Extreme Close-Up (Perspectives Book 1) (7 page)

“IT WON’T PROVE anything. I’m not going grocery shopping braless.”

Lisa had been relieved when Braden left of his own accord the night before, but she gave him an earful when he woke her up early this morning. He had called with a ridiculous proposition, the result of which found them sitting here in his truck on the far side of a Kroger parking lot in Duluth.

“Deal’s a deal,” he shrugged.

“But it’s freezing in there!”

“Is it?” he asked with phony innocence.

A flash of humiliation sent a charge to her clit. The fact that she was getting turned on by this was more embarrassing than the public indecency. “Pick something else. You can’t possibly understand how naked I feel when the girls are loose. I don’t even go braless in my house!”

“You went braless in your back yard.”

“Only because I didn’t expect to see anyone!” He laughed at her and she glared back. “If I do this, you swear you’ll retake the MCAT?”

“Yep.” They had a staring contest, which Lisa promptly lost.

She sighed and reached back under her pale pink t-shirt for her bra hooks, then paused. “And soon. Not like a year from now or something.”

“Soon. Like a month.” He watched through lowered lashes as she unhooked her bra, slipped an arm through a strap, and pulled the whole thing out the other sleeve.

She dropped the bra in his lap and tugged her shirt back in place. “And you’ll study this time.”

“I will study this time.” He fingered the smooth pink satin, enjoying the texture.

“And apply to med schools after.”

“You’re asking an awful lot for one little trip to Kroger,” he said. “Applications... that’s another negotiation entirely.”

She frowned at him, but opted not to debate it yet. Her heart was pounding and her nipples were already tight with anticipation. “Let’s just get this over with.”

As planned, Braden walked in first and loitered near a seasonal beer display. Lisa took a cart and headed toward the produce section, knowing he would casually follow. It occurred to her that “horny and ridiculous” was a strange mix of emotions. She avoided eye contact with other shoppers and crossed her arms near a mother with young kids. When she stopped to bag some apples, her phone buzzed with a text.
Banana guy is staring.

She risked a glance and saw a nerdy middle-aged man who seemed very concerned with choosing the right bunch of bananas. She responded:
Yeah. At bananas.

You almost caught him but he was watching YOU beautiful.
Then he added,
Go get some popsicles.

I don’t need popsicles.

He grinned as her phone buzzed.
I’m in the mood for something cold.

Lisa gave him the evil eye and turned down the freezer aisle. She found the popsicles and opened the freezer door to take a box. The blast of icy air took her breath away and made her nipples strain against the fitted shirt. She walked past Braden, pretending not to know him. Pretending not to feel his stare or to hear him curse under his breath.

As she looked at fresh bread in the bakery, he texted:
Stock boy piled bagels on top of donuts.
LOL he has no idea.
You’re so hot he can’t stop looking at you.

She rolled her eyes.
Of course people are looking at me!
I’ve got big tits jiggling around a grocery store without a bra!

She heard him chuckle as she chose a loaf of sourdough bread and added it to her cart.

“Finding everything okay, ma’am?” The store manager appeared beside her. At least she assumed he was the store manager, given the mustache, circa 1980.

“Yes, thanks. I’m about done, actually.” Better to leave by choice than be thrown out for indecent exposure, right?

To her surprise, his face fell. “Oh. Well, uh, here’s my card. If there’s ever anything you want that we don’t stock, just give me a call and I’ll take care of you. I mean, I’ll put in an order for you.”

“Okay. Thanks.” Her phone buzzed as she walked away.

Do you believe me yet?
He grinned at her over a dessert display.

She shook her head and headed toward the front of the store.

I haven’t checked out anyone else’s junk, but I’m so hard from looking at you, I might have to violate this pie.

Her laugh was so loud, Mr. Mustache dropped his sticker gun. She tapped out:
Sorry your plan didn’t have the effect you intended. It did have a side effect, though. Forget the pie and get me out of here.

Braden must’ve sprinted across the parking lot, because he was waiting at the curb in his truck as soon as she had checked out. He hit the gas before she even had her seat belt on.

