The drive to college this time around is devoid of any of the previous tension. I am satiated, I rest my head on his thigh as he drives and he runs a hand down my body all throughout the drive. I think I dosed off at some point, because eventually, I feel his hand tapping me gently. I open my eyes and we are in my college. In front of my residential hall. My mother insisted I stayed on campus for my first year, even though I had have preferred renting an apartment outside. But I am glad for it now since I got to meet Charlie. She is my roommate and she has become my best friend. We just get eachother. "We are here, princess." Stephane's smooth baritone calls to me. I lift my head off his thigh, thankfully the windows are opaque so nobody outside can see us. I watch as a couple people move about. Going in and out. I feel sleepy. Weak. Satisfied. Happy. Aglow. "Hi." I say with a weak smile on my face. He returns the smile. It is a bit awkward between us now. I don't know what to say.
I am walking back to the Rez with Charlie after a long morning class, when my phone rings, the vibration against my thigh demands my attention. It is a wednesday noon and so far, I think I am enjoying being back. I pull the phone out and I suck in a sharp inhale as I see the caller ID. It is Benjamin. Charlie notices my hesitation and cranes her neck to see the screen. "Uh oh." She says when she sees who is calling. I have told her all about the situation with Stephane and his demand. She knows my dilemma and it has been three days and I am no where close to making any decisions. It is hard to think around all my daily activities and when I do have time to think about it, I don't because it is overwhelming. And utterly scary. I would have preferred it if he just held onto me and made all the decisions."What are you going to do?" She asks, watching me hold onto the phone, letting it ring and ring. I am frozen with indecision. "I don't know, Charlie." I reply, sarcasm dripping from m
"No. No, I don't, Aleen." Charlie says firmly, coming to stand in my way so I can't disappear into the bathroom and avoid this conversation we have not yet had. About Stephane. She doesn't judge me for succumbing to his temptation, but she is firmly against anything else after this choice he has given me. Of never going back and moving on with my life. I know Charlie means the best for me but how do I make her understand that it is not something I could do? Staying away from Stephane is akin to asking me to stop breathing. It might sound dramatic but it is how I feel. "We are too tired for this right now, Charlie. I am not talking about it right now." I say weakly, sidestepping around her to go to my room. She follows me and leaves the door open as I drop on my bed. "I am not tired. And actually, I think this is the best time to talk about it. He has given you a choice, Aleen. If you are wise, you will take it. He is your stepfather for Christ's sake! You both don't have any sort of
"Aleen. How are you? Where are you going all dressed up? We don't have classes today." Charlie walks up to me when I finally open my door. It is the next day and we haven't seen eachother since yesterday after our blown up argument. She looks at me cautiously, I can see that she is being careful with how to approach me and I appreciate that she is sensitive enough like that. "I am fine. I am going to meet Benjamin at the cafe by the humanities department." I say, avoiding her eyes. I probably owe her an apology for how I flared up at her because I didn't like the truth she hauled at me. "Oh, okay. Have a great time. We will talk when you get back." She says simply, turning around back to her room. Charlie prides herself with being very emotionally intelligent and it is true, she is very mature and kind and thoughtful that sometimes, I get jealous of that ability of hers to always remain cool even if the situation doesn't call for it. I wish some of that would rub off on me.I step o
Stephane POV::"You have lost your damn mind, friend." Mike says, he tips his head back and takes a sip of his whiskey. We are in my home bar, away from the main mansion, Mike came back from his honeymoon yesterday so he can return to work by Monday, it is Saturday and Aleen didn't come back home yesterday. And It is true, I am losing my damn mind. "Yes. I agree. Tailing her was a bad idea because now I know if she doesn't show up, then it would be because of your damn nephew." I had a discrete security agent that I use for my company, follow Aleen on campus for the entire week. I know what that sounds like but I don't feel any remorse or shame about it. It was a matter of my sanity. I needed to know what she was up to or else I would have driven myself insane thinking obsessively about it. "Hey, lay off Benjamin, okay? He is not doing anything wrong by courting your stepdaughter. You are the insane bastard for nursing those intentions about her." Mike says, glaring at me good-natu
Aleen POV:::"You." Stephane says under his breath but I hear it loud and clear in the dark quiet room, his low and dangerous baritone sweeps through me like a current and I actually shiver in anticipation as his dark eyes drink me in, the naked hunger and immediate lust behind those deep deep dark eyes makes me go weak in the knees, and my nipples go hard beneath the sheer lace of my bare lingerie. "Hi." I squeak, suddenly breathless as he stalks towards me, one long stride after the other till he is standing in front of me, he is so tall, I have to tilt my head up to meet his eyes, and they are stormy, I could drown in them. All my previous confidence as I waited for him leaves my body slowly. He makes me feel weak and powerful at the same time. It is all encompassing. "I thought you wouldn't come back. Why did it take you so long to return to me? Do you know the torture I have had to endure?" Stephane brushes his forefinger lightly across my chin, I close my eyes and a shudder le
