Chapter Nine

 

Claire

 

“Stop looking at me like that, Luna.”

Luna grinned.  “I can’t help it.  I can’t believe that my best friend went to an honest-to-God sex club last night.”

I sipped at my cup of tea as Luna drank her coffee.  It was Saturday afternoon.  Jonah had spent the night with me after we left the club, but had left before dawn.  He was hoping to finish the work at the Thompson site today.

“Hey, is Jonah at the Thompson site?”  Luna suddenly asked.

I nodded.  “He is.”

“Yeah, Asher too.  God, that building is taking forever to finish.  Anyway, let’s get back to the sex club thing.  So, you and Jonah had sex in front of people, huh?  That guy is way kinkier than I ever would have believed.”

My face turned bright red.  “Luna, we didn’t have actual sex in front of people.  He just…”

“Made you cum?”

“Oh my God, why did I tell you any of this?”

Luna giggled.  “Because you had to tell someone.  Don’t be embarrassed, Claire-Bear, I’m not going to judge you.”

I sighed and stared into my cup of tea.  To be truthful, I wasn’t sure how I was feeling about last night.  I had enjoyed it a lot at the time, but now… now, I was feeling a little embarrassed at how perverted I was.

“Do you think I’m a pervert?”  I suddenly asked.

“No,” Luna said.  “Why would I?”

“I think Jonah likes the idea of being watched while we’re having sex, and I… I sort of like it too.  I think.”

“Then what’s the problem?”  Luna said.  “So you both have the same kink, that’s a good thing, right?”

“I guess.  Maybe?  Shit, I don’t know.  The thing is – just because I like the idea, doesn’t mean I want to get on a stage in front of a roomful of people and let Jonah fuck me.  It’s not normal, Luna.”

She shrugged.  “What’s normal?  People have all sorts of different kinks.”

“This one seems a little more out there than most.  Anyway, I’m probably overreacting to the whole thing.  Just because Jonah got me off with his fingers in front of a couple of strangers, doesn’t mean he wants to bang me in front of a roomful of them.”

“Isn’t that exactly what he said?”  Luna replied.

“That was just…dirty talk,” I said.  “Look, maybe Jonah is a little more of a bad boy than I originally thought, but I just can’t see him wanting to actually have sex in front of a bunch of people.”

Luna gave me a skeptical look that I ignored.  I really wasn’t sure how I was feeling about the whole thing.  A big part of me believed that it really was just dirty talk on Jonah’s part, and weirdly, that both relieved and disappointed me at the same time.

I groaned and buried my face in my hands.  “God, I don’t know what I want anymore.”

“Pretty sure it’s Jonah you want.”

“I do,” I whispered.  “I really do.”

“Then just relax and don’t overthink things, Claire,” Luna said.  “You like him, he likes you.  It’s all good.”

“He asked me to go back to the club again tonight.”

“Yeah?  You gonna go?”

I nodded.  “I am.  I – I had a really good time last night.” 

I didn’t tell Luna that I was already wondering if we’d watch another show.  If Jonah would touch me, show off my pussy to the people around us as he made me cum.  A little shiver of lust and anticipation went through me and I swallowed hard.  God, I really was a pervert.

 

* * *

 

Jonah

 

“Jonah, is there something wrong?”  Claire was giving me an anxious look as we stood at one of the tables in the main area of the club.  She looked gorgeous tonight.  Her dark hair was loose and curling around her shoulders and the green dress she wore matched the colour of her eyes perfectly.  Of course, if I had my way, in about half an hour she’d be naked and under me.

I swallowed down the last of my bourbon and shook my head.  “No, it’s good.  Why?”

“You seem nervous.”

I was nervous.  I took a deep breath and shook it off.  After last night, I knew without a doubt that Claire was into being watched while having sex.  The way she had reacted and the way she had cum so hard, she liked it when strangers watched her.

My cock surged against my jeans.  Fuck, I’d be lucky if I didn’t embarrass myself tonight on stage by cumming before we barely started.  The idea of fucking the woman I loved in front of a roomful of people had me so turned on, I couldn’t concentrate.  I had called the club this morning and booked one of the main stages for us.  After that, my day was full of images of a naked Claire, of her moaning and begging me to make her cum while strangers watched.

