The Substitute Stripper (5 page)

Her cries rose in pitch. His moans deepened.
He was so close, but held back. Her legs wrapped around his back, making his thrusts deeper into her heat. She swelled and tightened around him, hot liquid spilling down his balls. She gasped and rocked her hips once, hard. He continued to move, carrying her as far as she would go before finally giving in to the pressure in his cock.

He groaned with release, his vision growing dark. He dropped to his elbows. Sweat rolled down his face and dripped onto Bree. “Sorry about that.”

Rolling to one side, he grabbed the sheet and wiped the dampness from her brow. “You seem to light a fire under me.”

“It didn’t take much of a
spark.”

Ash lay back and pulled her to rest on his shoulder, wrapping an arm
around her. “Yeah, the chemistry alone is combustible. You wore me out.”

She yawned in answer. He wriggled to grab the blankets and pull
ed them up. Bree snuggled in closer to him with a sigh.

Bree was afraid to look at her reflection in the bathroom mirror when they stumbled out of bed in the morning. Her eyes burned from the lack of sleep. Her thighs felt like spaghetti. She’d either ridden Ash or clutch
ed him close with her legs for the last half of the night, until they’d passed out in exhaustion.

Ash mumbled something when he squeezed past her to pee while she tested the water temperature in the shower. She slapped his ass. “Aren’t you the cheerful one.”

“You should talk. Have you seen your hair?”

She pushed the matted mess away from her face, not wanting to see exactly what had parts of it glued together. Her styling gel didn’t dry that hard. “You should be thanking me, smart ass.” She stepped under the spray and let it soak her hair.
The hot water felt like heaven on her stiff muscles.

“I’l
l thank you, all right.” He followed her into the small space and picked up her shower gel. Squeezing some into his hands, he rubbed them together before working on Bree’s front.

He stroked her shoulders, and down each arm, then moved to her breasts. Taking his time, he
toyed with her nipples, plucking them to hardness. Her breasts swelled with the attention. Bree leaned into him, relaxing into the slow, easy movements of his hands. The tension from holding various positions late into the night washed away the longer he worked. “I’m going limp,” she admitted with a sigh. “I can’t stand here much longer.”

“We need to wake you up.” His touch became more focused, stroking her labia before splitting them to find her clit. He teased her there, then slid his finger
through the slick juices her body created. “Damn, you are ready to go.”

“You’ve been heating me up, what can I say?”

“Say you want more of this.” He thrust two fingers inside her.

Bree rocked into the sudden fullness, moaning softly. He knew just where to touch, just how to twist his fingers to bring her instant pleasure. Why had she waited so long to fuck Ash? Oh, yeah, it could be he never showed interest before.

Her thighs began to tremble as the knot inside her tightened. “I’m going to come,” she warned.

Ash nudged her legs apart and entered her from behind. “Not without me.
Oh, shit, wait. Condom.”

“No, don’t wait. Please. I need this now.”

“There are some on the counter. It won’t take a minute.”

The gust of cold air when he opened the glass door sent shivers over her heated skin. “Hurry before the hot water runs out.”

He reappeared in the fog and pressed his cool skin against her back. “This is a fancy hotel, it probably has enough water heaters. Now, where was I? Right about here, I think.” He rubbed his cock between her cheeks, then down lower where she wanted to feel him. He entered slowly, teasingly, and gathered

The angle of his thrusts brought his cock in contact with her
sensitive inner hot spot and she cried out in delight. It wouldn’t take much for her to climax; his touch instantly brought her to the edge. “Yes, more please. Fuck me hard. Harder.”

He did, holding her body against his, lifting her with each
thrust. His arms tightened. His finger pressed hard against her clit. She shattered around him and felt him shudder against her back.

* * *

Bree sprayed a third coating of the helmet-strength hairspray she’d brought with her, ensuring the sleek, elegant hairdo would remain in place throughout the wedding and reception. With her hair up, glasses on instead of her contacts, and a more natural application of makeup, she was pretty sure the guys wouldn’t recognize her as the stripper from the night before.

Ash peeked in the bathroom doorway. “About ready? I need to be there a little early to hold
Mark’s hand.”

“I’m just about there.” She waved the hairspray can over her head for one last dose.

Ash coughed and backed out of the doorway. “Hey, watch where you aim that weapon. I’m breathing here.”

She ducked her head and set down the can. “Sorry. I just want to be sure I look okay.”

He shook his head and his gaze took a long, slow, survey of her from head to toe. “You did look in the mirror, right?”

Unease settled in her midsection. “Yeah, why? Should I have brought a different dress?” She’d aimed for conservatively sexy, a tailored, sleeveless turquoise floral dress with a coordinating solid-colored jacket. Her peep-toe, bone-colored
heels were the closest she could come to a conservative shoe.

The heat in his eyes when he met her gaze again could have melted the icicles on the eaves outside their room. “If you looked any hotter I wouldn’t make it to the reception.”

She smiled, relief calming her. “Is it time to go? Do you have to meet Mark somewhere before the ceremony?”

“The wedding is here on the grounds, which is a good thing judging by all the snow. They’ve cleared the walkways, but your feet are still going to freeze.”

“The things we women go through for fashion. Let’s get our coats.”

The ceremony was brief. The couple had written their own vows, the sentiments quite moving Bree thought. Romantic and sweet with the groom’s voice catching as he promised eternal love.

She caught Ash looking at her several times. Once he even winked, sending ripples of warm fuzzies throughout her. Soon, the minister was presenting the couple as man and wife and the happy bride and groom filed down the aisle between the folding chairs, followed by their attendants.

The large room had been divided to have the area for the ceremony and the remainder for the reception. Bree followed the other guests to the tables and looked for her name on the place cards. Ash would be at the head ta
ble as best man, so she was on her own until the dancing started.

