Tethered

by L. D. Davis

  “Emmet,” I whispered to myself when I saw him staring at me from the other side of the room.

  I couldn’t figure out how he did that, how he always managed to draw me right to his gaze no matter how many bodies were between us. Hell, I could have probably found his gaze across a sold out football stadium.

  Emmet gave me a small nod. I nodded back and then somehow found my feet and made them move towards Emmy and Felix. I allowed hugs and kisses and questions about my trip and work, but I really wanted to ask them what the hell Emmet was doing there, but it really wasn’t my place. He and Felix were on good terms despite their lack of friendship and he was still Emmy’s brother despite the rift between them, so I didn’t ask. I pretended that it didn’t bother me. I tried to pretend he wasn’t there at all, but that was impossible. Every time he moved, I felt a tug on the line and I was forced to look up and meet his eyes. There was not one time that I looked for him and did not find him already watching me, oblivious to the people talking and laughing around him. With every glance, my eyes stayed fixed on his a little longer than the time before, until I was no longer glancing, but simply gazing. His green eyes burrowed into me and sent waves of warmth spreading beneath my skin.

  When I was forced to look away to acknowledge someone’s attempt at conversation, my eyes constantly flickered back to Emmet’s. It seemed that he didn’t turn away from me even when someone was trying to get his attention. He was ever watchful, like if he stopped staring at me I would disappear. I could relate because every time I looked away I felt a small panic that when I looked back he would not be there and that I had imagined the whole thing.

  When there was only a few short minutes left of the twentieth century, Emmet called to me. Not with his lips, and not with a wag of his finger. His eyes implored, but more than that, I felt as if he was tugging on the tether, his heart calling mine, and in that moment I knew I would always answer, I would always obey.

  As the bulk of the party turned towards the wall of glass for a view of the ball, I started to push through the small sea of bodies, following the tangled soul-infused rope to the man it was attached to. I lost sight of Emmet when a few drunk, large men moved in front of me. They were cast members in Felix’s play. I couldn’t remember their names and at the moment I didn’t care to even as they blocked my path to make small talk. They couldn’t understand why I would want to move away from the focal point of the party. In a bit of a panic, I looked around them and myself to find an easier route to Emmet, but there were people everywhere. It seemed as if the party had grown exponentially since I first arrived less than an hour before. Having this many people in one room had to be some kind of fire and safety violation, but I would happily burn alive at midnight if I was burning in Emmet’s arms.

  With only a minute left, the excitement grew as the ball began to drop outside. I turned my head to see the enormous glittering globe beginning its descent with sadness, because I didn’t think I’d make it to Emmet in time. I had started to second guess whether or not he had actually summoned me or if it was something I had wanted so badly that I imagined he had. Why hadn’t he met me halfway if he really called to me?

  My body went lax as I gave up, believing that I had definitely conjured the entire thing. I was beginning to wish that there were a pair of sheers large and sharp enough to cut through that invisible thread when a hand closed over my arm. Before I could even turn to see who had grabbed me, I was being pulled through the crowd at top speed. When we broke through the crowd, Emmet took my hand into his and together we hurried down the corridor that led to my apartment. With only fifteen seconds left to spare, we burst into my apartment and rushed over to the glass. We both looked out at the ball hanging over thousands and thousands of people counting in one loud voice. When the ball stopped a tremendously loud chorus of Happy New Year was heard from the streets below and the party next door. Emmet looked into my eyes and I knew in that instant that I had not imagined what I felt.

  “Happy New Year, Donya,” he whispered on my lips.

  “Happy New Year, Emmet,” I whispered back.

  His mouth sweetly took mine as one hand pressed against the small of my back and the other gently held my face. My arms wrapped around his waist as my tongue lovingly met his.

