by V. Muñoz
*
When Chinhae and I came back, Namjoon and the three ladies were already gone. I sank into the booth, exhausted from the hou rs of dancing and drinking. Chinhae was beyond wasted, his eyes as small as crescent moons and his grin bigger than that of a kid who had just gotten a slice of cake. “Valentina, my best friend, my princess, my queen, I don’t wanna go home,” he giggled from his spot.
I knew that Chinhae couldn’t show up like that at the apartment which now shared with his wife. So I decided to take him to our private pleasure pad - the apartment Chinhae and Namjoon and I had bought together and shared. It was our safe haven, a place our parents didn’t know about, and where we could do whatever we wanted. Namjoon was probably already there. His father hated his se x capades and couldn’t wait to marry him off as soon as he finished his studies. And right now, I wasn’t in the mood to face my mother, who would most likely scold me for scaring off the American entrepreneur she had shoved my way . So whatever Namjoon was doing at our apartment, I could live with it .
I sighed before I got up and helped Chinhae to his feet, which was not easy in his inebriated state. “Come on, ChinChin, let’s go home.” He still giggled and tried to drag me back down, but since he wasn’t that heavy , I was able to get him out of the club. 20 minutes later, we arrived at the apartment and I helped Chinhae into his bed before I made my way to my own room.
I passed Namjoon’s door and could hear the pornographic moans coming from the girls he’d brought back – how pathetic. I never understood why some women tended to exaggerate with their moans like they were porn stars, it sounded ridiculous. But Namjoon obviously didn’t mind. I heard his deep voice praising them and it immediately made me wet. I really didn’t want to listen, but I couldn’t seem to stop mysel f , already imagining that I was one of the lucky ladies in th e room. Sparing no other thought , I leaned back against the wall , pulled my dress up and pushed my panties aside, sliding one finger into my already wet and aching pussy.
My mouth fell open and I had to fight the moan trying to escape my throat. Namjoon’s muffled voice in the background made me pump another finger into my pussy. I could hear skin slapping against skin and how he called them sluts for loving his cock so much, and it made my walls clench. I pumped my fingers faster and used my other hand to rub on my clit, and it didn’t take long for me to teeter on the edge of an orgasm. Hearing Namjoon’s dirty talk on the other side of the wall finally pushed me over the edge and I came undone on my fingers with a silent scream. My chest heaved, and there was a sheen of sweat cover ing it.
I leaned my head back against the wall and tried to catch my breath again before I pulled my dress down and walked to my room. After a warm shower, I changed into one of Namjoon’s huge t-shirts and crawled under my blanket, staring at the ceiling. If only he knew, maybe things would be different. That was the last thought I had before I drifted into a light slumber.
The dip of my mattress and a warm body nuzzling closer woke me up in the early morning hours. A strong arm pulled me closer , and he placed a soft kiss on the crown of my hair. Namjoon. He always did that - whenever he came home from a party or kicked his flings out of the apartment, he came to me afterwards.
It started when we were kids , and it was never sexual. It stemmed from our need for physical closeness. Namjoon had always ha d trouble falling asleep, since his father beat his mother almost every night when he was younger. He heard them fight and was always afraid that if he fell asleep his mother would be gone in the morning. When I found out about it during an overnight stay at his place when we were teens, I decided to cuddle him. He fell asleep in minutes, and he wouldn ’t have bad dreams on the nights I was next to him. From that on, whenever he couldn’t sleep, he came to me.
He didn’t know that I wished this would mean more and that I silently suffered because of his closeness, but I didn’t want to ruin what we had. So I just let the arrangement continue , silently hoping that one day he wouldn’t just cuddle with me. That one day he would finally take it a step further and not only see me as the best friend who helped him during his hard times. Namjoon’s warmth and soft snoring lulled me into deep sleep in seconds.
*
It had to be around noon when I woke up, and Namjoon was already gone. I groaned as I could feel my hangover announcing its presence. My phone was vibrating somewhere in the room and I slowly made my way out of the bed. My mother was calling and just as I was about to pick up, she ended the call. I saw 12 missed calls from her and was tapping at the phone to call her back, but she was faster. After taking a deep breath, I picked up. “Mom, what...” I tried to sound cheerful, but my mother cut me off.
