DOUBLE DARE: The Chronicles of Katrina (Book Two) Read online

But that would also make him a man who didn’t respect her adamant demand that he leave her alone. Exhaling, Katy dropped the twenty-pound heavy ball she had been doing overheads with and stepped back from the mirror. The only way she was going to possibly ever see Simon again was if she reached out to him. And that was not going to happen, because that would be going against her vow to not to settle for red ribbon again.

  But maybe he broke up with blonde? Probably not. He had a kid with her! Maybe she was his ex. She wrinkled her brow. He’d told her in the shower he had never been married. Her instincts told her he was telling the truth. So was the blonde his baby momma? Were they together but not together? Did it matter? Yes, it mattered, because she wasn’t going to share, darn it!

  As was her habit since meeting Simon, Katy jogged home from the gym. Turning up Broadway, the hair on the back of her neck spiked. The uncomfortable feeling she was being followed settled around her. Hurrying her pace she sprinted up the hill and rounded Peirce. Her building was half a block down on the left. As she ran up to the front door, she looked over her shoulder and caught her breath. A man in jeans and a dark hoodie slowed from a trot to a casual walk in an attempt to look inconspicuous. She knew he had been following her.

  Katy’s heart pounded against her ribcage. She entered her code, the heavy glass and wrought iron door opened, and she slipped inside, quickly shutting it behind her. More than a little rattled, she jogged up the stairs to the penthouse and let herself in.

  It took her awhile to shake off the uncomfortable feeling of being followed. She lived in a city full of harmless oddballs. Still, she made a mental note to be on the lookout the next time she was out on the streets.

  A half hour later, showered, naked, wineglass in hand, Katy sat on her bed with her new toys fully charged and lubed, spread out like a treasure trove around her, with no real clue how to wield them. She turned one on and immediately dropped it when it buzzed violently in her hand.

  Picking it back up, she slid it along the inside of her palm. Nothing, maybe mild annoyance. Turning the vibration down to a mellower thrum, she slid it along the inside of her forearm. Nothing. But how would it feel if Simon was holding it against her?

  She glanced at her cell phone sitting on the nightstand, and then turned off the sparkly purple rabbit. Contemplative, Katy took a long sip of her Chardonnay. After she swallowed, she slowly exhaled and reached for the cell phone.

  Then, after several more long minutes, she texted: I have a toy, now what do I do with it?

  t wasn’t like she was asking him to use it on her, just a few friendly suggestions …

  Katy held her breath for what seemed like hours as she waited for Simon to respond. After an hour and twenty-three minutes and the crazy urge to keep texting him, she accepted the fact that he was not interested in teaching her how to play.

  Embarrassed disappointment swept through her. Setting the phone aside, she lay back on the mattress and slapped her hand over her eyes.

  “Could this be any more humiliating?” she asked out loud. Misery loved company, so she got up, dressed and headed back to the kitchen and poured herself another glass of wine, tossed half of the glass back, refilled it and stared morosely at it in the dim light of her kitchen. She raised the glass and said, “Katrina Winslow, you have hit rock bottom, there is nowhere to go but up.”

  As she sipped what was normally her favorite vintage, feeling sorrier for herself than she recalled having ever felt before, her entire body and mood shifted the instant she heard the ping of her phone.

  “Oh, my God!” Her hand shook so badly she needed the other to steady it so that she didn’t spill wine all over herself. As if she were a bored housewife, she strolled back to her bedroom, nose in the air, back rigid, all the while telling herself that regardless of what his response was, she was going to apologize for contacting him, and demand that under no circumstances, even if she begged him, was he to contact her again. And she meant it … until she saw his text:

  We play.

  Not you, we. As in the two of them. Her heart thudded against her ribcage. If she did this …

  I don’t know how.

  Her phone pinged again. I’ll teach you.

  Exhaling, with a shaky hand, Katy set her glass down on the nightstand. She wanted to ask him what took so long but she didn’t. Where have you been? Ugh, why did she type that?

