by Suzanne Hart
Jared walked up to me abruptly, pulling me into his arms again. He kissed my cheek this time. His hot breath fell on my nose, moving some stray strands of hair.
“I don’t know what we’re doing, but I don’t want to stop,” he murmured.
I kissed his chin. There was a tightening in the pit of my stomach. I didn’t want to stop either. He caught my lips in his mouth and we were kissing again. His tongue was inside me and I could taste him. Taste the whisky, feel his hot breath…everything was driving me crazy.
He pushed me with his body, till I fell backwards on the couch. Jared stood over me, watching me as he threw away his jacket and loosened his tie.
“Is this what you want, Elsie?” he asked, and I nodded. My eyes grew wide. I wanted to see him naked.
“Then take off that dress and let me see you,” he demanded.
I pulled down the zip on the side of my dress. He was watching me like he had never seen a woman naked before. His shirt came off and I stared at his bare chest, his chiseled six-pack abs.
Jared had always sported a body like that. It’s what drove all the girls in our little down crazy. That and the fact that he was wearing leather jackets and riding a Harley by sixteen. He was the quintessential local bad boy. He was delicious to look at.
My eyes fell on the tattoo of the lion on his chest. I remembered when he got it.
My dress slid down my body now.
He’d seen me in a swimsuit before. When we’d go swimming in the lake in the summer. But never like this…never in the throes of passion.
His hands were on his belt. He was pulling his pants down and I threw my dress away.
Jared wasn’t wearing underwear. His cock swung massively between his legs and I gulped. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from it. He was huge, throbbing and growing with every passing moment.
Jared lunged towards me, clutching the side of my face and leaning me back.
“There’s no going back now, Elsie,” he growled. I reached for his shoulders, grazing my fingers over his tattoo and down the front of his torso. He reached for my breasts with his other hand. He cupped them, teasing my nipples through my bra.
I gasped and moaned, desperate for him to touch me everywhere. This couldn’t be real. It couldn’t actually be happening.
He unhooked my bra and my breasts swung into view. Jared stepped away from me, staring down at them, at the rosy nipples that were aching for him.
“Touch me, Jared,” I murmured, and he fell on me, pushing me back into the couch. His mouth clamped quickly around my left nipple and I gasped. He was sucking on it rapidly, while his other hand cupped the breast. His stubble felt rough against my skin. I wrapped my legs around his shoulders, arching my hips up towards him.
I knew he could feel the sticky warmth of my pussy. He had to know just how much I wanted him.
Jared pulled his mouth away. His eyes were hungry, dark gray and dangerous.
“There are so many things I want to do to you, Elsie,” he growled and straightened up. I stared up at him, my mouth hanging open. There was so much I wanted to do to him too.
Before he could tell me what to do next, I reached for him, for his cock. Tonight, I was going to feel powerful. I was going to make sure that he knew he couldn’t put me under his spell anymore.
Jared clenched his jaws, weaving his fingers through my hair as I positioned myself on the couch.
I crouched on my folded knees in front of him. He knew what I was going to do and he didn’t stop me.
I’d been waiting for this moment ever since I was fifteen. I wound both hands around his cock. It was rock hard and erect, pointing at me now. Jared grunted, breathing in sharply. I leaned in towards him and opened my mouth. Slowly, I extended my tongue and licked the tip of his swollen, throbbing cock.
Very soon, I was going to taste him. I would do what I had always wanted to do. Make sure that Jared Morin never forgot about me again.
Jared held me by the top of my head, while I slid his cock in and out of my mouth. It made me feel good. I had the control here. My pussy was wet and my clit was swollen and throbbing between my thighs. With one hand, I touched myself while I held his cock with the other.
Jared grunted and moaned with every thrust.
I’d wanted this for so long and now it was finally happening. A part of Jared was inside me. I would never forget this night. Would I ever get over it?
I was building myself up to an orgasm. His cock was big in my throat and I licked and sucked the length of him. I knew he was on the edge too, and gently, I squeezed his swollen balls.
“Fuck, Elsie!” he growled, clutching my hair tightly. His body shook. I knew he was readying himself for a release.
I rubbed my clit harder; I wanted us to come together.
Jared grunted loudly, cursing under his breath and I slid his cock out of my mouth. He erupted on my face and my orgasm erupted too. I moaned and shook, my fingers stroking and rubbing violently between my thighs. Jared had his cock in his hand while he emptied himself on my face.
I had my eyes closed but I could feel his sticky juices trailing down my nose, my chin, down my neck.
My orgasm took over my body aggressively. The couch shook from the force of it. I was crying out loud, calling his name in complete abandon. I had never come like this before.
By the time my orgasm began to subside, Jared had already recovered himself. I was covered in his seed.
I gasped. The reality of the situation was hitting me now. I fell back on the couch with shock and Jared stepped away from me too.
“Fuck. Fuck!” he growled angrily, looking around the room. He found a box of tissues and brought them over to me. “Here, use these,” he said, and I took it from him.
We were both silent as we cleaned ourselves. I used up pretty much the whole box, trying to get every last trace of Jared off me. Already, I could feel the pangs of regret creeping up.
