by Cam Johns
I open my eyes to him, staring at me, leaning back on his hands. “What are you doing? Why are you stopping?” I pant.
He doesn’t answer me, just pulls his phone from his back pocket and takes a picture of my stomach before handing me the phone. I stare at the picture, realizing his hesitation. The large, purplish bruise forming on my abdomen will stop any man that truly cares.
“We can’t do this now.” He falls to his back beside me on the bed. “I’m never going to get to fuck you,” he whines.
I don’t know why, but I laugh uncontrollably. My stomach begins to pulsate in pain, but even that doesn’t stop my laughter. He looks over at me, at first not pleased with my reaction, but finally can’t help but laugh with me. That fact that we’re laughing from a situation that isn’t funny eases the tension. He leans up on his elbow and kisses me on the forehead before standing up and grabbing the ice pack and peas.
“C’mon, lean up there on the pillow. Let me at least hold you.”
I do as I’m told, and he places the bag of peas on my eye, climbs behind me, and holds the icepack on my belly. He spoons me until I fall asleep quickly for the first time in years. No nightmares. No uneasiness. No creepy dark figures.
When I wake up, it’s dark. I’m now lying on his chest with one leg sprawled over his. I can barely see anything in the darkness of his room, but I do see that it’s seven. I’ve slept well over six hours without waking up once. I’ve never woken up and not still be tired.
I feel safe here. With him. In his bed. His breathing is still heavy, so I know he’s in a deep sleep. I let my fingers trace the lines of his defined arms, letting them trail down his chest as he begins to stir. He unconsciously moans at my soft touch, as he unknowingly lets my fingers glide down toward the top of his sweatpants. I slide my fingers underneath them, keeping them above his underwear. I feel him begin to grow with my touch as I fondle him. His hips involuntarily sway as I slide my hand into his boxer briefs. I want him. Now. He groans as I try to figure out what entices him. I have no idea what I’m doing, but he seems to enjoy it. I squeeze him harder as he becomes more engorged.
Before I know it, I’m on my back, and he’s lying across my body. Without a word, he plunges his tongue inside my mouth and grinds into me. Hard. His erotic groans pulsate through my mouth as I force my hands underneath him to unbuckle my jeans. These tight ass jeans that I wish I wasn’t wearing right now. He suddenly stops to stand, but I can’t see what he’s doing in this dark room. I take the opportunity to get out of my jeans quickly, pulling them off just as he hits the bed. He spreads my legs and moves my panties to the side before shoving his tongue inside me in one swift motion. Between my legs. His erogenous touch forces my body to jolt up against him as I grab the back of his head. The slickness of his tongue masterfully circling my pearl convulses my middle against his face. He growls loudly into me, the harder I grind against him. I try to stay quiet, even though this is a very large home and I’m sure no one can hear me.
“Ash-ton,” I moan as I grasp the sheets, pulling at them as he uses the tip of his tongue to flick my clit faster. A sensation passes through my loins, making my head plunge deeper into the pillow; I grab the back of his head and push my warmth against his lips. Even with my pleading, he doesn’t stop. As my body liquidly falls to the bed, I try to squeeze my legs closed.
“No running,” he says as he lifts up and rips something I can’t see. He climbs over me, pushing my legs up, and slowly lowers his body onto me. He kisses me feverishly, letting me taste myself for the first time as he slides two fingers inside of me easily. “Hmm, you’re ready for me, baby.” With that, he enters me, causing me to involuntarily shout.
“Baby, try to be quiet,” he whispers as he slowly makes love to me.
I bite down on his shoulder, making him wince into my ear; his motions remain deliberate and slow. As I become more comfortable, I wrap myself around him. Not wanting to be too forceful, he kisses me softly as he lies on top of me, cupping my face. Letting his nose run across mine, he slowly lifts my head, sliding his tongue into my mouth and back out. “You’re so perfect for me,” he whispers, “can I have all of you?” His breathing is steady as he lifts up, waiting for my answer.
I can honestly say I’ve never met anyone willing to put his entire life on hold for me. To stand up to my mother for my sisters and me. To want to protect us. Never once treating me as if I weren’t deserving of being loved. Feeling this connection with him right now, at this moment, is something I will desire only from him. The word just flows out of me naturally, “Yes.”
He quickly kisses me a little harder this time, keeping his connection steady and intentional until I lose myself within our adoration.
“Are you okay?” he asks, kissing my forehead. All I can do is nod my head, being fully devoid of energy.
We lie there silently, waiting for our bodies to relax from the most pleasurable experience I’ve ever felt. He holds me close, letting his fingers tickle my arms, as we enjoy the quiet.
“Will you go out to dinner with me?” he asks.
I giggle. “You’re so backward.”
He chuckles. “You’ve had my brain all scrambled for so long, I didn’t know what to do first.”
“Well, I’m pretty hungry. I think we’ve worked up quite the appetite.”
“True.” He suddenly pushes me onto my back and hovers part of his body over me. He stares down at me, caressing my cheek with his hand. “The Glass Ball is coming up. You want to go with me?”
