Temptation In Lingerie Read online

  Carrie felt him behind her, his cockhead finally nudging her entrance. She pushed back. Despite the change in position, she only had one thing on her mind.

  Aleks pushed through, pumping once, twice, then he was in. Filling her up, stretching her out. “Carrie,” he said, barely above a whisper.

  He pumped a steady rhythm as excitement built in her stomach, almost as pleasurable as the feel of his thick shaft sliding in and out of her. He covered her back with his body, getting closer, more intimate. She heard his grunts and felt his harsh breaths against her skin. The louder he got, the harder he thrust.

  The sound of skin on skin echoed through the room, and she looked to her left and saw their reflection in the three-way mirror. He was beautiful, olive skin, slick with sweat, his muscular body tight and strained. Yet she saddened at the sight of him staring ahead into nothing. As if the wall was his partner.

  Tears stung her eyes. Carrie knew Aleks liked detached, emotionless sex but despite being buried inside her, he just couldn’t give himself to her. Deep down she hoped he would be different with her, but her fantasies were irrelevant. She promised him one night, no strings. She had to keep up her end of the bargain.

  “Harder!”

  She pumped against him, knocking him out of his trance. Aleks saw her staring at his reflection in the mirror and they locked eyes, only for a second, then he looked away in fright. He kissed her back then lifted his body and held her hips with his hands.

  Aleks sped up his thrusts. That was what she needed. The strong pummel of his cock forcing her to think of nothing but the feel of him as he grated against her canal, pushing her further over the edge. When he shifted on his knees, the angle hit a spot inside her she’d never known existed. When he hit it again, she wailed, unable to hold in the sudden orgasm that took over her body.

  Carrie frantically grabbed at the edge of the couch, but there was nothing to grip. She shook in place, and the more he thrust inside her the longer her orgasm played out. It was sensation overload. At one point her mind went blank. He brought her to a whole new level of pleasure, a pleasure she knew she would never feel again.

  He groaned behind her. Then she felt the heat of his body as he bent over, taking hold of her breasts with his strong, slick hands. With one last thrust Aleks came, whispering her name against her back.

  He lay on top of her for a few minutes. His cock softened inside her.

  She had gotten what she wanted. She’d had him, but she couldn’t get over the feeling that he’d held back. Aleks had detached himself from her. Maybe even more than if she had been a stranger.

  Going into this, Carrie hoped this wouldn’t change things. That their actions wouldn’t ruin years of friendship. She hoped that now she could move on and forget her schoolgirl crush. Yet, having sex with Aleks confirmed he was just as beautiful and even more haunted than she realized. There was no way she was going to get over this.

  * * * *

  Aleks climbed into his car and closed the door, locking himself inside the black leather interior.

  Sweet Lord in heaven. Did that just actually happen? When did Carrie turn into such a vixen? Even though it was exactly what he’d wanted, Aleks had made a promise to himself. For the sake of friendship, he would push aside his need. What a heroic show of restraint.

  Grabbing the steering wheel, Aleks twisted his hands around the leather. He’d left her there. He’d left her naked, practically still bent over the couch, dazed and confused about what had just transpired.

  He couldn’t deny his need to be with her, but not like this. Not just to have sex for sex’s sake. Disappointment weighed heavy on his shoulders. What made him think he could have Carrie for more than one night? Carrie obviously knew it was the only way for them to be together. She was ready for a one-night stand, and before he could object his cock was already free from his pants. It had been hard since the moment she uttered ‘monkey sex.’ She played dirty. Oh, but he liked dirty.

  Staring across the street at the store window, Aleks looked for any sign of movement. He should tell her how he felt. How do you feel? He didn’t even know himself, but he did know her tongue felt like velvet when she swirled it around the head of his cock. She sucked him hard. She sucked him long. Who would have thought his innocent little Carrie knew her way around a cock?