  Auld Lang Syne was being sung by thousands and thousands of people as horns blew, noisemakers clanged loudly, ticket tape floated through the air, and fireworks were going off above the Jumbotron. So much was happening around us, but I only knew it because I saw the news footage the following day. The only thing I heard was our low moans. The only thing I saw was blissful darkness because my eyes were closed as I held onto Emmet for dear life. The only thing I could feel was him – his soft lips, his tongue dancing in and out of my mouth, his arm around my body and his hand on my skin. For several minutes, the only thing I cared about in the world was being in Emmet’s arms and feeling Emmet’s kiss as my lips grew delightfully sore from our growing eagerness.

  I knew it wouldn’t last forever, and at the end he would have to walk away, but I was going to taste every corner of his mouth until then and enjoy how my skin warmed under his touch for as long as I could. When it was all over, the cord that bound us together would stretch painfully and I would be bereft, but I was willing to suffer the pain and sorrow for this moment of undeniable, eternal love.

  Chapter Forty

  The party raged on next door and outside. My body was pressed up against the cool glass, my legs wrapped securely around Emmet’s waist as he kissed and nibbled the skin on my shoulder. The strap of my dress hung limply after Emmet had slipped it off moments before. My fingers curled in his hair and with a small tug I brought his lips back to mine.

  My body tingled with need as Emmet pressed his erection against me. My dress had long ago been hiked up to my waist. The windows were tinted on the outside for privacy and to reduce some of the heat from the sun’s rays, but at that moment, I didn’t care if my entire ass was on display, and the sun could burn a hole in my back and I wouldn’t notice. I tightened my legs around his waist and moaned softly as I deepened our kiss.

  One of his hands was splayed across my thigh, caressing and kneading. The fingers of his other hand trailed softly over my cheek as we kissed. His thumb pulled gently on my chin to force my mouth to open more. His hand grazed back across my cheek, over my ear and into my hair where he worked to release my hair from the bun. It fell across my bare shoulders and Emmet growled appreciatively as his fingers combed through my tresses.

  My fingers moved over his broad shoulders to the front of his shirt. I began to unbutton his shirt and he moved back just a little, giving me the space I needed to work, but his lips didn’t leave mine until I had finished with the last button. He gazed into my eyes as I pushed the shirt over his shoulders and down his arms until it fell away to the floor. It was the dead of winter and he had not had an undershirt on under his thin shirt, but I was thankful for the immediate access to his smooth skin that covered muscles that had been worked into perfection since the last time I had the pleasure of being this intimate with Emmet. I dipped my head and kissed his throat, eliciting a low groan from his chest. I kissed my way down his skin until I got to his appreciative pecks. I sunk my teeth into the flesh, making him hiss and tangle his hand in my hair. He yanked my head up and devoured my mouth as my hands moved down his body. I placed my hand over his jeans and his erection twitched in my palm.

  Emmet pulled his mouth away from mine and eagerly pulled my dress down over my breasts until they were naked and available for his touch. He took a hard peak and rolled it in his fingers, making me moan and squeeze his cock in response. He bent to take the other nipple into his mouth. I cried out as his tongue flicked over the sensitive point. Emmet moaned as he sucked as much flesh into his mouth as he could while twirling and pinching my other nipple. I threw my head back and moaned loudly as I stroked him through his jeans.

  Suddenly, he released my breasts and gently smacked my thigh, indica
ting that he wanted me to stand. Carefully, I disentangled myself from him and put my high heeled feet on the floor. Emmet kissed me briefly on the lips before grasping my dress in his hands and yanking it down. I stepped out of it and he threw it aside. I know what he intended to do as his fingers stroked through my moist heat, but there was something I wanted, too. Before he could lower himself to his knees to drag his tongue through my folds, I dropped to mine and got to work opening his belt.

  “Donya,” he objected, but I ignored him and released the button on his jeans.

  He tried to object again and tried to step back, but I had just pulled down his zipper and even as he went to move away, I reached into his boxers and grabbed a hold of his hard cock. He groaned and looked down at me with molten emerald eyes as I pulled it out and flicked my tongue across the bulbous head.

  “Donya,” he said my name in a groan this time as I took him into my mouth.

