by Naomi Niles
I had, however, brought one long sleeved white shirt along just in case a meeting or press conference needed to be held. I put it on, omitting the tie I had bought along with it. I left the collar open and rolled up the sleeves. It felt weird to be wearing sleeves after so long. After I got Brittany’s address, I headed over to her place, which was only about ten minutes from where I had been given apartments. I had just parked outside her place when I received a call from Sam.
Thankful for the delay, I grabbed the phone and answered it. “Hi.”
“‘Sup, dude,” Sam said, in his usual bubbly manner. “How’s it going?”
“Fine.”
He sighed noisily on the other end. “If you insist on giving me one word answers, then I’m not sure this will be a very interesting conversation.”
I smiled. “How are you?”
“I called to ask about you,” he said. “Don’t change the subject.”
“I’m good,” I said. “I have a photo shoot coming up tomorrow.”
“No fucking way!” Sam said, sounding delighted. “You?”
“Shut up.”
“This is amazing,” he laughed. “I’m guessing you’re going to have to be shirtless for this photo shoot.”
I paused. “Fuck… I hadn’t thought of that.”
Sam guffawed with laughter. “This is brilliant. Are they going to oil you up? Will they put make up on you? Will they have you surrounded by a number of bikini-clad babes?”
I cringed. “Thank God you’re not the one directing this shoot,” I said.
“Will you send me the pictures after they’re done?”
“No,” I said firmly.
“Whatever, I’ll see them eventually,” he said, with obvious delight. “Then I can get the images of the shoot blown up. I’ll paste them around town and tell everyone I know that you’re my kid brother.”
“Please don’t,” I said, shaking my head at the thought.
“This is fantastic.”
“I’m hanging up now.”
His response was to laugh uncontrollably, so I hung up and got out of the car. One thing I could say about Sam was that he always managed to put things in perspective for me. Now I was more nervous about the damn photo shoot than I was about the date. I walked up two flights of stairs before I got to Brittany’s apartment. Then I knocked twice and waited.
A few moments later, the door swung open and I found myself face to face with the other waitress from the restaurant. Her bright red hair was spiked upwards and in certain angles, it almost looked like a pitchfork. But she was eyeing me as though I were the devil.
“Lacey, right?” I asked.
“That’s right,” she nodded. “And, you’re Talen. Where do you intend to take Brittany tonight?”
She asked the question abruptly, as though she were running through a list in her head. I noticed she didn’t ask me inside, and I was fine with that. All I wanted to do was get Brittany and go.
“Umm…actually, that’s up to Brittany,” I replied. “She’s the one showing me around tonight.”
“Right,” Lacey nodded. “Now, tell me, Talen, have you ever committed any violent crimes?”
I raised my eyebrows in surprise. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” she said challengingly.
I was uncomfortable, but I was also amused. “Do I look like I’ve committed many violent crimes?” I asked. “Or do my tattoos give me away?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I have the names of every man and woman I’ve killed tattooed onto my back.”
Lacey narrowed her eyes at me. “Is that supposed to be funny?”
“Umm…yes.”
I heard nervous laughter and turned my head up to see Brittany walking towards us. She looked like a complete bombshell in tight black jeans and red top that bared one perfect pale shoulder. Her hair was set in black waves that framed her face and made her eyes come alive.
“Lace,” she said. “Stop it.”
“Serious question,” Lacey said, holding up one hand between Brittany and I. “Have you ever killed anyone and used their skin as a lamp?”
I shared a short glance with Brittany for I turned my gaze on Lacey. “I save their skin for other reasons – never for lamps, though.”
Laughing, Brittany pushed past Lacey and walked out the door towards me. “Goodnight, Lace,” she said. “Thanks for everything. Lock up on your way out, please.”
Then she closed the door on her friend, grabbed my arm, and pulled me down the staircase. It wasn’t until we were in the car and driving down the road that she spoke.
“I’m sorry about her,” Brittany said. “She’s just…a little over protective.”
“I didn’t get that, funnily enough,” I joked. “She seemed so chilled out.”
Brittany laughed. “Okay… So I thought we could go to Duncan’s first.”
“Duncan’s?” I repeated.
“I’ll direct you,” she said. “It’s this bar slash restaurant slash arcade place that has an amazing range of games. And before you say anything, I know it’s juvenile, but…”
“Someone once told me that juvenile fun was just what you needed sometimes,” I finished for her.
Brittany smiled and nodded. “How competitive are you?”
I raised my eyebrows. “Incredibly.”
“Good,” she nodded. “So am I, and I hate when people don’t take competitions seriously.”
“Are you planning on having a competition with me tonight?”
“I guess I am,” she nodded challengingly. “Are you ready?”
“I was born ready.”
Duncan’s turned out to be packed with people, but Brittany was right, they had a massive range of games and we easily found a free one. We spent the first hour moving from one game to the next, getting increasingly more competitive and sometimes even a little frustrated. By the end of the first hour, we had tied on our wins. The competitive blaze in Brittany’s eyes was hard not to find attractive.
