by Vivian Wood
“I know, but it’s a great program,” she said.
“For?”
“They have a master’s program in nonprofit management, and also the advanced biology and med classes I’d need to prepare for a vet program afterward.” Hearing the words spill out of her, Ellie was reminded of how passionate she used to be about planning her future. It had been easy then, when everything felt set. But that had been when Sean was part of the picture, and it had been a lot easier to let him take the reins on where to go after college. When she'd had someone else to consider, it narrowed her choices and made it easier. But now? Anything was possible.
“Well. That’s good, Ellie,” Eli said. “I’m proud of you.”
“Don’t be,” Ellie said, rolling her eyes. “It was just a fast app. I haven’t even mailed it in yet.”
“You’ve got to be the only twenty-two-year-old still filling out paper applications,” Eli teased her.
“Hey, I had no choice. We haven’t had Wi-Fi for days.” We. Shut up, Ellie. Don’t remind him about Henry.
“Right, sorry. Hey, can you put Henry on the phone?”
As if on cue, Henry appeared in the doorway, sleepy eyed and shirtless with a pair of boxers on. “Who is it?” he mouthed silently to Ellie. She raised a finger to her lips and shook her head.
“Not right now,” she told Eli. “Busy.”
“Oh. Okay, well tell him I called, alright? And have him call me back. I’ll be in meetings all day, but I’ll try to connect with him.”
“Okay, will do,” Ellie said, barely hearing her brother’s voice. Drinking in the sight of Henry in the morning, she couldn’t believe he was hers—at least temporarily. My God, his chest is covered in scratches. Like her, his torso was seasoned heavily with bruises from her sucking, accentuated by teeth marks. He looked like he’d been to battle, but at the same time, there was something about her marking her territory that turned her on.
“Okay. Bye, baby sis.”
“Bye.”
“Who was that?” Henry asked again as she placed the ancient phone back in its cradle.
“My mom,” she said. Why are you lying? What do you think Henry would do if he knew Eli was asking for him?
“Oh,” Henry said coming into the office and picking up one of the apples he kept by his laptop. “How is she? You haven’t said much about her.”
“She’s good,” Ellie said, watching him bite into the red skin as the sweet juices gathered at the corner of his lips.
“You look good like this,” he said, forcing her to sit naked on the desk as he moved toward her. When he fucked her on the office desk, between feeding her bites of the apple, she couldn’t help but steal glances at the picture window. Outside, all she could see was snow. As he brought her to climax on the desk, she wondered if the Secret Service agents were outside. Watching them. At first, it made her embarrassed. But as Henry brought her closer, she hoped they were watching. She wanted the world to know who she belonged to, and the idea of near strangers seeing her get pounded by Henry began to turn her on.
Were they getting turned on, too? She imagined the biggest of them, the blond with the icy eyes, crouched down in the bushes. He was just doing his job, but now? Was he getting himself off, stroking his cock as he watched them?
She hoped so. And she hoped that strange agent came when she did, unable to control himself when Henry shot into her.
“You’ve been in there awhile,” Henry said through the glass shower doors.
“God! You scared me,” she said.
“Sorry. You want some company?”
Ellie smiled, sliding the shower door open. Henry stood before her with just a towel wrapped loosely around his waist.
Stepping behind her, he ran both hands over his hair as the water turned his dirty blond locks a light brown. She glanced over her shoulder at him. Was this real?
“Don’t look at me like that, kitten,” he said through nearly shut eyes. “You know how that gets to me.” His cock was getting harder, pressing into her backside.
She giggled, “I’m not doing anything.”
“Well, I am,” he told her, hands on her stomach and pulling her back flush against his chest. Between her wet, slippery thighs he nestled his cock, letting it rest against the heat of her. He slid his hand up her slick, soapy stomach to her breasts, and she whimpered as they toyed with her nipples. “Sore?” he asked. She nodded, embarrassed. This is what you’ve always wanted! And, what? Now it’s getting to be too intense? “Sorry, pussycat,” he told her, lightening his touch and tracing the outline of her areolas.