  Holding the base of his cock in one hand, I gently squeezed his balls in my other hand and started to suck him feverishly. He put one hand in my hair and the other hand slapped against the glass to brace himself. I kept my eyes on his as his slightly salty, but clean tasting cock slid in and out of my mouth. I pulled my head back until the tip of his manhood was on my lips. I licked away the clear fluid that had seeped out and then closed my lips over the head and sucked hard. Emmet cursed and grunted and thrust his cock deeper into my mouth. I moaned and nearly gagged as he thrust harder the next time.

  “Stand up,” Emmet commanded hoarsely as he stepped back. His cock left my mouth and I actually pouted. He chuckled softly and helped me to my feet.

  I watched as he kicked off his shoes and quickly removed his pants all of the way. He pulled me against his body and my own body reacted hotly at being skin to skin with him. My hard nipples pressed against his hard chest and his erection pressed against my belly. He kissed me, hard, nipping at my tongue and lips, teeth crashing with mine.

  When he broke the kiss, I put my hand on his shoulder, fully expecting him to lift me into his arms and enter me that way, but to my surprise, he took my hand and spun me around and pressed me against the cool glass. With a hard nudge of his hand, I parted my legs. Emmet put one hand on my waist and guided his cock to my entrance with the other hand. He paused before entering me. He kissed my shoulder and then my neck before I felt his tongue on the curve of my ear.

  “I love you, do you understand?” he asked hoarsely.

  The words squeezed at my heart and made me gasp. I was reminded that this would not be an ongoing thing. Emmet would be gone in a matter of hours and we would have to continue on our own paths. I was painfully aware that this was my doing, but I hated it. I wanted these hours after the start of the New Year to go on forever, but reality never played out that way.

  Finally, I nodded. I understood. This was going to hurt both of us when it was all over, but I didn’t think either of us could stop if we wanted to.

  I nodded again and bit back the pain that started to climb up my throat from my chest. Emmet must have felt it, too, because he rested his forehead on my shoulder and breathed heavily for a moment. Then he straightened up and with one swift thrust, he had buried himself inside of me. I cried out and braced myself against the glass.

  The streets below were still filled with people celebrating. I felt like if any one of them looked hard enough they would see me, naked, wet, and happy and sad, pressed against the glass as Emmet thrust his beautiful engorged cock in and out of my pussy.

  Breathing heavily and groaning, Emmet turned my head at an angle so that I could kiss him as he slid in and out of me. I was losing my mind with pleasure. It had been so long since he had been inside of me and my body gripped at his cock to keep him there. I hadn’t been with anyone else since Emmet. My body only wanted his. Our bodies were made for each other.

  He released me from the hot kiss and banded his arm across my neck in a possessive hold. He held onto my hip tightly, digging his fingers into my flesh as he slammed into me from behind.

  “No matter what,” he breathed and then groaned. “You will always belong to me.”

  His words sent me over the edge suddenly, screaming his name as my pussy clenched and squeezed at his cock. Emmet covered my mound with the palm of his hand and pressed hard, prolonging my orgasm until my knees were barely holding me up, but I was impaled on his cock and falling was not an option.

  “No one else will ever completely own you,” Emmet growled in my ear. “I am the only one who will ever completely own you and you are the only one that will ever completely own me. Do you understand?”

  “Yes!” I screamed as he punched his cock into me violently. “Always yours. Always yours,” I repeated over and over as he continued to slam into me so hard I thought for sure we’d go flying through the glass.

  “Donya,” he groaned my name. His arm around my neck tightened and the fingers of his other hand made hard circles on my clit. “Come with me, baby,” he commanded.

  His cock throbbed and seemed to swell impossibly thicker inside of me before I felt the first stream of semen shoot inside of me. Emmet began to curse and yell as my orgasm slammed into me so hard that it was painful. Tears fell from my eyes as I sobbed through an intense, heartbreaking orgasm as Emmet filled me with his seed.

