100 PROOF

by Shanora Williams

My eyebrows shifted up. “Yeah? And?”

  “And I was wondering if you’d like to settle that urge by dancing with me right now?” He threw his hands in the air. “Just a quick, harmless dance.”

  I pursed my lips, looking towards the dance floor. The song transitioned to one by Jeremih, one of my favorite artists. “Well, look at that! Must be your lucky night. I love this song!”

  I hopped off the stool but Zay called after me and I paused, looking back. He switched his gaze between me and the guy with a stern look on his face.

  “You sure you want to go through with what you’re about to do?” he tested.

  I sucked my teeth. “Oh, please, Zay. I’m fine. It’s just a dance.”

  When he looked at the office door, I looked with him and Vin was standing outside of it now, eyes hard on me, and then the guy. I ignored both of them, hooking my arm through the stranger’s elbow and trotting off to the dance floor.

  I’d had one too many. My veins swam with whiskey, my heart pounding. To put it simply, I was drunk and wasn’t thinking clearly or maturely. It’d been a long week, with Mom not doing so well and catching Lloyd with Wendy only days ago, and then Vin pretty much disowning me after that terrible argument outside the club.

  I needed to live a little, just like old times. I just wanted a taste of what it used to be like—how free I felt when I danced . . . and deep down I also wanted Vin to notice.

  We stepped onto the dance floor and I twisted around, dancing like I used to when I attended Zay’s parties. It’d been a while since I danced this way—knowing the whole room would watch, or at least all of the guys. Dancing in general was fun, but dancing while drunk was absolutely freeing.

  I felt heat sneak up behind me and the guy had pressed himself against me, copping his feel. He pressed his groin into my ass when I threw my arms in the air, moving with the beat.

  I felt him breathing on me, but I mostly ignored it. He could have this one dance and I’d be done.

  But the dance didn’t last long. My backside was cool again, no heat, and then I felt a hand wrap around my upper arm. My eyes popped open, ready to blast the guy for grabbing me like that, but when I met familiar whiskey irises, I clamped my mouth shut.

  His eyes were intense, his hair messier now, like he’d been running his fingers through it, probably contemplating whether to come for me or to leave me be.

  He came for me, and deep down I was thrilled about it.

  “She’s fucking engaged, man,” Vin said to the guy when he questioned him. “Back off and find someone else to dance with. Plenty of women around tonight.”

  The guy threw his hands in the air like he wanted no part of it, and when he turned, I scowled up at Vin. “What the hell, Vin?”

  He glared down, nostrils flared. “Let’s fucking go.” Gripping my hand, he dragged me through the crowd, leading the way to his office door. He unlocked it and then barged right in, pressing the tips of his fingers on my lower back and forcing me inside the dimly lit room.

  The door slammed behind him and he went for the blinds, drawing them shut with a little too much vigor. “What the fuck are you doing, Marlena?” he demanded, facing me.

  “I’m not doing anything!”

  “Drinking like you don’t have any place to be? Dancing with fucking strangers? You call that not doing anything?” he snapped, taking a step closer.

  “Vin,” I laughed. “What is wrong with you? I’m having fun. I won’t be having a bachelorette party, so I might as well live it up a little before the big day we’re both dreading comes, right?”

  He narrowed his gaze, jaw ticking. “You’re fucking drunk. You need to go home. I’ll call a cab to pick you up.” He pulled his cellphone from his back pocket, scrolling through it with furrowed brows.

  “Is that what you want me to do?” I asked.

  “It’s what you need to do.” He lifted his head, scanning me, and I could see the lust in his eyes. A rush hit me, adrenaline coursing through me now. I remembered the arguments like this. I remembered it well, and what they always led to.

  “You’re jealous,” I stated, knowing it for a fact.

  “Did you drive?” he asked, stepping past me, ignoring my question.

  “No. Ryan dropped me off.”

  “Good. I’ll call and tell him to come pick you up. What’s his number? I have a club to run and I don’t need you distracting me.”

  I scoffed. “I’m distracting you? What about Bethany? Isn’t that what she’s doing? Distracting you? Trying to get your attention any way she can?”

