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  But a sliver of her was turned on by the prospect—the same sliver who’d had a one-night stand back in college, or liked muscles and a cocky attitude, or who still thought back to her experiences with Chloe and Greg with lust, despite all that had happened.

  “You’re thinking about him, aren’t you?” Max asked.

  “Uh...yes.”

  “Keep thinking of him. Keep thinking...of him!”

  Max grabbed her ass, squeezing hard enough that it hurt, and exploded inside her. The liquid heat ignited her own orgasm, which surged forth. She buried her face in her pillow and stifled her cries as best she could. It was late, Mya’s room was down the hall, but Katie watched herself out of habit.

  They clung to each other, enjoying the glow of their shared climax. She shuddered as Max continued to pulse inside her, even when he had nothing left to give. She loved the aftershocks.

  She loved this man.

  ****

  “I can’t believe it’s been a year since that kiss,” Max said to the ceiling. They were beneath the sheets, although Katie lay with her breasts bared, still overheated from the sex. “So much has happened...”

  Katie snuggled up to Max, draping her leg over him. Her hand casually drifted down to his cock, soft and wet. “You mean you opening a new bar? Or that we’ve had sex with two other couples?”

  In any other situation, she’d never be so cavalier about sex, but something about this lifestyle—and the way it affected her husband—empowered her to be bold. She felt his cock stir in his hand.

  “And how about you exploring your bi side?” he asked.

  The emotions that that stirred were complex. She still found it hard to believe that she’d had sex with another woman—it was thrilling and deviant and frightening all at once. Katie still didn’t consider herself “bisexual,” despite the two separate girl-on-girl experiences, and the idea of it was in direct competition with the tightly controlled woman she considered herself to be.

  But she couldn’t deny being turned on by those encounters, both at the time and now, thinking about it. Max loved it too, and she had just as much fun bringing it up as he did.

  “How about you watching me get taken by another man as I go down on another woman?” she asked.

  Max’s cock grew thick enough that she could stroke it. “That’s so sexy,” he said.

  Katie pumped his shaft. They kissed one another, slow and languid, while all the while she stroked his ever-growing erection.

  When they parted, Max said, “You could have slept with him, you know.”

  “Who?”

  “The birthday boy.”

  “I know that now. I didn’t then.”

  Max nodded, giving her a funny look. She knew that look. He wanted to say something, but didn’t. That look always got them in trouble.

  “Spit it out, Max.”

  “It would’ve been pretty hot if you’d have gone for it.” He traced his fingers along the contours of her full breasts. “Greg told me once that the hottest encounters that Chloe had were the ones he didn’t know about.”

  Katie knew a little about that. Arguably the architect of their new lifestyle, Chloe Reynolds and her husband had seduced Katie into bed, then had done everything they could to destroy her marriage. They’d almost succeeded when Chloe nearly convinced Max that Katie was having an affair during a business trip to Hong Kong—something she absolutely did not do. In the end, Max and Katie emerged stronger because of it, but the damage to their trust in others lingered still. They hadn’t played since the opening of The Katherine, when emotions had overflowed and they’d fallen into bed with their friends, Nadia and John.

  When she didn’t respond immediately, Max read the wrong thing into it. “Chloe also said that you were particularly interested in those affairs. Something like that...”

  Katie felt Max’s cock stiffen in her hand. Is that what he wanted? She hoped not, because she wasn’t about to give it to him.

  “Chloe is a bad person,” Katie said, unable to keep the anger from her voice. “You can’t trust anything she said. Do I need to remind you that she nearly ruined our marriage?”

  “No, no. Of course not. And I know she’s a terrible human being. Greg, too. But...” Again, he hesitated. This time, Katie tried finishing the thought.

  “But part of you is turned on by what a slut she was.”

  “I guess,” he said.

  This is the part of the fantasy that Katie always got hung up on. Did Max want her to be like Chloe? To fuck around? To be a self-centered whore? Because she couldn’t do that—had no desire to.

