Unconventional Read online

  My heart sank. I rubbed at my eyes with one hand.

  “Sorry honey. It’s gonna be a little delayed.”

  “O—Okay,” Ariana replied. She forced a smile. “No biggie, just making sure you’re alright. And that everything over there is—”

  “It’s fine,” I smiled back. “Mix-up with my paycheck, that’s all. I’ll do a transfer tomorrow, then wire you directly. Sound good?”

  My sister’s face brightened. “Sounds great.”

  “How’s mom?”

  “The same.”

  “Tell her…” My throat constricted a bit. “Tell I said…”

  “Don’t worry,” Ariana nodded. “I will.”

  We talked pleasantries for another minute or so, before my nine-year old brother’s need for attention got too much to bear. By the time we said our goodbyes, Ariana’s patience with him had worn thin. And I was busy calculating how much water I’d need to add, to salvage my latest mortar mixture.

  “Bye Julian!” she said at last. “And… thank you.”

  “Nothing to thank me for, beautiful,” I smiled.

  I let her hang up first, as always, to assuage even the tiniest bit of my guilt. In truth, it had been way too long. I’d been slacking with my phone calls, and I knew it.

  Enough talk. More work.

  Scraping my trowel clean, I turned back in the direction of the ancient, thirty-foot high wall.

  Eighteen

  MADISON

  He came in around dusk, just as he said he would. Covered in sweat, dirt, and mortar dust and God only knew what else.

  And I was more than ready for him.

  “Boots off,” I ordered as Julian entered the foyer. “And sit.”

  I shoved him backwards, into one of the kitchen chairs. He unlaced. I pulled. A minute later I was running my hands over his tired feet, touching and rubbing as I rolled off his socks.

  “Here.”

  I reached onto the table and handed him a beer, cold and frosty, the cap already off. My sexy stonemason tilted his head back and took a long, deep pull. Several gulps later, he’d finished half the bottle.

  “Oh, I could get used to this,” he sighed.

  I ran my hands up his legs, rubbing the whole way. Julian kept drinking. Kept watching. Just past his knees, I squeezed his thighs playfully before climbing into his lap.

  “Thanks for today,” I said, kissing him hotly. I could feel my hair tickling his skin, as I nuzzled my way into his neck.

  My lover set the empty bottle on the floor and pulled me against his chest. His body was warm, his lips cold from the beer. Even the contrast was turning me on.

  “What’s for dinn—”

  I shushed him quietly with a finger against his lips. Then, after kissing him some more, I slid down his legs and straight to the floor.

  “Right now?” I purred. “You are.”

  I unbuttoned and unzipped him, then tapped the tops of both knees. Julian eyed me shrewdly for a moment, then lifted his ass from the chair so I could shimmy his jeans off. His shorts came next, rolling down his massive thighs. His heavy cock, warm from the day’s imprisonment, sprang into my hand.

  Without another word, I dropped my head into his lap and went down on him.

  MmmMmmmmm…

  It was musky. Dusky. Salty but sweet. He had the scent of a man, through and through. One that had worked hard all day, doing something big and important.

  Something for me.

  Julian’s tattooed hands sifted into my hair as I bobbed up and down in his lap. I was licking and stroking him. Sucking him hard and deep, then slowing down to make eye-contact while dragging my wet tongue up and down the underside of his thick, pulsating shaft.

  I could’ve said something clever. I could’ve winked at him. The truth was, we didn’t need any of that. A hundred things became silently understood as I kept sucking and licking and eye-fucking my stonemason, while kneeling sluttily between his thighs on the kitchen floor. Everything that passed between us was absolutely wordless.

  “Fuck.”

  It was the only thing he got to say. It preceded the penultimate moment, when I felt his balls retract, his stomach tighten, and his ass lift itself from the chair. Julian’s hands rolled into thick fists, as he began pumping his hot seed straight down my throat.