I had never spent this kind of time with a woman before. My interactions with women were usually reserved to random hook ups and that never left much room or time for conversations or other activities. By the time ten o’clock rolled around, Brittany had claimed her overall victory and I was declared the loser. She bounced around in front of me doing what she called her signature victory dance, and I couldn’t help but get a little hot under the collar. It was incredibly attractive to see a woman so confident and uninhibited.
“Fuck, look at the time,” Brittany breathed. “And, I still haven’t fed you.”
“We can get some food over by the restaurant,” I suggested.
“If you can hold on another twenty minutes, I have a better idea.”
We left Duncan’s and headed to a take-out restaurant. “Stay here,” she instructed. “I’ll be right back.”
“I can get dinner.”
“I know you can,” she nodded. “But this time it’s on me. I’m the one who wanted to show you around, and dinner’s part of the package.”
She left me in the car and when she came back, she had two brown paper bags in hand that smelled like heaven. She gave me a few more directions and once again we were driving. As the lights around us dimmed a little, I realized she was taking me some place remote. It was a little removed from the main city, and the lack of buildings and people reflected that.
“Turn here,” she directed me. “You can park on the left by the row of trees.”
It wasn’t exactly eerie, but it was close enough. I glanced over at Brittany. “Are you the one who’s planning on killing me tonight and using my skin as a lamp?”
Brittany smiled. “Maybe.”
“I knew it,” I nodded. “That plan was way too specific.”
She grabbed my hand and pulled me through the wall of trees. We walked for only a minute before I could spy natural light coming through from the other end. When we stepped out of the tiny labyrinth of trees, I found myself
staring at a brilliant silver-blue lake that seemed to stretch on for miles.
“Wow,” I breathed.
“It’s beautiful isn’t it?”
“Do people even know it’s here?”
Brittany laughed. “Of course,” she nodded. “It’s just that Canada is so full of lakes that no one really finds this one special. I’ve always loved it, though…there’s just something about it.”
And, I had to agree. The eeriness from before had dissipated, and I was starting to see the simple charm about being surrounded by nature. I had never really taken the time to appreciate it before.
“I thought we could sit by the water and eat?” Brittany suggested.
“You won’t be cold?” I asked, impressed by how unaffected she seemed to be by the chilly bite in the air.
“I’ve grown up in the cold,” she replied. “I actually love how it makes me feel. Come on.”
We settled by the edge of the lake, and Brittany passed one of the two paper bags towards me. I pulled out a deep container that was still piping hot. I opened the lid and a brilliantly spicy aroma filled my nostrils.
“What is this?” I asked.
“It’s this weird new thing that one of the locals started a few years ago. Basically, it’s cheesy pasta combined with crunchy chicken, spicy prawns, and a whole heap of double fried fries on the top. It’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted.”
I took a bite, and once again, I was forced to agree. “Fuck, this is good.”
Brittany smiled. “I also got us some drinks; we have two cold options and two hot options, depending on what you like.”
“I have to say, this is the first time I’ve ever been treated by a woman.”
“Well, there’s a first time for everything,” she replied as we tucked into our meals.
“You should have let me pay.”
She held up her hands. “What kind of host would I be if I let you pay?”
I smiled. “The kind that I’ve generally come into contact with.”
She laughed. “You’re funnier than I expected,” she said, almost to herself.
“I think you’re the only person who has ever used that word to describe me.”
“Hmm, you know, I actually believe that.”
There was a lock of black hair falling over her face, and I resisted the urge to push it back. Her blue eyes were dulled by the moonlight, but they held a hypnotic beauty that couldn’t be denied even in the dim lights.
“So…” Brittany said, glancing up at me. “You’ve never really told me what you do for a living?”
“I’m in the MMA.”
She looked at me with wide eyes. “Seriously?”
“Yes.”
She held my gaze for a moment and then laughed. “Well, I wasn’t expecting that. You’re a professional fighter?”
“I suppose,” I nodded. “I’m here in Quebec undergoing this really intensive training program. I have a fight coming up in January that I need to train for.”
“Is this your first real fight?”
“It is,” I nodded.
“Are you nervous?”
“Not yet,” I replied honestly. “The guy I’m going up against is pretty stiff competition, but after battling with you all night, I think he’s going to be a piece of cake in comparison.”
“Ha, ha,” Brittany laughed, without taking me seriously. “Wow, the MMA… Isn’t that kind of one of the more dangerous fighting competitions?”
“It can be,” I nodded. “But any contact sport usually is.”
“Is fighting considered a sport?”
“I think of it more as an art, but that’s just me.”
Brittany smiled. Her eyes grew thoughtful, and I knew she had several more questions she wanted answered. “Have you ever been injured?” she asked.
“Many times,” I nodded. “It’s a part of this life. And…”
“And?”
“I started in…less than ideal circumstances.”
She frowned at me. “What does that mean?”
“I started in illegal MMA,” I admitted. “I fought my way up in the underground fighting rings.”
“That sounds…intense,” Brittany said, looking at me as though she were seeing me for the first time.
“Do I scare you?” I asked bluntly.
She held my gaze for a moment. “Yes,” she nodded. “But not in the way you think.”