  There was a dark side to her, a side that had never reared its naughty head until now. Maybe the one-night stand wasn’t new to her. It was that exact thought that set him off. Or set him to deflate. He remembered the sight of his flaccid failure and her face, the look of humiliation that settled in the moment she felt him shrink inside her mouth. He could have kicked himself for being responsible for her look of horror. Aleks had tried to make it right. He’d tried to wash away all of her shame with a kiss. But had it worked?

  All it took was a trip down memory lane to get his blood pumping again. A sudden flash of Carrie standing in her bedroom wearing that black lingerie shot straight to his groin.

  If Aleks thought the two of them getting together was a bad idea before, he was now even more convinced. The rage that bubbled up inside him at the thought of her with other men made his ache for her all the more intense. The intensity wasn’t a good thing. He never was one to hold back when it came to sex. Always going for what he wanted and never thinking about the consequences or the feelings of others. It was all about his pleasure, his release. He called the shots. But not with Carrie. Aleks had to rein himself in. Not only in the physical sense. He couldn’t risk giving himself away emotionally. One look in his eyes and she would know the truth.

  Aleks had second thoughts about proceeding with their encounter. Especially after seeing her second guess herself. He could see the torment on her face as she lay on the couch deciding whether or not to make a move. She wanted to enjoy the pleasure, channel her inner bad girl and ride him wild, but the ever-together Carrie couldn’t seem to concede.

  There was still no movement in the store. What was she doing? She had to go home eventually. The harsh glare from the lights above illuminated the deserted street. The wind gently blew, creating shadows against the stone and brick buildings. Aleks hadn’t locked the door to the store behind him. It wasn’t safe for her to be by herself inside. Unprotected. He would wait until Carrie left. Make sure she got safely into her car. Aleks could see it parked down the street. Then he would leave and try to make things as normal as possible. Before he could do that, he needed to get a handle on these strange feelings that seemed to grow more intense as the days progressed.

  The lights dimmed in the store, and Carrie emerged from the darkness into the well lit street. She locked the door behind her and headed to her car. He could see the bag with her computer in one hand, the other carrying her purse.

  Carrie had buttoned up her blouse and threw on her suit jacket. Despite her painstaking effort to cover herself, Aleks still couldn’t tamp down his desire for her. The need to taste her was overwhelming. Now that he had a visual of the treasures that lie beneath her clothing it was going to be impossible for him to think of anything else. When he eyed the tiny glimpse of her flesh above the stocking his motivation was solidified. He wouldn’t have been able to hold back if his life depended on it.

  Aleks watched and made sure she got into her car and drove off in the opposite direction. Now that he had tasted, now that he had experienced the woman, what did his life depend on? He could see no silver lining to the events that just took place. On the one hand, their actions could be too much to handle and he would lose his best friend. Not to mention the surrogate family he had come to depend on. On the other hand, he could back away and spend the rest of his life watching the woman he didn’t deserve find happiness in the arms of another man. Either way, life as Aleks knew it would never be the same.

  Chapter 9

  The next day, Martina and Carrie had called a truce. The situation with Aleks had been put aside and they continued to be as close as they ever were. It was a good thing, especially sinc
e Carrie had every hope that Martina would soon be her sister.

  Carrie had spilled the beans to Martina about her encounter with Aleks. How she finally made her move. How Aleks lost interest but seemed to regain it when he realized she was upset. Carrie told her about the look in his eyes. Or at least the look that wasn’t in his eyes, his blank, vacant stare. Every once in while she would get a tiny glimpse of what he was feeling, but he was either too quick or too good at hiding his face. When they were done he’d left, but not before placing a slow, intimate kiss to her lips. The thought of that kiss heated her body, the ache for his touch returning. Before he’d left, she thanked him for her present and that was the last Carrie had seen of him.

  Martina confirmed the look. Apparently, despite being actively involved, Aleks kept himself at a distance. She hadn’t felt the closeness or intimacy with him that she had felt with Rob. It made Carrie all the more curious as to why he felt the need to hide, with her, with anyone.

