“Was it Pike?”
“Gavin?”
Then he walked out of the crowd and up the three steps to the platform and faced me. It was Dominic.
Dominic the gay cook.
“Jessica,” he said. “Jessica, I have suffered two years watching you grow. I am only two years older than you and yet I’ve been expected to request a suitor visit since my eighteenth birthday. I know the pressure you’re under. I’m only twenty and I’ve been branded a homosexual simply because I refused to settle down until I found someone I truly cared about. Everyone has called me gay. Yes, I hear the rumors.”
My heart skipped a beat. Someone wanted me…but it was someone so unexpected. I would’ve never thought…
Dominic turned to look at the crowd. Everyone remained silent so he turned back to me. He was trembling and I wished I could wrap my arms around him and calm him down. He’d obviously put a lot of thought into this speech.
“I have to tell you the only thing,” he continued. “The only person I desire is you. I have loved you since the day you volunteered to help me pick berries for my pancakes. That time alone together in the woods. You were an innocent girl on a hike. But me…no…my heart thudded in my chest each time you looked at me. And I knew. I knew if I ever were to be truly happy, I would have to wait until this day.”
He came a little closer and took my hand in his. He looked up at me with so much longing. I truly understood the term “puppy-dog eyes” right then. He wanted so badly to be held, to be accepted.
“Jessica, my Dove, nothing would make me happier than to be with you. Please accept my suitor visit and if I please you, take me into your home as your first husband.”
I held onto his hand, my fingers wrapped around his, and I could tell that he wanted me. He was handsome. He was naturally good looking but not stunning. Kent was better looking and Pike was so much fucking hotter. But Dominic was dependable and quite handsome in an elegant sort of way. He was the boy you’d take home to mom…if you have a mom.
Suddenly it saddened me that my mom wasn’t around to see this moment. All little girls look forward to walking down the aisle and having their mom prepare everything with them. I’d have none of that. I looked back behind my seat at where Lauren was standing. She gave me a little nod and a smile. I turned back to Dominic. He was so cute and he was in love with me. And if nothing else the man could cook.
“I accept your suitor visit and will lie with you tonight,” I said.
I’d practiced the line over and over. Only this way it was followed by the roar of the crowd. Well, roar is probably an exaggeration. We weren’t in the Roman Colosseum but you get the point. The people were excited.
Dominic smiled and swallowed hard. He seemed so happy but also so nervous. I wondered if he too was a virgin. I held out my hand for Dominic to kiss and as he did, I spotted Kent in the crowd. He stood off to the right with his hands in his pockets. I smiled at him and he forced one in return. Then he turned and walked away.
He was upset. He wanted to be my first. It wasn’t meant to be.
Dominic draped the traditional red shawl around my neck and it was a done deal. I would be his for the night.
“Wait!” came a voice I recognized right away. “I too would like a suitor visit.”
Pike stood apart from the crowd holding up his red shawl.
“I was hoping for the first one,” he said, “But I know how it goes. You snooze you lose.”
You snooze you lose. Classy.
“So how about it? Will you accept my suitor request?” he asked.
Dominic had poured his heart out to me. He’d done it right, making me see that he not only truly wanted a suitor visit, but he deserved one. This other asshole seemed to think he was getting one by divine right or something. Fuck him.
Dominic looked over his shoulder at the man and then back at me as he silently shook his head. He was upset. He either didn’t like Pike or didn’t like the idea of me being with the man. I could see the disappointment on his face and knew that he expected I would accept Pike’s request. Who wouldn’t? The man was bad-boy gorgeous.
“Give me a day to think about your request, Mr. Pike,” I said. “I will dedicate this night to my first suitor and will take no more this evening. A man willing to truly pour his heart out in front of a crowd is a man I’d be proud to call my fellow. And he deserves my undivided attention.”
The crowd went nuts again. I was pretty sure I heard some laughter. Pike’s mouth hung open.
Take that, motherfucker. You thought you would embarrass me tonight? Not me, Pal. Now you’ve been snubbed by both Lauren and me.
Pike turned and made his way into the crowd. I’d upset two men in one evening. Dominic helped me stand and my heart melted in his smile. At least I’d made somebody happy. But even through my tough attitude and rude remark, I still found myself thinking about Pike. What if he’d spoken up first? The thought brought an aching between my legs.
As per tradition, the night air was filled with fireworks and music. A band played old tunes, mostly from the 1980s, and we all danced like crazy. I hung on Dominic’s arm and enjoyed myself. Everyone was so happy. In a town where TV was banned, parties were the most exciting thing to happen.
Doves took turns being spun around on the dancefloor by each of their fellows. A few of the single Doves flirted with the single guys, most just shy of their eighteenth birthday. I saw Kent in that crowd and for a brief second I was a little bit jealous. I pulled Dominic in and planted a kiss on his lips. It wasn’t a romantic one with tongue but it definitely got his attention.
