by Angela Blake
“You’re not making this any easier,” she mumbled gruffly.
“I know, I’m sorry. I just couldn’t help myself,” he buried his face in her hair and inhaled deeply. He spun her around, so she was facing him before he wrapped his arms around her in a hug. Her head fit neatly into his shoulder, and they stood like that for a moment, each unwilling to let the other person go.
“If right now is all we have, then stay for a while longer. I just want to hold you.”
She nodded as she took his hand and pulled him to the couch. She tugged on his hand, so he sat down on the couch, and she sat next to him. She curled her feet underneath her and leaned against his side with his arm wrapped around her. He kissed the side of her head and took her hand in his. She marveled at how good it felt just to simply feel his hand in hers.
She traced his hand with the tip of her thumb and brought it up to her mouth and kissed it gently. He squeezed her shoulder and pulled her closer, so there wasn’t any space between them.
They talked quietly for a few minutes as if they were any other couple in the world, delaying the inevitable separation that loomed on the horizon.
Ten minutes later, Anya regretfully pulled away and gazed at him, “I never got to pleasure you.”
Russel shook his head and gave her a rueful smile, “Are you kidding? Seeing you like that was enough pleasure for me. Besides, it’s probably best that we didn’t. Might’ve made this harder than it already is.” He forced a chuckle.
She gave him a grim smile, “I guess you’re right, but maybe at least from on top?”
Before he could protest, Anya’s hands had found their way to his zipper, and she freed him before she set to work stroking him up and down. She didn’t need much work because he was already ready to go, probably due to their earlier escapades.
Her gaze met his squarely as she watched him struggle to maintain eye contact all the way until the end when his eyes rolled in the back of his head. He breathed heavily as his head rolled back.
He expelled a deep breath before he came back up and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.
“Happy birthday, Anya,” he said softly as he removed his arms from around her. He stood up and gave her his hand. She wordlessly took it and headed to the kitchen to get her purse. Neither of them said anything as Anya put on her coat and grabbed her purse.
She took one last look at Russel, who stood there with his hands braced on the kitchen counter, his jaw set, and a resolute look in his eye before she shut the door behind her, letting the door click with a finality that had her heart ache painfully.
Chapter 5
She thanked the taxi driver as she handed him his fare and stepped out of the car. The smell of alcohol, smoke and stale sweat hit her from the pavement. She wrinkled her nose at the smell, never really liking the smell of clubs.
She felt the pavement vibrate slightly because of the pulsing music that came from the big double doors. She stumbled slightly, unused to being in heels before she righted herself and strode towards the door with purpose.
She just had to walk away from a great guy to save a friendship and a father-daughter relationship, so she was determined to get trashed tonight to forget.
Once she stepped inside the club, she winced as the music assaulted her ears, making her skull vibrate with the frequency. She shrugged off her coat and made a beeline for Lisa who wasn’t hard to find, standing off to the side with a huge group of people.
She weaved in and out of the crowds. As soon as Lisa spotted her, a smile broke out across her face, and Anya was reminded me of why the decision was made. Sweet, loyal and fierce Lisa. How could she have even considered betraying her like that?
She hung her head in shame at what had transpired between them in that office. They had gotten swept up in the heat of the moment, but they could never allow it to happen again.
“Never again,” she murmured to herself as she approached Lisa, a small smile playing on her lips.
“I’m so sorry, Lis. I made it here as fast as I could.”
Lisa waved her apology away as she signaled to a waiter who was passing by. She ordered shots, two long island iced teas and a glass of red wine.
“That’s a lot to drink,” Anya’s eyebrow went up as she realized those drinks were mostly for them.
“We’re Celebrating, An! Tomorrow, we will both free of the hell hole they call college, and as of yesterday, you are officially an adult.”
“Are things okay with your mum?”
Anya gave her a blank stare. “My mum? What about her?”
Lisa gave her a puzzled look. “Didn’t you say there was some sort of emergency with your mum? Or was it your Dad?”
Anya shrugged uncomfortably as she studiously avoided Lisa’s gaze. Their drinks arrived a minute later, and Anya took a long gulp of her screwdriver before she was able to face Lisa, “Yeah, everything’s fine. She just had an emotional moment, you know how it goes, realizing that her little girl is all grown up and will probably move away soon.”
“You already live in the dorms though, so it’s not that big of an adjustment,” Lisa pointed out as she sipped on her drink.
“Mums can be emotional,” Anya offered as she sprinkled salt over her hand, and tilted back her shot. She immediately began sucking on a wedge of lemon as Lisa watched her carefully.
Lisa took her hand and lead her to a couch in the corner where they both plopped down.
“You’re not a big drinker, Anya. What’s wrong?”
Anya cursed her inability to hide her feelings. She wished she had a good poker face because then she could easily avoid situations like this.
Anya sighed as she felt the alcohol burn through her system. She was already starting to feel it work its magic, and since Anya was a light head, she felt her muscles loosen, and her inhibitions slowly begin to lower themselves, so she leaned back against the couch and watched Lisa, wishing she could tell her the truth.
“There’s this guy I like,” she hedged.