  It was now Monday morning and Carrie was at the store, fitting a bride-to-be.

  “I look smokin’ hot!” Janet Mead stood atop the small circular stand admiring herself in the three-way mirror. Carrie was putting the finishing touches on her bridal lingerie. “Carrie, you are a magician with a needle.”

  “Thank you. Your man will certainly love this outfit on your wedding night.”

  “And thanks for doing it on such short notice.”

  “Not a problem. Just don’t forget to recommend me to your friends.”

  “Oh, I will. You’ve managed to give me a waist.” Janet Mead was an acquaintance from high school. They were never classified as friends, but they weren’t strangers either.

  “How’s it going ladies?” Amie entered the dressing room, her platinum hair half falling out of a clip.

  “We’re just about done.” Carrie took the needle from between her teeth and sewed the white lace fabric, reinforcing the zipper.

  “Care, your brother just called and said he and Martina can’t make it tonight but will stop by tomorrow night to discuss the party.”

  The party was this weekend and they were nowhere near ready.

  “Thanks, Amie.”

  “How is your brother, Carrie? I haven’t seen him since high school.” Janet seemed to trail

  off, her eyes focusing on a spot on the ceiling as if remembering the good ol’ days.

  “He’s good. He’s teaching at our high school and living with his girlfriend which made Aleks homeless. So now he’s living at my parents until he gets his own place.”

  “Aleks Turko?”

  “Yeah. You remember Aleks, don’t you?”

  “Oh, yes. No girl ever forgets Aleks Turko.”

  What does that mean?

  “He’s one hot piece of man,” Amie piped up from the doorway.

  “A hot and talented man,” Janet added.

  “Talented?” What was Janet talking about?

  “Don’t be naive, Carrie. You had to have heard something over the years about Aleks and your brother and their reputation with women.”

  “Yeah, but it was always gossip.” Until Martina confessed. That was the only reliable source.

  She’d heard the rumors, that Aleks had a dominant side, that he and her brother used to share women. Not really something you can discuss at the dinner table.

  “Let me give you a firsthand account. With the exception of my husband-to-be, because love makes sex better and all that crap, Aleks Turko is the best lay I’ve ever had.”

  Carrie’s eyes widened. She hadn’t known Janet had been with Aleks. It shouldn’t matter.

  Amie walked closer and sat on the black fainting couch, her expression of excited interest replaced by one of guilt when she looked at Carrie. It wasn’t a surprise that Amie desperately wanted to know the details about Aleks–sex and gossip were her two favorite things–but as a friend, she recognized that learning the details of Aleks’s former conquest might not be something Carrie wanted to be a part of.

  “I’m supposed to say a lady never tells, but he was too good not to spread the word.” Carrie concentrated on threading the needle through the lace while Janet continued to talk. “I never would have pegged myself as the submissive type, but he took my body in ways

  I could only imagine. And he took without apology, without emotion. And when I say talented, I mean he is a master of more than one point of entry.”

  Carrie’s jaw dropped, but no sound escaped.

  “He was all business and it was hot, raunchy, sweaty, it was a...”

  “A throw down?” Carrie couldn’t believe Amie had just used that phrase. That was what

  Martina had been looking for last year, and Rob was the one to give it to her. Then she found it with Aleks. Carrie cringed at the thought.

  A throw down? That’s not what she had with Aleks that night in the basement. It was intense, maybe even awkward, but definitely not a throw down.

  “Exactly. A throw down. He threw me down and didn’t let me up until he was done. Just thinking about it makes me–”

  “Don’t you dare! I want this pristine for your wedding night. Don’t be tainting it, literally, with thoughts about another man.”

  “Right. You’re right.”

  “Damn. Why can’t I get me some sex like that? All the men I date are wussies,” Amie whined. “They just don’t know what to do with me.”

  “I’m sure Aleks would be more than willing. From what I hear, he hasn’t changed much over the years.”

