by Shayne Ford
Well-built–– about my height, he has dark hair and sports a sexy stubble. His hands slip under her skirt, in plain view kneading her ass.
“Here.”
Harper’s voice spears through my brain.
She hands me my drink, and I toss it back without even glancing at it. She takes a sip of wine from her glass before she places it on the table, and pivots back to me.
Grinning sultrily, she leans against my chest.
“So... Do you want to dance?”
She slowly sways her hips side to side, grinding into me. I look at her, cold as ice.
“No. Not really...” I mutter.
“We can skip dancing then,” she says.
Her arms loop around my neck when I sense a pointed stare. Hands on her hips, Senna grills me with her eyes.
I tear Harper off, spin around and walk away.
“Hey! Where are you going?”
Senna’s heels hit the floor behind my back.
I dash to the exit, and just as I’m about to step outside, her hand curls around my forearm.
“Jaden?”
I yank my arm out of her grip.
“Where are you going? You can’t fucking leave.”
Her voice brims with anger.
“Jaden!”
I turn around and grip her elbow, her eyes widening with surprise.
“I told you I do whatever the hell I want,” I growl with a gravelly voice.
Tears glisten in her eyes––only for a second, and then a bitter smile rolls to her lips.
“Yeah. I know,” she throws at me, hurt. “I just saw it.”
“You saw what?”
“Your ‘page’,” she says mockingly, quoting the air with her fingers.
Drunk people bump into her as they swing in and out of the house. I haul her into a quiet room in the back and lock the door behind us.
Her eyes follow my moves, barely registering a thing.
She leans against the door, looking at me through a veil of tears.
“Why does it matter to you what I do? It’s nothing that you haven’t seen before.”
She tilts her shoulders up in a soft shrug, and then she tips her head down, slowly brushing a few tears from her lashes.
“Why does it matter to you, Senna?”
The softness of my voice takes her by surprise.
She flicks her eyes up, trails of tears staining her cheeks. With trembling fingers, she wipes them away.
“Tell me. How can it possibly matter?”
She searches my eyes for a few moments.
“Because it hurts,” she mutters.
Smiling, I bring my hand to her face, brush a lock away, and tenderly run my thumb across her cheek.
“It doesn’t mean anything.”
“There was a woman...” she says and pauses, studying my eyes again. “Blonde. Who is she?”
“No one.”
“How can she be no one? She’s on your website.”
Anger streams through her voice.
I say nothing.
“Was that a recent recording?” she asks.
I push back a smile.
“Had you taken your eyes off my dick for a moment and checked my ink, you would’ve figured out it wasn’t a recent recording.”
She cocks an eyebrow, annoyed.
I lift my right arm and point to a patch of skin.
“Have you seen this tattoo in that recording?”
She checks the ink, fussing like a five-year-old.
“Um... I don’t think so,” she says, still unsure.
“Do you want to double check?”
“No, I believe you...” she mutters, her voice hinting otherwise.
Curling my lips into a soft smile, I study her in silence.
“When was that recorded?” she asks.
“A few years back before I started to...”
Her hands flick up.
“Okay. I don’t want to hear it.”
Flustered, she swings her gaze away.
Slowly, I slide my hand onto her neck. Her blood throbs beneath my fingers.
“Are you jealous of my past now?”
She slowly shakes her head.
“No,” she murmurs.
“Don’t lie to me, Senna.”
She pouts and looks away again.
I let my gaze drift down, slowly shaking my head as I take her in.
“What happened tonight?” I ask with a quiet voice.
I lift my gaze and lock her eyes.
Her eyebrows tilt in surprise.
“What do you mean?”
Tipping my chin, I motion to her outfit.
“Why are you dressed like that?”
“You used to like it.”
“I do like it... If you dress up for me, not for your fuck buddy out there.”
She presses her lips into a line while I curve mine into a lopsided smile.
“What was your plan, Senna?” I ask, slightly pulling away from her.
“What do you mean?”
Raking my teeth over my lip, I give her another once over.
“You know exactly what I mean. You had no fucking idea I’d be back,” I say, no longer smiling. “Why would you dress like that for him?”
“Guess,” she throws at me, frustrated.
I bring my left hand to my face and slowly, rub my chin.
“He’s the fucking escort, isn’t he?” I toss back at her.
Darkness slides over her eyes.
“It takes one to recognize one...” she retorts, her words punching me in my stomach.
Satisfaction flickers in her eyes as she registers my pain.
“Why do you care who he is? Wasn’t that the whole point of our agreement?” she sneers. “We’re both doing what we want. What makes you think you can do it, and I cannot?”
“Is this what you want?”
She takes a step toward me, slicing me with her eyes.
“Since when does it matter what I want? You fuck for money, and he fucks for money, and just because women are not your flavor, doesn’t make you any different than him.”
My hand shoots out of my pocket, and curls around her neck. Startled, she loses her balance and crashes into me. Her hands clutch my arm.
Fear brushes her eye.
