“Maybe you need encouragement or something.”“Thanks, guys, but…my tastes are different.”We both turn toward her at the same time and she just drinks from her water nonchalantly.“Do you veer in the other direction?” I ask, then blurt, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that. You don’t need to answer.”“I’m not a lesbian. I just…like older men, I guess.”“Oh,” both Chris and I exclaim at the same time.Jane is actually my age, not mid-twenties like I thought. But she’s a genius—graduated college early and started working here not long before I came along.But all those details fade into the background. Only one is important and sticks with me; the fact that she likes older men. I knew I found her interesting for a reason.“I’m slightly wounded,” Chris breathes out. “Now I need to get older fast to get on your radar, ladies.”“What do I have to do with it?” I whisper, taking a large bite of my burger.“Come on, you have the hots for Nathaniel.”I choke on my mouthful and Jane pushes the b
“I’m not. I’m just thinking about it from your dad’s perspective. Do you think he’d be full of smiles if he found out that his best friend took advantage of his daughter when he should’ve been taking care of her? He’s the older one. He should know better.”“He didn’t take advantage of me.Ichose this. I’m twenty and I can make my own decisions.”“Hey, calm down.” Chris softens his voice. “I was just saying it from a different perspective. Sit down.”It’s then I notice that I’m standing up, crushing the burger between my stiff fingers. And I hate this, I hate that I got worked up so fast and nearly lost my shit. If it was Nate, he wouldn’t have acted this way. Because he’s older and wiser, and maybe Chris is right. Maybe I just don’t know better.I flop back on the chair, my eyes stinging and my heart sinking in my chest. If the people who are supposed to be by my side are secretly judging me, how would others feel about it? Nate was right to keep the marriage a secret.Once again, he p
I’m still unconvinced, considering the fact that she looked to be on the verge of a meltdown just now. But I also don’t want to risk Knox’s wrath, so I throw the remnants of my burger in the trash and step past him. I expect him to follow, but he doesn’t.Weird.I take the elevator up and head to Aspen’s office. I’ve dropped some files off to her before, so this isn’t the first time I’ve been here, but I hate it just the same.Her assistant tells me to go in, and I knock on the door, waiting for her curt “Come in” before I step inside.Her office is large, neat, and a bit manly, even if she is the most elegant woman I know. In a way, I understand why people like Jane or even Chris respect her. She’s a very hard worker and made it in a male-dominated world when the odds were against her. I should probably give her the benefit of the doubt, but I just can’t.Not only has Dad always painted her as a witch, but she also chose Nate to be the only man she’s close to.It could’ve been any ma
GwynethMy spine tingles and jumps and I nearly reel from the shock of hearing his voice.Not only do I plaster myself against the wall, but my whole body also hums to life. From my stuttering intakes of air to the curling of my toes in my white sneakers and all the way to my heaving chest. My nipples tighten and so does my pussy.It’s just a voice, damn it, a voice among billions of others; however, it’s not merely any voice. It’shisvoice. The man I’m not supposed to be crushing on, because it’s a form of dependency.It’s not healthy.And Dad will kill him when he finds out about this.But all those thoughts blur in the background, all those don’t matter, because what I’m feeling is healthy in my mind, and Dad isn’t here. He still doesn’t want to wake up, so I’ll think about everything else when he does.Right now, there’s only Nate’s voice and me, his stern voice that I can recognize the anger in. There’s a slight vibration in it, so even though it sounds calm, I know he isn’t. Oh,
And the air hitting them has nothing to do with it.He grabs them in his large hands, in those strong, veiny hands, and squeezes the tips together with so much force that it makes me whimper.“Did he touch these tits? Did he cop a feel, Gwyneth?”“No…he didn’t.”“Did he try? Did you let him?”“No…” I can’t stop whimpering and moaning at the same time because he’s mashing my breasts together, squeezing my nipples, and making them more tight and sensitive than I’ve ever experienced before.Zaps of pleasure flood through me and cause arousal to pool in my panties, and I know he’ll feel it, too. He’s about to find out how much he affects me when he releases my throat and unzips my skirt, letting it fall around my ankles.He cups me over my panties, digging his long fingers into my needy core with a raging possessiveness that makes me go up on my tiptoes.“How about here?”I’m struggling for a sliver of oxygen because I can’t speak. I can’t even think. His intensity is too raw and thick, w
slick opening. “You’re shaking like a leaf after a mere clit orgasm and you think you can take my dick up this tight cunt?”“I…can try.”“What if you can’t take it? What if you start crying because it hurts?”“It’s okay.” My lips are trembling and my throat is so dry, it’s uncomfortable to swallow. “Because you’ll make it feel good afterward. You’ll make me smile after I cry.”“You’re so sure that I will, huh?”“Yeah.”“But you said you’d be my toy, and toys break.”“Not me.”A strange look passes over his features as he releases my hip and unbuckles his pants. I can’t help the small gasp that slips out of me.He’shuge.I’ve felt his erection against my stomach, my ass, my pussy—everywhere—and I predicted he was probably big, but nothing could have prepared me for the sight in front of me.His cock is not only long and thick, but it’s also veiny and hard, so hard that my mouth waters and my pussy clenches around his fingers.There’s a drop of a transparent liquid rolling down the side
Every inch of his huge cock is in me at once and it’s deep. So fucking deep that I whimper and gasp, and my insides feel like they’re tearing apart.Because I think they are.Holy shit. The sting hurts so good. It hurts better than I imagined. All the stories I’ve heard about this moment are nonsensical. They said it would hurt like you want to die or cry, and I do want to cry, but for an entirely different reason than pain.Like how ethereal it feels, how full, how deep and right.Nate doesn’t seem to share my thoughts, because he freezes, like completely, even though he’s breathing harshly and heavily. And his eyes, the color of darkness, widen a little as they stares into mine.“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” His curses start low, then grow in volume. “You’re a virgin?”“I don’t think I am anymore.”“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me, Gwyneth?”“I didn’t believe it mattered.”“Of course, it fucking matters. I wouldn’t have fucked you against the wall for your first time. I would’ve been gentle.”