The softness and the water put her at ease. While Henry flicked hands across her chest, she began to glide back and forth along his length.
“You like that?” Henry asked. She nodded, letting her head rest back against his chest.
She felt one of his hands start to roam back down, moving across her pubic bone and immediately to her clit. Now, Henry knew her body. Since the first time they’d fucked, he hadn’t shown any hesitation. But now? It was like he was an expert at her body.
He circled her clit in even strokes. “Are you going to come for me again?”
“Yeah.” Removing his hand from her throbbing clit, he moved around to her backside and lifted his cock from between her legs. Sliding his hand back down, he dipped a finger deep inside her, and she was trapped. She couldn’t go anywhere if she wanted to. Henry’s chest was solid against her back. He was controlling her with just one hand, working her G-spot. “Henry,” she groaned.
He pulled his finger out of her and began teasing her anus. This time she didn’t halt. Yes, do it, she thought, but couldn’t get the words out.
The slipperiness of the soap and the constant water let him easily slip just a fingertip into her ass. Ellie heard herself call out in pleasured surprise. “Why don’t you work that sweet clit.” These were instructions, not a question.
Obediently, Ellie started rubbing herself. The contrast of the sensations was almost overwhelming. However, even as she got close to climax and automatically pushed her ass against Henry’s finger, he didn’t go in farther. “Easy, kitten,” he told her. Why did he always do this? Give her almost everything she wanted?
In frustration, she started rubbing herself harder. Faster.
“Hey.” Henry suddenly stopped. “Let’s take this somewhere else.”
“No,” she argued, so close to coming she had no shame. Henry took his finger out of her.
“No?” he repeated. “Okay, now what? What are you going to do?” He methodically wrapped her long rope of wet hair around his fist, rendering her unable to move.
“What… what do you mean?” Her body was begging to let go.
“What are you going to do… for me? For being so obstinate? I think you owe me now…”
She could hear the smile in his voice.
“Whatever you want.” What she wanted was to run her hands across her body, manipulate her clit, and stroke his cock all at once. But something in his voice told her to stay still.
“I want to bend you over the bed so I can eat that sweet ass of yours,” he told her. “And I want you to tell me exactly how it feels while I do.”
“Now. Do it to me now.” Henry led her back to bed. All thoughts of Eli, of the world, fell away.
Chapter Twenty-One
Eyes squinting into the steam, Henry stirred the bolognese sauce. If he was starved, she had to be. Somehow, in the past few days, they’d often forgotten to eat, grabbing bites when they could. It was about time for a proper meal.
“And then what?” she asked, perched on the counter near the stovetop.
“And then nothing.”
“Come on! I want to know everything.” Ellie picked up a slice of carrot from the cutting board and nibbled on it.
She’d been grilling him about his entire life as he prepped brunch, and for once he didn’t mind. It was cute, really, how fascinated she was by even the drollest of memories. Things like what his favorite l
unch had been in third grade, and how his mom hadn’t said a word as she'd packed the same turkey sandwich with salt and vinegar chips every school day for nine months.
Ellie picked up another carrot. “How’d you get interested in cooking, anyway?” she asked. “I need to learn. I mean, I know who taught you, but…”
He shrugged. “Aunt Mary knew the logistics of cooking, but she wasn’t really into it,” he said. “So once she taught me the basics, that kind of became my territory.”
“Did you ever think about being a chef?”
“Actually, yeah. For a little bit, in high school. But, you know—it’s really difficult for a chef to make a decent living. The military gave me everything I needed. And I did get to cook there. Once you’ve cooked for two hundred soldiers, there’s not much about a kitchen that can intimidate you.”
Ellie laughed, crossing her ankles. She was adorable in just his T-shirt. It drowned her, making her look even younger and more fragile.
“What about you? I still remember you when you were really little, always freaking out whenever you’d get to go to a petting zoo.” Shit, you shouldn’t have said that. Why remind us both of her age?