  Chasing bad guys. Where have you been?

  Waiting for you. It was official, she was certifiable.

  I, um, this is hard for me.

  It’s going to get harder, Kat, because once I have you again, I’m not going to let you go.

  Katy swallowed hard. You can’t have me. I just want to play.

  I play hardball.

  Be gentle with me.

  Always. Where are you?

  In my bedroom.

  Are you naked?

  No.

  Get naked, and as you undress imagine it’s me undressing you, slowly …

  Katy swallowed again as she imagined Simon’s big capable hands stroking her skin as he lifted her cammie top over her head, then slowly nudged down her panties. She was already soaking wet and he had yet to teach her how to use her new toy.

  Are you undressed?

  Yes.

  I’m imagining you standing there all lush and creamy for me, Kat. Are your nipples hard?

  Yes.

  Touch them.

  Katy gasped as her fingertips brushed a sensitive nipple.

  Does it feel good?

  Yes.

  Imagine my lips suckling you, and my tongue licking you harder. Have I mentioned how much I love your tits?

  Yes.

  Lie down on the bed, Kat, and spread your legs.

  Breathing heavily, Katy lay down on the bed. She told herself it wasn’t really sex if he wasn’t physically there, touching her. And as long as he wasn’t, it wasn’t as if they were having any kind of relationship.

  Are you lying down?

  Yes.

  Are your legs spread?

  Yes.

  Slide your fingers down your belly, slowly … are you warm and wet?

  Yes. God yes, she was soaking wet. As her fingertips skimmed across her hard clitoris she gasped.

  Oh Kitty Kat, what I wouldn’t do to be the one dipping my fingers into your honey pot. You smell so sweet and sexy.

  Simon …

  Yes, Cinderella?

  I wish it were you, too.

  Be careful what you wish for …

  I want

  She couldn’t tell him what she wanted. It would make her sound weak and needy, even though that was exactly how she felt with him. Emotionally weak, and sexually needy.

  Tell me what you want, Kat. I will give it to you.

  How did she tell him she wanted him all to herself? That she wanted him to want only her? That right this very second she wanted him to make her come? She couldn’t tell him any of that. She couldn’t tell him because he was involved with another woman, and even if he weren’t, she wasn’t brave enough to expose her gooey center to him. Not Simon. His rejection would hurt more than Evan’s lie ever did.

  What kind of toy do you have?

  The kind that vibrates.

  Turn it on, low.

  Katy picked the less intimidating soft pink latex vibrator and turned it on low. It thrummed softly in her hand. It wasn’t Simon, but it was going to have to do. For now.

  Is it on?

  Yes.

  If I call you, will you talk to me?

  Katy held her breath, desperately wanting to hear the deep sexy timbre of his voice.

  I—can’t talk to you.

  Are you embarrassed?

  No. I just can’t.

  I want t
o hear your soft moans of pleasure as you touch yourself, imagining it’s me. I want to hear you call my name when you come, Kat. Would you do that for me?

  Oh how desperately she wanted what he wanted. But it was too intimate. A line she wasn’t willing to cross.

  I want to, but I can’t.

  When he didn’t respond after several minutes, Katy started to panic. Was that a deal-breaker for him? If it was, why didn’t he tell her? Was he messing with her?

  Simon?

  I’m here.

  Relief flooded her. Where did you go?

  Thinking. Wondering why you’re playing coy.

  I’ve never done anything like this before. It’s scary.

  What are you afraid of?

  Of liking it too much. Of wanting more.

  There she’d said it. And it felt good to tell him the truth. At least most of it. It was right on the tip of her fingertips to ask about the blonde.

  Who’s the blonde?

  Katy squeezed her eyes shut, feeling like a colossal ass, and dreading the answer, but she knew it was the right thing to do. As desperately as she wanted to play with Simon, she could not, would not until she knew that he wasn’t a liar or a cheater.

  Thirty seconds later, her cell phone rang. She didn’t need to look at the caller ID to know who it was. She couldn’t bring herself to answer it. She was a coward.

