TrickorTreat Read online

  “So, he turns you on-just a tad?”

  Little did Andrew know! She’d been so fired-up after that kiss, she’d pulled out her trusty vibrator even before stopping to make coffee. “I’m not sure what to make of him.” Safe and non-committal seemed best.

  “He’s smitten, Katie. He just burned my ear off for over an hour. I don’t think it’s so much lighting his fire as the setting of a conflagration.”

  “Yeah, right!” Jud had been in control every inch of the way.

  “I’m not kidding, Katie-coz. I’ve know Jud three years, and never seen him like this. I thought you’d hit it off, but never imagined he’d get ensnared so fast.”

  Flattering but… “Hey, wait a minute! You thought we’d hit it off? You set us up?”

  “Guilty as charged.” He ignored her angry splutter. “Hold on, Katie. I thought you might suit. He’s a good guy, and I thought you needed a good man.”

  “You’re sounding like Mom!”

  “Heaven forbid! But who asked me to find them a nice, bedworthy man?” Okay, but she hadn’t expected him to take her seriously. “Give him, and yourself, a chance. I think Jud’s just what you need.” The man certainly knew how to kiss, maybe… “He’ll call you, okay?”

  “Can’t he call and ask himself? Why this John Alden act?” Jud hadn’t exactly been hesitant so far!

  “You want him to call?”

  “I’d like to run my own life without you or my mother orchestrating everything.” Arranging a meeting in the kinky shop!” True, Mom wouldn’t have set that up but..

  “He suggested it!”

  Sheesh! “So, he’s into that sort of thing?”

  “Yes, so am I.”

  “Andrew!” That sort of squeaked out. It fascinated her, yes. But looking and doing were too very different things. And much as she dearly loved Andrew, she did not want to think about what he and Sophie did in bed. “I’ll call him!” she said and hung up.

  And didn’t call. Heck! What was she going to say? ‘You fascinate and scare me all at the same time, and now Andrew's told me you’re into kinky sex. I don’t know which direction to run.’

  Jud was going to have to wait. Web site clients paid good money. Jud looked likely to cost her at least some peace of mind.

  Client satisfied, Katie stripped off her clothes and fell into bed, remnants of make-up still on and teeth uncleaned. She’d treat them to double brushing in the morning-and just about passed out. Until she woke climaxing in the middle of the night, still high from a wild dream that featured Jud, red velvet handcuffs and enough wild sex to fill a couple of X-rated videos with original storylines. She lay panting, sweating, and gasping, and convinced she’d better never get that far with Jud, as the reality could never match up. It never had.

  After a restless half-hour, she got up, finally cleaned her teeth and showered. She was wide-awake, and this was as good a time as any to start the next job. By five am, she had created a series of sexy graphics that she could never, ever use on a web site for a Methodist church preschool.

  What now? She knew damn well she couldn’t sleep. She couldn’t work, it seemed. And while it was hardly fair to blame Jud, there was no one else available.

  She found his card still in her jacket pocket, and punched his number on her cell phone.

  It wasn’t until she heard his “Hello?” after the fifth or sixth ring she realized it wasn’t yet seven, heck, it was barely six-thirty.

  “Jud?”

  Silence for several seconds. “Katie?”

  “Did I wake you?”

  “As it happens, no.”

  He’d been awake, too. Given the feel of his hard body, he probably worked out for two hours before breakfast. “You said to give you a call sometime.” Dumb line but…

  The phone amplified the richness of his deep laugh. “I did, didn’t I?”

  “Sorry if I’m disturbing you.” Eeek, that sounded wimpy.

  “Not in the least, Katie, but tell me, for future reference, are you in the habit of calling men before breakfast?”

  She wasn’t much in the habit of ever calling men, but now was not the time to go into that. “Only good kissers with sexy, dark eyes!” What made that come out?

  “I knew you were a woman of sense and good judgment the minute I saw you caressing that suede flogger.”

  He would have to bring that up! “I was just looking. Anyway, it was too expensive.”

