Shifting Gears Read online

  Love along with lust.

  Just like Lynn and Sebastian.

  How many women had taken the Cougar Challenge? How many were living their dreams?

  After the intimate peek into their lives, it didn’t feel right to leave without introducing herself. Besides, if she were honest, she envied them. It couldn’t hurt to learn more about their successes.

  Sloan: Knock, knock. Hi there. I'm Sloan and I love dirty books. J I ran into Lynn this afternoon and she ratted you all out, giving me the address for the Tempt the Cougar blog. I've been lurking, catching up on some of the posts. I have to say I'm impressed! You ladies are daring and unbelievably lucky to have scored such amazing young men. And these pictures! Wow, where'd you find so many hotties? Can you send one my way?

  By the time she clicked send, her clock glowed a horrifying two a.m. At least tomorrow was Saturday. If everyone behaved themselves, she wouldn’t have to work.

  This late she didn’t expect any responses. At midday in the US, most of the Cougar women would be at work. But as she switched windows to browse her favorite bookseller, a digital ping alerted her to a new post. Then another and another until the window lit up like a Christmas tree and the comments kept rolling in.

  Apparently the Cougar women were serious about their blogging.

  Lori: Hey Sloan! So glad you could join us at Tempt the Cougar. Ya know, I think we all love naughty books. Wonder if there's a twelve-step program for that? Hmm. If you hang around with us long enough, you are bound to be corrupted, but what a wonderful way to sin!

  Lynn: Sloan! Welcome to the group. I know a guy who'd make the perfect Cougar bait for you. Don't think I didn't notice you and Mark checking each other out.

  Autumn: Hi Sloan, a big welcome. You’ll love taking the Cougar Challenge. Sounds like you’ve already got eyes on a hot young stud. I say go for it. The rewards are totally excellent.

  Sloan: What are you doing up this time of night, Lynn? And…well…I may have been drooling on Mark, as embarrassing as that is to admit, but I doubt it went any further than that.

  Lynn: Want me to ask him? He’s sitting on the couch next to me. He and Bastian are arguing about optimal fuel mixes and suspension systems right now. Blech. If I give him your number, we’ll all be happy. He’ll be out of here faster than their world record pace and I can put Sebastian to bed right.

  Cam: Sloan! Welcome. J And hey now, some details about the chemistry!!!

  Sloan: No, Lynn, don’t ask Mark anything! And sorry, no details, Cam. There’s nothing to tell.

  Lynn: Maybe not yet, but, Cougars, you should have seen how his eyes almost bugged out of his skull when he saw Sloan. I guarantee he wants her.

  Sloan: Ugg! I hope he can’t see your screen.

  Rachel: Ohhhh, I hope he can. Nice to “meet” you, by the way. I’m glad Lynn has some company over there. Give her a hug for me next time you see her, okay?

  Sloan: Nice to meet you too. And sure. But please don’t encourage her. I’ve had about as much rejection as I can stomach lately.

  Rachel: Sorry, hon, that doesn’t sound like good news. Why not let Mark cheer you up? Be your rebound guy? It doesn’t have to be about forever. Start with one hot night. I’ve heard he’s more than capable…

  Lynn: Rachel! Zip it!

  Sloan: Now that sounds interesting.

  Before Sloan could delve more into the innuendo, the rest of the Cougar ladies were off to the races, setting her and Mark up on some imaginary Challenge-fulfilling date. The busybodies had her cracking up while about to pull her hair out. She loved them—and feared them—already.

  Stevie: Welcome Sloan! We have a ball around here. If you like the young ones, this is the place to be. As for the Challenge, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Go ahead, do it. I dare ya! You won't regret it.

  Lynn: Give me your phone number and I’ll let Mark tell you the dirt.

  Sloan: I don’t know if that’s a good idea…

  Rachel: As an impartial observer, I guarantee it is. It’s a great idea. You can thank me later. And I officially double dare you to take the Cougar Challenge.

  Sloan: Maybe I’ll work up to that.

  Elizabeth: Hey Sloan! Just do it. Suffice it to say, not one of us has regretted taking the Challenge. Question is, will you regret it if you don't?

