by Sky Corgan
“I want to be inside of you.” He lifts me up as if I’m a rag doll and pins me against the wall. Without hesitation—as if he didn't come only a few seconds ago—he forces the tip of his shaft between my folds and fills me with one rough buck of his hips.
"Ah!" I whimper from the shock of it.
He begins to thrust long and hard, fitting me perfectly. It’s what I’ve been waiting for ever since I came in the shower. My body shakes in reaction to the impact every time he pushes deeply inside of me. Every punishing thrust sends an electric jolt to my core. My back bounces against the wall. He wraps one hand around my hip and starts making bestial noises with every pulse of lust as he continues to rock between my thighs.
“Do you like this?” he asks huskily, not changing momentum.
“Yes!” I say with the little energy I have left.
My muscles contract as he stretches and claims me. There’s a fire that explodes from my toes to my head leaving me trembling and feeling as if I can’t breathe. I gasp for air, then I feel a sudden rush of heat as he roars and his fingers grip harder at my sides. He slams into me one last time and screams out, “Hell yes!” Then he slowly withdraws. I feel an emptiness between my legs. Danny starts kissing me passionately and whispers, “That didn’t hurt, did it?”
“No,” I reply in a voice that I don’t recognize. I’m so tired. “Danny?”
“Yes?”
“Can I skip breakfast? I don’t have the energy to eat right now.”
He laughs as he turns off the shower and then scoops me up in his arms. I love the idea of him holding me. It’s almost caveman-like. He sets me down outside of the shower, and then he grabs a towel to pat me dry. “You catch up on your sleep. Breakfast is not that important. Besides, you kind of tired me out, too. I want to sleep, but this time not on the other side of the bed. I want you in my arms.”
I just had the best sexual experience of my life. It hurt a little bit, but not as much as I expected it to when I saw how large he was. One thing’s for sure, I feel like I have a new craving. It’s called Danny Turner, and I want so much more.
CHAPTER NINE
DANNY
There's an urgent knock at the door. There are either two people outside, or it’s the same person using both fists to beat on the door.
My eyes are half-open, and I really don’t feel like getting out of bed. Not only because Lenka tired me out, but because I have my arms wrapped around her. I feel so protective of her, and I don’t even know why. This is crazy. I hired her to pretend to be my fiancée, not fuck her all over this suite.
It’s clear what we’ve been up to. The room is in disarray. Our clothes are strewn all over the place. I grin as I look at the table next to the ocean view. Just a few hours ago, I was fucking Lenka on it. She cried out, her head tilted back while I pounded between her legs. Her throat was silky smooth beneath my lips, the view of the ocean behind us adding to the romantic ambiance.
My thoughts are disturbed by the constant thumping on the door. I stand up and shout, “Coming!”
I gently pry Lenka off of me. She purrs as she starts hugging the pillow instead. I smile as I watch her hike her leg up over it. I tap the screen of my phone to illuminate it, and I can’t believe the time. It’s nearly two in the afternoon. Fuck. Not only did we miss breakfast, but lunch too. We must be the only one’s left on the boat.
“I’m coming!” How many times do I need to say it?
I grab my pants and pull them on before opening the door. I should have covered Lenka, but I wasn’t thinking straight, and I didn’t expect the persistent knocker to be Harper.
“What?” I spit out as I see her standing there in a white summer dress.
“Danny, darling, we were just worried. You haven’t left your cabin.” She pushes past me and then sees Lenka lying on the bed naked. Her back’s showing, but it’s clear that she has nothing on from the waist down.
The look on Harper’s face is priceless.
She turns to me, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Her eyes are brimmed with tears. “You really want to hurt me, don’t you?”
This shit doesn't work on me anymore. I’m not her boyfriend. Her fiancé. Her lover. She’s nothing to me.
“What? We split up three long years ago,” I remind her. “When are you going to get it through that thick skull that it’s over?”
She lifts up her hand. The ring. The one I spent weeks debating on the cut and design. There wasn’t a designer in town that wasn’t pitched with the job. The ring had to be perfect, just like the woman who was going to wear it. I had to get it right. She would be showing it to every fucking person in the world, and I didn’t want her humiliated with something that she wouldn't be proud of.
“When I get over this." Harper waves her hand in my face. "We were supposed to be getting married. Instead, you get some waitress and bring her here in front of all our friends.”
Now Lenka’s waking up. She’s pulling the sheets around her and trying to get to the bathroom. I don’t fucking blame her. I want to escape, too.
“Where are you going, bitch? You fucking whore!” Harper rushes past me in an attempt to get to Lenka.
What’s gotten into her? I knew she had rages, but she’s always been sneaky about them, and they have never happened in front of me. I grab her before she can reach Lenka.
“Get the fuck off of me!” She turns on me like a wildcat, scratching at me with her nails.
Lenka watches for a fraction of a second before slipping into the bathroom and closing the door.
Mom appears in the open doorway and shouts, “What the hell is going on?”
I lift Harper up and head for the door. “Mom, move!”