Lisa put her drink down and turned to face her, “What? Since when? Why didn’t you say anything?”
Anya shrugged uncomfortably, “I guess because until tonight I wasn’t sure he liked me back, but today I discovered I don’t just like him, Lis. I have feelings for him, and he feels the same way.”
Lisa frowned, “Why do I feel like there’s a but coming on?”
Anya brushed her hair out of her eyes, “Probably because there is, he’s older.”
Lisa cocked her head to the side, “yeah, so? We already established that you like older guys, what’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing’s wrong with that, he’s amazing, we talk for hours about all sorts of stuff, and he makes me feel incredible, Lis,” Anya trailed off as she noticed the funny look Lisa was giving her.
“An, I’ve known you a long time, and I’ve never seen your eyes sparkle the way they are right now, and I’ve never seen you go on about a guy like that. You’ve got it bad.”
“Yeah,” she miserably laid her head in between her arms.
“So what’s the problem?” she pressed gently.
“If he dates me, his daughter might never forgive him because I’m about her age, and the thing is I know his daughter, I care about her, and I really don’t want to hurt her either.”
Lisa pursed her lips as she studied her, “I see, well if you and this guy think it’s worth it then you need to talk about telling his daughter in a way that she might be sympathetic to. Surely, if she sees that what you feel isn’t wrong, she’ll come around.”
Anya gave Lisa a small smile, “Maybe.”
“Alright, enough of that, you’re not allowed to be sad on your birthday, so let’s dance.”
Lisa stood up and yanked on Anya’s hand till she was on her feet, they made their way to the dance floor where Lisa began twisting and twirling looking very attractive as a lot of the guys on the dance floor gravitated towards her, but she only had eyes for her boyfrie
nd who came up from behind her.
She pressed her body against his and began to move her hips while he ran his hands up and down her body. Anya stood self-consciously for a while before she grabbed a shot from a passing waiter. She downed it quickly and allowed her buzz to escalate into full on tipsy before she started to dance.
Before she knew it, she was pressed up against a guy who was doing a very good job helping her forget all about Russel. She spun around, so she was pressed up against his chest, and she ran her hand up and down his chest as she lowered her lashes and gave him a flirty grin.
Her dance partner gave her a devilish smile as his hands traveled down till they lay on her ass and squeezed. A flash of annoyance shot through Anya before she stamped it down telling herself that she wanted this. That she couldn’t have Russel, and that tonight of all nights, she didn’t want to feel undesirable or lonely.
The man’s hands moved forward, so they were cupping her breasts. Lost in the haze of alcohol, Anya pressed herself to him and hooked one leg around his, and her dress hiked up a little bit.
The man made a low guttural sound and buried his head in her neck where he began to lightly nibble. Flashes of Russel doing the same thing had Anya freeze in her spot as she tried to think clearly. She might not be able to think clearly, but she definitely didn’t want this guy hanging all over her.
She brought her hand up and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up at her through hooded eyelids, “Want to leave already? Wow, you are impatient.”
“Actually, no,” she tried to keep the disgust out of her voice because it wasn’t directed at him, it was at herself, “I just want you to stop.”
The man chuckled as he pinched her ass, “Very funny, sweetheart. That’s not the vibe I was getting just now.”
Anya shot him a look, “I know what was happening earlier, I just don’t want to anymore.”
All traces of humor vanished from the man’s face as his eyes darkened, “So you think you can just lead a guy on like that? Dance all provocatively then stop when you get bored.”
A tiny prickle of fear began to worm its way up, and Anya glanced around for Lisa or her boyfriend, but they were probably off somewhere making out. Anya steeled herself and swallowed back the fear, she was sure he wouldn’t try to force her here in the middle of a crowded dance floor.
“I shouldn’t have lead you on, but dancing provocatively doesn’t mean I’ll sleep with you. Now if you’ll excuse me,” she stepped to the side, but he blocked her path.
He gazed at her, his nostrils flaring, his putrid breath suddenly hitting her senses as she wondered why she even started dancing with him in the first place, “Where do you think you’re going?” He placed a hand on her arm, and Anya deftly removed his arm and twisted it behind his back, “Don’t ever touch me like that again.”
He nodded painfully before she released him, “Whore,” he spat out. She walked up to him menacingly before she felt a pair of broad arms wrap around her from the back.
“Let me go.” She struggled furiously before she heard Russel’s face in her ear, “relax, Anya. He’s already afraid of you, he’s just trying to salvage his pride.”
“Jackass!” She called out hotly as she struggled to free herself of Russel’s vice like grip. The man opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Russel had released Anya and strode over to him. He punched the man squarely in the face before he stood up and dusted off his pants.
He casually made his way towards Anya who was watching him shell shocked. He cupped her face in his hands as he casually checked her over. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
“I’m fine.” A smile tugged on the corner of her lips. “Not that I couldn’t handle it, you know.”
“Oh, I know, I was watching for five minutes ready to pounce till I saw how you twisted his arm behind his back like that, nice grip by the way.”
Anya blushed, “Thanks,” her smile fell away, “what are you doing here?”