Jared picked up his pants off the floor and slid them on. He wasn’t going to bother with his shirt yet. I put on my dress, leaving the zip open. I just didn’t want him seeing me naked anymore.
“Elsie, I know this shouldn’t have happened.” He ran a hand through his thick, sandy blond hair. His biceps moved, the muscles on his shoulders tightened. Was there any man sexier than him?
And I just had his cock in my mouth. How was I ever going to move on from that?
“If you’re thinking of apologizing, you don’t have to. You didn’t make me do anything,” I told him and stood up from the couch. I could sense his eyes on me as I walked into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water. I wasn’t about to offer him one.
“Do you want me to leave?” he asked when I returned to the living room.
“Yes. We can’t be friends now, remember?” I said and crossed my arms over my breasts.
Jared was shaking his head.
“This shouldn’t have happened. Fuck!” he growled.
“Don’t worry. Things were ruined between us long before you kissed me. Tonight was going to be the last night we’d see each other anyway,” I told him.
I wanted him to go. I couldn’t bare to look at him anymore.
Sleeping with him was the worst thing I could have done. Now, I felt like I was going to lose my mind. He was going to leave Chicago and I’d be here picking up the pieces again.
“Elsie, I really thought I could make amends,” Jared said and I flashed a look at him. I scoffed.
“Make amends by doing what? Buying me a drink after ten years of ignoring me? I’m not a part of your life anymore, Jared. That is how it should stay,” I snapped.
Jared sighed loudly. I could see him trying to control his temper. This time he did.
I watched him put on his shirt and tie and then his jacket. He was preparing to leave and I knew my heart was going to break all over again.
Could I beg him to stay this time? Do I tell him how I’ve always felt for him?
That would ruin everything. He didn’t want
anything more from me. This was it.
When he was fully dressed again, Jared turned to me.
“I heard about the work you’re doing, Elsie. It’s really great. I hope your family is proud of you,” he spoke somberly, but his eyes had softened. I kept my head up. I didn’t expect him to know anything about my life.
Suddenly, I felt naked again. Like he could see right through me.
“Thanks. Yeah, everyone’s very happy,” I replied.
Now was not the time to get into details about what Mona thought about my life.
“How is Mona?” Jared asked, and I shrugged my shoulders.
“Happily married with a beautiful four-year old,” I replied and Jared smiled weakly.
“And your mom?” he asked and I crossed my brows.
“She passed away a few years ago,” I told him and looked away. Jared never had a relationship with my parents. I was surprised he was even asking about them. I didn’t want to ask him about his parents. I knew what the story was there. His father died of liver failure and his mother ran away long before that.
Jared hadn’t returned to Madison Green in ten years. He had no relationship with that place anymore.
“I guess I should go. Take care of yourself, Elsie,” Jared said before he left.
I said nothing to him. I just watched him leave. Once he was gone, I felt like I could breathe again. But there was nothing stopping the tears now. This night had changed everything.
Jared
Fuck.
I really fucked it up this time.
I returned to my hotel room and raided the mini bar. I needed a drink. I needed several drinks to get over this feeling.
Tonight was supposed to be aimed at one thing and one thing alone—acquiring Elsie as an employee. Instead, we had sex. We broke a ten year hiatus in our relationship by breaking through all personal boundaries.
We grew up together. She used to be my best friend. Now I’d seen her naked. I’d been inside her. I came on her face!
I drowned myself in whisky after whisky. This was bad. Really bad. I’d ruined all chances of convincing Elsie to join my team. I could just call up Ralph and tell him it was a no-go. He was good at his job. He’d find someone else who’d be perfect for the team. I could just leave Chicago tomorrow and forget this even happened!
I wanted her though.
Now that I’d seen Elsie again, I knew she was the one we needed in our team. She was strong-willed and determined and would get the job done. I was hungry for success. We would make a formidable team. If Elsie and I started working together, we would be unstoppable.
I stared out of the window of my hotel room. Chicago at night looked beautiful. All these years and I had no idea she’d been living here. Not like I tried looking for her. Once I left Madison Green, I never looked back. I pushed Elsie to the back of my head and forced myself to stop thinking about her.
It was the right thing to do.
I was drunk within the hour. My head was swimming with thoughts of her long chestnut hair in my hands. Her small, delicious mouth on my cock, the tip of her tongue wreaking havoc on my body. All those teenage years of fantasizing about my best friend had come true tonight.
I didn’t have to imagine Elsie naked anymore. I’d seen the swell of her breasts. I knew the exact shade of her rosy nipples. I now knew what her mouth tasted like and the sound she made when she came.
She hated me.
Like she had every right to. But that wasn’t the point of tonight. I was supposed to be on a mission and I ruined it. I shouldn’t have gone back to her apartment. I shouldn’t have kissed her.
I wasn’t lying when I told her we could never be friends again. It was over between us. Ten years was long enough for us to drift apart. I didn’t want to be friends with her. That was the reason I left Spring Green. To get away from Elsie.
But I’d hoped that we could at least work together. That I would be able to convince her to give up her job and come work for me.
I considered calling Ralph, but I was too drunk to do it.
