted to help him, wanted to touch the strip of skin he was exposing with each button he pulled free, but she forced herself to remain still, her fingers linked together on her knee.

  His shirt finally fell to the floor, soon followed by his belt, his pants, and boxers. He had come to her barefoot, she noticed, but couldn’t make herself care about that, not when it meant he was naked in front of her that much faster.

  His body was trembling by the time he was done. She let her eyes roam over him, trying to imagine she had never seen him this way before. He was beautiful. Maybe he wasn’t as much in shape as he had once been, maybe his abs weren’t as well defined, but there was a quiet strength about him, a solidness that spoke of self-confidence and determination.

  “You said you intended to work hard, I believe,” she said quietly as she stood, her gaze meeting his squarely.

  “Yes.”

  His voice was rough, needy. She hadn’t even touched him yet, and he was already fully erect, his cock bobbing in front of him, begging for attention. Without looking down, she reached for it and simply held it in her hand, feeling the weight of it. His pupils dilated at her touch, and his cock hardened just a little more. The slight hitch in his breathing was lovely.

  “I see how hard, yes,” she murmured. After pumping her fist along his cock a couple of times, she let go and dropped her hand to her side. “On your knees,” she demanded, struggling to keep her voice strong and dry. “Take my panties off.”

  He fell to his knees at once and shifted closer to her, his eyes never leaving hers even when he trailed his hands up her legs. Through the thin weave of her stockings, each of his fingertips left a trail of fire. Her skirt rode up when his hands slipped beneath it. He hesitated for an instant, his gaze asking her if this was all right.

  “Keep going.”

  His thumbs hooked onto the sides of her panties and he slowly tugged them down her legs. When he reached her calves, she rested her hand on his head for support and raised her feet, one after the other, allowing him to slip the underwear completely off her.

  After she’d finished hiking the skirt over her hips, she pushed the chair to the side and sat on the edge of the desk, her arms propped behind her, her legs parted ever so slightly.

  “Eat me,” she demanded, and was thrilled at the shudder she could see coursing through Brad. It wasn’t the tone she usually used in the bedroom, nor the words, but that was how the woman had ordered her supposed employee to pleasure her in that first video, and it fit the role Joan had chosen for herself.

  Brad crawled to her on his knees, his eyes never leaving her face. He laid his hands on her thighs and, very gently, pushed them apart to slip between them and move even closer to her. Still as gentle, he guided her right leg up and onto his shoulder, opening her to him completely. His mouth felt a little chapped and rough when he pressed a kiss to her thigh, half on the upper edge of her stockings, half on her skin. He licked his lips before tracing a wet line from her thigh to the apex of her legs, going much too slowly for Joan’s taste.

  Resting her weight on one hand, she clutched the back of his head with the other and pushed him where she wanted him.

  “Better,” she murmured, her eyes closing for an instant, when he pressed his tongue flat against her folds.

  He drew his tongue straight up, ending at her clit and giving it a few teasing licks. Looking down at him was almost too much. The touch of his lips and tongue was delightful, but on top of the glimmers of pleasure sparking through her, Joan was mesmerized by the way his tongue played against her, at first tracing her flesh and gathering her wetness, but soon pushing inside her and fucking her like a small cock. It made her yearn for more—for his actual dick stretching her and filling her in a way his tongue couldn’t.

  Soon, she promised herself. Very soon.

  Her fingers tightened in his hair, drawing a small grunt from him.

  “My clit,” she said in a strangled moan. “Suck on my—”

  Before she could finish, he was already obeying, his lips closing on her clitoris and sucking tight. Joan let out a shaky breath, then groaned. His right hand let go of her leg to slide upward. He pressed two fingers against her folds until they were slick, then slipped them inside her, curling them to find her most sensitive spot. At the same moment, his sucking on her clit changed, accentuating then stopping, his lips replaced by his teeth as he delicately bit her.

  Joan gasped. “Again. More.”