Lisa’s jaw dropped when she saw the bulge in his jeans. “Wow. You weren’t kidding.” She ran a finger up and down his thigh. “Is all that for me?”

He took her hand and pressed it against his erection. “And lots more where that came from.” She squeezed him and he made a sharp turn into an office complex. They thumped over a speed bump as he drove them past building after building.

“What are you doing?” The truck rocked to a stop in an empty dead-end parking area, in front of a building with a “for lease” sign.

He kissed her hard, almost viciously. “It’s too long a drive. I won’t make it.” Unbuckling her seat belt, he dragged her across the seat to straddle him.

His mouth was delicious. She nipped at his lips and licked his tongue, rubbed her tits against his hard chest and rocked her aching cunt on his cock. He gathered the back of her shirt in a fist, pulling it tight against her breasts, further flaunting their hard, dusky tips to his hungry eyes. His hand slipped under her shirt to pluck at a nipple while he bit and sucked the other through the fabric.

Lisa pressed her crotch down on him, grinding, desperate for contact. “We’ve gotta be quick. If we get arrested, you might as well shoot me.” Shifting to the side, she wiggled out of her shorts as he opened his jeans and freed his cock. She could smell her arousal and knew he could, too. Lowering herself to his lap, she slid her pussy along his hard shaft, audibly wet.

“Wait. Shit,” he lifted her off of him. “I don’t have a condom.”

She groaned. “We could go back to the store... But you’re clean, right?”

“Yeah. We got tested all the time for football. I haven’t been celibate since then, but I’ve always used a condom.”

“All right, well, I’m clean, too. Mostly from lack of use,” she pouted. “And I can’t get pregnant, so...”

“So.” He lifted her by the hips and impaled her in one swift, smooth motion. They could hear how wet she was. “
Fuck
you feel good.” He shoved her shirt up to toy with her breasts, flicking his tongue over one nipple then the other. With each flick, her pussy clenched, her clit throbbed.

Lisa planted her knees on either side of his hips, held onto his seat back, and raised and lowered herself, riding his cock. She gasped when the head of him rubbed her in just the right spot. “I’m gonna come on you,” she panted. “I guess you don’t need the heads-up so much since there’s really no mess involved, but I thought you’d like to know.”

She felt him smile as he nipped her neck. “Thanks for sharing. I’m close, too.” Then he pistoned up into her, hard and deep. “In the interest of not getting caught, how ‘bout we both... come... right...
now
.”

Five minutes later, they were dressed and back on the road.

Braden grinned at her. “I can’t believe that worked.”

“When you get home, you’re gonna register for the MCAT, right?”

“You call that pillow talk?” he grumbled.

“Do you see any pillows?”

He leered at her chest and she swatted his arm.

“No. I’m not.”

She sputtered, “What? A deal’s a deal! You made me do something really embarrassing, something I never would’ve done except-- Why are you laughing?” She swatted him again.

“I’m not gonna register when I get home, because I already did it.”

Lisa brightened. “That’s great! I’m so--” she gasped. “Oh my god! You’re such a dick. Why did you make me do that?”

He gave her a sidelong glance and a slow, crooked smile.

She squirmed in her seat, ready for him again. “Dick,” she grumbled.

“Are you gonna make me drag it out of you?” Natalie was giving her that look like she could see into her soul.

She had missed her friend and was happy to get the text that morning:
I can squeeze in a quick lunch if you’re free.
Days ago, Lisa had been desperate to confide in her, but now... She froze with her sandwich halfway to her mouth.

“Drag what?”

“Your date with Thomas. Tell me.” She popped a cherry tomato in her mouth. “But don’t get graphic, ‘cause I still have to work with him.”

She relaxed a little. “It was nice. He’s a nice guy.”

Natalie stabbed at her salad. “That sounds boring as hell.”

“We had a great dinner at that new fusion place. Riding in his convertible didn’t turn my hair into a nest. That was a surprise. He walked me to the door, I kissed him on the cheek and that was it.” She shrank as Nat studied her.

“You gonna see him again? ‘Cause you look stressed. You need to get laid.”

Lisa’s belly laugh came out before she could stop it. She slapped a hand over her mouth.

