by Natasha Tate
“Hey there,” a cute guy in a teal polo with black hair said. “You go to school here?”
“I do,” I said, lifting my drink to my mouth. “You too?”
He smiled and nodded. “Where are you from?”
“Johnson City,” I said. “A couple hours south of here. You?”
“I’m from here in town,” he said.
The conversation bored me to tears, but he was good looking enough to hold my attention and I had nothing better to do while Britney was off yapping with her old friends.
“What’s your name?” he asked. “I’m Pete.”
“Romy,” I said.
“Romy,” he stroked his jaw. “Nice name. That short for anything?”
“Romilly,” another man’s voice said from behind me. A firm hand gripped my shoulder, sending a jolt of electric energy through my system. I turned around.
“Dominic,” I said, gasping for air. “I thought you were going to Brownstone College?”
“I thought you were going to Kingman University,” he said.
He was right. I was going to go to Kingman, but I switched last minute, opting for Carter College.
“I changed my mind,” I said. “How’d you know I was going to be here?”
“Duh,” he rolled his eyes. “I talked to my dad. He mentioned you decided to go to Carter last minute.”
“So you did follow me here.” I crossed my arms, an amused smirk twisting my lips.
“Someone had to keep an eye on you.”
I huffed. “Because I can’t take care of myself?”
“Something like that.”
“I think I do a pretty good job now, don’t you think?”
“I just don’t want you to get jerked around,” he said. “There are a lot of horny guys around here. Didn’t want anyone taking advantage of you.”
Memories of that night with Chauncey flooded my mind.
“You two okay?” Pete interjected.
“Fuck off, Pete. We’re fine,” Dominic said, his eyes never leaving mine. We’d been reunited a mere two minutes and already he was staking his claim on me.
“Romy, you okay?” Pete said, turning to me.
“Yeah,” I assured him.
“That’s what I thought,” Dominic muttered to me, pleased.
The minute Pete left, we were alone in the kitchen.
“You’re obsessed with me,” I said.
“So what if I am?” He didn’t apologize. He didn’t write it off. “You love that I’m obsessed with you. And you know damn well that no one ever has or ever will make you feel half as good as I did that night.”
My face began to flush, and I fanned myself. I bit my lip at the first sign of my body getting worked up again.
“Oh, my God!” a whiny girl’s voice interrupted our moment, causing me to cool down instantly. It was Britney and she was already hammered. We’d done a little pre-drinking before we came to the party, and she was double fisting already. “Romy, this is the guy I was telling you about!”
Dominic raised one eyebrow.
Britney swatted his chest and pouted her bottom lip. “You wouldn’t even give me the time of day.”
“Believe me, you’re not my type,” Dominic said, though Britney was too drunk to be insulted.
Dominic grabbed me by the wrist and led me upstairs where we located a quiet room. He locked the door.
I paced the room, it was clearly someone’s bedroom, but that person probably downstairs partying without a clue. Dominic flew to my side, slipping his hands around my waist.
“You have no fucking clue how long I’ve been waiting to see you again,” he said.
“I figured you would’ve come home in the summer,” I said.
“I couldn’t stand it see you with that ass wipe, Alex.”
“Alex is a nice guy,” I defended him.
“Alex touched something of mine. He’s an ass wipe in my book.”
“Oh, so I’m yours? Like your property? Should I get a tattoo across my ass that says ‘Property of Dominic’?”
He smiled and nodded. “Great idea.”
The room began to spin, and suddenly I felt nauseous. “I need to sit down.”
Dominic gently escorted me to the bed and helped me down. “How much have you had to drink?”
“I don’t know,” I muttered. “We drank before we came here. Then I had that cocktail downstairs.”
The last thing I remembered was looking up into his concerned eyes.
CHAPTER EIGHT
I woke with a throbbing headache in a bed that was not mine. My eyes adjusted to the dim light of the early morning as I tried to orient myself. The last thing I remembered was being at a party and talking to Dominic.
My hand flew up to my head, rubbing my right temple as I searched the room for a sign of where I was. The door flew open, and in walked Dominic with two Styrofoam cups of coffee.
“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t think you’d be up when I got back. I ran out to get us some coffee.”
“God, this scared the shit out of me,” I said, grabbing my cup from him. “I didn’t know where the hell I was.”
“You passed out last night,” he said.
“How? I didn’t even drink that much?”
He sighed, looking pissed for a second. “I think that fuck face, Pete, roofied your drink when you were standing there talking to him.”
My jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”
“The way you were acting, the way you passed out … I think that’s what happened.”
I shook my head as the hot coffee nearly scoured my throat, but I barely felt it. I was too in shock.
Dominic sat next to me on the bed. “This is why you need me here. Who’s going to make sure shit like that doesn’t happen?”
I threw an appreciative smile his way.
“And you said you could take care of yourself,” he huffed.
“Thank you for saving me,” I said. “Who knows what would’ve happened if …”
“Shh.” He leaned in and kissed me, hot coffee on his lips.
