My thoughts wander as we drive back through the city streets to my place on the west side. Krista with a gun was hot. Uber hot. So hot I don’t know how the hell I’m going to last ten dates without doing anything with her.

We’re only three hours into our first date, and I’m already pondering breaking the rules I set. No, I’ve got to stay disciplined. In the long run it’s for the best. I need to get to know her before we go all the way again.

The physical attraction is clearly there, but the next time I look into her eyes when I’m balls deep in her, I want to know all about her. I want to know when she’s digging her nails into my back she feels comfortable not only with me sexually, but on a deeper level.

I wonder if she wants the same from me. But I want to learn her secrets. To feel closer to her.

I park my truck a few blocks away from the my place. Our place?

I’ve never dated a tenant.

Letting go of Krista's thigh, I turn the key and the engine ceases to hum.

We get out of my truck, black box with my weapon in my hand. I take hold of Krista's with my other.

"You've been quiet this ride," she smiles, her tone soft and accusatory.

I shrug. "My mind sometimes wanders, and before I know it, minutes have passed. Sometimes longer."

"I can tell. You get these intense eyes when you think really hard."

The sides of my mouth curve up, and I'm not quite laughing. "You're gonna have to tell me about that look. I've never heard that."

She halts on the sidewalk, and I pause with her. She taps my chest. “It's like this.” She pulls her hair back behind her head, then makes a face kind of like Ben Stiller's blue steel with squinty eyes added in.

I bust out laughing. "That's my thinking face?"

"Oh yeah. So obvious."

I interlock my fingers through hers and we continue walking.

"So what are you thinking about?"

I breathe deep. "Secrets."

"What about them?"

"How we all have them."

She nods wholeheartedly. "Yeah."

"And then I thought, 'But it's only the first official date. Too early for secrets to come out."

"Oh I didn't know there was like a guideline for number of dates you need to have with someone to start telling secrets."

"You could be right,” I nod. “Plus maybe it's better to get those secrets out earlier rather than later. You could have a point."

"I do have a point."

I slip my hand up to her back.

"Or maybe you're just dying to know where I learned to dance like that," I say gruffly, making a guess.

I’m curious about her secrets too—and what went down between her and Nick, but I block the jealousy out. Her ex-whatever is a subject I’d rather not think about at the moment.

She twirls a few strands of her hair as we cross the street.

“You’d be right about that. I mean you have to admit it was a pretty crazy coincidence me seeing you. And I don’t think it’s a controversial statement to say you don’t exactly have average dweeb dance moves. You can move out there.” She swallows, her eyes drifting down my torso. “You move those hips like a pro.”

I cock my head toward her. “Like a pro what?”

“I don’t know…an escort?”

I throw my head back in laughter as we arrive at the door of our apartment building. “Not exactly.” I open the door, and we trudge up the stairs. When we get to the landing on the second floor, I face her, put my hands on her hips, and tell her. “I was a male stripper.”

Her jaw hangs open, and she looks as though she’s having a hard time breathing.

“Cat got your tongue?”

“I knew it! I knew you had like...too good of an ass for a regular landlord.”

I chuckle, take hold of her wrist, and land her palm on my upper ass cheek over my jeans. “A professional ass. I like the sound of that.”

She grabs my ass a little, letting out the faintest of moans. I lean into her, so close I can taste her lip gloss.

“So is this the end of the date?” she mouths, her eyelids fluttering.

I shrug. “I don’t know. But I’m definitely not ending without one of these.”

I pull her body into mine, loving the feel of her tits pressed up against my stomach. She gets up on her tippy toes to reach my lips, and I bend down. She melts in my arms as we press our lips against one another.

God damn, that taste. It’s the taste of a temptress—the kind you want to wife up.

She makes an ‘mmm’ sound as I lay into her, grinding my hips against her. We’re humping each other through our jeans, and I swear I can feel the warmth between her legs. It was a little chilly outside, but in here it’s hot as hell.

“Let me check on that leak,” I smirk, running my hand up her inner thigh.

