Annabelle's Angst: NEW ADULT CONTEMPORARY SUSPENSE ROMANCE

by Bree Branigan

“I'm a hedge fund manager.”

  “No way!” Rachel shouted as she placed her hand on William's thigh. “I'm a business consultant. Cheers!”

  Unsure if Rachel was already getting drunk or just happy to meet another business student, William clinked his glass with hers.

  The two continued their lively conversation and were generally having a good time.

  Suddenly, Rachel pointed at William. “William, I challenge you to a drink off. Whoever stays soberer wins!”

  “I'm... not sure that's a good idea,” said William reluctantly. “I can be a bit... competitive at times.”

  “Come on, it's just an innocent drinking game. It won't do any harm. Or are you afraid you'll get beaten by a girl?” Rachel looked up at him mischievously.

  William smirked a little, “Now those are fighting words. Missy, you've got yourself a game.” He finished his beer and slammed it on the counter.

  “That's the spirit!” announced Rachel. “Hey bartender, give us some Jagermeisters!” As the drinks were placed on the counter, William and Rachel grasped their glasses and drank them in one gulp. With each shot, they grew more and more inebriated, laughing loudly and holding onto each other to keep from falling off of their chairs.

  *

  William found himself in bed. In his apartment. He pulled Caroline toward him. Pulling her shirt off, her jeans, her bra, her panties . . . he dropped them onto the floor. Hastily he pulled his own clothes off. Though his vision of her was cloudy, he let his fingers journey between Caroline’s thighs. He could sense that she was aroused. He was surprised when she pushed him onto his back and mounted him. As she began to ride him, he watched as her breasts flopped back and forth above. She must have been super excited because she was riding him like her life depended on it. Writhing and moaning she thrust herself rhythmically, frantically, head flung back.

  “Wow, Caroline. I don't... know what's gotten into you... but I really like it.”

  Caroline paused for a second as if deliberating something, but when William cupped her buttocks with his hands, she began bouncing again at his command. They continued their love making way into the night and when they finished, the two entangled their naked bodies together and fell asleep.

  When William awoke in the morning to sunlight streaming through the window, he had a raging headache. He could still feel the naked body pressed up against him.

  “Morning,” he said. Looking down he gasped. A head of blond curls lay on the pillow next to him. As he slowly brushed the hair from her face, reality dawned. William felt his heart racing. His chest heaved. He shot out of bed. “Rachel! Oh my god!” William stood rigidly by the bed, gaping down at her, horrified

  Rachel jerked, sitting up. “Wait, William? Wh

  -Where am I?”

  “You're in my apartment, Rachel. Oh God, last night did we... God no! We slept together!”

  Rachel reached to grab her clothes from the floor, “William, I am so so sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen.” She quickly diverted her eyes from William's naked figure.

  “God, what am I going to tell Caroline?”

  “Caroline can't know about this!” Rachel snapped. “I mean, I don't want to bombard her with this right now, so please, let me find the right time to break it to her, all right?”

  There was an awkward pause in the air; so thick that it stifled the room.

  “Okay,” replied William as he sat on the edge of bed. “But I think you need to leave now...”

  “Okay... I understand.”

  Rachel slipped away without another word, leaving William slumped on the edge of his bed, head in hands, with his deep-rooted guilt...

  Chapter 5

  “Hey, I just wanted to check in with you. Can we meet up tonight?” Caroline played with the coiled wire of her office phone as if it were a clump of hair. “I mean; I really want to see you.” She could hear the heaviness in William's voice:

  “I don't think that's such a good idea... I'm entering a busy work period and so it might be best if we take a little break for a while...”

  Caroline sat stunned for a moment. What was wrong? He’d never reacted to her this way before. She decided to throw pride to the wind. “But I really miss you. I'm going crazy thinking about what we could be doing.”

  “I know, Babe, but it's just for a little while. Listen, I have to go. I'll talk to you later. Okay? Bye.”

  “But wait!” she cried. It was too late. He had already hung up.

  Caroline lay her head on her desk, her arms and legs sprawled in defeat. William seemed so distant. Flustered, she called Rachel.

  “Hey, can we go for a drink? I need to talk. I just don't get it, Rachel. Everything was going so great, all that mind-blowing sex and now he’s blowing me off. And I haven’t seen him for so long. I just really miss his touch. He has this way of touching you that makes you feel so alive.”

  “Yeah, I know...” replied Rachel solemnly, with a sigh.

  “You do? How do you know?”

  Rachel alerted herself and corrected immediately, “Uh come on, Caroline. All you talk about is how great William is. Of course I know!”

  “Yeah. I guess you're right... Sorry about that. I wonder if he's seeing another woman...”

  Rachel took a deep breath, composing herself. “Be serious, Carol. I'm sure he's crazy about you. If he says it's a work thing, then believe him. You won't gain anything from assuming otherwise.” Rachel was surprised at the real, heartbreaking empathy she was feeling.

