Splinters

by M R Field

  “So fucking hot,” he growls as his cock drives into me faster. “So beautiful.”

  “I’m almost there,” I pant. “Make me scream, Robbie.”

  He moves his arm around my waist to hold me closer and the energy changes and becomes electric. His body punishes mine with itself, each thrust sending me closer to delirium. My nipples tighten as a mass of goosebumps spread across my hypersensitive skin. My body feels responsive to every movement he makes. The familiar coil of heat rises, and I feel his lips against the base of my neck as his teeth bite into my heated flesh. I scream as the waves begin to pulsate, causing my hips to ride along with them, one by one, until my climax subsides.

  “Robbie!” I pant, my sex bathed in pleasure.

  His fingers glide over my clit again, and I groan as the sensitive touch causes me to tense. He grinds into me harder, holding me tighter against him until his voice pitches and his movements becoming staggered as he empties himself inside of me. Our chests heave in exertion and despite feeling weak, a ripple of ease spirals around in my chest.

  “That …” I pant. “Was incredible.”

  His arm tightens around my front as he kisses the back of my neck.

  “You’re incredible.” He stills, his fingers brushing lightly over his bite mark. “Holy hickey,” he breathes.

  “Impressive?”

  “Yep. I can see the indents of my teeth.”

  “Did I calm the beast?” I joke, grasping his forearm with my hand.

  “Yes. Let’s call you a lion tamer.”

  “I’ll bring a whip next time,” I joke.

  His tongue flicks against my ear and his voice rumbles, “I’m buying one tomorrow.”

  I giggle, but can’t help feeling a thrill. Interesting.

  He pulls out of me gently and I shift from foot to foot, a dull ache resting between my thighs. He crosses the room and turns the music off. For a moment, the stillness leaves a soft echo in my ears as I push my thighs together. I feel him everywhere.

  “Shower time,” he sings as he winks at me. “Round two?”

  My legs tremble at the thought. Exhaustion begins to rise across my worn limbs, and I shake my head. He strolls back over to me and wipes a sticky wayward curl behind my ear. “I love you, Farfalla. I’m a lucky guy.”

  “I love you too, Tesoro. But we’re both lucky,” I whisper back, loving the look of adoration in his eyes. “Let’s go and have a shower and then head to bed. I’m worn out.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” He holds out his hand for me, and I walk out with him to the bathroom and watch as he changes his mind and plugs in the bathtub. Turning on the tap, he then grabs a bottle of something that has to be Trice’s off the shelf and squints at the label. He squirts a sizeable amount into the tub, and the fragrance of strawberries fills the room. He reaches for my hand, and like a knight, leads me gently into the bath, soft bubbles forming around us. I turn with my back against his and snuggle back against him. My heart no longer feels damaged but now is at full capacity. As the water rises, I relax in to the warmth of him, his scent calming me. My new sense of home. As predicted, he could decimate me, but putting me back together feels better than ever before.

  “Life is a highway.”

  Tom Cochrane

  ROBBIE

  One month later

  “Come here,”

  “No, I’m sweaty.”

  “I don’t give a rat’s arse. Get your butt over here, woman!”

  “If you think that ‘woman’ rubbish will work on me, think again, mister.”

  “My darling Hazel, will you do the honour of getting your sweet and sweaty arse over to me?”

  She pushes away from the doorway and sighs in frustration, stomping over to me, walking past my desk to turn and face me. “Closer,” I taunt, leaning back in my chair, chewing the end of my pen. The girls and the band were rehearsing for tomorrow night’s show and she had come in quickly to see me. But, silly girl, she should know by now that a short meeting with me is never going to happen.

  “I have to head back.” She frowns, watching me tip back farther and scrunching her lips tightly. “We have to run through the set.”

  She raises both hands to push the loose strands of hair back off her face and swipes them against the top of her scalp. Rolling her shoulders for a moment, she gives her hips a shake. Yep, I’m hard.

  “Well, you could just give me a kiss instead of doing the body shake. But the body shake is pretty nice from where I’m sitting.”