“Valentina are you insane?! I just heard how disrespectful you were to Mr. Parker! And then you just disappeared with your two buffoons from Chinhae’s OWN WEDDING! When will the three of you finally grow up?! I’m so done with this…” I could hear the anger and desperation in her voice.
“Mom, I’m sorry. But Erik was…” She cut me off again.
“I don’t care how he was or what he did! You displeased him, and we’re glad he still wants to marry you.” The words made my world spin. I felt like I couldn’t breathe anymore . Even though I knew that this day would come , I didn’t think it would be with someone like him. Of course he was handsome, but he wasn’t fit to hold a candle to me and I didn’t want to move to Los Angeles or anywhere else . Everything and everyone I loved was here in Busan, and there was no way I’d become a good wifey and do what my husband want ed just to secure a stupid investment for my family’s business.
“You’re joking right?” My voice was shaking, and I had to sit on the bed to avoid sink ing down to the floor.
“Yah, Valentina, do I sound like I'm joking?! Why do you think I introduced him to you? We need his money; you know how bad the finances look since your father went to jail…” my mother sighed. “Please, at least give him a chance. Just apologize and get to know him. Your Chinhae also managed to marry that Choi girl. You know that people like us don’t have the privilege to marry out of love, but love can grow with time.”
Now it was my turn to sigh. She was right after all - people like us weren’t in the position to marry someone we loved ; marriages were part of business deals. “Fine, I’ll apologize to him later.” I wanted to end the phone call, but my mother was not finished yet.
“He’s at the office at 5. Make yourself look decent and meet him here, ” she chirped. When the call ended, I threw the phone onto the bed and fell back against the mattress . I p ushed my pillow over my face and let out a muffled scream.
“And I thought my hangover was bad , ” Namjoon ’s deep voice cut me off mid-scream . He leaned against my dresser and chuckled, a cup of coffee in his hand. “I heard you talking on the phone and thought a coffee would maybe help you after that.”
I took the hot liquid and inhaled deeply. It was perfectly made with almond milk and a hint of caramel, just the way I loved it. Namjoon knew the small things about me, but I was still just his best friend. I only hoped that this Erik Parker guy would be that attentive too. As I sipped my coffee, Namjoon was busy rummaging through my closet. He often helped me pick out my clothes and I was always pleased with his choices. R ight now, however, I blinked in confusion at his enthusiasm.
“Hold on, Joon. How can YOU be so fit already? I barely drank and I feel like I’m dying.” I groaned in pain, my migraine had finally kick ed in. Namjoon just chuckled and pe e ked at my hungover face over his shoulder.
“I have more stamina, princess. And I don’t mean the drinking part , ” he stated cockily, and I threw my pillow at him, hitting him on the head, which only made him laugh.
“Ew, I don’t wanna know that Namjoon!” I grimaced in disgust. He finally found what he was looking for, handing me back my pillow and a black turtleneck paired with dark blue skinny jeans and red pointed Louboutin heels. He placed the clothes down onto my bed and slowly inched closer to my face.
“Come on, I kno
w you’d love to know how long I can last,” he whispered, his hand ghosting over my exposed neck. I almost leaned into his touch, but then his phone rang, making him sigh. He gave me a regretful smile before he backed off and walked out of my room, leaving me confused and worst of all: horny.
*
One hour later, I found myself in my mother’s office waiting for Erik Parker s o that I could apologize to him. My head still throbbed even after taking three painkillers. My mother gave me instructions on what to say and what not to say to Parker , but I couldn’t listen , my thoughts constantly drift ing off to Namjoon and what he did, or more accuratel y, what he didn’t do this morning. The loud knock against the glass door pulled me out of my thoughts. Erik Parker walked in, his eyebrows ar rogantly raised at me. I wanted to roll my eyes so bad.
