by Shayne Ford
“I don’t know what to say... You’re parents always seemed open-minded and laid back.”
“They are as long as I don’t rattle the cage.”
“But you didn’t even try.”
“Try what? Tell them that I want to move in James Sexton’s mansion, be there for him whenever he comes back from office or business trips or in the early mornings from his club. And then, what? Stay there at his expense? What would that make me if not a whore on a retainer.”
“Jesus, Rain. I don’t even know what to say. So what exactly are you doing? What did you tell him?”
“I told him I couldn't start a feud with my family, and he understood. He’s not a fan of drama, anyway. He has a fucking life and doesn’t want to get caught in my shit. The first night we spent at his home my family was traveling, and that’s why I was able to be with him, but now they’re all back. I can’t leave in the evenings, and I can’t spend the nights out. He’s busy during the days.”
Desperation thickens in my voice as I feel the invisible walls of panic closing on me.
“It sucks. I don’t know what to say. He’s probably the only one who can help you,” she mutters.
I shake my head, a few tears rolling on my face.
“No he can’t, and I wouldn’t ask for his help. I don’t want to be someone who depends on him. He’d get bored. He can get bored anyway. I’ll have absolutely no leverage. Plus, if it all ends, where will that leave me? Going back to my parents? Start from scratch away from home?”
15
JAMES
* * *
“Fucking dog.”
“Shut up, Lex. You would’ve done the same thing,” I say.
He rolls the window down, and the summer night breeze blows in my hair, specks of orange light flying off my cigarette’s lit end.
“At least, you could’ve told us.”
“Yeah... Like it was hard to figure out.”
“What did he do?” Ed chimes in from the backseat after he finishes typing a message on his phone.
“He’s been fucking Rain for weeks.”
“Hardly... I don’t get my hands on her that often.”
“You mean your dick,” Ed mumbles.
“I was away... She has to be home at night, so it’s not paradise,” I say, ignoring Ed’s comment, trying to downplay everything.
They both grill me with their stares. I exhale the smoke out of the window and smile wolfishly.
“Shut up!!” they say, at once, and break into laughter.
I slowly shake my head.
“Life can’t get better than that...” I mutter, stretching a satisfied grin.
“So how is she?” Lex asks, glancing at me.
“Hot, funny, smart.”
“And she’s probably worshipping you like a fucking God.”
“That too... “ I say, pointing at Ed with the fingers I’m holding my cigarette with.“Did I mention she’s hot?” I say, teasing them.
“Shut up!!” they burst out again.
“Fuck... I’m getting hard,” I say, shifting ostensibly in my seat.
“Go the fuck away, James.”
Ed crashes back in his seat as Lex looks out the window.
I curve my lips into a devilish laughter.
“And boy, can she come?”
“Are we there yet? I can’t take him anymore,” Ed says, a smile threading through his voice.
“Seriously, James?” Lex looks at me, his eyes laughing.
“Seriously. She’s not a faker. She can fucking come. One rare breed, I tell you... She gets high on cock, comes on it and rocks it more than once. She’s like a firecracker. What can I say? She’s a winning ticket, and I’m a lucky bastard.”
“No. Seriously. Are you going to rub it in our faces?”
“You fucking asked me,” I say as I steer the wheel and we slowly roll through downtown.
The streets are empty.
Moments later, we pull in front of Red’s.
“Speaking of the devil. Isn’t that her?” Ed says pointing to the car parked at the curb.
My smile drops from my face. She’s not supposed to be here. Someone could see her or she could bump into some family, her dad or that brother-in-law of hers.
“What is she doing here?” Lex asks.
“I don’t know.”
We climb out the car. Ed and Lex head inside, and she sneaks between the cars and comes to me.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
She wears a pair of ripped jeans shorts, and a white cropped tank top, making her tanned skin look darker. Her sun-kissed hair frames her sparkling, teary eyes, and cascades down her back.
“I wanted to see you,” she whimpers.
“Give me your keys. I need to move your car,” I say.
I open the side gate and pull her car inside so no on could spot it from the street. She sneaks in my ride. I slip back in my seat, crank up the engine, pull out of the parking lot and drive away.
“Is something wrong at home?”
She shakes her head.
“No.”
“Why are you crying?”
She looks away, shaking her head.
Minutes later, we’re out of town. I pull off the main road, and roll the car onto a patch of dirt and then a path that leads us to a wooded area, not far from a lake.
I roll the windows down before I turn the engine off. The sound of crickets and frogs drifts through the air. Fireflies float in the air, swaying their golden lights, making the meadow look like a fairy tale.
“I missed you, James,” she says with a soft, trembling voice, without looking at me, and I figure this must be more that a mood.
I get out of the car, walk to her side and open the door.
“Let’s watch the fireflies,” I say, and she takes my hand and rises to her feet.
I lean my back against the car and pull her in my arms.
“It can’t be that bad,” I mutter as she rests the back of her head against my shoulder.
