Fail to Love by Maci Dillon

 

Not As It Seems

 

“The best part about getting to know you is anticipating that each day brings new surprises that are all about you.” ~ Robin Raven

 

 

SEAN

 

It had been a long week without hearing her voice. Not to mention dating a woman more than once wasn’t in my scope of experience.

I stood at Raven’s door yet again, my new perfectly fitted designer suit clinging to my body in places it shouldn’t—I hadn’t even laid eyes on her yet, and I was rock-fucking-hard.

She answered on the first knock. Her incredulous smile weakened me at the knees.

I was a goner.

“Hello, my handsome doctor boyfriend. You look smashing,” she gushed, pulling me inside.

I had the urge to pick her up and spin her around, but I fought for control I knew I once had. Her perfume invaded my nostrils, and I wanted to bury my face in her neck and breathe her in as if she was my last chance of survival.

Instead, I kissed her cheek. “Ah, I’ve been upgraded from Dr. Judgy to boyfriend status and so soon?”

Avoiding the awkward hover pose, I stepped away and took in her beauty. “Wow, you’re stunning, Raven.”

Raven curtsied foolishly but looked completely adorable with her blushing cheeks. “Thank you, and yes, you’ve been upgraded because I need the practice for tomorrow.”

An unease vibrated through me from my toes up. 

“Just one thing.” I gripped her shoulders tightly enough to hold her in place.

Her eyes zoned in on mine, and the vibration of moments ago dissipated.

“No. Na-ah. You aren’t going to cancel on me tomorrow. You owe me.”

“We’ll see.” I smirked as I ran my hand up her outer thigh beneath her dress. Her muscles tensed beneath my fingertips as they came to a halt on the sweet, delicate skin of her inner thigh once I passed her garters.

I waited for her response before I continued on my path.

She let out a breathy sigh. “I forgot to remind you. No funny business, we have exhausted our one-time only. And regardless of what you do, I’ll not be okay with you canceling on my family tomorrow.”

Ouch, I’d not only be letting her down but her family also.

I intended to do neither, but once she got to know me better, she would come to realize I’m not that guy. The one to promise the world and deliver it via a postage stamp. No. That’s the exact reason I didn’t date, so I’d never disappoint a woman who deserved more than I could give.

As this was a friend helping a mutual friend by agreeing to a fake date situation, it’s not possible to disappoint her unless I did not show up for the family dinner to be paraded around like the good doctor boyfriend I’d been mistaken for.

“Your family is expecting me, and I didn’t take your mother’s invitation lightly. I know how important family is to you, so I’ll be there.”

I sidestep the fact I’d never want to disappoint her. I didn’t want her getting any ideas about what this was or wasn’t because it could never be anything more than what we currently had.

I didn’t know if her legs quivered or my fingers began to shake in their resting spot on her inner thigh, but I desperately wanted to touch her.

“Sean.” My name fell from her mouth in a whispered moan, close to a beg.

“Tell me to stop, and I will.” My brain wanted her to scream it from the rooftops while my cock was silently pleading for her to urge my hand toward her heat.

“I can’t,” she whispered. “Please touch me.”

A growl echoed from my throat when I found her cleanly shaven pussy exposed and waiting for me. She relaxed her stance, and her head fell back as she let me tease her slit for a moment, crying out in disappointment when I removed my hand.

Bringing my hand, dripping with her juices to my mouth, I sucked her arousal from my fingers. She watched me with fire in her eyes and devoured my lips once I’d finished. “You like how you taste, beautiful?”

“Yes.” She flicked her tongue across my lips.

“Go clean yourself up, and we’ll get moving in case we hit traffic.”

“Yes, sir.”

I slapped her ass as she walked off toward the bathroom.

Meanwhile, I had to think about the internal examination I performed on Mrs. Bradford this afternoon, at fifty-five years young, for my hard-on to chill the fuck out.

 

 

RAVEN

 

At this time of day, a trip to the Performing Arts Theater was going to take at least half an hour. Plenty of time to catch up and get to know each other better, I thought. “Let’s play twenty questions.”

Sean looked at me, an eyebrow raised in question.

“Don’t be like that. I want to know who I’m dating.”

“Fake dating, but okay. I’ll start. Tell me about your work.”

“What kind of question is that?” I laughed at him. “Is English no longer a prerequisite for med school?”

