by Tory Baker
“Yeah, babe?”
“Thank you for what feels like one of the best nights of my life.” I stand on the tips of my toes. He gets what I’m doing. Trick lowers his head towards mine, and I kiss his cheek.
“Shit, this isn’t much. Anything a decent human being would do.” He softens his tone for me.
“Doesn’t mean there’s a lot of those out in this world either.” I grab my drink and ask, “Where are we eating?” This is Boston. Just because you have an apartment doesn’t mean it’s wide open spaces in a three-thousand-square-foot house.
“Want to see if there’s a baseball game on while we eat?” he questions.
“I’m so down for that. I feel like I haven’t watched a game in forever. Three more years of school, and then I’ll have more time on my hands. Hopefully, I’ll get the chance to go see a Sox game in person,” I tell him as we both sit down on the couch.
“No shit, three more years?” I guess I forgot to tell him how long school takes when it comes to being a Social Worker. I was fortunate enough to get a scholarship to Boston College. My tuition costs an ungodly amount even with that. I’m one of the lucky or not so lucky ones if you think about it. Mom left me an insurance policy when she passed, and I’ve used that to pay for school instead of getting into debt. The only thing I have to pay for out of pocket is my housing and food, which is still a mint considering I live with two other people.
“Yeah, but hitting the halfway mark is a big deal to me. So many people drop out. It’s not like we come out of school making a lot of money. I’m literally doing it to make a difference in a child’s life. Money doesn’t always mean happiness, you know?” I say before I take a bite of Trick’s mom’s food.
“Good, right? And yeah, as long as you have a plan and you’re happy, the rest will fall into place.” I watch Trick shovel a heaping forkful of food in his mouth and barely chew it before he swallows it.
“It’s amazing, but did you even taste yours yet?” I joke.
“Babe, I’ve had this my whole life. It’s one of those things that always tastes good.” With the smoldering look he gives me, who knows what he’s thinking.
“Are you admitting you’re spoiled?” I enjoy another bite and wait for him to answer my question.
“Nope, you’ll never hear me admit that.” We both tuck into our food. Trick turns on a baseball game. There’s a comfortable silence between us as we relax, eat, and watch television.
“You done?” I am in the zone of the game when I notice he’s standing in front of me and I’m eye level with his cock. Okay, not technically his cock, because well, I can’t see it naked in the flesh, but the bulge he’s packing has my mind on movie reel. Thoughts of me undressing him, slowly, so slowly it keeps us breathless, until I pull him out, my hand finding his velvety smooth skin, and I wonder not for the first time if his cock is pierced or not. I’ve already seen what that tongue piercing of his can do on my skin.
“Wren,” he groans. It’s then that I finally look up at him.
“Huh?” I’m stupefied and have no idea what he was asking.
“You done?”
“Done with dinner?” That tongue of his comes out to lick his upper lip, putting me in another stupor.
“Yes.” I swallow as I say it, trying not to sound like a mumbling fool.
“Something tells me the two of us are on the same page. You should be aware, Wren, I’m going to make you mine.” He takes my plate out of my hand before sauntering off.
I take this time to lie back on his couch. I toed off my shoes the minute we sat down so I could put my feet under me. My nose is turned into the sweatshirt I’m wearing, breathing in Trick’s scent before closing my eyes. The day is catching up to me, and I’m freaking exhausted, between work, the girls drinking at Kelly’s, the tattoo, and Trick. That might have been the very best part of my day, Trick and the peonies that are now tattooed on my side.
“Lie with me?” Trick asks when he comes back into the living room.
“Sure.” My eyes are heavy when I open them. His fingers entwine with mine as he helps me to my feet. I kind of figured I’d sleep on the couch. I guess Trick has another idea as he leads me to his bed.
“You okay with sleeping in the same bed with me?” he asks as he pulls the blankets down.
“Yeah, I’m kind of a bed hog though.” I crawl in from the foot of the bed, once again giving Trick a view without totally meaning to as he grabs a pair of shorts from his dresser.