Silent, we stare at the magnificent dance of throbbing lights. Each and every one of them does their tidbit to light up the air with tiny, evanescent bodies, filling the night with magic clouds of pulsating light.
“They look like stars,” she says, her voice clearer but still meshed with tears.
“Yes, they do. They always did… I used to watch them when I was a kid. The woods were always filled with them this time of year.”
“Here?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“We were camping down there, near the water.”
“We?”
“Lex, Ed and me. Sometimes my dad came with us. That was before my mom left us. Occasionally, Lex’s dad had joined us when he was still alive. Ed grew up without a father.”
“Whose land is it?”
“It’s mine, now.”
“And how was it? The camping...”
“It was a lot of fun. Our dads were cool. They taught us a lot. They gave us a lot of freedom, but we didn’t know at the time. I realized it later on,” I murmur.
“You have a lot of freedom, now...”
“Yeah... I guess. I have more than most people do. I have money, and that gives me a lot of freedom. I’m not sure it’s the absolute freedom, but it’s not bad at all, and I don’t resent it. What about you? How were you when you grew up? What’s the story of your name, by the way?”
“Hmm... It’s not a good story. My family named my sister after my father, Daryl, and they had a few names ready for me, but they had a big fight the night my mom gave birth. My dad left just before I came into this world. She got really mad and chose this name for me. It was a rainy, stormy evening, so she called me Rain. When I grew up, she made up a story to make me feel better or maybe herself or perhaps she forgot she was angry with my father. She said she’d picked this name hoping I’ll be free as rain. Fall from the sky, roll on the ground, nourish the earth and then rise to the sky and fall again. Free and resilient. A good thought, but I’m not any of t
hat, and to answer your question... I don’t know much about freedom. I was born and raised in captivity. I had lots of love, but no freedom. I never thought about it, but things have changed... ”
“What has changed?”
“Everything… So anyway, I know nothing about freedom. I don’t know how to get it, and I wouldn’t know how to live it. ”
“You’ll learn when you’re ready. Nothing happens before its time,” I say, and she turns to me, her lips slowly curving.
“I missed you really badly,” she murmurs.
“I was counting on that,” I say, without breaking our stare as I slowly unbutton her shorts, slide my hands inside, snag her panties and roll them all down. She walks out of them, and I pick them up and toss them in the car. I grab the back of her thighs, lift her up and place her on the hood of my car.
On her back, she bends her knees.
She curls her fingers on the hem of her tank top and peels it off, her breasts moving softly as she pulls up to her elbows.
I drink her in.
Sprawled on her back, her legs open, her folds smooth and shaven, she gazes at me, a wanton look on her face.
Her hand slides up her inner thigh before she parts her folds, two fingers brushing her clit.
Slowly, she rubs her slit, and I tilt my head back and take her in as she brings them to her mouth and licks them.
“What have you been watching lately?” I ask, grinning.
Without waiting for an answer, I grab her thighs, pull her to me, and slowly lick the flesh between her folds.
Her wetness rolls on my tongue, her flesh so sweet against my swollen lips, her scent firing up my brain, making my erection throb.
She may purr like a kitten, but she’s ravenous as a wolf. I straighten, slide her to the edge of the car, unbuckle my belt, and free my cock.
Smoothly, I drape her legs over my arms and slowly slide in her wet, hot, pulsing center. Her lips curl into the most beautiful smile, her eyes glittering with pleasure, her lips parting as I drive my erection into her.
Her heat barrels through me, feeding the tension in my body that’s been begging to break free.
I roll my hips feeding her pleasure and mine, at the same time lodging a snapshot of her in my memory. Her blonde hair against the black car, her hourglass silhouette, and her swollen breasts now moving with each thrust. Her flat stomach and taut skin.
She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and she’s all mine and only mine.
One hour later we drive back.
The windows are down, and the air inside smells like forest and lake, sex and sweat. She shrinks in her corner, and mystified, stares at me, flashing a satisfied smile.
She stretches her body, relaxed.
“Are you going to be okay?”
“Mmm-hmm,” she says, tranquilized.
No tension or sadness trail in her voice. That’s a way better mood. For both of us.
I pull her car out of Red’s.
She gives me a soft kiss and wiggles her fingers to me before she hops in her ride and darts onto the road.
I jog up the stairs, sated and content, and I dash straight to our table.
“Everything good in paradise?” Lex grumbles, staring at his phone.
“Yup.”
He raises his eyes.
“Fuck you, James,” he says, flat and cold, and I stifle laughter. “If you beam like a Christmas tree how the hell is she looking?”
“She purrs like a kitten and smiles all the way home.”
“So what was that all about?”
Tilting my head, I bite the inside of my cheek, crushing a full mouth grin.
“She was missing me.”
“You mean your cock.”
“You’re jealous.”
“Of course I am, “ he says looking back at the screen, his lips curling into a smile. “Listen... We might have a problem,” he says, serious this time.