“Now who’s being judgy, kitten?” His face twisted in fake disarray.

“I want to know more about your work and don’t want to use up all my questions, you know, seeing I only get twenty,” he mused.

“Fine. Whatever.”

He groaned. “Now would be a good time to note how much I despise the word whatever.”

Sheepishly, I grinned at him. “Noted, thank you. I believe I found my new favorite word of the week.”

I loved screwing with Sean. He was fun and laid-back, and our easy banter made me forget how much I disliked him. Well, how much I hated to like him, at any rate.

Rapid-fire questions rang out between us for the next twenty minutes covering our lists of favorites. Laughter filled the car for most of the trip, keeping the mood light.

For a doctor, he was fantastic company, and he kept me smiling. I loved that most about him. Any man who kept me laughing and smiling was a man worth knowing.

“So, the ballet seems like an odd event for a group of doctors and surgeons to attend. What’s up with that?”

Sean stilled for a brief second before his diluted frown turned into a minute smirk. “You’re smart for a baby caregiver,” he teased, leaning into his door, keeping him just out of range of my firing arm, which was lucky for him. “How long did it take you to recognize the quote was from Swan Lake?”

“All of five seconds it took to type it into Google.” I shot him a don’t-fuck-with-me-I-got-thisexpression which amused him further.

“Back to your original question,” he began halfheartedly. “This is a business-related event, I guess you could say…”

“You guess? What does that mean exactly?”

My shackles were up, and we’re about thirty seconds from our destination.

“My cousin, Gina, I think I’ve mentioned her before?”

“Yeah, the interior designer?”

“She’s an avid fan of the ballet. In fact, her daughter is studying dance and performing in classical ballet productions in New York.”

“Wow, that’s neat. You two seem close.”

Sean nodded, but his gaze drifted out the window as he pulled the car into the concierge parking area of the theater.

“She’s my only family. Her mother died when she was young, and her father, my dad’s brother, passed a few years back. So, it’s just the two of us.”

I thought back to his sudden change in persona at dinner last week when asked about siblings. Now wasn’t the time to pry further into his family history. His sharing about his mother’s illness seemed like a lot for him and more sharing than he was used to. I waited for him to say more as we exited the car, but solemnness fell over us.

“Are we meeting your cousin here tonight?”

“No, she’s away but is a main sponsor of the event, so she has box seats and didn’t want them to remain empty… appearances and all that.”

I nodded, kind of understanding.

“So, you invited your work colleagues and therefore needed me to tag along and make you look good?” I teased.

Ah, there’s the hot-doctor smile I’d been missing since we arrived.

“Not exactly.”

I stopped walking and stepped to the side, so other patrons could continue to the entrance. My head to the side, I queried him as calmly as possible. “Meaning what exactly? No games, Sean. I happen to remember you making a point to tell me you don’t play games.”

“And I don’t. In my defense, I never said anything about a work or business-related date. I simply asked if you were free for date number two. It’s hardly my fault if you read into the invitation incorrectly.”

I huffed exuberantly and wanted to stamp my feet and act like a petulant child, but my dignity was important to me. “Ugh. You’re so frustrating. This is why I don’t date. Exactly the reason I don’t engage in conversations with men who want something from me.”

“Hold your horses, cow girl.” He raised his hands in defense. “I don’t want anything from you except your company.” His words tapered off, and he looked adorably uncomfortable. “Okay, that’s not entirely true.”

I folded my arms and glued my foot to the ground, aware my toe was about to start tapping impatiently. “Obviously, or I wouldn’t be here. Are you saying you and I are alone on this date tonight?”

Sean straightened his shoulders, slid his hands into his pants, and his expression remained neutral. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m saying. Now get over yourself, and let’s go order our meal and drinks before the line gets any longer.”

My eyebrows hitched in my hairline. It seemed to be a common expression when dealing with pompous men and judgy doctors. “You lured me here under false pretenses.” Flabbergasted and completely aware I was overreacting to this entire situation, I pulled out my phone to check my messages. “Non-date…” I shoved the phone in his face, “… right there, it reads non-date.”

Sean slid his fingers over his jawline as if frustrated with me calling him out. His smirk, which I was starting to hate, by the way, was dazzled with amusement.

He flicked his finger back and forward between us. “I specifically said non-date because that’s what we agreed this is.”

I shrugged. “Fine. Whatever.”