“Let’s not fool ourselves, Senna. You are no better than him or me. Just because you are the one who pays men to fuck you, doesn’t mean you are a fucking saint... You’re as much of a slut as we are,” I hiss.
Her hand shoots toward my face. I tilt my head back. She misses it by a hair.
In one motion, I cuff her wrists and crash with her against the door. She growls and fights me, writhing against me madly. I pin her with my hips.
Squirming, she tries to bite me.
“Let me go,” she barks.
I crash my weight on her. Her body starts to slacken.
For a few more moments, she keeps pushing against me. Unfazed, I lock her wrists, and slide my fingers into her hair, pressing my body against hers. Within seconds, she feels me hard and quickly loses steam.
“I fucking hate you...” she blurts out, exasperated.
I start laughing.
It pisses her off even more.
“Why would you hate me, darling?” I mutter in her hair, softly grazing her earlobe with my lips.
Her nipples tighten against my chest, a shudder falling through her body.
She stops fighting me. I finally release her wrists.
“Tell me, babe,” I murmur, running both hands up her neck.
Panting, she wraps her arms around me.
“Why would you hate me? Huh?” I mutter again, her mouth looking for mine.
She runs her fingers up my back and starts kneading my muscles.
I sense her silent desperation.
“Tell me, baby...” I murmur, and then our lips collide.
Her moans send shudders through my groin. She wraps her mouth around my tongue, famished, and consumed with passion. We roll our lips and
breathe as one, our flesh connecting in an instant.
Hard as fuck, I break the kiss, and tear away from her.
Baffled, she lets her arms slide off, her eyes begging for an explanation.
Gently, I touch her face. My thumb tracing her swollen lips.
“You are so lost, Senna,” I say.
She looks at me, intrigued.
I nod softly.
“Yes, you are. But just because you’re lost, doesn’t mean there is no way. You just have to find it.”
4
SENNA
His words send fire through my senses, feeding the anger in me.
“I need to go,” I say curtly.
He looks at me, unfazed.
“Okay,” he mutters.
Smiling, he tears his fingers away from me.
Without another word, I swing the door open and dash to the garage.
His voice thunders.
“Senna?”
I don’t stop.
His footsteps echo right behind me.
“Where are you going?” he throws at me.
Rushed, I snatch the keys from the panel and dart to my car.
Without a word, I slip in, shut the door, turn on the ignition, and back up. He takes a few steps to the side, away from the car, trying to catch my gaze as he shouts my name again.
His voice gets swallowed by the noise of the engine. I turn left and drive out, heading to the exit.
The gates slide open. His car rolls right behind me.
Deftly, I maneuver between the incoming cars, and slip away, leaving him stuck.
I pick up speed.
The night falls––dark, and quiet, all around me.
I take a few more turns, opting for a route that snakes through trees and tucked-in houses. Soon, the homes remain behind, and darkness grows along the path.
Lights flicker in the distance.
I roll the window down. Crisp air fills my lungs, bringing me a certain clarity, but with it, comes a lot of sadness. Frustration grows in me with every mile I leave behind.
It doesn’t take long before tears clog my throat, and well up in my eyes. I run a shaky hand across my cheek, cursing quietly.
The car eats more miles as I grapple with my thoughts.
When has he become indispensable to me?
Stripping me of power. Making me beg for him. Bringing back the girl I used to be. The girl I so much hate.
He doesn't need me. Or her.
Bitter, I chuckle softly, and then I curse again.
The headlights of a car signal in my rearview mirror, approaching quickly.
That must be him.
He flicks his headlights again, closing the gap rapidly. I step on the gas and add some distance between us. It only lasts a few moments. His ride roars behind mine, the beams of light blinding me.
I ease the pressure on the gas.
“Stop the fucking car, Senna!” he thunders through the open window as he pulls next to me, and we drive side by side.
I yank the car onto a secondary road, raising a dust storm right behind me. The screech of spinning tires rips into the air as he turns the car around and dashes after me.
“Fucking jerk!”
He chases me for a few good moments before the road begins to narrow, and soon we hit a dead end. A wall of trees rises ahead.
I step on the brakes and jolt the car to a stop. He pulls his ride next to my car. I reach under the back seat and scoop out my gun.
He’s already out, rounding the front of his car when I jerk the door open and point the gun at him.
“Stay away from me, Jaden!”
My voice splits the air, making him freeze that very instant.
His hands shoot up. He stays quiet for a moment as I slip out of the car, my gun aimed at him.
“Chill, baby...” he says, calm.
“Don’t you fucking ‘baby’ me!” I bark. “I don’t need to calm down as much as I don’t need you. Or you to fuck me.”
He lowers his hands, his eyes still trained on me.
“We can talk,” he says with a softer voice.
“I don’t need to fucking talk, Jaden. And I don’t need your fucking teasing either. You’re right. I’m no better than you or Abel. I’m a fucking slut. That’s what I am. I’m a slut who pays other sluts to fuck her. I’m not supposed to be like that. I didn’t ask for it, but now that I’m here, there’s nothing I can do about it. Because I don’t have the slightest idea how to be something other than what I am.”
He takes a step in my direction. I cock my gun.
