A Place Beyond The Horizon Ch. 09

Bethany turns her attention back to Aidan. She's delivered her insult and he can see she's pleased with herself. Mara's expression is fixed in a tight smile. He has to do something to get her out of this.

"Mara Fey," Aidan says, "Yeah, she does. You know what, I think Mara Fey's great. So, yeah, that's my choice."

That irks Bethany, but she can see she's getting nowhere. She cocks her head to the side, turning back to Mara.

"Actually, y'know, it's okay. I feel a little bit sorry for you, to tell the truth. I can't imagine how hard it must be to earn anything at all at your age. It's gotta be fucking tough when punters look at you like it's a fire sale. You probably have to spend half of what you earn on fucking botox just to keep your face from falling off."

Bethany shrugs, turning to Aidan. "If you like the grannies, that's all good, mate. If you tire her out and fancy a proper fuck, I'll still be around here somewhere."

She flashes Mara a sweet smile and pivots on her heel, striding back into the pub. Outside, on the curb, they stand together in silence.

"Geez that bitch could talk," Mara exclaims suddenly, still in her accent, still in character, "How about we get the fuck out of here and have a proper good time without interruptions? Wanna party?"

Her face is lit up in a wolfish grin, her bright blue eyes locked on him. She laughs, but there's a brittle edge to it, her eyes a little too wide. She glances down the street to a sign that says 'Liquor'.

"We can grab a bottle and take this back to yours if you like."

Her expression doesn't change, but she's standing under the streetlight in her short, tight dress in her high heels and hoop earrings, staring at him.

"Sounds good," Aidan replies.

Mara just nods, sweeping past him to the illuminated sign, her heels clicking on the paving. She's walking quickly, and Aidan has to trot to catch up. She opens the door and he follows her inside.

Mara goes up to the counter, smiling at the old man sitting on a stool behind the till. Her eyes are searching the shelves behind him. She points a bottle out.

"Bourbon."

"You sure?" Aidan asks.

"Yeah. Get it, and meet me outside."

Mara opens the door and is gone. The old man takes the bottle down from the shelf and slides it into a paper bag.

"She must be giving you the works," he comments as Aidan pays, "If you're shelling out for the grog as well."

Aidan doesn't reply. He takes the bottle from the counter and turns to leave.

"Hope you get your money's worth," the old man says, chuckling.

Aidan closes the door behind him and steps out into the night. Mara is waiting, standing with her feet together and her arms folded across her chest. The same wide smile is fixed on her face.

"It's getting cold," Aidan says, "Do you want my coat?"

As if in answer, Mara takes the bottle from him and opens it. He watches her take a hearty swig. She put the top back on and the same fixed smile returns.

"I'm all good now. That's gonna keep the fires burning. Let's get to your place."

They walk quickly. It's only a couple of minutes back to the hotel, but Aidan is feeling more and more uncomfortable. He feels like he should ask about her imaginary brother again, or details about her fake childhood, or anything to recover the mood that they'd had in the bar before Bethany arrived. He also wants to ask Mara if she's okay after the brutality of the encounter with Bethany, but it's not Mara he's with. There's no crack in the façade through which he can glimpse the woman that he spent twelve hours driving with in the car.

They get to the hotel entrance, hurrying through the doors and upstairs. They go to his room and he unlocks the door but before he can do anything else, Mara has opened it and she's pulling him inside. She closes the door behind her, pushing Aidan further into the room. She's smiling still, but it's strange, predatory.

"So, how would you like to start?" she asks, stepping up to him and running her hands across his chest, "You can ask for anything your heart desires, full service."

Mara kisses him, her eyes searching his, "Providing you have the means."

She kisses him again, slipping her tongue into his mouth. He can taste the alcohol.

"That was for free."

He feels her hand brushing down his body to his hip. She slips into his pocket and extracts his wallet.

"Let's see what we're dealing with. Are you a high roller?"

Mara makes a show of opening his wallet and pulling out his money. He watches her count it, then fold a couple of notes up.

"This'll get you started. If you want more, we can talk about extras later. Okay?"

"Uh huh," Aidan nods.

It's Mara's show, he realises, and he's just the supporting cast.

