The Bachelorette Party

Rhea wasn't sure what had possessed her to host the bachelorette party at her house. She loved Celia, and they'd been friends since grade school, but this cleanup was worthy of an entire maid brigade. There was no way she could do it alone. She should have at least enlisted the help of the two bridesmaids rather than waving it off and saying she could handle it.

Her apartment was going to be filthy all week. She had the wedding over the weekend and work after that. She wouldn't be able to get on top of this until next weekend, or she would die of exhaustion. So, instead of picking up plastic cups and gift wrap scattered about the room or scrubbing the carpet where Mallory had spilled her martini, she flopped down on the couch with a bottle of ice cold water.

An instantly groaned as someone knocked on her door. With an exasperated sigh, she pushed to her feet and trudged to the door, opening it and expecting one of her friends to be standing there, too drunk to drive home or having forgotten her purse. Instead, she stared right into the gorgeous blue eyes of Tanner, one of the sexiest men she'd ever seen. He was one of the three strippers she'd hired for the party, having decided it would be more fun to have a team than just one. It had gone over well, and interestingly enough, she'd spent a lot of time talking to Tanner, whose body was the epitome of a Greek god and whose brain was even more interesting.

But what was he doing back here?

He smiled shyly. "Rhea, sorry to bother you, but I think I left my wallet in the bedroom. I thought it was in my bag, but I can't find it."

Well, wasn't that a coincidence, she thought. A happy one, as far as she was concerned. She smiled brightly at him and pushed the door out of the way, letting him by. "Come on in and take a look."

He walked past her, looking a bit uncomfortable as he headed toward the bedroom. She couldn't help but watch him, remembering the way he swiveled his hips and shook his ass to the music, grinded against her when he graced her with a lap dance. He was incredible, and he was intelligent, too. She'd never expected to find someone so perfect, and she had no problem admitting she'd developed a bit of a crush on him. of course, she'd never thought she would see him again, especially so soon, and it made her a little nervous.

He returned quickly, holding up his wallet with another shy grin. "Thanks," he told her. "I was kind of freaking out."

She waved it off and joked, "It's alright. The price of letting you back in was all the tips you made. Sorry, I emptied it."

He laughed, and the sound was rich and enticing. She bit her lip to keep from saying anything. "That's funny. But it still feels awfully thick with all the ones."

Rhea had a feeling at least half of those were hers, since she'd sort of monopolized his time. "You caught me." She wanted to keep the conversation going, talk to him for just a few more minutes, and she tried something a little desperate. "Since you're here, maybe you could help me finish off the beer we didn't drink. Would you like one?"

Tanner hesitated, looking like he might object as he thought it over. Then, he shrugged. "Sure, I wouldn't mind hanging out for a while. I'm not in a hurry to get home."

Rhea brightened, her heart pounding in her chest. What was she doing? Was she really going to hit on the stripper? What a cliché! He'd been hired to do a job, and the fact that he'd feigned interest in her didn't mean he actually wanted to spend time with her off the clock. Still, she couldn't help but wonder if he might like her as she popped the bottle cap and passed him the beer.

"Thanks," he said again, leaning against the kitchen counter with one of those talented hips. Her eyes fell to his groin for just a moment, and then she recovered her senses, trying not to blush as she met his intense gaze again. "So, did anyone even offer to hang around and help you get your place back in order, or did they all just take off?"

Now, Rhea did blush. "I'm sorry it's such a mess. Really, I told them all to go, but now, I'm sort of regretting it." She waved a hand at the disaster. "This is more than I'm going to be capable of any time soon."

"I can help, if you want," he offered, and Rhea stared at him in disbelief. He couldn't be offering for real, more like a friendly gesture he knew she would turn down. "Of course, I might want something in return."

She should have known. He was in the business of making money. "I don't have any more cash," she told him, feeling a bit of regret and knowing he was going to leave now.

Instead, he shook his head, taking a swig of the beer. As he lowered the bottle, a slow smile crept across his face, taunting and devastating. "I'm not after payment," he said and then stopped. Was she supposed to ask? She couldn't make her voice work as she noticed the slight shift in his stance, the way his shirt tugged against his biceps and stretched across his chest. When he spoke again, she barely processed his words. "I was thinking something a little more personal. A phone number. And maybe a kiss."

When his request really hit her, Rhea nearly melted into the floor. She would have thought he was teasing, trying to catch her in her infatuation. But the heat in his eyes and the way his pupils dilated as she watched told her otherwise, and her body reacted. Her breasts felt heavier, her stomach churned, and the space between her thighs warmed quickly. "A kiss?"

