“Why are you, Sutton, and Olivia hanging out?” Zack asks me bluntly. His tone isn’t harsh, but I sense something within his voice that warns me to tread carefully.

“I guess we just like each other,” I say…because I think that’s all there is to it. Simple, really.

He doesn’t say anything in response, but I can see him considering my words. Finally, he nods, but I can tell there’s still something about me having a friendship with these women that he doesn’t like.

“Do you have a problem with me hanging with them?” I ask with a pointed look.

“I do,” he answers me honestly.

“Would you mind sharing with me your concerns?” I ask sarcastically. “Because last I heard, as my employer, you can’t tell me who I can and who I cannot be friends with.”

Zack pushes up off the couch, rounds the small coffee table, and has one hand curled around my neck before I can even take in a breath. “Would you stop seeing them if I asked you to?”

“Not without good reason,” I say breathlessly, now torn between being pissed at his censorship and turned on by the way he’s gripping me.

“If I told you your job would be in jeopardy?”

“Nope,” I answer bravely, but I’m not so sure that’s the truth. I really need this job. I just met Sutton and Olivia. I probably would have to sacrifice them so I could stay on track to support myself and my quest to get my master’s degree.

“Stubborn,” he mutters, and then kisses me.

Hard.

And deep.

And Sutton and Olivia are forgotten.

Zack pulls his lips back from mine just marginally. “What time did Ben go to sleep?”

“About five minutes after we got here,” I tell him, leaning back in for some contact.

“Think he’s okay in there?” he asks, sliding his gaze over to the room they’re sharing. I didn’t close the door all the way, but left it cracked open slightly so I could hear him if he needed something.

“Yeah…it’s good,” I tell him.

Zack nods and his hand drops from my neck, only to slide down my arm and grab my hand. He turns and leads me back past the couch and toward my room, only to push me inside and close the door behind us softly, turning the lock. The room is plunged into near darkness, the only light coming from a small crack in the curtains that cover the window.

“Get undressed,” he orders me as he walks around the bed and opens the curtains all the way. Bluish light from the city filters in, casting an ambient glow over Zack as he starts to unbutton his shirt. My mouth goes dry as I watch him remove it, along with the soft white T-shirt underneath. He reaches into his back pocket, pulls out his wallet, and takes a condom out.

Throwing the condom on the bed, he looks back over at me. “Kate…get undressed and get on the bed.”

A shudder runs through me. This is different, and I think I like it. Commanding Zack…telling me what to do.

The last two times, he showed me…he led me.

Zack removes his shoes and socks while he watches me, and when his hands hit his belt, he warns, “Kate…clothes…now.”

I startle, but my hands immediately start pulling at my clothes. Boots and socks first, then the rest. Zack is completely naked by the time I make it down to my bra and underwear, and I’m glad for the muted darkness of the room so he can’t see how plain they truly are. I quickly strip out of them and crawl onto the bed. By the time I turn over onto my back, Zack is already there, climbing right up my body.

He wastes no time, lying down on top of me so I can feel the hard length of him resting between my legs. Reaching a hand up, he gently pulls my glasses off and tosses them to the floor. His mouth comes to mine and his kiss causes my heart to race happily in anticipation. The kiss is thorough and consuming, and I squirm under him with need.

Lifting his lips, Zack whispers, “I think I’m going to take my time with you tonight.”

I’m not sure if he can see my smile lit up from the lights of Broadway outside the window, so I make sure he knows how I feel about that. I raise my arms above my head in victory. “Yippee. Foreplay.”

Chuckling, Zack scoots down my body a little and kisses my collarbone. “Yup. Foreplay.”

My hands go into his hair as he moves lower down my body. He teases my breasts with his mouth, sucking and biting lightly. Moving farther down, he places a kiss in the center of my stomach. Oh, I like that a lot.

As he tilts his head up to look at me, I can just make out a slight glitter in his eyes from the outside lights.

“I’m thinking I need my mouth between your legs,” he says as he lifts up off me, scoots back a little farther, and pushes my legs roughly apart.

I go immediately hot all over with a combination of lust and embarrassment.

“I’ve n-never—” I stutter out.

“I don’t care,” he says gruffly, his eyes pinned to my sex. “You won’t be able to say that after tonight.”

Oh, God. This is it. My first oral.

I honestly don’t know if I’m going to be able to handle it.

Chapter 19

Zack

Christ…Kate says she’s never had a man go down on her before and I about blow my load right then and there. The thought of being her first…of showing her just how good it feels to have a man fuck you with his mouth…I can’t remember ever being this excited about the prospect of something.

I slide backward off Kate’s body, all the way off the bed, and I kneel at the end. Grabbing her legs, I drag her down the bed until her butt is perched on the edge. She gives the cutest little huff of surprise and I watch as her fingers curl into the blanket.