Instead, I loosened my tie and sank down to the carpeted floor. The glass of whisky dangled from my right hand. My eyes were bleary and I could feel my throat burning with the alcohol.
I was seeing images of my childhood. Elsie living next door.
Our families were so different. Elsie and Mona grew up in a wholesome, loving family, with parents who were attentive and worked hard and gave their children the best childhood they could afford. My family, on the other hand, was the polar opposite.
I was the only child, thankfully, of parents who were dysfunctional and had screaming matches every night. My dad was an alcoholic and violent—towards my mother and me. My mom had a different boyfriend every few weeks and didn’t try and hide it from us. The TV was constantly on in our home, my dad was always on the couch. Neither of them worked and I was forced to skip dinner every other night.
Most of the kids in our neighborhood didn’t play with me. Even Mona turned her nose up at me. Although I was a little older than Elsie, she was the only one who smiled or talked to me. As a child, I longed to be included. I knew what the other kids thought of me, that their parents warned them not to mix with a boy like Jared Morin.
I used to watch Elsie and Mona leave for school, hand in hand. I’d stare at them from my bedroom window, too ashamed to go to school myself. I skipped school a lot. It wasn’t a world of learning and education for me, but one filled with ridicule and bullying.
That all changed when I turned fifteen and I realized that I didn’t have to be the bullied one. I didn’t have to skip dinners because my parents couldn’t afford it. I could just steal food from gas stations. I could just drop out of school. I could get a job at a garage fixing cars. I didn’t need to rely on my parents anymore.
Most importantly, I realized that girls were interested in me. For some reason, the neighborhood loser had turned into the neighborhood bad boy. And finally, I had the confidence to talk to Elsie. The girl I’d grown up staring at from my bedroom window.
I didn’t think she would be interested in talking to me too. Wouldn’t she think I was a weirdo? She lived right next door. She knew exactly how viciously my parents fought every night. She knew I had no friends.
But Elsie talked. She talked a lot. The first time we had a conversation, she couldn’t stop talking! Within fifteen minutes—the time it took us to walk back to her house from the grocery store—Elsie had told me pretty much everything there was to know about her. The bits I didn’t know just from staring longingly at her everyday.
It was crazy, but it had seemed like she always wanted to be my friend too.
Elsie
Mona called me promptly the next morning, on my way to work. I’d barely been able to drag myself out of the apartment. I felt miserable and angry with myself. I was also ashamed that Jared had seen my desire for him. Now, he would surely know that I had always wanted him.
“How did it go?” Mona asked.
“Good morning to you too!” I said sarcastically. I really didn’t want to talk about Jared right now. I usually told my sister everything, but this wasn’t something I wanted to discuss. I knew what her reaction would be. It was a mistake and I knew it too!
“Elsie, you know I’ve been worried sick about you!” Mona argued.
“Why? It’s not like he’s a dangerous man. Why were you worried?” I knew what she was talking about, but I didn’t want her to make a big deal of it.
“You know why! Just tell me what happened!”
“Nothing happened, Mona. We met and had a few drinks…he apologized,” I replied, sighing loudly. I was already late for work and I knew Mona wouldn’t let me hang up unless I gave her a straight answer.
“Of course he apologized. What else could he do? Did he give you an explanation?” she asked and I pressed my eyes close and imagined his face again. It didn’t take a lot of work; I’d spent the whole night dreaming about him.
“Not a good one
. He was busy, got caught up in his new life. He wanted to leave his past behind and start afresh,” I said.
I heard Mona sighing.
“Well, Elsie, I hope you’re satisfied. It’s time for you to just move on. He’s made it very clear to you: once he left, he was done with you,” she continued. I gulped down my anger and frustration. I was close to the office now and I just wanted to immerse myself in work.
“I knew that already, but yes…I know you’re right. It’s time to just let go,” I said to her. Mona’s tone changed after that; she sounded more hopeful.
“I’m glad to hear that, Elsie. I’m so happy you’re saying that. A whole world…of men, is waiting out there for you. You just needed to open your eyes.” Mona was trying to be sensitive, tiptoeing around the subject.
Of course I’d dated and been in relationships in the past ten years. I wasn’t a nun! None of them were serious, but I tried to justify it with the fact that I was busy. I didn’t have time for a serious relationship and none of the men were interesting enough.
“The lack of a man in my life has nothing to do with Jared!” I snapped.
“Okay, Elsie…sure.” Mona sighed exasperatedly.
We ended the call quickly after that. I had work to get to and she needed to get Emma ready for kindergarten. I just hoped that she didn’t call me up in the evening again to talk about it. The less I thought about Jared now, the healthier it would be.
I walked into the office with my coffee in hand.
“He’s waiting for you in your office,” Melissa spoke up when I was passing her desk. I stopped in my tracks.
“What? Who?” I asked.
“Jared Morin. He said he had a meeting with you,” she replied. I could see she was confused. I had a feeling that everyone in the office was wondering why Jared Morin kept visiting our office. Everyone knew him as the filthy rich construction mogul, the poster-child of capitalist success—not someone you would expect to be interested in a charity like ours. What was he doing here?