Hush Hush

by Lucia Franco

"Trust me. Money doesn't make you happy, Aub. All it does is cause more problems,"

"I'll cut their eyes out with my nails if they look at him."

"I have nothing better to do with my life at my age, so I keep my house clean and change litter boxes often. Then I go to bingo.

There’s nothing like having the power of making a man fall to his knees with need that gets me going.

When I told you this job was hush-hush, I wasn’t kidding."

"Natalie," I call as she reaches the door. "Sink or swim, right?" I say when she looks over her shoulder at me. "For me, tonight, it's spit or swallow." She winks and gives me two air kisses before she leaves me standing here with my jaw dropped.

"Tell me what you did last night," I say. "A man in his thirties."

Ludacris said it perfectly—men want a lady on the streets but a freak in the sheets.

I almost take him up on the offer, when I remember I have an interview tonight at a whorehouse.

What about anal, Aubrey?" Christine says, her tone a sensual caress down my neck. For a second, I wonder if she’d like to strap one on and test me out.

Banging my potential boss was the last thing I expected walking into Sanctuary Cove.

I roll my eyes toward her. "You know, we’ve seen each other at our worst, naked and shit, hungover, crying over boys who ghosted us, but now you’ve got me hooking and banging my female boss," I say like I'm exasperated, but she knows I'm not. "This means you're stuck with me for life. That shit makes us stronger than blood sisters." She chuckles. "We're wet sisters." I fake gag. "Don't ever say that again. It sounds like incest."

Oh! And here's a tip—before you go on any appointments, use spearmint spray to relax your gag reflex and coat your goods in coconut oil for easy access. Both make a huge difference, unless, of course, he's got a small dick. If that’s the case, you lick it like a Dum Dums lollipop and pretend he's got an anaconda hanging between his legs. No working girl wants a big dick. It's too much work and requires hazard pay.

"Spit or swallow, right?"

look around, wondering if anyone knows what I’m doing here, but he stops me. "No." My eyes snap to his. "Your eyes stay on me," he says in a harsh, low voice, and for a second, everything inside of me freezes. "Do not look at anyone else. You're here with me."

I'm not really into the whole degradation talk. It's not my style. Being called names like slut, whore, or skank have never turned me on. But for eight thousand dollars, it can.

I eat men like him for breakfast.

"When you're done with him, come find me so I can show you the way you're meant to be used. I'll even pay double." Oh, that sets me off. Before I can think better of it, I respond, my voice low. "Philip, you can't afford me, and even if you could, I still wouldn't touch you with a ten-foot pole. I can see why you'd want to be with me after seeing your washed-up, haggard wife, though. I bet you can't even get your little pecker up with her. But when it comes to James, no one has ever fucked me the way he has. The rumors are true. He's hung like a stallion and fucks like a beast."

"I've never had a woman talk about me like that," he says. "Not in public, at least." "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I know it was out of line⁠—" "Don't apologize. I like seeing a woman able to hold her own. The shy and mild don't do it for me."

"I'm keeping you. I like that you have no problem standing up for yourself. Confidence and having a brain is a fucking turn-on. And as you can tell, I am hung like a fucking animal. And I do fuck like a beast. I hope you can handle me. Philip is a bastard and needed to be put in his place."

"Life is too short, Valentina. You can’t put a price tag on happiness."

Memories are created by impromptu moments, and those are priceless to me.

Money can buy a lot of things, but it can't buy moments, and those are priceless.

"Life is a collection of moments," he reads. His voice is as rich as the cognac. I lean closer and he says, "When I'm six feet under, my story will still be here because memories don't die. They'll live on forever."

"Because your pleasure is what turns me on. I can't fuck someone who doesn't feel as good as I do and get off on it. I need to feel you come on my cock. I need to see how you look, the expression on your face when I'm fucking you so hard that you beg me to stop. I want your back to arch so my dick goes deeper and I can feel your cum soaking my cock. I need to feel your pussy contracting as I come inside you. If you don't feel what I do when I’m fucking you, then there's no point. I can make you feel things you've never felt before, Valentina, but only if you let me."

"That look right there is what's got my dick hard. Your body responding to my touch. When you feel good, I feel good, sweetheart. It's that simple,"

"Weakness and submission are not the same thing," he says, his voice low. "Submissive women are strong women. They just want someone who's stronger than them." "And you think I'm strong?" I bluntly ask. "If I kneel at your feet, will I have to walk behind you too?"

