It was the gala event of the year, crowed the hyperbolic company email. An annual must attend social spectacular where the partners thanked them for the past year of work.

Eddie was struggling to get into the celebratory spirit, but even he had to admit that they had put on quite a show. The ballroom in the hotel shone as the lights flickered off the gilt and marble, and everyone was dressed in their finest. There was a hum of excitement and bright laughter mingled melodiously with the string quartet playing in the corner.

Eddie’s dark mood had been growing all evening since his girlfriend Emma had inexplicably chosen not to come with him, making clearly transparent excuses for staying at home. He had all but begged her to cancel her plans but she would not be persuaded. He had a strange feeling of disquiet about her actions and this discomfort had wormed its way under his skin, souring his mood.

‘Oh my God,’ James suddenly exclaimed, dragging Eddie back to the present, ‘Steve’s date is a fucking fox!’

Eddie half turned to see what James was talking about. Catching sight of the woman on Steve’s arm, his body tensed and became completely still, like a predator catching sight of his prey. The woman was tall and slender with long curls of auburn hair flowing down her back. She wore a forest green dress that clung effortlessly to her curves, revealing the shape of her body underneath. She was beautiful and made everyone around her look dull and lacklustre in comparison.

‘Where in Christ’s name did he meet her?’ James was incredulous. ‘I mean, she’s stunning…and much more your type!’

‘That’s because she’s my girlfriend.’ 

Eddie’s cold, measured tone snatched James’s answering joke before he could say it out loud.

‘That’s Emma? Why is she here with Steve? Did you know she was coming?’

‘No, she told me that she was working…I have no idea what’s going on.’ He took a large gulp from his drink and leant back against the bar, eyes fixed on the approaching couple.

Steve marched up to them, oblivious to Eddie’s intense gaze and with his pride at the beauty of his date beaming across his face. Emma looked politely around the group but did not display any sign of recognising Eddie. His hand tightened around his glass, a flicker of anger burning in his chest.

‘Hey guys, I want you to meet Lola,’ Steve gushed, ‘She also works for the agency.’

‘Lola?’ Eddie could barely keep the contempt out of his voice.

‘Yes, Lola…L-O-L-A, Lola.’

Finally, she made eye contact with him and it was like he’d been punched in the stomach. Hot lust flowed through him as a quick grin flashed across her face before she could stop it and he realised exactly what sort of game she was playing.

He suddenly remembered telling her weeks ago that he sometimes missed the sharp excitement of fucking a stranger. How he regretted not following up sly glances and side smiles, feeling the curl of desire building as he imagined without knowing what they’d be like. How he missed the heart-racing, adrenaline pumping passion born of the realisation that this person, this stranger, wanted him too. He hadn’t been able to articulate exactly what it was that he’d missed – she made him indescribably happy and he didn’t ever want to risk that, but there was something about the urgency and inevitability of fucking a stranger that was lost in a relationship. He also remembered joking about watching her with another man, how far was she going to take this? This could be fun…

‘Where did you meet?’ Eddie asked, trying to sound casual despite the blood rushing in his ears.

‘Oh, we only met yesterday!’ Steve either didn’t notice or chose to ignore the palpable tension between his date and Eddie. ‘Lola works on the 14th floor…in finance. We met in the canteen. She let slip that she wasn’t sure she was coming today as her date had let her down, so I had to offer her another chance!’

‘He rescued me!’ Emma/Lola beamed, leaning into Steve’s arms and kissing his cheek. ‘Such a gentleman.’

Eddie could not tear his eyes away from Emma, his lover, his world, as she gazed at this other man. Even though he knew now this was a game she was playing for him, he was angry at her, for lying to him and toying with his friend. He became more furious with every tender gesture she made to Steve, but he could not deny that he was also hopelessly turned on by her frank disregard. He could feel his cock hardening within his dinner jacket trousers, held down within the restrictive clothing. Every time Steve touched her, he wanted to scream. He wanted to drag her away by her hair and reclaim her as his. He wanted to fuck her so hard that she forgot what he had told her and would never treat him like this again. He could barely breathe.

‘Eddie…are you alright?’ James was looking strangely at him, clearly at a loss as to what was going on.

‘I’m fine.’ He threw the end of his drink down his throat and stalked back to the bar.

Turning back, he saw Steve leading Emma towards the dance floor, watching with entranced horror as his hand lingered on the small of her back, the grip of his fingertips ruffling the fabric and his thumb hesitantly touching the exposed skin above her waistband. Eddie winced, expecting to see her body shiver slightly as she always did when he touched her there, but she didn’t and he let out a shaky breath that he hadn’t realised he was holding.

‘This is fucked up!’ James was also watching the couple with fascination. ‘He really doesn’t know, does he? What is she playing at? Is this a weird sex game for you two? Jesus, this is fucked up.’

James didn’t wait for Eddie to answer any of his questions before he wandered off, shaking his head in bemusement. Eddie hadn’t been listening anyway. His entire attention was focused on the dancing figures in front of him. Eddie could hear her laughter peal across the room at whatever witticisms Steve was murmuring in her ear. As they waltzed across the floor, her hair swirled out behind her and another jolt of lust-filled jealousy stabbed through him as he swallowed the hard truth that his beautiful woman might actually be enjoying dancing with someone else.