“Stay where you are,” I bark again.
He freezes.
“I pursued you, and I regret it. I thought I’d learn something from you, and perhaps even heal myself if you’d let me close to you, but I was wrong. Nothing seems to get to you. Nothing. You don’t need me. And that’s fine...” I say, flicking my free hand in the air. “I don’t give a flying crap. You’re free to do whatever you want to, but right now, you better leave.”
He shoves his hands into his pockets, and purses his lips, watching me in silence.
I lower my gun.
“And by the way, I don’t care whether you work for me or not. It turns out it’s bad either way,” I say, my airways closing as a panic attack starts spiraling inside me.
This can't be happening.
But it does.
I start to wheeze, the same chemical reaction that has turned my life into a living hell setting in motion waves of angst and panic, making my pulse spike, and the air not nearly enough.
Panting, I take a step back, bracing for the impending panic attack.
“Please go...” I mutter, as my heart starts slamming against my ribcage.
He takes a step in my direction. I flick my hand, leveling my gun at him again.
“Stay where you are,” I bark.
Brazen, he locks my eyes, a dark smile tugging at his lips.
“Don’t do anything stupid, Jaden.”
Unfazed, he takes another step. That's when I fire my gun. I aim next to him, the bullet grazing the ground, the sharp sound spearing through the air.
He lunges at me, snakes an arm around me, yanks the gun out of my hand, and tosses it to the ground. His arms lock around me as the full-fledged, panic attack begins barreling through me with a vengeance.
Breathing chaotically, I grab his arms, desperately holding onto him. He pulls me into his chest as I grapple with the heat and then the shivers, my heart pounding like a drum machine.
I slacken in his arms. His fingers wrap around my neck.
“Calm down, baby,” he says with a soft voice.
I wish I could, but my mind is no longer mine. It spins more doom and gloom, growing the panic, fueled by the chemicals racing in my blood.
The fear rams through me, over and over again, and the more I fight it, the faster I sink. It’s a nightmare I cannot stop.
“Senna,” he calls me again.
I collapse in his embrace.
His lips brush my hair, his arms draping around me.
I clutch him harder.
“Nothing happens, baby. Trust me...” he says as my eyes fill with tears.
He brings his fingers to my face while I clutch his neck with both hands. My breaths roll faster. And faster. The reality starts fading at the edges, and the ground begins to spin.
I sink my nails into his skin.
“Jaden...” I gasp.
And then I feel his lips.
Warm, and silky, scented with the smoky evening. Making love to mine, and kissing my panic away, slowing down my blood, and pulling me out of the nightmare.
He lets me breathe through him, slowly bringing me back the calmness. The reality comes back to me with arms wrapped around me and lips pressed against mine.
He kisses me softly and lovingly, giving me the affection I’ve never had. Tenderly, I kiss him back.
“Jaden...” I murmur against his lips as I taste my first love kiss.
He l
ets me slip into his world, and there is nothing between us. No time or space or words. No thoughts or fears or doubts. Only a river of emotions flowing through both us as we attempt to quench our thirst.
“Please...” I murmur, trembling with need.
Smoothly, he leans against the car, and lifts me up, pulling me on him. My knees slide to either side of him. And everything speeds up. My heart, my breaths, the tension growing in his grip.
Trailing my thighs with his fingers, he rides my skirt up while I curl my hands around his shoulders.
Eyes closed, I relish his touch.
My skin vibrates beneath his fingers as he runs his palms over my hips and cups my butt.
Long fingers tug my panties to the side, and stroke the trail between my legs. The reverberation of his touch travels up on my spine. I roll my hips to meet his fingers. I also grind against his fly. He’s hard and full beneath my crotch.
I do it again. And again. He tugs my panties lower.
Cold air sweeps my flesh, enhancing the sensation coming from his touch. Hands clasped on his shoulders, I lift my hips so he can roll my panties down. His fingers hook inside my neckline and rip my top open. Smoothly, he scoops my breasts out and crashes his lips onto my chest. Squeezing my mounds, he captures a nipple between his lips.
He circles it and licks it with his tongue, playing with it until I almost come. More heat brews inside me, the urgency and longing rising. He nudges me to my knees again and peels the top and bra off me completely.
The few buttons fastening my skirt fall victims to his hands. They end up on the ground when he harshly rips the fabric. A slant of wind brushes my stomach rolling down over my cleft.
I straighten my back and spread my legs, his lips coming to my clit this time. A feast of pleasure ensues.
I’m wet and hot, and he is skilled. My hands slip into his hair, his mouth working my swollen flesh.
Pleasure starts to surge through me when he smoothly unfastens his belt and works his fly open, his hand going down his shaft.
One hand grabs me by the waist while brings him right against my entrance. I slide down, dripping wet onto his length. His arms close around me as I fit around him like a glove.
“I love it...” I say quietly.
“Me too.”
He twitches inside me, enhancing my pulsing tension. Slowly, my hips roll, as I ride his cock, gliding up and down, and savoring the lustful moments.
“I missed this...” I murmur.