“What’s going to happen if people find out we’re, you know …”
“I don’t care,” Dominic shrugged. “No one knows us here. I checked. There’s not one person from Johnson City High who goes to Carter University. Our last names are different. And I just don’t fucking care what anyone else thinks, Romilly. That’s why people love me. I don’t give a fuck.”
No one called me Romilly since the day I dyed my hair blonde and shed my cocoon. But for some reason, I liked that he still called me that, as if he hadn’t forgotten about the girl I used to be, and he liked me anyway.
***
Dominic’s dad was throwing my mom a surprise 40th birthday party that weekend, and we were both invited. Since it only made sense, we drove home together in his car. My mom was shocked. She thought he was taking her out for a quiet dinner at a nice restaurant, but he’d booked the party room and filled it to the brim with everyone they knew. He was thoughtful like that.
“Mom,” I pulled her aside as we left the restaurant that evening. I glanced over towards Dominic, who was talking to his dad across the room.
“What is it, sweetie?” she replied.
“Why didn’t you tell me Dominic was going to Carter? I thought he was going out of state.”
She smiled innocently. “I figured you knew. I thought you two texted and kept in touch. Isn’t that what everyone does these days?”
I shook my head. “It would’ve been nice to know in advance, that’s all.”
“Why?” she laughed, probably from imbibing too many alcoholic beverages. She had no idea. “Would you have gone to another school or something? I know you two had a falling out, but it’s time to grow up and be adults. You two are family now.”
She threw me a weird look, as if she knew something. It made me shudder.
Dominic and his dad walked up to us, halting our conversation.
“Everyone ready?” his dad asked,
as we headed out to the parking lot to head home.
My stepdad escorted my mom to bed when we got home, and soon it was just Dominic and I in the quiet house.
“God, it’s been hard not touching you all day,” he whispered in my ear as he rushed up to me and pulled me in close. He bit his full bottom lip as he reached down and cupped my ass with his hands.
“Dominic,” I swatted his chest. “We can’t. Not here. Not tonight.”
“I’m craving you, Romilly,” he moaned quietly. “I need this. I need you.”
He leaned in and placed a hungry kiss on my half open mouth, his tongue insisting on dancing with mine. I relaxed in his embrace, letting him kiss me and fully accepting the electric charge that coursed through my body.
“We can’t,” I sighed, fighting a battle I knew I couldn’t win if I tried.
His hands slithered up to my waist, gripping me and directing me towards his bedroom, which was the only room that didn’t share a wall with our parents. His lips pressed against my neck, working their way down to the exposed flesh above my cleavage as we walked.
We entered his room, and he scooted his computer chair in front of the door, hooking it just under the doorknob in case anyone tried to walk in on us. His room never had a lock, so we had to improvise.
His hands worked up the back of my shirt, unhooking my bra, and I slipped off my t-shirt, flinging it across the room as we stumbled, breathless, into his twin bed.
I straddled him as he cupped each of my breasts in his soft hands and then reached his hands around to cup my ass. Below me, I could feel his member, rock hard and painfully engorged. He steadied his hands on my hips and flipped me over to my back before sliding his pants off the rest of the way. He tugged at my jeans and pulled them off, then slipped a finger under the waistband of my panties, teasing me.
I lay, breathless, anticipating his next move. I relaxed and studied his face. I loved the way he looked at me. I wasn’t that geeky girl anymore and like I wasn’t technically his stepsister. I was a grown, sexy woman to him now, and he was about to make sweet love to me.
With one swift move, he ripped my panties off and threw them across the room. I tossed my head back and ran my fingertips across my pert nipples. He ran his fingers down my inner thighs before spreading them wide and positioning himself at my hot and waiting pussy.
His warm breath tickled me down below and soon I felt the swirling wetness of his tongue circling my clit. He slipped a soft finger inside me and began tickling my g-spot as his tongue worked the kind of magic I never knew existed.
Moans and sighs slipped out of my mouth as I made sounds I’d never made before. My hands reached down to my sides, gripping the sheets below me as I clung on for dear life. One of his hands reached up and massaged my left breast as his mouth stayed below. It was more stimulation than I’d ever felt all at once in my life.
“Oh, Dominic,” I whispered. My hands pounded the hard table surface below me as I tried to fight off the waves of sheer ecstasy I felt about to wash over me.
Without any sort of warning, he stopped.
“What are you doing?” I panted. “Don’t stop. Please. Don’t stop.”
He cracked a smile as he stood up. I could tell he enjoyed making me wait. I watched as he reached down to grab something from his pants pocket. He pulled out a shiny gold square and ripped the tin packaging with his perfect teeth. It was a condom. We were really doing this again, only this time with our parents in the house.
He rolled it onto his full erection and kneeled into position on top of me. With one hand gripping himself, he teased me with his cock, slapping my clit and rubbing it up and down between my lips.
“Please,” I sighed. I wasn’t sure how much teasing I could take.
With one fell thrust, he was deep inside me, filling my insides and expanding every muscle. I slipped my hands under his arms and held onto his hips as he thrusted deep inside me over and over again.
As his bare chest rubbed against my breasts and his cock rubbed against my clit, it was all I could do to fight off the orgasm that was headed my way. Little moans escaped my lips with every plunge, and I never wanted it to end.