With my heart racing, I lean up and kiss him full on the lips, tentatively, slowly, I feel him tense up under my touch, when he relaxes, I pull back, he stares at me with uncertainty swirling in the depths of his dark eyes, looking into those eyes is like staring at an ocean at midnight, I take his hand and lead him to the bed, he follows my lead without a word or resistance.With the tips of my fingers, I push at his chest and Stephane falls back on the bed, eyes fixed on mine, daring and I can't wait to show him just how much I missed him. I don't waste a second before I get ontop of him, in the opposite direction so my ass is in the air, in front of him and I am facing his crotch. With my face flushing and my heart racing madly, I pull down his pants, along with his boxer briefs, his huge dark cock springs free, almost smacking me in the face. I salivate at the rich sight, Stephane grabs my ass cheeks and growls when I grab his cock, I stroke him from shaft to tip, slowly, reveren
"My little whore." Stephane growls when I stop sucking him off and he catches his breath, my heart misses a beat at how much I liked it. I gasp when Stephane maneuvers me so in a heartbeat, I am underneath him and he is hovering above me on his elbows, dark eyes boring into me, searching and taking silently, I have lost my breath several times tonight, when I do it again, it is not new. Stephane grabs the rest of my lingerie covering my breasts and tears it cleanly off my body, I am laying naked under him and the heat of his skin feels like getting too close to the sun. I don't mind being burned. This is delicious, it is worth it. I writhe underneath him, soaked and thirsty for more. A coarse moan escapes my lips when Stephane leans down and pulls my sensitive hardened nipples into his warm mouth. "Your turn." Stephane whispers into my skin as his tongue works intoxicating circles around my hard nipple. One hand is on the other breast, twirling the nipple in massaging circles, his
Stephane POV: I am getting married in two days. Getting remarried, more like. Renewing our vows. All those adjectives to describe something that makes me feel like there is a cavernous void in my chest where my heart is supposed to be. Empty. Hollowed out. Dreary. The whole thing. It might be the whiskey and vodka and beer in my system. I have locked myself away in the penthouse since yesterday. Christine didn't mind. All she wants is for me to just show up on the day of the ceremony, prepared to rededicate myself to her. To tell her she won. She offered me a deal I couldn't get out of. A week ago, when I was preparing our divorce with the lawyer, she suddenly flipped out on me, going crazy and trying to physically attack me in the presence of my lawyers, I was too shocked to react. She had led me to believe up until that moment that she wanted nothing to do with me. That she wanted the divorce. I was very generous with her settlement. And deep down, I was rejoicing. It was wrong
"Richard?" I whisper, still stunned by her rant. She is exposing herself to the wrong person and it makes me feel conflicted listening to her. She nods in the direction of the bedroom, I follow her gesture and I flinch. He is still there. I can't see clearly if he is still naked, I hope not, but he is there, watching us down here. I see his dark eyes shrouded in even more shadows and I feel fear lick down my spine at the lifelessness in those dark depths. Who is this man? How come I have never met him or even heard of him before?Well the answer is that my mother and I aren't close. Of course I don't know her lovers and whatnot. I barely even know her friends and they are loud and social enough. Also, looking directly at the stranger, I can tell that he is definitely older than I thought him to be. Though definitely younger than my mom and Stephane, but he is also way older than me too. He is middle aged. His body still retains the lean firmness of youth. There is something sinister
"Like hell I can't!" I raise my voice. My mother winces, like I reached out and slapped her across the face. "Aleen. Please. Don't be insensitive." She says, her tone is undeniably angry and tense. She is over her shock of me walking in on her. "What? What did you just say? Insensitive?" I can't believe my ears. Can't believe my eyes. This was the same woman who was losing her mind over her husband's alleged cheating. She coaxed a confession from him, she was projecting all along. "First, before we get into all these. Can you just answer the question? Why did you come here at this time? It is past midnight. Dressed like that? What is going on, Aleen?" She has the gall to look genuine. The white bulbous bedcovers still wrapped messily around her naked frame, smelling of alcohol and sex, hair messed up, makeup and lipstick smudged, looking like that and she has the gall to question my reason for visiting. She is deflecting, but she doesn't know that I have an even better reason to d
