This Life: A Novel by Maryann Reid

now his eyes were filled with
mischief.
    “Bad boy.” They
laughed, while Matt briefly looked from one to the other before returning his
attention to his smartphone.
    She waved their waiter
back to their table the next time she spotted him, and started to pay for
dinner. Brett pushed a credit card of his own into Tim’s hands. “No, ma’am. I
said this would be my treat, remember?”
    After their meal was
paid for, Blake finally thought to check the time. “It’s almost one in the
morning!”
    “Sorry about that. At
least it’s the weekend.” Brett stood up and held Blake’s coat for her. “Let’s
take you home. Why don’t we walk?”
    “Long walk,” Matt
muttered.
    “Gives us more time to
talk.” Brett said that to Blake, still acting as if Matt weren’t around.
    “I’m exhausted. How
about a compromise? We’ll call a cab, get out a few blocks away from my
apartment, and walk the rest of the way.” Blake glanced at Matt, who nodded
approval of her suggestion.
    “Well, sometimes a guy
has to take what a lady is willing to give.” Brett offered Blake his arm, and
with arms linked they descended the stairs and stepped out onto the street.
    And found that it was
snowing, big fluffy flakes of the kind little children dream of seeing on
Christmas Day. Like a little child, Brett turned his face up to the sky and
caught a snowflake on his tongue.
    That tongue, long and
agile, made Blake feel warm all over.
    Brett looked at her and
grinned. He’d meant his gesture to speak to Blake’s hormones, and he’d
succeeded, and he knew it.
    Matt phoned for a taxi,
while Brett caught more snowflakes and Blake laughingly joined him. She felt
sorry when the taxi arrived for them, but the warmth and the sense of security
of sitting between two big, well-muscled men was almost sinfully delicious.
They got out of the cab five blocks away from Blake’s apartment, and Brett put
an arm around her waist and held her close as they walked.
    By the time the doorman
welcomed Blake home, there was no question to be asked. She waited for Brett to
come in, and he did.
    Standing between her
bed and the window that filled most of the wall overlooking the street, Brett
helped Blake out of her clothing, one garment at a time. Blake unbuttoned his
shirt with her teeth, making sure he knew that she, too, had skills. Her hand
moved as if it had a mind of its own to his hot, hard crotch, but he gently
brushed her away.
    “No, let me.” He slid
down his pants first, standing framed against the city lights. His best friend
was trying to escape from his briefs, and Brett slipped those off too, his dick
high and…mighty. Blake’s lower lips thrilled with anticipation.
    He made her wait for
it, kissing her breathless and nibbling her ears and nipples. She dug her
fingernails into his ass cheeks, making him gasp and slide himself between her
legs. Blake moaned, feeling sudden wetness down below and a need so strong it
hurt.
    “Please,” she begged
him, and he lifted her in his arms and stretched her out on top of the bed
covers. Without preamble he spread her legs and brushed his tongue over her
mound, once, twice, then wiggled it between the folds around her clit and
licked that once before suddenly sucking her hard.
    “CHRIST,” she groaned,
her hips thrusting with a will of their own. He seized her hips and pressed
them still, then rose and kissed her quiet as he slid his buddy inside her.
    If he hadn’t been
kissing her, she would have awakened the whole apartment building.

 
     
    Chapter Seven
     
    March 26
    New York , New York
     
    Suki peeked into Blake’s
bedroom and announced, “We’ve got a taxi on the way, Boss. Are you about ready
to roll?”
    Blake stood looking at
her black leather Gucci carry-on, consulting a list she’d made in a file on her
phone. “Got everything,” she answered. She zipped the carry-on shut, locked it,
and started rolling it through the living room.
    That was when her
BlackBerry played Peter