I smile, flattered he wants me to go with him and excited because I’ve never been asked to a dance before. “You’re already making plans with me.”
He leans in closer. “I want to plan our whole future.” He gleams at my shock at his admittance before kissing me softly, and we indulge in each other once more before leaving our sanctuary.
10
People Are Watching
Ashton
By the time we come up for air, it’s after ten, and everyone is asleep. Even Ashley passed out on the couch, still wearing her clothes from the day. I watch Cyn as she tiptoes further into the living room to her sisters, who have created a camping area on the floor. Not sure why they did that with ten unoccupied, perfectly adaptable rooms to choose from. But seeing the rested, peaceful looks on their faces is all I need.
I never want to see them frightened and screaming as they were earlier, watching their sister be beaten by the one person who is never supposed to harm them. I still can’t get the sight of seeing Cyn curled up on the floor, defenseless and enduring such an assault. It only makes me wonder how much she endured. How much have I not seen? I’ve never noticed one bruise on her body. Yes, she was unhappy, but I stupidly assumed it was because they were poor, and she had no time for fun due to her job and taking care of her sisters.
After all, everyone knows about her mother. Everyone. Some more than others, in more disgusting ways. Her mother definitely gets around. Clearly, all three of the girls are fathered by different men. Although, sometimes I feel Penelope and Charmaine bear some resemblance. Her mother’s reputation has nothing to do with how I feel about Cyn, and now her sisters. I will protect them with everything I have.
My father basically had a conniption when I told him what was going on. He even went so far as to threaten to disown me. He actually expected me to kick them out of the house, but all I had to do was tell Mom, and my father fell in line. Now my father is all about business, being sure to remind me to check in with his investigator about those men that went missing.
Cyn finally tiptoes back over to where I’m standing at the entrance to the living room. She smiles, grabbing my hand and following me out of the house. I open the car door for her and lean in just as she buckles her seatbelt.
“What?” She giggles.
“I’m glad you’re here… with me.” I lean in closer, kissing her gingerly. I don’t know how I went so long without touching those lips. Her kiss is like a cold drink on a hot summer’s
day. It’s soothing, caressing every part of my being with just this single motion of our lips consoling our desires.
“You better stop, or we won’t make it out of this driveway.”
“Hmm, don’t give me any ideas.” I chuckle and kiss her one last time.
For it to be a Saturday night, the second floor is pretty quiet. Not many cars on the street, not even in the center of town where we end up going for dinner. This particular Italian restaurant is usually packed, and requires a certain dress but wouldn’t dare say anything to me about that. Beyond that, it’s basically empty, so we’re able to get a seat right away, casually dressed. Maybe because it’s so late, and they’ll be closing soon. Of course, they’ll remain open until we’re done. I’ll just be sure to tip them well because I don’t want her to feel rushed. It’s our first date of many.
After choosing what I want, I eye her down as she studies the menu. Immediately, I think of all the times I’ve watched her reading some book and being completely occupied with whatever she was looking at. Either way, her head was always staring at something and never her surroundings. I used to think about snatching whatever it was out of her hands just to get her mad or express some sort of emotion so she’d speak to me.
“Why are you staring at me?” she asks, never looking up from her menu.
Just then, the waiter comes to get our order. I admire her steak choice considering any date I’ve ever taken out for dinner would eat a measly salad. I don’t know who they were trying to impress because I would fuck them anyway. I order the same and wait for the waiter to leave us alone. She interlocks her fingers and places her hands on the table, waiting for a response.
“So, you do know when I’m staring at you.”
She takes a sip of her wine. “I always know when your eyes are on me.”
Not always.
“I find that hard to believe.” I sit back in my seat, watching her. The shirt she borrowed from my sister’s closet is entirely too tight and low-cut. Her boobs are sitting lovely in it, but I don’t like other people salivating over her.
“You think I never noticed you staring at me after that whole fiasco in the library?” She takes another sip of her wine.
“Let me tell you about those stares.” I lean forward, placing my forearms on the table. “I was mostly picturing you naked.” I lick my lips, thinking about the taste of her warmth earlier as she blushes. “I still haven’t. So we’ll be taking care of that later.”
She squirms uncomfortably. “So insatiable, Ashton.”
“Only for you, gorgeous.”
She smiles profusely, making my heart skip a beat. Seeing her pleased after the day she’s had is good enough for me. She actually seems happy and at ease with me. However, even though she did her best to cover up the slight bruising on her eye, I know it’s there.
I want to destroy her mother’s life because of it. But I can’t do that without it affecting Cyn’s and her sister’s lives.
Besides, I need to consider what the hell we’re going to do about their living arrangements. My mother suggested letting them stay in the second guesthouse beside Doris. I didn’t tell Cyn that because then she wouldn’t have fallen asleep next to me.
I really don’t want to tell her at all, but I want her to feel comfortable in a space she can call her own for the time being. She will not want to feel like a burden on my parents once they return. I need to work on getting my own place and hope she will want to live with me.
