“My God,” he said and heard Nora giggling at the end of the line.
“Thank you. Comfortable yet?”
Zach kicked off his shoes and propped himself on his pillows as Nora had suggested. “Physically I’m comfortable. In other respects, however…no. Not even remotely.”
He expected a laugh but none came.
“Zach,” Nora began and her voice sounded oddly solemn. “Listen to me. You don’t have to be uncomfortable. It’s just me. There’s nothing that you can say or do that will shock me. You’ve been inside me, in case you’ve forgotten. We’re both grown-ups who are very attracted to each other. You are an insanely gorgeous, incredibly intelligent man and you have no reason to be embarrassed by this.”
“Just a bit out of practice,” Zach confessed.
“Practice makes perfect. I’ll go easy on you this time. Asking again, what’s your favorite position?”
“This is the easy version?”
“This is kindergarten, Zach. Now answer me and be honest.”
Zach exhaled and looked up at the ceiling. Better to just get it out.
“I prefer from behind positions.”
“Doggie style?”
“Sometimes. My favorite, though, is when she’s on her stomach and her leg is sort of pulled up.”
“Why do you like it? And don’t skimp on the details.”
“It’s…” Zach searched for the right word. “It’s intimate without being sentimental. I suppose that sounds like a load of rubbish to you.”
“No, it makes perfect sense. Missionary position is as vanilla as it gets. But from behind positions are fantastic. Some of my favorites, too. When was the first time you tried it?”
“I was seventeen, I think. I was seeing a university student a few years older than me.”
“Such a lady-killer. And she was more experienced than you?”
“Vastly. I’d had more than a few wild nights but nothing had prepared me for her. Second time we were together she rolled onto her stomach and made her will known.”
“I like this girl.”
“She was a beautiful half-crazy bint named Raine of all things, but I don’t regret the lessons.”
“Raine is making me wet. What do you remember from the first time, Zach?”
“Ah…” Zach closed his eyes and summoned the memory. It had been years since he’d even thought about her. “I remember having to move her hair off her neck. She had gorgeous dark hair like yours. And I’ll never forget taking a fistful of it and pushing it out of the way so I could kiss her back and shoulders.”
“Did you bite her?”
“Constantly,” Zach confessed. “And I remember bracing myself with my arms over her. My hands were on either side of her and she reached her hand out and wrapped her fingers around mine. I think that’s when it became my favorite.” He closed his eyes and remembered how often he’d taken Grace like that. She did the same thing, taking his hand while he was thrusting into her. When Raine had done it, it aroused him. When Grace did it, he was undone.
“Understandably. As a woman it’s very erotic to be taken like that. You feel, oh, what’s the word? Used, I guess. Used in a good way. From behind positions are fairly dominant. I think you have a Dom streak in you, Zach.”
“It didn’t feel like dominance. Just intimate. I mean…I can’t begin to fathom what I mean.”
“Yes, you do. Tell me.” Nora’s voice was even softer now, coaxing him to close his eyes. He wondered if she was in her bedroom and what she was doing to put that purr in her voice. He didn’t want to ask, but he did want to imagine.
“The whispering,” he said.
“The whispering? What whispering?”
“In that position, his, my mouth is at her ear. It’s perfect for whispering…things.”
“So he does like dirty talk after all. What do you say when you’re on top of a woman and inside her?”
“Nora,” he protested. “I can’t just—”
“Yes, you can. Tell me. Close your eyes and pretend it’s me underneath you. Pretend your chest is pressed to my shoulders. Pretend your hands are locked over my wrists. Pretend your mouth is at my ear. Pretend you’re moving inside me. Is that such a horrible thought?”
“No, it’s amazing,” Zach said, suddenly breathless.
“Tell me, Zach. Tell me what you’d say. Whisper it in my ear…”
Zach took a deep breath, and remembered he was allowed to trust Nora and to trust himself. It was so damned hard to do, but he wanted to trust her, needed to trust her.
He rolled onto his side, unbuttoned his pants and whispered.
26
On Friday morning Zach was stuck in a staff meeting and finding it hard to concentrate for two reasons. Reason number one—the phone call from Grace that had left his heart aching. Reason number two—the phone call from Nora last night that had left his body aching.
“And as most of you know,” J.P. said, “in two weeks our Zach Easton will be going west to take over as chief managing editor at the L.A. offices. I’m sure all of you will miss his sunny presence. To quote the old Irish blessing, may the fog rise up to meet you or something like that.” A gentle murmur of laughter rippled through the room. Only that pompous arse Thomas Finley wasn’t laughing, merely smirking as usual.
