Chapter Nineteen
Dax
By the time Payton finally joined me in the dining room, I’d grown irritated by her lack of punctuality, but it was all forgotten when I saw why she’d taken so long. The silky dress clung to her in all the right places, and the wisps of blond hair that framed her face gave her an ethereal appearance that made me swallow hard before I could speak.
“You look…like you’re settling in just fine,” I said searching for the words that would convey how I felt without actually saying it.
“I love that bathroom; in fact, I might just camp out in there,” she smiled as she moved toward me and accepted the glass of cool white wine I held out. Her fingers brushed my hand as she took the glass, and I turned to look out the window in order to mask the effect of her touch.
“To new beginnings,” I said, holding up my glass for an awkward side toast. She smiled and clinked her glass against mine before taking a sip.
“Mmm, that’s delicious,” she said turned and followed my gaze asking, “Pinot?”
“Yes, I got it as a gift from a Chicago fan the night I was awarded the franchise,” I nodded. “I was saving it for a special occasion.”
“And me moving in is one of those?” she asked as she turned and looked up at me. I glanced sideways and smiled before quickly turning toward the dining room.
“Are you hungry?” I asked, trying to find a way to move from standing to sitting so that I didn’t have to maintain such an awkward angle as I talked with her. I pulled out a chair for her and waited until she’d adjusted before I sat down. “I hope you like fish. I had the chef create a summer menu to celebrate.”
“Wow, it’s like we’re really doing something special,” she said as she surveyed the table. I’d asked that the table be set with the best china and silverware, and I’d ordered a simple arrangement of freesias in a crystal vase as the only decoration. Set against the backdrop of the lake, the table was an elegant contrast to the shifting shades of purple and grey as the sun sank behind us.
“I like to think I’m a good host,” I said as we were served the first course by a waiter who silently set bowls of ceviche on each of our plates and then disappeared into the kitchen.
“You certainly know how to hire a chef,” she said, smiling at me after tasting the ceviche. I couldn’t tell if she was being serious or not, but when she continued eating, I assumed she had meant it as a compliment.
“Is there anything else you need?” I asked after a long silence. “I mean, tonight. In your room?”
“Actually, yes,” she said as the server cleared our plates and replaced them with a crisp, green salad tossed with fresh berries. Payton’s attention turned to the salad, “Oh, now this looks delicious!”
She speared a forkful of lettuce and fruit, and then slipped it into her mouth and chewed. I looked out the window, trying to will myself not to imagine the things I’d like her to do to me with her lips and tongue. I took a deep breath and then dug into my own salad.
“So, you need something?” I asked.
“Mmm hmm,” she nodded as she chewed. The smile she wore made me a little nervous.
“And that would be?”
“Eventually you’ll know,” she grinned as she picked up a plump blueberry and popped it in her mouth.
“Well, it would be easier if you’d let me know in advance so I can send someone out to pick up whatever you need,” I said growing irritated with her coy attempt at mysteriousness.
“Mmm, don’t worry, Dax,” she said reaching over and resting her hand on mine. “You won’t need to send out for anything.”
“I did not agree to that part of the contract,” I said, pulling my arm away and sitting up straighter in my chair. The sex clause in the contract annoyed me. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to have sex with Payton (I most definitely did); it was that I didn’t like the fact that she’d treated it as part of the negotiation. It made me feel uncomfortable having her approach sex from such a straightforward, unemotional perspective.
“Oh, Dax, stop being so uptight,” she laughed as she finished her salad and waited for the server to clear our plates. She pulled the wine bottle out of the frosty bucket and asked, “More wine?”
I nodded and she refilled both of our glasses as the server set dinner plates in front of us. The scent of lemon and dill wafted up from the poached fish, making my mouth water. We ate in silence as I thought about how I wanted to reply to her dismissive remark. Halfway through my meal, I put my fork down and leaned back from the table.
“What?” Payton asked with her fork in mid-air.
“I don’t like the way you talk to me,” I said, feeling my way around the words before I said them. “I’m not a prude, but I don’t like being blackmailed into sex having sex with you.”