  Lynn: Make that a triple dog dare.

  Sloan: Holy crap! You ladies should be gnats, not Cougars! J Okay, okay, I’m emailing it to you now. It’s not like he’s going to call, sorry to disappoint you all.

  Lynn: Looks like he and Bastian are wrapping up for the night or should I say morning. But I’m still giving him your number. Don’t be surprised!

  Sloan: Somehow I doubt he’ll use it. Anyway, how about you and I meet up again soon? Dinner tomorrow night? At Yunnan’s. Six o’clock. I’ll bring the latest Lexxie Couper book!

  Lynn: Damn, I’m easy. Sure. See you then.

  Sloan: Good night, ladies, thanks for the laughs. Can’t wait to chat more when I’m fully awake.

  Rachel: Nice to meet you! Talk to you soon! Then we can say “we told you so”!

  A grin still lingered as Sloan stripped off her gown, settling onto the cool sheets of her crisply made bed. It always felt more comfortable when someone else had done the work.

  She checked her phone.

  Nope, not on silent mode.

  She sighed and rolled her eyes at herself when a hint of disappointment tinged her amusement with her newfound friends.

  Of course Mark hadn’t called. Silly of her to let the wild ladies on the blog get her hopes up. But the idea would make for some spectacular dreams.

  Her eyelids drifted shut, her mind blanked and a soft smile curved her lips as she crept toward sleep, but images of Mark kept returning to her imagination. The fuzzy material of her covers brushed her beaded nipples, making her squirm. The motion highlighted the dampness on her thighs.

  Shit, no way could she fall asleep like this.

  Sloan’s fingers meandered along the top of her trim leg, across her flat tummy to her breast. For a woman in her forties, she thought she still looked pretty damn fine. She cupped the supple weight, rubbing some of the ache from her nipple. Her other hand wandered toward her pussy. A moan escaped her and her hips lifted toward the fingertips intended to soothe the pressure building in her swollen mound.

  What if Mark were here? Would he allow her to slake her building desire? Would he enjoy being ridden? Would he fit her well?

  The thought inspired her to slip one finger through the slick moisture around her clit and rub the swollen flesh.

  And then her phone rang.

  Chapter Two

  An obnoxious ringtone cut into her fantasy. How many times had it gone off before she’d noticed? Reflexes drove her to answer. Fast.

  Sloan lunged for the display blinking in the darkness. Please, God, don’t let it switch to voicemail. Don’t let me miss Mark’s call.

  If she hadn’t worked herself into a horny frenzy, maybe she would have considered the consequences of that wish awhile longer. Instead, she ripped open the phone and panted, “Hello?”

  “Uh…”

  Oh crap. It must sound as if a frog had crawled in her throat and died.

  “Sloan? You there?” Mark sounded a little sleepy and a lot sexy. Could he guess what she’d been up to? Had he been thinking along the same lines?

  “Yeah.” She bit her lip, wondering if she should apologize or pretend to be oblivious. Denial ruled as a first line of defense in her business dealings so she stuck with what came natural. “Good morning.”

  “Sorry, were you sleeping?” He acted as if there were nothing odd about calling a woman in the dead of night. “Lynn told me you were awake. I wasn’t going to bother you so late but I…uh…couldn’t sleep. Should I call back tomorrow?”

  “No!” The objection sounded more like a shout than a relaxed denial. “I mean, this is fine.”

  “Sloan?” His tone morphed into some
thing dangerous, something intoxicating.

  “Mark?” She wished she could see his melted-chocolate eyes. All of him, for that matter. He was supremely lickable.

  “Can we cut the shit?”

  He surprised a chuckle out of her. After the pile of lies she’d waded through with her ex-husband, Mark’s directness came as a welcome relief. Besides, she’d long since outgrown the dating game. A man didn’t call close to three o’clock in the morning to say hello. “I would like that very much.”

  “I’m lying in bed with a hard-on the size of the Leaning Tower of Pisa in my shorts because I can’t stop thinking about you.” He cursed under his breath, his Italian accent far more distinguishable in the sultry summer night. “Ever since we bumped into you, I’ve been wondering about the sparks between us. Do you like all the spicy things you read about? Are you as sexy under that all-business exterior as I think? I can’t help imagining all the fun we could have together.”