Mara steps back and begins to grind her hips seductively. Her fingers grasp the hem of her tight, little dress and she begins to pull it upwards, revealing tiny lace panties. Her eyes are fixed on him, enjoying the way he's staring at her body as she pulls the dress up over her head to reveal a matching bra. She drops the dress on the ground and moves forward, pushing Aidan back towards the bed. His calves hit the edge of the mattress and he drops down onto the bed, looking up at her.

Mara picks up the bottle and slinks towards Aidan, raising the neck to her lips to take a long swallow. She leans over his body, straddling him, her breasts tantalisingly close his face.

"Would you like to see?" she murmurs, taking another draw on the bottle.

"Yeah," Aidan grates.

"I'm all yours. You get what you paid for."

Mara takes his hand in hers and directs him around to her bra strap. Aidan complies, unclasping her and peeling the bra from her body. She leans forward further, burying his face in her cleavage.

"All for you," she murmurs, slipping finally out of her Australian accent.

It changes the landscape between them instantly, like they're past the acting and back in real life. Aidan can feel how soft her skin is against his face, and he starts to bestow little kisses, no longer playing the supporting role in Mara's scene.

Her body is warm and gorgeous; he fills his hands with the delicious, soft curves of her breasts. She turns slightly, positioning a nipple for him to take into his mouth. Aidan obliges, sucking gently. Mara sighs, and he feels her hand over his crotch, cupping the swelling in his jeans.

She tugs and he feels his belt slacken. She pops the button on his jeans and slides the zipper down, her hand reaching beneath, searching for his manhood. Aidan is hardening to her touch, and he sighs as he feels her fingers wrap around his shaft.

"Let's see what we've got down here," Mara says, tugging on his jeans, indicating that he should raise his hips.

He complies and she strips him, leaving him naked below the waist. Her hands spread across his chest again.

"I also like what we have up here. You're so firm."

Her fingers work on his buttons, exposing his naked torso to her.

"That's what I'm talking about."

Mara removes his shirt and then raises her hips to slide her panties off. She lowers herself back into his lap and he can feel the warmth of her exposed crotch pressing against his hardening shaft. She tilts her hips gently, stroking his manhood with her crotch.

"Like that?" she murmurs, "Wanna go all the way?"

Mara kisses him again.

"You don't have to use protection, you're not gonna get me pregnant. You can fuck me bareback if you want. Okay?"

The sensation of her crotch grinding slowly up and down the skin of his shaft is all Aidan can think about now.

"Do you want to fill me with your lovely thick cock?" she asks, "C'mon, are you gonna fill me?"

"Yeah," Aidan groans.

Her language has changed, taking dirty to him, and so has her attitude. Mara kisses him, positioning herself just over the tip of his manhood. She teases him for a moment and then slides down onto him, taking him in a little way. She pulls up, bobbing down on him again, each time taking him further and further inside her. It's exquisite, and Aidan groans in response. She lifts herself up one last time and then slides back down, finally taking him inside her completely.

"How much more do you have?" she whispers.

"What?"

"Money. You want to have extras? You can do anything you want."

She's looking down at him now, a strange, sly grin on her face. He feels her contract around him, milking him, taunting him.

"I'm into whatever you are, baby," she continues, "What do you want?"

Aidan can tell she's playing a game, so he gets out his wallet again while Mara leans back. She picks up the bottle and fills her mouth with the liquid. Smiling, she bends forward again to kiss him. When their lips make contact, he feels her tongue worm its way into his mouth and then the sudden taste of bourbon leaking into his mouth. Mara breaks off the kiss, taking another swig from the bottle, but this time she closes her eyes and swallows it herself.

Aidan holds up some notes and Mara collects them from his hand.

"Oh, yeah," she grins, "That's gonna get you anything you want."

Mara sets the bottle back down again and wraps her arms around his body, leaning in for a long, slow kiss. He feels her rise up off him, then plunge back down, taking him up to his hilt inside herself. Mara begins to rise and fall on him, keeping up a steady rhythm. She squeezes him inside her on every downstroke, sending shivers of delight through him.

"Am I good, baby?" she murmurs.

"Yeah."

"Am I fucking good?"

Aidan nods. "You are. You're fucking good," he responds.