  “Why? Do you realize that she had no respect for her husband? She told me as much. She told me that she had the life: she could fuck around with whoever, whenever, without limit, and could go home to her millionaire husband, who’d support her no matter what. She’s awful.”

  Thankfully, none of her words registered as a pulse along Max’s cock.

  “I know. And I don’t want you to be like that.” He hugged her against him, kissing her lips gently. “I don’t want you to be someone you’re not. But over the last year, I’ve seen a new you emerge, and you have no idea how sexy that woman is.”

  Katie squeezed him. “Oh, I have some idea.”

  Max brightened. “I just want you to know that I trust you.” He hesitated before adding, “And between us, there are no limits.”

  She screwed up her face. “Chloe and Greg aren’t off limits?”

  “Would you really jump back into bed with them if they offered?”

  “Of course not.” She wrinkled her face in disgust.

  “And I know that. I trust your judgment. So yes, no limits. If you’re having fun, then so am I.”

  She processed it, but still didn’t fully understand it. “So if I told you that I really did invite the bartender back to my room a year ago—and that I’ve been seeing him every time I go back to visit—”

  She stopped when she felt his cock stiffen. Looking up at him, eyes wide, she said, “Really?”

  He licked his lips, a man uncertain of what he wanted. “You didn’t actually do that, did you?”

  Katie felt the flash of frustration blaze through her. After all that they’d been through—after Greg and Chloe and Hong Kong—why wasn’t he furious at even the suggestion that she had an affair?

  She couldn’t deny that instead, it turned him on. She had proof in hand. Swinging her leg over his body, she moved into a straddle, feeling his erection nuzzle against the damp furrow of her sex.

  Max kept himself in good shape at 36, although gray had started to creep into his dark, curly hair. He had an easy smile, one that charmed her in the first place, but was almost infuriating to look at now.

  “What am I going to do with you?” she asked.

  “Love me?”

  “Always, Max. Forever.” She touched his face. “I will never gamble this away. I will not put our marriage at risk again. I’m not going to lose you. Lose our family. Our life together. Hong Kong was a total manipulation, yet it could have worked.”

  “I’m not asking you to gamble. There’s no risk. I’m just saying that you should have a good time.”

  “And I have the best times with you, love.” She slid backwards, reaching to guide his cock into her.

  Max groaned, eyes fluttering shut as she began to roll her hips against his. Was he thinking about her with other men? Or just enjoying the sensation of husband and wife?

  He was through sharing thoughts, Katie realized. He knew when to push, and when to hold his tongue. He also knew how dangerous things could get. He’d shared some of the despair that he’d felt when he thought that she was lost—that she was going to leave him for another man. She never wanted to hurt him like that again, intentionally or not.

  She leaned over him, her breasts brushing along the soft down of his chest hair. She kissed the edge of his mouth—along his jawline—into the nook of his neck. She continued to make love to him, her hips rising and falling along his length. He felt so good. So right.

  Katie squeezed her pussy muscles around his cock, drawing a moan. “Feel this, baby,” she whispered. “This is for you. This will always be for you...”

  “Katie...” He was close again. She could feel it in the way his heart raced against her breast. Could hear it in his voice.

  A wicked thought came over her. A tease. A torment. “No matter how bad I am when I’m in New York, I’ll always come back to you.”

  “Oh, Katie!” Max’s body jerked, his hips rising off the bed as he flooded her.

  Her orgasm took her by surprise, and not because it had been triggered by Max’s. In the breathless instant just before orgasm, she was back in the alley, pinned against the wall, being ravaged by a man whose name she didn’t know.

  Chapter 2

  Over the next month, the conversation passed into memory. Her new job didn’t involve nearly as much travel as her old one had, so she had no trips to New York to tease Max with—and he didn’t bring it up.

  Despite the fact that they’d had sex with two other couples, Katie didn’t consider them swingers. She’d never think of herself as being in the lifestyle. They didn’t visit clubs, or search for other couples online. If they spent the rest of their lives exclusively with one another, Katie would have been totally fine with that.