  He paused, but his candor had her so turned-on she couldn’t form a response.

  “Say something. Tell me it’s the same for you or tell me to get lost. No hard feelings.”

  “It’s not exactly the same,” she whispered, enjoying teasing him for a few seconds.

  “Shit, scusi. I’ll go—”

  “I mean, I don’t have a hard-on anywhere near me.” Where the hell had she found the courage to say that? The Cougars were to blame. They’d put all sorts of daring ideas in her mind. “But I wish I did.”

  “Thank you, Dio.” His voice turned rougher, gravelly. “You sounded…hungry when you answered my call. Were you touching yourself?”

  “Yes.” She licked her lips then decided if they were going to be naughty, she should commit one hundred percent to the experience. It’s wasn’t as though she’d ever do it again after tonight. “I still am.”

  Sloan set the phone on speaker then dropped it to the pillow beside her head. She caressed herself from her neck to her hips, stroking every inch of supple skin. A soft whimper floated from her parted lips.

  “Beautiful.” Mark groaned on the other end of the line. “I’ve always thought you were hot as hell. But you were married, weren’t you?”

  Her arousal cooled as though someone had doused her with cold water. “Yes.”

  “Damn it. I shouldn’t have asked.” He forced the statement through gritted teeth. “It doesn’t matter. But I can’t believe I didn’t notice you were available.”

  “I wasn’t.” She didn’t intend to lead him on. “I still might not be. I haven’t tried this since—”

  “Damn, I don’t mean to drag you down. Let me make it up to you. Can I bring you breakfast in bed?”

  “Maybe later.” She decided to reclaim her buzz one way or the other. And the temptation of an Italian stallion like Mark at her disposal made for a powerful aphrodisiac. He’d called, willing to help her fulfill the Cougar Challenge. She didn’t want to squander the opportunity, not when she had the perfect excuse to take what she needed. “First, I want you to take your clothes off. Get naked for me.”

  “Shit, yes.” Rustling echoed out of the speaker. “You don’t mess around. I like that about you.”

  “I’m glad.” Sloan grinned in the darkness. She teased the rosy area around her nipples until they contracted once more. “Besides, you were overdressed. No reason I should be the only one nude.”

  “You’re naked? Really?”

  “Yes, really.” She loved the awe in his tone. “I always sleep in the buff.”

  “Mmm.” He sighed. “We’ll have to have a slumber party sometime. Soon.”

  “Maybe, if there’s no real slumber involved.” Sloan found that once she’d released her inner Cougar, she couldn’t trap it in its cage again.

  “I promise,” he growled. “Sloan?”

  “Yes, Mark?” She purred when she pinched her nipples.

  “Tell me what to do.”

  “Wrap your hand around your cock.” She’d never given a man orders before, but she found it suited her. The resulting moan from his end of the phone went a long way toward rekindling her desire. “Now talk to me. What does it feel like?”

  “Christ, it’s hard. So hard. And slippery. Feels hot, heavy.” His breathing hitched as he explored for her. “The ridge around the tip is bulging. Let me stroke it.”

  “Not yet.”

  He hissed a breath and she pictured him with his jaw clenched, one hand fisted at his side.

  “Cup your balls with your other hand.”

  “That makes my cock jerk. I can feel my sac expanding and contracting.”

  His matter-of-fact narration certainly didn’t keep her calm. In fact, exactly the opposite was true. Lynn shifted on the bed, spreading her legs wide apart.

  “I wish I could find out for myself. Wish I could take you inside me.” Sloan dipped one finger inside her soaked pussy. He’d stretch her. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had sex. Never mind great sex. Pitiful.

  “You can. Tell me where you are. Let me come to you.”

  “Not this time.” She wasn’t ready to give up their game yet. “But you can come with me.”

  “Does that mean you’re touching yourself again?”

  “Mmm…yes.” She closed her eyes as she rubbed her clit.

  “Put the phone between your legs. Let me hear how wet you are.” His request ensured she reached new levels of arousal.

