The Switch Read online

  “Congratulations on rescuing that girl,” she offered quietly, looking up at Sean over a year’s best anthology which featured a cover more remarkable for blandness than titillation.

  Sean blinked and stared at her, clearly startled.

  “Uh, yeah, Gary did a great job, getting Shelby over to Shannon’s place. I’m sure she’s already warm and dry by now.”

  Only years of high-stakes trading, where a twinge of emotion could cost millions, kept Beth from dropping her jaw. Didn’t Sean realize that she was complimenting him? Or was he just uninterested in talking to her?

  “Yes, Gary was very efficient, wasn’t he?” she responded and tried to think of something to say that could only be seen as mentioning Sean.

  Sean smiled and nodded at her commonplace response, coughed briefly and went back to his book.

  Beth frowned briefly and then followed his example. Reading seemed like a more promising option than conversation. A minute’s study convinced her that the anthology was as boring as its cover and she shoved it back into place, easing her frustration.

  Then Beth began to seriously browse the books, enjoying the latest from favorite publishers and authors and discovering new works. She picked out a volume, studied the cover (very nice leather harness on that stud, thank you), before reading the back blurb. The man on the cover looked uncomfortable, as if he had challenged the photographer to make a good picture.

  Of course, Sean would probably look better in that harness than the cover model did, given his advantage in height and broad shoulders. Or maybe scarf bondage would suit him better, offering such a marvelous contrast with his intense masculinity.

  A moment later, she was skimming the words inside, looking for images to savor and enjoying the texture of pages as they slid under her fingers. She put the book back, regretting its total lack of plot, and her elbow brushed Sean.

  “Oops! Sorry about that.” She drew away slightly and he smiled down at her.

  “No problem,” he said easily.

  He didn’t stammer when she touched him first. That opened some interesting possibilities.

  Beth and Sean slowly worked their way through the shelves, enjoying a companionable silence as they studied covers and turned pages. The scarf caressed Beth’s throat like a living being. Her varying positions as they took books from different shelves allowed her to see him from different angles, especially if she took care to never look directly. Her enjoyment of the more blatant artwork was increased by her sidelong glances at him. Images from the books were overlaid by visions of Sean, hot and naked and thrashing. The only sounds were the soft rustle of turning pages and their breathing, with an occasional whisper of clothing.

  “Could you please fetch me The Oy of Sex?” Beth asked, her voice husky in the quiet. “It’s on the top shelf, to your right…”

  Sean handed it to Beth, just as she reached up to take it from him. Their hands brushed on the book’s elegant binding and lingered. Beth slid her hand over his, enjoying his warm strength, and took hold of the book next to his fingers. Her nipples rubbed uncomfortably against the lace restraining them.

  Sean stared down at her and then smiled slowly. He hummed quietly when he went back to his books. Beth wondered exactly what he was thinking. He had a splendid bulge behind his jeans’ zipper.

  “Excuse me,” Sean murmured.

  Beth glanced up, startled out of her fantasies, just as he reached around her to push a teetering book back onto its shelf. Her movement brought her next to him, her shoulder lodged against his chest. She felt his arm encircle her shoulders and she waited, eager for his next move. She tossed her head back to clear a lock from her face and flinched when the movement ended with a jerk.

  “Just stand still, ma’am. You’ve got your hair caught between the bookcases,” Sean soothed her. He put his book down on a shelf and then gently freed her hair, while his other arm never left her shoulders.

  Beth watched him, poised and willing, her mouth half-open as she hoped he would come closer. To her delight, he bent his head to hers very slowly. Her eyes closed in anticipation as she felt his breath on her cheek.

  “Sean?” Gary’s voice broke the silence just as Sean’s lips touched hers.

  Sean froze and then straightened up. Beth silently rehearsed some unflattering Japanese descriptions of Gary’s ancestry.