But Ellie didn’t seem to mind. “I don’t know, I always thought I’d be a vet,” she said. “Growing up, you know, in the suburbs, it was a big deal if one of my friends even had a dog.” He did remember. And how she'd lined her room with every stuffed animal there was. “Me, I always wanted to live on a farm with every type of animal imaginable. But you know what they say. Grass is always greener.”
“So then why the fundraising thing? Where’d that come from?”
“I don’t know. It just makes sense. And of course, there are all kinds of nonprofits and NGOs for animal rights, so it can definitely tie in. I just… I don’t know what to do. This is harder than I thought.”
“What is?”
“Being an adult.”
“Yeah,” Henry nodded, unable to maintain eye contact. “It is. That’s something they don’t tell you.”
“But you… you had to grow up really fast,” she said.
“I don’t know anything different,” he said.
“Still, it’s gotta be hard,” she nudged him for more information.
“I wouldn’t know,” he said. “That’s like telling someone who’s never watched television, never even seen one, that they’re missing out. Maybe they are, maybe they aren’t. But they have no context for it.”
“I guess so,” she said. “So. Tell me about your first love.”
“My first love?” he asked with a laugh. “That’s a subject change.”
“Sorry. But I’m curious. What was she like? Blonde, I’m guessing.” There was a hint of hurt and jealousy in her voice.
“First love, or first girlfriend?”
“Aren’t they one and the same?”
“No. I’ve never been in love.” He said it so matter-of-factly, but didn’t even know it was true himself until he heard the words. Damn. If that’s not something.
“Seriously?” she asked. “Never?”
“Seriously. But girlfriends? Sure. I guess that would be my high school girlfriend. Stephie.”
“Did I ever meet her?” Ellie asked.
“I’m sure. I think so. I know she came over to your house a couple of times.”
Ellie shook her head. “I don’t remember.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to.”
“Was she blonde?”
Henry couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, she was.”
“Figures.” Ellie put another carrot slice in her mouth.
“Don’t fill yourself up on carrots,” he told her. “Here, taste this. Tell me what you think.” Henry spooned up some of the sauce, blowing on it and cradling a hand to catch any drops. As he fed her, her eyes closed and she let out a quiet moan.
“Oh, God, Henry, that’s good. I mean, it’s really good.”
“Yeah?” he asked, mesmerized by her lips. “You think I should taste it?”
“Sure,” she answered, eyes still closed. He dropped the spoon on the counter and kissed her. She was taken by surprise, but her body responded instantly, chest rising and breath quickening.
Henry placed his hands on her knees and spread her legs apart so he could situate himself against her. “I don’t know,” he whispered to her. “It’s kind of salty for my taste. You got something sweeter?”
Ellie bit her lip and glanced down. Henry let her keep his shirt on, liking the sign of ownership it suggested. Reaching over, he set the kitchen timer for twenty minutes before flicking off the stove and Ellie laughed. As she leaned back on her forearms, the back of her head rested on the windowsill. Henry bent down, burying his head between her thighs. He couldn’t get enough of her. Kissing her mound, tracing her crevices with his tongue, he loved watching her when she was first getting aroused.
“Better?” she asked.
“Much better. I could eat this all day.” She laughed, arching her back and pushing her pussy against his face. He sucked and kissed on her clit, lifting his head every so often to see how much wetter she’d become.
The sounds of the softly clicking timer could barely be heard over her groans. “Fuck me?” she started asking, but he didn’t answer.
Her folds were completely engorged and coated in her juices. “God, Henry,” she called out, fucking his face vigorously. “Are you going to fuck me? Please.”
“Sorry, kitten,” he told her. “Not until you’re ready.”
When the timer rang, Ellie slammed it off. “You want me to fuck you?” he asked, looking up at her. She glared at him, too frustrated to speak. “Why don’t you hand me that?” he asked, nodding to one of the extra carrots beside her. Ellie’s eyes widened. She picked up the smaller of the two, but he corrected her. “Come on, you can take bigger than that,” he told her. “I want you to watch.”