“Mr. Parker, thank you for coming. I’m so sorry for the inconvenience yesterday,” my mother chirped, annoy ing me even further . How can someone kiss that entrepreneur’s ass that hard, just for an investment? I knew how bad the company ’s situation was , but I still wasn ’t convinced that this was reason enough to throw away the last bit of pride.
But I had agreed to apologize to him, so I tried my best to look apologetic .
“Erik, I’m so sorry for yesterday. I had a drink too much and really didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable. I hope we can start over.” I gave him my best fake smile, silently wishing that he would take the apology and leave me alone until all the wedding arrangements needed to be made . But Erik had other ideas .
“Ah, it’s alright, pretty. Actually, I would love to have dinner with you tonight . H ow about we get to know each other before getting married?” I really wanted to punch that smirk off his face, considering how confident he was that he would marry me. How he didn’t call me by my name , but the nickname pretty . I eyed my mother who gave me a warning look, so I just nodded and smiled at him.
“That sounds great, thanks for being so understandable.” I got up and tried to slip out of the office, but he blocked my way.
“Actually, I was thinking we could just go right away. I know a great place two blocks away . It’s a very private and delicate restaurant.” Erik held the door open for me, waiting for my response. I stood in the office like a deer caught in the headlights, but quickly regained my confidence. With my head held high and my shoulders pulled back, I smiled at him and walked out of the office.
It was a quick drive to the restaurant, which Erik had exclusively booked for us . Only his bodyguard and the restaurant employees were present, and it made me feel uneasy . Erik ordered oysters and dry red wine, which I hated. I chose to smile through the pain, in a bid to avoid messing this up again. When we finished with eating and drinking, Erik inched closer, his hand resting on my knee. I tried to ignore it, but when his face got closer to my ear, I tried to push him off. He didn’t care.
“So, pretty. How about you show me how sorry you are with you on your knees and my dick inside that naughty little mouth?” I could feel his breath on my face, and I sneered in disgust. I tried moving to get out of his hold, but he only tightening his grip . I tried getting up, but he grabbed my face and for ced me to face him. “Listen, you dumb bitch. You were very rude yesterday and I don’t forgive shit like that easily. So you better suck my dick off now and be a good girl. I mean, once you’re my wife it will be your obligation to please me anyways, so I’d love to have a taste of your skills.” Erik leaned closer and tried to kiss me, but I slapped him hard.
“You are a disgusting pig. I doubt any woman would suck you off anyways.” He loosened his grip, and I took the opportunity to get up . Before I could take a step , he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. The first punch landed on my stomach, knocking the air out of my lungs.
“You feisty slut! How dare you slap me?!” He yelled before another punch landed at the exact same spot. I winced in pain and fell to the floor, trying to shield myself with my hands, but he didn’t care. He kicked me repeatedly , not caring about the sobs escaping my throat. “Where’s your big mouth now, huh?! Dumb slut!” another kick landed on my stomach before he squatted and stared into my face.
“Better learn how to behave yourself. You shouldn’t talk to your husband like that.” His hands grabbed my face, and he squeezed my cheeks hard . “Why are you crying now, pretty? This is your own fault.” Erik shoved my face into the ground with enough force that my ears began ringing . “Fix your makeup, then leave. I’ll see you tomorrow and for your own sake… I hope you learned your lesson, pretty.” With that he left the restaurant.
One of the waitresses came over and tried to help me up but I waved her off. My body ached, and I stumbled to the restroom to fix myself up. When I was finished, I ordered an Uber with shaking hands and slowly my way outside. He drove me to the apartment I shared with the boys and could only hope that they wouldn’t be there.
*
With slow steps and blurry vision , I walked towards the elevator, quickly inserting my keycard. I took off my shoes and tried to stand up straight, only to wince in pain. The elevator doors opened and while none of the boys were in sight, I still tried my best to walk to my room as fast as possible. When I was almost at my room however, Namjoon appeared out of his. He was talking to someone, probably another girl he had brought home, and was laughing at something she said but it quickly died down when he saw my bent figure. With three big steps he was next to me , staring at me with wide eyes.