There are things she needs to know. Things that may send her running for the door. Things about my family and why I know so much about her. Either way, I have to tell her and hope she doesn’t go anywhere. So, I decide to wait for her to finish her meal and call for the check before I lay everything out on the table.
“Baby, there are things I think you should know,” I say, avoiding eye contact.
“I like it when you call me baby.” She giggles, looking at her phone briefly. She looks up at me, realizing this is a serious conversation. “What is it?”
I take a deep breath and spit everything out like vomit. “My grandfather grew up in the Mafia, but he wanted something different for his children, and he was actually a smart man. He became a lawyer and started his own firm.” I put my head down. “He needed help. The same help we offer to people you may not want over for dinner. My father found a way to go even further by building a relationship with the cops in town. He helped in many high-profile cases… sometimes we had to get our hands a little dirty.” I stop speaking finally and stare at Cyn for a response. But she has this blank look as if I just told her I killed someone. I wait patiently for what seems to be minutes, but I’m sure it is only a few seconds.
“So, you thought I didn’t know that?” she says simply.
I look at her, confused. “No, I didn’t.”
“I know. Mainly from my grandparents, but I knew. I was told to stay away from you when Grandma found out we were going to the same high school.” She puts her head down. “Before they died.”
I can tell she’s still dealing with the sadness of losing them. I didn’t talk to her much back then. It was my freshman year, and I was the most popular guy at school, even though I just got there. I had no idea she was burying her grandparents while I was having fun. I’m still surprised she was warned to stay away from me; my father was fully out of that life by then.
But there’s one more thing.
“Also, I know you’ve been curious about how I know so much about you.” She nods, adjusting her seat, completely intrigued. “While you thought I was upset with you, I was actually falling for you… even though we never spoke after that.”
“I just don’t understand how or why.”
“There was something about you. Something drew me to you. I needed to learn more about this girl who had the audacity to tell me to hit the bricks.” I chuckle and grab her hand. “You’re beauty has captivated my every thought since those tiny lips started moving.”
“So you asked around about me or something?”
“Not exactly,” I put my head down, “I decided to do my own research. To keep this quiet.”
She removes her hand from my grasp. “I can understand being ashamed of your feelings for me.”
I grab her hand back, realizing she has taken my statement the wrong way. “No. I didn’t give a shit. I wanted you for myself. I didn’t want someone ruining my chances by getting involved.”
She smiles, caressing my hand with her thumb. “Oh, your chances. So what did you do?”
Here we go.
“I sort of followed you around a bit, just to see what kinds of things you were interested in. There was really no other way for me to know. You never went out, and your friend couldn’t stand me.” I eye her cautiously. “I kind of just lurked around a bit.”
She slowly pulls her hand from mine. “What?” This isn’t going to be good. I don’t even think she heard one reason I gave her.
I’m such a fucking creep!
“I never invaded your privacy. I never looked at anything or saw anything that was personal.”
She looks at me like I’m crazy. “Ashton, everything you just said is a complete invasion of privacy… and creepy as fuck!”
The few people in the restaurant turn their heads, overhearing her outburst.
“Yes, I know. It started as just seeing where you lived so I could maybe pop by. Then I wanted to see you in action at work. As time went on, that became the only way I would see you because I barely saw you in school anymore once my classes were changed.”
“You’re mental. You could’ve just talked to me, you idiot.”
“So, with the reputation I had, you would have spoken to me? Or given me the time of day?”
“No!” she blurts without a second thought. “But you would’ve known my position, and you wouldn’t have followed me. Stalked me.” She stands abruptly.
“Cyn, please sit. Don’t go.”
“I don’t get you. This is too much.” She w
alks away from me. I frantically gather all the money in my wallet and throw it on the table, leaving a much larger tip than originally anticipated.
I run out, glancing down the street to see which way she went. Finally spotting her, I run down the block to catch up to her.
“Cyn,” I say, close enough for her to hear me, but she keeps walking. “Cynthia, please stop and talk to me.”
“Ashton, I can’t stay with you. I barely understand why you even want me; now you’re a fucking stalker!”
I spot an alley coming up, so I grab her arm and pull her into it. I sternly place her back against the wall and stand close enough to her so she doesn’t run, but far enough away so she doesn’t feel crowded.
“Yes, I fucked up. I realized I was going about this all wrong, so I stopped following you years ago. Long before college. Which is why I was so upset once I found out your mother was beating you. If I had continued to watch over you, I might have been able to help you sooner.” I never once saw Tracey lay a hand on them.
She tilts her head to the side, seemingly accepting my mistakes. “What my mother does is no one’s fault but hers.” She crosses her arms in front of her, looking away from me.
I think it’s best to tell her how I feel about her. She needs to know.
“Cynthia, I may have stopped what I was doing, but I never once stopped wanting to be with you. I just needed to grow up first. But now I have, and I can’t see myself being with anyone but you. I need you to be a part of my life… a part of me.” I pull her arms apart, placing her hands in mine. “You may not understand why I feel as I do, but I know who you are. There’s nothing about you that doesn’t make me want to live each day for you. To see you smile. To hear you laugh. To be sure you’re never in pain or hurt… again.”