  “I suppose you're right. I'm so glad I have the two of you. I love you both so much.”

  “I don't know why you're being so hormonal, but if it makes you feel any better, I love you too.”

  *

  The next day at work, Caroline heard a knock at her office door.

  “Hey, Caroline. How's it going? “It was Harvey, sounding very eager.

  Caroline looked up, “Oh hi, Harvey. I'm doing okay. What's up?”

  “Oh nothing. I was just wondering if you maybe wanted to grab a bite to eat. It's my treat.”

  Normally, Caroline would have had no trouble rejecting one of Harvey's invitations. But with William remaining so distant and the whole week just generally being a hassle, she somehow felt relieved to see Harvey's boyishly sincere face.

  “You know what Harvey; I actually do feel a bit hungry. I could use a nice meal right about now.”

  “Really?” replied Harvey. He was almost certain she’d have turned him down like she usually did. But he wasn't about to let the opportunity go to waste. “Well, grab what you need and I'll ask Jimmy to cover for us.”

  “Okay, let me just get my purse.”

  And with that they were off.

  They took a cab to Harvey’s favorite eatery. He recommended that she try the steak there as it was “divinely prepared.” She indulged him, and even allowed him to put the meat into her mouth. He was right. The steak was definitely among the best she had ever tasted. Caroline was surprised to find that she was actually enjoying herself. Though Harvey was not dripping with irresistible sensuality the way William did, he was a good conversationalist. As they talked Caroline’s phone dinged. It was a message from William! She quickly read it and looked up at Harvey. How could she do this? He was looking so pleased to be here, chatting and eating with her.

  “Sorry to run out on you, Harvey, but something has come up. I really had a good time though.”

  “It’s okay. I had fun too. We should do this again sometime.”

  Caroline flashed him her most gracious smile. “Okay! Sure! Thanks! Later.”

  With that, she was off. William had just invited her to come to his place, and she didn't want to risk his changing his mind. As her taxi took off, she began daydreaming. She wondered if this visit would lead to her and William having sex on the balcony like they had done two weeks ago. Or would it be a repeat of the time they licked whip cream off each other's bodies? One by one the sexy scenarios played out in her head.

&
nbsp; Half an hour later she was at William's door. She knocked hastily. When the door opened she rushed inside and grabbed William's arm.

  “What took you so long?” she asked smiling wickedly. “Come on, let's go to the bedroom.”

  Caroline began dragging him without taking the time to note the look of anguish on his face. She pushed him onto a chair and straddled him. When she began reaching for his belt buckle, he stopped her.

  “We can't do this, Caroline...”

  “What are you talking about? Of course we can, we're lovers. We can do whatever we want.”

  “Caroline, stop,” he gripped her shoulders. “There's something I need to tell you. It's important and I'm really sorry about it.”

  This time she took note of his seriousness, “William, honey, what is it?”

  William covered his eyes with his hands for a small time then exhaled slowly, “There's really no easy way to say this... so I'm just going to say it.” He paused before he spoke again, “A little over a week ago, Rachel invited me out for a drink and I went to bar with her and... we got pretty wasted and ended up having drunken sex...”

  Caroline froze. “Y-You're lying,” she stuttered. “You have to be.”

  “I wish I were. But please understand it was an accident. When it happened, I thought I was with you.” Caroline jumped off of his lap.

  “Don't touch me!” she shouted as he reached for her hand. The tears had already begun to flow.

  “Please, Caroline. It was an accident.” Tears streamed down Williams cheeks.

  “I have to go,” she declared as she headed out of the bedroom with William following. She sobbed loudly as she hurried out. She felt like her heart was in her throat and badly bruised. She felt angry and confused... and horny. It was a terrible feeling.

  “Caroline, please, can we just talk this through?” William pleaded, his voice thick, strangled.

  Caroline momentarily turned around and pointed sharply at William. “You stay the hell away from me!”

  With that, she turned and marched into the hallway, slamming the door hard behind her.

  Chapter 6

  The days passed in a dull haze. Work, home, nights staring at the television . . . When Friday night finally came Caroline drug herself into her apartment and sighed. She closed the door and after resting her belongings on the table, she went to the stove to make a cup of tea. When the tea was ready, she took a look at the answering machine and noticed that she had several messages. No doubt most of them were from William and Rachel, telling her to call back. Caroline played the first message, and sure enough, it was Rachel.

  “Caroline, please pick up the phone and call me. How many times do I have to tell you I'm sorry? It was all just a mistake. You can't keep avoiding us, especially not William. He's... a good guy. You should at least give him the benefit of the doubt. You don't need to unleash your wrath on him like you did on me...”

  Caroline really had unleashed her wrath on Rachel. She had walked right up to Rachel at work, in front of all her colleagues, bitch slapped her really hard, and called her a two-bit whore before leaving. It was a miracle Rachel was even trying to reach out to her after that incident.