“Not worried about that. I’ll help you take your bandage off tomorrow and clean it up. Be right back,” he says, walking to the bathroom. All I can think about is sleep as my head lands on the pillow and I’m out like a light.
7
Trick
I hated like hell dropping Wren off, but she’s right. It’s Sunday dinner at my parents’, and I am not about to get my ass chewed for not being there. I offered Wren to come with me while I was taking care of her tattoo. She thought about it. I thought for sure this one would be in the bag, but it didn’t work out in the end.
Her fingers glided through my hair as I was bent down for my task when she said, “I’d go any other Sunday, but I have a midterm to study for.” Wren’s voice held an undertone of something else. It wasn’t until I saw the way she was moving her thighs back and forth, creating that friction, that it hit me. This girl’s body was on fire for me.
That’s when everything stopped, the world quit spinning on its axis, and I fucking inhaled her scent. She saw my nostrils flare, and it only made it that much worse with the way we wanted each other. I was on my feet in seconds, my mouth on hers as I tasted her sweet fucking lips. I bit at her lower lip softly at first, then with added pressure. Wren allowed me the entrance I needed to have more of her. My tongue sliding across hers, feeling her body press up against mine, I didn’t stop. Instead, I slid my leg between her thighs. I wanted to watch her get off from my mouth and my body between hers. What I wouldn’t give to yank her clothes off and lick her entire body, let her know what it feels like to feel my piercing on her nipples and down to her clit. Her hands gripped my hair tightly, her body was shaking with the added friction, and our tongues engaged in a dance, one where she was gasping for pleasure when she tilted her head back on a moan.
“Trick.” Her voice gave away that she was on the edge of coming. I moved her hips to the rhythm of my leg, moving slowly as I licked a path down the column of her throat. I laved at her pulsing heart rate, and when I felt her body lock up, I bit down and she came in my arms. I know one thing for sure, that shit will be happening again, and soon.
Last night, Wren’s body wrapped around me like an octopus. At one point, more than half her body was on top of mine. My hand was grabbing her ass cheek when I woke up at that time. It wasn’t easy trying to be a gentleman when all I wanted to do was work my hand beneath those things she calls panties, which aren’t much, and feel her. I restrained myself and did the impossible, moving my hand off her ass cheek and instead dragged my hand beneath my sweater she’s wearing and her t-shirt, rubbing her back until she moaned quietly. Only then did I fall asleep again.
“What’s up your ass?” Sean asks. I’m barely inside the door. Fuck, I didn’t even slam the front door, and he’s on my ass like white on rice.
“Fuck off.” I’m itching for a brawl. Something inside my gut is unsettled, and it’s eating away at me. When I dropped Wren off, no one was at her apartment, and yes, I walked her in. Her room is luckily like a master bedroom, with a bathroom connected to it. She even has a small fridge in there. I guess she literally stays there to eat and sleep. I think if her dad knew how much of an idiot her friends are and just what they bring around her, his ass would be pounding at the door.
I walk past him, waving him off when he starts to talk again. Sean is the youngest of the Kelly boys, then there’s me, the second youngest, Cillian, the second boy, and Bran, who’s the oldest. More or less. Cillian is already here and helping Ma in the kitchen. He’s a so
us chef at a restaurant. Growing up, he was always in the kitchen experimenting with one recipe or another. Bran is the serious and studious one. Sean, being a contractor, now helps us all out.
“Someone’s on his meriod,” Sean announces as he comes up behind me in the kitchen before I can even say hello. Every Kelly in the room whips their head around, staring intently at me. Every family member stops what they’re doing and looks at me. Maybe it was a good thing Wren had to stay home and study.
“Quit your bitching,” Dad says. I make my rounds, giving Dad a hug, Mom a kiss on her cheek, and a slap on the shoulder to Bran and Cillian. Sean can fuck right off. I love my baby brother, but right now he’s annoying the shit out of me, like he used to do when we were younger.
“Dinner’s almost ready. Do what needs to be done, then we can eat.” I grab the plates, Bran the silverware, and Sean the drinks. Dad watches on with the newspaper in his hands the entire time until Mom wallops him with the dish towel and says, “Put that away. You can read that anytime. Our boys only come over once a week, and it’s for food.”