  “Nothing’s too expensive for you, Katie. It fascinated you, didn’t it? I was watching you.”

  “Jud…”

  “I watched your lips part and your eyes get bigger.” Sheesh! “Were you imagining how it would feel? How those soft tresses would caress your back? How they’d stroke your skin as they trailed over your ass, and down the back of your legs. How they’d feel brushing behind your knees? You’re very sensitive there, aren’t you?”

  Her throat all but seized up. Her heart raced and the hand on the phone was damp with sweat. As were other parts of her body, she didn’t want to think about. Why was he talking like this? Even more to the point, why was it turning her on?

  “Jud, please…”

  “I will, Katie, I promise.”

  “Listen!” She had to say something, but her mind was awash with sensual images and her cunt was throbbing faster than her magic wand at high speed. This was nonsense, ridiculous, and… “Look here, Jud, I…”

  “We need to talk. Lunch is out. Can you meet me this evening, just for an hour?”

  After the past five minutes she should run the other way. “There’s a deli, at Five Points, Knish and Tell.”

  “I know it. What time?”

  She was working late tonight. “How about nine-thirty?”

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  “Okay.” Was it really?

  “And Katie…”

  “Yes?”

  “Don’t be scared. I understand.” Damn good thing he did, because she was completely confused. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

  He was. Sitting in a table by the bay window, watching. For her. Waiting like a lion for his prey, or a lord for his lady. He was turned away, watching up the street, so she paused, half-tempted to run, knowing there was no way she could. No two ways about it, Jud Carlton fascinated her. It wasn’t just the sexy voice or the way his eyes sparkled, and wrinkled at the corners when he smiled. There was something about him that drew her, despite his outrageous conversation. But if he really thought she was going to let him whip her, he had another thing coming! He turned as she pushed the door open, and stood up, his face breaking out in a broad smile. Had he been worried she’d stand him up? It might have been the smart thing to do, but smart held little appeal.

  “Katie!” He stepped towards her, taking both hands in his. A gentle grasp, but very confident, as he pulled her close and kissed her on the cheek.

  “You found it okay?” Duh! Of course he had! He was here, wasn’t he?”

  “Yes, now let me take your coat.” He had it off before she had time to suggest she was quite capable of taking off her own coat. As he draped it over a spare chair, on top of his jacket, he asked. “Coffee? Soda? What can I get you? A sandwich?”

  Food! She needed to think about food, not the way his hair curled behind his ears. Or did she? The ache in her gut was something far more basic than hunger. “I don’t know.” What was wrong with her?

  “Have a seat.” She sat down in the chair he held. “I’ll get you something. Are you vegetarian, or anything like that?”

  “No!”

  He dropped a kiss on her forehead. ”Don’t get so wound up. I’m not bringing out whips or chains in here.”

  That was supposed to calm her!

  Her deep, relaxing breath came out like a sigh from her gut. She leaned back and stretched out her legs, and doing so, nudged a black plastic shopping bag that looked suspiciously like one from the Rose and Leather. She was tempted to look, but it really was none of her business. Did she really want to know? Yes!
>
  Another deep breath. Why was she here? Because Jud asked her. No, because she’d called him before dawn and had the most outrageous conversation. She needed a couple of weeks to sort this out. He fascinated, and scared the willies out of her. He was into whips and chains, and heaven knew what else, and she wasn’t interested. Intrigued, maybe.

  Particularly by what was in the bag, less than an inch from her left foot. She could peek, but that would be on a par to his looking in her purse, and she drew the line there.

  Better not to know. But she’d have to be made of stone not to wonder. The suede whip? She didn’t think so. Handcuffs? Chains? Most likely a couple of the kinky magazines she’d not had the guts to look at with Andrew there.

  “Here you are.” He was back fast. Just as well she didn’t have her nose deep into his shopping. “The soup looked good, and on a damp night like this, I thought it might appeal more than a sandwich.”

  “Thanks.”

  Appetizing aromas of garlic, herbs and onions rose up from the bowl of vegetable soup. He set his own bowl on his side of the table, and sat down opposite. “Bon appetite!”

