by Nikki Chase
He looks down at me, his green eyes glinting with wickedness. He smirks.
Maybe not ever.
He leans in, enveloping me with the aroma of tobacco and musk. Then, he claims my mouth.
It’s not the gentle kiss of my fantasies. It’s forceful; almost violent.
For some reason I’ve always imagined Gabe to be a gentle lover because he has such a gentle soul, but this kiss… It kindles a flame inside me that grows hotter by the second.
My head feels light, but I don’t know if it’s the champagne or Gabe that’s intoxicating me.
“Let’s get out of here,” Gabe says, his voice hoarse with lust as he breaks the kiss and pulls away.
“Now?”
“Now.” Gabe grabs my wrist and places my hand between us, on the hot, hard bulge in his pants. “I’m not waiting.”
Oh, shit.
I’m so not prepared for this.
I mean, my body hasn’t gotten the memo that I’m actually not ready, so I’m completely soaked down there, but…
What do I do?
What if I make a fool of myself again, for the second time tonight?
“Well, angel?” Gabe asks impatiently. “Don’t tell me that was empty talk, just like with the smoking.”
How am I going to handle this? I need an actual adult to help me!
Wait.
Karen.
That’s right!
Karen!
She’s my safety net. If I’m stumped—and I obviously am—I can excuse myself and ask her stuff.
“Uh, I’m coming. I just need to pee first,” I say.
“Damn right you’re coming… in more ways than one.” Gabe drags his lips over my ear lobe and my neck as he speaks, sending delicious little tingles down my spine and straight to my core. He says, “My room is in this hotel. You can use my en-suite.”
I rack my brain for a way out so I can find Karen before leaving with Gabe. “I need to grab something at my table.”
“Don’t worry about it. I have the condoms,” he whispers.
“I—It’s not those. I’ll be back,” I stumble all over my words.
“We’ll go together to find your friend, and then we’ll leave together. I can’t take my hands off your hot little body.” As if to prove his own words, Gabe runs his hand all the way down my back and cups my ass, hard and possessive.
I open my mouth. “No, my friend… She…”
Oh, no, what do I say? What’s a good excuse?
“She’s, uh, she’s religious,” I hear myself say.
That’s a good one. That will do.
“Very religious. And judgmental. She won’t want to talk to me anymore if she sees me leaving the party with a guy.”
Gabe sighs in defeat.
“Okay.” He pulls out a card and presses it into my palm. Staring deep into my eyes, he orders, “But don’t come back here. Go to room 512. Understand?”
“Y—yes.” I drop my gaze as my core clenches.
I didn’t know this about myself, but apparently having a strong, powerful man tell me what to do turns me on. I’m completely drenched right now.
In a low, dangerous tone, he adds, “You have ten minutes. If you’re late, I’m going to punish you.”
My breath catches in my throat.
“I’m going to spank you once for every minute you’re late,” he whispers darkly.
Jesus, has Gabe been hacking into my e-reader to read my romance novels?
How does he know I secretly want a man to put me in my place and discipline me?
How does he know exactly what to do to make every cell in my body thrum with desire?
Gabe grabs the base of my skull and pulls me into another forceful kiss. I hold on to his strong arms, tracing the ripples of his muscles underneath the sleeves of his suit. I can’t believe I’m finally going to see Gabe naked.
When Gabe pulls away, I’m panting. His kiss has stolen my breath.
“I’m messing up your hair,” Gabe says when he lets go of me.
I reach my hand up to find that—yes, my updo has come undone in a few places. But I have more pressing matters to deal with. Like the hard package that’s literally pressing up against me.
“You’d better go before I mess up the rest of you,” he whispers. “I want to see you in my bed ten minutes from now, spread-eagled while I taste you and make you lose control of your own body. If you’re late, you’re going to get on your knees and suck my cock.”
Without even thinking, I rub my thighs together, trying to ease the pressure that has been building there.
“I have a feeling you might like that,” Gabe says with a smirk. “But giving someone something they like as punishment wouldn’t make sense, would it?”
I can only shake my head. My mind is too busy imagining all the things Gabe has just said to come up with a verbal answer.
“No, it wouldn’t make any sense at all,” Gabe says. “So while you’re pleasuring me, you also won’t be allowed to touch yourself. Understand, angel?”
I nod.
“You don’t want to be late, do you?”
I shake my head.
“Good. Good girls come on time and at my command.” Gabe softly smacks my ass. “Now go.”
I look up to meet his gaze. In his green eyes, I see power, confidence, lust, and pure, unadulterated, animal instincts. He wants to take me.
“Go before I fuck you right here, on this balcony,” Gabe says. “I’ll see you soon, Jacqueline.”
“Y—yes.”
I turn and walk away, acutely aware that Gabe is watching me—the curve of my ass, the sway of my hips, the zipper down the back of my dress that he’ll pull down ten minutes from now…
I slip into the banquet hall, glancing out into the darkness before I close the door. And just as I expect, Gabe is still watching me like a predator about to pounce.