“I forgot to call you last night, but it was late. Thank you for putting dinner in the fridge.” Our parents hate texting, so there was no way I would have done that.
“It was nothing. Every one of you needed something this week. All of my boys are hard workers,” she says with a proud smile. Dad raises his eyebrows.
We sit down to eat, but not before I sneak off a text to Wren. We exchanged numbers before leaving my house this morning. Most girls would put you in by your name, not Wren though. Nope, she put me under ‘Heart Thief.’ It prompted me to put her under her own nickname. When I called her Wren, baby last night, Wren’s face got soft, her body melted further into me, and even with something as small as calling her that, I knew Wren was going to be mine, no matter the cost.
Me: You’re missing a great dinner.
Wren, baby: Don’t make me jealous.
She responds with a picture attached. She’s in her bed, hair piled high on her head, still in my sweatshirt she snagged from me after stating this morning she wasn’t giving it back. A bowl of cereal in her lap with her books piled around her. That is not a meal I would suffice for dinner. Sure, I fed her breakfast this morning. It was a shit ton healthier than what she’s eating now. I’ll definitely be having a talk about that with her.
“Who’s that?” Bran says quietly over my shoulder.
“You mean Raven didn’t call you last night and tell you?” I cock an eyebrow. A smile covers his face when I say Raven’s name.
“Maybe. When are you bringing her to Sunday dinner?” None of us have ever brought a female over for dinner.
“Tried to today. She’s studying though. What about you with Raven?” I fire back.
“Soon.” With that, we quit whispering like two teenage boys and all of us dive into our food, buffet style at the dining room table. We talk about our plans. I let Mom know about Bennet and his dad. She says she’ll light a candle for him at church. I’m sure Bennet will be home and in need of his family around him after everything has settled. My brothers and I clean up after dinner, then we all take our leave, except I get pulled back by Ma. “Tell me about your girl.” Instead of leaving, I go sit back on the couch and tell her everything she wants to know, jonesing for a cigarette, but after Wren told my her mom died from lung cancer and secondhand smoke, there was no way I was going to subject her to that. I threw my last pack away this morning and have been chewing gum non-stop. Ma notices the gum I’m chewing, and she smiles knowingly.
“Maybe next weekend she’ll come with you?” she asks.
“That’s my plan.” I hug her, we say our goodbyes, and I head out the door.
8
Wren
Every night this week, Trick and I have talked or texted. Sometimes we send pictures to each other of mundane things. Tonight though, the text that came through, it makes my heart speed up. He’s in bed, his chest bare, tattoos on full display on his arms, chest, and throat, looking warm and soft to my coldness. Even though I’m still in his sweatshirt, my body is cold without his touch. It’s the text he sends that gets me up and out of bed, throwing on clothes, stuffing a backpack full of my school shit I’ll need to study and pulling the Uber app up.
Heart Thief: My arms feel empty without you in them. It’s been too fucking long since I’ve laid my eyes on you.
Me: Our schedules sucks so bad. I’d rather be with you than here. Any day of the week.
I respond while I shut the door to my apartment. My Uber is already waiting at the curb.
Heart Thief: It fucking sucks, baby. But we’ll work through it.
Puddles of water meet my heart, emotion is settling deep inside of my soul. I don’t tell him I’m on my way. When he dropped me off Sunday, he sent me a text with his code to his apartment and door to get in. Trick knew I wouldn’t go with him to the family dinner, but he was still worried Heather’s boyfriend would make a random appearance. Thank God he didn’t and hasn’t yet, but if he does, I’ll be sneaking out the fire escape and doing exactly what Trick asked me to. Which is why I’m about to be the one to surprise him.
In a matter of ten minutes, we’re pulling up to Trick’s building, the plus about it being one o’clock in the morning.
“Thanks,” I say when I exit the car, my bag in my hand. It doesn’t take me long to walk into the building. This definitely has perks to not having a doorman. If that were the case, I’d be waiting until Trick answered the phone or he added me to the list. My dad’s place is like that, and the first time I went to visit him, it was a thirty-minute wait. When dad naps, he doesn’t wake up for anything.