  It was delicious, and after the second spoonful, her appetite came back with a rush. “It’s great, thanks.”

  “You’re more than welcome, Katie. I enjoy erotic torture, but I’ve never starved a woman yet.”

  It was only luck that she happened to be between spoonfuls. “Can we talk about books, or movies, or the weather, while we eat?”

  “By all means. May I take that to indicate you’re willing to talk about sex after we both finish eating?”

  “That was not what I said.”

  “No, but if you really were offended, you’d be halfway down the street by now. You’re not. You’re just uneasy.”

  “I’m not sure it’s ‘just’ anything.”

  “I’m not either.” He paused to take another taste of soup, his lips puckering against the side of the spoon. His eyes met hers, as he slowly sipped without a sound. He rested his spoon on the side of the plate. “Tell me, Katie, Have you read the latest John Grisham?”

  She had, and he’d read the latest P.D James. A good start. But after she discovered he’d read all Laurel K Hamiliton’s Anita books, and was in the process of collecting Chelsea Quin Yarbro’s backlist, Katie felt she’d met a soulmate. “I’m so thrilled you like reading the ‘weird’ stuff,” she said. “Most people I know think I’m odd.”

  “Maybe we both are. We’re not alone, are we?”

  It felt as if they were, tucked in a warm corner, with the night outside. It was as if the other customers and the shop around them receded. Jud had her complete focus. She made herself look away and taste her soup. It seemed to have lost most of its flavor. “What else do you read?”

  “Erotica.”

  She should have expected that! But to be truthful. “So do I.”

  “I thought so. Katie, I’d love to have a look at your collection.”

  “Sure you don’t want to see my etchings?”

  “Katie, it’s not a pick up line. Looking at your books would tell me a lot about you.”

  Too much. She wasn’t ready to have him see her collection of Laura Antoniou, or her limited edition, leather-bound, Story of O. Not yet. If ever. “If you did, then I’d be entitled to look over your shelves.”

  “Be my guest, any time. We could trade favorite reads. Have you discovered Ellora’s Cave?” Had she just! He’d never get a peek at her hard drive. “They have some quite impressive BDSM works.”

  “I know.”

  That smile put a dimple in his right cheek. “I’m damn glad, Katie.” He reached across the table, and rested his hand on her forearm. If his touch was meant to be reassuring, it wasn’t working. Just feeling the warmth of his fingertips through her sweater sent her body temp up several degrees. “Have you ever told anyone about your interest in kink?”

  “I’m not sure I am interested.”

  He smiled, and lifted an eyebrow. His attitude tweaked her already heightened nerves. “I am, aren’t you?”

  She wasn't sure about anything any more! The man had her so twirled up inside, she was lucky she knew which end of the spoon to put in her mouth. Just to make sure, she scooped up a spoonful of soup. Definitely lukewarm. About the only thing for a yardstick that was. She was hot under her skin, and the look in Jud’s eyes suggested minestrone was the last thing on his mind. “Fifteen minutes of conversation with you, and I’m not sure of anything any more!”

  “That was what I was hoping for.”

  “You get your thrills confusing people?”

  “I don’t want to confuse. My aim is to help you sort things out.”

  “How?” Come to that, what did she need to sort out? Whether to walk out now, or in three minutes?

  He hesitated, just a tad. “I think, you want things I can offer.”

  “You sound pretty certain!”

  “I am.” Was he some sort of weirdo or lunatic? He was Andrew’s friend! “I could be mistaken,” Jud went on, “but I don’t think so.”

  “Mistaken about what?”

  “That you’re intrigued by kink, but your only experience is vicarious.”

  “Aren’t you making a wild assumption?” And wasn’t she crazy to sit here and discuss it?

  “Yes,” he agreed amicably, “but I’m not often wrong about these things.”

  “This could be the time.”

  “Is it?” In the silence that followed he asked, “Want a fresh coffee? Yours has gone cold.”

  “I need to go home.” But she didn’t want to. As much as Jud disturbed her, he was also offering something she wasn’t sure she had the nerve to accept.