Chapter Fourteen
Brittany
The ride back to my apartment was quiet. The thought of Talen in the underground fighting rings of illegal MMA was both intoxicating and frightening. When we arrived outside my building, Talen got out of the car and walked me up to my apartment. I turned to him at the door.
“Thank you for walking me up,” I said.
“Thank you,” he replied. “For showing me around. The lake was the best part.”
I felt a sudden wave of heat and a surge of desire course through me. I didn’t bother thinking; I just grabbed the front of Talen’s shirt and pulled him towards me. Our lips collided, and I felt my body melt against his.
He was all muscle – rock hard and unbelievably strong. We backed into my apartment together, and I heard the door slam behind us, though I had no idea if that was my doing or his. I was only vaguely aware of my surroundings. The only thing I was really paying attention to was the way my body seemed to be on fire.
Talen’s hands were huge and persistent against my skin. He raked over my body as though he were trying to put out the fire, except that every time he touched me, it only seemed to make things that much hotter. I felt his hands on my ass, pulling me closer. I could feel the ridged muscle of his stomach pressed up against mine.
We buckled to the floor, with the sofa only a few feet away, but I knew that we weren’t going to make it that far. His body hung over mine, and I could feel the girth of his cock pushing up against my thigh. Even without looking, I could tell he was huge. And, it was only then that I realized his pants and shirt were off. He pulled himself up a little so that he could pull of my jeans. When I was lying beneath him in my bra and panties, he lowered himself down so that his head was between my legs.
Then he ripped off my panties violently, and a moment later I felt his tongue on my cunt. I moaned in shock as a ripple of pleasure rushed through my body. It was intense and shocking, and it made me feel as though I were floating above my body in some kind of carnal Nirvana. When he raised his head from between my thighs, all I wanted was to taste him.
I twisted around so that I was straddling him. I kissed his neck, his beautifully tattooed arms, and his chest. I took a moment to lick the hard wall of abs lining his stomach. Lowering myself down, I took his entire cock into my mouth, without easing into it. I heard him gasp slightly, which just spurred me on.
I didn’t want to take this slow. I wasn’t interested in being gentle. I wanted passionate, violent, intense, and wild.
I sucked him off with the fervor of a starving man, taking him deeper and deeper inside my throat until I was practically gagging on his giant cock. I could feel his body tense with pleasure, making me want to keep sucking him off till he came. But finally I pulled away, realizing that I wanted to feel him inside me, too.
I raised myself up higher and then straddled him quickly. Neither one of us needed to do a thing – I was so wet, that I slipped inside him easily. The moment we fused together, I felt a moment of burning passion in the deepest, most secret part of me. I could feel him as though he were really inside me – not just between my thighs, but everywhere.
“Oh, fuck!” I screamed.
And then I started riding him with an intensity that even surprised me. I raised and lowered my hips in a tempo that kept increasing with each stroke. His hands came up around my breasts and squeezed them hard as I fucked him. After a moment, I slowed, and Talen raised his legs up slightly, pushing me higher on his body. Then he gripped my hips and started pumping away at me with a force that reflected his training as a fighter.
>
I kept imagining him in the ring, shirtless, sweating, and filled with fire, and it made me even wetter. His tattoos winked at me as we fucked, and I tried to count them, but with each intense thrust, the number kept falling out of my head. I could feel my orgasm take shape as the pounding of our flesh meeting resonated around my tiny apartment.
I could feel the screams trapped in the back of my throat, and for a moment, I was surprised at myself. I had never really been a screamer, but now I realized that that was probably because no man had really been good enough to make me scream before now.
I kept my hands on his chest as he rammed into me with the force of a charging bull. I let out a moaning scream as I came, but still he didn’t slow down or ease the pressure.
Instead, he pushed me off of him, turned me around and entered me from the back. I moaned again as a new range of sensations attached itself to my body. I felt as though I were still recovering from the first orgasm when the second one hit. My knees were weak, my legs felt like jelly, there was a comfortable soreness spreading through my body – but I didn’t care. I wanted as much as he could give me.
He fucked me diligently, with all the prowess of a trained champion. I could tell how fit and strong he was because he never slowed his pace. He fucked me until even my hands had buckled and I was supporting myself with my forearms. I felt his orgasm coincide with my third one and we moaned together as the climax ran its course.
Panting in exhaustion, I slipped to the floor and a moment later, his body came down next to mine. Our faces were only inches apart, and I could feel his breath tickle my face. We didn’t speak for several minutes; we just lay there, staring at each other’s faces.
“The floor’s uncomfortable,” I said after a moment, breaking the silence. “Shall we move to the sofa?”
Talen nodded silently, and we picked ourselves up off the floor and walked over to the couch. We didn’t bother putting on clothes or covering ourselves up. I was surprised by how comfortable I was with him. My eyes kept traversing his beautiful body, and it seemed to me as though he had been carved from stone. He had the body of a Greek god, and even his imperfections seemed beautiful.
His scars were masculine and oozed sex appeal; his tattoos were both artistic and hauntingly personal. His face was brooding, but there was a depth there that made his beauty all the more intoxicating. I could feel his eyes rake over my body, too, and I liked that he wanted to look at me.