  “Bethany is our assistant—”

  “Oh, please,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Don’t pretend you’ve never fucked her, Vin. I know you have.”

  He cocked his head, lowering his phone. “And you don’t pretend my brother has never fucked you.”

  I shut my mouth, blinking rapidly. I stepped back, breathing deep as I shook my head. What the hell was I doing? This was so stupid and so pointless I obviously wasn’t winning him over with this one. Maybe he was fed up too.

  “You know what? You’re right. I’ll go. I’ll call Ryan and have him pick me up. I have wedding stuff to take care of anyway.”

  Vin laughed, a dry, hoarse laugh, knocking his head back. “Oh, so you’re going to throw that in my face now?”

  “It’s whatever, Vin. I’ll leave. Call your little girlfriend back in here. I bet you’ll love that, huh?”

  “For the hundredth time, I don’t give a fuck about Bethany! She’s my goddamn assistant, Marley!”

  “Yeah, whatever, Vinny.” I turned for the door, gripping the knob, but before I could twist it open, I heard something hit the floor and then I felt heat crowd my backside. He twisted me around and lightly bumped me against the door, his hard brown eyes boring into mine.

  “Fuck your assumptions,” he grumbled, and I gasped when he gripped my hips, picking me up, and slamming my back into the door. He sank between my legs, lips crushing mine, one hand coming up to lightly grip the back of my neck.

  I moaned behind the kiss as he turned around with me in his arms, carrying me towards the desk. He dropped me down, forcing me back, kissing like his life depended on it.

  He pulled his head back, running his tongue over his bottom lip. “Fucking whiskey,” he rasped. “I can taste it all over you, Marley. Fuck.” His head shook hard, eyes squeezing tight. I could see his struggle—the fight he was trying to put up. “Tell me to stop,” he commanded.

  I stared up at him, confused. “What?”

  “You have to tell me to stop, otherwise I won’t. I won’t if you don’t make me.”

  I breathed a little harder and his mouth came down on mine, tongue slipping through my lips. He stole taste after taste of me, groaning like he was in so much pain, his cock hardening between my legs. I ached for him, gripping the upper arm of his shirt, my other palm planted on the desk to keep me steady.

  “Tell me,” he breathed, lips dragging down to my neck. He sucked on the crook of it. “Tell me to stop, baby. Tell me to leave you alone, but only if that’s what you really want.”

  Damn it.

  I didn’t know what I really wanted. My body was scorching with desire, lusting for him. I felt my legs spreading wider, heart still drumming, banging on my ribcage.

  I should have said something, but I didn’t. I didn’t say a single fucking word. I watched as he kissed down to the curve of my breasts, and then drew back, forcing me off the desk and spinning me around, belly flat on the surface. He shoved my dress up, revealing the black thong I was wearing.

  He palmed my ass with both hands, kissing me on the center of my spine and creating a trail down. When his lips reached the strap of my thong, I let out a wet gasp, feeling his teeth drag across my skin to clench the strap. He pulled the material down with his teeth, past my thighs, and all the way down to my ankles.

  I heard his belt buckle jingle as he forced my face down on the desk. His fingers twisted in my hair, and then I felt him grind his
thick cock between the split of my ass. He bent over, kissing my shoulder blade and then pulling his warm, damp lips up to the shell of my ear.

  “You came back here so I could fuck you, didn’t you?” he rasped in my ear.

  “No,” I lied.

  “You know I can tell when you’re lying, Marley.” He gripped my hip. “I can read you like a fucking book.” He spread my legs apart, sucking the skin on top of my shoulder. “Tell me to stop then, if that’s not what you came back for,” he whispered.

  I swallowed hard, breathed deep, gripping the edge of the desk.

  “Yeah,” he chuckled, voice deep and heavy. He lifted me up and flipped me over so I was facing him. Pushing between my legs, his tip met my entrance and as he slowly slid into me, he said, “That’s what I thought.”

  My jaw dropped more and more as he filled me up, inch by savory inch, those brown eyes glued on mine. I’d forgotten how big he was, how amazing he felt. He held my face with both hands, plunging deeper, causing my lips to part.