Standing between her legs, he slid a thumb into her mouth. “Suck,” he commanded. With her saliva, he kept working her clit with one hand while positioning the carrot at the start of her wetness.
“Henry…”
“No talking.” He inserted it, inch by inch, keeping an eye on her face as she watched herself take it all in.
“It’s cold,” she told him, but pushed against it.
“I said no talking.” As he started to fuck her, she let her head fall back. “Keep watching,” he instructed.
He made her come quickly, no more teasing or stopping. “Fuck. Oh my—fuck, Henry,” she cried as her pussy took in the whole thing.
“Good girl,” he whispered into her neck, kissing it as she shuddered. Sliding the carrot out slowly, each movement sending new shockwaves through her, he was fully aware of just how hard he was. “Taste yourself,” he told her, holding the carrot to her lips—now warm and covered in her come.
Ellie responded without hesitation, lapping her juices up. “See how sweet you are?” he asked.
“I want to taste you,” she told him, full-blown desire in her eyes.
Without a word, he backed up and unbuckled his jeans. “Get on your knees.”
Her eyes got bigger at his size, but she didn’t move away. “Just the tip,” he reassured her, and she parted her lips. Henry took his cock and spread his pre-cum across her lips, one hand gently on her head. She licked her lips and opened her mouth.
Feeling himself in her mouth, he knew he wouldn’t be able to last long. “Damn,” he told her, resisting the urge to fuck her mouth. Don’t hurt her. You don’t want to hurt her.
One of her hands was on his thigh. He placed his palm on it, guiding her to encircle the base of his shaft and stroke his tightening balls. “I’ll tell you when,” he whispered. He didn’t want her to swallow him if she wasn’t ready. If she didn’t want to.
He could sense her confidence growing, lips wrapped around teeth as she started to take him farther into her mouth. Henry used all his willpower to not pound the back of her throat. He was covered in her saliva. Where’s her other
hand?
Looking down, he could see that she’d started playing with herself as she continued to suck and lick him. She’s insatiable. The sight of her fingering herself got him closer to coming.
“Almost.” He pulled her hair into a knot at the back of her head to get a clear view. She was going at him like she couldn’t get enough. Every time she pulled back to his tip, he was given a clear shot down the T-shirt to her stunning breasts.
“Fuck, now. I’m going to come now.” Instead of pulling away, she grasped the back of his thighs and took him deeper into her mouth than ever. He could feel himself emptying into her mouth. He wanted, desperately, for her to swallow him but knew he couldn’t ask that of her.
She held him in her mouth until he started to soften. When she finally released him, she smiled up at his face. She’d taken all of it in one clean swallow. “Damn, you’re like a pro,” he told her. She giggled as she cleaned him up, licking the last of his come from his shaft, being careful at the tip knowing how sensitive he was.
“You taste good,” she told him, sitting back on her heels. “But I knew you would.”
“And what about you?” he asked. “I saw you getting yourself off again.” She blushed, but barely. “Did you come?”
She shook her head. “I was too… preoccupied.”
He couldn’t stop replaying how she'd looked on her knees before him. Already, he was starting to harden again. “You want me to take care of that?”
“Yes, please.” She removed the shirt and tossed it onto the breakfast table, ready for him to fuck her properly on the kitchen floor.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Ellie lowered one heel followed by the other in downward facing dog. Her lengthened calf muscles were a reminder of just how sore she was. When she’d found that yoga mat crammed into the far reaches of the hallway closet, she saw it as a sign. That’s what you need, she’d told herself. A little grounding. Some balance.
Of course, she’d forgotten any workout clothes. When Henry had told her he was going for a run, after her initial shock and protest of, “You’re going to fall on your ass in the snow!” she’d cranked up the heat and set up her practice space by the fire. Stripped to her underwear and the tightest tank top she had as a makeshift sports bra, she felt her body greedily fall into a yoga flow. When was the last time you moved like this—without the promise of something more to come?