by Marian Tee
Then she looked up at him with a mischievous smile.
Park stiffened. “Violet,” he said warningly, not liking the twinkle in her eyes. “Don’t—” He inhaled sharply as he felt the soft, gentle brush of her hand against his dick, just before her fingers curled around his length and squeezed.
He sucked his breath in harder.
“Do you want me to stop?” she asked innocently. It was so fun teasing Park like this! It had been such a long time since she had allowed herself to be like this again. And if she were honest with herself, she had never actually been this playful, this forward, with any other guy, not even with…him.
He glared down at her. “Don’t you fucking dare.”
She laughed, but it died halfway when he suddenly pulled her with him, even with her fingers around his dick, taking them near the door. He leaned back against the glass partition next to the doors, and as he hugged her tightly with both arms this time, one hand made its way to her breast and squeezed before pinching her nipples.
She gasped.
He pinched again, twisting and pulling her nipple as well.
Violet closed her eyes, fearing she’d moan if she looked up and saw Park’s gorgeous face.
“More?” he whispered in his ear. Normally, Park didn’t do this kind of thing with a woman—not even with his ex—but something about Violet made him want to do something reckless. Besides, he was sure that no one they knew was around, giving him the confidence to act a little more on his urges.
And right now, all his urges had to do with fucking Violet. He was dying to sink his dick into her again and take her sweet cunt again and again.
Shit! The thought alone had him hard and aching already.
Violet’s fingers curled more tightly around him all of a sudden, making him jerk, and he looked down at her with a little shock when she started stroking him.
She smiled up at him, the smile sexy and wicked. “More?” she asked innocently.
“Fuck yes,” he answered hoarsely.
She laughed, the sound breathless, even as her fingers moved even more surely and faster.
He stopped the sweet movement of her hand when he felt he was about to come, the same time the train stopped at their station.
“Park?” He was dragging her with him, walking so fast she had to run just to stay close to him.
She let out a little cry when he suddenly made a turn, taking them inside an empty restroom. He kicked the door shut and locked it. Her eyes widened and her voice was a mixture of trepidation and excitement as she called his name again. “Park?”
“I need a taste of you,” Park growled, sinking to his knees. In seconds, he had flipped her skirt up, pulled her panties to the side, and tongued her.
Violet fell back against the wall, panting. “Park.” This time, the sound came out strangled.
He answered by pushing her folds wide open so he could slide his tongue inside, taking a deeper taste of her.
She moaned, not caring who would hear her. “Please…” Her legs shook at the effort to stay upright and somehow her fingers found their way to his head, threading through his hair and then gripping it hard to keep his head there, kissing her the way she had never dreamt was possible.
Park moved up, sucking her clit the same time he slid two fingers into her.
Violet screamed, the lightning-bolt of pleasure taking her by surprise. He didn’t stop sucking, didn’t stop thrusting his fingers into her as she continued to come against his mouth, her body shaking uncontrollably.
It felt like an eternity had passed when Violet managed to look down, still a little dazed. Park was fixing her panties before pulling her skirt down. He glanced up, meeting her bright eyes with his own hooded ones.
Violet started. Somehow, even though she had been the one to come apart in Park’s arms, Park seemed to be the one feeling more exposed.
She pulled him up by the lapels, and he let her. On his feet, he towered over her easily, and she raised her hands a little higher so she could cup his face. “Hey.”
Park didn’t say anything.
“Why is it like this feels like I’m guilty of statutory rape?”
He blinked as her words sank in, then he smiled slightly. But he still didn’t say anything. She let one of her hands drift down, pressing it against his heart. It beat madly, knocking hard against his chest.
Her eyes widened in realization. “Is this the first time you’ve done something like this?”
Park’s upper lip curled.
She started to laugh. “It is, isn’t it? And that’s why you’re bothered.”
Park’s face became cold. “I’m sorry if I’m overreacting,” he snarled, his voice sharper than usual. “I guess I’m just not as used to kissing my friends as you seem to be.” He said the words with a part of him hoping she would take offense because then it would make Violet like the rest of the women he knew.
But she didn’t.
Violet only shook her head, a soft smile on her lips. “I’m only like this with you.”
Park let his eyes do the talking. Ha! Like he’d believe her.
Violet almost felt defensive. “It’s the truth!”
“Then tell me why it’s so, if it’s the truth.”
She opened and closed her mouth several times, with nothing coming out.
He raised an arrogant brow at her.
Violet threw her hands up. “Oh come on, Park, I have the same reasons as you do,” she burst out. “I’m like this…I’m doing this with you because I know you’ll…we’ll…” She lifted her shoulders in a helpless shrug, feeling terribly exposed as she uttered the next words. “All this is okay because I know we aren’t in love and we’re going to fall in love with each other.”
The truth of her words couldn’t be denied, not with the way her voice shook. Park was never the type to pry but with Violet, he had this crazy urge to find out everything about her and now was no different. “Why?” he asked baldly. “Why are you against love so much?” Most girls tended to embrace it, and especially with a guy like him. He wasn’t being conceited about it. That was just the way the world worked, with most girls preferring to fall in love with a guy who was loaded, and if possible, reasonably attractive, too.