  “Ugh.” She rolls her eyes, a faint smirk niggling at the side of her mouth. One thing I’ve noticed lately is how tired she gets during their rehearsals, which makes her grumpy whenever routines aren’t polished. Her stress levels are higher than normal and not even a bit of desk sex is considered. Which led her to avoid giving me too much attention while she was here, as apparently I ‘screwed with her thoughts’ if I kissed her dizzy. I didn’t hide the scoff when she told me that. Like I could help it. Not my fault these were magical lips. I have a feeling she is worried the club isn’t doing well, but we’ve had sell-out nights. The crowds are here and more are coming. I just need to add variety throughout the week with other routines.

  “Okay, but one kiss. No groping my butt. I’m stinky and sweaty.”

  “We’ve discussed this. You know I love it when you’re hot,” I tease. She frowns and crosses her arms over her chest.

  “One kiss.” I nod, and she uncrosses her arms and leans forward. My hand strokes the side of her face as her lips get closer to mine.

  “Farfalla, ti amo.” Her body softens as they connect with mine. There, that’s better. I kiss her slowly, savouring her taste, and run my tongue against her salty lips. She moans into my mouth, and I hold the back of her head closer to me, while holding onto her hip. She said no butt groping, but didn’t mention other places. My fingers begin to move down towards the apex of her thighs, but her hands quickly stop them as she sits back.

  “I can’t.” Her eyes are warm and calmer. “I need to head back.”

  “Fine.” I pout, sticking my bottom lip all the way out. Her finger reaches up and pats it.

  “There, there, Tesoro. You’ll be fine.” She straightens in her stance. “I’ll come back in two hours. Then the girls and I are going to dinner and a movie.”

  I can’t help but feel put out. Still, I want her to enjoy herself, and I know I’m being a dickhead for being jealous over the girls spending time with her.

  “Hey.” She frowns, assessing my face. “I haven’t been out with the girls for ages. Besides, you and Alex need man time. Is Ty coming over?”

  I lean forward in my seat and reach out to touch the sides of her legs.

  “Yeah, Ty’s coming. Aidan’s in town too, so he’s gonna come and hang out. He’s got some potential placement so he’s interviewing or some shit.”

  “Oh, that’s right.” Her eyes light up. “Well, I hope he nails it. Trice really misses him. She’s hoping he finds a girl here, so he’ll move back permanently. He flies back often enough. Anyway, I’m heading back to rehearse. He said he might pop by; Trice is pretty excited.”

  My hands tighten on her thighs; I’m reluctant to let her go. Yep, I am whipped and could not give two shits. I happen to like being whipped, as Hazel has discovered recently.

  She gives me a coy look. “The sooner you let me go, the sooner we can fit in a quickie on your de—”

  My hands instantly loosen on her hips.

  “Right, off you go.” I pat her butt lightly. She giggles and pecks me quickly on the cheek before leaving me to my thoughts.

  Right, paperwork first; make room on desk, second.

  I check my emails and sort out my paperwork for Jules while spending the next hour making phone calls about odd jobs to do here and there. Looking down at the weekly takings, our figures are looking good, but we need some extra pizazz during the week. We are open from Thursday through to Sunday, but there is no official entertainment on Thursdays and Sundays. Thi
s is something I need to think about. Heading out in the club itself, I make a point to chat to a few of the workers to assess a few things. Our wait staff are around, preparing tables, while also assisting in the prep for the bar. Deacon sits on one of the bar stools, eating lunch while he casually flicks through the paper. He sees me and gives me a chin lift before motioning to the stocktake lists in my hand. I take a seat next to him.

  “They ready to go?” he asks, shoving a fork full of chicken into his mouth.

  “Yep, just want you to double check it.”

  He munches his food while he looks down at the list. He appreciates me checking with him, rather than being a control-freak boss. He swallows his last mouthful and gestures to the tequila with his fork.

  “Add half a crate. We ran low last weekend and the girls are going crazy over shots.”

  I grab the pen from behind my ear and adjust the figures.

  “Anything else?”

  He squints down at the list but shakes his head. “No, looks good.”