  With one hand, she held the phone while she used the other to fuck herself. The wet slurps and sucking sounds would have horrified old Sloan, but this new, adventurous Cougar went for it. She settled her hand deeper, moved it faster and increased the offering until Mark shouted over the phone, “Dio! I bet you taste amazing.”

  Sloan placed the device back on the pillow with a sigh.

  “If I were there, I’d lick you clean before burying my cock in all that silky heat.”

  The mental image he painted of his tawny hair between her thighs sabotaged her plans to draw out their pleasure. “Go ahead, jerk yourself. Slow. All the way from the base to the tip.”

  Sloan gave him a few seconds to settle himself then asked, “Did you get any cream on your hand?”

  “Yeah.” He cursed. “Impossible not to at this point. I’ve been hard all day. I’m leaking like a broken faucet here.”

  “Taste yourself.”

  “Uh, Sloan, I’ve never done that…” He hesitated.

  When she refused to let him off the hook, he caved.

  “But if it turns you on, I’ll try it. I’m pretty open-minded. I’ll do whatever you like. Just don’t stop touching yourself.”

  She listened hard enough she could have heard a pin drop—until something better reached her ears. His lips smacked around his salty, cum-coated fingers. “Damn, that’s kind of hot.”

  Sloan agreed. She whimpered as she teased herself higher, closer toward the finish line promising satisfaction. “The thought of two guys together always turns me on. Have you ever fooled around with another man? Would you?”

  She hadn’t intended for the questions to come out. They hardly knew each other yet she’d already revealed her inner freak! But she’d taken their joint insanity this far, so why hedge now? Besides, she was experimenting with brutal honesty. It was time to go for what she really wanted. No more worrying about everyone else’s needs.

  “Never have. But would I? I-I don’t know.” Mark grunted. She could tell from his breathing that he worked himself faster now. “I would have said ‘absolutely not’ until recently. But something happened, with Lynn and Sebastian. Maybe. I might try it. If it was with the right person.”

  A sudden contraction gripped her, making her moan loudly.

  “You like the idea, Sloan?”

  “So much.” She inserted another finger in her gripping channel. “Tell me about the change of heart. Lynn said you’d share if I gave you my number.”

  “We had a threesome. Sebastian, Lynn and I.” He breathed hard between his sentences now. “Actually, Bastian
and I have shared women a bunch of times. But never anything between us. Unless you count touching by accident when we fucked the same girls.”

  A gasp interrupted his retelling. She used the hand not tunneling inside her pussy to rub tiny circles around her clit. It wouldn’t take much more.

  “The last time, we were with Lynn. She rode Sebastian—reverse cowgirl—while I ate her pussy. Dio, she tasted so fucking good. But not half as good as I bet you would.”

  “Flattery.” It was all she could manage.

  The story he told captured her full attention. The rippling walls of her pussy squeezed her fingers tighter as she imagined what it would be like to be the center of that much male attention. Delicious.

  He surrendered a short bark of laughter before continuing. “While I worked on her, she insisted I put my finger in Sebastian’s ass. I liked it. Enough that, once things got hot and heavy, I lost it and pumped my spunk all down his leg. Shit. My best damn friend.”

  Sloan couldn’t catch her breath enough to attempt a response.

  She closed her eyes and imagined the shocked look on Mark’s face as he emptied his balls all over the furred shin of his driver. And that was all it took.

  “Oh God. Mark!” She screamed when she came, shuddering and tensing so hard she got a cramp in her curled toes.

  “Yes, come, Sloan. Come.” He shouted, a raw and base command tinting his voice. “I’m coming…with you.”

  The knowledge spiked her ecstasy higher, prolonging her release. Damn, the man loved to talk. And talk dirty.

  “Shot all over my chest. My abs. Some splashed over my nipple.”

  She kept rubbing her clit, wringing every last drop of satisfaction from her orgasm and his confession.

  “Taste it. For me.” Her voice trembled. “Imagine it’s Sebastian’s come instead of yours.”

  “Fuck yes.” A wet slurp followed, setting off another mini-orgasm in her core.

  Mark murmured reassurances for long minutes as she recovered, finally floating back to earth and the welcome embrace of his husky voice.