Violet was still smiling at him. “I could ask you the same thing, Park.”
That got a chuckle out of him. “Touché.”
Even now, hearing Park chuckle when he was taciturn most of the time, did something weird to her. What they had now was surreal, something she had never thought she’d be lucky enough to experience after everything that had happened.
Violet hesitated at what she was about to say, knowing it could ruin the friendship she had with Park. She took a deep breath. “Park, look. I’ll be the first one to admit it.” With her hand still on his chest, it was easy for Violet to feel him stiffen at her words. “I’m attracted to you.”
Park stiffened even more.
“But,” she added quickly, “that’s it. There’s nothing more. It’s been two years since I was in a…relationship.” She looked away, not wanting Park to accidentally see anything in her eyes. The memories still burned because they reminded her of her old self, the pathetic Violet that allowed herself to be defined by someone else.
“It’s been two years since I last allowed myself to be close to a guy in any way. I just didn’t want to risk any guy misunderstanding. I didn’t want to risk myself trusting the wrong guy…again.” She swallowed hard. “But with you, I know I could be assured that either won’t happen.” Violet forced herself to look up to Park. “Right?”
Park didn’t hesitate. “Whatever you want out of our friendship, it’s yours.” He closed his hand over hers, pressing it closer to his chest. “And whatever you don’t want will never happen, I promise.” He still didn’t quite understand what happened to Violet in the past, but he understood enough that she had been hurt by it, maybe as hurt as he had been, and that kind of hurt wasn’t easily healed. It certainly didn’t make
you want to love again, and for now that was good enough for him.
Her fingers entwined with his. “Thanks.” Her voice was a little wobbly with emotion. Somehow it felt like they had crossed another barrier and when they were still reeling from what happened last night. Everything seemed to be moving too fast, but at the same time it was as if everything was moving to something right.
Chapter Ten
Park was on his way to Violet’s classroom when the musical sound of her laughter reached him. As he turned around the corner that led to the hallway of her class, he caught sight of Violet’s professor leaving in a hurry. He checked his watch with a frown, wondering if he was late, but his watch told him he was indeed fifteen minutes early.
As he walked nearer to her class, the conversation became more defined, and he easily recognized Violet’s voice together with the other people in her class.
“Wait up, Vi.” Without a doubt that was Hiroshi. Park tried not to bristle at how familiar that ‘Vi’ sounded falling from the younger man’s lips. Violet had told him about the dark haired half-Japanese half-New Zealander, who had shamelessly declared his undying love for her in front of the entire class a few days ago.
Park was pretty sure Hiroshi wasn’t the only one who had fallen under Violet’s spell. Every time he found the time to drop by at Violet’s class, he noticed that more and more men were openly scowling at him, a sure sign of jealousy.
“What is it?” Violet’s voice made him stop dead in his tracks.
“I was thinking I could walk you to work today…that’s where you’re heading, right?”
There was this smallest pause, and Park could picture Violet’s smile becoming strained. It still and always did whenever any guy, even someone as harmless as Hiroshi, tried to get close to her. There would be this crazy look in her eyes, as if any overt gesture from men made her feel suffocated.
It made Park see red, but even he knew it was impossible to keep men away from Violet all the time. It wasn’t just because she was beautiful and sexy. She certainly was that. But Violet also had the kind of charm and allure that attracted boys to her like moths to flame. The bottom line: she was enjoyable to be with, and it was her company that most men found difficult to resist.
Park was getting ready to intrude when Violet answered. “Sorry. But I’m already walking with Park. I always do,” she reminded Hiroshi. “You know that.”
Hiroshi let out a deep sigh. “It’s unfair. Why does he get that privilege all that time?”
Violet laughed. “Actually, if you ask him, I don’t think he counts it as a privilege. It’s more like a curse for him, you know.”
“Then let me do it for him!” Hiroshi blurted out.
That, Park decided, was his cue to enter. He rounded the next corner but what he saw made him stop mid-stride. Apparently, Hiroshi wasn’t just the only one trying to get lucky with Violet. She was literally surrounded by boys from her class, and they stared at Violet and hung on to her every word like she was a goddess.
“How about I carry your bags until outside school?” one guy bargained.
“I could maybe treat you out sometime?” another one asked.
He shook his head. They were all idiots, the lot of them. Even though he was sexually attracted to Violet, he wasn’t blind. Didn’t they know that Violet’s sweetly attractive exterior hid a spoiled brat at heart?
He turned around and started walking away. At this rate, she didn’t need him to walk her to work.
“Park!”
Park debated with himself whether or not to pretend deafness.
“Paaaaaaaaark!”
Violet grinned when it took Park several seconds to turn around and face her. She was pretty sure that he was reluctant to do so and the exasperation in his eyes confirmed it. Violet laughed. “Hello there, beautiful!”
He scowled at her.
She ignored that, skipping to his side like a kid so she could curl her arm around his.
