New
Game
An
Aces Played Short Story
Judith
I hadn’t watched a
Santa this closely since I was five. Of course, at the time I thought the jolly
old man at the mall was the Santa, and
tonight at least part of me was hoping this Santa had
something for me in his magic sack.
Of course, most
Santas didn’t look as good as Xander, either. The streaks of silver mixed with
brown that peeked out from under his hat were natural, as was the salt and
pepper beard. His Santa outfit was multiple layers of deceptive, hiding a
large, muscular build under padding, and tattoos under long sleeves.
He stopped next to
one of dozens of Rincon signs dotted around the
convention center, to pose for yet another picture with a smiling child.
“Admiring our handy
work?” Chloe’s question caught me off-guard.
I was never
off-guard. Time to stop staring at the pretty man and get back to it.
“Something like that.”
Chloe and I hadn’t
put this event together ourselves, but we did manage the teams who had.
Rinslet’s inaugural gaming convention. She was the company’s VP of all things
creative and I was the same for Operations.
She looked past me at
Xander, who was posing with another kid. “He is pretty.”
“Deceptively so.”
Underneath the smiling exterior was a sadist. One of the things I liked about
him was he knew when to whip that out. “What’s up?”
“I need your
expertise and presence if you’re up for it. New guy.”
I grinned. “Of course
I am.” One thing I loved about doing client and partner meetings with Chloe was
the way people tended to underestimate us. Two petite women in tech who people
assumed joined a meeting together because we were meek. New guy meant this one wasn’t familiar with our
reputation.
Introducing ourselves
would take my mind off the reason I was waiting for Xander.
Except it didn’t. I
gave the meeting enough attention to make sure Chloe had my support when she
needed it, and to present a united front. My thoughts were on a far more
lucrative decision I needed to make.
I’d built a career on
taking risks and pushing limits, but I always had enough information to go into
the decisions before I took the leap. Except my failed marriage. I followed my
gut there and discovered I needed more from a man than a big dick and good
orgasms. Those helped, but…
That had nothing to
do with this except that it was another terrifying decision, and I didn’t
normally do fear. Rinslet had become one of the two biggest gaming companies in
the world, climbing from the ashes to soar here.
Some of us who had
been here for a long time, since before the fall, wanted to get back into being
on the cutting edge. We had a game idea. They had all signed on and were
brilliant minds.
The only hold-out was
me. The person who would run it all, fund a lot of it, and make sure other
groups funded the rest. No one was better suited for this job, but the idea
pushed so many limits and if we put it out there before the world was ready, it
would crash and burn.
I had until the New
Year to make up my mind.
Chloe and I wrapped
things up with the vendor, who was far more polite than when the meeting
started, and I went in search of Xander.
Apparently Santa was
done for the night and nowhere to be found.
I sent him a quick
text asking if he was ready to go, and stepped away from the thinning crowds to
see if I could spot him.
We’d been friends
since high school. We’d been there for each other through heartbreak, divorce,
ruin, and amazing salvation. We also very occasionally fucked—friends with benefits sounded so tame—and tonight
that seemed like a good Christmas present to both of us when everything was
over.
“Sit on Santa’s lap
and tell him what you want, little girl?” His low, teasing voice filled my
thoughts and his hot breath brushed my cheek when he leaned in from behind me.
My smile popped into
place without permission, and I leaned into him enough to feel the muscle under
the suit. I wouldn’t be obscene with Santa in front of the children or media.
“Is that a candy cane in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?” I kept
my voice low enough only he would hear.
He held a miniature,
individually wrapped candy cane in front of my face. “What do you think?”
“I think I like a guy
who knows size isn’t the only thing that matters.”
His chuckle was
more I can’t want to make you scream later and less ho ho ho. “Are you ready to get out of here?”
“Can we go someplace
you’ll leave the suit on?” We had a stop to make first, but there was a whole
night after that.
“Depends on if you
behave at dinner.”
I was the one who
laughed this time. “I didn’t plan on it.” I didn’t submit to anyone in the
boardroom or the bedroom, it was another reason I’d clashed with my ex. But
with Xander, we’d been exposed to each other in far more intimate ways than
sex, and sometimes a little yielding on my part took the edge off the rest of
life.
We ditched the coat
from his outfit in his car, and he pulled on a sweater instead. Simple, cream
colored, and hugging every inch of muscle on his torso, with the red pants
still in place? That was as hot as anything.
We crossed the street
to the hotel across from the convention center, and headed toward their
signature restaurant. I needed a neutral legal opinion on some aspects of this business,
and a friend had referred me to the man we were meeting with, as someone who
would give me an unbiased legal opinion.
