by Kate Benson
“I’m not being a jerk, Evie. Despite our history, things are different now. I’d never want to make you feel bad,” he says genuinely before his lips begin to quirk up on either side. “But I’m also not gonna lie and tell you that the girl who’s way too good for me acting possessive and staking her claim doesn’t do something to me.”
“So, me getting jealous is a turn-on for you?” I scoff. “Seriously?”
“Don’t twist my words,” he smirks, resting his finger over my lips when I start to argue. “I know it’s not easy for you, but you’re going to have to learn to trust me. I told you there was nothing to worry about and I meant it, didn’t I?”
“Yeah,” I nod.
“See? You got yourself all worked up for nothing. Those girls never meant shit to me.”
“I heard some of the things they were saying to you,” I whisper, my head starting to swim as he teases my lips with his tongue. “And some of them were really hot.”
“I’m not sure why that matters. They’re all gone now,” he husks, holding my eyes. “And you’re the one who’s about to get fucked on a barstool.”
chapter fifteen
evie
Before I can manage much more than his name slipping from my chest in a rasp, his lips are on mine again, stealing my kiss.
He’s rougher with me this time, one hand still holding me in place as the other pushes into my shirt, gripping my breast. He starts nipping and sucking his way down my neck before he bends at the waist, burying his lips into my cleavage, gripping me tight on my hips.
“No one’s gonna catch us this time, right?” I ask as he lifts my top, baring my stomach as he crouches between my legs and teases my navel with his tongue, staring at me hungrily. “You locked the door? Shut off all the cameras?”
“Of course,” he promises as he bites into the skin on my hip, pulling a gasp of pleasure from me. “Scream as loud as you want, my little monster,” he teases, gripping the back of my knees as his hot breath washes over my sex. “No one can save you now.”
He yanks the thong away from my skin roughly, his wet tongue darting out to taste me before he covers me with his mouth.
“Holy shit,” I whimper, the sensation pushing through me sending me into a frenzy.
My hand flies to his hair instinctively and I grip it hard into my fist, pulling a growl from him loud enough to drown out my moans.
In only minutes, I’m sailing, desperate as he laps up the first waves of my orgasm, his palms gripping my ass so tightly, I’m sure he’s bruising my skin. As he stands, hovering over me, I’m already spent, but he’s just getting started.
“How could you think I’d want anyone else when your cunt is all I’ve been craving all day, sugar?” he mewls against my lips, the sound of him unbuckling his belt and pushing his jeans down just enough to free himself making me bite down on my lip hard. “Come here,” he orders, pulling my limp arms around his neck.
He grips my hips and ass in his palms, my knees bent over his elbows as he lifts me onto his length and pushes himself inside deep. He holds me there for a moment before he widens his stance and my body naturally sinks lower onto his length, taking him completely.
My mouth falls open, his palms spread out over my ass gripping me as my hold on him tightens, his eyes never leaving mine.
His arms begin to move, lifting me up his shaft before sliding me back down, his hips grinding into me slowly at first, increasing to meet my shallowed breaths. As my walls begin to clench around him, the intensity of his gaze, his length almost too much to bear, he increases his pace, thrusting deeper until I’m reduced to animalistic moans minced with unintelligible profanity.
“Come on, baby. Let me hear you scream,” he mewls, his nurturing tone completely contradicting the force behind his movements, the loud huffs leaving my chest slowly turning into wails of pleasure. “I’ve wanted to fuck you on top of this bar ever since the night I picked you up from that airport.”
I unravel at his words as he plows into me, the delicious force making me feel like he’s about to split me in half as I fall apart around him. I cry out, my eyes tearing at the intensity of my climax as his name echoes off the walls around us, my fingernails biting into his skin. His gaze never leaves me, his eyes shifting from dominant to hooded approval as I fall completely under his spell. As I come down, my cheeks flush knowing he’d both given me and watched as I experienced the best orgasm of my life. Some girls might get embarrassed, but it only makes me want him more.