  I nod, but as I go to place the pen behind my ear, a hand reaches over my shoulder. Her sickly-sweet cheap perfume wafts under my nose as a pink painted fake fingernail points to the adjustment. Her fake breasts nudge against my back as the pop of her chewing gum coupled with her breath touches the side of my neck and I cringe. Of all the staff that I’ve hired, she’s been my biggest regret.

  “I think …” Nadine deepens her voice, snapping her gum again, and I shudder as it grates against my eardrums. “That if you order a full crate, and you asked nicely, some of us floor girls could put on a show.”

  She looks up at me with a sultry expression in her eyes that does absolutely nothing for me. I can see the gum wedged between her back teeth and all I can think of is a cow chewing. I move closer to the bar slightly and she smiles, like a cat ready to pounce.

  “That’s not going to happen,” I reply, glancing over to Deacon quickly. His lip turns up in incredulity, her blatant flirting not lost on him. Sadly, we are all used to it. “That’s not what this club is all about.”

  I hold up the paper and look over to Deacon. “Thanks, mate. I’ll go and run these through the suppliers.”

  Before Nadine can talk to me further, I get up and walk back to my office to make the calls. I am going to have to speak to her about her behaviour because anytime she’s near me my skin crawls.

  I place the phone down after ordering the supplies, and a loud knock on my open office door startles me. My eyes shoot up to find Aidan smiling at me as he chuckles at my flinch.

  “Hey Robbie, nice to see you.” He walks over and I stand for us to man-tap each other’s shoulders. I’m not afraid to hug a guy; if you’re Italian, it means you’re used to being hugged or kissed on the cheek by whiskery men. We once had a family party at our house for New Year’s Eve, and Trice and I invited our friends. When the clock struck midnight, my boys weren’t ready for the old whiskery men trying to give them a kiss on the cheek. I remember Ty keeping really smoothly shaven for a long time after that. But Aidan, he was pretty cool. Being a dancer kinda took away your sense of personal space.

  “Welcome, mate. You all set for the interview tomorrow?”

  “Yeah.” He scratches behind his neck. “It’s for a year position back here. Would be good as Sydney is a bit shit. I’ve fucked off my mentor at the academy though; they want me to stay in Sydney. So, we’ll see.”

  We chat for a few moments before I check my phone for the time. Excellent. Five PM. The girls should be done. Aidan’s visit probably means no desk romp, but all that means is that I’m going to have to be creative when we get a chance. Shower it is.

  Aidan and I head over to the back dance studio and can hear the faint sounds of the music playing. I open the door slowly, and find the band stationed up the back with the girls out the front, rehearsing, Beyoncé’s “Girls”. Hazel and Trice spin, turning away from us, but their faces are visible in the mirror. They dance in sync and it looks amazing. I can’t help my eyes from lowering onto Hazel’s perfect arse as is sways, her hips circulating while she kicks her legs out in time with the beat. It makes me want to reconsider making time on my desk.

  “This is exactly where Trice should be,” Aidan mutters quietly. He pats my shoulder affectionately. “You did good, big brother.”

  I chuckle and shake my head. “To be honest, her partner was the inspiration, but I’m glad Trice is here. Haven’t seen her all-around happy for a while. It’s good.”

  The song ends, and the girls grin at each other before heading over to their drink bottles.

  Aidan nudges me. “Watch this.”

  He opens the door more and steps through; none of the girls have noticed his entrance. He takes a few steps before calling out, “Nobody puts baby in the corner!”

  The girls freeze before Trice twirls around and squeals, dropping her water bottle and running full speed towards Aidan. He braces and then just before she reaches him, she launches herself into his arms and he catches her, lifting her above his head, while her arms fold out like a bird. I’m impressed. No wonder he gets so much tail—he’d be a tough act to follow. They were dance partners all through high school, and to see them like this brings back a few cool memories. Trice’s laughter fills the room as Aidan begins to turn, twirling her in the air. Her eyes are vibrant as she pretends to move her arms as if she is underwater in an attempt at being funny, but she’s too graceful for that.