"Yeah," Mara replies, moving up and down on him steadily, "And I know what you want, don't I?"

Her movements are firmer now, riding his manhood. Her eyes are closed, savouring the feeling of him inside her. Mara's soft, full lips part and she emits a rumbling moan.

"Do you want me to give you what you want?" she groans, "You can do it to me baby, I don't mind."

Her eyes flick open and he's caught in her wide blue gaze. There is a strange intensity, and he feels his body responding to it, even as she starts to pick up pace, forcing herself down onto his rigid manhood, harder. Mara's face creases, her red lips opening into a silent 'O' as she stares into his eyes. Her breath is coming in short bursts now, working herself up to her peak as she rides his rigid member.

"Oh, yeah... that's good," she gasps, increasing her tempo and driving down onto him.

The combination of her motion, the feeling of her clenching him inside at the base of every stroke, and the lost, astonished expression on her face, stirs a powerful reaction in Aidan and his hips begin to move under her, driving up to meet her, feeling a deep, abiding tightness beginning to gather in his loins. He doesn't care if she's acting, he doesn't care if she's using his body as part of her research: he feels an implacable need to fill her.

Mara responds to his motions, and then, he sees through the act, to the woman behind the façade. She's feeling it too, a need to be entered, to ride him until he brings her to climax. Her fingers wrap around his wrists.

"I know what you want, baby. You can do it to me."

She pulls his hands up to her neck.

"Do it to me," she gasps.

Her expression is stark, feral. Beyond the acting and the booze, there is a need in her that she has to satiate. Aidan wraps his hands around her neck and begins to squeeze. Mara doesn't let go of his wrists, holding his hands in place. He can feel the pulse in her neck, beneath his fingers, he can feel her gasping as her air is restricted.

"Harder," she croaks.

She is pounding down onto him frantically now, her teeth gritted and her red lips parted in a grimace. The blood is rushing to her face, making the veins stand out on her forehead. Every stroke takes him into her completely and forcefully, building inescapable pressure in his groin. Mara's eyes close, her face colouring as she struggles. Aidan's hands are firmly wrapped around her throat now, cutting off all her air. She begins to convulse and shudder on him, but her fingers dig into the flesh of his wrists, holding him in place. Mara needs desperately to breathe, but more desperately to orgasm, her body fighting the competing urges, writhing on top of him as Aidan drives up to meet her.

He feels a powerful rush as his own climax builds, but suddenly Mara's body stiffens, arching, eyes flicking open, staring at the ceiling. She shudders and clamps down hard on Aidan's manhood as her orgasm rips through her body, triggering Aidan's own release, and he erupts into her as she spasms in his grasp.

Aidan releases her and she snaps forward, pulling in huge lungfuls of air as her aftershocks milk his embedded manhood. She gags, body flopping, but Aidan gathers her in his arms and pulls her close to him. He feels her hands pawing ineffectually at his back as she reels in the aftermath of her climax.

Finally, her body begins to slacken and he holds her, waiting for Mara's breathing to return to normal. He's still inside her, feeling the delicious sensation of her around him, the warmth of her body, the way they are entwined. At last, Mara taps him on the shoulder and pulls up off him.

"I hope you got your money's worth," she whispers, standing up unsteadily.

Aidan watches as she picks up her discarded dress and slides it down over her body. She gathers her underwear and shoes and makes for the door. She opens it, then pauses.

"Gabriella called, by the way," Mara says, "Booked a flight outta Sydney. You coming with me?"

She's looking down at the ground, her hand on the door handle, like she's exhausted. Aidan feels suddenly blindsided, but it's only temporary as his mind begins to calm down after the intensity of the experience with Mara's body. It was always going to be what happened next, with Mara going back to her life, but for some reason Aidan hadn't expected her to ask him along. It tells him something fundamental, something revealed by the woman who had sat quietly in the passenger seat as they drove, working on her plan to survive the valley of death, the Mara he'd started to become attached to.

He finds himself considering it, arriving finally at the fork in the road. She's asking him to choose.

"Sure," Aidan replies.

Mara just nods and steps out into the corridor without another word.

---

[Next chapter: Aidan pack ups and gets ready to ship out to L.A. with Mara. But first, he has to face Kat. Is he making good choices?

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