“I’m good, pet.  I promise.”  I took her hand, linking our fingers together and smiling at her.  “Are you ready?”

“Are we watching another show?”  She couldn’t hide the eager look on her face.

Instead of replying, I tugged her away from the table and across the main room to the hallway.  We walked past the curtained cubicles.  Claire’s face was a delightful shade of pink and I knew she was remembering being fucked last night.  I stopped at the first door on the left.

Claire followed me in and gave me a curious look when I led her past the people milling around the room and toward the stairs that led to the stage.  The curtain was pulled across the stage, and she followed me up the small set of stairs.  When we were behind the curtain, I pulled her close and nuzzled her neck.

“Jonah?  Why are we backstage?”  She was studying the bed in the dim light.

“I thought we’d do something different tonight, pet.”

She turned her gaze toward me.  “We’re going to watch the show from backstage?”

I shook my head.  “Not quite.  Tonight, we are the show.”

“Wh-what?”  She stared at me in surprise.

I put my arm around her waist and stroked her dark hair.  “Last night, you realized what I like, didn’t you?”

She licked her lips.  “Maybe.”

I smiled encouragingly at her.  “I want to be with you tonight, Claire.  I want to take you on that stage, strip you naked and fuck you in front of everyone. I want them to see how gorgeous you are when you’re cumming.”

She was staring silently at me, and I squeezed her waist.  “I know the idea of being watched turns you on. I saw it that night with my neighbours, and last night here at the club.”

“So, you just went ahead and booked us to be on the stage without even asking me?”

“I’m asking you now.”

“No,” she stepped away from me, folding her arms across her torso, “you’re telling me we’re going to do the show.  That’s a big difference, Jonah.”

“You like being watched,” I said, “and I like being watched.  It’s what makes us perfect together.”

“So, the only reason you want to be with me is because I’m just as sick as you are?”

My stomach dropped.  “Claire, neither of us are sick.  And I want to be with you because I lo-”

“Aren’t we?”  She said.  “Normal people don’t do shit like this, Jonah.”

Fuck.  I had made a very big goddamn mistake.

“I’m sorry.  You’re right, I should have talked to you about this beforehand, but last night you were so into it that I thought -”

“Let me get this straight - I let some strange couple watch you finger me and you decided that meant I was more than willing to get on stage and let people watch me be fucked?”

“I made a mistake,” I said.  “I’m pushing you too fast and I shouldn’t have -”

“I’m not this type of person,” Claire said with a quick glance to the left.  “I-I don’t like the idea of people watching me have sex.”

“It’s okay that you do,” I said.  “It isn’t something to be ashamed of.  I’ve done this before and -”

“You’ve had sex on stage here at the club with women?”

I nodded, and Claire pressed her lips together before looking away.  “Take me home, Jonah.”

“It was a long time ago, Claire.  I haven’t been with anyone in over a year because -”

“I want to go home.”  She was refusing to look at me and when I tried to touch her arm, she pulled away.  “Don’t, Jonah.  If you want to stay, that’s fine, I’ll take a cab home.”

“No,” I said.  “I’ll take you home.”

 

* * *

 

“Don’t shut the truck off.”  Claire unclicked her seatbelt.  I reached out and grabbed her hand before she could open the door.  We had spent the drive home in complete silence and my stomach was churning with dread and anxiety.

“Let me come in so we can talk.”

She laughed bitterly.  “Talk?  About how you want to fuck me in front of a bunch of strangers.”

I winced.  “I’m sorry.”

“Why would you do that, Jonah?  Why would you make that kind of decision for me, like what I wanted or needed didn’t even matter?”

“I shouldn’t have done that.  Believe me when I say I regret it, I was just excited and thrilled that a woman I really care about -”

“If you cared about me, you wouldn’t have just sprung this on me.  What were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t.”

She rubbed at her temples.  “I can’t do this, Jonah.  I was a fool to think I could.”

“Claire, we don’t ever have to go back to the club again.  Okay?  I don’t need -”

“It isn’t just about you wanting something from me that I can’t give you,” she interrupted.  “It’s also about the fact that I had an amazing job, a job that I worked hard to get.  Now, because I can’t control myself, it’s gone.”