Huh. The only response I could muster up came in the form of his most-hated word which was forever going to be my favorite. Later, I’d slap myself upside the head for being such a petty bitch, but right now, I felt tricked into this date.

This non-date.

Though a piece of me wished it was real.

Lord have mercy.

We continued to make our way inside, Sean’s hand resting comfortably on my lower back. He leaned over and spoke quietly, so only I could hear. “You didn’t honestly think I’d ask you to wear garters and no panties on a date with my dirty old colleagues, did you?”

Oh God. Kill me now.

That’s exactly what I thought.

The very reason I threw the note to the side with a whatever Mister attitude.

Yet, here I am crotchless beneath my sparkling dress, wet as fuck on the arm of the hottest man I’ve ever met, and I have to confess. I don’t think fake dating is for me.

We took our seats at the table reserved for us in the boxed seating area. Positioned high above the stage with a perfect full view, I guessed there’d be lots of wine and, hopefully, some deliciously sexy behavior to come.

Although I knew I shouldn’t have been hoping for any such thing, I couldn’t help it.

A bottle of wine arrived, and our glasses were filled. The lights dimmed, and Sean asked the waiter to leave us until the end of the show. The men winked knowingly at each other, and I shook my head as I sipped my wine.

The curtains opened, and the show began.

“Raven.” I loved the way his voice became huskier the hornier he was. When I looked across the table at him, he summoned me with his finger. I moved to sit across his lap as directed. He removed his chunky watch and dress ring and left them on the table beside us.

“Spread your legs.”

His simple command caused the floodgates to open. This man had my libido out of control in one husky direction.

My brain wanted my mouth to open and tell him, fuck off.

My sex drive urged me forward with a loud, hell yes.

My heart screamed, be careful.

I hiked my dress up a little and allowed one leg to fall to the floor while the other remained over his thigh. His left hand secured me to his lap, holding me tight at the waist while the other wanted to play.

“Stay still and completely silent,” he whispered in my ear.

I glared at him. Quiet sex wasn’t my forté.

“Keep your eyes on the stage at all times.”

It was rude to huff. My grandmother always scolded me for it, but I huffed loudly and did as I was told.

With my legs wide open and pussy exposed, Sean reached for his wine. He sipped and watched the show attentively for the next ten minutes.

Occasionally he whispered, “Be patient.”

Patience wasn’t part of my genetic makeup. I could’ve been sitting at a rodeo for all the attention I was paying to the ballet. Anticipation was building in my core, not on the stage.

The stage cleared, and for a moment, I thought the lights above us were going to expose me. Instead, a new arrangement of dancers swarmed the stage and took their positions.

Sean finally moved. A light feathered touch over my folds sparked a fire in the pit of my stomach. His fingertips slipped between my folds into the dampness. He used my arousal to lube my clit and began an insatiable massage over my little bundle of nerves. Slow, then fast, and back to a standstill. And again.

Fucking torture.

“Good girl,” he whispered as he drove his fingers deep inside me until my pussy seized around his digits, and my body shook. The only sound was my unsteady breathing.

Quickest orgasm ever.

He licked his fingers clean, moaning around them until my body hummed again for more.

“On your knees, beautiful.”

I shimmied off his lap, kicked off my Jimmy Choo’s, and kneeled before him while he untucked himself from his pants. “You have about three minutes until lights on.” He smirked.

I cupped his balls in one hand and pumped him slowly with the other. With the tip of my tongue, I lapped at his pre-cum and licked my way down and around his cock to the base and back up again. Sitting up taller, I wrapped my sinful lips around the head of his shaft and swallowed him until he pressed against the back of my throat.

I pumped his cock with my hand, and with precision, took him deep in my throat. He bucked his hips beneath me and held my head in place. Fiercely, he fucked my mouth until hot liquid fired down my throat. I swallowed every last spill, licked him clean, and left him to fix himself up while I attended to myself. Stepping back into my heels, Sean grabbed and pulled me into his lap again, then kissed me senseless.

“You’re something else, you know that, kitten?”

“Well, Dr. Judgy, you’re not so bad yourself.”

Back in my chair just as the lights flickered on and the crowd cheered, I relaxed with my well-deserved glass of wine.

The waiters appeared shortly after with a platter of tender cooked lamb cutlets, blue cheese, crackers, and olives with a side of dried fruits and nuts. It was beautifully presented and generous in quantity.