stretched so tightly. No wonder she couldn’t breathe.
“You’ll be okay,” I assured her. “I’m just opening this up.”
I was ready to go for my rope cutter to slice through the nylon, but s he took a deep breath as I jerked, and the zipper came down to her waist. Her hands started clawing weakly at the sleeves, as if she had to get them off. I helped her. They were so tight. Her skin was sheened with moisture and flushed red.
She collapsed against me, and I leaned against the outer wall of the terrace, holding her. “Catch your breath.”
“I’m still hot.” She pulled aw ay to peel the cat-suit off her legs. That left her in a black sports bra and boy shorts. And the head mask.
It was more covered up than a lot of people here, but she had said “no nudity” in her negotiations. I pulled my T-shirt off with one motion. She saw what I was doing and let me slip it over her head. “Better,” she said.
I pulled her back into my arms, loving how her silky hair felt against my bare chest. Her fingers rested against me, as I stroked her hair, relieved that she was okay. Things kept going wrong whenever I topped her. I hadn’t meant to hurt her, but the way that cat-suit had peeled off made it look like a torture device.
“I hope I didn’t ruin your suit,” she murmured into my chest. “The next girl you lend it to better be smaller than me.”
My hand stilled. “I got it for you.”
She peeked up at me. “Maybe you can get it cleaned and take it back.”
I suddenly wanted to laugh. “Spoken like a woman who’s done that before.”
“ Hey, it was a dress for a date. And I didn’t have anything nice enough to wear.” She took one look at my face and we laughed together. “Girls do it all the time. I’m always charging back credit for pretty dresses.”
“You work in a store?”
She raised her brows. “At Lowenstein’s on 5 th Avenue.”
“Do you like it?”
“I’ll like it even better after I get promoted. I’m hoping that happens this fall, after I get my degree. It’s just an associate degree, but it should help.”
I was on the verge of telling her that I knew what it was like to work hard, having been a ramp rat for a decade. I knew how tough it was to make ends meet. But then Sierra added, “It’s nothing compared to your job. It must be so exciting to be able to fly anywhere you want. And have a job where you get to make decisions about things.”
The longing in her voice was unfeigned. She thought I was rich and successful. She had struggled hard for years. Of course she wanted someone who could make things easier for her.
I couldn’t do that for her.
In a burst of anger, I was ready to tell her that.
But a familiar voice cried out, “Victor!” from over by the door. Suddenly Tricia was rushing over to us, dragging a guy along with her.
“Incoming,” I murmured to Sierra. “Let me help you up.”
Tricia came to a screeching halt in front of me. “Am I interrupting? Are you having a scene?”
“Aftercare.”
“Sor- ry !” she sang out. “Should we come back later?”
Tricia was so used to being wanted that she stomped all over everyone without a thought. I used to think her long black hair and almond eyes were the most exotic thing I had ever seen. But now I just saw… crap.
I wanted to snap at Tricia for standing there so smug. If she was going to be polite, she never wouldn’t have barged over while I was cuddling with another girl. She knew she was interrupting an intimate moment.
“ Sierra, this is Tricia,” I said flatly.
“I got you the invite for this party!” Tricia told her. She gushed too much, introducing her boyfriend as Craig. He was a nothing kind of guy, slender and slouched with his long black hair falling in his face. But Tricia clung to him adoringly, like he was a Greek god.
But her eyes also kept straying to my bare chest. Sierra noticed. My arm tightened around her. Tricia was a master game-player.
“Are you having fun
“You’ll be okay,” I assured her. “I’m just opening this up.”
I was ready to go for my rope cutter to slice through the nylon, but s he took a deep breath as I jerked, and the zipper came down to her waist. Her hands started clawing weakly at the sleeves, as if she had to get them off. I helped her. They were so tight. Her skin was sheened with moisture and flushed red.
She collapsed against me, and I leaned against the outer wall of the terrace, holding her. “Catch your breath.”
“I’m still hot.” She pulled aw ay to peel the cat-suit off her legs. That left her in a black sports bra and boy shorts. And the head mask.
It was more covered up than a lot of people here, but she had said “no nudity” in her negotiations. I pulled my T-shirt off with one motion. She saw what I was doing and let me slip it over her head. “Better,” she said.
I pulled her back into my arms, loving how her silky hair felt against my bare chest. Her fingers rested against me, as I stroked her hair, relieved that she was okay. Things kept going wrong whenever I topped her. I hadn’t meant to hurt her, but the way that cat-suit had peeled off made it look like a torture device.
“I hope I didn’t ruin your suit,” she murmured into my chest. “The next girl you lend it to better be smaller than me.”
My hand stilled. “I got it for you.”
She peeked up at me. “Maybe you can get it cleaned and take it back.”
I suddenly wanted to laugh. “Spoken like a woman who’s done that before.”
“ Hey, it was a dress for a date. And I didn’t have anything nice enough to wear.” She took one look at my face and we laughed together. “Girls do it all the time. I’m always charging back credit for pretty dresses.”
“You work in a store?”
She raised her brows. “At Lowenstein’s on 5 th Avenue.”
“Do you like it?”
“I’ll like it even better after I get promoted. I’m hoping that happens this fall, after I get my degree. It’s just an associate degree, but it should help.”
I was on the verge of telling her that I knew what it was like to work hard, having been a ramp rat for a decade. I knew how tough it was to make ends meet. But then Sierra added, “It’s nothing compared to your job. It must be so exciting to be able to fly anywhere you want. And have a job where you get to make decisions about things.”
The longing in her voice was unfeigned. She thought I was rich and successful. She had struggled hard for years. Of course she wanted someone who could make things easier for her.
I couldn’t do that for her.
In a burst of anger, I was ready to tell her that.
But a familiar voice cried out, “Victor!” from over by the door. Suddenly Tricia was rushing over to us, dragging a guy along with her.
“Incoming,” I murmured to Sierra. “Let me help you up.”
Tricia came to a screeching halt in front of me. “Am I interrupting? Are you having a scene?”
“Aftercare.”
“Sor- ry !” she sang out. “Should we come back later?”
Tricia was so used to being wanted that she stomped all over everyone without a thought. I used to think her long black hair and almond eyes were the most exotic thing I had ever seen. But now I just saw… crap.
I wanted to snap at Tricia for standing there so smug. If she was going to be polite, she never wouldn’t have barged over while I was cuddling with another girl. She knew she was interrupting an intimate moment.
“ Sierra, this is Tricia,” I said flatly.
“I got you the invite for this party!” Tricia told her. She gushed too much, introducing her boyfriend as Craig. He was a nothing kind of guy, slender and slouched with his long black hair falling in his face. But Tricia clung to him adoringly, like he was a Greek god.
But her eyes also kept straying to my bare chest. Sierra noticed. My arm tightened around her. Tricia was a master game-player.
“Are you having fun
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