“What’ll it be, darling?” The bartender asked. “I don’t got all day.”
“I guess I’ll try the… Sex on the Beach.” I whispered the drink name, feeling my cheeks burn red.
My hand kept searching for my phone, hoping that Jonathan would call me and say that everything was a huge misunderstanding. But I knew deep inside that it wasn’t, even though I was in denial. He was spending time with Matilda without telling me, which could only mean one thing; that they were doing something that he didn’t want me to know about. The thought made my stomach turn.
The bartender set my drink down in front of me. It was a tall, curvy glass, with two different colors in it—orange and red. It was filled to the brim with ice cubes, and a slice of an orange was sitting on the rim of the glass. It smelled wonderful.
“Wow,” I smiled widely. “Thank you!”
I set the money down on the bar disk in front of me, and the bartender took it with a smile before walking away again.
“So,” Ben said suddenly. “Are you now going to tell me about your summer?”
“Well… What’s there to know?” I asked and took a sip of my drink. Mmm, fruity.
“Have you been seeing anyone?”
I turned my head quickly and looked at Ben. The expression on his face was serious, but his eyes shone with genuine interest.
“It’s complicated.” I mumbled.
“Oh,” Ben looked disappointed for a second, but he quickly covered it up with a friendly smile. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be,” I said with a shrug. “It’s just…”
“Yeah?” Ben put his hand on my shoulder and looked into my eyes. “What is it, Annie?” He asked, furrowing his brows concernedly.
I turned my head away and wiped my eye discreetly with my finger. “It’s nothing!” I smiled and turned my head back. “This is really delicious, by the way.” I added, holding my drink up in front of Ben. “Thanks for the suggestion.”
He cracked a smile, letting his hand fall down from my shoulder. “Yeah, I figured you’d like it. You always had such a sweet tooth!”
Ben glanced down at his phone, and I subconsciously did the same. It was half past nine, and Emily still hadn’t shown up, or even answered my text messages. It was becoming clear to me that she wasn’t going to come. I might as well have some fun with Ben, I thought to myself. We do have some catching up to do.
Then, Ben said something that completely shattered my newly–made plans.
“It’s getting late,” Ben said. “I actually have to get going.”
“What, already?” I blurted out. Why is everyone leaving me tonight? “It’s not even ten o’clock!”
“I know, I’m sorry. I have to be somewhere at ten.” Ben smiled apologetically as he slid down from his stool. “Will you still be here later? I would love to talk to you more.”
I bit my lip uncertainly. The bus was leaving in the early morning and I still wanted to get a good night’s sleep. At the same time, I was really tempted to stick around with Ben and see where the night would lead us. Besides, I’m not even drunk yet.
“Maybe,” I said. “I sort of have an early wake up.”
“I understand.” He said with a nod. “But if you do decide to stick around… you could always go check out the show.” He added with a wink.
“You mean the half–naked men strutting around on stage?” I giggled and took a large sip of my drink. “I’ll think about it…”
Ben set his empty glass down on the bar disk and put one arm around me, pulling me in for a tight hug. “I hope you’re still here when I get back,” He said as he pulled away. “Bye, Annie.”
“Bye, Benny.” I said with a smile.
I twirled my hair around my finger while I watched him leave; carefully making his way forward between all the people between finally disappearing into the crowd. I didn’t want him to leave, for some reason. He really has changed a lot, I thought to myself. I like this New Ben.
With a sigh, I turned around in my chair and leaned my elbows against the bar disk. Spinning my straw around in my drink, I dug my phone out of my pocket and started to absentmindedly play with it. There were no new messages. No missed phone calls, no voicemail from Jonathan saying that everything was all right and that it was all a misunderstanding.
No… nothing. Perhaps it was all for the best in the end. What kind of relationship could we have anyway? Long distance never works, everybody knows that. Or at least that’s what I told myself to feel better.
“Is this seat taken?”
