by May, Linnea
“What?!” I hiss at him. “I can’t quit my job. I know this may come as a surprise to you, but I don’t have a trust fund I could live off of, Mr. Abrams. I can’t rely on my family to pay for this, I have no savings, and I haven’t relied on my drunkard father’s assistance since I was in junior high.”
His eyes flicker at that sensitive information I just confessed about my father, and I realize that I’ve never told him about the full extent of my impoverished upbringing.
“See, that’s where you’re wrong,” he says. “You do have someone to rely on now. Me.”
I tilt my head to the side, pursing my lips as I try to grasp where he’s going with this.
“You see, Elodie,” he says, leaning forward and placing his elbows on the table between us. “I want more of you. And I always get what I want. But I don’t want to take away your time at the piano. You need that. I respect your aspirations and I have no intentions of getting in the way of that. Still, I want more of your time. And as I see it, the only time you can spare is the time you’d spend at this useless job.”
“It’s not useless,” I insist. “It pays my bills. I need it.”
“No, you don’t. Not if I take up paying those bills for you,” he says. “You know it’s nothing to me, and it would help you in so many ways.”
I stare at him with disbelief. Why is he doing this? How can he offer something so outrageous to me? I feel like the universe is trying to play a joke on me. Benjamin accuses me of taking advantage of men and treating them as sugar daddies, and then just a few minutes later, Kingston offers to do just that for me.
“I’m sorry, I can’t accept that offer,” I tell him.
Kingston furls his eyebrows and sighs.
“Elodie, don’t be stupid about this,” he says.
“I’m not,” I reply, rising from my seat. “In fact, I think that’s the first time I’m smart about something in regard to you.”
With that, I walk away from the table, confident that his eyes are following me.
Chapter XXV
Kingston
It turns out that Gloria’s warning had the exact opposite effect of what she intended. Instead of letting go of Elodie, I just want her even more. Forbidden fruits have always tasted the best, and this one is like no other.
My offer to pay for her expenses so that she doesn’t have to work at that stupid job anymore is not a purely charitable gesture. It would be another way to bind her to me, make her dependent on me. Own her.
The thought of making her mine in more ways than just fucking her has haunted me since our first encounter. When Gloria called her my mistress, I actually liked it. I like the idea of having her in my life like that. In a twisted way, this would even be more acceptable than what I’ve been doing before. The tiresome flow of ever-changing but somehow identical beauties I picked up along the way of partying my way through New York City’s elite hedonistic nights was fun for a while, but it’s also frowned upon. Hence my father’s wish for me to settle down. I know I’m seen as the bad seed in this family, even though I know that my younger brother is no better than me. But he’s far away, living his exploits on the West Coast, out of sight and free from any obligation.
Of course, I could never tell a girl like Elodie to be my mistress. That’s not how things work for girls like her. All I have is to gradually get her there - and then figure out how to deal with the problem that may arise if she gets too attached. Or if I do.
Thing is, I’m too attached already. It shows in every pathetic action I take toward her. She sent me off like an annoying bard singing below her balcony, and instead of letting it go, I make sure to be around when she ends her shift. I know her schedule because she told me every detail when I asked.
No girl has ever rejected me or anything I have to offer like she just did. I can’t let it go, and I won’t.
It’s after ten o’clock when she finally walks out of the coffee place, completely unaware that I’m watching her from afar. I’m on her heels within a few moments, waiting until we are in a more secluded location before I come up close behind her and grab her by the arm.
Just like any woman who thinks she’s about to get attacked, Elodie swirls around, trying to break free from my grip, and then yelping in surprise.
“Kingston!” she gasps, with a solid tone of relief in her voice. “What are you-?”
I interrupt her by pulling her closer and forcing my lips on hers. She squirms and tries to fight me, but her attempts are half-hearted and lead nowhere. It’s nothing but a staged show, her mind fighting over her body. Luckily, the latter wins, and soon her wails of protest turn into moans of desire. I pull her closer, wrapping my other arm around her to press her against me, letting her know that there’s nowhere else for her to be right now but safe within my demanding embrace.
“Not here,” she breathes when I end our kiss. “Not here, we’re outside, it’s dangerous. People can see…”
I look at her, her face desperate with need and tormented by an internal struggle I only know too well.
“Forbidden pleasures alone are desired immoderately,” I whisper.
She looks at me, her eyes wide in bewilderment.
“See, even the old Romans knew about this predicament,” I tell her. “They just found better words for it.”
Elodie smiles. “Did they play with fire like this, too?”
She surprises me by going up on her toes and planting another quick kiss on my lips.
That little minx. I grab her by the hair, pulling on it so she’s forced to tilt her head back. She’s grimacing with pain, but doesn’t manage to hide the smile that barges in between.
“I need you,” I whisper. “Now.”
Her eyes flicker. “No. Not here.”
“Wrong answer,” I tell her, shaking my head. “You know I always get what I want.”
I lift my hand and gently caress her cheek. “And if you don’t propose an alternative, I’m going to fuck you right here, where anybody could come by and see us, any moment.”
She bites her lower lip. “You wouldn’t.”
“Try me.”