The car rolls to a stop at the entrance to the mansion. It is close to midnight and I don't snap out of my trance as I make my way to the house. What am I doing here? I am not sure I know. I was led here. That sounds insane. But it is what it is. I need to see Stephane and have him tell me to my face that he is remarrying my mother. That he had no intention of fulfilling his promise to me. That he is really just going to discard me like the time we spent together meant nothing to him. That it was all for nothing. I don't care if my mother will be there. I don't care anymore. I just want him to look me in the eyes and tell me that it was truly over between us. I am still dressed in my party dress. The make-up and heels. My made up hair. I don't look how I feel on the inside. I can't be sure. An upheaval is going on and I am powerless to define it. The security agents at the gate let me in without much hassle. They recognise me as Christine's daughter. Entering the house and a wave o
"What?" I manage to whisper, feeling faint. Two weeks of healing, coming undone in a few seconds. "I am really surprised you didn't know. The vow renewal is in two days. They are throwing a lavish party. Well, Christine is the one spearheading the whole thing. Stephane has been suspiciously quiet, but that is just his personality anyway. It is like a second wedding essentially. And it is the talks of the tabloids." Benjamin twists the knife deeper. He can't possibly know that that is what he is doing to me. He is oblivious. Shredding my heart to pieces. "They are getting back together?“ I ask, breathing the words. I can't believe it. But why would Benjamin lie to me about this? And yet, I remain rooted in my disbelief. It is the only way I can stop myself from breaking down."Yeah. It was a shock to everyone. I know all this because I was home for a bit and my mother would not shut up about it. Making calls and cackling aloud with all their friends." "They are getting back together
As soon as we arrive at the sprawling apartment where the party is being held, I quickly realise that either Charlie lied about the populace in attendance or she severely underestimated the party's reach. Because it is definitely more than just my classmates here, there are so many unfamiliar faces, that my anxiety about being in a crowd shoots up. Choking me. Rachel notices me blanking out and directs us to the kitchen where there are several options of alcohol available and people going in and out, taking their choices, mixing lethal cocktails and serving themselves. There is beer, vodka, whiskey, there is even red and white wine. It is a madness. I think I can perceive the smell of weed in the air. I know I am way out of my depths here and immediately decide to leave. But then Rachel quickly mixes a cocktail with more straight vodka than cranberry juice and hands me a cup, I take a sip and decide that I can stay for just a little longer. It is free booze afterall. The music is lo
"I already told them that we would show up, Aleen. Please don't make me look like a liar." Charlie whines, standing over me in bed. I try to pull the covers over my head but she stops me, yanking it away. I groan in protest, but she doesn't yield. She pulls the entire duvet off my body, I have been in my pajamas for over three days and it looks like it. It has been two weeks. Two weeks since I came back from Stephane's penthouse, completely emotionally wrecked. And I am still wrecked. Maybe not as badly as the first week, I managed to go for classes this week after all, but I am still so tender from the heartache that rocked my world, that I am still hiding from the world. Still not interested in anything that I should be interested in. Most especially this annoying party my classmates are throwing to celebrate the end of the semester before exams. Exams are starting in a week, and I am as unprepared as I have never been, it is almost comical because I am not even particularly tense
"It is the only way, Aleen. I am so sorry but it is the only way. I have to make sure you are safe and removed from this mess as much as possible. Christine is out to get you, she is raging and I can't blame her, we didn't end up how she hoped we would. I was cruel to her. I was selfish with you. It is all my fault and I need to remedy it before it is too late. Please, give me the grace to do that, Aleen." Stephane tries to walk to me, but I take a step back away from him, apprehensive and not knowing exactly why. I feel so many emotions and I can't name them. Can't follow their logic, or lack thereof. "But you said you loved me. Does that not mean anything? Does it not count for anything?" I whisper, my voice shaking as I do my best to swallow my tears. I can't keep crying and reinforcing his view of me as an helpless child. "It means everything, Aleen. It means everything. That is why I have to do this." Stephane says, his brows knit together, like he is in physical pain. It is no
"You understand why I have to do this, why we have to do this. Please tell me you understand." Stephane is still on his knees next to me. It is so unnatural to be looking at him from this vantage angle, our usual dynamic is me looking up at him and now I am looking down to meet his eyes, I am too overwhelmed by my feelings to care much. He doesn't seem to mind. He seems content down there, hands on my legs, unsure. "I don't." I say, my heart is shattering into a million pieces. And I am not exaggerating. It feels exactly like that. A million jagged pieces stabbing me, wounding me further. "Just till the dust settles, love. We have to stay away from eachother until I settle Christine. We are dissolving our marriage and she is very sensitive right now. She has been snooping around, trying to figure out who the other woman is. I have to protect you. And maybe protect her too. This is not something you guys can come back from and I don't think I would be able to forgive myself if I am t