A man was standing beside me, holding his hand on the backrest of the stool that Ben had been sitting in. He was wearing a pair of dark, pleated pants and an open, black jacket over a blue collared shirt. His hair was a short and cropped, and his eyes were friendly.
“Nope, go ahead.” I told him and smiled.
He sat down beside me and I turned my head back towards my phone, clicking aimlessly in a virtual farming game that I’d installed for the trip while I was packing. I didn’t want to get too drunk while I waited for Ben, so I sipped slowly from my fruity drink and tried to make it last long.
“Do you come here often?” Friendly–eyed man asked.
I glanced up at him quickly. Did he sit down here just to talk to me? I thought confusedly. “Uhm… Nope, this is my first time here.”
“I thought so,” The man nodded with a smile. “What’s your name?”
“Annie.”
“That’s a pretty name…” The man mumbled and set his hand down on my thigh. “Annie.”
I stared up at him in shock. My name sounded filthy when it came out of his mouth, and it made me feel filthy too. But not in a good way. His hand started to move further up my leg, teasing the seam of my dress. His touch felt cold and clammy, and it sent chills through my spine. My mind was screaming at me to run away, but I was frozen in place, unable to move.
“I’d love to get to know you better,” He whispered and leaned in close to me. “Or we can skip the small talk and I’ll introduce my cock directly to your pussy.”
I suddenly woke up from my trance and slapped his cheek harshly with the palm of my hand. It made a loud sound, causing the people sitting around us to turn their heads and watch us curiously.
“First off,” I growled and shoved his hand off my thigh. “I’d never sleep with you in a million years. And second of all; don’t ever fucking touch me again, or I’ll break your fucking arm.”
His cheek had turned red from the impact and he stroked it softly. “Harsh words for someone who looks like they can’t even open a jar of pickles.” He scoffed. “You don’t know what you’re missing out on. I’m a nice guy, unlike that asshole I saw you talking to earlier.”
I grabbed my purse and stormed off, leaving my half–finished drink on the counter.
“He’ll fuck you and then dump you in the morning, just like he does to his other whores!” The man screamed after me.
I ignored him and shoved my way into the crowd, not caring about the people that I was pushing aside. I shot a quick glance over my shoulder at the man. He was still sitting on the bar stool, staring at me from across the room. I turned around quickly and walked further into the crowd until I was certain that he’d lost sight of me. A shiver shot through me and I threw my arms around myself, clamping my hands on my shoulders.
I was standing next to the stage now, with a clear view of everything that was happening on top of it. The commentator man was back, holding a microphone firmly in his hand as he walked across the dark–carpeted floor.
“It’s almost ten!” He shouted. “Is everyone ready for our last dancer?”
The people cheered and waved their hands in the air. Maybe it was because I’d had a few drinks, but I felt like letting loose and so I cheered loudly along with them.
The commentator walked off the stage and, for a moment, the room fell absolutely silent. Then, in an instant, the lights went out and were replaced by colorful strobe light
s that pointed towards the stage, and the song changed to something upbeat. I couldn’t pinpoint it exactly, but I recognized it from my stepfather’s music collection. It was an old rock song; one with a great beat that made me feel like dancing.
A man walked out from behind the curtains, holding his head down. He was suntanned and fit, and was wearing nothing but a pair of dark–washed jeans, showing off his sculpted, muscular chest. His dark, medium–length hair was hanging down over his face and covering his eyes.
“Rawr,” A girl nearby me said. “I’d fuck him.”
Her friends giggled loudly and agreed, and one by one they started talking, in graphic detail, about the things they’d do to the man on stage. Why does he look so familiar? I thought to myself, ignoring the girls that were talking loudly beside me. He started to dance; waving his hips back and forth with his hands over his head.
By the time he started thrusting his hips back and forth, I had to look away. He was sexy and was nice to look at, but I was too shy. With a red face, I started making my way towards the sitting area in the back, when a familiar voice suddenly called out my name behind me.
“Annie!”
My stomach dropped. It was the man from the bar earlier—he’d followed and found me.
