The Varlet and the Voyeur

  “You know what would make me relax?”

  “Hmm?” I skimmed my lips to her right breast, swirling my tongue around the stiff nipple and sucking. Her body jerked in response.

  “Your penis in my vagina.”

  I smiled against her skin as her legs moved impatiently. She strained upward, moaning, “Please.”

  I relented, but I did so unhurriedly, hovering above to watch her face as I entered her body. Her lashes flickered, her eyes on mine. Her lips parted. Her breathing was somehow both light and labored, and her entire body had grown still.

  I watched her reactions, the cadence of her breath as I began to move, giving myself to her gradually, claiming each inch of her body by degrees rather than a quick thrust. I wanted to memorize every sensation, every second. I was met with an erotic heat, a constricting resistance I’d never noticed before when we’d fucked. Her walls squeezed, a reflexive tightening, and I nearly came right then.

  Our gazes locked and Josey looked a little lost, hazy, her hips tilting in time with my languid movements.

  She swallowed thickly.

  I noted a light sheen of sweat on her forehead and upper lip, so I bent to kiss her. She was hot there too, hot and lush and tasting of both heaven and depravity. I could not stop drinking from her, sucking and licking and biting her tongue and the yielding pillows of her lips.

  This time, when I lifted to look at her, Josey’s eyes were closed and her brows were pulled together, like she was concentrating.

  “Oh God,” she panted, her hips jerking to meet mine. “It hurts.”

  I hesitated. “Do you want me to—”

  “Don’t you dare! Don’t stop, don’t stop, don’t stop,” she pleaded in a high-pitched, breathy voice.

  “Open your eyes.” I needed to see them, the window inside.

  She did. They collided with mine, wide and defenseless and a little scared. Josey bowed forward abruptly, her mouth open on a soundless cry, and I felt her come, her body tightening and releasing around me.

  “I love you,” she said, collapsing back yet still straining, still shaking. Turning her head to bite my forearm. “I love you, I love you. It hurts, it hurts so good.”

  I quickened my pace, going deeper, thrusting harder, giving her every inch with each stroke, and I felt another shudder course through her.

  “Oh God,” she moaned, shaking her head with a mindless sort of desperation. “I can’t, I can’t— oh fuck!”

  She came again. And this time I followed, losing control at the end, my movements graceless and severe.

  Bending my arms at last, I kissed her again and again, still hungry for her, still insatiable. Rolling us both to the side, I released her hands and pulled her completely against me. She was breathing as though she’d just sprinted, and so was I.

  Though we’d barely moved, I’d never felt so close to flying.

  This was where I wanted to be. The rest of my life, I never wanted us to be separated.

  And I needed to know she felt the same.

  “How do I convince Josey to marry me?”

  Bryan choked.

  He’d been drinking from his sports bottle, and now he was forced to lean against the wall as he struggled to breathe, finally rasping, “Excuse me?”

  “How do I—”

  “I heard you.” He waved away the rest of my question, his glare moving over me as though I’d grown pig ears. “What the hell is going on? Last I heard, you were calling everything off and going back to business as usual.”

  We were in the long, cement hallway leading to the locker room, and we were alone. Everyone else had left, but both Bryan and I had appointments with physio and the team’s orthopedist.

  As anxious as I was to get home and see Josey after everything that had happened the day prior (and this morning before breakfast), I was thankful for a moment alone with Bryan. I trusted him to give me good, honest advice.

  After our enjoyable morning in bed, I’d left her to doze while I showered, walked Rocky, and left for work. Therefore, nothing between Josey and I had been resolved, other than we agreed we were in love last night. I assumed—based on nothing concrete—that we were dating. And. . . that’s it. No commitment beyond that, no discussion of expectations, no structure.

  I tried letting it go.

  I couldn’t let it go.

  So I filled Bryan in on the happenings of the last few weeks, Kean’s emails, Aideen’s visit, ending with a pared down description of the conversations I’d had with Josey the previous night.