Nat arched an eyebrow. “So you did sleep with him?”

“No. I did not sleep with Thomas.” That last bite of turkey and swiss on rye felt like paste in her mouth.

Natalie narrowed her eyes, then lit up like a Christmas tree and leaned across the table. “Tell me
everything
. Don’t skimp on the details.”

“He’s young and sweet and hot. We had sex,” she shrugged, hoping it was enough.

“That bad, huh? A lot of fumbling around?”

She sighed. “He doesn’t fumble.”

Nat fixed her with a stare. “I work on the chain gang. I will never touch anything that beautiful. So for my own vicarious and prurient interest, you need to be a little more forthcoming with the info.”

Lisa started at the beginning and caught her up on things, glossing over some of the more embarrassing aspects such as sprinklers, video chat and bralessness. “There. You happy? He’s gorgeous, he’s smart, and he knows his way around a vagina.”

“Lucky,” her friend pouted.

“It’s terrifying, but I’m trying to think of it like a once-in-a-lifetime vacation to Hawaii or someplace.” She played with the straw in her iced tea. “You can’t stay forever and you can’t come back, so you’ve gotta experience all of it while you’re there. And even though you’ll be heartbroken when it’s time to check out and go home, the trip was totally worth it.”

“So very, very lucky...” Nat sighed and checked her phone. “Crap. I have to get back.”

They hugged on the sidewalk, agreeing to spend more time together once Natalie had her partnership in the bag.

“‘WHICH OF THE following is not a distinguishing characteristic of a species?’”

Lisa looked up from the MCAT review materials scattered across her kitchen table. Braden watched her with hungry eyes, idly rubbing his thumb through the condensation on his iced tea glass. She narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you with me here?”

“Yep. ‘Which of the following is not a distinguishing characteristic of a species?’”

“Okay... Is it the sharing of a common gene pool; reproductive isolation from all other groups; ability to mate within the group--”

“Ability to mate within the group. Give me a harder one.”

“They’re all hard to me...” She skimmed the page. “‘Which of the following vertebrate tissues or organs is best adapted for anaerobic respiration? Skeletal muscle; brain; cardiac muscle; or smooth muscle?’”

He thought a moment. “Skeletal?”

“Yeah, that’s right. You’re doing great so far.”

Hooking a foot under her chair, he pulled her between his knees. “I’ve been studying. Like I promised.” He scooped his hands under her ass and pulled her onto his lap, where her bottom was greeted by his growing erection. He pushed her chair away with his foot. “I think I deserve some positive reinforcement.”

She squirmed against him while his mouth did delicious things to her neck. “Mm... you make a powerful argument,” she conceded, sliding off his lap to kneel between his legs. She took her time unfastening his jeans, freeing his cock. “But you’ve been working so hard, it wouldn’t be right for you to miss any study time...”

He pushed her hair off her face and melted her insides with a grin. “I’ll be fine.”

She continued as if he hadn’t spoken, “I’m gonna take a little break, now, but while I’m on break,
you’re
going to read the passage on cardiac imaging.” She wrapped both hands around the thick base of him. “And when my break’s over, I expect you to answer all the questions correctly.”

“You’re kidding.”

She shrugged. “I guess I don’t really need a break...”

His cock twitched in her hands. “Damn. You’re kind of evil,” he rasped and found the passage she’d assigned. “You gonna make me read out loud?”

“Up to you, long as you’re able to take it all in.” Her eyes sparkled as she placed a tiny kiss at the very tip of him. “My break starts when you start,” she clarified, her lower lip brushing him as she spoke.

He glared down at her, then began reading, “‘Cardiac radionuclide imaging is’ --
fuck
-- ‘relatively easy to perform and exposes patients to--’” he growled as she took him to the back of her throat, “‘--exposes patients to less radiation than comparable X-ray studies.’”

She hummed around him, enjoying his taste and his satiny hardness on her tongue.

“
Jesus
, you’re good at that.”

She lifted her mouth from him. Slick with saliva, his cock stood deeply flushed and granite-hard in her hands. “Keep reading,” she smiled sweetly.