I pull the door shut and start the long walk to my table.
Damn. I don’t remember my seat being this far from the doors.
What the… Is the carpet different? I feel like I’m sinking deeper with every step.
Oh, Karen! Glad I found her.
“Karen.” I put my hands on the back of her chair. “Glad I found you.”
“How did it go?” she asks.
I glance to the side and see my own chair. That’s right. I have a seat, too. I should take a seat.
“Hey, Jacqueline, are you okay?” Karen seems concerned, but it’s okay.
“I’m okay.”
“You don’t look oka—”
I don’t even get a chance to hear Karen’s whole sentence because suddenly, everything goes dark.
Gabriel
Ten Minutes Later
Where the fuck is she?
I’ve dimmed the lights and poured some wine. Now I’m just sitting here on a couch by the window, facing the door so I’ll see her as soon as she walks in here.
And then, I’ll give her that spanking she’s asking for. I can just imagine her wiggling on my lap with her ass stuck in the air, ready for my palm.
I guess it’s not such a bad thing that she’s late after all. Maybe she’s doing it on purpose because she’s a glutton for punishment.
I saw the way her eyes twinkle with that heady cocktail of lust and apprehension when I mentioned the spanking. I heard her breath get heavier. And I felt her body inch closer when I grabbed her flesh without any warning, and when I pulled her hair.
I know she’s just like me.
This is almost too good to be true.
Jacqueline is gorgeous, and she’s ready to give me her submission.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d suspect my dad of having hired her to seduce me into staying. But he wouldn’t even begin to know the kind of shit I’m into.
Jacqueline’s just the perfect little thing to help me feel better tonight. I’ll enjoy spanking her—I check my watch—seven times.
Oh, she’s in trouble.
My cock is straining
obnoxiously against the fabric of my pants. It’s rock hard and it’s even throbbing.
Fuck this. I don’t have to wait for her to get here to start the party.
I stare angrily at the motionless hotel room door as I undo my belt buckle. I yank off the belt and put it aside. Maybe I’ll use it on her, depending on how big of a pain slut she is.
I can’t wait to get my cock between those juicy lips and into her mouth.
She’s keeping me waiting now, but she’ll regret it. I’ll make her pay. Let’s see how she squirms when I tease her and deny her any orgasm.
I wrap my hand around my cock. Women have widened their eyes and whimpered in fear when they see it. Sometimes they say it’s too big or it’s painful, but they always stop complaining when I make them moan instead.
I make sure women leave my bed craving more. Good girls get to come, while bad girls… Well, bad girls get punished.
And Jacqueline has been a very, very bad girl. She’s been making me wait for fifteen minutes. Where is she? I should already be balls deep inside her by now.
Instead, I’m shuttling my hand up and down my own cock, jerking myself off. My mind goes back to the balcony. I replay her little gasps, her deep sighs, and the sweet submission in her big blue eyes.
I can’t wait to see her shed that red dress and open up for me. The way she succumbed and let me claim her mouth makes me think she’ll spread like hot butter once I get her into bed.
But before that, I’ll make her kneel between my thighs and fuck her mouth—that’ll really ruin her hair.
My arousal builds up as I think about my cock between her pretty lips and her big, doe eyes looking up at me in surrender, as she lets me use her mouth for my own pleasure.
I glance at the digital alarm clock on the nightstand. She’s twenty minutes late.
Fuck it. I’ll blow my load now. That’ll clear my head before she comes in here, so I can focus on punishing her, rather than getting off.
As I feel the come boiling inside my balls, I grab a piece of tissue from the nearby table, just in time for come to explode out of the tip of my cock.
The pressure inside me has abated, and my ragged breaths are gradually becoming more regular. But this orgasm feels empty.
I should’ve come inside a beautiful woman, but instead all I had was a piece of tissue.
She’s almost half an hour late now. I can’t believe she has stood me up.
Maybe she was just pretending to be someone who has one-night stands, just like she tried to pass herself off as a smoker.
I clean myself and go back outside.
I have to find her. She’s not walking away from me, just like that. I don’t even have her number.
As I reach the hall, where the award event has just ended, I regret not keeping an eye on her as she went inside to find her friend.
I thought by keeping my distance, I was helping her fool her friend into thinking she wasn’t leaving with a man.
But maybe she wasn’t fooling her friend. Maybe she was fooling me. Maybe she was only pretending when she said she was going to leave with me.
Jesus, my head is starting to hurt.
“Gabe, there you are,” Dad says as he puts one hand one my shoulder. He pushes me toward the front of the room, where a bunch of old men have gathered.
Damn it. I forgot Dad would be looking for me.
I’m not interested in talking to these people. I have a girl to find.
I nod and smile when Dad’s friends shake my hand one by one, but my eyes continue to scan the hall.
I squint at all the women who are wearing red dresses, studying their features. But even from a distance, I can tell she’s not among them.
Who the fuck is this girl, what does she really want, and where has she disappeared to?
Sam
Age: 4
Hey, that kid took my cheese!
That boy in the blue shirt.
