by L. B. Dunbar
“Montana did everything for us, too,” Elma said softly. “I was spoiled.” She smiled weakly, and I bit my lip to hold off a laugh. She was spoiled, but she was still sweet. I liked her. My eyes concentrated on my thumb, which tenderly caressed the side of her breast. My other hand was rubbing gently on her thigh. The skirt of her dress was moving upward with my steady rhythm.
“When my father left, Montana believed he was responsible for us. He was the man of the house my mother told him, over and over again. He was only thirteen,” she said sadly. “He learned to fight in high school and entered the circuit as soon as he graduated. He gave up college to keep my mother and me comfortable.” She paused. “In hindsight, we had more than we should. My brother had spread himself too thin. He started to gamble on the fights, including his own. He needed that final win.” Elma’s voice fell. She was referring to the fight with my brother. It didn’t seem fair. Elma’s brother was no more responsible for his family than Cain had been for ours, and yet they both took the liability. They had both suffered for it, too.
My hand stilled its motion. I cursed myself. While I was taking comfort in stroking over her skin, Elma might not have been comfortable with what I was doing. On the other hand, she hadn’t been stopping me. The lights of the parking space shut off, leaving Elma and I in darkness. The property was a private warehouse, but one that had been converted into a proper fight facility. Tonight’s fight had been small in scale, but legitimate. My truck was the only one left in the lot.
As my hand had stopped the motion, Elma’s delicate hands covered each of mine. Taking the hand at her side, she slid mine upward to cover the tender swell of her breast. Fingers on her other hand traced delicately over the back of mine on her thigh. Fingertips dragged lightly to encourage the restart of my caressing her leg.
“Are we done talking?” I asked; my voice strained as I leaned toward her, my eyes still focused in the dark night on massaging her breast.
“For now,” she said softly. My mouth came to hers. I hesitated. I didn’t want to scare her. Someone bit those lips hard a week ago. I wanted to remind her how delectable she was in a gentler manner. The light brush was met with instant connection. Elma’s hands dove into my hair and pulled me toward her. I scooted her to edge of the tailgate to press into me. The length of me strained against my zipper, wanting better access to her.
Our mouths swam together. Tongues collided, darting in and out against one another. Lips swirled, stirring up a wave of excitement that had me hard as ocean rocks. I ground against Elma and she moaned into my mouth. It spurred me on. I had completely unbuttoned the front of her dress and both hands delved into it, searching for skin. I loved the feel of her bare under my hands.
Her legs wrapped around my hips again, and she used the position to pull herself closer to me. Her arms were around my neck, while her mouth didn’t break the connection any more than the center of her. She rolled her hips to drag against me. Her breasts crushed into my chest. There was only one way for us to get closer.
“Do we have any rules here?” I asked between kisses.
“I think the rule should be no more rules,” she countered.
I pulled back slowly, letting my forehead rest against hers.
“Are you sure about this?” I asked hesitantly, knowing I would stop at any point.
“Yes,” she whispered, then kissed me hard again. I broke away after a few seconds.
“Stay here,” I commanded quietly. Behind the seat of my truck was a sleeping bag. I grabbed it and spread it out in the bed of the truck. I came around to the tailgate and climbed up. Elma had crawled to the softer surface I provided. and I closed the tailgate which provided a loud click in the silent night.
“Shit that was loud,” I said, but Elma giggled behind me. I spun and crawled to her.
“Your laugh is the greatest sound, my rúnsearc,” I whispered, before letting my mouth resume its capture of hers. I was breathing her in, while my hands returned to roaming over her. We were laying down with my body half over hers. My hand took over the breast I hadn’t caressed yet, this time forcing lace aside to meet her cool tender skin. Her hands were in my hair, working my scalp with delicate scratching. My knee rose to press into her center and she pulled back with a groan. Her back arched.