Park tried to shrug her off but she held firm. He glanced at Violet’s suitors and saw that half of them were looking at him with undisguised envy while the others were glaring at him.
Violet blew them a kiss. “Sorry, guys. I have to go to work now.”
They groaned simultaneously but walked away, used now to Violet’s ability to ignore them whenever Park was around. All of them were silently wondering the same thing. How could Park be so stupid as not to date Violet? However, none of them voiced their thoughts out loud. After all, Park’s loss was their gain.
As they sped down the stairs—or at least Violet had to, just to catch up with Park’s relentlessly long-legged strides–she asked him a little breathlessly, “How was your day?” The breathlessness was strictly because she was practically running and not because she was next to Park and all she could think of was having sex with him.
It was getting really ridiculous, the way she couldn’t stop thinking about the next time she could get Park naked. She was never like this even with…him.
“Fine.”
Violet made a face at Park’s usual monosyllabic reply. They had been friends–frenemies or dorm mates with benefits or whatever they were, for over a month, and for the life of her, she still couldn’t get rid of Park’s Nordic ogre ways. “That’s really the best you can do?” she complained.
“That’s because I’m no Energizer bunny like you,” he retorted and mimicked Violet’s chirpy voice. “Hi Park! Hey Park! What’s up, Park?”
Violet pinched him on his side, making Park yelp. “Asian Yeti!”
“Don’t do that again,” he snapped, rubbing his side gingerly.
Violet lifted her chin. “I’ll do it whenever I want.”
“Is that so?” And he promptly pulled her ear.
It was Violet’s turn to yelp. She glared up at him. “You’re the only guy who does that to me!”
“You’re the only girl who dares do things to me as well!”
Violet’s glare switched to a smile, making Park blink several times at the lightning-quick transformation. “Really?” Somehow, those words–coming from Park–were extremely flattering.
Unbelievable. Violet was truly one of a kind. Her mood swings were just impossibly erratic. “Are you honestly sane?” he asked her very seriously.
Violet rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Is it true, huh, Park? Is it?” she nagged, pulling his sleeve.
He flicked her hand away. “Do you think I’m fucking anyone else?” he half-snarled. “Of course it’s true. now will you stop pulling on my sleeve?”
Without a word, Violet dropped her hold on him and flew into the empty classroom they had just passed by. What the—was she throwing a tantrum just for that? What was she, six? Or maybe this was the fucking PMS shit he heard about?
“Violet, come out.” If she thought he was going to go and woo her out like a kid, she was going to wait forever for nothing.
“Violet, seriously, come out.”
But she still didn’t answer.
He raked a hand through his hair. What the hell did the little banshee want? He had already said she was…different.
“Violet…” Unable to help it, he stalked inside but was only able to take one step into the room before freezing.
Violet was naked except for her heels.
A sultry smile curved on her lips. “It took you long enough to come here.” Her glance strayed towards the door. “Maybe you can lock it so I could, umm, do one of those things only I could do?” Park moved like lightning speed after that, and she laughed, having never seen Park move so quickly—or so clumsily—before.
But her laughter died when Park was suddenly in front of her, carrying her in his arms until he could lay her on the teacher’s table, her legs dangling above ground. She was instantly wet, just watching him unzip himself.
“This is as far as I can fucking go,” he told her in rough apology as he pulled her close to the edge of the table.
She moaned when the head of his dick brushed against her folds. “I
t’s good enough,” she managed to gasp and then there wasn’t anything to say anymore, with Violet biting down hard on her lips to keep the cries inside as Park pounded into her, again and again and again.
* * * *
Park and Violet maintained a proper distance from each other as they arrived at their workplace, both of them still intent in keeping their “harmless flirtations” a secret between the two of them.
He rolled his eyes when Violet kept fussing with her clothes. “You’re just making it more obvious something happened,” he told her.
She paled.
“I was just joking,” he said quickly.
Violet beamed. “I know. I was just joking, too.”
His blood boiled. “You little—”
She laughingly ran out of his reach, going through the revolving doors of the hotel first and saying gaily, “Park’s angry at me again!”
Everyone in the hotel was still laughing by the time he came in as well. Violet was again surrounded by boys, both employees and customers alike. Park shook his head in exasperation. Didn’t these idiots know by now that the surest way not to get close to Violet was to make her feel crowded?
Their manager came out of his office then, an odd look on his face. “Violet?”
Park’s head jerked up at that.
“Someone is here to see you,” their manager said in Japanese. “Your guest’s been waiting here for a few hours. This visit is supposed to be a surprise.”
But the way the manager said it, even he wasn’t sure it was a surprise Violet would be happy about.
Violet didn’t seem to catch on, though. She was beaming, excitement written all over her face. “It’s my sister, isn’t it?”
“Not quite,” a voice answered just as a tall blond guy stepped out of the manager’s office. He was impeccably dressed, quite formally for someone their age actually, in a cream blazer and matching pants. He had the look of someone who was born rich–and someone who never hesitated to use his money to get his way.
The smile on the guy’s face was more of a sneer, and Park instantly loathed him on sight.
“Hello, love.”