“What do you mean?” I ask with a different voice.
“One of the votes is gone. Alderman. He had a massive stroke.”
“Weren’t there enough votes?”
“It’s down to one, and it’s someone who’s not on our list. It’s a woman. She could go either way, but women generally vote against it when it comes to this kind of project. The only other person we can turn to is...”
He pauses and raises his eyes.
“You’re not going to like this. It’s Rain’s father.”
“We’ll find someone else. There must be enough votes. The mayor is on our side…” I say, my voice trailing off. “It will do good to a lot of people... ”
Lex tosses his phone on the table.
“You don’t have to sell me on this. I know that, but you know this is not how these things work, and we can’t afford the risk.”
I run my hand through my hair, and rub the back of my neck, slowly swaying my head side to side.
“I don’t fucking need him,” I say dryly.
“Let’s hope not. We’ll know for sure by the end of the week, possibly before the party.”
A few moments of silence stretch before us.
“What if...” he starts.
I shoot my eyes to him.
“There’s no if. I can’t do it, Lex. It’s Rain’s family. No matter how much of a jerk he is, I can’t.”
His face blanches.
“You’re not going to jeopardize everything for a woman.”
“I’m not... All I’m saying is, I can’t destroy her family.”
“You’re not destroying anything. I’ll do it if I need to.”
“It’s the same thing, Lex. It’s my name on it.”
“If we don’t get the zoning changed we can’t start building. It may take another year, and a lot of shit could happen in twelve months. People die, retire or lose their jobs. Other people get elected. We could lose the financing. It’s a five hundred million project, a quarter billion of projected annual revenue if not more. Every year, we’re not there on that fucking hill, we lose a big chunk of money.”
“I fucking know all this, Lex,” I say, irritated.
“It’s only pussy, James. Really.”
My teeth are clenching so hard, I could spit my entire jaw out.
I could also easily leap over the table and crash on him, but I know it’s not his fault. I’d say the same thing if I were him. I try to get a grip on myself.
“Listen to me...” I say as calm as I possibly can.
“No. You listen to me,” he growls. “I’m your fucking friend. I know you, James. And I know women. Fuck her all you want. I know, she’s fresh, and the sex is hot, and she’s made for your dick. She’s a new toy, but she’ll grow up, and you’ll get bored. Give her enough time, and she’ll turn into something different like every other pussy you put your cock in. Do you see yourself married with her? Having Darryl Morgan as your father in law? Do you even see yourself with her five years from now? What the fuck are we talking about?”
The server brings us the drinks, and he pauses until the woman walks away.
“And that’s not to mention the worst part....”
“Oh, there’s the worst part?” I say sarcastically and toss the drink back.
“You use your brain and heart, James, and I know you’ll get it right, but she might do something you’re probably not even considering right now. You’re just as much fun for her as she is for you. It’s a bit dangerous and mysterious, and you fuck her pretty much everywhere because you can’t be with her in the open and you don’t want to play house with her. But what if the day comes when the novelty of your cock wears off, and she gets tired of hiding and fighting her mom and dad and has enough of always being on the lookout. Or she wants to be on someone’s paycheck, someone who wants to take care of her, worship her, make her babies and be at home with her. Not a man who runs a multi-billion dollar corporation and has his dick sucked at lunch by the hottest intern.”
He takes a swig of his drink, and I light up a cigarette.
“You know women... better than I do,” he says. “You know, they all like the alpha males as much as most men like to watch sports. The truth is, most men are not athletes, and most women can’t handle an alpha male. They don’t know what it takes to be with one. That’s why they like to watch them from afar, perhaps even fuck one once in a while, but when it comes to settling down, they’ll always go for the easy guy because being on their toes all the time and high on cock, becomes too much after a time. ”
I ash my cigarette and then gesture at him.
“How many times you watch the back room, Lex? Those fucking men who nail women half their age are not alphas. They’re exactly the easy kind you’re talking about, and yet they fuck and cheat like everybody else.”
“Yeah... but their women don’t know that, and even if they do, they choose not to believe it. Plus, I’m sure many of these men go home and slobber over some high-maintenance princess, just to make her feel good and keep the charade going.”
I lean back into my chair and run my fingers through my hair.
“I know all this, Lex, but I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves. For now, I don’t want to get him involved. I’ll figure something out. And rest easy, I don’t have any plans with her. We fuck, we enjoy ourselves. She’s barely nineteen. Yeah... she might change. It’s inevitable. I’m not looking five years down the road, and I don’t want to get married either, so that’s that. ”
16
RAIN
* * *
“The food is in the oven, sweetie,” my mom’s voice echoes in the other room.
“I’m good, Mom. I had a salad at Eve’s,” I say rushing through the foyer, dashing away from the living room where mom, dad, and Daria watch a movie.
I get straight into the bathroom, strip off my clothes, and check my neck for hickeys. Someone raps on the door, and it can only be one person.
“I’ll be out in a minute,” I say and turn the shower on.