I wasn’t about to let my knee take what other body parts wanted, and I cupped her quickly. Her underwear was damp under her skirt. She wanted me, or at least, wanted this. I pushed the elastic aside and slid into her. She moaned into my mouth again as her back curved and she pressed into my hand. Fingers were enveloped into warmth. I worked her slowly, dragging out the pleasure, reminding her often between kisses that she was beautiful.
It didn’t take long before Elma pulled back from my mouth to concentrate on my fingers below. In an instant, she crashed and her leg wrapped over my hip as the orgasmic sensation lingered. When Elma came, there was nothing sweeter. Her hand cautiously trailed down my chest to my buckle and her mouth resumed its dance with mine. Tongues tangoed back and forth, while lips leapt from top to bottom in playful nibs and sucks. In no time, my belt was undone and a rough tug released it from the loops. Confident fingers unzipped me, finally setting me free from the confines.
A warm hand wrapped around the length of me. I shimmied my pants down to my hips to allow greater access while Elma squeezed and tugged in earnest. Elma had a reputation for being an expert, but her attention was not like Keli’s. Touching me wasn’t a practiced skill mastered. Elma was stroking me like this was something more. Tenderly, her fingers massaged and dragged like she wanted nothing more than to please me.
“That feels amazing, Elma,” I exhaled against her lips, while she worked tight skin over a hard shaft.
“I know what would feel better,” she drawled sweetly.
“What about the rule?” I said, kissing the corner of her mouth.
“What rule?” she breathed.
That’s my girl, I screamed inside, but she wasn’t my girl. She wasn’t going to ever be my girl, but it didn’t mean I didn’t want her. My hand had returned to her underwear, dragging it down her thighs while her hand continued to twitch over the length of me. I wasn’t going to last much longer.
“Just making certain you’re okay being a rule-breaker,” I muttered with a slow smile, as I shifted my knees between her legs. Pushing her dress up to her hips, I took a breast into my mouth for a momentary distraction. I had to calm a little, or I’d lose it before I began.
“Yes,” she breathed into the night air. I wasn’t certain if she was answering a question or just simply praising my attention to her body. I released her with a soft popping sound then positioned myself outside of her. I toyed with her slick folds, rubbing the tip of me through her. The sensation was overwhelming and my eyes rolled back as her damp skin covered mine
“Shit, Elma. No condom.” The reality hit me. I didn’t carry them as a rule because I hadn’t had need. I wasn’t a one-night stand kind of guy. I wasn’t a spontaneous lover. All of my experience in the past had been scheduled, planned, and paid for. That’s when condoms were required.
“I don’t care,” she muttered.
“I’ve never been with anyone without one. Ever,” I said, pressing forward gently. She was tight. Very tight. The connection of her warmth over me had my body shaking.
“And I’ve never been with anyone. Ever,” she whispered.
I stopped.
“Wait, what?” I balanced over her, my dick not even in an inch inside her.
“I’ve never been with anyone before.”
The words flew out into the night air and flitted over me.
“You’re a virgin,” I snapped quietly, but the words echoed louder than the snap of my tailgate. Elma’s face turned away from mine. “But I thought…” my voice trailed off. I thought she had been with several guys on campus. At least a few of them, from what I’d heard.
Her hands came to my shoulders. She was ready to push me off of her. I would stop if s
he wanted. Of course, she wanted to stop. I worked myself into this. This should be special for her, not in the back of a truck.
“Does it matter?” she asked. Her hands wrapped over my shoulders, nails digging into my t-shirt. She hadn’t pushed me away yet. I was still between her folds below.
“No, but if I had known…”
“You wouldn’t have wanted me,” she interrupted.
“What? No. I want you. I definitely want you,” I chuckled a little. The jolt of my body reminded us both what position we were in.
“I want you, too, Abel,” she said softly. It was all I needed. No one had ever said that to me. Paid or not. I was willing to pretend it was real and I pushed forward.
The initial force stung and tears came to my eyes. I knew it would be like this. I’d been told by Lindee that romance books make it look too pretty. The truth was, it hurt. Stretching me, Abel moved cautiously. At first it seemed like he was prolonging the torture until I spoke out in frustration.
