by T M Kelly
“Lie down.”
I stopped fighting and did as he asked. My body was humming with desire as I watched him reach forward and wrap his fingers around the waistband of my leggings to help me remove the fabric. He didn’t pause. Just took what he wanted. I moved my body back to give him more space. A part of me wanted to say something, but what? I had no idea Tyler enjoyed taking control when it came to sex. He made it clear what he wanted. I usually didn’t let anyone tell me what to do, but there was something different about him.
“I’m sorry.” He leaned back slightly.
“For what?” I tried to lift my head but was in an awkward position.
“There’s something about you that brings out my darker side.”
I leaned up on my elbows. “Oh yeah, so you do have two sides to the famous Tyler Moore?”
He moved his body over me and smiled. “Two sides?”
“Well, you’re so private,” I said and noticed him inch closer. “Tyler.” I placed my hand on his chest. “What’re you doing? I’m lying here half naked in your vehicle. You’re taking me God knows where. And this bossy cute side, what’s that all about?”
“It’s cute?”
“A little bit.”
“Should I finish what I started?”
“Minus the bossy.”
He inched down my body. “You’re no fun.”
“Oh, you have no idea how much fun I can be.”
He softly chuckled before lowering his head. “Challenge accepted.” Then he surprised me by moving his tongue down my core. The moment he bit down on my clitoris, I lunged forward. “Too much?” he said, lifting his head slightly to look up at me.
“You evil, evil man,” I teased and pushed his head back down.
I wasn’t prepared for what he had planned. Tyler was so different than I ever imagined. This was not my normal M.O. letting someone do this and here. I wasn’t the type to just hop into bed with any man. Tyler was different, though. He was proving that with every move of his tongue. I could get used to this, to him.
“Whose house is this?” I said and followed behind Tyler as we made our way up a flight of stairs. It looked like a condo that was really fancy.
Tyler knocked on the door and shoved my body behind him. I heard the door creak open. “Hey, handsome, this is a surprise.”
“Is it okay that I stopped by?”
“Of course, darling. I thought we were going to meet at the club later?”
Tyler reached for my hand and pulled me forward. “I wanted you to officially meet Zoe outside of the nightclub.”
The guy standing in his doorway was wearing a robe and had this shocked look on his face. “Ty, you didn’t.” Then the guy stepped forward and cupped his hand around the side of my face. “This is so much better than going to the club.”
“Zoe, you remember Stephen. You met him on the dance floor.”
Stephen continued to stare at me which should’ve made me feel uncomfortable. Instead, I soaked up the moment. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“Oh the pleasure’s all mine, sweetie.” He brushed his thumbs back and forth. “Your cheeks are flushed. Did I miss something fun?”
Tyler cleared his throat. “Maybe.”
I wanted to crawl in a hole at that moment, but then the visual of being sandwiched between them both played in my mind. I never imagined being with two men, even during my wild days back in high school. Yet, somehow Stephen’s touch was making my body react. Then Tyler stepped behind me and I felt my need for a release.
“Should we go inside?” Tyler whispered beside my ear.
“Yes. Where are my manners?” Stephen grabbed my hand. His house was dimly lit, so it was hard to see each room. He walked into what I presumed was his living room. There was a sofa, overstuffed chair, and a large TV hung above a mantel. With the lighting it was hard to see color schemes. If I had to guess, he liked brown. Everything had dark tones.
I was standing next to the couch. “Did we interrupt you?”
“What? No. I was getting ready to go out.” Stephen rubbed his hand down the side of my arm. “Which I’m glad you both caught me when you did.”
Okay, I was starting to feel uncomfortable. I’m not sure if it was Stephen or his forward manner. He did make me curious. It was that unknown that always turned me off. I didn’t want them to assume I would just have sex with them both tonight. There were boundaries I had to put up and soon.
I stepped away from them, needing the distance. “So, anyone hungry?”
“Well, yeah, but I have a feeling you actually mean food,” Stephen said and lightly laughed.
I turned around to face them both. Tyler had his arm wrapped about Stephen’s waist. They both seemed very turned on. Without thinking my eyes wandered lower, and I knew my instincts were correct.
Suddenly I wondered: what did I get myself into? I started to search for a light switch. After a few turns around the space, I located one by the doorway we had just entered. The moment I threw the switch on, both men changed. They were standing two feet apart and seemed shocked by the illuminated room.
“Sit,” I said and pointed to the couch. “It’s okay. Just give me five minutes.”
Stephen had this look that seemed like he was pissed off. “If you have other plans, I need to get ready to go out.”
“Ah, I see, if we don’t fuck you then we need to leave?” Stephen stayed silent. “Well, since I just met you, yeah, that’s not happening tonight.” I moved over to the chair and sat on the edge of the cushion. “I met Tyler a while ago, so whatever we do is totally different. You. I don’t know anything about you.” I noticed Stephen probably wanted to protest by the movement of his head and how he opened his mouth slightly. “Wait. Let me finish.”
Tyler patted Stephen’s leg. “Let’s hear her out.” Stephen’s body visibly relaxed when Tyler made contact with him.
