by Bella King
After all the drama, I actually felt better than I had a few days ago. There was a lot of frustration that I had needed to get out of my system, and now I felt like my mind was more at ease. Sure, the situation was nowhere close to being resolved with Mason, but I had made steps in the right direction to gain respect at the school. Things could only go up from here, right?
I didn’t want to think about it too hard. This was an opportunity for me to take a break and get my head straight. I couldn’t believe that only one week into school, and I was so relieved to have some time off. Looking from the outside in, I was being ridiculous, but then again, I wasn’t used to being in school. This was a new experience for and it stressed me the hell out.
I picked up the TV remote that had way too many buttons and flicked through the channels. I looked at it, musing at the fact that there were so many little glowing buttons on it. Didn’t remotes only need to have volume, channel, and on/off switches?
Much like the remote, my life was becoming overcrowded with unnecessary distractions. The only buttons that I needed in my life were school, Emma, and taking some time to myself to relax. Mason was like the thousand other buttons on the remote that made it difficult to find the one you were looking for.
I was bored by the time I put the remote down. The TV wasn’t providing much entertainment for me, but that seemed to be the case as the years went on. The older I got, the less I enjoyed staying at colorful pixels dancing around the screen all afternoon. There had to be something else to do.
They say that an idle mind if the devil’s workshop, and on this particular afternoon, I found that to be especially true. I was looking to get into more trouble, unsatisfied by the thrill of earlier that day. It had all but worn off completely, and I needed something new to occupy my senses.
My phone buzzed, lighting up beside me on the couch. I picked it up, expecting it to be Emma calling me again, but it wasn’t. The name on the phone clearly read Mason, and that’s when I knew that I was about to get into even more trouble. I couldn’t help it. I answered the phone, greeting the man I had punched in the stomach just hours earlier with a cheerful, “Hello!”
“Why do you sound so happy?” he asked.
“I got suspended from school,” I replied, maintaining the same cheerful tone.
“For punching me?” He asked.
“No, for cussing out Mrs. Roadsworth,” I corrected.
“You’re really on a roll with this shit, but I’d watch your step in the future if you don’t want to get expelled,” he cautioned.
I tossed my head back and laughed. “I don’t give a fuck.”
“And you say that I’m the one who changed.”
“Okay, so maybe we both have, but that only means we’re no longer compatible.”
“Doubtful. I wasn’t in love with you three years ago, but now I am,” he said.
Mason sure had a way of fucking with my head. Why was he telling me this after I punched him in the stomach? He had to be lying. “Shut up, you’re not in love with me,” I said.
“You have spark. I like that,” he replied calmly.
“And you’re a douchebag,” I replied.
“When are you going to get over that and admit that you want to spread your legs for me?”
There was a jolt in my core similar to the one that he had sent through my legs when he touched me in James’s SUV. A stirring in my lower belly told me that I enjoyed the words he said, but I didn’t dare let him get away with it. “Stop talking like that,” I said. “I’m not a toy.”
“You could be my toy,” he said, lowing his voice down a few octaves. It was little more than a baritone seduction instrument.
“I’m not going to be your toy,” I said, but it sparked interest in me. My body was telling me the opposite of what my head was screaming. Get the hell out of this conversation, but no, no, stay awhile and see where it goes.
“I’m going to another boxing match tonight. It would be nice if you were there to support me,” he said.
“Really?” I asked, my voice showing agitation. “I just told you that I didn’t like what you were doing in that place.”
“So? It’s not about the fight. It’s about being a good friend,” he said, trying to twist it into something softer.
“I don’t want to see you beat up another crackhead,” I said.
“I’m going against someone a lot bigger than me, actually. It’s going to be a hard match. That’s why I want your support.”
“You’re crazy. What if you lose?” I asked, the imagine of Mason’s body in a bloody heap on the floor flashing in my head. It was horrifying.
“I’ll try not to, but if I do, then you’ll just have to drag my corpse home I guess,” he said, trying to pull at my heartstrings.
It shouldn’t have worked because I knew what he was doing, but it did. “Fine, I’ll come, but I swear to god if you die, I’m going to kill you.”
“Double kill. Nice,” he said.
I could hear his smile cracking through the phone. “I’m so done with your shit, Mason.”
“Clearly not, or you wouldn’t be coming tonight.”
“I’m only coming to make sure you don’t die,” I said, shaking my head.
“I can’t wait to see you come,” he said, words dripping in sexual intent.
“Ugh, stop it. Just tell me what time to meet you,” I said.
“I’ll pick you up at seven,” he said.
“It’s not a date,” I said. “I don’t need to be picked up.”
“Yes, it is,” he replied, and then the line went dead. He had hung up.
After punching a man who I was once obsessed with, he was asking me out on a date, and I had agreed to it. Great. I really knew how to make a bad situation worse.
I picked up the remote again, flipping through channels until I couldn’t take it any longer. I went upstairs to my bedroom and got myself ready, taking far more time than was needed to make myself look nice. I wasn’t doing it for him, I told myself. I was doing it because I was bored.