Xander was the only
person outside of our group and their significant others who knew the details
of this concept. He was already onboard to invest and pushing me to sign on.
But only if I was comfortable with it.
The foyer was
crowded, but the lone businessman wearing an expensive suit and a stern
expression stood out.
“Are you Dominic?” I
asked.
He turned his gaze on
me and studied me with eyes so dark they were almost black. He wasn’t quite as
big and built as Xander, but he still towered over me, and that stern
expression was wow. A polite smile slipped onto
his face. “I am. Judith?”
“Pleasure to meet
you. Thank you for making time for me tonight.” I extended my hand.
His grip was firm and
tantalizing. I hoped he had some lucky woman or man waiting at home for him to
use that plus his smoldering stare on. “Not a problem.”
I introduced Xander
as well, gave the host my name for my reservation, and we were shown to a
table.
We were only here for
drinks and conversation, but the moment Xander ordered appetizers, I realized
how hungry I was. “Make that a double order,” I told the waiter.
Xander shook his head
as the man walked away. “You haven’t eaten all day, have you?”
Guilty as charged. I
tended to forget food when I had more important things on my mind. “I had a
muffin for breakfast and enough coffee since then to kill a mule.”
“Good thing you’re more
stubborn than one,” Xander teased.
Dominic didn’t look
so amused. He didn’t look like he was feeling much of anything. Reading him
would be interesting, but fortunately this was an advice session, not a
negotiation. “What can I do for you this evening?” he asked.
“We’re looking to
create an MMORPG—a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game—”
“I know what the
acronym means.”
I raised my brows,
unimpressed at being cut off. If he didn’t know what it meant, I’d be more
concerned, since he was supposed to be well versed in tech. “—that will contain
a large amount of adult content.”
“Don’t most of them?”
Dominic asked.
“Like graphic
depictions of people fucking.” Xander went straight for the punchline. “More
than two people at once. Orgies. The like.”
Dominic still didn’t
flinch.
I wasn’t willing to
give out too much information, since there were some innovative concepts
involved in the plan, but we did need to tell him enough to get answers. I
filled in a few more highlights, and was wrapping up as our food arrived.
I dove into the
cheese dip like a ravenous child, enough to sate the gnawing in my stomach,
while the men nibbled.
“So what is it I can do for you?” Dominic repeated.
Make up my mind for
me. Tell me this was a stupid idea. Crack just enough for me to get a read on
that gorgeously stony exterior. “I want to know what the legal repercussions
are. I’ve considered several, but I won’t list them. I want to hear your
thoughts. What do you feel I should look out for, what could bite me in the ass
if I’m not prepared for it, and will this fuck me over when things go wrong?”
“Business will always
fuck you over if things go wrong enough,” Dominic said.
“But how wrong is
that, really?” Xander’s smirk was the antithesis to Dominic’s marble
expression. “I mean, sometimes getting fucked, even when it’s wrong—”
“Sexual harassment.”
Dominic did seem to like to talk over people. “That’s the number one thing that
will bite you in the ass.”
Was it wrong that I
thought it was hot, the way he and Xander clashed? Oil and water. Fire and ice.
“Sexual harassment is
a concern in most companies, especially in tech,” I said. “I don’t disagree
with you, but how is this different?” I had my own thoughts on the matter, and
I’d looped through them from multiple angles, but I was here to hear Dominic’s.
“You’re starting a
company were discussing explicit sexual acts won’t just be a daily occurrence,
they’ll be a requirement of the job.”
“So if Man One were
to ask Woman One her thoughts on double penetration, and what would make it
more pleasurable to both of them…” Xander left the thought hanging.
Did the corner of
Dominic’s mouth just twitch? “First of all, double penetration implies at least
three people, so grammatically the question is what would make it more
pleasurable for all three of them. Second, in almost every office in the world,
that conversation would be harassment. And lastly, I’m here to consult, not be
tested.”
I could argue that we
weren’t poking at his edges, to see what gave, but he was right. And Xander had
only just started. It was almost a shame this was a business meeting, because
Mr. Dominic the Lawyer was a kind of wound-up I knew all too well, and I also
knew good sex released a lot of that tension.
I’d love to see the
sparks fly between him and Xander. Even better, I’d love to be the filling on
that sandwich.
But there was work to
do. “Sexual harassment. Noted. What else do I need to consider?”
We went down a list,
and he hit most of the points on my list, as well as others I hadn’t even
considered. As we talked, we worked our way through the food, and stuck to
coffee rather than liquor. We had finished up and I’d paid the bill, much to
both men’s dismay, but were still talking.