“Well excuse me for trying to find a practical solution to a real problem,” she shrugged as she continued eating.
“Jesus H. Christ!” I exploded pushing myself away from the table. “Stop the goddamn shrugging!”
“What the hell?”
“Nothing says ‘I don’t give a shit’ like a shrug,” I shouted. “It’s infuriating to have a conversation with you and then have you shrug it off like none of it matters!”
“Calm down, Connor,” she said setting her fork down and leaning back in her chair. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked up at me as she said, “You’re the one who started this whole thing. Not sure if you remember that.”
“I remember just fine,” I shot back before turning and looking out the window at the lake. I added, “I’m just not sure what the hell you think you’re doing.”
“I’m playing by your rules,” she said bluntly. “You don’t like it because you were expecting to be able to manipulate me into doing whatever it was that you wanted and then telling me to get lost, weren’t you?”
“No, I wasn’t,” I lied.
“Dax, look at me,” she said from across the room. Reluctantly, I turned to face her. Every muscle in my body tightened in defense, but she gave me a teasing smile as she said, “Are you always so tightly wound?”
“I don’t think that not wanting to link my sexual desire and performance to a written contract makes me tightly wound, Ms. Lasky,” I replied tersely.
“Lighten up, will you?” she laughed. Something about her laughter made me even more irritated. It reminded me of the upwardly mobile girls on Wolcott Street whose families were on the verge of being middle class. Those girls, with names like Jessica and Lauren, looked down their noses at boys like Finn and me. We were the ones they thought would not only never escape the working-class grind, but would drag them back down into it if they showed even the slightest interest, so they spoke down to us. The tone Payton was using was both presumptuous and dismissive, and reminded me of all the ways in which those girls had made me feel small and unworthy.
“Listen,” I said as I felt my chest tightening. “I know you’re a modern woman and that you have all kinds of forward-thinking ideas about friends with benefits and sex, but I’m not obligated to play by your rules. No matter what the damn contract says!”
“Jeez, chill out,” she said rolling her eyes as she shook her head disapprovingly. “It’s just sex.”
I could feel the rage building inside me, but it was undercut by the fact that I was also incredibly aroused. As anger and desire waged an internal war, the tension between the two made me even more frustrated.
“Are you always such a bitch?” I growled angrily.
“Nice language. You kiss your mother with that mouth?” she shot back, narrowing her eyes as she boldly walked around the table and stood less than a foot in front of me with her hands on her hips.
“Lady, I haven’t seen my mother since I was a small child,” I snapped. “So, no, I don’t kiss her with it. You’re so high and mighty—”
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” Payton interrupted dropping all pretense of anger. She stammered, “I didn’t…I’m so sorry…”
I said nothing as I watched her search for a way to mitigate the damage she thought she’d done. Part of me wanted to lord it over her to keep her safely at bay, and part of me wanted to reach out and pull her to me and assure her that I’d made peace with it long ago. I opted for angry silence.
Before I knew it, Payton had wrapped her arms around my neck whispering, “Dax, I’m really sorry.” I could feel her body pressing against me as she slid her fingers into my hair and pulled my head down and rested her forehead against mine as she whispered over and over, “I’m so sorry.”
I gave in and wrapped one arm around her waist as I reached up and slipped my fingers under her chin tipping her face up toward me so I could kiss her. I knew where this was headed, but I couldn’t have stopped myself even if I’d wanted to.
Her lips were as soft and smooth as the silk that covered the curves of her body, and she moaned into the kiss as I traced a path down her neck with the tip of my finger. She groaned as I cupped a silk-covered breast and ran my thumb back and forth over it until her nipple formed a stiff peak.
“Dax…” she whispered into my lips.
“Mmm hmmm,” I murmured as I moved my hand to her neglected breast, firmly stroking it until I felt it responding. Payton’s hips swayed gently as she leaned forward, pulling me closer and kissing me with an intensity that told me we were quickly approaching the point of no return. I had been stiff from the moment she’d walked into the room, but now that I had her in my arms, I felt the need rolling like waves through my body.