  Carrie looked at Amie who gave her a half smile.

  “It wouldn’t take much,” Janet continued. “A simple flash of some cleavage and a coy smile, the man will be all over you.”

  Carrie had been sporting some major cleavage that night. Maybe that was why he’d caved. “Carrie?”

  “Huh?”

  “What little fantasies do you have going on in that head of yours?” Janet eyed her from above, her blue eyes twinkling with mischief.

  “Fantasies? No, just making sure this is perfect.” She smoothed down the fabric of the bodice.

  “I think we’re done here. You can change.”

  “Great. Thanks again, Carrie.”

  “Janet, you need to stop in more often and indulge us with some of your other sexcapades.”

  That was Amie’s nice way of saying no more Aleks talk.

  “I’m going to be a married woman. The only escapades I should be discussing are with my

  husband.” “Tease!”

  “That’s not what Aleks said!”

  Chapter 10

  A few hours later, Carrie raced home to confront Aleks. After hearing Janet Mead’s high school tales of debauchery she couldn’t think of one good explanation as to why Aleks had held back. Why he, even when it came to sex, treated her with kid gloves.

  The more Carrie thought about it, the angrier she got. She wanted him just as he was. She wanted him to give her what all the other girls got. Getting out of her car, Carrie had a strange feeling. Going over the cash deposit in her head she realized she forgot to include the deposit slip with the cash. She regretted her rushed departure. But despite the mistake, nothing was more important than finding out why Aleks couldn’t–wouldn’t–give her what she wanted. She would have been fine if Janet hadn’t walked into her store spewing way too much information about her encounter with Aleks. Carrie had had her fill. All she had to do was get over him.

  Right, and maybe a plus-sized model would grace the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine.

  If she didn’t know any better, Carrie would have thought that Aleks was avoiding her. It was obvious. She was playing the same game. She hadn’t seen him since that night, but she was done hiding. And so was Aleks.

  Hauling ass through the front door, Carrie didn’t bother to take off her coat or set down her purse. The kitchen was silent as she stalked through the room to the basement. Her parents were out for the night, again. Since they had retired they had become social butterflies.

  Barre
ling down the stairs, she gathered as much courage as she was capable and stormed into Aleks’s bedroom, anger coursing through her veins.

  “You held back,” she yelled into an empty room.

  It wasn’t empty for long. Aleks strutted out of the bathroom, bare-chested, his jeans open at the fly. They were barely held up by the zipper. He rubbed a white towel through his wet hair. The scent of fresh soap filled her nose.

  “Nice to see you, Care Bear. What can I do for you?” He was always so smug.

  “You held back.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Friday night. When we did it.”

  “Did it? What are we, in high school?”

  “I feel like it sometimes. I feel like a little kid when I’m around you. Like I still have pigtails and braces and you don’t... Never mind.” Aleks would never understand how he made her feel. “What did I hold back?”

  “Sex.”

  “Sex? From what I recall, I gave in pretty quickly to your demands.”

  “That’s not what I mean. I talked to Janet Mead this morning. You remember Janet, don’t you? From high school.”

  A pleased look spread across his face, and it was topped off by a sly glimmer in his eye. At least he remembered the women he fucked.

  “I remember Janet. Your brother and I...” He shook his head. “That’s inappropriate.” “She remembers you fondly.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yes. She described, in detail, her experience with you.”

  “Not surprised. Janet wasn’t the shyest girl in school.” Aleks threw the towel down on the bed. “That’s what bothers you? That I didn’t tell you I slept with some girl from high school.”

  “No! That’s not why I’m mad. Janet told me what you were like. She said you were talented.” He straightened his body. Carrie could feel his arrogance floating off his still wet upper body. “So you’re mad that she had a good time with me.”

  “No! I’m mad because you held back. You weren’t you. Janet said you were controlling and confident. You took what you wanted, and you were...” “Were?”