“All well and good,
but the harassment will be an issue regardless.” Apparently Xander was a dog
with a bone about this. “How does she get around that?”
“Like anything
sexual, consent and honesty need to be part of the conversation.” Dominic’s
glance at me heated my blood. “People need to know the topic will come up, and
also understand that it’s up to them to be adults about how they handle it.”
Xander leaned in.
“Care to provide an example?”
“Of course.” Dominic
met and held my gaze. “If I were to offer to finger you under the table, to see
how long it took you until you cracked, and you were to jerk me off in return,
while Bad Santa over there watched, and the suggestion made you uncomfortable,
that would be harassment.”
Touché. And if he was
expecting me to back down, he was about to learn a thing or two. “What if your
offer made me wet, instead of uncomfortable. And Bad Santa doesn’t tend to
watch. He’s more of a hands-on kind of guy.”
“Watching is exactly
what any Santa does, good or bad.” Dominic’s stare was going to burn a hole
through my soul.
Xander chuckled.
“Sounds both naughty and nice. I’m in.”
I wanted to shoot him
a glance, but I couldn’t look away. “Easy for you to say. You get to sit back
and watch.”
“Because that’s not
torture?” he countered.
“Because you won’t
take yours later?” Dominic asked. “And if it turns you on, rather than offends
you, and nothing professional hinges on the exchange, it’s not harassment.”
I’d call him on the
way he’d just oversimplified things, but I was too enthralled by his
suggestion. I covered his hand with mine, and moved both to my leg, at the hem
of my skirt.
Dominic’s face still
didn’t so much as twitch as he shoved my skirt up, and inched his fingers along
the inside of my thigh.
This was a horrible
place for foreplay, but I didn’t need it anyway. I was already turned on by the
clash between Xander and Dominic, and the fact that we were in public and I had
an almost-stranger’s hand gliding toward my pussy.
I swallowed a gasp
and spread my legs when he brushed the crotch of my panties, but I refused to
crack.
This time I was
certain I saw a smile tug up one corner of Dominic’s mouth.
Xander wasn’t hiding
anything. He looked amused as fuck.
Dominic pushed aside
my panties, and teased toward my opening. I was slick with anticipation, and
his touch glided easily along my skin. He slipped inside me just enough to
penetrate, before withdrawing and gliding up to my clit.
My nipples were hard
and tight against my bra, straining the lace. I swore everyone in here knew
what we were up to, despite there being a tablecloth keeping anyone from seeing.
My pulse hammered in my ears with each touch and stroke from Dominic. He really
knew how to use those fingers.
If anyone figured out
what we were up to, would it turn them on too? Would someone else go home and
get laid tonight, fantasizing about our display? Hell, could I go home and get
laid tonight, based on this?
The way Xander
watched us said yes.
The longer Dominic
stroked my clit, the closer I pushed to orgasm. I tried to focus on not letting
any reaction show, but my chest was heaving. I couldn’t look at anything but my
clenched fists, or I’d lose my composure.
Climax spilled
through me, and I nearly bit a hole through my cheek trying to keep it from
showing. Just as the pleasure started to ebb, Dominic slipped his fingers
inside me again, drawing out the moment, as I clenched tight around him.
He slipped out of me
without comment, and I struggled to catch my breath.
Xander pushed a glass
of water toward me. “Impressive. You almost melted the Ice Queen. You’ll have
to be positively glacial to win this one.”
“We haven’t
established stakes,” Dominic said.
That didn’t sound
like a me problem. “It’s a bit late for that, since we’ve
already started. Are you backing out?”
He shook his head
.”Most definitely not.”
“Do the three of you
need anything else?” The waiter chose that moment to interrupt.
Why did this all make
me squirm almost as much as when Dominic was touching me?
“We’re fine, thank
you.” Xander never missed a beat.
As the waiter walked
away, I pushed my skirt up a little higher, enough to grab my panties.
“What are you up to?”
Xander eyed me as I shifted in my seat.
I slid the underwear
down my legs, cleaned myself up a little—they were ruined anyway—and set them
on the bench between Dominic and me.
He raised an eyebrow,
and I turned away from the questioning look as if it didn’t mean a thing. I
watched Xander instead as I tugged down Dominic’s zipper. He was already hard,
which made working him free difficult, but I figured it out.
I wanted to risk a
glance at his exposed cock, but that felt too much like revealing how much I
was enjoying this. My hand would have to tell me the full story, and it was
telling an impressively big tale.
I grabbed my panties
again, and glided the smooth, damp silk along his skin when I gripped his
shaft.