“I was grabbing a drink with some buddies from work, then I saw you from across the dance floor,” he leaned his forehead against hers, “Took everything I had to just stand there and not yank that guy away and dance with you instead.”
Anya breathed deeply as she allowed the scent of him to wash over her. Their spell was broken when a pair of high heels sounded on the floor, “What the hell is going on?”
***
They both froze as jumped apart guiltily. Anya began to rub her arms up and down to ward off the sudden chill, “Lis, I can explain.”
Lisa looked shocked as she stared from her dad to her best friend, “He’s the older guy you were telling me about?”
Russel threw her a look which she ignored as she took a step forward, “Lisa, I meant what I said, I won’t ruin your relationship with your father, nor will I risk our friendship, you have to believe that. This guy was just getting handsy and Ru-“
“Your father,” she hastened to correct herself, “Just came over to see if I needed help, that’s all.”
Lisa opened and closed her mouth separate times as she looked between the two of them, “I give up.” She said suddenly.
“What?” They both echoed in unison.
“I could see that you two were attracted to each other from the minute I brought you home, but I thought it was just attraction, and I mean you’re my best friend, and he’s my dad, but I’ve seen the way you two look at each other when you think I don’t notice, and I’ve seen the connection you two have.”
Lisa threw her hair across her shoulder, “Now maybe I’m drunk, and I’ll regret this in the morning, but I honestly don’t care if you two date. I mean it is going to be weird as hell, but I’m not getting in the way of your happiness.”
She gave both of them a wide smile before she grabbed Patrick’s hand and walked off. They both gazed after her, wondering what just happened before they looked at each other, identical smiles of relief and happiness spread out across their faces.
She threw herself at him, and he hugged her tightly, nearly tripping over because of the weight of her impact.
“Now then, how do you feel about a real date followed by eating food off of someone else?”
She responded by throwing her head back and laughing as he lowered her to the floor, and they began to dance slowly, caught in their own little bubble.
THE END
In The Sea: A Workplace Romance
Chapter One
Ashlyn had barely thrown her bag on the bed assigned to her before she hurried out the house’s back door. There was nothing like the beach, and she didn’t want to wait to hear the sound of the waves and feel the warm sand between her toes. The beach was one of her favorite places ever, even though she had only been a few times. She was like a mermaid when it came to the water, and she had tried out for the swim team solely so that she could spend time in the pool at her high school.
“Wow!” Ashlyn said quietly as she stood at the edge of the steps that came down on the beachside of the dunes. She kicked her flipflops off and tossed them to the side beside a few other pairs of flipflops. She was at the beach, and the crew was going to be there for two full weeks.
“Thank goodness for beach scenes,” Ashlyn murmured. She looked around, but the beach was fairly empty. Most people weren’t quite off work yet, and the all-dayers had gotten tired already. It was the perfect time. “Too bad I didn’t take time to put on my swimsuit. I’ll just dip my toes in.” Ashlyn began walking along the edge of the beach, the cool water making the sand squish beneath her toes.
Mark was trying to invade her thoughts, but Ashlyn was trying to push him out. She had pretty much ignored him as much as possible after their interesting encounter. He was still nice to her, and he acted like every gentleman should. Ashlyn was doubting herself. Maybe she really had said something that made him think what he did was okay. If she didn’t remember, then she could have said yes.
Ashlyn gazed out over t
he ocean. It stretched on to the horizon. The beach wrapped around and stuck out, creating almost an inlet. The waves were tough, and Ashlyn knew that the current would tug strongly under the top layer of water.
Ashlyn froze as she saw something splashing in the water. She first saw hands flailing, then she caught a brief glance of a head. All was silent as the person disappeared, then the person bobbed up again and frantically gulped in air.
Ashlyn didn’t have to think a moment longer. This person was drowning! She had to save him! Ashlyn plunged into the water, her clothes still on. She fought through the breakers and soon reached a smoother part of the ocean, but by now, her feet were barely touching. Ashlyn took a deep breath and began swimming as fast as she could, the weight of her shorts tugging down at her waist. She didn’t care. She pushed onward.
Ashlyn reached the bobbing man, and she saw that he was bigger than she was. Luckily, the salt in the water would help him stay somewhat afloat as she pulled him to a safer depth. Ashlyn wrapped an arm around the man’s chest, seeing the surprise in his eyes as she grabbed on to him. She didn’t have time for formalities. She had to help this person. He might die if she left him out here.
He started fighting against her, but Ashlyn knew how to save a life. She steadily pulled him toward shore. She moved a lot slower with him in tow, but she finally made it to where she could safely stand and the current’s pull was not too strong.
The man started coughing. Ashlyn looked at him and wondered if she should pat his back or tell him to raise his arms, but as she moved toward him, he took a step away.
“Can you breathe?” she asked, ready to perform CPR if necessary.
The man nodded his head up and down. As Ashlyn watched him, she couldn’t believe it. Was he laughing? What was he laughing about? Ashlyn gently bobbed in the waves as she looked at this strange man who was laughing about a near-death experience.
“Do you need help making it to shore?” Ashlyn tried again, trying to help the man as much as possible. Maybe he was a lunatic as well. Maybe that was why he was in the middle of the ocean in the first place.