The elevator ride is fast and easy, then I’m standing on the other side of Trick’s door. Apprehension runs through my veins. I should have texted or called before coming over. Instead of punching in the code to his door, I decide to do something different, I call him.
The phone rings a nanosecond before I hear the drowsy, “Wren, baby,” on the other end of the line.
“Crap, I woke you up.. Go back to sleep.” I’ll turn around and leave. I know Trick needs his sleep. A lot of people think tattoo artists have it easy. They don’t. They sit hunched over for hours on end, and their hands, Jesus, it can’t be easy.
“Nah, I like hearing your voice. You okay?”
“I’m okay, I promise. I.. um.. have a surprise for you,” I wince out.
“Oh yeah, what’s that?” I hear the shifting of sheets being moved.
“You’ll have to come to the door and figure it out.” My breath comes out in a whoosh as I tell him where I am through the phone, praying like hell I didn’t screw up.
“Tell me you didn’t fucking walk here,” Trick demands through the line.
“I can assure you there is no way I walked here in the dark and alone. There are a lot of crazy things I do, but that’s not one of them. I took an Uber.” I shrug my shoulders even though I know he can’t see me right now. The door unlocking lets me know I can hang up my phone. In doing so, my eyes aren’t on Trick but rather on my phone.
Two arms engulf my body. “Fuck, I can’t believe you’re here. I’m happy as hell. I would have gone to pick you up. No questions asked.”
“You were already in bed. I was still up, attempting to study. I almost used the code you gave me and got in bed beside you. Then I thought better of it. What if you thought I was some weirdo and stabbed me?” My imagination is getting the better of me.
“Shut up and kiss me,” he demands, hoisting me up by the back of my legs. I do as he says, wanting to feel his tongue slide against mine. It’s been five long days since I’ve seen Trick in the flesh, felt his heated skin against mine, and tasted him like he’s tasting me. I don’t get it wrong. He may have demanded I kiss him, but Trick doesn’t let me lead, and I’m a-okay with that. The front door slams closed, I drop my backpack to the ground, and Trick carries me to his bedroom. My back meets his soft mattress. It’s so much better than mine. His is
soft and conforms to your body, unlike my lumpy one in my apartment.
Trick’s hips are between my spread legs, my shorts are showing more leg than ever, and the only top I’m wearing is his sweatshirt. What he’s wearing though, or really, what he isn’t wearing, is a pair of gray low-slung lounge pants. His bulge is uncontained, and my fingers are coasting over every bare inch of his chest. My hand delves inside his pants, wanting to feel his length in my hand. His skin is molten hot, and when I wrap my hand around him slowly, it learns just how he feels, that is until it comes across a piercing.
“No fucking way! Can I see it?” My other hand is ready to peel his pants down, waiting for his response.
“Wren, baby. Anything I have is yours, but I’ll be wanting to see way more of this beautiful body.” With his permission, I pull them down, my eyes immediately going to his cock.
“Jesus,” I breathe out. He’s naked in front of me while I sit on my knees. His cock is long, jutting up and allowing me to see his piercing. The barbell is going through the underside of his length.
“You want a taste, don’t you?” he groans. I nod my head in reply. “I want you naked while you do. I’m not saying we’ll have sex, but I want my mouth on you as much as you want your mouth on me.” Trick’s gravely tone has me pulling his sweatshirt off, baring my breasts to him. His mouth descends on my nipple, that tongue ring of his giving me a sensation overload. The metal is cold to his hot tongue, causing me to fall back. His body hovers over mine, his mouth going back and forth between one nipple and the other, while his hands, fuck, his hands are pulling my shorts off.
“God damn,” Trick moans when he gets the full view of my body. He does the last thing I expect, he plants his forehead on my stomach, taking deep breaths. Meanwhile, I can feel his cool breath blowing on my center. “Trick,” I moan.
“You gotta give me a minute, baby.” He lifts his head up for a second, giving me his eyes. I get what they’re saying without the words. I’d wait a lifetime if it meant I’d always have Trick by my side.