“Thank you. Comfortable yet?”
Zach kicked off his shoes and propped himself on his pillows as Nora had suggested. “Physically I’m comfortable. In other respects, however…no. Not even remotely.”
He expected a laugh but none came.
“Zach,” Nora began and her voice sounded oddly solemn. “Listen to me. You don’t have to be uncomfortable. It’s just me. There’s nothing that you can say or do that will shock me. You’ve been inside me, in case you’ve forgotten. We’re both grown-ups who are very attracted to each other. You are an insanely gorgeous, incredibly intelligent man and you have no reason to be embarrassed by this.”
“Just a bit out of practice,” Zach confessed.
“Practice makes perfect. I’ll go easy on you this time. Asking again, what’s your favorite position?”
“This is the easy version?”
“This is kindergarten, Zach. Now answer me and be honest.”
Zach exhaled and looked up at the ceiling. Better to just get it out.
“I prefer from behind positions.”
“Doggie style?”
“Sometimes. My favorite, though, is when she’s on her stomach and her leg is sort of pulled up.”
“Why do you like it? And don’t skimp on the details.”
“It’s…” Zach searched for the right word. “It’s intimate without being sentimental. I suppose that sounds like a load of rubbish to you.”
“No, it makes perfect sense. Missionary position is as vanilla as it gets. But from behind positions are fantastic. Some of my favorites, too. When was the first time you tried it?”
“I was seventeen, I think. I was seeing a university student a few years older than me.”
“Such a lady-killer. And she was more experienced than you?”
“Vastly. I’d had more than a few wild nights but nothing had prepared me for her. Second time we were together she rolled onto her stomach and made her will known.”
“I like this girl.”
“She was a beautiful half-crazy bint named Raine of all things, but I don’t regret the lessons.”
“Raine is making me wet. What do you remember from the first time, Zach?”
“Ah…” Zach closed his eyes and summoned the memory. It had been years since he’d even thought about her. “I remember having to move her hair off her neck. She had gorgeous dark hair like yours. And I’ll never forget taking a fistful of it and pushing it out of the way so I could kiss her back and shoulders.”
“Did you bite her?”
“Constantly,” Zach confessed. “And I remember bracing myself with my arms over her. My hands were on either side of her and she reached her hand out and wrapped her fingers around mine. I think that’s when it became my favorite.” He closed his eyes and remembered how often he’d taken Grace like that. She did the same thing, taking his hand while he was thrusting into her. When Raine had done it, it aroused him. When Grace did it, he was undone.
“Understandably. As a woman it’s very erotic to be taken like that. You feel, oh, what’s the word? Used, I guess. Used in a good way. From behind positions are fairly dominant. I think you have a Dom streak in you, Zach.”
“It didn’t feel like dominance. Just intimate. I mean…I can’t begin to fathom what I mean.”
“Yes, you do. Tell me.” Nora’s voice was even softer now, coaxing him to close his eyes. He wondered if she was in her bedroom and what she was doing to put that purr in her voice. He didn’t want to ask, but he did want to imagine.
“The whispering,” he said.
“The whispering? What whispering?”
“In that position, his, my mouth is at her ear. It’s perfect for whispering…things.”
“So he does like dirty talk after all. What do you say when you’re on top of a woman and inside her?”
“Nora,” he protested. “I can’t just—”
“Yes, you can. Tell me. Close your eyes and pretend it’s me underneath you. Pretend your chest is pressed to my shoulders. Pretend your hands are locked over my wrists. Pretend your mouth is at my ear. Pretend you’re moving inside me. Is that such a horrible thought?”
“No, it’s amazing,” Zach said, suddenly breathless.
“Tell me, Zach. Tell me what you’d say. Whisper it in my ear…”
Zach took a deep breath, and remembered he was allowed to trust Nora and to trust himself. It was so damned hard to do, but he wanted to trust her, needed to trust her.
He rolled onto his side, unbuttoned his pants and whispered.
26
On Friday morning Zach was stuck in a staff meeting and finding it hard to concentrate for two reasons. Reason number one—the phone call from Grace that had left his heart aching. Reason number two—the phone call from Nora last night that had left his body aching.
“And as most of you know,” J.P. said, “in two weeks our Zach Easton will be going west to take over as chief managing editor at the L.A. offices. I’m sure all of you will miss his sunny presence. To quote the old Irish blessing, may the fog rise up to meet you or something like that.” A gentle murmur of laughter rippled through the room. Only that pompous arse Thomas Finley wasn’t laughing, merely smirking as usual.