“I have to use the bathroom,” I told him.
“I’ll walk you over there,” he said.
“No, it’s okay. I’ll be fine. I think I need a moment away from the music. I’m drowning in my senses.”
He kissed my cheek and I walked away.
I honestly did need a moment to myself. The music, the dancing, the people…all of it was a bit too much. My ears rang as I made my way away from the crowd and over to the nearest outdoor bathroom. I didn’t even make it all the way there when I heard their voices.
“I don’t understand you,” she said. “Just a second ago you were asking for a suitor visit.”
“I’m confused,” he said. “I still want you but you won’t give me a chance.”
“You ruined your chance when you snuck into that suitor cabin and tried to seduce me. When you got my husband kicked out of the community. You lost that chance, Pike. You hurt me deeper than I thought I could ever be hurt. I loved Alé. I still love him now. And he’s lost to me.”
I stopped close to the bathroom and squatted down behind a stack of logs. They were somewhere just beyond, probably on the side of the barn. The sound of Lauren’s tears rang through the air.
“I know I can never repair the pain and misery I’ve caused you,” Pike said. “But I’m still in love with you. I always will be.”
“And what about Jessica?” Lauren asked.
“What about Jessica?”
“Do you love her?”
“I don’t know her. She’s beautiful and she’s young and she’s definitely tempting. Could I learn to love her? Sure. But I don’t want to. I want you.”
It sounded as if they were kissing. Then the sound of a cold, hard slap. Lauren had slapped him.
“I’m a married woman. What was once between us died when you fucked over my husband. My husbands and my children are all that matter to me.”
The sound of kissing again. He was trying so hard, and I don’t know why, but the fact that Pike wanted her so badly was a turn on to me. It sounds fucking crazy, I know, but something about the fact that one of the Original Seven liked him enough to make out with him was kind of like a stamp of approval. If Pike wanted a suitor visit I’d give him one. But not tonight.
And, yes, he’d fucking learn to love me.
I turned to walk away and heard footsteps behind me. I had to hurry back to the crowd before I was seen.
I went back to dancing with Dominic, pretending that I’d peed and rushed back.
The music slowed and I felt a hand on my arm.
“Excuse me,” Pike said. “Do you mind if I have this dance?”
A look of disappointment flashed across Dominic’s face. For a second I got angry. If he didn’t want me to dance with Pike, he needed to man up and tell him no. That passionate, angry side from earlier that morning was coming back to the surface. Men needed to understand who was in charge.
“I don’t want to dance with you,” I said.
Dominic smiled.
“How do you expect me to earn your trust and get my shot at that suitor visit if you won’t even allow me a moment of your time? It’s just a dance. Please. Just a moment.”
I nodded and Dominic walked away. Pike put his arms around my waist leaving me no choice but to drape mine around his neck.
“You turned me down,” Pike said.
“Because you’re a cocky asshole,” I replied. “How dare you leave me waiting while the crowd wondered if anyone liked me?”
“I was just kidding,” he said.
“Well I wasn’t.”
“So you won’t consider my request?”
“How would Lauren feel about that?” I asked.
He chuckled.
“Lauren? I wouldn’t know.”
“And do you still have feelings for her because I know your feelings were pretty strong before?”
“Yes,” he said. “I still have feelings for her. In fact, I was talking to her a minute ago. I kissed her. Tried to anyway.”
Well, shit, dude. Lie to me at least.
He was too fucking honest. I couldn’t figure out if I liked that or hated it. How could he tell me this? I’d planned to fuck with him a little bit about it. I wanted to catch him in a lie. But what the hell?
“I want to be truthful with you,” he said. “I still have strong feelings for Lauren. There’s a connection there that I can’t shake. And if there’s anyone who can help me shake it, it’s you. I like you too. Lauren will never let me in. But if you take me as your fellow, I’ll worship you. I’ll take care of you.”
He got close to my ear and whispered. “Jessica, I know you’re a virgin, but if you choose me, I will fuck you. My cock will be yours for the taking. It’ll be yours in the morning, it’ll be yours in the afternoon, and it’ll be yours in the evening. I will fuck you like you could never imagine.”
I hung on every word. He had me. My forehead crashed to his shoulder and my body quivered. My pussy was instantly wet.
“Just think about it,” he said. “And think about me while you’re in the suitor cabin with Dominic. If I’m not on your mind at all, then tell me no tomorrow. But if I am, say yes to me, and prepare to be destroyed physically.”
With that, he kissed my forehead and walked away. And my knees buckled. Thank God Dominic swooped in and caught me before I fell. I’d never had a man speak to me like that before and suddenly I wanted him more than ever. And as Dominic’s scent filled me, that sweet smell of pine he always seemed to carry, I felt my thoughts slowly fading back to normal.