He clenched his jaw.
The only regret I had
so far was with my panties gone, I was going to leave a wet spot on the back of
my skirt. But he started this and I was going to finish it. I watched Dominic,
looking for a clue as to what he was thinking or feeling. Fuck he was good. Stoic. Gorgeous.
When he tightened
under my touch, a quiet fuck slipped
out under his breath. His hips came up and his ass rose off the seat. I felt
the warm spurt of his climax through the panties I’d wrapped around him, when
he came.
Was it wrong to want
to gloat as I eased my touch off? I was too turned on, still, to put too much
thought into it. I was definitely going to provoke Xander into something when
we got out of here, if he wasn’t already.
“Pretty sure the lady
wins.” Xander took care of the looking smug on my behalf.
Dominic’s laugh was
strained, but it was distinctly a laugh. “I know when I’ve been beat.” He took
the panties from me and shoved them in his jacket pocket. “Not complaining
about the outcome though. Anything else I can do for you this evening?” Like
that, his composure was back.
Damn, he was good. “I
think what you’ve offered has been incredibly helpful. Thank you for your
time.”
“You two kill me.”
Xander rolled his eyes. “There’s enough repression between the two of you to
imprison a small planet.”
“You ought to try it
sometime. Showing some composure.” Yup, Dominic was back.
Xander shook his
head. “No thanks. Wouldn’t want to deprive either of you. Pretty sure you’ve
made it a finite resource. Can we walk you out?”
“Since we’re going
the same way, that makes sense,” Dominic said.
When I stood, he was
ready with my coat, which was long enough to cover any wet spot on my skirt.
Xander led us through
a back hallway toward a tucked away exit. The hallway wasn’t labeled staff only, but most of what was down here looked like
it was for employees.
As we reached an open
door with light spilling onto the carpet. Xander grabbed my wrist and yanked me
inside, and Dominic followed, closing the door behind us.
That the clash between
them had become this kind of synchronicity was scary-hot.
Amid linen and other
room supplies, Xander pressed his body to mine, pinning me to the wall. “You
didn’t think that display out there would go unanswered.”
“I hoped it
wouldn’t.”
He bit my neck where
it met my shoulder, and my desire spiked. He moved his mouth to my ear. “I’m
glad you gave him your panties.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because I want my
cum running down your leg while you walk to your car. While you drive home.”
Dominic’s groan
matched my whimper. I couldn’t hide the reaction, but I could gloss over it.
“You’re such an asshole.”
“Yup.” Xander was
rough when he shoved my skirt up around my hips.
I returned the favor
by freeing his cock.
He was strong enough,
and enough bigger than me, that he made it look effortless when he grabbed my
hips and lifted me. I wrapped my legs around his waist, sighing in delight as
he slid inside me.
Dominic teased my
breast through my shirt. “I don’t know how he kept his hands to himself.”
“All about proving a
point.” Xander’s voice trailed off as he pumped in me, starting slow and
building to a fast, hard pounding.
I gripped tight,
enjoying the desperation in this moment. That spot he hit inside me at just the
right angle. And when Dominic worked his hand between us, and sought out my
clit again. I was both too tender and not sensitive enough for this kind of
touch, and I dug my nails into Xander’s back.
He grunted in
response, and fucked me harder.
Dominic’s skilled
touch worked me past the physical wall of resistance, and pleasure built inside
me again. Orgasm felt out of reach, until it crashed around me.
Xander’s familiar
grunts blended with voices in the hallway, and my anticipation soared as he
spilled inside me. The talking outside moved away again, but my heart still
hammered against my ribs from the entire thing.
Xander was gentle as
he lowered me to my feet, but the three of us stayed tangled in a knot as we
caught our breath.
I wasn’t new to
taking risks, but since my divorce, they’d all been calculated. I had mountains
of data before walking into any situation. I didn’t have that for the decision
I was about to make, and that was why it terrified me.
Tonight was reckless
and out of control, though. If Dominic hadn’t been up for the challenge, if the
media had gotten hold of the news, if most people outside the company found
out… I could’ve been ruined. And I didn’t regret a minute of what we’d done.
If I didn’t step up
and take this opportunity, I was going to regret letting it pass me by.
“What are you thinking,
Judy?” Xander murmured against my skin.
No one called me
that. Ever. But with him, tonight, it was right. “I’m thinking I need Dominic’s
business card, and to secure his legal services. Let’s play this hand and see
what happens.”
~*~
To find out what
becomes of the company in question, and to find out where Judith, Xander, and
Dominic are now, check out my Three Player Tag-Team series.
.png)
.png)
