The Arms of the Black Couch

 

The darkness was unpleasant and the crushing pressure in her chest had to be unhealthy. Kelly would explode any minute. She was sure of it. At times like these, her only remedy was a solid turn at the club or a half-hour run at full speed.

Instead of choosing from the first two options, however, Kelly decided to pursue a third.

She picked herself off the floor and slapped on all the lights in the house. Stopping in front of her mirror, she wiped the leaking mascara from her cheeks and then moved the wet cloth all over her face until only her naked skin shone through.

Satisfied, she strode purposefully to her front door, threw it open, and charged up the stairs. Curling her fingers into fists, she slammed her hands against Benjamin’s door and did not stop until it flung open.

Her boss stood on the other side, dark hair limp and leaking fat water drops along his forehead and bare chest. Her eyes dipped down to the abs carved in his torso. The light bounced against his golden skin, marred only by a hint of coarse hair starting at his midriff and disappearing into his low-slung jogging shorts.

Her pulse skyrocketed and her throat dried, making it hard to swallow much less think a coherent sentence. She’d come up here with the thought of defending herself and proving that she wasn’t the lost cause that Benjamin seemed to think she was.

But an argument would require words.

And words were hard to come by when she was staring at a half-naked Benjamin Levy.

He, in turn, seemed stunned to see her standing there. Benjamin blinked, neither inviting her in nor making any moves to send her on her way.

Kelly got a hold of herself first and squirmed into the space under his arm, ducking her head so that she could successfully enter. He kept the door open and his gaze on her.

“What are you doing?”

She inhaled a breath of courage and spoke. “There was something I forgot to say downstairs.”

“Kel—”

“The reason I was determined to resist Clayton, the reason I was certain this time was different was because of… you.” She swallowed and threw the rest of her sentiments out in one big push. “Ever since we ran into each other, I felt this connection between us. I can’t get you out of my head and at first I thought it was just sexual chemistry, but the more I got to know you and the more time I spent around you, the more I realized that it was something else.”

He stepped toward her and she licked her lips, keeping her eyes on a point over his shoulder to keep from being distracted by his nakedness.

“I’ve never met someone who treated me the way you do. I didn’t have the standard of a good man to compare anyone to, but now I have that. It’s because of you. It’s all because of you. And whether or not this—we—go anywhere, I wanted you to know that.”

Benjamin ran a hand through his hair. The strands flew up and then fell back into place, delightfully mussed. “You drive me crazy, woman. You know that? What did you ever see in that scum?”

“Is that a rhetorical question?”

“Don’t play smart.” She winced as he continued. “Can you imagine how I felt when I heard Clayton showed up at work of all places? I thought…”

“What?” She stepped closer to him. “What did you think?”

His jaw hardened and his eyes flickered to her lips before he straightened his shoulders and leveled his gaze at the door. “You should leave.”

The air around them thickened. Kelly allowed her gaze to explore every contour of his large shoulders and defined chest. She couldn’t move, even if she wanted to. Something far stronger than common sense held her in place.

“Kelly—”

“I’m trying to go,” she said honestly. “After everything Clayton said about me… I know what it will look like if I stay, what it will mean…”

“It’s best if you leave.”

“I can’t. You’ve got to make me.” It was a breathless request.

His chest heaved as he dragged in a ragged breath and walked steadily toward her. Benjamin placed both hands on her shoulders, turned her around, and marched her to the gaping door.

Just before he pushed her through, she turned back to catch one more glimpse of his handsome face, her raw thoughts on display. Their eyes caught and held. Kelly’s heart leapt and a buzzing filtered through her head, spilling down, down, down until it spread through her entire body.

Benjamin froze, his hands still on her shoulders. He dipped his head and muttered. “I knew that expression would get me into trouble.”

Buoyed by his words, she turned in his arms and kicked the door shut just as he flung her back and moved his hands from the safety of her shoulders to her hips. His lips descended, driving her against the doorknob with the force of it.

The lock speared her back, but Kelly wasn’t too concerned as she eagerly accepted Benjamin’s embrace. He kissed her ardently, passionately, restraining nothing and giving everything.

Soon, however, the pain in her back would not be ignored. She pushed against him, refusing to give up the connection of their kiss, but eager to move their frantic caresses to a more suitable location.

Benjamin allowed her to steer him toward the hallway, but—when he sensed where she was going—put up a resistance and refused to be lead in the direction that she intended.

Undeterred, Kelly changed venues and nudged him toward the couch. She shoved him so that he fell into the arms of the black sofa. Without wasting a moment, Kelly followed his path, breaking away from his lips to press kisses to the soft of his ear, down his neck and finally marking the crest of his abs.

Her body pressed against the length of his. Her insides throbbed and she caressed the planes of his chest as the need to peel back her own clothes and feel skin on skin nearly drove her mad. A rumbling sound came from the back of Benjamin’s throat. It fired up her engines and sent her nearly delirious with need.

She inched her hand down and starting pulling at the hem of his stretchy pants, wishing she had thought to change out of her work clothes of a heavy jacket, blouse, pantyhose and skirt before paying Benjamin a visit tonight.

The amount of time it would take to discard the clothing was too much. Perhaps she should have just come up here naked.

She abandoned her goal of freeing him of his pants—which she could easily drag him out of—to the more arduous task of peeling off her clothes. Kelly flung her hair over her shoulder, her lips parted and her legs spread open over Benjamin’s chest.

She sat into him as she began to take off her jacket when she felt her body slipping. Benjamin moved from his supine position and sat up, the process causing her to lose her balance and fall off his body and into the couch.

“What’s wrong?” she whispered, barely able to speak past the lump of desire in her throat. “Are you getting protection?”

 “Kel, let’s… let’s slow down for a bit.”

Her eyes bugged and she froze. Slow down? She was just getting started. Pressing on the brakes now was the last thing she was thinking about. Her gaze skimmed the evidence of Benjamin’s own desire. His body was acting in direct contrast to his words.

“What’s wrong?” She slapped a hand to her lips. “Wait… are you gay?”

It would explain why he hadn’t made any moves on her even though her signals had been crystal clear. Kelly scrambled up and smoothed her mussed hair. Just her luck.

Benjamin chuckled low in his throat. “No, I’m not gay.”

“Oh.” She tilted her head, more confused than ever. “Then what is it? Do you just not find me attractive? Is that it?”

“No, no.” He blew out a breath. “Forgive me if I can’t come near you right now, but that’s the farthest thing from the truth.”

“Then why…”

He pointed to her, his face flushed. “I want to. Trust me. I do. But you’re worth more than a cheap night of sex, Kel. So much more.”

“I’m not.” She insisted, rising and approaching him. “You want this and I need this. Why should we fight it?”

Kelly found it utterly ridiculous to stand in front of a heterosexual, red-blooded man that she wanted to attack and ride and taste more than anything and who wanted to do the same to her, and explain why they should get on with it.

Was this some kind of trendy, American foreplay? She’d go along for now. Even if it wasn’t, Kelly was confident that their night wasn’t over yet.

At the end of the day, men always gave in to their baser instincts. Benjamin Levy was no different.