She fumbles in her purse, pulls out her keys and pushes the door open.

“There was no leak, though,” she says as she pushes through the door. I tumble inside with her.

“I meant this leak. I feel something getting a little wet.” I run my hand along the outside of her jeans, rubbing into her pussy. “Yeah. Definitely a little wet.”

“Damien…” she trails off as I trail kisses down her neck. I love the way her chest heaves. I love the pleasure I can give her just by kissing her. Finally, I manage to pull my mouth away from her delicious, soft skin.

“Wait,” I swallow. “I promised myself we wouldn’t cross the line tonight.”

“You fucking tease,” she says, biting her lower lip.

I take a breath, and glance at the liquor cabinet. “Let’s sit,” she adds. “Can you make me a Tequila Negroni? I hear it’s all the rage with the kids these days.”

“Not sure,” I shrug.

“I’ll Google it,” she says, and grabs her phone, which is sitting on the island.

I squint a little, watching her type into the device. She’s so damn cute everything she does. “Hey. Why’d you leave your phone here?”

“Yes. I wanted to be fully present with you. Sometimes my phone puts me in a weird mood.”

“Oh,” I say. “You just get some weird texts or…?”

She holds down the button, and her phone buzzes on. It sounds like it buzzes a million more times after that too.

“Is that...your message notification? You must have a lot.”

I can tell she’s tensing up, the way her back stiffens as she looks at the phone.

“It’s nothing,” she says.

I catch a glimpse of the phone, and I swear I see a nudey photo of some girl, but I don’t say anything. I must have seen it wrong. She makes the drinks for us, and we sit down on the couch.

“So tell me more about your career as a male stripper,” she says as she hands me the drink.

I take a sip. “I guess it’s just your average story. When I got back from four years in the Marines, I was living with my cousin, and I didn’t like that very much. I was crashing on people’s couches. No fun. One night, a friend of mine said I should go to Midnight Ride, and I ended up getting shitfaced and dancing with a stripper on stage. Apparently they liked my act, because they invited me back. I did it for about a year, and made a bunch of money. It was a good time. But after a while the scene seemed so superficial. I just let it go.”

She nods as she takes a long pull on her drink.

“Now you,” I say.

“Now me what?”

“Now I want to know one of your secrets.”

She shifts her body around, perceptibly uncomfortable. Lowering her eyes, she clears her throat and puts one hand over her chest.

"When I was in college, one time…” she trails off as I stare at her. She’s gorgeous, and when she searches her memory, there’s something that brings a whole other level to the depth I see in her.

I wait anxiously for what she’s about to say.

“I had a fling with a girl, once.”

My jaw hangs wide open.

Of all the things I’d expected to hear. Something with Nick, maybe.

"Wow. Okay. Tell me more.”

She twirls a lock of her brown hair. “Not too much to tell, honestly.”

“Well you’ve piqued my interest.”

“Wow. I never talk about this. But she was a fellow nursing student at Michigan State. We were study buddies, and one night were out at the bars, we got dared to kiss, so we did. And I liked it.”

“Ha. just like Katy Perry song.”

She shakes her head, smiling. “Oh my God, I think that song might have even been playing when we did it.”

“So that’s it. You just kissed?”

“Well, no. We kind of slept together a few times over summer semester. She was this buxom blonde—super sweet girl from”

“Holy shit, that’s hot.”

“So you’re not like...freaked out?”

“God no. I mean, Krista,” I say, rubbing her leg. “I was a male stripper for chrissake. Even if I did want to judge you, I couldn’t.”

“That’s a relief,” she says, and I watch the anxiety pour out of her as she physically relaxes further into the couch.

“N-”

I’m about to say something that’s my gut reaction to her, but I hold my tongue.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing,” I swallow my words.

“I want to know. What were you thinking?”

I examine her eyes while taking a swig of my drink. If I’m going to be blunt with Krista, I might as well go all the way with my truthfulness.

“I was thinking that Nick got pissed off about that, didn’t he?”