"You don't get it, do you, Valentina? I’m not like every other Joe Schmo out there. I don't give a shit how many partners you or anyone else I’m with have had. I see you, and everyone I meet, as an equal. I don’t look down on people because of the job they take to pay their bills. We're not so different as you think. Job titles don’t mean anything to me. They never have. Who am I to judge? I care more about who you are inside, your character, and how you treat people when no one is looking. There's not a single person in this world who's honest in their business. Not even a fucking priest walks the straight and narrow line. They're fucking little boys in the confessionals. You want to go toe-to-toe all night? I'm game, sweetheart. Name your price, and I'm all yours." He smirks. "I win all my cases."

"Sometimes I feel like when I leave a client, they slice a piece of me off and light it on fire."

You're not doing anything different than an investment adviser on Wall Street who's about to fuck his client and take their money. This job can only make you feel negatively if you allow it to. Don't allow it. When you leave our apartment, you become Valentina. Separate yourself."

"I've wanted to feel your pretty lips around my cock since the first time I saw you. I want you on your knees and sucking me off until I come inside that sexy mouth of yours," he says, lifting my chin so our eyes meet. "And I want you to swallow every single bit of my cum. Do you understand?"

"I'm about to fuck you senseless,"

"I'm going to lick every inch of your body clean," he says. Goose bumps break out over my sensitive skin, and I shiver in anticipation. "Then I'm going to fuck you until you’re filthy with only my cum."

“Most of the time a man can’t find a clit. So yes, I have to be in control.” He lifts a brow and smirks. “Stop fucking boys and get yourself a real man.” “I’ll put it on my to-do list,”

"That was the last thing I expected when you walked in," Daniel says, staring up at the ceiling in awe. "What did you expect when I said Netflix and chill? For me to read you a book while you braid my hair?"

"Why do you want me so bad?" I ask, short of breath. "A few reasons. I think you're the type who needs a man to take the wheel and fuck you the right way. I can tell you think too much. Sex has always been an effort for you, and it's the one place it shouldn't be. Outside, on the streets, you're a woman with no filter who can hold herself up to anyone, which I fucking love, but in bed, I think you need someone to make you forget your name. I can do that. I want to be that man for you. Between the sheets, you should be saying, 'Yes, please, more, harder'—my fucking name and nothing else." "Should I say, ’Yes, Daddy’, too?" I ask innocently with doe eyes. He barks out a laugh, throwing his head back, and I smile.

"Thanks for getting me warmed up," I whisper. "Sometimes the vodka and Percs aren't enough. But you, James, will always be enough,"

It's not just about making him feel good. I want him to crave me. I want to seduce him until he's the one begging for me.

All I know is that I'm sandwiched between two men and falling into a dark, cavernous pit of pleasure, lust, and sinful desires.

James is without a doubt a fine fucking man. Fifty-two or not, if we were both free of Sanctuary Cove and that wedding band, I'd fuck him all day every day.

"Take my cock out and suck it."

"We're gonna get too attached," I yell at his back before he leaves the room. My voice cracks a little, but that doesn't stop him from walking away. "Too fuckin' late for that, sweetheart."

Yeah. I'm an angel with black wings, born with no morals or modesty, and legs for days that spread like holy water. But at least I put them to good use.

I know him in ways that no friend should ever know her best friend's dad.

"Say yes." His voice is guttural, skating over my skin. "I won't take no for an answer now that I have you again. We don't need to go through Sanctuary Cove. It can be just us."

"I can't get close to a client for obvious reasons, and you're a complication I didn't want." I pause. "I still don't want it." "Liar,” he says, no doubt feeling how I’m trembling against him, my body betraying my words. “I'm a complication you need, sweetheart,"

"This is a complication we both need."

"I wish I had a real explanation, but I don't. There's something about you that has captivated me ever since the first day we met. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. Why do you think I kept requesting you? When you blocked me, I went fucking out of my mind."

"It's because we didn't have sex. That's all it is. I'm a challenge, and the chase excites you. But you’ll get over it and forget me in time." His face turns hard. "No. Not even close, Aubrey. Yeah, don't get me wrong. I’m fucking dying to be inside you, but it's you who fascinates me. The way you speak your mind, the jokes you make, the way you carry yourself in a public setting. The way you challenge me—I fucking love that you do. You have a beautiful heart and a dirty mind. I like what you bring to the table."

"You want a man who’s real with you, Aubrey? You want honesty? My wife hates when I touch her like this, but you respond to it. I can feel your body light up under my fingertips, and it makes me curious to see what other reactions I can get from you. So excuse me for wanting someone who indulges in the things I do inside and outside the bedroom."