  He complied at once, his fingers pressing more insistently against that spot even as he held her clit between his teeth and pulled back a little. The sparks that had been flickering inside Joan coalesced, and her body turned rigid as pleasure ignited inside her, radiating from her clit and cunt and throughout her body. Her toes curled, causing her shoe to slip off her right foot and tumble to the floor with a muted noise. Brad’s touch was too much, suddenly, and she drew his head away from her. He looked up at her, desire filling his eyes. His mouth was shiny, and he licked his lips with relish.

  “All right,” she said, breathless and still shaking. “I see maybe you do want to keep your job.”

  For an instant, he grinned at her, his eyes sparkling, and it was clear he thought the game was over. She wasn’t done, though, and before he could break out of character she reached for the last prop she had placed on the desk before his arrival and said, “How about a promotion? How badly would you want that?”

  His grin wavered when she held out the condom to him. He hesitated before taking it, and she clucked her tongue in reprobation.

  “Well?” she said impatiently. “I thought you wanted to impress me. Are you changing your mind?”

  Without a word, he took the foil package from her and tore it open. A small shiver ran through Joan at the sound. She took her glasses off and watched, her lips pinched tight not to whimper, as Brad rolled the condom over his cock. It had been years since they had used one of those, and she almost felt like they were back in college. The difference was that, back then, it would never have occurred to her to role-play like they were doing now.

  As difficult as it was to tear her gaze off his cock, she kicked off her remaining shoe and turned around, facing the desk and bending down to clutch its edge with both hands. Brad’s hand on her hip drew her further back, gently forcing her lower. His foot slipped between hers and pushed lightly until she spread her legs further apart. She caught her own reflection in the dark computer screen, and could hardly recognize herself in the image she saw: open-mouthed and breathing hard, her breasts all but spilling out of her blouse as she bent low and waited for—

  The tip of his cock brushed against her folds. Mindlessly, she arched just a little more, trying to help him, but to no avail. His entire length slipped along her wetness, smearing it on her thighs and up the crack of her ass, but without entering her.

  He was teasing her, she realized with a flash of incredulity.

  “This is not—”

  He pushed inside her. One hard thrust, and his balls were slapping against her flesh. The rest of her reprimand vanished in a gasp, then a second one when he withdrew only to slam back in again.

  “Oh God, Brad…”

  The force of his thrusts took her by surprise, and her hold on the edge of the desk slipped. She caught herself just in time before hitting the desk. Brad slowed down at once.

  “Are you—”

  “Don’t you dare stop
now,” she grunted. Pushing the keyboard and mouse away, she lowered herself to rest against the desk and glanced back over her shoulder.

  Brad’s eyes were dark with desire. He met her gaze for an instant, then his grip on her hips tightened and he started moving again, falling back right away into the same hard pace he had first established. Each thrust drew breathless moans from Joan, and she closed her eyes tight. The feel of his cock was incredible. She had told him to fuck her, and he was doing just that, rutting against her as though they had been near strangers, as though there was nothing more to this than the satisfaction of two bodies.

  His hands slid along her back to grip her shoulders. He held her in place, even pushed her back toward him as he continued to push inside her, setting fire to every bit of her that he touched. Every so often, the tip of his tie brushed along her back like a silky caress, adding yet another layer of sensations.

  “Brad… Please just…”

  She didn’t know what she was pleading for; she just knew that she was close, so close, and her body was crying out for something. Brad shifted his stance behind her, his legs now pressed along the inside of her own. On his next thrust, the angle of his cock piercing her had barely changed at all—but that small difference made sparks of light erupt behind Joan’s closed eyelids to the sound of her heartbeat thundering in her ears. She came with a wordless cry, tumbling into pleasure as though into a bottomless pool of light.

  It took her a few seconds to realize that Brad had stopped moving and was resting against her, trembling, his face pressed between her shoulder blades.