He takes a few steps toward the bar, dropping me on the surface as he steps on the stools to climb on top of me, keeping my legs spread with his elbows as he pushes back inside me.
The bar is still slightly damp with liquor, but all I smell and taste is him as he holds me down, his fists in my hair as he fucks me ruthlessly, chasing his own release.
A moment later he finds it, my name leaving his lips in a growl before clamping down on the arch of my shoulder with his teeth and pulling me into the abyss with him.
We collapse with heavy breaths, him falling down beside me, holding me close enough to promise we stay on the narrow bar we’d just defiled.
“Son of a bitch,” he pants, hooking his arm around my neck as he rests his lips against my hair, smirking as he lifts a couple of dollar bills peeking from beneath us. “That was some rap video fuckin’, baby.”
A breathless chuckle leaves my chest as I push my wild hair away from my face, glancing up at him.
“Kiss me,” I breathe, savoring in the way he raises slightly to hover over me, his palm gently grazing my stomach as he presses his lips to mine.
He tangles his legs with mine, his hand moving to my waist as he sucks my lower lip, nipping gently before sliding his tongue against mine and kissing me deep. When I pull away for air a moment later, he runs his lips down my neck, raising my damp shirt and dipping lower to gently lap at my nipple before his eyes come back to mine, teasing my lips with another kiss.
“Hmm…” he hums against my mouth, sliding his hand under my skirt and palming my sex. “Hey, baby? Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” I whisper, staring up at him, my fingers stroking his beard.
“Well, it’s a little embarrassing,” he admits, my eyebrows quirking together. “I don’t really know how to say it.”
“What is it?”
“I know this was your first night,” he starts, his lips moving into a smirk. “But you know waitresses are supposed to tip out the bartender, right?”
***
“I’m hungry,” I say as he sets the alarm and ushers me out the back door of the bar, locking it quickly.
“Yeah, I could eat,” he admits, glancing down at me. “What sounds good?”
“I don’t know,” I yawn, glancing down at my phone. “I’m not sure what’s open this…” The sound of something in the alley cuts me off, startling me enough to have me stepping closer to him. “Did you hear that?”
“Yeah,” he says, his voice just as low as mine as he uses his arm to pull me behind him. “Go get in the truck,” he orders gently. “I’m sure it was nothing, I’ll just go check it out.”
“Are you insane?” I whisper harshly, gripping his arm.
“Babe, I’m sure it’s nothing,” he promises again, kissing my hair. “But just in case…”
“It could be a serial killer!”
“Jesus Christ,” he shakes his head, taking my hand and shoving me behind him again. “Fine, come on. We can get hacked together.”
He clears the distance quietly despite the way I cling to him, the darkness doing little to hide his annoyance at my defiance. We’re nearly to the corner of the alley where we’d heard the sound when something shifts behind the dumpster.
“Oh, my God!” I jolt, jumping onto his back and cowering into his neck. “I changed my mind! Take me back to the truck!”
“Baby…” he chuckles, glancing over his shoulder at me as he gives my thigh a squeeze. “Breathe,” he moves a flattened box
out of the way. “It’s just a cat.”
“Oh,” I exhale, opening one eye and peeking over his shoulder before I slide down his back. “Poor baby,” I sigh, bending to get a closer look beneath the dim streetlight. I lure him over, his patchy fur dingy from having been outside as he begins to purr at the affection. “How long do you think he’s been back here?”
“I don’t know,” Dash shrugs, taking an easy step forward to see if he can find a collar or tag, but finding nothing. “I mean, he was obviously someone’s pet once or he never would have let you pick him up, but he doesn’t look like he’s had a home in a while.”
“What happened to your family, boy?” I croon, scratching the fur beneath his chin, grinning when he begins to lean into my palm. “Oh, my God, he’s so cute. Look at that face.”
“This cat is many things, but cute ain’t one of them,” he disagrees with a smirk, taking in his lazy eye and broken tail, earning an offended look from both of us.