  When I was finished, he was still staring at me like I’d grown pig ears. “Wow.”

  “Yeah.”

  “So, you two. . . and that lady, she sounds like a real—” He shook his head, heaving a sigh. “Her husband, jeez.” His eyes lost focus.

  Eventually, since he stood staring without speaking for almost a minute, I had to interrupt his silent contemplations. “When do I ask her?”

  “Huh?” He blinked at me, shaking himself a little. “Ask who what?”

  “Josey. To marry me.”

  Bryan’s gaze narrowed. “You’re . . . kind of intense.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Exactly what I said. Listening to you, you’re kind of intense, about all of this, about Josey.”

  “Of course I’m intense about Josey. I love her.”

  “Yeah but—” Bryan considered me for a long moment before saying, “I love Eilish like mad, Patrick too, but everyone needs space, to succeed or fail on their own. My job is to be the support staff, you know? Or, in terms that might make more sense to you, provide the assist.”

  Taking a drink from my sports bottle, I considered Bryan’s words. Provide the assist.

  “You said in Australia that she didn’t want to get married, right?”

  I scowled against my will at the memory. “That’s right.”

  “Then give her time. Eventually—I’m talking months from now—tell her what you want, ask her for a more permanent commitment. And maybe, in the meantime, you work on accepting the possibility that you guys might not ever get married.”

  I stared at my friend, because his words weren’t the ones I wanted to hear. “I need something now, more of a commitment.”

  “No. You don’t.” He grinned. “You’re exclusive, right? You’re living together, right? You love her, she loves you, right?”

  “Right.” I studied him, waiting to see where he was going with this.

  “Then she’s already there, mate. She’s in. Josey might not want to walk down an aisle, but she’s not going anywhere anytime soon.”

  I grimaced. “How can I be sure?”

  Bryan shrugged, huffing a laugh. “You can’t be.”

  I gritted my teeth.

  “No. Listen. You can’t be sure. No one is ever really certain. You have to trust her to stay, and trust yourself.”

  “Trust myself? Of course I’ll stay.”

  “That’s not what I meant.” His grin widened again, and the way he was looking at me—like I was fucking adorable—inspired a glare in return.

  “Fine. Then what did you mean?” I grumped, trying not to roll my eyes.

  Looking dramatically over one shoulder, and then the other, Bryan took a step closer and lowered his voice to a theatric whisper, “You have to trust yourself that you’re worth sticking around for.”

  Twenty-Three

  @JoseyInHeels to @WillthebrickhouseMoore: If we were otters I’d hold your hand while we sleep to make sure we don’t drift apart #otterlove

  @WillthebrickhouseMoore to @JoseyInHeels: If we were penguins, I’d give you a pebble #penguinproposal I love you.

  JOSEY

  “So, let me get this straight,” said Eilish, bringing her cocktail to her lips for a sip. “The wife was the one behind all the stories?”

  “Yes,” I exclaimed, not yet tipsy but definitely getting there. “It was her all along. Poor Will thought he was going mad trying to figure out where it all came from, but appar
ently, she paid a prostitute to corroborate the story. It’s so bizarre. I’m just glad the poor woman got paid for having to do something so low.”

  “She lied for money and you’re glad for her?” Ophelia asked. She sat next to Eilish, and seeing them side by side, the similarity in their looks was striking.

  Since the double date, Ophelia and I became online friends. I looked up some of her music (which was incredible, by the way), messaged her to say how great I thought it was, and after that we started chatting regularly. Surprisingly, after I initially touched base, she’d been the one to pursue me. I must’ve made a good impression, though how, I had no idea. I’d been a mess the night we met. Anyway, when Eilish invited me out for drinks with her two pals, Lucy and Annie, I’d taken a chance and asked Ophelia if she’d like to come along. Since she already knew both Lucy and Annie through Broderick, she readily agreed. My friend group was starting to feel like the six degrees of Kevin Bacon.