The same boy who kicked my block tower yesterday.
And stepped on my crayons.
Age: 8
Today, both Mom and Dad are home. And they brought a little baby girl with them. They say she's my sister; I’ve always wanted one of those.
She's tiny and her face is all scrunched up. She’s really pink, too.
While Mom and Dad chat with other grown-ups in the baby's room, Sarah takes Ray and me to a house down the street. Her friend from school babysits some kid there.
The kid turns out to be Gabe from my school, and he has the new Nintendo 64. I should ask Sarah to take us there more often. Or I can go myself. Maybe that's okay because his house is just down the road from mine.
Gabe’s pretty cool—kind of quiet and a little scary, sometimes—but he’s cool.
Age: 13
I wonder if Jackie will grow up to be more like a boy than a girl. She's always hanging out with Gabe and me—and Ray too, when he happens to be home, although he's often mean to her.
I wish we could find her a friend, just like how Sarah the babysitter found Gabe for me.
Age: 15
Where has Mom been? I mean, it's not like she was always home before, but we haven't seen her in a week and Jackie is sick. Mom hasn't even responded to any of our texts or phone calls.
We managed to get Jackie to the doctor, thanks to Ray and the new BMW he’d gotten last year for his birthday.
But the doctor told us our parents could get in trouble for not being around at a time like this. Ray and I know how to handle most situations on our own, but we're still kids, legally speaking.
After the doctor’s visit, I feel a lot better, and I think Ray does, too. It's a huge relief to know Jackie’s fine.
Our parents suck. They're never home so Ray and I often have to deal with grown-up stuff ourselves.
Age: 18
I’ve decided. I’m going to go to medical school.
Maybe helping people and saving their lives will give me a sense of purpose.
I hear doctors get hit on by their patients all the time, so that has to be another plus, right?
Should I be worried about the long hours? Everyone says the amount of work for med school students is insane, and it gets even worse for actual doctors.
I don’t mind working hard, but I’m worried about Jackie.
Our parents are never home. Dad’s always traveling for work, and Mom’s always organizing the next biggest fundraising gala for charity.
Ray and I are used to it. We’re both adults, even though neither one of us are of legal drinking age yet. We don’t need our parents as much as Jackie does.
She’s a good kid who doesn’t complain, but I hear her crying in the middle of the night sometimes. I always try to comfort her and I think it helps, but Mom and Dad should be the ones doing this shit.
Maybe they didn’t plan on having Jackie—it’s obvious because she’s eight years younger than me—but they brought her into this world, so it’s their responsibility to take good care of her regardless.
Too bad they’re selfish narcissists who are incapable of empathy.
I’m still going to medical school and becoming a doctor. I just hope Jackie will be okay without me.
Age: 20
College is not as stressful as I thought it would be. In fact, I feel like I’m more relaxed these days.
Maybe it’s the environment. There are a lot of weird people on campus, and people accept them.
I feel like I can be anything I want to be. I don’t have to follow in my parents’ footsteps.
The world is full of possibilities. Things can get better. I just need to find a path for myself, a path to happiness.
That said, I’m actually pretty content these days. My anxiety level is manageable.
I guess I owe a lot of it to Gabe. He’s my new roommate as of last week, and it’s been great.
Now I can actually come home at the end of a long day and rest without feeling pissed off about all the things Mom and Dad have failed to do.
Gabe can�
��t do anything about my situation—no one can. But I just… I don’t know. Talking to him makes me feel a little lighter.
The only downside to all the new developments in my life is… I haven’t been able to spend much time with Jackie. I try to visit as often as I can, and I invite her over to our new apartment too, but it’s not the same.
She’s going to be thirteen soon. Mom really should be here to talk to her about periods and women’s stuff like that, but she’s never home.
I mean, I know all about the actual biological changes a girl goes through during puberty because I learned about those things in class. But I have no idea how to deal with them in day-to-day life.
I can Google that shit and pass on the information to Jackie, but this is not how it’s supposed to be. If it wasn’t for me, Jackie wouldn’t have an adult to talk to about these things.
It’s really not cool that Mom and Dad are neglecting Jackie to the point where she can’t deal without me, but this is the way it always has been and there’s nothing I can do about it.
Jacqueline
The sunlight streaming in through the window jabs me in the eyes.
Why the hell are the curtains open? I usually pull them shut before I go to sleep, so my bedroom is always pitch-black in the morning.
I draw my eyebrows together into a frown.
What time is it?
I reach one hand underneath my pillow, where I usually put my phone before I go to sleep.
It’s not there.
Okay, sometimes it migrates during the night.
I slide my hand over my bed, hoping to touch my phone at some point.
It’s not on the bed either.
Defeated, I peel my eyelids open and squint, letting my eyes slowly adjust to just how bright everything is.
Oh, my phone’s on the nightstand.
Cool. I don’t remember putting it there, but whatever.
9:14!
I’m supposed to be at the hospital in sixteen minutes!
I sit bolt upright in my bed.
I’m not going to make it in time.
Some things are poking into my head.