  He was still hard a minute later when he slid out of me. My legs gave out on me and I started to fall to the floor in a tearful mess, but Emmet caught me and effortlessly lifted me into his arms. He carried me into my bedroom and gently lay me down on the bed. He pulled my shoes off and then climbed in behind me. He pulled me into his arms and held me as I cried. He didn’t say anything, because what could he say that would make any difference? But he kissed my shoulder, my hair, my cheek and anything else he could reach. I turned my face toward him and he kissed me slowly and lovingly as his thumb caressed my cheek.

  We made love again, slowly, stretching every minute as much as we possibly could. Even though my heart was breaking all over again, I felt loved and secure in his arms. Every touch, every kiss, and every gaze was memorized and filed away for me to reminisce upon later.

  I fell asleep with my legs tangled in Emmet’s and my face pressed against his chest, my head tucked under his chin. He rubbed my back and my hair as I inhaled his inebriating scent. When I woke up in bed alone, the sun was out and lighting up my entire room. I didn’t have to look around my apartment or the penthouse to know that Emmet was gone. The tether was stretching painfully and the overwhelming sense of loss hung around me in a dark cloud. I picked up the pillow that Emmet had lain on and held it to my nose. It smelled just like him and I found some relief that he had at least left his scent behind.

  I hugged the pillow to my chest and stared out at the cloudless, sunny day as I tried to mentally and emotionally put myself back together.

  Chapter Forty-One

  The spring of 2001, Sam had demanded that Emmy, Emmet, and I make some time to visit Louisiana for a few days. Emmy was always trying to get out of going. I had not been down there in nearly two years and Emmet had only gone down for Thanksgiving again the year before.

  The guilt trip Sam laid on us was thick, and since I really had not spent much time with the family at all since that fateful Thanksgiving when Emmet turned me in the right direction, I gave in. Emmy gave in grudgingly, and I wasn’t sure how easily Emmet gave in, but he did. I had to turn down an offer to make it work, but I was ready for a bit of a break anyway. I was beginning to feel a little burned out from all of the traveling and working. I wasn’t even close to the top of the modeling totem pole, but my life was still chaotic and hectic, but then, that’s what I wanted.

  So the Wednesday before the long Memorial Day weekend, I met Emmy at the house in New Jersey where we would fly out of Philly later that evening.

  “I think we should have a drink, don’t you think so?” Emmy asked cheerfully soon after I arrived. She busied herself getting out glasses and bottles of alcohol while I sat at the kitchen table.r />
  “A drink will knock me on my ass,” I said tiredly.

  “Right, but you’ll need a drink for what I have to tell you,” Emmy said, glancing at me over her shoulder.

  “God, are you pregnant?” I questioned.

  She scowled. “No, I’m not pregnant. I’m not even having sex,” she scoffed.

  “Well, that’s just completely unbelievable since you’re the biggest ho’ I know,” I teased…kind of.

  “I think I screwed around enough as a teenager,” she said soberly. “I date, but I don’t give the booty up.”

  “You always make me laugh when you talk about having a booty,” I chuckled.

  She looked at me accusingly and then tried to get a look at her own ass before looking back to me. This made me laugh more.

  “What are you trying to say? You don’t think I have a booty?”

  “It just sounds funny coming out of your mouth,” I said with a shrug.

  She placed a tall, purple drink in front of me. I eyed it with some amount of fear. I didn’t drink much at all. Emmy could drink the whole glass and be ready for seconds before I even had three sips. She would be able to function perfectly fine and I’d be knocked out.

  “Is that some kind of comment about me being a white girl?” Emmy asked, taking the seat across from me.

  “I didn’t say anything about you being a white girl,” I said, but looked at her like that was totally what I meant. “Anyway, what do you want to tell me?” I gasped and leaned forward. “Are you getting back together with Felix?”

  The pair had stopped seeing each other soon after the New Year’s Eve party. There didn’t seem to be any animosity between them. They just went their separate ways, confirming their claims that their relationship had not been serious.