  “Tell me to stop,” he said again, pulling my hips towards the edge of the desk.

  “No,” I finally breathed.

  “Why not?” I shook my head as he ran the tip of his nose over my jawline and down to my chin, teasing me, refusing to kiss me until I said what I needed to say. “Why not?” he repeated.

  “Because,” I panted.

  “Because what, baby?” He dropped his hands to my hips, angling them to dive deeper.

  “Because I don’t want you to,” I finally admitted. “I don’t want you to stop, Vinny,” I pleaded. “I want you. I need you. Please.”

  When I said that, his eyes seemed to light up, a fire in them I hadn’t seen in years. He forced my back down on the desk, pulling the top half of my dress down to look at my breasts. I wasn’t wearing a bra, and he groaned, glad about it.

  Wrapping his hands around my thighs, he dragged me towards the edge of the desk and picked up his pace, staring down at me with intense eyes.

  “It’s been so fucking long, Marley,” he groaned, thrusting in full. My back arched. “God, I miss your pussy so much. My pussy. Not his. It was never fucking his.” He bent over me, tipping my head back up so my eyes could lock with his. “Let me taste you again.”

  I nodded and his mouth found mine, his tongue immediately slipping through. He devoured me, sucking on my tongue to savor the traces of whiskey, working his hips faster. Stroke after stroke, thrust after thrust.

  I missed this so, so much.

  Nothing else mattered outside of this. Not right now. Not while he gave me what I’d yearned for ever since seeing him again.

  I’d fought it since the first day I saw him again. I couldn’t fight it any more. Vin owned me—mind, body, and soul—and he knew it. He had a claim on me, one I couldn’t ignore or ward off, no matter how hard I tried.

  There was a reason I came back, and it wasn’t just because I was upset.

  It was because with him, I felt whole. With him, I wasn’t miserable. Unlike Lloyd, he lifted me up. He made me smile. He made me feel things I never thought I could feel. He made me feel alive. My skin would tingle, and my belly would flutter with the wildest butterflies while I was around him. Unlike Lloyd, his feelings for me were real.

  I met him, thrust for thrust, craving it all. Wanting him and only him. I’d always wanted him, pretending I didn’t before, but I’d always sucked at pretending.

  He groaned, tearing his lips away and burying his face into the crook of my neck. He swiveled his hips, hitting a tender spot that made my back curve again.

  “Oh, God,” I breathed, squeezing my eyes shut.

  “I bet he can’t make you feel like this, can he?” I heard the smile in his voice. “I bet he can’t please your pussy like I can—own it like I can. Make you as wet as I can. He doesn’t know your body the way I do, and he never fucking will.”

  He held me tighter, his elbows outside my head now, moving his hips, licking my neck. I was so close, feeling fire down below. I clenched him hard and let out a shrill noise—one I hadn’t ever heard before.

  “Fuck, you’re so wet, baby,” he whispered in my ear. “You just came for me. I can feel it.” He pulled up, looking into my eyes. He looked for so long, making sure I knew exactly what was happening right now. This was no mistake. This was wanted—no, demanded. He sat up straight, slamming into me, filling me up with his thick, full cock.

  Veins bulged on his neck, and I clamped my teeth around my bottom lip, holding my breasts, doing what I knew he loved. He loved when I played with myself. He loved when I didn’t pretend to be a good girl.

  I lowered a hand, circling the pad of my middle finger on my clit, and he watched me, pounding quicker, gripping my legs harder, and losing control.

  “Shit,” he groaned. “Shit, Marley.” His head fell back, and after several powerful thrusts, he stilled, coming so hard and so deep inside me.

  “Goddamn,” he groaned, falling down on top of me. He breathed hard, trying to catch his breath. He was slick with sweat, forehead damp. “What the hell are you doing to me?” he mumbled.

  I shut my eyes, allowing his words to sink in, remembering exactly where I’d heard them the first time. I’d asked the same thing the very first time he and I had sex.

  And, to this day, I still couldn’t find the answer to that complicated question.

  MARLEY

  Past

  The night I officially gave myself to Vin wasn’t as romantic as I’d hoped it would be—at least, not the events that led up to it. Don’t get me wrong, the sex was amazing. It was an unforgettable first time, but things happened that night, both negative and positive, that changed my life in a drastic way.

