Monsters Under Mistletoe

7. Kat

Chapter 7

Kat

A lgi orders a cab and it’s a relief to climb in out of the cold. The Christmas lights were beautiful and so was dinner, but now all I can think about is the ritual and what comes after.

My belly feels like my snakes have got lost in there. It writhes and squirms with pleasure and nerves at the thought of being with Algi. Really being with him. I never thought I’d ever get to experience sex with another person. The fact it’s my big teddy bear of a boss who I’ve been secretly fantasizing over for months takes this from dream to miracle!

Of course I’ve got toys. I have an enormous collection, in fact. I’m not stupid! Just shy.

Every time I get another sign that he wants me, though, I feel bolder. Almost like I could climb into his lap and take what I want right here in the cab.

I content myself with sliding a little closer across the vinyl seat until our thighs are kissing. Algi lifts his arm and wraps it around me and I lay my cheek against his chest and breathe it in. The scent of him is hot and heady and masculine with an edge of charcoal and ash. It’s like the scent you get after you snuff out a candle.

I’ve always loved that smell.

I realize I’m rubbing my nose against him right about the moment his hand tightens around me and he lets out a deep groan that vibrates right through my body.

“Kat.” His voice sounds choked. “You’re going to need to stop doing that until I’ve got that jar of dirt, kitten.”

I giggle. “Kitten?”

He makes an apologetic face. “Too cheesy?”

“No.” I grin up at him. “I like it.”

The cab ride to the office feels far too short and yet far too long at the same time. I feel every place our bodies connect. The sizzle of energy that fires through me every time his hand squeezes me or with every deep exhale makes me giddy. Between my legs, my pussy throbs with awareness of what we’re about to do. What I hope we’re about to do, anyway.

Will it work?

He’s so big. So much bigger than me. I might have an impressive collection of dildos, but what if they’re not as much like the real thing as I let myself imagine?

When the cab stops outside Algonite Law, Algi tells the driver, “Will you wait here a moment? I’ll be right back. I need to fetch something and then we’ll head to 786 Collins St.” He turns to me. “As long as that’s OK with you. We can go to yours if you prefer?”

I shake my head. “No. That’s fine. I’m not sure you’ll fit.”

A shadow passes across his expression and I give his hand a squeeze. “It’s a tiny studio, remember. I don’t think you could stand up straight in there.”

Algi coughs. “Right. Fit in your studio. Gotcha. I’ll be right back.” The hasty kiss he presses to my lips makes my heart do a little dance inside my chest. I avoid looking at the cab driver’s eyes in the rear-view mirror. If he knows what Algi thought we were talking about, he’s keeping a remarkably straight face.

Algi is as good as his word. He’s sliding back into the cab in minutes. The whole vehicle dips and rocks with his weight. Then he pulls me close again.

When we finally make it to his apartment, I have to stop and stare. It’s on the ground floor and I expected it to feel claustrophobic like my place, but it’s the opposite. Tall ceilings and muted decor make the place feel huge. There are enormous French doors which lead out onto a modern floating deck. Beyond is a courtyard garden, screened off from the world by bamboo and a rocky feature wall with a trickle of water playing over its surface.

“Wow.”

“You like it?”

When I look, Algi’s expression is eager. Hopeful. As if my answer means everything to him.

“Very much.”

He lets out a long breath. “Listen, I want you to know there’s no pressure tonight. Or any night. If you want to stop. If you change your mind—”

I cut him off by grabbing handfuls of his shirt and tugging his mouth down to mine. We kiss until I have to come up for air. Until my head is swimming and I want to climb him to get closer. I think I’m getting the hang of this.

Algi is breathing hard. “Kitten, do you want to do the ritual?”

I nod immediately. There’s no hesitation in my mind. “Yes. What do we have to do?”

He clears his throat. “Well it can get a little dirty. Literally.” He laughs. “I need to spread mud on you and recite some words, basically. You might have to get naked. If you’re OK with that?”

I chew my lip. I’ve never been naked in front of another person before. “I will if you will.”

I’m sure I’ll feel a whole lot braver with him naked too. I have a feeling, I won’t be able to look away. My eyes are already tracing the open neckline of his shirt where he’s tugged off his tie and opened a button. And yeah, I stared at his forearms at the restaurant when he rolled up his sleeves. Can you blame me? They’re all muscled and veiny.

Algi laughs. “Well that sounds fair enough to me. Come on. Let’s go into the bathroom. I’m guessing you’ll want a bath afterward.”

I make a small noise of pleasure. “Oh why didn’t you mention there’s a bath? You might never get rid of me.”

He takes my hand and leads me down the corridor. “That’s the plan, kitten.”

He runs a bath in the enormous bathtub which takes up at least half the space inside the bathroom. It’s not a small room either. I guess the tub needs to be big to fit his huge frame.

As the room fills with steam and the mirror begins to fog, I set aside the dark glasses with joy. It’s nice to see him so clearly.

I play with the hem of my sweater dress. I wish I’d dressed up more for tonight. I wish I’d worn fancy underwear. Well, the good ones anyway.

I have a horrible moment where I wonder if Algi will laugh at the boring beige panties and my plain t-shirt bra.

I should have known better. As soon as I lift the hem of the dress over my head, he sucks in a breath. When I tug it over my face, I could drown in the desire on his face. His mouth hangs open and he has frozen in place, hands wrestling with the buttons on his pale gray shirt.

“Your turn,” I prompt him.

Algi lets out a long, low whistle, dragging his gaze up and then back down my body. I’ve never felt more like a goddess than I do then.

He fumbles with the buttons on his shirt, until half a moment later he gives a growl and simply tears it off.

I laugh.

Then I catch sight of him and my laughter dies in my suddenly dry throat. I lick my lips. My god. He’s like one of those ancient statues of gods. Hard, impossibly perfect. The way people imagine bodies should be.

