STORY EXCERPT

“A bunch of us are heading out for a drink after rehearsal. You should come with us.” Will smiled down at her, his invitation open and honest, albeit shocking.

She looked out over the dozen or so people meandering around the stage area, not surprised they hadn’t told her about the communal happy hour. Only a handful of them even knew her name, and even fewer had actually spoken to her. Just like in every other part of her life, she was invisible, and that was how she wanted it. That was why she worked backstage. The idea of spending the night at a bar, drinking next to them while they talked around her like she was a potted plant turned her stomach. Even worse, she’d have to watch Will flirt with all the other women and never look twice in her direction.

“Thanks. But not tonight.”

Amy turned the cuff up, pinning it in place around Will’s ankles. His feet were long and flat against the wood boards of the stage floor, calling to mind what her friend Mallory had said last time she’d seen her, about her two boyfriends Gabe and Lincoln proving that big hands and big feet really did mean big equipment. Her face flushed as she connected the thought to the man before her.

“Come on, Amy,” Will continued, unaware of the direction of her thoughts. “It’s April first. Play a trick on yourself. Come out and have some fun with us.”

She cast a glance upward to answer him, but stopped midway. Her eyes focused straight at the bulge between his legs. The codpiece she’d created displayed the strain below his belt prominently. Was Mallory’s theory right? Was he really as long and thick beneath the Shakespearean costume as his feet suggested? Her temperature multiplied, and she dropped her eyes quickly back to the ground before Will could see the blush no doubt coloring her cheeks.

Her long curls brushed along the length of his thighs and calves as she shook her head. “I need to finish these costumes before rehearsal tomorrow. Edmund wants to do a couple of dry runs in them before we open next week so there’s no chance for surprises.”

Edmund, the director, had been very clear about his expectations, and she’d agreed to them, no matter how many nights she’d have to stay up to finish the costumes or paint the sets. Between the extra pay and the additional credits on her resume, she couldn’t afford to let him down.

With all the cuts being made on the district budget, it was only a matter of time before her drama teacher salary and the money for her department took a hit, and she wanted to be prepared. Besides, she liked helping bring a little more theater to their small town. And Shakespeare was her favorite playwright.

“You’re all done.” Amy set the last pin in place, marking where to sew to fit the costume right to his body. She stood up, trying to hide the slight flutter of her breath when Will gazed directly at her in that focused stare of his.

Something about the way Will looked at her, as if he could see through her, deep into a place even she couldn’t reach, had her insides quivering. No one else looked at her that closely with that much interest. The intensity of his gaze—just like now—made her feel tingly from the bottom of her feet all the way to her fingertips. It was probably just a mind trick. A keen skill he’d developed over the years to get what he wanted. The reason women flocked to see him onstage, no matter what role he played, and how he’d become the most beloved weatherman on any of the local stations, regardless of his silly jokes.

“Great.” Will pulled at the costume, throwing the feathered cap to the floor by his feet while he pulled off the puffy shirt and fancy pantaloon pants she’d spent twenty minutes measuring and pinning. Twenty minutes that required her to sit uncomfortably at his feet, staring up at his groin. Her face heated just thinking about it.

Stripped down to his modern T-shirt and gym shorts, he somehow looked more tempting. The over-the-top Shakespearian garb gave him a more removed-from-reality look. Now back in his normal clothing, he looked gorgeous, tasty, and completely out of her league.

“Are you sure you won’t come out with us? They have a two-for-one margarita special for all the casts at Senor Guabos. And they’ll even let you wear the celebratory sombrero if you order the nacho platter.” He winked at her. That large grin he gave away so freely knotted her stomach. His dimple that she longed to explore with her tongue dotted his right cheek.

Amy shook her head, her mouth dry as if stuffed with cottonwood. “Have a good time,” she managed to squeak out through her tight throat. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

ADULT EXCERPT

Will chuckled, pressing his lips to her throat as his hand slid beneath the elastic waistband of her underwear. His fingers tangled through the curls between her legs. Will sucked the pulse point at the base of her throat, lightly nipping the skin as his touch continued to brush figure eights across her pussy. His lips teased and tormented her but never pushed far enough to grant her relief.