“Leave me alone!” I called out over my shoulder, pushing my way forward through the crowd.
I felt a strong hand grip my upper arm, digging it’s fingernails into my skin. “Where are you going?” The man hissed into my ear, exhaling his hot breath on my neck. “I just want to talk.”
“Let me go!” I commanded.
I tried to pull my arm away, but his grip on my arm was too tight. He put his hand over my mouth and started pulling me away from the stage, towards the backdoor. “You and I…” He whispered. “We’re going to have some fun out back, all right?”
“No!” I screamed into his hand, but all you could hear was muffled complaining.
“I need a volunteer.” The man on the stage called out suddenly. His voice was deep and hoarse, as if he wasn’t talking in his natural tone.
A white strobe light started travelling through the crowd, searching for an eager volunteer. It landed on my face, flashing my eyes with its bright shine. The man quickly let go off my mouth and arm, escaping into the crowd while I looked after him with a shocked expression on my face.
“You there!” The man on stage called out and pointed towards me. “Come up on stage!”
“N–no,” I mumbled quietly. “I can’t dance!”
The people nearby cheered and smiled widely at me, ignoring my pleas. They pushed me towards the stage and, before I even knew what was going on, I was standing right below the edge. The man on stage held out his hand and I grabbed it without thinking. He pulled me up onto stage to the sounds of loud cheering and stomping feet. I looked up into his eyes, and suddenly I realized why he was so familiar.
“Ben?!” I blurted out.
“Was that guy bothering you?” He whispered.
I nodded softly and opened my mouth to speak, but Ben interrupted me.
“Shhh.” Ben put his finger over my lips. He smiled at me and pulled me by the arm to the middle of the stage.
I could feel the hundred pairs of eyes staring at me, but I could hardly see anything past the bright lights shining into my eyes. My heart was beating fast with excitement and nervousness.
Ben is a stripper? I thought confusedly. What is he going to do to me?!
“Ladies and gentlemen!” Ben called out in his deep voice. “Do you want to see some… magic?”
He had pulled out a card deck, seemingly out of nowhere, and was holding it up in front of the audience. They cheered loudly, causing a wide smile to appear on his face. He turned around, holding the cards up in the air.
“Pick a card. Any card!” He said and spread the cards out in front of me. “You can show the audience, but don’t show me!”
With shaking fingers, I pulled out the leftmost card while Ben dramatically looked towards the opposite direction. Seven of clubs. I thought to myself and held the card up in front of the audience. When I was done, Ben turned around and walked a few steps away from me.
“Take the card and put it beneath your right shoe.”
I took the card and bent down, putting it beneath my shoe, all the while the crowd was watching with quiet curiosity. Suddenly they started to cheer loudly, and I glanced curiously over my shoulder. Ben had started dancing again, but this time he was taking off his pants.
I gasped loudly and turned my head back, too shy to look at him. Clicking sounds and flashing lights were coming from the audience. People were taking pictures of us.
“Is this your card?” Ben asked.
He walked up next to me, wearing nothing but a pair of tight boxers that showed off his large bulge. A card was sticking out of Ben’s underwear, half–buried inside his boxers. With a faint smile on my lips I reached out and pulled the card out, feeling the heat of his crotch against my fingertips. It was seven of clubs!
“Yes,” I looked confusedly at Ben. “This is my card.”
I lifted my foot and looked beneath it, but the card was gone—because it was in my hand. The audience was going crazy, screaming and snapping pictures of my shocked face.
“How did you do that?” I whispered with big eyes.
“Magic.” Ben winked.
* * *
After the show had ended, Ben led me outside through a door that read Staff Only in bold letters. It was kind of exciting, being backstage and all. I’d never done it before. It was chilly outside, causing the hairs on my bare legs to raise and a slight shiver to escape my throat. The sky was dark and beautiful, speckled with tiny white lights. The full moon was right above us, illuminating the little backyard in its bright glow.