NathanielGwyneth is fast asleep.I can’t stop staring at her. At the delicate lines of her face, at the slight flutter of her long, thick lashes over her cheeks. At how her fiery hair frames her face.But most of all, I can’t stop staring at the blood.Her virginal blood, because she hasn’t had sex before. She hasn’t let a dick inside her, and I acted like an animal and took her against the wall.If I had an ounce of control, even a sliver, I would’ve stopped and carried her to a bed. I would’ve put on a fucking condom like I usually do. But all those thoughts didn’t exist when she had her legs around me, rocking against me as if she’d waited for that moment as long as I have.There was no thinking, period.I should’ve known better. Ireallyshould’ve known fucking better.I leave her on her princess bed, with muslin curtains and fluffy pillows, and head to her bathroom to wash my dick.It’s covered with remnants of my cum and her blood. And I can’t stop staring at it. At the evidence
We danced out the rest of the song in a strange, mute communication. I was wondering what the hell was going on in his head as he continued to smile down at me, gray eyes revealing nothing of his intentions. If I were even the slightest bit less sure of myself, I’d think I’d made it all up. He was a consummate flirt. He probably didn’t even realize he was doing it.But Iwassure. There was just a shadow of amusement that told me he was playing a game. Maybe he always had been. Maybe this was who he really was, and the vain, cocksure character from before was just that… a character.As the music ended, Blake stepped back immediately. I breathed my first full breath. I had been sure he’d let his hands linger and press me into another dance. Maybe he hadn’t been so indifferent to my news about having a serious boyfriend after all. I turned automatically to look for Aiden, but to my surprise, I didn’t see him.“It looks like they started without us,” Blake said.I looked back at him, bewil
LAYLAIf I hadn’t felt Blake’s eyes on me like leeches, I would have been impressed by the event. The ballroom was beautifully appointed with gilt and crystal chandeliers, plush velvet settees, and a dance floor that gleamed under the biggest chandelier of all, the one suspended just in front of the stage by swooping, glittering ligatures. A string quartet was playing a mix of classical and pop.I wanted to just dance with Aiden and forget why we were here, but that wasn’t an option. It seemed that just standing beside him, taking on the brunt of the shop talk together, wasn’t even an option. Somehow, he always ended up embedded in conversation with someone else. And increasingly, I ended up in conversation with Blake.And only Blake.“Let’s dance,” he urged.I laughed awkwardly, stalling for time. The first time he asked, I’d made the excuse that no one else was dancing. That had changed though. Seven or eight couples were moving across the floor in time to Sia’s “Chandelier.” “I don
AIDENIwatched Layla get ready, even though she kept making faces at me in the mirror and telling me to go watch TV or something. I couldn’t help it. She was always beautiful, but as she did her hair and makeup and slid into the dress that fit her like a second skin, she transformed into something ethereally sexy.“Ethereally sexy,” she repeated with a laugh when I told her so. “I don’t think those two words were meant to go together.”“Lots of things aren’tsupposedto go together.” I wrapped my arms around her. “But sometimes they work anyway, right?”Her smile softened. “Right.”I wanted to tell her then that I’d heard everything she said earlier–about coming back at Christmas, about telling her family. I hadn’t said anything because the prospect of telling Jack twisted my guts out of shape, but we were on the same page. More and more, being unable to tell the world that I was in love with Layla Davis felt worse than what I imagined Jack’s reaction would be.“I love you,” I murmured
LAYLAI woke up in the night, the nausea working its way up from my toes to my throat. Not wanting to wake Aiden, I transferred my weight from the mattress to the floor in painfully slow increments, then tiptoed to the bathroom. The cool marble tiles felt delicious as I sank down onto them, like they were pulling whatever this was out of my body through my pores. And then the nausea regrouped and surged its way up from my abdomen to my throat.Half an hour later, when it had finally subsided, I splashed water on my face and made my way back to bed. I could tell by Aiden’s deep, even breathing that he hadn’t been disturbed by my exit from our bed. I was glad, but I was also disappointed. My heart was beating triple time, and I wanted to slide up against him and feel his strong arm curl around me.Are you sure he’s as serious as you are?I squeezed my eyes shut tightly and willed Liv to get out of my head. In just a few hours, it would be morning, and I had the perfect day planned for u