Her distance from him was torturing him. She was close enough that he could see the broad strokes. He could see Steve’s arms around her waist, holding her close to him. He could see Emma’s hands on his shoulder, her fingers toying with his collar. He could see her smile, how her lips spread across her face in a smile that he couldn’t convince himself wasn’t real. But she was too far away for him to see her secret tells. He couldn’t be reassured that she wasn’t reacting like she did to him. He couldn’t see if Steve’s touch sent goosebumps across her skin. He couldn’t see if her pupils were widened with arousal, if her eyes matched the smile her mouth displayed. As he watched, Eddie could not work out if it was jealousy or desire that kept his attention locked to them, but he was enthralled. He was all in. He was melting with hunger.

As the song finished, she kissed the corner of Steve’s mouth and walked away from the dance floor. Without apparently noticing Eddie, she leaned over the bar next to him to order a drink, pulling her hair across her shoulder and revealing the creamy skin at the nape of her neck that she knew he loved. Not being able to reach out and stroke her neck, not feeling her shudder appreciably under his fingers was even more tortuous than watching her dance with Steve.

As if the strength of his need had a palpable affect, she reached around to scratch her neck before turning slightly to him. She smiled, but it was still a smile for strangers.

‘Hi…it was Greg, wasn’t it?’

‘No, Eddie.’ Trying to remember how he had seduced her in the first place, trying to play her game, he turned to face her. ‘I’ve not seen you around the office. Are you new?’

‘Yes, I’ve only been working here a few weeks.’

‘That explains it. I didn’t think I could have missed you. Can I buy you a welcome drink? Vodka and tonic, isn’t it?’

She nodded and, as he handed her the cold glass, their fingers brushed and she shivered slightly at the connection. She was clearly struggling to maintain her distance. Looking up, their eyes met and the air seemed to crackle and spark around them. Reaching up, he tucked a loose tendril of hair behind her ear and she sighed, briefly nuzzling her face against his hand. This normally quite casual touch felt strangely illicit and stolen as they stood in front of the bar, and Eddie again became aware of his cock thickening and straining as his fingers traced across her cheek as he pulled his hand away.

‘What are you two up to?’ Steve broke the spell by bouncing in between them and, giving Eddie a vaguely possessive look, grabbed Emma’s hand to drag her away. ‘Lola, did you want to dance some more before dinner?’

And they were gone, whirling away and dancing into each other’s arms again.

As he continued to watch, Emma turned and caught Eddie’s eye. She held his gaze for a few seconds before slowly looking away. As if suddenly making up her mind, she whispered in Steve’s ear and excused herself from the dance floor. She didn’t look at Eddie at all in her walk towards and then passed him, her eyes fixed on her destination. But as she strode passed, her fingertips trailed subtlety across his shoulder in a gesture that may not even have been noticed by anyone watching but it was as if he had received an electric shock. Without changing his outward appearance, he waited until he could no longer hear her footsteps before abruptly getting up to follow her.

Eddie hadn’t realised how much he was rushing until he easily caught up with her, following her through the door of the bathroom as it swung behind them. He could barely pause to lock the door before she lunged at him, hungrily kissing him and scraping her fingers through his hair. Stumbling backwards, locked together, they bumped into the sink and he lifted her up onto it. Breaking off for air, they look at each other, panting with need.

‘You’re…’

‘Don’t talk…just touch me.’

She spread her legs and moved her dress out of the way to show him her glistening, swollen cunt. A groan escaped from deep within Eddie as he saw how aroused and wet she was.

‘Please, I’ve wanted you since I first saw you…don’t make me wait any longer.’

Smiling maliciously at her, Eddie dragged his fingers up her calf and inner thigh, avoiding touching her needy cunt. She squirmed against him, trying to force his hand but he was in control now. She had been toying with him all evening and deserved some punishment for that.

‘I don’t know.’ he said, forcing her knees further apart and leaning in to her, ‘Steve’s my friend…I don’t know if I should be fooling around with his date.’

He pulled down the straps of her dress to reveal her breasts and pinched her nipples hard until she could no longer keep quiet, groaning in pain and delight. He licked his finger and slid it up across her cunt until he found her clit. She trembled as he circled it, slipping and curling his fingers inside her. He could feel her body responding, her orgasm building. Every time she got close, he slowed down and taunted her with just the possibility. He was definitely enjoying this.

As he loomed over her, she reached up to kiss him but he dodged his face away, stepping back. Unzipping his trousers, he freed his cock and held it hard against her cunt, pushing into her just enough to stretch her opening but not nearly enough to satisfy her. She rocked her hips to try and draw him in but he moved back each time.

Finally…finally, when he had her quivering and desperate, he thrust into her. His teasing had left her cunt so tight that it gripped his cock as he pushed deeper into her, again and again. She was so close that she came almost immediately, biting into his suit-covered shoulders and wrapping her thighs around his waist. As she shuddered against him, he felt his balls tighten as his own orgasm rushed through him. His groans merged with her cries as they pitched together, bodies fused and on fire.

Leaning back against the wall above the sink, their ragged gasps as they tried to catch their breath became gasps of laughter. Tenderly, he smoothed out her dishevelled hair and she planted small kisses on the angle of his jaw.

‘So what’s it like? Fucking a stranger?’

‘I’m not sure that that’s what this was…you are not nearly a good enough actor to maintain the stranger facade. But don’t think I’m done with you yet! Now, go and break the news to your date that another man is taking you home…’