  Not that she didn’t think about it from time to time. Hanging out with Nadia—a thing that she did on occasion these days—and listening to the other woman recount her salacious nights with other men had a way of getting Katie’s imagination going.

  “Hey, remember that guy you hooked up with in New York?” Nadia asked.

  Katie had met the attractive Indian American to discuss what they’d wear to the upcoming Halloween party. Nadia had quic
kly decided that they’d dress up as harem girls, then launched into the latest tale of torrid, illicit sex. Situations like this no longer seemed strange to either of them, although six months ago, Max’s coworker had felt like Katie’s archrival.

  “The guy in New York? It wasn’t really a hook-up. Just a kiss.”

  Nadia smiled knowingly. “Riiight. Well, I think I hooked up with him last week. And it wasn’t just a kiss.”

  Despite herself, Katie felt jealousy tighten in her gut. She suppressed the irrational emotion. “Yeah? How do you know it’s him?”

  “You seem awfully calm.”

  Katie forced a laugh. “How should I react? It was so long ago. I didn’t even get his name.”

  “AJ,” Nadia said, her smile almost infuriating.

  “What?”

  “That’s his name. And I know it was him because Tatyana introduced us.”

  “As in owner of The James?”

  “Yeah. John was up in New York on business. I tagged along. Ended up hitting up The James, then...AJ.”

  “You little slut.”

  “You’re just jealous.”

  Katie laughed. “Maybe.”

  “Well, you should be,” Nadia said. “The man could fuck. At one point, he had me begging for him. Me. Begging!”

  “You really are a slut,” Katie said, shaking her head.

  “I am, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. You should try that sometime.”

  “What?” Katie asked.

  “Letting go. Just giving in to the urge. You’ve heard me say it before, but the beauty of a fuck buddy is that you can be anyone you want to be. He’s not going to judge.”

  Katie felt heat well up inside her before she could help herself. Dark thoughts of fucking other men invaded. As always, the memory of her time with Greg—the only time she’d been with a man without Max there—assaulted her. She’d been such a slut then. Such a whore. He’d called her as much. Had used her. He’d forced her to her knees, ordered her to blow him, then came all over her face. She’d never told Max that detail because she hated what he’d think of her.

  Yet shamefully, the act still turned her on.

  “You’re thinking about it now. Aren’t you? I can see your nipples through your blouse.”

  Katie ignored her and buried her thoughts. “Was John there? That night with...AJ?”

  “Actually, the husband wasn’t. Would you believe that he turned in early? Something about having to get up the next morning.”

  “Some of us work normal hours, Nadia dear. Not all of us are bartenders.”

  “Bar managers,” Nadia corrected, swatting Katie’s arm.

  “Forgive me. Bar managers who go into work at...what time again? Noon?”

  Nadia ignored her. “Anyway, John encouraged me to head out to The James.”

  “I’m sure he did,” Katie said, thinking of how Max would have done the same.

  “When I got there, your boy, AJ, was there as well—“

  “He’s not my boy,” Katie interrupted.

  “Well, he should be. He’s got an amazing body. Really, really fit—definitely your type.”

  Katie blushed. She never should have admitted that to Nadia. The woman seemed to tease her every opportunity she got.

  “Seriously, Katie, he may be one of the best I’ve ever been with.”

  “Wow, that’s saying quite a lot,” Katie teased.

  “I know, right? His muscles aren’t the only thing big and hard.”

  Katie blushed.

  “Like I said, he actually had me begging. Not even John has been able to do that.”

  Katie had quashed most of the jealousy, but now envy took its place. She rubbed her thighs together, putting herself in Nadia’s place. “Sounds...fun.”

  Nadia pulled out her phone. “Want to see some pics? We took some for John that night…”

  Katie wanted to say no. She really did, despite the pique of curiosity she felt. But before she could find her voice, Nadia was already thumbing through the photo gallery on her cellphone. Katie caught glimpses of blurred flesh and dark hair. She averted her eyes, color springing to her cheeks.