The struggle to focus on the words seemed to help him stave off his orgasm. He read the rest of the passage through gritted teeth, barely making it to the last paragraph. “‘The volume of infracted, ischemic, and normal myocardium can be quantified, which is’ --
god,
if you don’t move, I’m gonna come in your mouth.”

Wordlessly communicating her intent, she deepened her suction and slipped a hand down to tug gently on his balls, one fingertip teasing the sensitive skin behind them.

The last words rushed out of him on a groan, “‘--which is valuable in determining prognosis.’
Fuck!
” He tossed the book and grabbed her hair with both hands -- not that he needed to hold her in place. Her lips sealed around him as he pumped down her throat. She licked him clean and tucked him away as his grip on her hair gradually loosened.

Pushing off from his muscular thighs, she returned to her own chair. His long-lidded eyes widened a little when she wiped a drop from the corner of her mouth and sucked it from her fingertip.

Thinking back on it the next day, Lisa chuckled. The look on Braden’s face when he had answered all the questions correctly was priceless. It came as no surprise to her -- she knew how smart he was. She was also not surprised when he laid her out on the kitchen table and tried to convince her to help him study like that all through med school, if he got in. He was damned persuasive, but Lisa was pretty sure she’d not made any promises she couldn’t keep.

At least, she hadn’t before he made stars explode in her head. And after that, she wasn’t really capable of speech. Hell, she was still on the table and had barely opened her eyes when he’d kissed her goodbye and left for work.

His bar tending job was a godsend, she thought. She loved spending time with him -- both naked and not -- and more than she should. It was just as well he worked most nights, since, in the name of self-preservation, she couldn’t let him spend the night in her bed. In three years, no one but she and Jake had slept in her home.

Jake
. She logged into her bank account and cringed. Having her fees cut had made the bleak financial landscape bleaker. She paid a couple of late bills, then sent as much to Jake’s camp as she could without bouncing the mortgage payment. It wasn’t the full amount owed, but hopefully the camp director would appreciate her effort and not send Jake home early. Although Vance was apparently ignoring personal email while in Europe, she sent him another scathing note, anyway. She prayed Jake’s summer wouldn’t be ruined by his dad’s selfishness.

The next weeks were busy with underpaid and over-dull catalogue work. She didn’t see Braden much, as his test date was approaching and he needed to study for the physical sciences section. The complex formulas and chemistry made her head spin, but he seemed to have a good grasp of it.

Lisa had wished him luck the night before the MCAT, not that he needed it. Braden was so sharply intelligent, it was sad how few people acknowledged the brilliant mind tucked inside that gorgeous man. He called on his way home from the test, exhausted but confident he had done well. She was proud that he was finally willing to embrace his own intellect. One day soon, when he went off to med school and Lisa was left wrecked and alone, she would find comfort in knowing she did that for him.

She had expected him to sleep for a week after the exam, but sometime the next morning he showed up to trim her hedges. He must not have wanted to wake her, because she didn’t even know he was out there until she was sipping her first cup of coffee. She watched him through the kitchen window as she had a month ago, admiring the glistening muscles of his sweat-slicked chest and arms.

And as she did a month ago, she brought him a glass of tea. “Good morning, Doctor.”

“Thanks, beautiful. I didn’t wake you, did I?” As always, his dimpled grin dampened her panties.

“Nope. But I wouldn’t have minded if you did.” She watched him drain the tall glass in four deep swallows. Condensation dripped on his chest, but unlike when that happened a month ago, she didn’t pretend not to notice. Instead, she followed its trail with her tongue, and felt his whole body harden as he hissed in a breath. Taking the cold, empty glass, she drew a wet line on him connecting one tight nipple to the other, then down the ridges of his hard stomach to trace the low waistband of his shorts.

“No, ma’am.” He captured her hand before it could palm his erection. “I’ve missed you too much to fuck you on a lawn chair.” His thumb stroked her palm, sending a tingle directly her clit. “Let me go home and grab a quick shower. And when I get back, I’m gonna take my time with you.” His eyes and voice were so full of intent, she felt herself cream.