  His softened cock slipped out of her, but his arms curled around her waist, pulling her up, close against his chest. Her knees were wobbling, and she was grateful for the support. Taking a couple of stumbling steps back, he abruptly sat down onto the chair, pulling her down onto his lap. She leaned back against him, resting her head on his shoulder and covering his arms with hers. Her heartbeat was slowly calming, as did his harsh breathing, but pleasure still coursed diffusely through her.

  “Oh God, I love you so much.” Brad pressed his lips to the crook of her neck, and the next words came out muffled. “Every time I think I can’t love you more, you just prove me wrong.”

  Shifting against him, she twisted around to sit across his lap. “Love you, too,” she murmured. She rested her cheek against his shoulder and slipped her arm around his chest. His body was hot everywhere she touched him, and she felt like she was burning, inside and out. Her mind was still humming from pleasure. She closed her eyes and sighed quietly, enjoying the feel of Brad’s gentle hand running up and down her back.

  “So…” Brad’s voice rose after a long moment, soft and a little bit rough. “When will my next performance review be?”

  Joan buried a laugh in the crook of his neck before kissing him lightly, right on the pulse point. His heart fluttered against her lips, still beating strong and fast. She could hardly believe she had turned him on so much—and she couldn’t wait to see if, next time, she would affect him just as much.

  “We’ll see,” she said, playing coy. “In the new year, maybe, to set your performance goals.”

  She pulled back to look at Brad. His eyes were dilated, burning with anticipation. Between them, his cock was twitching back to life. Smiling, she pressed her lips to his. The kids weren't due back for another two hours.

  * * * *

  Joan’s eyes had been closed for a couple of minutes already when Daisy turned her gaze to the quiet steps that were coming toward her. She smiled at Lydia, who smiled right back as she approached. There was something in her expression, though, that lessened the impact of her smile, and made it seem almost strained. She was wearing her jacket.

  “Is everything all right?” Daisy asked, although she already knew it wasn’t.

  Lydia glanced toward the balcony for a few seconds before looking back at Daisy. Was she remembering what she had seen just minutes earlier? “Fine,” she said absently. “Just fine. I came to tell you we’re leaving.”

  Daisy’s smile faded away. “Already? But the evening is just starting.”

  A little shrug was Lydia’s answer, and Daisy could guess what was going on. If Jack was still upset that Lydia wouldn’t tell him about the vision, staying there and pretending to enjoy themselves with the rest of their friends was probably not all that appealing. Were things turning out even worse between them than Daisy had feared?

  “I’m sorry,” she said, sighing softly. “I never meant for anyone to be unhappy.”

  “Aww, sweetie, it’s not your fault.” She opened her arms and drew Daisy into a quick hug, rubbing her back briefly over the shawl. “We’re the ones who convinced you to do this.”

  “But I’m the one who brought him here,” Daisy protested as she drew back, shivering a little. She turned to look outside; as before, Woods was sitting with his head bowed, hands clasped in front of him. He almost looked as though he were praying. Across from him, sitting with her eyes closed and her hands on her lap, Joan seemed asleep. “I was afraid you guys would get hurt and now—”

  “Daisy.” Lydia’s stern interruption drew Daisy’s eyes back to her. “We asked for this. You warned us, and you tried to change our minds, and we still went ahead with it. Don’t start blaming yourself for what is not your fault. All right?”

  Sighing softly, Daisy nodded.

  “Good,” Lydia said, her voice softer now. “I’ve got to go. I’ll call you on Monday.”

  With a last smile, she returned to the dining room, where Daisy heard her give her goodbyes to the group. It sounded like Jack had already stepped out. Tightening the shawl around her, Daisy returned her eyes yet again to the balcony. Moments earlier, she had managed to convince herself that Joan’s vision would be different from Lydia’s, and that another couple wouldn’t start breaking up tonight. Now though, she couldn’t help but wonder: what if she was wrong? What if whatever Joan was seeing at that very instant threatened her relationship with Brad?