  “We’re all the underdog in our own story,” I said. “What she did might not have been the right thing, but maybe she had her reasons. Maybe she was fighting for something and the money Aideen paid her was just another step on the ladder to where she needed to be.”

  “The underdog in our own story,” Ophelia mused. “I like that. Do you mind if I put it in a song?”

  “Of course not! I’d be honored,” I replied enthusiastically. Besides, I was definitely the underdog in my story. Nobody could’ve expected I’d end up with William Moore. We were champagne and fried chicken. We didn’t make sense, and yet, we worked perfectly together.

  “How would you feel about convincing Will to find her?” Annie asked, snagging my attention. “The sex worker, I mean. I ran the idea by him in our initial phone call, but he was adamant he didn’t want to. I really think he should reconsider.”

  I thought on this. “Um, I don’t know. She probably doesn’t want to be found. But why?”

  “Well, I think if we can convince her to retract her story, then perhaps it will help restore Will’s good standing. It might also convince The Dream Foundation to let him work with them again. I know he’s been unhappy about them letting him go.”

  “Yes, he has been, but I can’t see him reaching out to her. He’s focusing on moving on from all that now.”

  Annie’s face was sympathetic. “I understand, but maybe run it by him. I’m confident I could find out who she is and convince her to come forward.”

  I didn’t doubt she could convince the woman, whoever she was. Annie was one of the best PR people out there. She had a way of making you feel at ease, drawing you out of yourself when you didn’t even realize she was doing it.

  “After all,” Annie went on, “she got her money from Aideen, so what’s to stop her from saying it was all a lie? Especially if we offer her more money in return.”

  “How much money?”

  “A few thousand, probably. Not much in the grand scheme of things.”

  I worried my lip, thinking about it. “I’ll ask Will and see what he says.”

  “It can’t hurt,” Annie said, and then cleared her throat. “On an unrelated note, I actually have some news to share.”

  We all brought our attention to her. She pursed her lips and clasped her hands together, looking nervous.

  She hesitated so long that Lucy clapped her on the shoulder. “Come on, woman, out with it. You’re making me worry.”

  “Yes,” Eilish agreed. “Is it bad news? Don’t be afraid to tell us.”

  Annie shook her head. “It’s not bad news. It’s just…it’s big.” She widened her brown eyes meaningfully, and somehow Lucy managed to read her mind. Her eyes wandered from the glass in Annie’s hand, then back to her face. “Oh my God, shut up! You’re not!”

  Annie nodded and flushed. “I am.”

  Lucy squealed in excitement.

  “What? What am I missing?” Eilish questioned, perplexed. I was just as confused as she was.

  Annie turned to her. “I’m pregnant.”

  Eilish almost spilled the drink she was holding. “Oh em gee!! You are? I can’t believe it, I’m so happy!”

  “That’s great!” I added. “Congratulations.”

  “I’m going to be an auntie,” Lucy beamed, as she and Eilish got up to cuddle Annie, telling her what a great mother she was going to be and what a great dad Ronan would make. As I watched them, I couldn’t help but wonder if Will and I would ever have kids.

  What would they look like? Would they have his personality or mine? Or both? Or neither?

  The idea made my stomach fizzle with a mix of excitement and wonder. Maybe we would have kids. Maybe we wouldn’t. Hell, maybe we’d just get three more dogs and call it a day.

  The excitement lay in the fact that it was all ahead of us. Who knew what would happen. We still had a whole lifetime worth of new things to experience together.

  Lucy and Eilish were still fussing over Annie, asking her a million questions. “How have you been feeling? Have you had any morning sickness yet?”

  Annie nodded. “Yes, it’s been unpleasant, but not the worst. I’ve heard stories of women having it all day every day, so I’m relieved mine has only been in the mornings. My biggest fear is labor. I’m terrified of something going wrong.” Her hand went to her stomach.