A few moments pass, and we remain in that close embrace, staring at each other while our bodies heave with wanton lust. She’s so responsive to me, but yet so classy in her yearning.
“Come,” she breathes, freeing herself out of my embrace and turning around, beckoning me to follow her. Just as we turn around the corner, there’s a small group of students who undoubtedly would have run right into us if we had stayed in that alley and followed up on my threat.
Elodie walks two steps ahead of me, striding at a fast pace while her brown hair flies behind her. I soon realize that she’s leading me back to the café where she works. It’s past closing time and all the lights are switched off. Elodie produces a key from her purse and unlocks the door, beckoning me to follow her. I step inside and she hurries to lock the door behind us and then closes the blinds.
“So cute,” I comment.
She turns around and even through the faint light that the moon casts inside, I can see her bright smile beaming at me.
“It gets better,” she whispers, nodding towards something behind me. My eyes follow her gesture and as I turn around, I see a sofa corner in the far back.
“Sofas are your thing, aren’t they,” she whispers.
It’s true, I have never taken her to my bedroom so far, and right now I’m wondering why that is. If anyone belongs in there, it’s her.
I turn back to her and lift her up, our lips meeting for another kiss while she wraps her slim legs around my waist as I carry her over to the sofa. I put her on the cushions, on her back, and immediately start to undress her, removing her coat and throwing it on the floor before moving on to the shirt she’s wearing underneath. It’s a simple long arm shirt, not one of the pieces that I sent to her. I lift it up, exposing her bra underneath, as she moans with desire. I move my hand to her back and unhook it, exposing her perky breasts. She’s lying in
front of me, her naked chest heaving as the moonlight shines in on her. What a beautiful sight. I lean forward, kneading her breasts with both my hands and sucking on one of her nipples. She’s so sensitive, I know this will drive her mad. And it does. Elodie groans with pleasure, arching her back beneath me as she leans into me, begging for more and grinding against my body. I add little bites to my treatment, causing her to yelp in pain, but she doesn’t fend me off.
But when she lifts her hands and tries to undress me, I stop her by grabbing her wrists and am met with a disappointed sigh.
“You never let me,” she breathes. “I want to see you. Touch you.”
I look at her, fighting an internal battle as I ponder why I’m so uncomfortable with this. I’ve never liked having a girl take charge of me by undressing me and enjoying my body the way I enjoy hers.
But Elodie may deserve it.
“Earn it,” I tell her.
“How?” she breathes.
“You know what I want,” I say.
Elodie looks up at me, furling her eyebrows as she begins to understand what I’m getting at.
“No,” she whispers. “Are you still talking about that?”
“I won’t stop talking about it until you agree,” I tell her.
She frowns up at me and straightens up, shielding her bare chest from my eyes by pulling her shirt down.
“That will never happen,” she says, glaring at me.
“Well, then there are some things you’ll have to do without,” I tell her.
“Are you trying to blackmail me?” she asks.
I huff, shaking my head. “What an ugly word.”
“It’s very fitting,” she says.
We look at each other, neither of us willing to back down. She’s just as stubborn as I am, and her unyielding gaze darkens as she comes to a painful conclusion. She lowers her eyes as her facial expression changes to somber sadness.
“I think you should go,” she whispers.
Chapter XXVI
Elodie
The funny thing is that it felt good. Putting Kingston Abrams in his place felt good and right. I don’t like the way he’s trying to gain power over me by practically buying me. It would have been so easy to say yes to his offer, to have a little sugar daddy who’s willing to pay me just so I don’t work at this tiring job anymore.
But I’ve never been one to choose the easy way. I’m a hard worker and proud of it. I’ve been on my own financially since I was a teenager, and it feels good to know that I’ve earned my way up.
This was the right thing to do.
I’ve never felt more powerful in my life.
The only thing that bothers me is his silence. I haven’t heard from him since that night, not one message. I didn’t think rejecting his offer would mean the end of whatever this was between us, but apparently, that’s how he took it.
It hurts to think that. I thought I was being rational about this. He was just a dangerous fling, great sex, a few exclusive amenities that I could never afford on my own, a sweet little release from my hard-working world. He wasn’t supposed to be anything more.
But I’ve fallen for the way he looks at me, the way his eyes cling to me when I speak, this sincere interest he appears to have in me.
Also, let’s face it. This wasn’t just great sex. It was the best sex I’ve ever had. He was also the best company I’ve ever had, even though we live in such different worlds. I liked having a taste of his world, I really liked it.
Now, I’m back in my own world, without him. The couch in our dorm’s living area is the nicest spot in our apartment, but since I share it with seven other people, there’s hardly a time when I could get it to myself.
This is one of those rare times. It’s an afternoon when I have no classes, no private lessons and no job obligation. For the past few weeks, I would’ve spent an afternoon like this in either Kingston’s penthouse or at the Abrams’ mansion practicing on their grand piano, but I didn’t feel like doing it today. When I called Wally to let her know that I’m not coming today, she sighed with disappointment. It was nice to hear that she likes me around because I’ve always worried about being a nuisance to her, but I still couldn’t get myself to go there today.