  “Back here, Gary,” he answered. “It’s been quiet since you left.” He stepped away from Beth so Gary could see him between the bookcases. She was fiercely glad of his voice’s hoarseness.

  “Okay,” Gary responded. “Thanks.”

  Sean returned to the erotica section but didn’t come close to Beth again.

  Piqued, she considered her options. A quick check of her watch told her that something needed to happen soon, before she had to return to the conference. She turned and headed out of the aisle, back towards the bookstore’s front.

  A small smile played her mouth when she heard Sean’s sigh at her departure.

  “Did you find everything you wanted?” asked Gary as Beth came up to the counter.

  “Almost,” she said, remembering that big book on the edge of the gay erotica. “Actually, I was looking for The Male Nude by David Leddick. Do you have it?”

  “Oh yes, it’s at the bottom of the bookcase at the end of the gay erotica. Right next to the lesbian erotica.”

  Beth thanked him and retraced her steps. Was Sean listening?

  Just as she got there, a masculine arm came up from the floor towards her, with a book resting in the big palm.

  “Is this what you’re looking for, ma’am?” Sean offered.

  “Yes thank you, that’s exactly what I was looking for.” Her hand glided over his as she took the book.

  “I could have bought it over the Internet but I really wanted to touch it first, you know?” she remarked, trying to sound innocent. “Some of these are just so cheap that they’re not nice at all to handle. I really prefer something that feels good in your hand, especially when you’re going to spend some time with it.”

  She came to a stop, hoping that he’d hear the hidden meaning. Her focus lifted slowly from his chest to his face. His eyes were heavy-lidded as he looked down at her and he smiled slowly.

  “Is there anything else you’d like to see, ma’am?” He answered her double entendre with one of his own.

  “I’d like a look at you,” she said honestly, too caught up in the moment’s electricity to remember her wariness of relationships.

  Sean stared at her and didn’t move, clearly uncertain as to what he should do next.

  Beth shook her head at him and chuckled softly. Then she looked him over deliberately, lingering on his mouth before surveying the rest of his lean body. He was breathing hard and shaking slightly by the time she finished. But he hadn’t tried to leave.

  Beth took his elbow and took him out of the store to the back, where they found themselves in a narrow hallway. He unlocked an inconspicuous door and held it open for her to go ahead of him.

  Beth found herself in a small room that seemed to be as much storeroom as office. Sean put his books down on the desk then took up position under the high windows and watched her, his arms folded across his chest. Rain fell from the roofline outside, casting a curtain of sound around the room. She put her books down next to his and turned to face him.

  Sean’s response was fast and strong. He took command and kissed her like a starving man. His hand tightened on the nape of her neck, holding her head against any effort to move away. Beth responded willingly, startled by his intensity and his skill.

  His tongue probed her mouth, twining around her tongue before exploring the various shapes and textures available to him. His cock blazed against her like an iron bar fresh from the furnace, restrained only by his jeans and her suit.

  Beth felt his self-control slipping away and tried to think.

  Sean’s hands slid down her back, pulling her closer to him. His knee pushed but couldn’t separate her legs
, given her skirt’s tightness. He pushed again and Beth gasped, self-preservation starting to re-emerge. Thought was difficult, as her year’s celibacy demanded relief from this man. Now.

  He yanked at her skirt, growling into her mouth. Wool ripped like a gunshot.

  Beth jumped and Sean stopped kissing her immediately.

  “Back off, big guy!” Beth snarled. His hands fell away from her and he stepped back. One step, two steps, then the wall brought him up short. He braced himself against it, like a soldier summoned for discipline.

  She looked down to see a three-inch tear rising up the skirt’s side seam, showing her leg as an evening gown would.

  Anger bubbled up in her, followed by silent giggles. He’d ruined her suit but she’d made herself available. She hadn’t been this clumsy in an embrace since high school. Two adults, grappling in a storeroom like teenagers. She clamped down hard on the giggles and began to think. A private room, a gorgeous guy who was waiting for her next move. The situation had possibilities.