  Lucy waved away her fears. “You’ll be fine. I’m sure my brother already has the best doctors money can buy lined up. And you can bet your arse I’ll be flying home for the delivery.”

  “He should also make sure he starts investing in some good expensive cheeses,” I added jokingly. Everyone stared at me in confusion.

  “They used to call it groaning cheese,” I elaborated, lifting my cosmo for a sip. “It was the Medieval version of an epidural. My dad wrote about it in one of his books. Husbands would give cheese to their wives to soothe them during labor.”

  Lucy chuckled. “That is the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard, but it also makes complete sense.”

  “Yeah,” Annie agreed. “Cheese makes everything better.”

  Eilish shook her head, smiling fondly. “You and your fascination with old-timey facts and words.”

  I grinned, thinking of the time I told Will I was the voyeur to his varlet. The titles didn’t apply anymore, but I still thought the “varlet’s voyeur” had a good ring to it. Now I was just his plain old girlfriend. Funny how the thought still sent a flutter through me.

  Lucy, Annie, and Eilish talked baby names while I turned to Ophelia. “So, how’s everything going preparing for the big move?”

  She sucked in a breath and made a face. “It’s going.”

  “I take it that means it’s been stressful.”

  “Yeah, my mam’s been making a fuss. She thinks I’m not ready for such a big step. I think she’s just terrified of missing me.”

  “Will you miss her?”

  She thought about it. “Yes and no. I love my mam and all, but it’s always been just the two of us, so she’s a little overprotective. Broderick says she’s acting crazy because she loves me so much.”

  Broderick. I’d almost forgot about the intense connection those two shared. Even though he was supposed to be on a date with me, and Ophelia was supposed to be with Will, it was obvious they only had eyes for each other.

  “How are things with Broderick?” I asked coyly. “Has he gone back to New York yet?”

  Ophelia nodded. “He left two weeks ago. I fly over in a couple of days and he’s going to collect me from the airport.”

  She didn’t give details on their relationship, but I didn’t prod. Maybe they really were just friends. Or maybe they were both trying to ignore the fact that they liked each other, quite like Will and I had done.

  “Speaking of,” Lucy put in. “I’ll be flying back next week, too, so if you want to get together I can show you around. I know all the best food places.”

  Ophelia smiled wide. “Yes, that’d be great. I’m going to be a duck out of water. Broderick’s been such a great help, but I could
definitely use a girlfriend over there.”

  Lucy and Annie shared what appeared to be a conspiratorial smile. Did they know something we didn’t?

  “Yep, old Rick’s got a heart of gold. Always too happy to help,” Lucy agreed.

  My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out, my heart fluttering when I saw there was a text from Will. I was still getting used to the idea that he was mine, that of all the women out there, beautiful, funny, charismatic women, he’d chosen me. I wondered if he thought the same way, that of all the men out there, I’d chosen him. Though it definitely wasn’t a hard choice to make.

  Will: Heading out to meet the guys. Let me know if you want me to pick you up on my way home.

  He was going out for drinks with Ronan, Bryan, and Sean, and I wondered if, like Annie, Ronan planned to reveal the news about the baby to his friends tonight. I made sure not to mention it so as not to ruin the surprise. Look at me, thinking before I spoke, or well, texted. I really was maturing.

  Josey: I’ve already had 3 cosmos so I probably will need picking up…and taking to bed ;-) Go easy on the tequila tonight. You know you’re a messy drunk.

  * * *

  Will: I’m a delightful drunk.

  * * *

  Josey: You get real handsy. Most people don’t find that delightful, for example Sean might object to your advances F.Y.I.

  I loved teasing him. He was surprisingly easy to rile sometimes, especially via text.

  Will: Lies. Sean would be so lucky. Plus, I’m only handsy with you when I’m drunk. And only when you wear the green dress.

  * * *

  Will: Okay…maybe it doesn’t matter what you’re wearing, but I promise, no amount of tequila could make me feel up Ronan or Bryan tonight.

  * * *