  When it went to voice mail, she opened her eyes. Her phone pinged that she had a message and then pinged with a new text.

  When I call you back in thirty seconds, answer the phone.

  Apparently Simon was used to having his orders carried out. Thirty seconds later, her phone rang. On the fourth ring, she answered. “Hello.”

  “Dr. Winslow,” Simon’s deep voice said, “I don’t like to play mind games unless they are with a bad guy.”

  “I don’t either.”

  “Then when you ask me a question, and I call you with the answer, I expect you to answer my call.”

  “I don’t want to know the answer if it’s not the right answer.”

  “And what would the right answer be?”

  “That you aren’t having sex with her.”

  “I’m not having sex with her.”

  “Have you ever had sex with her?”

  “Yes.”

  Feeling gut-punched, Katy squeezed her eyes shut.

  She should stop right there. But she couldn’t. “Do you want to have sex with her again?” she asked, dreading the answer.

  “No.”

  She exhaled, grateful there was no hesitation in his answer and decided to leave it at that. “I’m glad.”

  “I want to have sex with you, Katrina. Now, are we going to continue to waste time not having sex?”

  “I, I’m not ready for any of this, Simon. I don’t know what I want.”

  “A few minutes ago you wanted to play.”

  “I did, but it was easy when it was just texting.”

  “Because it was just words with no intimate human interaction?”

  “Yes.”

  “What’s wrong with intimacy?”

  “Nothing, when you don’t care about getting hurt.”

  “We all care about getting hurt, but sometimes you just have to soldier through it.”

  “I don’t know how to do this.”

  “I’ll teach you.” His husky promise riveted her to the bed.

  Katy lay back on her bed and realized, as she did, that she had just opened herself up for a world of hurt. “Okay.”

  “That’s my girl. Now put me on speaker, set the phone down beside you, turn that toy of yours back on, and relax.”

  She turned it on. “Close your eyes, Kat, imagine I’m lying beside you. Stroking your skin, kissing and licking your nipples. I love your tits. I love how smooth your skin is. I love the soft swell of your pussy, and the sweetness of it. Take the toy and brush it across your nipples, one at a time, slowly. With your other hand touch your clit, gently. Are you wet?”

  “Yes,” she breathed. “Very.”

  “Oh, I bet you are. Slip your fingers between your pussy lips, and drench them, Kat. Now swirl them around your clit. Slow but steady …”

  “That feels good.”

  “Move the dildo down your belly, and work it along your clit in the same motion as your fingertips.”

  Katy gasped at the sensation.

  “That feels good, doesn’t it?”

  “Yesss.”

  “I love the husky sound of your voice when you’re turned on, Kat.”

  She loved the sound of his voice turning her on.

  “Slowly, very slowly,” he directed, sinfully, “slide a finger into your hot pussy, Kat. Imagine it’s mine. Go as deep as you can. Thrust in and out.”

  Katy gulped a swallow of air as a moan escaped her throat. She’d give anything for it to be Simon’s hand on her.

  “Yes, that’s it, sweetheart, that feels good doesn’t it? Now stroke your clit with the dildo as you finger yourself.”

  Katy moaned, the sensations overwhelming. Between Simon’s deep voice in her ear, and the stimulation to her pussy, an orgasm quickly built. “Simon,” she moaned. “I—it feels so good.”

  “I know it does, baby. And it’s going to feel a lot better in a minute. Take your finger out of your pussy, and slowly, slide the dildo in.”

  She hesitated. Using it on the outside was one thing, but … “Don’t be shy, Kat, I promise you it’s okay. Sex is a beautiful thing. Don’t be embarrassed by how it makes you feel.”

  She slid it in. “Oh, Simon,” she breathed.

  “Ah, that’s it. That feels good, doesn’t it?”

  “Yes,” she breathlessly admitted.

  “Now work it in and out with one hand and stroke your clit with your other hand.”