  It was my birthday. I worked a short five-hour shift at Rocket’s that day just to occupy myself. I had been looking forward to spending my night with Vin at his place, so as soon as I got home, I started getting ready.

  We’d been doing a lot of things together—illegal things, from smoking pot, to sometimes driving while intoxicated, and even mixing Sprite with cough medicine. I would get so wasted with him that I’d forget all about my days at the diner, and especially my time spent at home.

  I started spending less and less time at home, and Luke noticed. Mom did as well, but she didn’t say anything about it. She knew I’d met someone. I wore better clothes and didn’t come home for days at a time. Vin always made sure to drop me off and pick me up from the diner if I couldn’t borrow Ryan’s car for work. If Vin was busy, I’d spend time at Ryan and Pam’s, but hardly here.

  I’d even bought Mom food whenever I went grocery shopping with Vin, just to make sure she had something to put on the table. He didn’t mind paying for it, though I rejected at first, but after a while I didn’t mind the thought of doing nice things for her. She needed the help, and she was still my mother.

  The memories I had of her being sweet and full of life were never going to fade. I had hoped one day she would return to that—see that there was much more out there than her shitty husband.

  Luke didn’t work, which made it harder for her to keep up around the house. She worked every single night, either at motels or at Holly Estates, cleaning rooms and homes, and even doing side jobs for neighbors whenever she could. All Luke did was sit on his lazy ass in the single recliner chair in the living room and watch sports or the news.

  He was a waste of breath—a waste of life, through my eyes.

  I stopped caring more and more about him. I stopped looking at him. Stopped talking to him. I pretended he didn’t even exist and, unfortunately, he noticed.

  It was the night of my twenty-second birthday. March 22. Vin and I had been dating for eight months now. I was putting on makeup after receiving a text from Vin, letting me know he was on the way to take me to dinner. He claimed he had something planned for me afterwards at his penthouse to celebrate my big day.

  Excited was an understatement. I made sure to look and smell great, freshening up, wearing one of the sleevel
ess dresses he bought me, and even straightening my hair.

  I heard stumbling outside the bathroom door but I ignored it, finishing up my makeup. I knew it was Luke. Mom had a shift at a motel and wouldn’t be back until after midnight. He was most likely drunk and looking for something to eat or do to entertain himself.

  After I wrapped up, I got another text from Vin, saying there was traffic and that he would be a little late. I gathered all of my things, still hearing the stumbling and bumping.

  As I started to zip my overnight bag, my door flung open, the knob crashing into the wall, and I gasped, turning around and spotting Luke standing between the frames of my bedroom door.

  His eyes were glassy and red. I could smell the cheap beer on his breath from where I stood by the bed—not that my bed was that far away from the door to begin with. He was only a few steps away, and he took those steps toward me, looking me up and down like he was superior.

  “Where the hell do you think you’re going so late?” he asked, voice raspy. He hovered behind as I turned to pick up my bag.

  “Out,” I responded. My heart was racing, but I played it cool as much as possible, acting like his presence alone didn’t bother me. I hated when I was here alone with him. I always did my best to make sure I wasn’t. I knew Mom’s work schedule like the back of my hand but I figured she took on an extra shift this night. She didn’t usually work on Wednesdays.

  “You’re all fancy, walking around in new clothes and shoes and shit.” He scanned me, nostrils flared, blue eyes heavy. “What’s the name of your rich little boyfriend now? Is he the one paying for all your new stuff?”

  I avoided his eyes, strapping my bag over my shoulder and walking to the wall to pull out my cellphone charger.

  As I took it out, a large hand gripped my elbow and slung me around with a little too much force.

  “Look at me when I’m talking to you, Marlena!” he barked in my face.

  “Fuck off, Luke!” I shouted back, meeting his glare.

  “Fuck off?” He let out a dry, deep chuckle, holding my arm tighter, pain seizing me. “You think you’re special now because you have all of this new stuff? You found yourself a spoiled little rich boy and he’s paying for all these nice things—things I could’ve gotten you myself!”