Chapter 18
I wore a blue dress out that evening. I had my hair up in a neat bun, nothing like the sloppy one I wore when I played tennis. I was convinced that Mason had never seen me looking this good. I wanted to change his mind about the way he had been treating me, but I wasn’t sure if this would just get him riled up more or make him more polite. It was worth a try.
As much as I wanted to wear heels to go with the dress, I settled on nice white sneakers instead. I figured with the environment I would be in; it was much better to have proper footwear than to look perfect. My dress was doing enough for me as it was.
I paced up and down the hallway, anxiously awaiting Mason’s arrival. I told myself I was behaving this way because I was afraid that my mother would come home before he came to pick me up, putting me in the awkward position of having to admit to her that I was going out with a guy, but that wasn’t the whole story. I was also anxious about seeing him again, like I needed his approval and I was afraid that I wouldn’t get it from him.
I twirled the hem of my dress between my forefinger and thumb, peeking through the curtains for the hundredth time to check if he was here. I would have heard his car pull up if he was, but my brain needed the visual cue for it to be real.
I was a mess, but Mason couldn’t possibly be much better off than I was. I had punched him in the gut, called him names, and made sure that he knew that he had no chance in hell of getting with me, and yet he was still coming around to pick me up for a date.
Emma had been right when she said that he was motivated. Maybe obsessed was a better word for it, but I had to ask myself if I was any better. Even though I disliked him, he was the only thing that I could think about during the day, and he even went as far as to haunt my dreams at night, touching me and whispering sensual things into my ear.
If I stepped into his world a little further, it would become even more obvious that we weren’t meant for each other. That was
my explanation for this. It would prove to him that we weren’t compatible, and he would stop chasing me like this. It was easy enough to say that things would work if we were separated and still living in our personal fantasies, but when it came down to the reality of it, the challenges would be insurmountable.
The glimmer of hope that burned inside of me when I first left him three years ago had returned despite my wishes for it not to. How could a woman have hope when the man she is involved with is a monster? It was cruel the way the human brain worked, pushing me deeper into this as I tried to claw my way out and escape Mason’s aggressive charm.
My heart was already beating fast before Mason arrived, but as his car pulled up, it went double time. It had felt like an hour of waiting when it had only been a few minutes that I stood in the hallways like a giddy puppy waiting for its owner to arrive home. Now, the climax had come. Mason was here.
I threw open the door before he had a chance to get out of his car, locking it tightly and scurrying up to meet him. I didn’t want him to step out of the car and the neighbors to see him, despite them not knowing or caring about my personal life. I was self-conscious without a good reason.
“You look stunning,” Mason noted as I climbed into his car. The air smelled like rain and leather, and his hair was gelled back dramatically, suggesting that he had taken time to be more presentable for me. This obviously wasn’t for the fight.
“Thank you,” I said softly, adjusting my dress as I got in so that I wouldn’t flash him. The dress may have been a little too short, but if I cross my legs, I would be fine.
“I’m glad you agreed to go with me tonight. I want you to see that this isn’t some kind of immoral work that I’m doing. This is an honest sport.”
I didn’t buy his story, but I nodded. “We’ll see,” I said. I could give it a second chance, but I knew I wasn’t going to like it. He was delusional to think that what he was doing was okay. It wasn’t honest, and I was convinced it wasn’t even a sport. Sports have referees and rules. This had none of that.
“I’m not angry at you for punching me, by the way,” he said as he drove to the club.
“I’m not sorry for it either. I guess we’re even,” I said with a bitter smile.
He chuckled. “Well, it wasn’t a very hard punch. You couldn’t have really meant it.”
I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest. My nervousness had been replaced with the usual annoyance at his remarks. “Do you want me to punch you again to prove how much I meant it?”
“I would enjoy your touch, even if it’s rough. Hell, especially if it’s rough,” he said, smirking and glancing over at me.
“You just can’t keep your dirty mouth shut, can you?”
“I don’t have to,” he said.
“You should,” I replied.
“There’s a lot more that I can do with an open mouth,” he said taking one hand off the steering wheel and slipping it toward my thigh.
I watched his hand move to the pale skin that was revealed by my short dress. I felt a rush of adrenaline as his warm skin hit mine, the roughness of his palm a stark contrast over the pure softness of my thigh.
I let his hand rest there for a moment, just long enough for me to grow excited, before pushing him away. “I don’t want you touching me like that,” I said, but my voice wasn’t as firm as it usually was.
“Because you like it too much,” he said, putting his hand back on the wheel.
“No,” I said.
“That wasn’t a question.”
“How come everything you do toward me has to be laced with such erotic intent?” I asked him, trying to get to the bottom of this.
He opened his eyes wide and nodded, his lips pressed together in acknowledgment of the truth that I spoke. “Have you ever thought it is because I want to have sex with you?” He asked bluntly.
I didn’t know whether to be offended or aroused, but I was both. “I barely know you, Mason.”
“And yet, you think you know enough about me to pass judgment. If that’s the case, surely you know me enough to give in to the pleasure you know you would get by having sex with me.” His voice was deep and silky as he spoke.