  “Oh FUCK, Madison…”

  He stared down at me as he came in my mouth, watching my cheeks bow out to accommodate his copious load. I did everything I possibly could. Pulled every trick out of every book… but I still couldn’t swallow it all.

  Wow…

  It ran down my cheeks, my chin, my neck. Spilled out a little onto the chair, too, as well as coated the sides of his massive shaft.

  I kept stroking and sucking, bringing him completely and totally off. Running my tongue around the underside of the head, as the last twitches and pulses marked the end of his little trip to paradise.

  When it was all over and he’d finished spending himself, I grabbed a nearby towel. Smiling devilishly, I stood up and tossed it his way.

  “Dinner’s in fifteen minutes,” I said, turning in the direction of the oven. “Go ahead and shower. You’ve got time.”

  I watched through glassy eyes as Julian rose, nearly stumbled a step, and made his way back toward the stairwell. The whole thing had taken all of five minutes, start to finish. The hottest, sexiest blowjob I’d ever given.

  That was dirty, Madison.

  It sure was. Dirty and filthy and every bit as amazing as I wanted it to be.

  And I think you liked it a little too much.

  That part too.

  I was strong, independent. Running a fucking castle by myself, for the past two years. But there was something inherently sexy about taking care of a man who’d been taking care of me. Someone who not only respected me, but who went above and beyond to help me, without even being asked.

  A beer and a blowjob were the least I owed him. Not to mention the others…

  There was a kick and a thump as the shower began running, a couple of floors overhead. I could picture Julian in there right now. His hard, dirt-smeared body, totally and gloriously naked.

  I could turn off the stove. Run up the steps… strip down and climb in with him. Stand there beneath the heated overhead spray, soaping down every gorgeous inch of his wide-shouldered, broad-chested frame.

  Decisions… decisions…

  I stirred the vegetables instead, and checked on the progress of the chicken. As fun as it would be, I had time. There were three incredible guys all vying for my attention, and I had a few more wonderful weeks before the final inspections.

  And they were weeks I intended on making the absolute most of.

  Nineteen

  MADISON

  I woke sleepily, dreamily, the cool sheets stretched perfectly over my naked body. For weeks I’d slept fitfully, worried about everything from the inspections to my lack of finances to how I ended up in Scotland of all places, penniless, friendless, and without any prospects.

  But right now… everything was right in my world.

  I’d like to say we made love all over the castle, but that wasn’t right. Instead we had a delicious dinner. We tried watching television — which really wasn’t Julian’s thing at all — until he suddenly tossed me over his shoulder and carried me straight up the stairs.

  In the coziness of my bedroom, he spent the following hour or so between my legs. First kissing every inch of my body, until I was squirming with pleasure, and then devouring me until I swore I saw stars.

  Drenched and helpless, I’d gasped as his beautiful body climbed over mine. Julian entered me slowly at first, getting me used to him all over again. He screwed me with a deep, steady grind, stopping only to kiss away the tears of happiness that streaked down my cheeks.

  Then he flipped me over, dropped his hands to my shoulders… and fucked me absolutely senseless, from behind.

  He passed out almost immediately after that, snoring into the silence of my da
rkened bedroom. The smell of our sex permeated the summer air, and it was a fragrance I welcomed home.

  The last thing I remembered was snuggling into him. Spooning myself against his hard, slumbering body, and throwing one leg over his nakedness.

  I reached for him again now, seeking his warmth and comfort. Only he wasn’t there. The bed next to me was empty… but it was still warm.

  “Julian?”

  I blinked sleepily, and heard a hiss. When I could finally open my sleep-gummed eyes, I saw him squatting in the shadows… right beside the window.

  He was holding his finger over his lips in the universal ‘shushing’ signal.

  “It’s out there.”

  My heart was already thumping as I threw my legs over the side of the bed. Pressing my feet to the floor, the worn, wooden planks creaked beneath my weight.

  “What’s it doing?” I whispered.