  I glance over at Hazel, who is staring at Trice with a huge grin on her face, before I look over to the band. While Roni and Maxi laugh at Trice pretending to swim, Jules sits there with her mouth agape, staring straight at Aidan. I watch as her eyes follow his arms then move down his body, and a small blush appears on her face. Jules, my ballbreaker finance girl, blushing? Oh, this is going to be fun.

  Aidan lowers Trice down slowly until her toes touch the ground, and she jolts and wraps her arms around his shoulders, letting out another squeal.

  “So cool you’re here!” She tightens the grip on his arms. “Won’t it be ace if you get the position?”

  He laughs and rubs her back affectionately. “Sure would.”

  Hazel grins and walks over to him, and he steps out of the embrace with Trice and into Hazel’s arms. They chat briefly as I head on over to them.

  Aidan turns and nods to the band, greeting Roni and Maxi, yet once he gets to Jules, he says “Julia” curtly. She folds her arms over her chest and stares back at him, not even bothering to greet him in response. An uncomfortable silence follows until Trice clears her throat and Aidan’s attention is back to her.

  “Let’s catch up tomorrow after your interview, okay?” she asks, weaving her arm into the crook of his. They begin to walk out as Hazel strolls over to me.

  “Hey.” Her cheeks are flushed and her hair all messed up, but she’s still fuckin’ gorgeous to me. “I have to get ready as the girls are coming over in an hour.”

  I grab her chin with my thumb and forefinger and bring her lips closer to mine. “I’ll come home too. I’m sure there are ways I can help you get ready.”

  She shakes her head, but her tell-tale blush deepens on her face.

  “C’mon, stud. Let’s go. Let’s see how useful you can be.”

  We head home and I make use of the hour that she has to get ready. By the time the girls come over, Hazel is ready to go, and she didn’t even have to add rouge on her cheeks. Mission accomplished.

  “Dude, seriously, it was out,” Alex barks.

  “Bullshit it was,” Ty challenges.

  “It fuckin’ was; even the referee said it was.”

  “He’s blind. What a fuckin’ joke!”

  “Right, well watch the replay you dick jockey and see who’s right. Loser buys the pizza.”

  “You are on, motherfucker.”

  We were watching the Thursday football season opener and already, the boys were feeling tetchy with each other. I took a sip of my beer and laughed at their antics, all the while making sure m
y phone was nearby. We’d gotten Hazel a new phone a few weeks ago, but Jerry the jerk still texted her close to everyday with bullshit photos of them as a couple, or messages about how much he missed her. It was creepy. I wanted to be ready if he somehow showed up where she was. I was ready to kick his arse. Plus, I usually liked to respond on behalf of Hazel, with lovely replies like “Leave my girlfriend alone, dickwad.” Or my personal favourite: “Hey Jerry the jerk-off, how’s it feeling being burrrrrrrned? Need me to book your flight so you can jet back home?”

  “Watch it, watch it,” Ty taunts, his eyes glued to the screen. The replay footage shows the ball flying through the air, fast approaching the boundary line. “Stay in, you fucker,” Ty begs.

  “I bet he hears that all the time,” Aidan jokes, taking a sip of his beer. We watch as the ball comes thumping down a clear half-metre outside of the line.

  “YEAH!” Alex bellows, slamming his bottle on his leg. Luckily it was half empty, so nothing spilt. He jolted on the couch, rocking back and forth as he teased Ty. “Pizza is on you, dickhead! I’ll have a large with the lot. No anchovies”

  “Oh man.” Ty slumps back on the couch. “I need to stop betting against you. I fucking lose all the time.”

  “My stomach says thank you.” Alex laughs. Ty lifts his hand and raises his middle finger.

  “My finger says, fu—”

  “So, who’s ordering the pizza?” Aidan intercepts. I take another sip of my beer and point to the menus on the coffee table.

  “Sort out what you want and I’ll dial it through.”

  The boys and I sort out orders and I dial in.

  “So Aidan.” I begin spinning the beer bottle between my hands. “What’s the go with you and Jules?”