“Just do it.”
Then I screamed out as he rammed into me, filling me in a connection I’d never had before with any boy or man. He stilled and I waited. I knew this wasn’t it. This wasn’t enough. My body was vibrating. I needed relief again. I was at a crossroads, caught between the sting of pain and injection of desire. I clenched and Abel groaned. He had been kissing my neck, my cheek, and my jaw, continuing to mutter that I was beautiful. I was perfect. I felt so good around him.
“Abel, I think you need to move,” I coached him, as if I was the expert.
“I was waiting, allowing you time to get used to me.”
Used to him? I was more than used to Abel. He was a constant comfort, despite our strange start at friendship. I was never going to be the same once I paid him back and our instructions were over.
“I’m good,” I said. Abel stared down at me. I felt like it was the wrong thing to say, but he began to move. He dragged to the edge of me, and I thought I was about to lose him. I clenched to hold him inside me. When he slowly pushed forward, I felt every ridge of him creep inward. My eyes rolled back and I arched into him.
“Oh, Abel,” tumbled out of my mouth. He repeated this pattern several times before the rhythm increased. The familiar tingle spread through me. I was ready to explode again. It became an out of body experience as I gripped his ass and wrapped my legs up over his hips. I couldn’t get him deep enough inside me. The euphoric feeling overwhelmed me and a tear escaped. Abel was a gentle lover and in that moment, that’s what I felt. I was consumed with love from him to me as he continued to purposefully move within me, bringing me the greatest pleasure I’d ever known. For one moment, life felt like it should again.
I crashed around him, pulling up on him and screaming out into the dark night. The heavens were watching me lose my virginity and my heart. I was sacrificed to the gods above, in a ritual as old as those stars. I’d give up my body again and again if I could feel how I felt with Abel.
He stilled, and the pulsing inside me let me know he had reached a climax as well. The aftershocks of those thrusts inside me sparked, but I had no strength to ignite again. Abel had been mumbling terms of endearment while we connected, and as he finished, he kissed my nose then rubbed his against mine.
“You are perfect,” he said one finally time. He wiped at my tear.
“I know I hurt you. Was it that bad?” he asked, sheepishly.
“You are perfect,” I softly spoke to him, trying to tell him with my eyes that he was more than perfect. He smiled slowly and kissed my nose again. Pulling out of me, he tugged off his t-shirt and wiped me clean.
“I’m sure you’re a mess,” he muttered. He handed me my underwear, which I replaced on my own as he pulled up his pants. The moment was suddenly awkward. I didn’t know what to do next. We were beyond any experience I had, yet somehow I sensed that Abel had done this many times before. He knew what he was doing. He hadn’t really needed me for sex.
“How did you know all that?” I asked, as I struggled with my underwear.
“Know what?” he said, falling back on the sleeping bag next to me. He was on his side, perched up on an elbow, watching me as I pulled down my skirt and flattened it over my legs. I was suddenly very shy, feeling self-conscious near him.
“How to have sex? You said you needed a tutor, but you certainly didn’t need tutoring in that.”
He laughed in response, and his face lit up as he smiled at the compliment. He reached for the edge of the sleeping bag and pulled it over me, then lay back. The bag brought a thought. He had to have done this before, right here in the back of his truck. I grew quiet, letting the darkness weigh me down. We lay silent for a long time, staring up at the sky. The night was full of pinpricks of light above.
“You’re very quiet,” he eventually stated. I sensed him watching me, but I refused to look back at him.
“You didn’t answer my question.” My tone was sharper than I intended; the trace of jealousy that others had been in my position laced through my words.
“It’s embarrassing,” he replied, turning his head to face the sky.
“I want to know. You clearly didn’t need a teacher,” I bit.
“I paid for instruction.”
It was my turn to twist and look at him. His eyes were focused forward.