“Look at me, Romilly,” he commanded. I’d realized I’d been squeezing my eyes tight the past few minutes. I opened my eyes, slightly afraid to face the reality before me, and saw him staring deep into mine. “Be with me. Be present. Make love to me.”
I nodded as I bit my lip and stared back into his intense gaze. He leaned down and kissed my lips, slipping his tongue around mine, and it was all over from there. I suddenly lost it. I couldn’t fight it anymore. Waves of pleasure took over as I let the most intense orgasm of my life wash over me.
As Dominic blew his load, he let out several huffs and puffs before slipping himself out of me. I watched as he wrapped the used rubber into a paper towel and shoved it in the bottom of his trashcan.
“Don’t forget to take that out in the morning,” I reminded him.
He laughed and rolled his eyes, clearly still reeling from our fuck session. Being careful was the furthest thing from his mind.
“I should go to my room,” I said, slipping out of his bed and gathering my clothes. He watched as I dressed, taking in the view. When I crossed his path to head to the door, he grabbed my arm and pulled me in for a goodnight kiss.
“I so wish I was sleeping in your bed tonight with you,” he moaned. “God, I wish we could do that again too.”
“We have to be careful,” I reminded him, peeling myself away.
I moved the computer chair and left his room, tiptoeing across the hallway to my door.
“Romilly!” my mother’s harsh whisper startled me, forcing my heart to leap up into my mouth.
“Yes?” I turned around, feigning innocence.
“Did you just come from Dominic’s room?” her face was scrunched, and she swayed. She was still tipsy, and I just hoped to God she wouldn’t remember seeing any of this come morning.
“Yeah,” I said. “He wanted to borrow something from me.”
“Borrow what?” she wasn’t buying it.
“A C.D.” I lied. Poorly.
“A C.D.?” she asked. “At this time of night?”
“Mom, you’re drunk, you’re not making any sense,” I tried to pull a fast one, making her think she was just confused. “It’s late. Let me walk you to your room.”
“But I need to use the bathroom,” she said, pushing past me.
My cheeks red with molten lava embarrassment, I rushed into my room and quickly shut the door.
I couldn’t sleep that night. All I could think of was someone finding out that Dominic and I were sleeping together. I could only imagine the ass reaming his dad would give us, and I felt nauseous as I imagined the look of disappointment on my mother’s face.
CHAPTER TEN
“Good morning,” Dominic’s dad said after clearing his throat. Dominic was seated at the breakfast table, wolfing down a bowl of cereal. My mom was standing at the stove cooking eggs. “Sleep well last night, Romilly?”
“Y-yeah?” I stammered. He never asked me how I slept.
“What about you, Dominic?” he turned to Dominic who froze mid-bite. “You sleep well last night?”
“Like a champ,” Dominic said, returning to his cereal. He still had no idea my mom had caught me leaving his room. I threw him a quick look, as if he could possibly read my mind in that desperate moment.
My mom plated her eggs and took a seat next to Dominic’s dad.
“Romilly, why don’t you have a seat here,” he said, in a tone that chilled me to the core. “We need to have a little family meeting.”
My fingers began to tremble. “O-okay.”
I slid into the seat next to my mom, holding my gaze to the table. I could feel his dad burning holes into me with his stare.
Dominic’s dad cleared his throat. “Whatever’s going on between you two… it needs to stop NOW.”
Dominic and I met eyes, and mine imme
diately began to water. Dominic smirked, as if he didn’t care what his dad said.
“Mom!” I turned to her. “I told you, nothing happened!”
She looked at him and then back at me. “We know, Romilly.”
“I said I was just loaning him a C.D. last night!”
“When have you ever used C.D.s, Romilly? You kids use iPods and what not. You haven’t used a C.D. since you were a kid. Why would you be sneaking out of his room at two in the morning anyway?”
“You were drunk. You don’t know what you saw,” I insisted.
My mother squinted her eyes. “I know what I saw.”
“Whatever’s going on,” his dad interrupted, “it has to stop. It ends. Today. No more. You two are family. This is an embarrassment.”
Dominic stood up from the table. “I don’t care. I love her.”
He gave me a reassuring look.
“Come on, Romilly,” he said. “Let’s go back to campus. We’re done here.”
I left the kitchen, following him down the hall where we grabbed our bags from our room and booked it. Our parents were yelling obscenities at us, calling us a whole slew of nasty names, but it was all background noise.
We couldn’t control the way we felt. I couldn’t stop loving him if I tried, and I had a feeling he felt the same.
We returned to Carter University more united than ever, and more appreciative to what we were sacrificing by staying together.
***
Things felt back to normal, for the most part, the following week. We returned to our classes, our routines, and our schedules, spending every spare moment together as if at any moment we could be ripped apart by scandal.
Friday nights were always reserved for each other. They were our date nights. We usually went out for dinner and a movie and finished at his place, in his room, unleashing a weeks’ worth of tension as we humped away our problems.
But that Friday was different.
“What’s wrong?” I asked him, as he stood in my doorway. He’d come to pick me up, but he wasn’t wearing his usual sexy smile. Something was different about him. My stomach dropped.