I stood up and walked over to the couch. “This,” I said and moved my hand in a circle around the three of us, “is crazy new for me.” I sat down next to Stephen and placed my hand on my lap. “It’s not out of the question, though.”
“I’m not a relationship type of guy,” Stephen said. “I’m sorry if you need more. I can’t offer that.”
“You know how to jump ahead real quick,” I teased. “What about if we just go out on a date minus the relationship shit?” I reached for his hand. “It would be nice to know who I am planning on allowing into my personal space.”
“You mean, who you will be fucking?” Stephen chuckled.
“Potentially.” I closed my eyes and shook my head at how abrupt he seemed.
“I will make you beg someday.”
“Promises, promises.” I stood up and walked over to the mantel. “Can I at least find out your coffee preference or shoe size first?”
“You didn’t tell me she was the cuddling type,” Stephen said and turned toward Tyler.
I stayed silent at that remark. He was right, though, I was that type. If I was going to give myself over to someone, I deserved something in return.
“I need to get ready,” Stephen said and stood up.
His comment was weird. This night was weird. I was starting to feel dirty and needed to get out of this place. Without another word, I left the room and made my way to the front door. Before I had a chance to turn the knob, a warm hand encircled around my wrist.
“Stay,” Tyler whispered beside my ear.
“Why?”
“He’s worse than me when it comes to privacy.”
That took me by surprise. “It feels more like he’s annoyed and wants me to leave.”
“This”—Tyler pointed at each one of us—“is going to be special.”
I shook my head and realized I needed air. As I stepped onto the porch, I could hear two sets of footsteps. Instead of turning to face them, I sat down on the first step and rested my arms on my legs. There was a sound off in the distance. When I looked toward the noise, I could see fireworks shooting out abov
e the trees. I became transfixed on the light and let my mind wander to a time in my life I tried to keep hidden. The memories came flooding back and caused me to feel emotions I tried to let go of so long ago.
Why did I let Tyler do what he did to me? Why did I come to this stranger's home, and why the fuck did I almost let two men seduce me?
I left my hometown. Escaped the memories. Only to let them all come rushing back with several stupid decisions. Now I needed to get home. The feelings of unease were racing through my veins.
“Do you know what it feels like when a man tries to take advantage of you?” I paused and continued to watch the fireworks. “I’m not sure what happened today or even tonight. I let myself ignore the negative and only feel the sexual emotions. That can’t happen again.”
Instead of telling them what the hell I meant by that cryptic message, I stood to leave. Tyler had showed he liked to control. He managed to take me to that darker side. I felt embarrassed and ashamed for my actions. I was better than this.
“Zoe, don’t leave,” Tyler yelled from behind me.
I didn’t answer. Instead I walked in the direction of the bright lights.
Several years ago, I would have fucked them both no questions asked. I wasn’t strong enough.
Then I found mixed martial arts.
10
Zoe
“Zoe, you in there?” I heard a woman’s voice off in the distance.
I stuffed my head farther under my pillow and tried to ignore the sounds. Five days ago, I made a decision that caused memories to come crashing down on me. Instead of facing them, I did the next best thing. I ran and hid in my bedroom. I didn’t have depression. For me, I just had a history of disappearing from the world. Somehow Tyler and Stephen managed to make me feel like running and hiding that night.
I was struggling to think, feel, and pull my smelly ass out of my bed. My furry kids, Lucky and Sammy, had even started to distance themselves. I guess a shower should be in my future.
“Get up,” the voice said and pushed on my shoulder.
“What the fuck?” I threw the pillow in the direction of the voice and lifted up. “How the hell did you get in my house?”
Charlie lifted her hands above her head. “Don’t be mad. I have a bit of a past.”
“A klepto past.”
“Potentially.” She sat down on the edge of the bed. “Girl, when is the last time you took a shower?” She was fanning the air in front of her.
“Well, nobody invited you in here,” I huffed and threw the pillow back over me.
“Sweetie.” Charlie rubbed my back. “Talk to me.”
The moment she said sweetie my body recoiled. “Please don’t call me that.”
“What? Sweetie?”
“Yeah,” I mumbled from under my pillow.
“Um, okay.”
I threw the pillow back once again and sat up against the headboard. I rubbed my eyes and ran my hands through my hair. “So, you know how to pick locks, eh?”
“Yeah, not one of my finer qualities.” Charlie shrugged and reached for my hand. “What is it?”
“It’s stupid.”
“Obviously it’s not stupid. You have been hidden in here for five days. From the color on your face, it looks like you haven’t been getting much sleep. Are you at least eating?”
“A little.”
Charlie stood and walked over to the doorway. “I brought stuff to make tacos. Come join me.”
I wanted to follow, but somehow my body was in control. Instead of following my friend, I stayed rooted to the spot. It was weird; I felt afraid to leave my room.
She came storming back in and threw back the covers. “Nope, you are coming no matter what.”
“But,” I stammered and stumbled as she pulled me down the hallway.
“No buts,” she demanded and forced me to sit in a chair at the kitchen island. “It’s taco Tuesday and we need to celebrate.”
“I’m confused,” I said and rested my elbows on the counter. “How did you even know I was home?”
“The smell.”
