HER BODYGUARD

He spoke low, urgent words in her ear. “Sweetheart, don’t keep anything back from me, I’m greedy. I want everything you’re willing to give me.”

“I…” she started again. “Peach? I don’t know. I never thought about it.”

“Are they very sensitive right now?”

She swallowed. “Yes.”

“So tell me what feels good.”

“Please, Asher, I can’t.” Kimberly said.

“Of course you can.” he said.”So what would you like me to do to those pretty peach nipples? Circle each of them with one finger? Would that make them harder? Tighter? Needier?”

She answered with a little moan.

“Now that they’re harder, do you want me to take them between my thumbs and fingers? Pull on them? Squeeze? How hard should I squeeze?”

“Some…” she managed to say.

“Do it for me,” he said.

She couldn’t help herself now. Wedging the phone between her ear and her shoulder, she used both hands to play with her nipples, touching them lightly, then harder, her breath coming faster as her arousal built.

“Oh yeah, sweetheart. Oh yeah, that’s good, so good.” he breathed.

“Asher, I need…” She broke off, embarrassed.

“It’s all right to tell me. We’re communicating with each other. Do you want to come? Do you need to come?” he asked.

“Yes,” the syllable hissed out of her.

“Kick off your shorts and panties for me. Do that for me.” he said.

Arousal had taken over her body and her mind. She was so desperate now that she did as he asked.

“Touch yourself for me. Down there, between your legs. You’re hot and wet, aren’t you? Stroke your finger through those sweet folds for me. If I were there, I’d do what you like. Would you like me to dip my finger into your vagina? Just barely around the rim where you’re so very sensitive. Or deeper. Should I use one finger, or would two be better? How do you want me to do it?” he asked.

She couldn’t answer. His description of what he could do to her was making her breath come in jagged gasps, and she knew she was close to climax.

“Do it for me,” he said.

Helpless to disobey, she reached down with her own hand, finding the hot, swollen core of herself, pressing and stroking.

“How do you like it? Long, slow strokes? From your vagina to your clit? Do that for me.” he said.

Her breath came in little pants. But there was something she had to say.

“You, too,” she gasped. “I can’t do this unless you do it…too.”

“Oh yeah, baby, I’m right here with you. All the way.” he said.

She heard the truth of his words in the uneven sound of his voice, in the ragged breaths that came over the phone line.

She pictured him lying on the couch, his fly unzipped, his penis standing up red and hard as his hand moved up and down the shaft, propelling himself toward climax.

Her own fingers were busy, making her body vibrate like a tuning fork, the pleasure building to flash point.

“Kim,” he gasped out, just as orgasm took her over the edge, and she moaned into the phone receiver that was still clamped between her ear and her shoulder.

She lay there for long seconds, breathing hard, little ripples of pleasure still tingling through her.

It took several moments before she drifted back to earth. But when she finally felt the firmness of the mattress beneath her shoulders, reality slammed back into her.

Asher was out there in the living room. And she wondered how in the world she was ever going to face him now.

“Kimberly,” he murmured, as if he knew exactly where her thoughts had landed now that the fires sweeping across her body had been put out.

“What?” she asked, knowing that the question had come out high and sharp as she reached for the shorts and panties she’d discarded and dragged them on.

“Don’t be embarrassed.” he said

“Why not?” She fumbled across the bed for her T-shirt and bra. Transferring the phone from one hand to the other, she quickly got herself dressed again- because she was going to make damn sure that he didn’t come down the hall and find her naked.

Her head swung to the door. He wouldn’t come in here? Not now, when she was feeling totally exposed and vulnerable.

Never in her life would she have imagined making herself come when someone else knew what she was doing. And certainly not with a man who was right in the same house with her.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yes,” she snapped.

“Kim, that was very, very pleasurable-for both of us.”

When she didn’t answer, he pressed, “Wasn’t it?”

Honesty made her answer, “Yes.”she said.

“Then there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. What we just did is only an expression of your sexuality. Of our relationship… Or whatever this is”

She laughed. “Relationship” she asked.

He breathed deeply. “Let’s not get into that right now,” he said.

She closed her eyes, letting the words and the soft tone of his voice sink in.

“Okay.” she said.

“I’m going to hang up now.”

Her eyes blinked open. She wanted to shout, “no,” because the phone had become a necessary extension of her body-a connection to Asher. But the connection snapped, and she lay back against the bed. Reaching over she replaced the receiver on the cradle.

She’d wanted him to keep talking, wanted him to convince her that he didn’t think less of her after what they’d just done. Now, she stared at the ceiling, thinking that it would be impossible to face the man in the living room.

Maybe she would just stay locked up in the room. That idea had some appeal. But it made her angry with herself. She was no coward, and she wasn’t going to take the easy way out here. She hadn’t been the only one who reached orgasm a few minutes ago.

Asher had done it, too. And if she backed out now, she would never find out what that extraordinary phone call had meant to him. And she wanted to know.