AIDENThe hotel room was probably nice. I’m not sure. I barely glanced at it as the porter who had carried our bags up tried to give us the ten-cent tour.“The coffee machine is over here,” he said, and seemed to be about to demonstrate how it worked.“Got it.” I pressed a twenty-dollar bill in his hand. Not so much a tip as a firm suggestion to leave. He took me up on it.“What if I wanted to know how the coffee machine worked?” Layla teased, tilting her head and putting a finger to her mouth.“If you want coffee, I’ll figure it out.” I walked toward her.Her smile widened behind her finger. “I don’t want coffee.”Normally, I liked to take my time with Layla, but over four hours in the car, so close but unable to really touch her, made me impatient. I walked her backward until she came up against the dressing table, then lowered my mouth to hers. As always, our connection ignited like wildfire, a fusion of emotions and desire that had been building for weeks. Our lips met, and time s
* * *On Wednesday evening, I left the office before Aiden and drove straight to his place. I was relieved that I’d gotten my daily run in with nausea done around lunchtime. In his apartment, I made sure I’d thrown in the last few things I needed for the trip and then made myself a cup of coffee. I didn’t usually drink it past two or three in the afternoon, but lately, I could sleep at the drop of a hat. I’d been miserably tired in our last brand development meeting, and I was worried that Blake had taken my half-closed eyes as some sort of come on.He wasn’t happy about Aiden coming to the charity ball, either. He tried to play it off, but we could tell that his joke about how surely Aiden had more important things to do wasn’t a joke at all. I’d never tell Aiden, but more and more, Blake was starting to give me the creeps. Even though I’d made it perfectly clear my only interest in him was professional, he still let his gaze linger too long on mine. I’d taken to wearing oversized c
LAYLAI didn’t know what was up with me, but I was determined not to let it ruin my first trip with Aiden. Maybe it was just an extended work trip where we would be up to our old tricks in a new city, but it was still ourfirst vacation. Besides, whatever was going on with me wasn’t like any cold or flu or food poisoning or allergic reaction I’d ever had. It was waves of nausea that struck at strange times, peaked violently after about half an hour, and left me tired but functional for the rest of the day. For the most part, I could hide it from Aiden. He was busy doing a week’s worth of work in two and a half so we could leave for New York after work on Wednesday.Because he was so busy, I was home more, and it was Liv who caught me dry heaving in the bathroom one afternoon.“Whoa,” she said, gingerly placing her hand on my back as if she were considering rubbing it. She changed her mind at a particularly violent retching sound that, as usual, produced nothing. Backing into the doorwa
AIDENI had to tell Jack. I could tell the secrecy was beginning to gnaw at Layla. She was right–there was a point when it had been fun. Clandestine. Now I just wanted to be able to take her out to dinner on our side of town without fear of who we might run into. I wanted to think about our future together without the threat of Jack’s reaction overshadowing it.The problem was, I didn’t know how. The other problem was, the person I normally would have asked for advice was Jack himself. Maureen was my back up, but I couldn’t go to her either. So that was why I found myself telling Carl, my mentee, about it.I don’t know how it came up. It sure as hell wasn’t like he asked,hey man, how’s your love life?Strangely, Carl listened. When I was done, he said, “That’s a real fucking pickle, rich man. What are you going to do about it?” His voice was its usual mixture of disdain and sarcasm, but I sensed that he was genuinely interested.“Hell if I know,” I muttered. I was already regretting t
“I bet she would have planned great vacations for you,” I said quietly. I set down my glass of wine and reached over to squeeze his hand. He didn’t let mine go though, when I went to pull back. Instead, he rose in his seat and tugged me up, too. We kissed across the small bistro table. A warm, heady kiss that was sweeter than the dessert.After we sat back down, I rearranged my napkin in my lap and said in my own carefully casual way, “Maybe one day I can plan a vacation for all three of us.”Aiden shot me a grin. He looked almost normal again, though the fire was still simmering in his eyes. “Maybe,” he agreed. “I guess you two should meet before we fly off to the Bahamas together.”“It’s only fair,” I agreed. “I mean, you do knowmyparents.” I held my breath until Aiden laughed. We were getting better, but the subject of my parentage was still loaded. “I do want you to meet my mom,” he said, sliding his credit card into the bill holder and pushing the last of the dessert closer to me