“You’re such a jerk,” I shake my head, returning my attention back to the cat. “What should we call you?”
“How about ‘the stray cat that lives behind the bar?’” he replies. “That’s got a nice ring to it.”
“We can’t just leave him here, baby. He’ll starve!”
“Evie, you cannot be serious,” he stares back at me in amazement. “He weighs like thirty pounds! That cat’s eating better than we are, baby. There’s no way he’s going to starve.”
“Whatever,” I roll my eyes. “I’m still not leaving him on his own, Dash.”
“Well, what do you want to do, babe?” he asks. “You wanna try calling a shelter or something?”
“It’s like three o’clock in the morning,” I shake my head, still stroking the cat lovingly. “And even if it wasn’t, there aren’t any no-kill shelters around here and the other ones are all over populated. If we take him there, he might not have a chance.”
“How would you know that?” he looks at me suspiciously. “You find one stray cat and all of a sudden you’re a cat whisperer?”
“It’s common knowledge, jackass,” I roll my eyes again. “The only thing we can do is take him ho-”
“No!” he cuts me off, shaking his head immediately. “No fuckin’ way, Evie.”
“We don’t have a choice, Dash! He’s going to die.”
“He’s not going to die and we do have a choice and my choice is that I don’t want a fucking cat,” he says bluntly, his tone softening at my expression. “Even if I did, I’m hardly ever home.”
“Fine,” I shrug. “He can be my cat then.”
“And where are you going to keep him while you’re at school for two more months? Do the dorms let you have pets?” he asks, watching me shake my head. I’m about to argue, but he cuts me off. “And your mom? She’s moving. You know your brother isn’t going to take care of a cat. Even if he wasn’t pissed off at us, he can barely take care of himself and he works just as much as I do.”
“I know, but…”
“I’m sorry. I’m really not trying to be a dick, baby, but no.”
“Dash…”
“No,” he shakes his head again, not letting me finish. “There are a million things I would do for you, but I don’t want a fucking cat. They shed everywhere, they have fleas, most of them are assholes, you have to clean their shit out of a disgusting box and even if I had time, I don’t want to do it.”
“So, you’re willing to let him die because you’re lazy?”
“He’s not going to die, Evie!” he argues, frustrated. “Look at him! He’s fine! He’s probably been living behind the bar for over a month and you didn’t even know about it.”
“I know about it now,” I huff. “I have to do something, Dash! I can’t just leave him here.”
“Why not?”
“Because I love him!”
“You love him?” he asks in disbelief.
“Yes.”
“Well, what about me? You love me.”
“So, what?” I shrug. “What’s that got to do with anything?”
“I don’t love that cat.”
“But you love me.”
“Yeah, but just because I love you doesn’t mean I’m taking care of a cat for you.”
“Then I obviously love you more than you love me!”
“Well, maybe you do,” he laughs, shielding himself when I balk at him. “I’m just fuckin’ kidding, baby.”
“So, we can take him?”
“Absolutely not,” he shakes his head.
“But I love him!” I stamp my foot childlishly, holding him closer.
“Oh, my God!” he groans. “First of all, bullshit. You don’t love him. Second of all, I’m sorry, but I’m putting my foot down on this. I’ll ask around, try and help you find someone to take him if it really means something to you, but he’s not coming home with us, babe.”
chapter sixteen
dash
Over the past decade, I’ve received more than my fair share of death glares from women. Evie King might be the reigning champ, but I can count on one hand the amount of times she’s looked at me like this.
It’s never ended well.
She turns away from me slowly, whispering her regret dramatically to her overweight accomplice before she sets him back down beside the small mound of scraps she’d taken him from. Her voice as she promises to check on him soon is doting, but as she rises and squares her shoulders to face me, her features are anything but. I reach for her, honestly surprised she’s reacting so strongly, but she refuses my touch.
“Evie,” I start, but she ignores me and marches angrily toward my truck, slamming the door behind her in a fury.