I can’t believe he wants me!

I’m about to pull my dress right back down over my head, when he stops me. “What’s wrong, kitten?”

I stare at my feet. Even those are short and stubby. “Look at you!”

“You don’t like the way I look?”

My head snaps up. “What!? Are you crazy? It’s just…look at me . I’m nothing special. And you’re… you !”

Algi drops to his knees on the bathroom floor and I gasp. He grips my hips and pulls me toward him until I have to put my hands on his broad shoulders to stay steady.

When he presses a shaky kiss to my belly right above my navel, I’m really glad of my grip on him. My knees go weak and the fluttery sensation spreads through me all the way to the back of my head and my suddenly achy pussy. “Oh.”

“Kitten, you are the most perfect thing I’ve ever seen. Don’t even doubt it. Please say I can undress you and look at the rest of you. I don’t think I’ve ever needed anything as much as I need to look at you.”

“OK.”

At my breathless word, he slowly slips the ends of his fingers beneath the waistband of my underwear. Inch by inch, reverently, he slides them down my legs. Finally, I step out of them.

There’s a pause. My heart rattles around in my chest like a lost marble.

Then Algi groans. His hands skim up my calves, stroke up my thighs and when he reaches my belly, they span almost my whole waist. “Oh, Kat. Trust me. You have nothing to worry about.”

Now my smile is back along with my confidence. He kneels there for a long time pressing tiny kisses along my hips and around to the crease of my ass. I giggle and I can’t hold still, but I love it.

I love the tender way he touches me. The little things he whispers as he discovers something new. As his mouth wanders across my belly, he sighs. “So soft. So fucking soft and smooth and, oh, Kat. How did I get this lucky?”

Now that my confidence is back, I’m feeling restless again. Reaching behind me, I unfasten my bra and let it drop to the floor before I can second guess myself.

Algi looks up and I’m certain his glowing eyes darken for a moment before he literally buries his face in my chest. Pushing my breasts together he kisses first one and then the other until he squeezes my breasts together and captures both nipples at once into a frantic kiss.

I moan.

He pulls back, worried. “Too much?”

“No! Not enough. Please can we do the ritual now?”

He laughs, but when he straightens, I see the bulge at the front of his trousers. Hurrying to the sink, he fills it with a little water and adds the dirt from his jar. Swirling his fingers in the muddy water, he lifts them. “Now I paint this on you and say the words. Are you sure you’re ready?”

“So ready.”

My snakes are awfully still as he steps toward me. I think they’re holding their breath like I am until the first press of cool mud on my belly makes me gasp.

Again and again, Algi dabs cool mud onto different parts of my body, making slow stripes in random patterns until I’m covered in them.

He steps back, looking at me, his expression caught somewhere between awe and hunger.

“Oh, Kat. Did I mention this is a dream come true for me?”

I smile. “For me too, well maybe not the mud, but being with you.”

He takes my hands. “Earth Mother bless this fertile ground.”

I blink. Am I supposed to feel different?

“Is that it? Is it done?”

He frowns. “God, I hope so. How do you feel?”

I shift, tugging my lower lip between my teeth. How do I tell him I feel restless and needy without humiliating myself?

He sighs. “Let’s get you cleaned off.”

He helps me into the bath. I sink into the warm water. The bath is large and I hoped he might join me, but he simply kneels beside the tub and takes a washcloth, lathering it with soap. “May I wash you, kitten?”

His face looks tense. Maybe he’s worried the ritual hasn’t worked. I wish there was a way to know for sure. “Of course.”

Algi runs the washcloth down each arm and across my collarbone. I sigh as the slow brush of the soapy material slides across my skin. That tingling feeling low in my belly and deep in my pussy is back. My nipples bead into peaks above the water as the cloth brushes against each one.

Algi smiles. “So beautiful.”

I sigh when he gives each more attention. As the cloth rubs around and under, I get more turned on. Until the ache in my clit matches the ache in each tight nipple.

My breath comes faster. When he has me lift each leg out of the water to wash, I can hardly contain the urge to beg him to touch me higher, right between my thighs where I need him most. When he straightens to put away the washcloth, it bursts from me. “Algi, please! Touch me.”

His eyes widen. He doesn’t hesitate. Getting back to his knees he takes my hand. Algi brings my hand to my mound, right above my pussy. I can’t help arching my back. I spread my legs, hoping he’s going to touch me there.

“Show me.” His voice is rough. “Show me how to touch you, kitten. Teach me.”

With his large hand covering mine, I finally move mine to the needy place at the top of my cunt. My clit is hugely swollen. The first touch has me bucking. Algi groans. He leans forward to wrap his other arm around my shoulders to pillow my head.

I can’t hold back anymore.

He watches with fascination as I circle the bud of my clit with little sweeping strokes. I moan. I can’t hold it in. Why does it feel so much better with his hand right there? His hot breath on my cheek.

Algi leans in for a lingering kiss.

Just when I’m longing for more, he pushes my hand aside gently and takes over. He was clearly paying attention. A thick finger spreads me wide. Gently nudging inside me, he collects the slick from my cunt and spreads it around my clit until I’m rolling my hips in time with his movements. Water sloshes out of the bath.

“Mmm.” I grip the hand he has around me. “Yes, like that.”

He keeps going, learning my body with every motion. Every time I draw in a breath, he checks to see if it was good or bad. Each time my back arches or my belly sucks in, he notices. Soon he has me writhing. “Oh keep going. Keep going. I’m going to—”

Like that, I come apart, bursting into an orgasm so sweet it takes my body many long pulsing waves of pleasure to come down.

I open my eyes to find Algi staring at me. “Kat, you are so damn beautiful. I have the most perfect kuna in the world.”