I tried not to laugh, but it was her delivery when she answered. Charlie had a dry sense of humor that I adored. “Fair enough. Now how did you really know?”
“The weird message you sent to the gym. It felt off.” She sat down beside me. “I didn’t want to invade your space, so I let you be. Now we are on day five, and I can’t wait any longer.”
“I’m sorry.”
She reached for my hands. “Zo, why are you apologizing? You obviously have something going on. It’s okay. I’m your friend and plan to help you in any way.”
I felt my body relax at her words. For the first time in less than a week, I didn’t feel lost or scared. I squeezed her hands. “Thank you. I needed that.” There were two bags on the counter. “How about I go and freshen up and you start the tacos?”
“Thank God. Holy shit, girl.”
“That bad?” She didn’t reply. “Fine, give me ten minutes.”
“You may need longer than that.” I gave her the middle finger as I made my way out of the room. Charlie cleared her throat and yelled, “Then we can talk?”
I turned at the end of the hallway. “Then we can talk.”
“Better?” I said and walked back into the kitchen.
“So much.” Charlie walked over and wrapped her arms around my waist. “I love you, Zo Zo.”
“Should I be worried?” I leaned away to get a better look at her face.
“What? No. I just thought you needed to hear that.”
She was right, I did. I made my way to the kitchen island where there were several bowls with different toppings for our tacos. “You know it’s Friday, right?” I thought about her claim we needed to celebrate taco Tuesday.
“You caught that mess up, eh?”
“I may be locked in my bedroom, but my phone still tells me the date and time.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Charlie grabbed a plate and handed it to me. “Just eat some tacos and hush, woman.”
After filling my plate with real food, I walked over to the kitchen table and sat down. It had been days since I ate anything normal. Instead, I lived on ramen noodles and peanut butter out of a jar. I had a habit of stocking up on those items. After five days, it was time to stock up again.
Charlie’s mouth was full as she began to ask a question. “So,” she said and worked to finish chewing the bite. “I have a feeling you have a more private life than Tyler.”
She was partially right. I was not one to share my past with anyone. I did chat and share my life from the moment I stepped foot in Las Vegas. “I don’t know about that.”
“Since I only know your life in Las Vegas. It’s correct,” Charlie said and grabbed the container of sour cream. “Ty seems freaked out. He’s also been distant, and he never does that to me. You’ve been MIA. Want to start with Ty?”
“Um, I guess.”
“Wherever you feel comfortable.”
“Tyler introduced me to a friend of his.”
“Who? Stephen?”
My eyes lifted at the mention of his name. “Wait, you know?”
“It’s a long story.”
“Looks like we both have stories to tell.” I wasn’t sure how to process this bit of news. Tyler had made it seem like I was the only one who knew his secret. I let out a deep sigh, preparing to share why I was locked up in my house. “Yeah, it was Stephen.” I proceeded to share what Charlie probably didn’t know about me. “You know I’m bi-sexual, right?”
“I guessed. Not my business, though.”
“Guessed?”
“Noir Nightclub.”
She was right; the club did welcome everyone. “True. Well, I guess Tyler figured me out on his own. Probably the same way you did. It’s not like I keep it a secret.” I stopped to take a bite of my taco and then wiped the side of my mouth. “Anyways, he stopped by my house one morning and confessed.”
“You’re blushing. Sounds like it’s more
than just a confession that happened that day.”
My mind was replaying the moment in his SUV. I still couldn’t believe I let him touch me in that way. That was not my normal; I was not a simple lay for men. There was something about him, though. Something about how he made me feel. When he showed his bossy side, my body reacted. “Um, that story is for another day.”
“Oh, now you have me curious.”
“Yeah, well plan to stay curious for a while.” I struggled to hold in a laugh. That was mean but it felt too personal. Charlie was my friend, but not in the same way her and Lily were besties. “Tyler took me to meet Stephen.” I was hoping she would figure out why. She did. I watched her reaction. “Good. So you get it.”
“Holy shit.” She sat back in her chair and had this deer-in-headlights look.
“Yeah, it was a surprise to me, too.” I let out a deep sigh. “Well, okay, the three of us did have a moment on the dance floor at Noir. It was just dancing, nothing else.”
“I’m going to go out on a limb and guess it was more than just a dance with those two involved.”
Charlie had a point there. “Um, you’re probably right.” I grabbed a black olive and popped it into my mouth. “I may have overreacted the other night. It was all hard to process. Practice was normal with Tyler that day. We were hitting on each other non-stop. Then he demanded I get in his SUV and take a ride after practice was done.”
“Demanded?” Charlie scowled at my words.
“Yeah, has he been known to control situations?”
“Um, I have no fucking clue.”
“Well, he wasn’t all dominant or anything, but he was having fun telling me what to do.”
Charlie reached for my hand. “Is this what set you off?”
I knew what she meant. She wanted to know if his controlling ways put my mind in a downward spiral for five days. “Maybe. I don’t know. I was enjoying it.”
She threw her hands up and covered each ear. “TMI.”
I pulled them down. “This is not a conversation about sex.”
“Oh,” she said and visibly relaxed. “Okay, then continue.”