“You cold?” Ben asked. Before I had time to answer, he had wrapped his arms around me from behind. His embrace was tight and warm, and I immediately started to feel better.
“Not anymore,” I said and turned my head back, smiling up at him. He had pulled his sweater back over his head, covering his chiseled, muscular chest. “I still can’t believe you’re a… performer.” I giggled.
Ben shrugged. “It’s one of those things you never really plan for, I guess. Life is unpredictable like that. I kind of like it, though, to be honest.”
“Of course you like it,” I snorted and held back a laugh. “What man wouldn’t love having hundreds of girls yearning after him every night?”
“It’s not like that,” Ben defended himself. “At least… I don’t see it that way.”
I turned around in Ben’s arms and faced him. It felt strange to be in his arms like this, but he was so warm and cozy that I didn’t want to pull away. I kind of wanted to stay in his arms forever.
“Be honest now,” I said and smirked up at him. “How many times before have you taken a girl backstage to seduce her?”
“Before?” Benjamin grinned. “Oh, so that’s what you think we’re doing here, I get it.”
“No!” I gasped, feeling my cheeks burn red. “I didn’t mean that! I meant… well, you know what I meant, stop teasing me.”
Ben fell silent for a moment. His smile faded slowly as he looked deeply into my eyes, as if he was contemplating something. “Zero.” He said finally.
“I don’t believe you.”
“That’s your problem, Annie,” Benjamin shrugged. “Not mine.”
He held his arms tighter around my body, pressing my face against his chest. I turned my head sideways, holding my cheek against his heart and listening to it beat rhythmically.
Dunk.
Dunk.
Dunk.
It was so calming that almost lost track of time.
“I wouldn’t do that with anyone but you,” Ben said after a while.
“Ben…” I mumbled. “I feel like you’re giving me mixed signals.”
“Really?” He asked. “I think my signals have been pretty clear.”
I turned my head
towards him and looked up into his green eyes. He looked at me with pure affection and tenderness, and it made me feel all warm inside. Was this really the same Ben that had left me behind three years ago? My heart was fluttering, beating fast against his chest.
Benjamin leaned forward slowly, placing his face in front of mine. His breath smelled sweet and minty when it hit my nose. I stretched my neck up and moved my head closer towards him, stopping when I could feel the softness of his lips against mine.
His lips wrapped around my bottom lip and sucked on it gently. It felt wonderful and so right. I closed my eyes and reached my arm around his neck, pushing his head closer towards mine. My mouth opened slightly and let my tongue wander into his, teasing the opening of his mouth.
He parted his lips and pressed his tongue past my mine, exploring the inside of my mouth with curious, slow movements. A soft, pleasured moan escaped his throat. The sound surprised me and woke me from my trance, and I quickly pulled away.
“Benjamin…” I whispered. “What are we doing? You’re my brother, what if someone sees us?”
“Stepbrother. And I don’t care if anybody sees us,” Benjamin answered, putting his warm hand on my cheek. I leaned in and closed my eyes, feeling the heat of his palm against my face. It was wonderful. “Does it bother you that much to be seen with me?” He asked, sounding almost hurt.
“It’s not like that, Ben, you know that” I mumbled. “They just wouldn’t understand.”
Ben nodded softly. “Well, if you’re that worried… I know some place we can go.”
My eyes shot open again. “Oh?” I asked. “Where?”
Ben took my hand and started leading me away. “Come with me,” He said, smiling. “I’ll show you.”
* * *
I couldn’t see anything. Ben was holding his hand over my eyes, with his free arm wrapped around my waist as he led me through the hallway. All I could hear was the sound of our footsteps tapping against the linoleum floor and echoing against the bare walls.
“Where are we going?” I asked curiously.
“You’ll see in a moment,” Benjamin said vaguely. Not even a few seconds later, he stopped abruptly.
TABOO MEGA BUNDLE: Wet & Ready (40 Hot Short Stories, First Time, Menage and More!) Page 56