“Val, what happened?” I could hear the panic in his voice, but I didn’t want him to get involved in the drama, so I tried to wave him off.
“It’s nothing, Joonie. Go back to your acquaintance, I’m fine.” I forced a smile and squeezed myself into my room before shutting the door in his face . I heard him walk away and let out a relieved sigh. With a lot of effort, I took my clothes off and pulled Namjoon’s shirt over my head.
Just when I thought that he ’d bought my lie, I heard a soft knock on my door. A few seconds later, Namjoon lumbered into my room and climbed into my bed. When he saw that I was crying, he didn’t think twice and tried to pull me into his chest, only to make me wince in pain. He immediately released me . “Can you tell me what happened, princess?” he whispered into the dark.
I didn’t dare look him in the eye, too ashamed that something like this had happened to me. Usually, I was confident and wouldn’t let someone beat me up, but Erik Parker was stronger and scared me. I got up from the bed and groaned in pain, the moonlight illuminating my side profile. Namjoon sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for me to speak but when I didn’t, he decided to draw it out of me .
“You met Parker again, right?” I nodded.
“Do you have to marry him?” I nodded again.
“Did he do something against your will?” Another nod. I heard Namjoon lift himself up from my bed.
“Did he hurt you?” One more nod. Namjoon’s steps came closer to me.
“ I can’t marry him. I can’t...“ I whispered into the night, silently crying, my back still towards him.
“ I won’t let you. ” Namjoon hugged me from behind, careful not to squeeze me too hard . “ I ’ ll marry you before he can. I won’t let him hurt you again.“
Chapter 3
I turned around to face my best friend, thinking it was a joke. But when I met his eyes, he looked more serious than I’ve ever seen him before . He wasn’t joking about marrying me, that much was clear. “ You would really do that for me? ” I asked him quietly.
“ I’d do anything for you, princess. You should know that by now. ” His hands gently tugged mine. “ If you’re in, we’re driving to the district office as soon as it opens in the morning and I’ll marry you. All you have to do is say yes .”
“ What about your father and his marriage plans for you? ” Namjoon just shrugged.
“ I never cared about that , a nd you’re definitely more important. ” He leaned forward, lifting my chin with his fingers. “ So... are you in, princess? ”
He
looked so vulnerable that I felt myself fall even harder for him . If he was ready to marry me, maybe him having feelings for me wasn’t that unrealistic anymore. So I nodded and gave him a small smile, only to flinch at the sudden pain in my cheek.
Namjoon’s eyes widened, and he searched my face . “ Should I get you something? Painkillers? An ice pack? ”
“ No, can we just go to bed, please? I’m tired. ” I yawned and slipped back under the covers .
Namjoon carefully lifted the blanket and lay behind me before pulling it over our bodies. I wanted to turn around in his arms, but I wasn’t sure how he would take it.
“ Come here, princess. ” He softly tugged my shoulder and I turned around, facing his broad, naked chest. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me even closer, and I placed one of my legs between his. We reveled in each other’s presence. He was caressing my exposed skin and kept mumbling into my hair that everything was going to be fine until I fell asleep.
I woke up a few hours later, still curled into Namjoon’s huge chest . He was still asleep and snor ing . I tried to extract myself from his embrace, but he just tightened his hold on me. And that ’s how I was able to feel his very hard erection pressing against my hip.
I gasped at the sudden contact with his dick since he never had a hard on whenever we slept in the same bed. Or at least that’s what I thought. He always sneaked out of the room before I woke up, maybe this was the reason behind that... my thoughts were interrupted when Namjoon slowly start ed to grind against me. Shit, is he awake?
One of his hands began wandering down between my thighs and I sucked in a sharp breath when he suddenly stroked over my clit. It was just a quick touch, but it got me ach ing for more. Sadly, Namjoon didn’t continue, and he fell back asleep , his hand resting between my legs.
After some fumbling and twisting and turning, I managed to remove his hand from my danger zone and turned around, my ass now press ed against his dick. I tried mov ing away but Namjoon’s hand gripped my waist tighter. There was no way he was really still asleep.