“Yes,” she whispers, and the word comes out hoarse.

“I just didn't know they partied so hard at U of M." I smack myself in the head. “Why did I go to the Marines and not college again?”

“You seem like you’re doing pretty well for yourself. Plus, you don’t have any student loans.”

“True.”

I nod thoughtfully, though I'm honestly a little surprised her secret wasn't something bigger.

Wrapping my arm around her, I pull her body into me.

“Can I ask you another question?” she says.

She snuggles into me, and her warm body feels damn good against my torso. I’m thankful to be doing this ten dates thing in the fall when it gets cold in Chicago. Hopefully there’s a lot of cuddling in our future.

“Of course.”

“Okay. Something I’ve been wondering. I know you weren’t officially an ‘escort,’ but did you ever strip at house parties? And did you ever hook up with any of the girls?”

I blow out a long, slow breath. “Two questions. Short answer to the first. Yes, I did house calls. And to the second, these house parties—you’d be shocked at what goes on. I always operated by the ‘look but don’t touch’ mantra, but tell that to a bunch of bridesmaids with a big, hard cock in their face.”

She gasps. “So they did touch it?”

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the attention I was getting—at first. When I got back from the Marines I was twenty-three, and mind you I hadn’t gotten my wild oats out of me like a lot of people do in college. So I did what any testosterone-driven, hot-blooded male would do. I enjoyed the fuck out of those times. I hooked up with some bridesmaids. Never any brides—although sometimes they’d be drunk and beg for it. I drew the line there, though.”

I can see her tensing up.

“You okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine,” she croaks. “It’s just, I don’t like picturing you with other people.”

I run my hand down her arm. “I’m with you now, though.”

“I know. I don’t know how I got so lucky, though.”

“You want to talk about luck?” I growl. “I’m the lucky one here. I have a hot-as-hell girl who I’m cuddling with tonight.” I lean in and whisper in her ear. “And as sweet as she is for the most of the world, I happen to know she likes being dirty as fuck with me.”

“Stop,” she gasps. “You’re turning me on so much.”

“Oh?” I smirk, and turn my body toward her. “You want me to stop this?”

I set my drink down and grip her thigh with my hand. She wiggles her hips, squirming just slightly in response.

“If we’re going to make it the ten dates without sex...you’re going to have to stop. Please, Damien,” she says, such weakness in her voice.

“Okay. I’ll stop. Just realize, this is what you’re doing to me, Krista. Feel this.” I direct her hand to my cock, which has expanded, my hard length pressing up against the denim of my jeans.

“Holy fuck,” she moans, her voice a soft whisper as I pepper kisses down her jawline. “Damien, you’ve got to stop now. I want to fuck you so bad, but if we go all the way on the first date, it totally defeats the purpose of what we settled on—getting to know each other before the next time we do it.”

“You’re right.”

I stand up, and the way she is sitting, my cock is right at her eye level. I notice her staring at my bulge.

“But what constitutes ‘it’?”

“What do you mean, ‘it’?”

“We’ve said we won’t do ‘it.’ But what if we do something that’s not sex. That’s not ‘it.’”

She runs a hand down the front of my shirt, then sneaks it underneath to feel the flesh of my abs.

“Well, what did you have in mind?” she asks.

Bending down, I guide her face to mine and kiss her once more on the lips. My stomach churns with adrenaline, and I say what’s on my mind.

“I want to watch you, Krista.”

"You want to watch me? Like how?"

My voice is gruff when I answer. "Exactly how you're thinking I want to see you. Don't play dumb. You're a smart girl, Krista."

I run the back of my finger along her face. I feel her trembling just a tad.

"Fine," she says softly. "I want to watch you, too, though. While you’re watching me."

I arch an eyebrow. "That can certainly be arranged, Sweetheart."

She reaches forward, pressing her hands on my thighs, dangerously close to my cock.

She glances up at me with a gentle smile. "Well I guess, since you told me your secret. I've never done this before ."

"Never played with yourself for a man to watch before?"

She shakes her head.