And then I was angry again. How dare he tempt me with such words, or assume that he could tempt me is more like it? He was a scoundrel barely allowed into our community and I was a Dove. He thought he would fuck me into oblivion? I might be a virgin but Pike was playing with fire. I was the hottest thing he’d ever encountered and I’d make sure he knew that.
But first, I needed to take out my frustrations on Dominic. This was his night and he would be the man to take my virginity. I hoped he was ready. Because I was.
“Let’s leave,” I whispered into his ear. “I’m ready for you to show me what I’ll be getting for all the years to come.”
He breathed hard and I knew I’d made him nervous.
“Yes, my Dove. I am ready too.”
Dominic took my hand and led me away from the party. As soon as our absence was noticed, the crowd took to cheering and chanting something about the seed for the Dove.
The walk to the suitor cabin was oddly silent. I tried to concentrate on the man next to me but my thoughts kept drifting to Pike. I imagined him standing naked in the suitor cabin, his cock hard and throbbing, that smug look on his face. Then I imagined tying a rope to the end of his dick and wrapping my fist around the other end, pulling until he was crying into my shoulder, begging me to soothe his pain.
I liked that thought. I wanted to cause Pike pain. And I wanted him inside me. He would make beautiful babies. They’d probably be fucking brats but they’d be my beautiful brats.
I closed my eyes and almost tripped over loose rock on the path. I was trying to prepare my mind to be with Dominic. He deserved that much and more.
“I’m nervous,” he said as he gripped my hand tighter, “but so excited. I want to be with you so bad. I want to feel you, to wrap myself up in you, to breathe you. If you could only feel how my chest feels every time I see you, you’d understand the desire I have burning inside.”
He was saying all the right things. Pike was starting to fade from my mind. I wanted Dominic and would do all I could to see him for the man he was and the husband I would soon have.
We picked the first suitor cabin and entered to find the candles were already lit. Someone had been sent ahead to prepare the room. The scent of roses came from the pedals scattered on the bed.
Dominic closed the door behind us.
“So, this is it,” I said.
I felt like a little girl again, not like the woman I was supposed to be on this day. I needed to wipe that from my mind and channel my sexy side. I closed my eyes for a moment and thought back to that morning when I’d punished Kent with the horse crop. That’s the side of me I needed at the moment.
“Jessica, my Dove,” Dominic said. “I want you to know that you mean…”
I put a finger to his lips to shut him up. We’d have a lifetime for his romantic words. That’s not what I wanted. I wanted to put my pussy where my finger was, right on his lips. I wanted to feel him, to know that he was my man and that every moment from this one forth he would spend trying to please me.
“I want you to shut up,” I told him. “I welcome your sweet words. They mean so much to me. But right now…this is the time where you stop speaking and start doing. Do you understand?”
He nodded and his thick black hair shook a little. His big brown eyes were almost puppy dog like and I tried to remember what I’d heard about Italians. Were they supposed to have big dicks or small ones? I know the girls at the club had mentioned it. I’d have to find out for myself.
“Good, now take off your clothes.”
He hesitated for a moment, then he did as he was told. He unbuttoned his shirt and let it fall to the floor. He had a nice upper body, better than I’d expected. I always thought he looked slightly out of shape, but he wasn’t. At least not from what I could tell. I liked his nipples. They were big, and dark, leftovers from a chubbier childhood more than likely.
I reached out to his right nipple and scissored it between two fingers. His lips trembled. He was so nervous. I loved it. I was too but he’d never know. I was a cool figure, quite good at hiding my emotions.
He kicked his shoes off to the side and fumbled with the button to his jeans.
“Do you need help with that?” I teased.
I looked down at his zipper and let my tongue trace my bottom lip. As I did, I saw him stir beneath his pants. His cock was already growing for me.
Yes, make it grow. We’ll need it to be large and firm.
He managed to undo the button and unzip his pants and immediately the head of his cock poked out of the hole in his boxer shorts.
“I’m sorry,” he said as he was about to tuck it back in but I had other plans.
I reached out and grabbed it, pushing the fabric shorts down to the base of him while I gripped him in my clenched tight fist. I made sure that my nails dug into the flesh a little bit. I looked into his face
and his eyes were closed. His teeth were clenched, savoring the slight pain I gave him.
“Do you like me?” I asked.
“I love you, my Dove.”
“But do you like me?” I asked.
With that, I let go of his cock for a moment and lifted my dress over my head. I tossed it to the ground. I stood facing him in only a pair of white bra and panties. I followed his gaze and saw his eyes were focused on my tits. Through the white cups my nipples were clearly visible, the tan areolas. I put a finger to my left one and circled it, making it erect. With my other hand I regained my grip on his dick.
The Trouble with Virgins (A Dystopian Romance Novella): Daughters of Venus Book 2 Page 4