  “Shifting around, just like you said.” Julian squinted into the darkness. “Like… shuffling.”

  He was still naked, and for a moment my mind wandered. Even in the excitement of impending danger, I couldn’t drag my eyes away from the tight curve of his magnificent ass.

  I edged over, and looked for myself. Sure enough, the figure was out there at the far end of the field. Too far to really see details, but close enough to see its shuddering, halting movement.

  “That’s fucking creepy,” I whispered.

  The big mason nodded in agreement. Then he stood up, walked to the bed, and began throwing on clothes.

  “What are you doing?” I said in alarm.

  “Going after after it.”

  I grabbed his arm. “Julian, no! We don’t know who or what that is. It… it could be—”

  I felt him pull away, and I suddenly was talking to air. My lover was already gone, moving with surprising swiftness. I listened to his bare feet padding down the staircase, until it was so faint I could no longer hear him.

  Holy shit holy shit holy shit…

  I ran back to the window, just in time to see him burst from the front of the keep. Still shirtless, Julian sprinted along the northern hedge, staying in the shadows. A dark blur of motion, against the stillness of the boxwoods.

  Then he broke into the field, and poured on the speed.

  The man or figure or whatever didn’t notice him right away. Julian took off like a shot, making a beeline across the grass and straight toward the intruder.

  If I’d kept the landscaper on, he would’ve caught him. The grass wouldn’t be so high and thick, slowing my lover down. As it was, the intruder noticed Julian with just enough time to turn and flee. It melted quickly and easily into the treeline… and then Julian went in after it.

  Oh no!

  I clapped my hand over my mouth. Gasped loudly in fear and worry, as the two of them disappeared entirely from view.

  Then I got a hold of myself, and let anger take over.

  “Fuck this.”

  I got dressed in seconds, pulling on my clothes and flying down the staircase in under a minute. I’d gone from scared to pissed. From helpless to ‘holy shit why aren’t you helping?’ in all the time it took to blink.

  The front door was wide open as I flung myself outside. I crossed the courtyard and exited the gate, my eyes adjusting to the pale blue half-light.

  Why the hell didn’t I grab shoes?

  Everything was mud and muck, squishing beneath my bare feet with every step. The air was humid, the night thick. A thousand insects buzzed all around me, as I followed Julian’s original path along the hedge.

  I broke out at about the same point he did, and headed for the edge of the trees. The field actually hurt. I could feel my feet stepping on rocks, my shins being torn by razor-grass, as I reached the spot where they’d disappeared.

  “OHH!”

  I nearly had a heart attack as Julian came bounding out of the woods and stopped in front of me. For once he was actually breathing heavy. His bare chest, heaving with all the exertion.

  I took one hopeful look at him, but the mason shook his head.

  “Whatever it was, it was too fast…” he heaved. He stopped for a moment to put his hands on his knees. “The forest… gets dense quickly. The trails… not wide enough… for…”

  “Easy,” I said. “Don’t talk, just breathe.”

  Julian was practically drenched in humidity and sweat. Totally naked except for his boxers. He reminded me sharply of a Tarzan movie… if Tarzan had panty-melting arm-sleeves and hot chest tattoos.

  “Well at least we know one thing for sure…” he said, when he could speak again.

  I raised my eyebrows. “And what’s that?”

  “You’re not sleeping here alone anymore.”

  Twenty

  NOAH

  “Well shit,” I said, throwing a jagged piece of broken glass over my shoulder. “This is a new one.”

  The living room was a total wreck. Holes punched in the walls, stuffing pulled out of the couch. The TV was cracked — it had been cracked before, but now it was completely spider-webbed — and the hundred-year old stereo I’d inherited from the previous owner of the place had been shattered into a thousand pieces.

  “The joke’s on them though,” I laughed, kicking one of the speakers. “I never even used it.”

  Chase was in the kitchen, putting our cabinets back together. Not just putting stuff back in them, but literally putting the cabinets back on the walls again.