"Well there's a first time for everything isn't there?"

Leaning down to grip the back of her neck, we press our lips together and kiss ferociously, hungry for each others' mouths. I fall down to the couch on top of her, and we grind our bodies together.

She melts with relief in my grasp, and I wonder if she feels the same way I do right now. Of all the things I've done in my life, all the secrets I've had, this moment between us feels like our own little secret.

In this moment, feeling her warm body beneath me, I've never felt so right.

She lets a throaty moan escape as we embrace. The vibrations of her vocal chords reverberate through my palm, wrist, and forearm as I caress her cheek.

"Baby," she whispers. I open my eyes and see hers half open in the same pleasure-filled haze I'm in.

"Yes?" I answer. She pauses, and in that moment I'm on edge. Whatever Krista wants, whatever she doesn't have, I'm going to give it to her. I want to fulfill all of her needs.

She rubs my forearm. "Next date, I want you to tell me about this tattoo," she whispers.

"Of course," I say, and she rests her hand on my back close to my ass. It's so fucking hot. "Today is date one. We're just getting started."

"God, you're gorgeous," she says. "And you want to watch me..."

"Do your thing, yeah," I smirk.

"Take off your shirt," she commands, her eyes darting back and forth. I see the idea wheels turning in her head.

"Ordering me around now, are we?"

"That's right. You have a problem with that?" she challenges.

I kiss her softly, lingering on her lower lip and biting it ever so slightly as I pull away. I slip my T-shirt up and over my head, kneeling over her.

"You can order me around all you want. I might have to start calling you Lieutenant."

"God you're hot," she mumbles, running her hand over my tattooed torso.

As I watch her amazed eyes, all the countless hours in the gym, all the military training, it all becomes worth it for that impressed look on her face.

She's got me hypnotized. I think I'd do anything this woman said in this moment.

"Stay right there," she orders.

I'm hovering inches over her, holding up my torso by putting my arms in a plank position on either side of her head.

"Just like this?" I ask.

"Perfect. Now help me get my shirt off."

She sticks her arms up, and I help her get it off. I wonder what she's thinking, but I'd rather have her show me than ruin the surprise.

She unbuttons and unzips her jeans, revealing a pair of black lace panties.

My arms hold steady in the plank position. I'm hovering inches over her, so close I can taste and smell her skin but only our legs touch, jeans on jeans.

I want the to feel her touch so badly. But I hold steady as she slides a hand slowly down her stomach, then runs it under her panties.

"Ohhhhh," she moans.

"Oh, Christ," I exclaim.

I'm so hard I might burst.

She grinds her hips lightly, hooking a finger into her pussy as she moans below me.

"Do you like watching me?" she asks.

"Fuck yeah I do."

"Good. Because I like it when you watch me."

She leans back, digging her mouth into the couch pillow, and I'm so tempted to break through, to rip off her pants and go down on her right there. But watching her writhe like this—it's the hottest thing I've ever seen.

She arches her back, pushing her tits up into the air toward my face.

I reach out my tongue.

They’re fucking millimeters from me.

“Damien,” she breathes desperately. “Talk dirty to me.”

I can barely think I’m so turned on by her. It’s even the visual as much as it is the way she talks, when she’s touching herself, half distracted by how turned on she is.

“You’re so hot when you touch yourself,” I start. “I love the way you writhe and moan when you’re turned on. It makes me so hard.”

“Oh, Gaaa…” she trails off. I can literally feel the warmth emanating from between her legs.

I lick my lips. “I can’t wait to go down on you. I can’t wait to lick every inch of your pussy. And I don’t want it to be a one night stand this time, Sweetheart. I want it to be an everyday thing. Call it my morning meal.” I smirk.

She breathes out rapidly, then reaches out her free hand to grab my arm.

“I’m coming,” she mewls, barely audible. Soft moans escape.

I reach down and kiss her hard, swallowing her moans.

Her body shudders beneath me as she comes.

When she’s done, she melts into my arms, and we cuddle on the couch.