  “You really let him take photos?” Katie asked. “What if they got out on the internet or something?”

  “Only way that would happen is if John stuck them up there, and he’s not going to do that. I only let guys take photos with this,” she said, turning the phone around and sliding it in front of Katie. “He has such a good body...”

  Katie wasn’t a fan of the upward trend in mobile phone screen sizes until she saw AJ’s torso displayed on the 5-inch screen. The photo was of a man’s tanned and toned upper body, from his neck to just above his pubic bone. He had zero body fat on him, seemingly constructed of muscle and sinew. Just as she’d imagined, he was built more like a swimmer or soccer player than a body-builder.

  “Sorry about the headless nature of it,” Nadia said. “It was part of the deal.”

  She flicked over to the next photo and Katie gasped. The first had been hot in a GQ way. The second was just plain pornographic. It was taken from the man’s downward looking perspective—Nadia on her knees, naked, her hand wrapped around a large, erect cock. The raw sexuality of the image took Katie’s breath away. She studied it as she would a painting in a gallery. The thick cock had an upward curve like a scimitar, capped by a fat head that Katie could practically feel rubbing across her g-spot. He had no hair at the base, only smooth, dusky skin that made the whole thing even more obscene. In the photo, Nadia was studying it with an unadulterated excitement that bordered on worship—a feeling that Katie could almost relate to.

  Nadia flicked the photo to the next frame, this one showing her lips stretched around the huge cock. Her cheeks were hollowed out, her almond-shaped eyes staring up at the camera through thick lashes.

  Katie’s heart raced like she’d been sprinting. She could practically feel that thing in her mouth. She tongued the top of her mouth like it was AJ’s girth. Her pussy tingled, wet. Her body burned.

  “Pretty hot, huh? God, he was big,” Nadia said. She flipped to the next photo. Katie’s jaw dropped a little. Again, the POV was the man’s. This time he was laying back, the angle capturing the muscular sweep of his abs, right on up to Nadia’s naked body. She was straddling him, her body arching up and away, her flawless skin glistening with perspiration.

  Katie was drawn to their union, where his cock was buried to the hilt inside her friend’s neatly groomed pussy. Somehow, that made it look even bigger.

  “Okay, I get it. Thanks for the anatomy lesson,” Katie said, pushing the phone away. She wondered if Nadia noticed how her fingers shook.

  Nadia picked the phone up, flipping through some more photos with a smile. “I’ve got more if you want to see. There’s a pretty good one of him fucking me from behind that makes my ass look fantastic.”

  “I bet.” Katie laughed. “No thanks.”

  “So now look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t want some of that?”

  Katie looked at Nadia, fully intending to tell her just that. But she just couldn’t. Instead, she dodged the question. “Fine, he’s hot.”

  “And he’s here in DC.”

  “Wait, what?”

  “Yeah, he’s here. He’s a personal trainer over at City Fitness. Last week, he was just visiting New York. He actually moved down here shortly after you two hooked up—“

  “Kissed—“

  “Denied your impulses,” Nadia finished. “So he’s been here all along.”

  “Wait ‘til Max learns that juicy little detail.” Katie laughed again. “It’ll drive him crazy.”

  Nadia raised an eyebrow. “Just him?”

  Katie’s heart pulsed. She thought about the kiss—how he’d manhandled her, holding her against the alley wall. She thought about those photos, then shook her head before a blush overwhelmed her. “Yeah, just him.” Katie barely believed it herself.

  “Uh huh,” Nadia said. She leaned back in the booth, brushing her fingers through her loose, dark hair.

  “What?” Katie said, feeling defensive. “Don’t do that.”

  Nadia shook her head. “Do what? You’re the one living in a state of denial.”

  “I’m not. Don’t get me wrong, I still think about the bartender...AJ, was it? What it would be like to be with a guy like that. Like I said, he’s hot. But I also think about Max and how he’d react.”