Mom steps aside to avoid Harper's kicking and flailing. She's rendered speechless by the scene in front of her, watching me carry Harper out of the suite while she screams, "You fucked the whore!” Harper's repeating the sentence over and over again. She's giving me a headache, and by the look of things, Mom, too. I can’t believe that I brought Lenka into this madness. Harper’s lost control. I should have made sure that she was thrown off the yacht before I ever boarded it.
When I set her down, Harper turns and tries to push her way back inside. Mom flanks my side, trying to peel Harper's fingers from the doorframe as I work to shut the door. The whole scenario reminds me of two people trying to escape from a blood-thirsty zombie.
Once I finish comforting Mom, I’ll get my security team to escort Harper off the yacht and make sure that she’s nowhere near the wedding. Then I’m going to give Lenka the money I agreed to pay her and tell her to leave. She’s only known me for a day, and she doesn’t deserve this shit.
CHAPTER TEN
LENKA
I manage to change my clothes and stop myself from crying. I thought that I was tough. I’ve looked after my brother and mom for the last six years. There’s never been any confrontation, and everything’s gone according to plan apart from that last time I nearly got sacked because of Candy. This is something that I’m not used to. I think that maybe I’ve bitten off more than I can chew.
When I open the door, I’m half-expecting to see Harper still fighting and scratching Danny like a cat. God, that woman’s vicious.
Thankfully, she's gone.
“Was I in there too long?” I ask.
Danny looks at me as if nothing happened, and for a moment I wonder if it was all just a bad nightmare.
“No. I figured that you weren’t coming out anytime soon, so I went to Mom’s cabin, had a quick shower, changed and then came back here. I’ve been back literally two minutes," he tells me before I notice that he's fully dressed in a white shirt and black pants.
I love the way he speaks, a bit like his dad. He has that English twang, even if he doesn’t realize it.
I smile at him. “Is she locked up in a cage?”
“No, but there’s clearly something really wrong with her.” Danny scrubs his hand across the back of his neck, seeming nervous.
"Lenka, you’ve been great.”
“I’m not leaving." I try to put his mind at ease. "We agreed three days, and I’m going to stay for three days.”
"I think you being here with me is driving her even more crazy. Maybe it's not such a good idea." He takes my hand and says, “Don’t worry, I’ll still pay you for the three days.”
“No, you don’t have to pay me at all.” I don’t want to feel as if I slept with him for money.
He chuckles. “I enjoyed last night. More than I ever thought was possible.” I'm about to open my mouth to tell him I enjoyed it too when he changes the subject. “Everyone’s left. We need to get to the house and get ready for the rehearsal dinner tonight. Do you have something for that? Should I contact someone to get you something for it?”
The conversation has bounced to so many places in such a short span of time that I'm a bit dumbstruck. I guess he wants me to stay after all. My heart skips a beat knowing that my time with him hasn't yet come to an end. That must mean that he felt the chemistry between us as well. Maybe it even means that we'll go for longer than two more days.
I reach out to grab Candy’s suitcase. There’s a red number in there. It’s revealing enough to be sexy, even more so than the gold dress I wore last night. I can’t wait to put it on for Danny.
***
We’re sitting in the limo in silence. One minute Danny's on his phone shouting at someone and then the next he’s on his Mac repeating the word "fuck" so many times that I lose count. Once in a while, he’ll dart his eyes to me and say, “Sorry.”
Silence takes over once he closes his laptop. I know we’ll be approaching the house soon.
I sit looking at Danny. Our eyes are locked, but he’s sitting at one end of the limo, and I’m on the other. I want to know what he’s thinking.
“Should I go home?” I ask. When he hesitates to respond, I regret asking the question.
“I was in the middle of a deal. And it’s all fucked up. That’s all. I’m annoyed that the deal's gone bad. On top of that, I’m not sure if the groom’s at the house. And it's still bothering me that I got you involved in all of this.”
“But I’m the one who wanted to come.” I gaze out the window, wondering if the rich realize all the things they get to experience that the poor don't. Incredible venues. Yachts. I wonder if they think that it’s no big deal or if they appreciate the beauty of it all? I know that I appreciate being here. Even if I have a suspicion that it’s all going to end in tears and the tears will be coming from my eyes only.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
DANNY
I feel so fucking guilty; I’ve hardly said a word to Lenka since we left the yacht. I’ll show her the grounds once we arrive. I’ve been here a couple of times. It seems to be a family favorite for getting married. At this rate, we might as well make an offer to the owners.
As Henry parks and opens the door for Lenka, I notice a couple of people leaving which makes me wonder if something is wrong.
“Henry, can you take our bags to the room?”
He ducks his head. “Sure. Is everything okay?”
I see my aunt and uncle headed to their vehicle. They look over my way and then wave at me, but they’re not encouraging me to come talk to them.
“What’s going on?” Lenka asks as we crawl out of the limo.
“I don’t know.”
Suddenly, we hear screaming coming from inside the house. I know that scream all too well. It’s Adele. I take the stairs two at a time to get into the house. Lenka is on my heels. As soon as I open the door, I see Mom running after Adele. In confusion, I give chase.