  “Do you? Right now?”

  No, but it might well be judicious. “Jud, how about come out and say it? Seems you’re beating around the bush, making oblique suggestions. What are you trying to say?”

  “I want you to let me take you to bed, and show you the reality is far, far, better than the best kinky fiction.”

  She’d asked for direct. She got it. What now? Run a mile? Better catch her breath first. He was waiting for a reply and her tongue had fused to her teeth.

  Chapter Four

  Jud wanted to swear, or at least bite off his tongue. She’d asked for it point blank, but hadn’t been ready. Heavy duty damage control needed. She was so wonderful, and so eager, but didn’t understand what she wanted. He was dead certain he hadn’t been wrong. He’d watched her face as she looked at the toys in the shop. Her reaction to the handcuffs she bought was clear as daylight. It turned her on, but wasn’t ready to acknowledge her needs. She would. “You’ve gone very quiet.”

  “Are you surprised?” She had her voice back, good.

  “No. I imagine it’s the first time a potential lover suggested that.”

  “You're right the first time! And I’m assuming that this isn’t your standard courtship conversation.”

  “Not in the least. There are very few women I’d have this conversation with. Most women would run a mile, the magnificent ones, like you, don’t.”

  “You mean the crazy ones.”

  “Not in the least. You are wonderfully sane, just a bit reluctant.”

  “Hardly surprising.”

  “Yes and no. Kink fascinates you, Katie, but you’ve never had a lover tie you to the bed. Never known what it is to let go completely. Never felt the sweet kiss of a flogger.”

  “Hell, no! I’m not into pain!”

  “I’m not talking pain. I’m talking about massaging you with scented oil, before stroking your smooth flesh with the tresses. I’d open your legs, and caress the insides of your thighs with the flogger before kissing you where you want it the most. You’d have the best climax of your life and want more.”

  “Jud!” It came out like a shocked gasp. Her face was flushed, and it wasn’t all embarrassment. “I just met you five days ago. We’ve had three casual meetings --as if they really were casual -- and you’re talking about getting
me naked, and doing things to me!”

  “Is the prospect so abhorrent?”

  “It scares me witless, to be honest!”

  They were getting somewhere. “A little bit of fear ups the arousal, and you are turned on, Katie. I can smell you even over all this garlic.” She blushed beautifully. Would her cunt be that same luscious shade? Her nipples as sweetly blushed? He longed to find out. “I’ll make no secret of it, Katie, I want you in bed. Naked. I want you to submit and give your body over to me. I want to give you incredible pleasure. And I suspect you want that too, don’t you?”

  “Yes!” She gasped, her eyes wide with shock. “I don’t know why I said that!”

  “Because it’s true, and against all the odds, you trust me.”

  “Beats me why!”

  “Instinct, Katie. You know in your heart, I’m what you need, and I won’t let you down.”

  Instinct might not let her down but common sense had. Jud walked her home after she’d said she lived round the corner, but hadn’t even asked to come in. He kissed her sedately on the cheek and walked away, once he was sure she’d gone inside. From talking dirty, they wound up like a date out of Happy Days. She wasn’t sure she needed to get involved with him. But she was desperate to see him again.

  Two days later, she ran into him-or rather he spotted her. He pulled his car up to the bus stop where she was waiting, rolled down the window, and asked, “Need a ride?”

  “My mother told me never to accept rides from strange men!”

  “Hop in!” He leaned over and opened the door. “I just heard all the buses are on strike.”

  “Idiot!” she said, as she sat down, hauling her tote bag after her. “They’re not on strike, one just pulled up right behind us.” The driver was glaring for all he was worth. “There are laws about stopping in bus lanes.”

  “Buckle up and we can go.” As he spoke, he reached across, pulled the webbing across her chest.

  “Bondage, I see!”

  “Rot!” he said, as he clicked the buckle into place. “It’s called observing the law. Trust me, you won’t click out of any bondage I put you in.”

  “Dream on, Sonny!”