The other people at her table were friends of the
couple, all around her age, and conversation came easily. Everyone agreed the bride was lovely, the groom rather thunderstruck. He looked nothing like the beast he’d been at the bachelor party, Bree noted, keeping that thought to herself. Totally smitten when he looked at his bride, his hand always touched her as if he couldn’t believe his good luck.

Bree sighed. Maybe someday she’d find a guy who’d look at her that way. Even better, he’d be someone she could feel that way about, too.

After the ritual toasts, cutting of the mile-high white cake, and the serving of hors d’oeuvres, the DJ turned on his mic and turntable, announcing the couple’s first dance. Soon enough, Ash came to Bree with his hand held out. “Dance?”

She popped to her feet, surprisingly eager to be in his arms again. Critters awake
ned in her stomach and she pressed her palm there to quiet the nerves. She lifted her arms to hold him behind the neck, his hands resting on her his as he led her in a slow sway.

He dipped his head and inhaled near her ear. “You smell great.”

“Thanks. My favorite perfume.”

“You don’t wear it to work. You wear something different.”

He noticed her fragrance at work. Nice. “This one is too heavy for some people. I don’t want to gag anyone in an elevator, or something.”

“So, this stuff would linger in my bedroom if we made love there? We’ll have to try that soon, so I can smell you on my pillow all week.”

His words send warm shivers down her side. Such a romantic thought.

The song changed to a retro hit. The dancers broke apart and began bobbing around the floor. Ash shook his head wildly and waved his arms. Bree laughed and swung her arms in a more sedate move, kicking her feet in time with the beat. It wasn’t the chicken dance, thank goodness, but the afternoon wasn’t over yet.

One of the guys who’d been at the bachelor party circled around them, shouting something at Ash. He dropped in a hip-hop split and popped back up. Suddenly, he looked hard into Bree’s face, then down at her feet. He leaned in to be heard over the music. “It
is
you.”

She fought to keep her reaction at bay, smiling in her most polite
brush off
way. “Do I know you?”

Ash
slowed down and took notice.

“From last night,” his friend said. He elbowed Ash. “So you decided to keep her around, huh?”

Sending her an apologetic look, Ash said, “You’re mistaken, dude. Leave my date alone.”

“Your date borrowed the stripper’s nail polish, then?” He pointed to her feet, where her large toenail peeked through the small opening.

Ash shook his head. “You think they only made one bottle of that color? Come on, man. Drop it.”

The guy’s breath reeked of alcohol when he took Bree in a one-armed hug. “I want a turn, that’s all. She was really hot last night but I didn’t get a shot at her.”

Mark broke through the dancers surrounding them. “What’s up, guys? It’s getting a little loud.”

Taking
Bree’s hand, Ash pulled her from the friend’s side. “Nothing, man. We need to hit the road before the next storm arrives.” He held out his hand.

Mark shook it, slapping him on the shoulder. “You’re not going to stick around for the garter toss?”

“Nah. Leave that for the younger guys who need all the help they can get.”

“Okay. Well, drive safely.” Mark smiled at Bree. “Wait, I haven’t met your date. I’m Mark, the lucky groom.”

“I’m Bree. Ash and I work together.”

“Oh, you’re Bree? Ash has mentioned you.” His gaze narrowed. “You look familiar.”

She smiled and batted her lashes in a pretense of flirting. “I have one of those faces.” She didn’t know which worried her more, that he remembered her from last night, or he’d been in the club where she’d danced. They’d messed up, thinking she could strip and appear at the wedding without being recognized. It was definitely time to go. While they drove back to the city, however, she would grill Ash on what he’d said about her in the past. “It was nice meeting you, and congratulations on your marriage. May you two be happy forever.”

His face softened again. “Thanks. I really think we will be.”

Ash took her elbow and made a path through the dancers. As they neared the table, he stopped suddenly. A petite blonde stood before them. “Ash, it’s nice to see you again.”

“Jillian. Hi.”

“How’ve you been? Are you still drawing your little comic books?”

His mouth thinned.

Bree hugged his arm to her side, knowing it made her boobs more obvious. She jumped in before Ash could respond. “You mean video games? He’s one of the top gaming artists in the country. He gets offers all the time to go to work for our competitors. It must have been so hard for you to give him up, knowing he was headed for greatness like this.”

She paused for effect, enjoying the wide-eyed response from Jillian. Bree took a deep breath, bent closer and went in for this kill, whispering, “Especially since he’s such an amazing fuck!” She fanned her face, then smiled and looked up at Ash. “Are we about ready, babe? I don’t know if I can wait until we get back to the city to have you between my legs again.”

His grin spread slowly, as if he couldn’t believe what he’d heard. He nodded and turned back to Jillian. “You heard the lady, I’ve gotta go. But it was so nice running into you again. Say hi to…what-his-name for me, okay?”

Ash’s arm wrapped around Bree and he almost ran from the room. He retrieved their coats, helped Bree with hers, and led her outside, where he burst out laughing. Once he stopped, he placed a hand on either side of her face and kissed her hard. “That was astoundingly satisfying.”

“Are you sure? I mean, it wasn’t over the top?”

“Well, fuck yeah, it was over the top, which is why it was perfect.
You are the perfect girlfriend.” With an arm around her shoulders, he led her down the walkway toward their building.

“Girlfriend? Isn’t this rather sudden? I mean, shouldn’t you at least buy me a drink first?”

“I’m feeling so high, I’ll buy you anything you want. A new car, a trip to Comicon…” He glanced down at her feet. “A new bottle of nail polish.”

“Oh, my God, I almost died. I thought he was going to tell everyone. Do you think Mark recognized me for real?”