“For my sixteenth birthday, some boys get video games, a new car, even cash. I got a prostitute, from my father. He told me it was time to be a man and learn how to act like it in at least one area.”
I was about to comment that he couldn’t be serious, but the irritation in his voice let me know that Abel wasn’t joking.
“Have you been with a lot of girls?” I wondered, a glutton for punishment.
“They’ve all been paid,” he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face, clearly embarrassed by this admission. His fingers pinched at his eyes, and I rolled to face him better.
“You’ve never been with anyone who was a date or a girlfriend?” I asked softly.
“I’ve never had either. That’s why I needed the tutor.”
I was stunned. Abel didn’t need tutoring. He was always doing things for me. Taking care of me. That’s what a…a boyfriend did. We might not have had a formal date but we’d done things together: ice cream, the dance studio, this night under the stars. I was going to be staying with him for the next week.
“Abel, you don’t need me for tutoring,” I said quietly, sadly realizing that he didn’t need me for anything.
“I do need you, my rúnsearc.” His voice was a harsh whisper.
“What does that mean?” I giggled, remembering our conversation over ice cream.
“Oh, Elma, I’m definitely not ready to kill you yet, so that name will have to remain my secret,” he teased, releasing the tension of his sexual history.
“You had a sleeping bag?” I inquired, as we climbed into his truck. I’d ridden to the fight with Creed, wanting to surprise Abel. I watched the fight on a monitor, rather than enter the arena. It was the closest I could be to a fight after what happened to me.
Abel started the engine. He was shirtless and the muscles of his upper body rippled with movement as he drove.
“I like to drive out to open spaces, fields, and places outside the city then lay under the stars. It’s soothing.”
I smiled slowly, watching him with his wrist casually balancing over the steering wheel.
“Seems like a great big world, doesn’t it?” I snorted softly.
He glanced sideways at me before answering.
“It does, and I’m just a lone fish in a big tank,” he laughed. I thought of the aquarium in his room, and the iridescent blue fighter floating peacefully in its tank. He was beautiful, like his owner, but he was also alone. I suddenly realized that Abel Callahan had been lonely for a long, long time.
Sundays were the one day The Dance Studio was closed, so Elma wanted to go into the office and work on the studio website. She also had drawn up some designs for the spring performance an
d wanted to play with some computer program that included brochure making. I decided I needed a run to burn off some energy. Sleeping next to Elma was heaven, but waking up next to her was hell. My body fought for hers. I couldn’t take her so quickly after what we’d done the night before.
I also planned to hit up the library to work on a research project that would be the final assessment in human anatomy. The library was still open for the few students that remained around, despite the university break. I was walking through the stacks looking for a book when I saw Lucie.
“Hey, Lucie,” I whispered loudly. She had passed the shelves but stepped back to look down the aisle at me.
“Hey, Abel. I didn’t know you were still around this week,” she smiled sweetly. She was a cute girl, shy looking, but friendly.
“Yeah, I don’t go home much. Wanted to get a jump start on working on my research project for human anatomy.”
“Ugh. That project’s a bitch,” she said, surprising me with her language. I laughed.
“If you need help, my friend is a TA for Human Anatomy 101. She took it last spring and got a solid A in it, so they hired her as work study for this semester.”
“Awesome. Thanks,” I said, replacing the book in my hand to the shelf. It wasn’t the right one. Lucie had started walking away then stopped and turned back to me.
“As a matter of fact, Sofie’s here. Want to meet her?”
“Sofie?” I questioned. It took a moment to click. It couldn’t be this easy. Sofie Vincentia: the girl Cain was looking for on campus.
“Sure,” I said, following Lucie out of the stacks. As we exited together, some girls to the left giggled, and I realized that dirty minds just started a rumor. Poor Lucie. I didn’t intend to continue the farce with Elma any longer, either. I didn’t want to hide her. I wanted to brag to the world that we were together, and it was going to be official. I didn’t want any more false rumors about her. People were going to see a man treat her with the respect she deserved.