  “I’m sorry, ma’am,” he began, looking appalled. “I apologize for ruining your skirt. I’ll replace…”

  “You clumsy jerk. What the hell made you think you could maul me? Is that what I invited you back here for?” Beth growled, coming so close to him that she could see individual eyelashes.

  “No, ma’am.” Sean shook his head, his face frozen. He was definitely standing at attention.

  She frowned at him, contemplating what to do next. It was time for her to take control.

  He watched her warily. Something in her softened at the caution in his eyes. How long had it been since he’d held a lover, for him to kiss her that hard? Who had rejected him, for him to be that ignorant of a woman’s interest?

  “Apology accepted, Sean. Now then, this encounter is about what I want, not you. We’ll deal with your pleasure after you satisfy me. Any problems with that?”

  “No, ma’am.” He frowned, clearly trying to think what to do next. Beth smiled to herself and pondered how best to surprise him. It was time to play and hopefully fan that spark into a flame. She tamped down the voice that said it was too easy to find magic with this stranger.

  “Now, you’re going to keep your hands to yourself while I study you. Understand?”

  “Yes, of course.” He was bewildered. And enticing.

  “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?” she asked.

  “What? I’m not…”

  She stopped his denial with a raised finger.

  “When I want to hear your voice, I’ll tell you. Got that?”

  He managed to nod.

  “By the way, I’m Beth.”

  He nodded a greeting.

  Beth stepped back a pace and brazenly looked him over, feeling the spark between them growing.

  “I like your taste in clothing. The blue flannel shirt matches your eyes. Step away from the wall so I can see all of you,” she growled. He promptly obeyed with a martial snap. Beth filed the implications away for later use.

  She strolled around him, tracing his shoulders with her fingers. His head swiveled to follow her but he remained otherwise motionless.

  She rested both hands on his chest when she stopped in front of him.

  “So soft too. It rests against you like a lover. A girl could be jealous of its closeness,” she teased and he choked. Good; she’d managed to shock him so much he couldn’t find a conventional response.

  “You are marvelously sensitive, Sean!” Beth chuckled, watching the color surge in his face. She caressed his cheek and he blushed more. His arousal pushed his jeans against her wool skirt. She bit down on her lust, while still following the electricity between them. She couldn’t build a fire if she lost control now.

  “Show me more, Sean. More of you, the flesh and blood man. Not a frozen image, caught in black and white between a book’s covers. Show me what that lucky shirt is touching,” she purred.

  “Beth, please,” Sean hesitated.

  “Did I say you could speak?” Beth snapped and smiled approval when he shook his head. “Now show yourself to me, Sean. You know I can’t harm you.“

  Sean’s fingers fumbled but he managed to unbutton his shirt. He took it off slowly, more because of nerves than art. Beth watched him, pleased at her ability to stay disciplined but scared by the threat he offered. He was so incredibly tempting.

  Finally, he managed to drop the shirt onto the desk behind him and stood to face her again. He wore no under-shirt and his bare chest and back gleamed under the room’s single lamp. He was long and lean, beautifully muscled but elegant. He had an animal’s economic grace of powerful function, rather than a man-made mass of muscle hiding the body’s true potential. He was magnificently furred, in shades of gold. A thick mat of golden fur, which darkened as it formed a narrow trail downwards, covered his chest.

  He breathed raggedly but watched her steadily, without any attempt to hide himself or stop her.

  Beth covered his nipples gently with her palms, enjoying their hard spikes. His hands lifted and she glared at him. They fell back without touching her. His nostrils flared as he drew a shuddering breath.

  Beth rested her forehead lightly against him, testing if he’d push her again. Sean swallowed hard and trembled but didn’t budge. He smelled of sweat and hunger. He wouldn’t move until she gave him permission.