  “And what's with you suddenly hooking up with Harvey. I've heard the rumors. It's not like you to go for 'safe and boring'... Guess it's none of my business. Anyway, Caroline, please call me back. There's something important I need to explain to you, Okay? Bye...”

  The message ended and Caroline finished her tea. She did not want to think too hard about Rachel right now. Instead, she headed toward the shower. She had a date with Harvey in two hours.

  *

  “It's easy,” Harvey chuckled, “just one foot forward and one step back.”

  He had taken Caroline dancing. He was obviously enjoying teaching her the steps, and she found that she was actually having a good time. Once their hips came together, Caroline couldn't be sure if the bulge she felt poking her lower region was Harvey's erection or her imagination. Still, she resolved to enjoy the moment.

  After their dance session, Harvey took her home and followed her to her door.

  “Well, I had a really good time, Harvey. Tonight was just what I needed. Thank you.”

  “You're welcome. I enjoyed myself too. You're a great dance partner.”

  They laughed a little and fell into an awkward silence.

  “Well... would you... like to come inside?” Caroline was half surprised herself that she had offered, but figured that they’d both earned a treat.

  “Uh, sure.” There was a tinge of excitement in his voice.

  Caroline opened the door and bit her lip. They entered and made their way over to the sofa. Soon they began talking, mainly about office stuff. When Harvey didn't make any moves, she knew it was up to her to set the pace.

  She stood up and removed her shoulder straps, causing her dress to drop to the floor, leaving her in her bra and panties, which she also removed, slowly and seductively, looking Harvey in the eye the whole time.

  Harvey sat there, utterly enthralled, as if staring at a goddess. His eyes mapped her body, soaking it in. Was this really happening?!

  Caroline took his hand and pulled him from his seat, placing it on her left breast. Still at a loss for words, Harvey gave her breast a gentle squeeze. She then guided his hand so that it performed a circular motion.

  Finally, Caroline grabbed him by his tie and led him into her bedroom. Once there, she climbed onto the bed.

  “Take off your clothes,” she commanded. She wanted to see what she was up against.

  Harvey didn't need to be told twice. He swiftly unbuttoned his shirt and dropped his pants, leaving his private bits exposed. Caroline surreptitiously inspected his penis. It wasn't as big as William's, but it was definitely something she could get behind. “Come over here, Harvey,” she purred.

  Now that Harvey was absolutely sure that this was happening, he began moving without instructions or being prompted. They lay on their sides in the bed. Caroline softly took Harvey and rhythmically stroked him as he gently placed two fingers inside of the luscious, delicate lips of her vagina. Gradually, he fingered her, increasing his pace. Caroline undulated her hips, moaning with pleasure as Harvey's fingers swirled inside her. Smoothly, he lowered his body and, kissing her stomach, he nibbled and kissed her body, to her thighs, right down to that sweet spot beneath her pubic hair. His tongue parted the lips of her vagina, licking in little circles that gave way to deliberate, forward strikes intruding as far down her canal as a tongue could go, and back again to her clit, flicking and circling. Groaning, she raised her hips and ground against him. “Oh my god . . .” She let her body go limp and Harvey took control.

  He positioned her so that she was gripping the head of the bed with her rear end facing him. Without warning he smacked her on her ass, surprising her, jolting her body. Her skin tingled, and her heart hammered inside her chest. He did this three times, and after massaging her cheeks, he began rubbing his penis against her clitoris. Caroline panted. She hadn't expected him to tease her like this. She was actually relieved when he finally penetrated her. Already feeling the heat, Caroline began moving her hips all on her own. This was turning out to be more than just revenge sex. She genuinely wanted Harvey to fuck her. She tried not to think of William, who had left her with a void. It was now up to Harvey to fill that hole.

  Harvey continued drilling her, taking note of her flowing love juices. It seemed important to him that she enjoyed this just as much as he did. He hoisted one of her legs into the air and began penetrating from the side.

  “Yes,” she panted, “keep going. Fuck me hard!”

  Her words excited Harvey further. He then changed motion, setting her up in a reverse cowgirl position, which unbeknownst to him was her favorite. Caroline was going wild. She bounced up and down at a fast tempo. She was so hot, and it felt so damn good. It felt even better when Harvey gripped her hands behind her like a horse rider gripping the reins. Her body erupted in spasm
s. Still, he kept on.

  When Harvey gripped her hip and began thrusting her harder toward him, she knew that he was close. Finally, he sat up and grabbed both of her breasts as he squirted heavily inside her. Exhausted, they collapsed on their sides, clutching each other with Harvey still inside Caroline. They panted together in ecstasy. To commemorate a fantastic finish, Harvey smacked her ass one last time.

  Caroline lay there, her body pressed against the man she had fended off for so long, the man who now made her rethink judging a book by its cover. Still, her thoughts drifted back to William. If he were here, he would be gearing up for round two. Although she felt sexually satisfied for now, she was acutely aware of the lack of emotional connection between herself and Harvey. She knew she missed William, which was why she nodded off to asleep right there and then, and had sensual dreams... of William.