City Of Swords. Alex Archer

I sipped my cocktail and listened to the moderator give a rundown of the rules: The women would sit at one side of the table and the men along the other. Each couple had five minutes to chat, after which a bell would ring, signaling for the guys to shift down one seat. Sounded simple enough. I could pull off being friendly for a couple of minutes at a clip. Sure, I wasn’t interested in hooking up with anyone, but I didn’t plan on being impolite. I could smile through this for my friend’s sake.

      I downed my drink and turned to place my empty glass on the bar, and that’s when I saw him. Chatting people swirled around me, but their noise and movements faded into the background. He commanded my total attention. With thick black hair and piercing blue eyes, he looked like he’d stepped off a movie set. I took note right away of his broad shoulders and muscular arms. He certainly filled out a T-shirt better than anyone else I’d ever seen. The cotton fabric clung to his toned frame in just the right way, giving a tempting hint of how well cut his muscles were. My gaze traveled down his flat stomach with unabashed slowness, wandering along his torso to his jeans.

      I instantly got lost in a fantasy of what lay hidden beneath that worn denim. The man’s lips curled into a smile when he noticed my interest, but it wasn’t a cocksure expression. It was more of a friendly acknowledgment that made my heart beat a little faster. The look on his face gave no doubt that he was checking me out, too. I was pleased to see that he was donning a number. That meant our paths were definitely going to cross before the night was over—and I couldn’t wait.

      A bespectacled woman holding a clipboard—clearly one of the event organizers—grabbed my handsome admirer and seated him halfway down the wooden table from me. I counted the seats—figuring that I had to struggle through at least forty minutes of chitchat before I could have the only one-on-one that I was truly interested in.

      I have to admit that I barely remember my conversations with Misters One through Eight. I think there were a veterinarian and an accountant somewhere in the mix, but one well-meaning man blended into the next. I did my best to feign an appropriate amount of interest; they couldn’t really hold my attention. Whenever the bell rang and it was time to switch partners, the stranger would toss another smoldering look my way. Each flash of his eyes made my panties a little more damp, and arousal was swirling inside me with an ever-increasing intensity. I’d never before had such a profound attraction to a complete stranger. But I wasn’t going to waste any time overanalyzing the situation—who was I to argue with fate?

      It was the longest forty minutes of my life, but eventually, I found myself face-to-face with the object of my barely concealed desire.

      The stranger smiled broadly and extended his hand as he greeted me. I took his hand in mine, enjoying the feel of his strong grip.

      “Hi, I’m—”

      “No names—numbers only,” he interrupted, his words laced with a teasing tone. “Rules are rules.”

      I laughed at his faux concern for the event’s regulations. “You’re absolutely right. Nice to meet you, number nine.”

      “The pleasure’s all mine—” he glanced down at the number perched on my chest, “—twenty-seven.”

      He sat down and held my hand as we exchanged playfully flirtatious banter. His fingers casually stroked the base of my palm, sweeping downward across my wrist as he spoke, keeping his eyes locked on mine. The sensation of his fingers against my skin sent tingles up my arm and straight to my pussy, which was very nearly molten by that point. I could have listened to him talk for hours; his voice was deep and sensual, and lulled me into a sexy stupor. I tried my best to keep up my end of the conversation when the only thing running through my head was I need your cock inside me. In truth, there wasn’t much that could be discussed within a five-minute time span. But by the time the bell rang, I knew for sure that I wanted him—and I wanted him badly.

      This time around, the moderator announced that since we’d reached the halfway mark, we would have a fifteen-minute intermission. Number nine continued to hold my hand as he tossed his head toward the back of the bar, his eyebrow quirked up in an unspoken question.

      I could barely contain my own wicked smile as I nodded, and together we left the table. Most of the crowd stayed up front, clamoring for the bartender’s attention, while he and I slipped into one of the restrooms, completely unnoticed.

      I locked the door behind us and backed him up against the tiled wall, bringing my lips to his. He tangled his fingers in my long, brown hair as he returned my kiss with an eager passion. My hands roamed over his body, enjoying the feel of his hard muscles. Pulling his shirt out of his jeans, I slid my hands up his chest,and he groaned into my mouth as my palms glided against his flesh.

      I wrapped my arms around him, stroking his back and bringing our bodies closer together. Grinding my hips against him, I felt the erection that was hidden beneath his clothes—so hard, so perfect, and all for me. Number nine broke our kiss to speak, his cheeks flushed and his eyes bright as he held me at arm’s length. “Don’t you even want to know my name?”

      “Rules are rules,” I answered breathlessly, and he chuckled in response. I grabbed the waistband of his jeans to pull him close again. “We only have fifteen minutes, so you’d better make them count.”

      “Yes, ma’am,” he answered, returning his lips to mine. We made out furiously as he reached behind me to unzip my skirt. As soon as it dropped to the floor, he spun me around and placed my hands on the sink. I looked into the mirror in front of me and saw the reflection of our lust-filled faces, which gave me thrill. Number nine pushed my hair to the side and trailed a line of sensual kisses down my neck, making my eyes flutter closed as another rush of wetness flooded my pussy.

      “God, I want you,” he whispered, his voice hot in my ear as he ground his erection into my satin-covered ass cheeks.

      “Then take me—before we run out of time.” I was so turned on that I was practically panting. From behind me I heard the rasp of his zipper being lowered and the rustle of a condom wrapper. Then, seconds later, I felt him pull the crotch of my panties aside and thrust his hard cock inside me in one firm, smooth stroke.

      As he hit bottom, he sighed into my mussed hair. “You feel so good,” he whispered, pulling out and then rocking his hips against mine to slide his dick inside me once more. I bucked back toward him with every inward stroke, loving the feeling of his thick shaft stretching me and filling me. My body was acting of its own accord in response to my sexual hunger, my hips circling and grinding against him. I was so hot and wet that I was halfway to orgasm before we’d even started. But when he reached down the front of my panties to stroke my swollen clit, I let out a helpless whimper that I barely managed to stifle. My excitement was rapidly reaching its peak.

      “Are you going to come for me, twenty-seven?” His words were interspersed with gasping breaths as he continued to take me higher and higher.

      “Uh-huh,” was all I could utter, writhing against him and letting my body speak for me.

      “Good—I’m going to watch every second of it,” he said. I looked into the mirror once more, focusing on his handsome face as his fingers and cock took me over the edge. I cried out loud, staring into the reflection of his ice-blue eyes as I shivered through my climax.

      Seconds later, he moaned softly, and I felt his cock pulse within me. His hips jerked erratically as he came, holding me tightly in his arms.

      Just then, we heard the warning bell sound from the bar, announcing that intermission was over. Breathless and laughing, we rushed to make ourselves presentable and rejoin the crowd.

      It didn’t matter what his tag said—he was definitely number one on my list.

      Permission

      By Justine Elyot

      Now that I am in the middle of this long-term dream, alone with my

      campervan and a card deck of differing possible futures, I am not sure how to deal with it. Perhaps there are too many years of asking permission behind me. Perhaps I need someone’s