The Apartment: The Complete Affair by Amanda Black

straight to the back of the building and out the alley door. Lily had worn her workout clothes straight from home—a pair of black, flared yoga pants and a white t-shirt that said
Team Building Exercise ’99
across the front in dark blue letters. She figured that the pretense of exercising was necessary in case anyone bothered to actually pay attention to her while she was there.
    Once she was at the top of the stairs she knocked on the door, not wanting to barge in, and was surprised when there was no response. Lily put her ear to the door, listening for any sounds. Remembering that he’d said
anytime
, she fished her key ring out of her jacket pocket, looking for the newest addition. As she felt the key turn in the lock, an unbelievable thrill ran through her body. It was as if she was unlocking the cage that held her deepest desires in check.
    “Hello?” she called out, slowly closing the door. “Stranger?” she said with a smile. Lily walked around the apartment, making sure he wasn’t in another room, but came up empty.
Damn
.
    She took in the newly treated canvas that stood on an easel in the front room. It was large and completely blank. She wondered what sort of images might end up there. Would it be a realistic still life, or something more abstract?
    She noticed an unused palate on a small table off to the side, covered in tubes of oil paint in various colors. Lily was struck with a vision of her beautiful stranger standing there, shirtless in blue jeans, covered in streaks and splatters of paint as he violently attacked the canvas. It was a sight she’d give anything to see in person.
    Walking over to a shelf on the opposite wall, she noticed his iPod sitting in its dock. Turning it on, Lily began searching through the playlists, wondering what type of music he preferred. She found one titled
Painting Music
that was full of some great heavy rock songs, but the one labeled
Fuck Songs
really made her take a closer look.
    She hit play and was immediately taken back to the previous afternoon. As the familiar techno song played, she couldn’t stop herself from looking over at the door, remembering how it had felt when he lifted her against it. He was so strong, so forceful. He knew what he wanted the moment he saw her at the door. And it had been amazing.
    Lily walked into the bedroom and sat down on the luxurious bed. It was incredibly gaudy and probably cost more than her car three times over, but Lily couldn’t dislike it—it was incredibly comfortable and had been the location of the most amazing sexual experience of her life. She couldn’t shake the memories of his hands and his mouth on her body and the music was only making it worse. She lay back against the pillow and closed her eyes and was hit with an overwhelming wave of his scent. Rolling over and burying her face in the pillow, she inhaled deeply, feeling sudden warmth spread throughout her body and settle between her legs.
    What the hell is this man doing to me?
    She heard the song switch over and realized that the iPod must be set on shuffle—it wasn’t the song she had been expecting. A different sexy beat began to play, causing Lily to groan when she recognized her favorite song by She Wants Revenge.
    Jesus Christ! What is it with this guy? It’s like his musical taste is directly connected to my vagina
.
    She rolled over onto her back, letting her hands roam along her body. Between the music, the memories, and his intoxicating scent, Lily was well and truly drunk with lust. By the second verse of the song, her fingers were slipping beneath the lace of her panties and she was wishing that she had brought her little vibrating friend.
    She really started getting into it after that, sliding through her slick folds, swirling her fingers around her swollen bundle of nerves. Visions of smoldering jade eyes and perfect pink lips filled her mind. She could see him there above her, making her body sing. Her fingers became his fingers, stroking her