  “How much is it gonna take this time?” I sighed.

  I could tell my friend was already embarrassed. But there was something else too: a rising anger beneath his humiliation. A far beyond normal amount of animosity, considering our predicament.

  “Fuckers!” Chase cursed from the kitchen.

  “What?”

  “They took the beer with them.”

  I chuckled. “Duh.”

  “But we just went shopping!” Chase yelled, throwing his arms up.

  “Did they leave the spam?”

  “Yeah. All nine cans of it.”

  “True scoundrels, then.”

  The rest of our trailer looked relatively untouched, although they’d tossed the bedrooms looking for cash. All of our drawers were open, our clothing scattered across the moldy carpet. But at least they didn’t slash the pillows, or piss on the bed.

  Wrinkling my nose, I leaned down and smelled the bed, just in case.

  “They took the toilet paper,” Chase cried. “FUCK!”

  “Toilet paper’s expensive,” I shrugged.

  “Is it? Is it really though?”

  He was storming the hall now, kicking the walls. A glass frame dropped off its wire hanger, sending it crashing to the floor among the rest of the mess.

  “You wanna clean this shit up yourself, bro?” I fired back at him.

  Chase had his hands on his head, squeezing his hair in exasperation. He released the breath he was holding in a long hiss, then shook his head. “No.”

  “Then stop making it worse.”

  It took us a half hour to clean up the general clutter, and an equal amount of time to sweep up everything that was broken. When we finished we collapsed together on the couch, side by side. Toasting each other with freshly-drawn tap water.

  “You got a metal spring up your ass?” I asked him, shifting uncomfortably.

  “Nah. Not on this side.”

  “That’s my side then,” I declared. “From now on.”

  Chase laughed, and I had to laugh with him. If you couldn’t laugh a little in a situation like this, you were pretty fucked.

  “You want the good news or the bad news?”

  “Gimmie the good,” Chase said.

  “They didn’t shit in the toilet tank this time. I checked.”

  My friend chuckled, and the couch shook beneath us. We’d need a new one for sure. It was on its last legs even before this last round of vandalization.

  “And the bad?”

  I pointed gravely. Chase followed along, and when he sa
w the gaping hole where our air-conditioning unit should be, his shoulders dropped.

  “FUCK,” he groaned, totally disheartened. “We’re back to fans then.”

  “Nah. They smashed those too.”

  This summer had been especially brutal. Without some measure of air conditioning in the trailer, we were pretty much dead.

  “At least we’ll have a cross-breeze,” I said, pointing to our opposing broken windows. But my latest joke fell flat. We were all out of merriment at our own expense.

  We stared forward at our broken television for a few long moments, wishing our glasses of tepid tap water were cold bottles of beer. Finally I asked again.

  “How much, Chase?”

  Five seconds of silence went by. When my roommate finally spoke, the answer was sullen. Defeated.

  “At least three large.”

  I couldn’t hide my disappointment. “Three thousand pounds?”

  “I owe fifty-five. Killian wants more than half… or this keeps happening.”

  Chase was a great guy. Funny, savvy, street-smart as they came. We’d clicked instantly as friends, ever since our time as deckhands on the freighter that brought us over here. But Chase had a gambling problem. A big one, too.

  Emphasis on the word had.

  I’d broken him of it, just as I’d broken his jaw. He’d dislocated my shoulder in the process, but our drunken brawl — resulting from the last time this happened — eventually had him seeing the light.

  “Why are they doing this?” I gestured. “I thought you came to an agreem—”

  “I did,” he interrupted. “I was making regular payments, including the forty-percent vig.”

  “FORTY PERCENT—”

  “Look, it kept them out of here, right? It kept them off of me.” He shrugged. “But now I missed one. And Killian said if I missed even one payment this time, that was it.”

  Madison. I should’ve known. Not having a paycheck meant not being able to make payments.