We ride in silence, the only sound coming from within the truck the low hum of the radio. As we pull up to the apartment, I try to speak to her again, hoping the short ride has given her enough time to calm down. Instead, I’m met with her slipping from the cab before she slams the door shut a second time and stomps up the stairs.
“What do you want to eat?” I ask in an attempt to sway the conversation as I close the door behind us and we make our way inside, but I’m still met with silence. “Evie, I’m talking to you.”
“I hear you,” she admits, kicking her shoes off and setting her purse onto the table.
“Well, fuckin’ answer me then,” I insist irritably, my patience gone as I toss my keys onto the bar.
“I’m not hungry.”
“You were twenty minutes ago,” I argue as I head into the kitchen, pulling a beer from the fridge.
“Yeah? Well, I’m not now,” she huffs, discreetly wiping her cheek clean before taking a step toward me. “Can I have a bottle of water?”
“You know you don’t have to ask,” I toss my cap onto the counter and reach into the fridge, handing her one.
“Yeah, I thought I knew a lot of things twenty minutes ago,” she mumbles, shaking her head in frustration before she steps away from me.
I try to let it go, I really do, but her words cut deep and the next thing I know, I’m following her out of the kitchen.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing,” she lies, still refusing to face me.
“Bullshit,” I argue, gently tugging at her arm and turning her to face me. “Say what you need to say.”
“I don’t need to say anything, Dash.”
“Obviously you do or you wouldn’t be acting all pissy and cryptic,” I call her out, crossing my arms. “So, let’s hear it. What’d you mean by that?”
“Fine. You wanna fight? Let’s fight, Dash,” she smirks, although it holds no humor. “What I meant by that is that you’re an asshole,” she spits out. “You’re fine when you’re getting your way and I’m all cute and fun, but the second I ask you for anything that won’t benefit your dick, you’re putting your foot down? What the fuck is that about?”
“Oh, really?” I laugh, eyes wide. “That’s your angle, huh? You’re just my poor, mistreated, peasant girlfriend and
I’m an asshole who’s only happy when my dick’s wet? Did I miss anything?”
“That’s not what I said. Don’t twist my words.”
“That is what you said,” I counter. “And you can get as mad as you want, but we both know that’s bullshit.”
“Well, what the hell do you call it?”
“What do I call it?” I counter. “I call it you being a spoiled little princess who didn’t get her way, probably for the first time in her life, so now you’re throwing a fucking tantrum.”
“I’m not throwing a tantrum!” she argues, stamping her foot, proving my point.
“Well, if this ain’t a tantrum,” I raise my brow, gesturing toward her. “Then what the fuck is?”
“Oh, shut up!” she spits. “Dash, I asked you for help with something that mattered to me and not only did you laugh in my face, you wouldn’t even listen to what I had to say!”
“Well, maybe I would listen to you if the shit you were saying made a lick of sense,” I blurt, making her even madder. “I mean, Jesus. You’ve known about the fuckin’ cat for maybe thirty minutes your whole life, baby. How fucking deeply could you be affected by it?”
“Enough!” she shouts, fuming when I roll my eyes. “God! This is exactly what I’m saying, Dash! You’re so self-involved that you don’t even see it, do you?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“That might have just been a dingy stray to you, but he had no one. He had no home, no idea where his next meal was coming from,” she shrugs. “I mean, you said it yourself. He came from a family who probably loved him and look where he ended up. They just threw him out onto the streets for reasons he may not even understand. He’s just on his own,” she continues. “Any of that sound familiar?”
I stare at her for a second, the expression she’s wearing telling me her reasoning should be sound and obvious, but I still have no idea what she’s talking about.
“Not really.”
“Me, Dash! That cat is me!”
“Oh, my God,” I whisper, her words making me stop all movement as I rake my palm over my beard before shaking my head at her. “I was fucking with you all the times I accused you of it, but you actually are insane.”