“Mom!” I call out to get her attention.
She stops, and I can tell that not only is Adele crying, but so is she.
“Carl’s not here!” she tells me quickly.
Adele screams at us. She’s not talking to one person but letting us all know that this wedding’s not going to be happening.
“Oh,” I find myself speechless, scratching my head in confusion. “Has anyone spoken to him?”
Mom shakes her head. “I don't really know what's going on. One of the wedding guests came to tell me they were leaving, that Adele was pitching a fit. I came out to see her screaming down the halls for everyone to get out. I’ve never seen her like this. It’s as if…” She clutches onto me and sobs.
“What?” This is completely crazy.
“I think that we need to speak to Carl. One step at a time,” my father says, scratching his balding head.
“He called me a few times last night, but I was busy,” I inform them.
Mom lifts her head up. “What did he say?”
“It doesn’t matter. Let me go find out where he is."
"Alright." Dad nods. "Get to the bottom of this."
"I'll be back in a little while,” I tell Lenka, hoping she'll stay put despite all the madness taking place around her.
I text Carl to ask where he is and am surprised when I get a response. Henry is waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. I waste no time rattling off the location. If I have to drag Carl to the venue by his hair, he's going to explain this shit to Adele. She deserves that much.
I should have known this was going to happen when I heard the voicemails. That was the first warning sign that something was wrong.
Henry parks the limo in front of an apartment block in Manhattan. He rolls the window down and says, “We’re here, sir!”
I nod to him as I step out when he opens the door for me. I take a deep breath, wondering what in the hell is going on. This isn't Carl's place. The address is completely unfamiliar. What the fuck is he doing here?
The idea that he might have a secret penthouse that I didn’t know about and I'm sure that Adele didn't know about either...He's going to be lucky if I don't break every bone in his body.
CHAPTER TWELVE
LENKA
I could go up to our room and sleep more, or I could try to calm the bride-to-be down. This isn’t the first wedding I've been to where the groom has gotten cold feet. Then again, I wasn’t really invited as a guest, so maybe it's none of my business.
I decide to make my way to Adele's room. Sometimes it's hard to tell if you're doing the right thing. When I get near her room, I realize that I’m not the only one with a plan to cheer her up.
“Hi,” I whisper to Danny’s mom as she gently knocks on the door.
“Is there something you wanted?” she asks a bit too quickly as she turns to me.
I shake my head. “I thought that maybe Adele wants to talk to someone.”
“I’ve tried so many times. Nothing.” Her blue eyes turn dull as she looks down.
I put a comforting arm on her back. “Let me try. Why not go have a rest? It was a late night last night.”
She’s reluctant to leave, but she sighs. “Maybe she needs to talk to a stranger. Someone who’s not connected to all this mess.”
I shrug. “Maybe.”
She kisses me on the cheek and says, “Good luck.”
I wait for her to leave before knocking. Maybe Adele was listening to our conversation because, after just one knock, she opens the door.
“Come in.”
She’s wearing lingerie with a bottle of chardonnay in her hand. She’s been drinking and crying. Her hair’s like a bird's nest and her makeup's smudged all over her face.
I enter the room cautiously and close the door behind me. “Adele, I know that we don’t know each other, but I thought that I’d come see if you’re okay.”
“Really?” She has her hands on her hips, acting hostile towards me.
Her room is big and beautiful, but she’s been using it as grounds to destroy many things since she’s been here. I try and avoid the broken glass, the pictures scattered on the carpet and the clothes, too. I pick them up and start to put them on the bed.
“Just leave them!” she snaps at me.
I soften my voice. “I thought that maybe you'd like to talk to someone who doesn't have a dog i
n this race.”
“Where’s my brother?” she demands as she sits on an antique chair facing the window.
I'm starting to feel like coming here was a bad idea. “He’s gone to see Carl.”
“Good. Maybe he’ll be able to knock some sense into him. He’s the one that introduced us. Technically, this is all his fault.” She drops the bottle on the table. Tears stream uncontrollably down her face. She’s moving around the bedroom like a blind woman without her walking stick. She bumps into the table, then moves back and then forward again. I don’t know whether to help her or just stay out of her way.
“I guess we'll just wait to see what Danny has to say then.” What else am I supposed to say to her?
She slumps down on the bed. "I think Harper slept with Carl. That's why I invited her, you know. To see if he could be faithful. I knew she'd make a move on him because she can't stand anything good happening to this family. And Carl had a reputation before me. I knew that he was a playboy, but that was supposed to be before me."
Wow. This shit is getting twisted. So Adele basically tried to sabotage her own wedding.
"You never went to college, did you?" she speculates.
“No. Not everyone in the world goes to college,” I remind her, trying not to sound rude.
“Did you ever want to go?”
I laugh. “The million-dollar question. I remember back in high school, every week my ideal profession would change. Monday morning I would think that I wanted to be a dentist, but by Thursday morning I would want to be a dancer.”