“That sounds promising, except the part where you leave. I’ll throw your clothes in the wash and you can shower here.” She took her hand from his grasp and stroked his hard-on where it tented his shorts. “I’d buy a ticket to see that.”

Her master bathroom wasn’t huge, but she had always loved the shower. With its thick, clear glass walls, built-in bench and rainfall shower head, it had the feel of a private spa. It was where she was best able to relax -- in part, because the separate hand-held sprayer had practically been her boyfriend the last three years.

When Lisa came back from tossing in the laundry, the bathroom door was wide open and the shower was going. The steamy air smelled like sunflowers. Braden’s eyes were closed, his head tipped back as he rinsed shampoo from his hair. She sat on the counter and watched the sudsy water sluice over every perfect golden inch of him. His penis stood at half-mast, and she wondered if he was
ever
fully-flaccid.

She must’ve made a noise because his eyes popped open, wet lashes dark and spiky over the deep blue-green. His bee-stung lips curved in sexy invitation. “You look dirty. I think you’d best get in here.” He worked the bar of soap into a lather. Much like he did to her.

“Nope, I’m clean. Only my mind is dirty.” No way was she going to strip for him in the brightly-lit bathroom. It was embarrassing enough letting him see her by the light of the little bedside lamp.

He gripped his hardening cock, soaping it with slow, sudsy strokes. “I’ll make it worth your while.”

Lisa’s mouth went dry and she clenched her jaw. Her hands itched to lather him up. Her breasts swelled at the thought of him doing the same to her. “No, thanks. I’m enjoying the show from here.”

His eyes narrowed at her, but he dropped the subject -- as well as the object of their mutual affection. He looked disappointed. Hell, she was disappointed, too. He rinsed off quickly and efficiently.
Show’s over
, she sighed. When he opened the shower door, she handed him a towel, not daring to make eye contact.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured. “Are you mad?”

“Yeah. I am.” He wrapped the towel around his waist, then took her neck between his warm, damp hands and stroked her jaw with his thumbs. His eyes were a riot of emotion. “But not at you. I’m pissed at Vance. At Hollywood. At fashion magazines. Whoever’s responsible for you not knowing how absolutely fucking beautiful you are.” Thank god he kissed her then, else he might’ve seen the tears before she could blink them back.

Hours later, Braden had more than made good on his promise to take his time with her. They had started in the bedroom, then he’d followed her into the laundry room and they spent some time there working up a thirst, so they made a detour to the kitchen, and ultimately settled on the soft living room rug with Lisa’s head resting on his chest.

He idly ran his fingers through her hair. “Thank you.”

“I think I should be thanking
you.
”

“Not for that,” he chuckled. “I want you to know I really appreciate how you push me, believe in me.” She kissed his chest, too sated to move. He continued, “You got me to re-take the MCAT, something I never thought I’d do. And you know, the studying was hard, but I didn’t really mind it. I feel different. Smarter.”

“I’m glad,” she smiled, drowsily.

“It’s all thanks to you. And now I’m ready to negotiate for my med school applications.”

“We settled all that at Kroger, remember?”

“I remember explaining that applications would be a separate negotiation.”

She scowled. “That’s unfair, considering how you duped me last time.”

“I won’t dupe you again.”

“Do I get to wear a bra this time?” she teased.

“No. You get to wear nothing.”

“I’m wearing nothing, now, so I guess I’ve upheld my side of the bargain.”

He pinched her ass. “If you want me to apply to med schools, you’ll model nude for a life drawing class.” She couldn’t see his face, but his voice was serious.

She sat up and hugged a throw pillow as a shield. “You think embarrassing the hell out of me will improve my self-image?” In theory, it sounded kind of sexy. The idea of actually doing it, however, sounded like something out of a nightmare.

“I took life drawing as an elective last year. No one cares what you look like, whether it’s my image of you or yours. Their models are all ages, shapes and sizes. The artists are respectful. It’s not a sexual atmosphere at all.”

She was confused. “So why do you want me to do it?”

He started to pry the throw pillow away from her, then sighed and let her hang onto it. After what seemed like a struggle to choose his words, he said, “Because I love your body, and I want you to love it, too.”