I found myself enthralled by his suggestions. The way he played with my actions and words was delightful in a fucked up way. It made me really feel like I could actually fuck him, and it would be okay. That wasn’t the case, but damn if he knew how to make me feel that way.
“I haven’t passed judgment yet,” I said. “I’m still here with you, aren’t I?”
“You passed judgment and then you decided that you were too turned on by me to heed your own judgment,” he said, a sultry smirk returning to his lips.
“I’m not turned on by you,” I said, knowing that it was a lie. We both could see that was obvious by the goosebumps that were left on my thigh once his hand left. There was no denying it, I would try.
Mason bounced the back of his head lightly against his headrest while smiling. “Don’t you think lying is wrong? You have a lot to say about my supposed flaws, but none about your own.”
“I don’t have any,” I joked.
He chuckled. “I would be tempted to agree if you weren’t so intent on obscuring the truth.”
“So, what is the truth then?” I challenged, propping up my head with a fist beneath my chin. “I want to know.”
“The truth is that you can’t stop thinking about me. You want me to take you, to claim every inch of your body, perhaps even right here in my car.”
“I should have brought pepper spray,” I said, letting out a cackle.
“I’m serious,” he said, pulling up to the abandoned corner store and parking the car. He unbuckled his seatbelt and turned his whole body to face me. The atmosphere in the car grew so thick that I had trouble breathing.
Mason leaned toward me, wafting thick fumes of his cologne into my face. I breathed in slowly, wanting to melt into my seat as I grew horny at merely the smell of him. This was bad. If his scent could do this to me, just think of what his mouth could do.
Mason’s eyes twinkled with wonder as he explored my face with them. They danced around my eyes down to my nose, before settling onto my partially opened lips. His pupils grew large as he stared at me.
I waited for what he would do next. I was in no position to put a stop to his behavior this time. I wanted to witness what he could do. I knew that I was tempting fate, but sometimes a girl has to live a little, and I felt more alive than ever under his intoxicating gaze.
Mason’s soft lips parted slightly, his face slowly moving closer to mine. He was giving me a chance to turn away by coming this slowly, but I stayed still, frozen in place by a morbid curiosity of what his mouth would feel like against mine.
His hot breath smelled of mint and liquorish he came close enough for me to feel it. I didn’t have any more time to process things when his lips touched mine. It felt like an explosion of chemicals in my brain, pumping through my body with such a rush that I thought I could faint from it.
I was overwhelmed with passion as Mason kissed me for the first time. I wouldn’t say it, but this was my first kiss. I had waited for Mason, and now I was getting him. This felt so much better than saying no or being right. The tension had broken, and in an instant, we were all over each other.
Mason’s tongue slipped into my mouth, feeling around inside as his powerful hands found both my thighs and gripped them hard. He sunk his rough fingers into my soft flesh, squeezing me like a plush doll for stress relief, but relief was what I needed. I was so wet immediately that I would have accepted if he tossed up my skirt and thrust inside me in the parking lot.
Mason was more patient than I was, meandering up my skirt with his hands until he met where they came together. I opened them for him, allowing his fingers to meet with the thin silky fabric of my panties. He rubbed that spot slowly, listening for my gasps and moans as a signal to speed up.
I gripped his face with both hands and kissed him h
arder, my nails sinking into his cheeks as he massaged between my legs. I was too wet to hide it now, soaking slippery lubricant through my panties as my body screamed for him to take me already.
But Mason, he wasn’t going to rush it. He knew that in order to enjoy me the most, he would have to draw it out until I was begging him to fuck me. I would be squirming with my legs wide, chanting how I was wrong and he was everything to me, if only he would sink his cock inside me and prove it.
He was devilish in his ways, but I had already given in. It was too easy for him. He was too cool, calm, and collected, like a surgeon the way he operated. His hands were steady and his intentions were clear. He would have me his way, or not at all.
He finally pulled his lips from mine, continuing his massage between my legs. My pussy was wetter than I had ever felt it, and I was barreling toward an orgasm as frightening speed. He would have me soaking his car seat in the damn parking lot at this rate.
As my body rose higher and higher into a state of sheer physical and psychological bliss, Mason’s expression grew more focused and intense. I met his eyes just as I began pouring over the edge, exploding into a fit of climax so hard that I couldn’t help but vocalize it. My cries of pleasure could be heard from outside the car, but I wasn’t one to care at this point. This was my moment to experience pure, unrelenting bliss, and I wouldn’t let anything hold me back.
Mason’s face faded from my focus as waves of pleasure surged through me. It was like the world was melting away in front of me. My senses were short-circuited and the only thing I could do was enjoy the ride in Mason’s strong and skillful hand.
I would have trouble believing he actually waited for me after that. He was too good, too skilled with the way that he drove pleasure through me from me to honestly think that he hadn’t done this before. I chose to ignore it. I had waited for him, and he had waited for me. That was the story I would tell people.
Mason grinned at me as I slumped down into the seat, soaking in the chemicals that were swirling around in my brain. It was glorious, but I wanted more. I needed to have him. I turned over to him, but it was too late. He opened his door and got out of the car.