“It’s not gone.”

“It is.  I quit, Jonah.”

“What?  No, you’re not quitting.”

She turned on me, suddenly furious.  “If you try and tell me what I can or cannot do one more time, Jonah Peterson, I will punch you in the face.”

“I’m sorry, but you don’t need to quit.  I’ll stay away from you, I won’t touch you or look at you in any way but -”

“It’s not you I’m worried about.  If I keep working for you, I’ll keep fucking you, and that isn’t good for either of us.  I’m not the person you need me to be, Jonah.  You want me to fuck you in front of a bunch of strangers, and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to do that.  You’ll say it’s okay, you’ll pretend it doesn’t matter, but it will drive us apart eventually.  It’s better if we end it now.”

“Claire -”

“I’ll email you my official letter of resignation.”  Without looking at me, she climbed out of the truck, slammed the door and disappeared into the darkness.

 

* * *

 

“Buddy, you look like shit.”

“Good to see you too, Mattie.”

“Uh-huh, let me in.”  Matt pushed past me and wandered into the kitchen.

Rubbing at the heavy growth of hair on my face, I shut the door and followed him in.  He had grabbed a beer from the fridge and he opened it before taking a long drink.  He sat down and eyed me thoughtfully as I scowled at him.

“What do you want?”

“Eh, it’s been a week.  Figured I’d drop by and see if you were ready to win Claire back yet.”

“Win Claire back?”  I barked harsh laughter before grabbing my own beer and drinking half of it.  “I don’t have a fucking chance in hell of winning her back.  We work in the same goddamn office, but I haven’t seen her once this week.  She only comes into the office when she knows I’m at work sites.  The rest of the time she works from home.  She has one more week and then she won’t even be in the office anymore.  She’ll be gone, and it’s all my fucking fault.”

“Well, you’re not wrong about that, but you need to buck the fuck up and make things right, ya asshole.”

“Go home, Mattie,” I said wearily.  “I’m tired.”

“You can still fix this.”

“I can’t.  I pushed too hard and I fucking wish I could go back and change that now, but I can’t.  I was just so,” I stared at the table, “so excited that she shared my kink.  I love her and she…”

Matt gave me a sympathetic look.  “You can’t just sit here all weekend with your thumb up your ass, Jonah.”

I shook my head.  “The worst part is, I can’t stop worrying about what she’s going to do for work.  I know she loves being in HR, and I’ve ruined that for her.”

“Maybe not,” Matt said.

“What do you mean?”

“You remember Kayley?”

I shook my head and Matt rolled his eyes.  “She works at the hospital in administration.  We hooked up a few times last year.”

“I don’t remember.”

“Well, anyway, we’re still friendly and I saw her last night over at Ren’s Bar.  We got to talking about work and shit like that, and she happened to mention that her boss was being a real bitch lately because they haven’t found anyone to fill the HR position at the hospital and it’s falling on her to do it.”

“Kayley’s in HR?”

“Jesus, man,” Matt snorted, “are you fucking drunk?  It’s only noon.  No, not Kayley.  Her boss.  Her boss is doing the HR shit because they haven’t found a suitable candidate for the HR position at the hospital.”

I blinked at him.  “What does that have to do with me?”

“Oh sweet mother of…look, dude, I’m going to give you Kayley’s extension at the hospital.  You’re going to call her on Monday morning, and she’s going to put you through to her boss. Then you’re going to tell her all about this amazing HR manager named Claire who used to work for you and you’re gonna get Claire a fucking interview.”

My jaw dropped open.  “Fuck.  That’s fucking brilliant.”

“I know, dickhead.”  Matt took a drink of beer and smiled smugly at me.  “Then, once you’ve gotten Claire a new job, you’re gonna get down on your goddamn knees and beg her to forgive you.”

I shook my head. “It won’t work.  She’s pissed at me, and I don’t blame her for that.  But, at least I can fix the work fuck-up.  Thanks, Matt.  I owe you one.”

He tipped his beer bottle at me.  “Yeah, don’t mention it.  But you still need to try and beg Claire for forgiveness.  You’re miserable without her.”

“It’s too late.”