  Katy did as she was told, and let Simon’s voice and the pulsating dildo push her toward an orgasm. Her breaths became shorter, shallower. Simon’s voice, as he encouraged her to enjoy herself, became more stimulating than the dildo and her hand combined. “Simon,” she gasped as the wave began to surge.

  “Faster now, Kat, harder. Imagine my lips sucking your sweet juicy pussy.”

  “Oh, God,” she moaned, as her body liquefied at the thought.

  “Tell me how it feels.”

  “It feels good. No better than good, amazing.” Her back arched and her legs spread.

  “That’s me fucking you, Kat. My cock pounding you. My finger strumming your clit. Thrusting, pushing. Fast and furious, you are so hot for me right now you can’t stand it.”

  Katy could only gasp for air, her body so wrapped up in the sensual tone of his voice and the sensation of her manipulation.

  “You’re ready to come, Kat. I can hear it in your gasps and your moans, the way you say my name. Say it when you come, Kat, scream it. Because it’s me and no one else.”

  “Just you, Simon,” she gasped. “Just you.”

  “Now, Kat, come now.”

  Her body tightened painfully just before the last week of pent-up sexual tension exploded inside of her, in one amazing violent wave after another. “Simon!” she cried. “Oh, God, Simon,” she cried. Her body shuddered as the orgasm tore through her, leaving her limbs quivering and her breathing chaotic. Like a fish out of water, Katy gasped for air, and her body twitched and flailed.

  “Was it good, Kitty Kat?” Simon’s deep rough voice asked. He was breathing heavily as well and she wondered …

  “Better than good.” She turned the dildo off and flung it to the side of the bed, still trying to catch her breath. “Thank you.”

  “You are most welcome. Now get some sleep.” He hung up, leaving Katy feeling alone and, despite what had just happened, empty.
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  aty woke the next morning feeling as sated as a well-fed cat. Still naked from her phone sex tryst, she stretched lazily, and smiling, reveling in the warm languidness of her body. The only thing that would make waking up better was if Simon was naked and warm beside her. Sighing, she closed her eyes and imagined just that. There she went again, living on Fantasy Island.

  She had it bad.

  That didn’t surprise her. She would bet her substantial savings account that every woman who crossed paths with Simon had the same ridiculous crush on him that she did. There was something so appealing about the man that it defied logical thinking. He was unleashed power. The kind of man a woman didn’t want to tame but claim and be claimed by. There was something exciting about knowing he was your man and yours alone. That he chose you above all others.

  Was he, she wondered, as giving with all of his lovers as he had been with her?

  Spending the night with her little battery-powered friend and Simon, a virtual stranger, was not anything she’d ever imagined doing. Surprisingly, however, she wasn’t terribly embarrassed about having done it. Simon had a way of making her embrace her sexuality instead of pretending it didn’t exist.

  “Simon,” she sighed. “You’re going to break my heart. I just know it.”

  Rolling over, she reached for her glasses and slid them on, then reached for her phone, hoping he had texted her while she slept. Nothing. But her disappointment was short-lived. Her heart kicked hard against her ribcage when she saw she had a voice mail from Simon. It was from last night.

  “When I call you, Katrina, I expect you to answer,” his stern, deep voice dictated. “Do not disobey me.” Frissons of heat sparkled through her. The commanding tone in his voice turned her on. She listened to it again. And again. By the time she slid from her bed, she was hot for Simon. Again. As she took what was becoming her requisite cold shower, she wondered if she would ever be able to get him out of her system. He was becoming an obsession. Hell, there was no “becoming” about it; he was her obsession.

  Although it was just physical, it was all-consuming, driving her to the point of complete distraction. Standing beneath the hard spray of cold water, Katy tried to understand why she was so consumed by this man she knew only on a carnal level. As a scientist, she understood the laws of attraction in the sense that her chemistry was organically drawn to Simon’s. Their energies were similar when they were near one another. Her body craved the orgasm that his could give her. He was her drug— the more she got of him, the more she wanted of him.