Amy tightened her fingers in Will’s hair. She threw her head back, offering him more space to explore.

His fingers slid between her pussy lips, slipping through her slick flesh. Her entire body vibrated at the touch, her legs quivering. Will’s thumb circled her clit, and she would have completely melted into a pool of honey if she hadn’t already been turned into a sticky mess by his tantalizing touches. Will released the flesh of her throat. His deep hot exhales gusted across her neck and chest as he continued to circle the tight bud of her clit. She held onto his shoulders tighter, needing the support.

A thick finger thrust inside her, and she almost cried out. Her eyes slid closed, and her breathing deepened. Her nipples rubbed against the lacy cups of her bra until they ached. Will pulled his touch from her, and she moaned softly at the retreat. Her fingernails gripped the white tablecloth to prevent herself from reaching for his hand and thrusting it back inside her. She arched her hips in silent invitation, begging for more with her body, since her vocal cords were currently out of order.

Will laughed, his lips brushing her cheek. He pushed a wicked finger back into her, giving her clit a pinch once he was seated to the hilt. She wiggled in her seat, bucking against him, with him, until her entire body was alight with sensation, oblivious to all else.

“Open your eyes, sweetie. Look at all the other people here.”

Amy’s eyes flew wide. In the sweet bliss of Will’s fingers fucking her, she’d almost forgotten where they were. In a restaurant full of people. People who’d know all too well what Will did to her beneath the table if she did not maintain control.

No one sat too close to them, offering them some privacy in the dining room. But across the room an older couple, around the same age of her grandparents, sat enjoying a meal. The older man slurped down soup, while the woman next to him rattled off a story. In the other corner of the room a family twirled their spaghetti and laughed.

Amy opened her mouth to tell Will to stop, to convince him they needed to be more appropriate in public, but the words caught in her throat as he rubbed her clit in a tight circle, his finger still stuffed deep inside her. She couldn’t breathe. The pleasure vibrated through her, starting in her clit and twirling outward, tightening her nipples. Goose bumps broke out across her chest and the back of her neck.

She watched the others in the restaurant, oblivious of the naughty movements of Will’s fingers beneath the table, and her temperature skyrocketed. Her pussy clutched on his fingers, the moisture between her legs multiplying. A smirk expanded across Will’s face, making her want to punch him and kiss him at the same time.

He swirled his fingers inside her, and the idea of doing either vanished. Her entire being focused on just breathing.

“Will, please…” Her hand grabbed at his shirt, desperate and needy as she’d never been before.

He dipped his head, pressing his lips to her throat, sucking on the skin before whispering in her ear. “Please what? Stop or keep going?”

She moaned. Her other hand reached down to grasp the side of the chair, tightening around the stained wood as she fought the urge to moan and scream and quiver into a pile of custard at his feet.

“I know what your body wants.” His fingers continued their maddening pace between her legs, fucking her deep and hard. He nipped her ear, sucking in the fleshy lobe. “But what do you want, Amy? Tell me. I’ll do anything for you. I’ll get under this table and lick you till you’re bellowing. I’ll lean down and suck those nice tits right into my mouth. I don’t care who sees.”

Amy moaned. Her head fell back against the chair. She looked up at him, his eyes fixed on her, nailing her to the seat just as effectively as his fingers pounded between her legs. She had no idea what she wanted. No one had ever asked her before, not about sex, at least. What she wanted in her sandwich or what career path she wanted to pursue, but never what she wanted between the sheets, or at the dinner table, as happened to be the case.

She opened her mouth, not sure what would come out when she did. Her eyes slid open, seeing the waitress walking toward them from the direction behind Will’s shoulder. Amy let out a relieved breath as the woman dressed in all black approached their table. She needed a minute to think about what Will did to her and exactly how much more she wanted to allow him before she pulled away.

“Will, the waitress.” She used the nod of her chin to motion behind him, to where the waitress strolled, head down, pulling an order pad out of her apron pocket.