  Her throat suddenly dry with worry, Daisy forced herself to step away, returning to the dining room and the rest of her friends. A definite chill had fallen on the group, and while earlier they had been laughing raucously, they were now almost subdued as they talked in two groups. Daisy helped herself to a glass of wine and let her gaze sweep over them. Mike and Brett were talking about Brett’s bar, and his plans to open a dance club, something he had been talking about doing for years. They seemed to be arguing about the best location for it. Next to them, Brad and Cathleen were talking about a book—or was it a movie?—with Rachel nodding her approval of what they said every so often.

  After having watched them for just long enough to empty half her glass, Daisy cleared her throat, drawing their attention to her.

  “Guys,” she said, feeling embarrassed already but needing to go through it, “if you decide not to do this, I’m sure Woods will understand. So don’t feel like you have to.”

  Mike was the first to shake his head, quickly followed by Rachel.

  “I still want to do this,” Cathleen said, and at once Brad echoed her.

  “Me, too.”

  “But why?” Daisy asked, a little incredulous. Did they want to get hurt? “You’ve seen what it did to Lydia and Jack. They might break up just from this, never mind what she saw. Maybe Joan—” She stopped abruptly, and gave Brad an apologetic look. The last thing she wanted was to imply they were bound to break up.

  He reassured her with a gentle smile. “I’m not worried. I love her. I know she loves me. What we’ve had is already wonderful. I hope we’ll have more, but if we don’t…” He turned his eyes toward the living room, though he wouldn’t be able to see Joan from where he stood. “If she’s happier with someone else,” he finished. “then I want her to have that.”

  Brett clapped his back, while Cathleen nodded approvingly.

  “The rest of us aren’t in a serious relationship at the moment,” she said, looking at the others for confirmation. “Whateve
r he can show me, I’ll be grateful for. God knows I need help finding the right person!”

  The rest of them laughed, but Daisy still couldn’t forget Jack’s pain, or how troubled Lydia had been. “But what if—”

  She stopped abruptly when Mike rested a hand on her forearm, and struggled not to pull away.

  “We’re all adults,” he said, grinning. “We knew what we were getting into when we came here. No one will blame you for anything, Daisy. I promise.”

  She looked at all of them in turn, and each of their gazes confirmed Mike’s words. She sighed, giving in again, like she had when she had finally agreed to call her sister for Woods’ number.

  “I just wish no one had gotten hurt,” she murmured. “I want you guys to be happy.”

  “And we will be,” Brett said, picking up a bottle and refilling her glass, then his own, and Cathleen’s. As he placed the bottle back on the table, he raised his glass in a toast. “To happiness,” he said, meeting Daisy’s eyes and smiling. “And to love.”

  They all repeated after him and clanked their glasses together.

  Daisy remained with her friends a little longer, now listening to Cathleen talk about her efforts to adopt. She was a few years older than the rest of them, and had been talking about wanting a child for a long time. It seemed that she was finally ready to do it. As she finished her glass of wine, Daisy couldn’t help wondering if what Cathleen would see before the end of the night would change her mind, or strengthen her decision.

  Brad had finished his drink as well, and when he stepped forward to place his glass on the table, he quietly asked Daisy, “Think they’re almost done?”

  Glancing at her watch, Daisy nodded. “It shouldn’t take much longer. Do you want to go wait for her?”

  She and Brad excused themselves and walked over to the living room. They had just reached the window when Joan raised her head, taking a deep breath like a diver who had just broken the surface. She blinked a few times very fast, and turned her head toward the window. At the moment she saw Brad, a wide smile illuminated her face. She rose to her feet at the same time that Daisy pulled the window open. Brad stepped onto the balcony. Before he had taken a second step, Joan threw herself in his arms, pressing her mouth to his for a deep kiss. Brad seemed stunned for an instant, but soon his arms closed around her, holding her tight.