He shrugged. "Come on, Rhea, it's not like I spent much time with anyone else. You don't think I could have made a lot more money if I'd, you know, made the rounds?" he straightened and took a step toward her. "I was interested in you. And I still am. Are you going to tell me you didn't feel a connection? That you don't want to kiss me, too?"

Did she dare tell him that, if she kissed him, she might not be able to stop there? Her throat was dry, but other places were wet, and her hands shook. She set the beer bottle down on the table so it wouldn't be so noticeable. Training her voice not to quiver, she told him hoarsely, "I wouldn't mind."

His smile broadened, and he didn't seem to need any further encouragement. He put his bottle next to hers on the table and reached for her, curling his hand around her waist and drawing her to him with gentle but insistent pressure. Rhea tilted her head back, only now realizing just how tall he was, but he didn't kiss her. His lips hovered inches away, and the anticipation mounted in her chest, making it hard to breathe. She stopped trying, and she could have sworn that time stood still.

And then his lips brushed against hers, even as he pressed his hard body tighter to hers, leveraging his hand splayed over the small of her back. There was an instant chemical reaction that had her so aroused she could taste it, and she felt the evidence of his attraction as his cock started to grow and harden against her stomach.

As if driven by some unseen force, she threw her arms around Tanner's neck, opening her mouth and flicking her tongue over his lips. He grunted and parted them, letting her taste him, the raw sexuality and the taste of beer and mint overwhelming her system. She arched her back, wanting to feel more of him, and when he bit her bottom lip and tugged, Rhea sighed and shivered. The hand on her back slid down, cupping her ass, and he rolled his hips in that sensual way he had earlier, grinding his growing erection into her deliciously

Pulling out of the kiss, he touched his forehead to hers and growled, "You're too fucking hot for words, and all I want to do right now is rip your clothes off and throw you down on the floor so I can eat you and bury myself inside you."

Rhea inhaled sharply at the image he created with those words, and her nipples throbbed as they puckered and thrust against the lace of her bra. She wanted it, and she decided that, for once in her life, she wasn't going to let modesty and morals scare her away. "So, what are you waiting for?" she asked, drawing her lips over his jaw and licking the edge of his ear.

Tanner hissed in response, and she felt his cock twitch. "Fuck," he muttered, and then his hands were on her shirt, yanking it over her head as she reached for the fly of his jeans. Her knuckles brushed the hot skin of his stomach, felt the mass of muscle constrict beneath her touch, and she fumbled before actually managing to get the zipper down. By the time she shoved them over his hips, he'd torn the t-shirt from his body, too, exposing the planes and the defining lines of the hard chest she'd admired beneath.

But as she wriggled his jeans down over his hips and realized the G-string he'd worn earlier was gone, her focus shifted to the long, hard shaft and the perfectly rounded head that stood at attention. She didn't even stop to think as she reached out and grasped his base, stroking upward with just enough pressure to make him groan. She barely noticed as he made fast work of her jeans until she felt the jerk that pulled them down, along with her panties. And somewhere along the way, maybe as she'd worked on his jeans, he's already undone her bra, so as he hoisted her up on the table, it slid down her arms and to the ground.

Rhea inhaled sharply as the chill of the wood hit her bare ass, but Tanner's mouth closing around her nipple distracted her. She let her head drop back, arching to give him better access as he tongued and bit at her. When he dropped to his knees, raining kisses down her stomach, she knew where he was headed, and she had an instant of hesitation, but his lips on her inner thigh, urging her to open to him, erased that in a heartbeat.

With a quick turn of his head and hands grabbing her pelvis, Tanner pressed his tongue against her swollen clit, and Rhea cried out. The pleasure coursed through her, and she bit her lip, trying to hold back despite her body's insistence that she let go. He licked at her, the full length of her wet folds, and he pushed at her opening, thrusting his tongue inside her before returning to the throbbing nub that was her sensory center. And then, she couldn't hold back anymore, exploding into his mouth as she cried out his name.

Tanner worked harder, rolling her clit between his teeth, and she nearly jumped off the table with the overwhelming sensation that sent fire through her veins. She fisted her hands in his dark waves, letting them curl around her fingers, and she held on for dear life as the wave rocked her, until the last vestiges of the orgasm faded. Only then did he pull away, his face glistening with her release. "You taste so fucking good," he rasped, and he was on his feet, kissing her. The taste of her own juices on his mouth and tongue was intoxicating, and it kept the coals burning inside.

