Page 42 of All Right No
“What have you lost?”
She wearily shook her head at him. “You dumb fool, don’t you know? You, that’s what. You keep locking me out. Stop locking me out, Ash. I can help. I want to help.”
“I’m beyond helping.”
It hurt to see her face scrunched with sadness. He didn’t want her to be sad, or to bring her down with his misery. Ash’s nose tingled, and the corners of his eyes grew damp. Shit! Crying in front of her; when had he become such a wuss?
She clasped his hand and squeezed. “It’s okay to cry, Ash. Likewise, it’s okay to scream at the world and tell it how shit it is. Maybe we should. Come on, stand up.” She dragged him over to the balustrade so that they were overlooking the lounge below and staring through the wall of glass down at the slope of the lawn and the glittering water of the lake beyond. “Ready? After three, let all that festering rage out.” She counted down, and then let out a blood curdling shriek.
Ash covered his ears.
“You’re supposed to join in, dope.” She prodded him in the midriff. “Do we need to attempt it again?”
He shook his head. “My ears would prefer you not to. Maybe we could go back to you explaining your chart. What is it exactly that you want me to do?”
She followed him back to the couch, but stayed on her feet when he slumped into its soft embrace. “Well, like I said, there’s a whole variety of things. Most of them are Spook unapproved, that’s why we had to wait until he’d gone.”
“Unapproved in what sense. Did you consult with him?” Just because she’d called him out for being a suspicious, jealous idiot, didn’t mean he’d quelled all his doubts.
“Um, no… I just… You know how uptight he can be.”
“Only about his own involvement in any sort of sexual activity. He’s not a prude, Ginny.” And she ought to know it. Spook had participated in their sexual relationship more than he generally cared to dwell on. He hadn’t forgotten that Spook, the man who didn’t put out for anyone, had wrapped his mouth around Ginny’s nipples. It may well have been before he and she were an item, but it still happened.
“Fine, then nothing he’d agree to experience.”
Ash squinted at her sceptically. “Are we talking about the tasks or the rewards?” What sort of sad fucker was he that he was genuinely curious about her plans now?
“Tasks, rewards, both.” She leaned into him until her lips brushed the smooth patch of skin between his ear and where his beard had grown in. “Maybe you don’t believe I’m inventive enough to keep it interesting.” She planted a second kiss on the side of his throat, and this time nipped the skin between her teeth sending a shot of pleasure-pain zipping through his body.
Ash’s heart started galloping. How crazy starved of affection was he if all it took was one little kiss to have him salivating and his cock threatening to rise? Plenty, and he knew it. All he really wanted was for someone to take charge and tell him he’d wake up tomorrow and everything would be all right. Or failing that, to simply still feel wanted. No one wanted him around at the moment. He wasn’t important to anyone’s plans or vision of the future. He couldn’t even see a future. Leastways, not one he wanted to experience.
“Are you ready to work with me, Ash?” Her beautifully kissable lips pursed as she waited for his answer.
“You still haven’t told me a thing.”
“I think you’ll get more out of it if I save revealing the tasks until we’re ready for them, but maybe I could give you a visual incentive as to what might be coming your way?”
“Visuals of what?” He raised his head in time to see her kick off her shoes and then peel down her jeans. The boring button up shirt she had on came off too, and went sailing over the balustrade.
“Of what’s on offer if you work hard. Tempted?” She gave a sort of tip-toe turn on the spot, then winked at him.
Ash covered his mouth with his hand and swallowed hard. He didn’t want to bother with her tasks, but man…skimpy panties, corset, and fishnet stockings, she was seriously pandering to his weaknesses. He moved a cushion onto his lap. He was subtle about it, but she was onto him immediately, her carefully defined eyebrows quirking upwards slightly.
“Should I take that as an expression of interest?”
Fuck! She had him. She so had him.
“You like?” She tiptoed forward , and performed another 360-degree turn.
Ash swished his tongue over his dry lips. “Are those crotchless panties you have on?”
“Could be.”
“Crotchless,” he repeated, finding it hard to swallow around the lump that had formed in his throat.
“You don’t think they’re too sleazy, do you?” She performed the same open and close legged dance move he’d recently watched Christina and Co. perform in that vid.
Damn…damn…damn. When had these jeans got so tight? Jeez, talk about dangling carrots… “Fuck, Ginny.” He reached for her, but she backed off making, “Ah-ah!” noises at him. “Agree to the G-plan first, then you get to ‘Fuck Ginny’ if you’re a good boy who earns his rewards.”