The fact that Kingston didn’t invite me to his place today is preying on my mind. Is he really done with me, just because I didn’t agree to let him be my sugar daddy? I don’t want to believe that. At the same time, I feel naive for thinking that it could’ve been anything else. I’ve heard the stories about him, I knew what he was like.
And I’m playing at his engagement party, for God’s sake.
Still, I’m moping on the couch, staring at my phone’s screen, hoping for a message from him.
When I hear the door opening, I lazily lift my head to see my roommate Kim walk in, carrying her violin. She usually has private lessons at this time, so I’m surprised to see her.
“No lesson today?” I ask.
Kim puts her violin down and sinks down on the couch next to me.
“Feeling too shitty,” she says. “I think I might have caught something.”
Now that she mentions it, she does look a little feverish.
“You want me to make you a tea?” I offer, but she shakes her head.
“I’m probably gonna’ take a nap,” she breathes. “As soon as I can get back up.”
She pauses and turns her head to me. “What are you doing here? Not at the Abrams’ residence today?”
“Feeling too shitty,” I mimic her. It’s an honest reply, but not the one she expected.
“What’s wrong?” she wants to know. “You sick, too?”
She furls her eyebrows as she observes me, coming to a conclusion a few moments later.
“Nah, that’s not it,” she says. “You’re just mopey. What’s up?”
I can’t tell her. Kim is the closest thing to a friend for me, but I can’t even tell her. If she only makes the smallest comment to anyone here, it would feed Benjamin’s nasty rumors. I can’t risk that.
“It’s complicated,” I say, regretting it a moment later, as her eyes flicker with curiosity.
“Complicated?” she asks. “Like boy complicated?”
I sigh and throw her a look from the side. “You really have a nose for these things.”
Kim shrugs. “What else could it be?”
She has a point there.
“Is it still Benjamin?” she wants to know. “Is he still giving you shit about leaving him?”
“I didn’t leave him,” I say. “We weren’t even in a real relationship or anything.”
Kim raises her hands in defense. “Okay, okay.”
“It’s not him,” I add. “I actually talked to him. He seems to be doing better and as far as I know, he even stopped talking behind my back.”
I look at her questioningly. “Or did you hear anything?”
Kim shakes her head.
“No, not really,” she says. “But last I saw him, he didn’t look very happy.”
“Benjamin never looks happy,” I say.
She chuckles. “That’s true. He always has that frown on his face. Grumpy dude.”
Kim shifts around on the cushions of the sofa and scans the living area, as if she’s checking every door that leads to another bedroom, as if she wants to make sure we’re alone.
“But it was different lately,” she continues. “I saw him a few days ago and he looked as if he was ready to kill someone. That’s why I thought you guys had another fight or something.”
“Weird,” I comment.
“So, you didn’t even talk to him lately?” Kim asks.
I shake my head. “No. I haven’t seen him in days. He’s become very good at avoiding me.”
“But you said you talked to him?”
“Yeah,” I say. “But that’s been a while ago. I tried to put things right between us.”
“Hmmm,” she says. “Maybe he found a new girl to be mad at.”
“Let’s hope!”
I tell her. “I wouldn’t mind one bit if he got his mind off of me.”
Kim sighs and swipes across her forehead with the back of her hand.
“Hey, does that tea offer still stand?” she asks, looking at me with pleading eyes.
I smile at her.
“Of course,” I say. “Peppermint or chamomile?”
Chapter XXVII
Kingston
This is the part I’m good at. Ghosting. I think that’s what they call it. Ignore a girl’s messages for long enough until she realizes that you’re done with her. I’ve done it so many times before. There were very few times when I told a girl that I was done with her. Ghosting was usually my way to go. Is it the coward way out? Sure! But it’s also the more convenient way, even more efficient in a way, because you don’t have to deal with the emotional aftermath of a girl’s broken heart.
Then why is it so hard this time? And on me?
When Elodie rejected my offer and thus denied the opportunity to get closer to her, I decided right there on the spot that this was it. It’s the smartest thing to do. Gloria’s warning may have made the forbidden fruit taste all the better, but that was just for the moment. I was deluded by that afternoon, that magical moment when she mesmerized me with her distinct beauty. She bewitched me.
I was ready to take more from Elodie than I’ve ever taken from any other girl, and when she put me in my place with that humiliating rejection, it was like a wake-up call.
You fucking idiot! What were you thinking? Get out of this now.
So, that’s what I’m doing. But while I dreaded receiving any further messages from the other girls before, I now find myself checking my phone every few minutes, feeling relieved when there’s a new message from Elodie and disappointed when there’s not. I hate feeling this way. It’s stupid. It’s not me.
She does send me messages once in a while, but she’s too proud and too strong to bombard me in the pathetic way that others have done before her. I expected nothing less of her.
I’m early for our weekly family dinner, and when I walk through the door, I can hear the familiar sound of Elodie playing upstairs. I knew that this is one of the days she practices here, but she’s usually gone long before it’s time for dinner. It’s been a while since we’ve run into each other in this house. The last time that happened was when I first tasted her and surprised her with a kiss on the stairs as she was about to leave.