Lifting her from the table, he slid her onto his cock, one long, hard thrust, and she squealed into his mouth, letting him swallow the sound. He turned, settling her onto the back of the couch where it was softer, warmer, and she wrapped her legs around him, drawing him deeper inside her core. Her pussy clenched around him, begging for more, and he gave it to her, thrusting hard and fast, over and over with sure, deliberate strokes.

Tanner mimicked the motion with his tongue, essentially fucking her mouth, and it heightened her arousal, made her want more. She shifted, changing the angle of her hips so she could take all of him inside her. His cock filled her, stretched her, and she gasped at the ecstasy that took over and ceased all conscious thought. Her body quaked, and she knew she was close, knew she was going to come with absolute certainty.

"Oh, god!" she cried, trying desperately to wait and let it build further. "Don't hold back," Tanner gasped, his voice strained, and she realized he was ready, too. "I want to feel you come. Let it go, Rhea." The words sent her over the edge, and for a moment, she thought she lost consciousness as the bliss consumed her with the force of a hurricane. Still, Tanner drove into her hard and fast, his rhythm failing him. His movements were erratic, and then he shouted as he came, his orgasm shooting into her, hot and thick. It took her by surprise, and it made her explode all over again as he buried himself fully inside her, pressing his body against her so she was sure they would meld together.

It seemed to take ages for her to come back to her senses, and Rhea almost regretted coming down from such a high. She wanted it to last forever, the erotic sensation of this man connected to her, a man she barely knew but found so arousing.

But slowly, her breathing calmed, and she realized that Tanner's face was tucked into the hollow of her neck, his breath tickling over the tender skin. She delighted in the sensation and nearly cried out when he finally lifted his head. He gazed down at her, his eyes hooded and glassy, his lips turned up at the corners into the hint of a grin. "Damn," was all he said, barely a word it was so quiet and hoarse.

"My thoughts exactly," she replied, her own voice little more than a wisp of air. Limbs began to untangle, and with infinite care and grace, he drew out of her, but he didn't entirely pull away. He grabbed her by the waist and set her on her feet, holding her to make sure she didn't collapse. She was grateful, since her jelly legs took a moment to acclimate to the weight of her body, and she shivered as he took a step back.

With a slightly embarrassed chuckle, he told her, "I would have settled for a kiss, but I would have been missing out."

The blush heated Rhea's throat and cheeks instantly, and she felt really vulnerable. Her eyes darted around, looking for her clothes, but he stepped forward again, their bodies not even an inch apart so she could feel the waves of heat coming off his skin, and he bent his head, kissing her in lazy, lingering motions. She was momentarily tempted to pull him back in, to let the passion that sparked build into more, but she didn't have the strength.

He finally released her lips and asked, "Any regrets?"

She shook her head without hesitating. "None at all. You?"

"Definitely not." He brushed a sweaty lock of hair from her face and smiled. "Although, I feel like cleaning up is going to take a little longer. I have a lot less energy than I did about twenty minutes ago."

At that, she laughed and shook her head. "Screw the cleaning. It can wait. Or I can hire a maid."

He nodded. "Fair enough." He took a deep breath, this time stepping away from her and bending to grab his jeans. It gave her a great view of his ass, which was absolutely perfect, and she watched the muscles in his back move, making her want to run her nails down the perfectly smooth skin and feel the well oiled machine beneath.

She resisted, but she couldn't stop the next words from spilling out of her mouth. "Are you still in no hurry to get home?"

He glanced at her over his shoulder, a question in his eyes as he pulled his jeans up, still sans the underwear. "No, I suppose I'm not in any hurry. Why?"

Now, she hesitated, shy. It didn't make much sense. She stood there, naked, having just had sex with this gorgeous stranger. Why would she clam up now? Forcing herself to answer, she boldly told him, "I thought maybe you could stay a while. It's not that late, and I don't have to be at the salon tomorrow until noon."

Turning toward her, he closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her waist. Rhea leaned into him, the position comfortable and his embrace warm and welcoming. Tilting his head as if curious about something he asked, "Just how long do you want me to stay?"

She shrugged, laying her hands flat on his bare chest and enjoying the way he seemed to preen beneath her touch. If she had half the effect on him that he did on her, it gave her more power than she'd ever felt in her life. "I don't know. Stay the night. Let me show my gratitude for your company. And maybe, if things go well, you could be my date to the wedding."

He laughed, his chest vibrating against hers with the depth of the sound. "I think that sounds like an excellent idea."