  Heat rolled through her body, from where it had simmered deep inside. Her silk panties were suddenly very damp, as her core melted under his blue eyes. She wanted far more from him than the prickle of his hair between her fingers. But caution still sounded in her ears, matched by the need to see his pleasure. Somehow, ensuring that this starving man found joy was more important than any physical satisfaction for herself.

  “Unzip your pants,” she demanded, her voice harsh with its burden of lust.

  He promptly complied, then slowly fanned his fingers to spread his jeans. His engorged cock gleamed hot and red, the color of life, against the white skin of his groin. It was uncut and thick against the dense fur, entirely natural. She doubted her hand could wrap completely around it at the base, just above his foreskin’s beautiful ruffled cowl.

  She had seen a great many cocks, both aroused and quiescent. She’d played with some and been intimate with a handful. But she’d seen very few like his that made her start thinking of stallions. Big studs, not polite riding horses. A Lipizzaner perhaps, or an Andalusian.

  Her tongue crept out to briefly caress her lips.

  Beth swallowed hard and considered his entire body, staring at the magnificent male caught in full living color before her. His appearance was much more exciting than the black-and-white photos of pretty boys in the book on the desk, much more interesting than any other man she’d ever seen. Her body trembled and she jerked it back under her leash.

  Sean’s eyes darkened as he watched. His mouth curved in a hard smile as he waited for the next order, barely breathing.

  “Touch yourself,” came her hoarse demand.

  Sean curled a hand around his cock and began to stroke it slowly, watching the way her eyes followed his every move. His thumb traveled over the head in a curling touch and then his fingers slowly pulled on his shaft, lengthening it even more.

  Beth sighed as the single frozen image of a strong man became a flow of pictures, all colorful, all arousing. She was very hot, her throat dripping with sweat under her scarf.

  “Drop your pants and show me your balls.”

  Sean pushed his jeans down over his hips to his knees and openly displayed all of himself to her. Dear heavens, his balls more than matched his magnificent cock. She put her fist to her mouth to stifle a whimper as she watched him.

  His fingers traveled lightly over his balls, outlining them. He stroked them a little more, cupping them in his palm. His eyes caught hers. He wordlessly questioned her approval. Beth’s eyes blazed back at him. Couldn’t he tell how much she liked watching him?

  “Damn you, go on,” she hissed.

  His s
mile blazed in startled triumph, that of a man who had set a woman trembling by simply allowing her to see him. He growled, low and deep in his throat like a tiger that scented his mate. Then he began to stroke his cock again, deepening and quickening the contact. His mouth tightened a bit when his rough hand snagged on the sensitive skin.

  Beth moved abruptly and pulled the scarf from her neck.

  “Use this.”

  She tossed the scarf at him and Sean caught it. He ran the scarf through his hand, stretching it out to its full length. It was soft and yet very strong against him, lying over his palm in invitation. It caught slightly on his calluses and yet pressed delicately against the edge of his hand. His breathing deepened.

  Sean slid the scarf behind his sac, obviously savoring the feeling as it caressed the sensitive skin. The scarf outlined his arousal and lifted it closer to Beth. He pulled it delicately back and forth, then between his balls to separate them. A few more strokes and then he swept the scarf around his balls, covering them in a silken fretwork.

  Beth purred at the contrast between the scarf’s gold and black, his deep red cock, and his groin’s white skin.

  Then he moved the scarf up his cock and began to stroke, curving the silk around, moving it back and forth, up and down. Her body throbbed in unison with the scarf’s dance.

  His hand moved faster and faster, until gold seemed to be pouring over his groin. His face contorted in ecstasy at the sensation, still watching her fascination with his movements. A deep bellow tore from his throat as an orgasm took him and he poured his seed into the gold.

  Climax blazed through Beth at the sight, as fierce and unexpected as a shooting star. She bit down hard on her hand to stay silent but staggered trying to stay upright.

  Sean’s eyes slowly opened and he looked at her.