I slid a hand down her thigh to the hem of her silky dress and slowly pushed it up, exposing her tanned skin and drawing another low moan from her lips. I gently bit down on her lower lip as I slipped my hand between her legs and pushed them apart enough to lightly run my fingers over the satin that separated me from her.
“Dax…” she whispered more urgently. “Oh God, Dax…”
“Mmm hmm,” I nodded as she gripped my hair and began moving her hips against my fingers, seeking relief. I kissed the side of her face as I murmured, “So soft, so beautiful…”
“Dax…” she moaned as I slipped my fingers under the elastic of her panties and stroked the velvety skin underneath. Her breath came in ragged gasps, “Not here…not here…”
“Hold on, literally,” I whispered in her ear as I straightened up and lifted her off the floor. Without removing my hand from between her thighs, I tightened the arm around her waist and turned toward the hall. Payton kept her arms wrapped around my neck as I walked us into her bedroom and kicked the door shut behind us. Before I sat her down, I nuzzled her neck and asked, “This okay?”
“As long as you don’t stop what you’re doing,” she replied breathlessly. I carried her over to the big bed in the center of the room and bent over so that she was laying on her back.
“Let go,” I said.
“No,” she pouted.
“Let go,” I repeated as I slid my fingers between her swollen folds and began leisurely stroking from top to bottom. Payton moaned and spread her legs, but she didn’t let go. I dipped my fingers into her wetness and spread it upward until my fingers found the tiny knot that caused her to writhe with pleasure. Then I leaned down and said, “Let go or I’ll stop.”
Payton let go and dropped her arms to the duvet as I smiled. “Good girl,” I murmured as I continued the slow rhythmic stroking and added, “Lift your arms over your head.”
“What?” she questioned as the look on her face hovered between desire and confusion.
“Put your hands over your head,” I repeated as I alternated between firm and light strokes, and then stopped.
Payton moaned and shifted her hips, trying to push my fingers against her sensitive skin, but I withdrew them and waited. Letting out an exasperated sigh, she raised her hands and stubbornly said, “Happy now?”
“It’s not me that is looking for happy, is it?” I said resuming my slow pace and watching as she melted into my touch. I laid down and stretched out on my side next to her on the bed without removing my hand from her panties, but when she tried to roll over to face me, I grabbed both of her wrists with one hand and held her arms over her head, making it impossible for her to move.
“What are you doing?” she asked as her eyes widened.
“Fulfilling the contract,” I said as I slipped two fingers inside her and stroked more intensely. She writhed against my hand as I massaged the center of her pleasure with my thumb.
“Dax, Dax! Oh God,” she cried as I held her wrists and pushed her closer and closer to the edge. I felt her body begin to tense and then she tightened around my fingers and let out a loud cry as she thrust her hips up and I pushed my fingers deeper as she climaxed on them. I could feel the rolling waves of orgasm pulsing inside her as she moaned and writhed under my hand. I held steady as she descended from the height of orgasm and waited until she turned and opened her eyes before I let go of her wrists and pulled my hand out of her panties.
“Oh my God, what was that?” she exhaled.
“If I have to explain it to you, it would probably lose something in the translation,” I grinned as I propped myself up on my elbow.
“Very funny, smart ass,” she laughed as she looked up at me. Her face was pink and sweaty, her hair was spread out on the duvet in a tangled mess, and the bottom half of her dress had been reduced to a wrinkled bit of fabric pushed up around her waist. She looked beautiful and I wanted her.
“Feeling better now?” I asked as I pushed myself up off of the bed and straightened my shirt.
“Wait, aren’t we going to…” she trailed off.
“No, I agreed to sex with you once a week,” I said smiling warmly. “The contract didn’t specify how that would happen or exactly who would do what to whom.”
“But you…” she said stopping short.
“I’m good,” I said turning and heading toward the door. “I’m glad we got this all straightened out. Thank you for having dinner with me, Payton.”
“Fuck you, Connor,” she shot back as I exited the room closing the door behind me.
Payton Halas Lasky might have won the battle, but she had no idea how committed I was to winning the war.