by London Casey
I moved my eyes left to right.
A hand touched my shoulder.
I was being turned around.
I looked up to see Gavin towering over me.
“That’s enough,” Gavin bellowed. “We have to get her to her transportation. Please respect her wishes and turn around and focus on the memorial. Thank you.”
Gavin guided me through the park as they all kept shouting questions at me.
“They’re going to follow us again,” I whispered.
“I know,” Gavin said. “Take my hand, darling, and let’s make another run for it.”
I looked back at Gavin one more time. I blinked fast, trying to hold it together. “Gavin… I…”
He nodded. “It’s okay, Princess… it’s okay.”
We started to run again.
I decided then… if I was going to live my life as a princess then I wanted to be Gavin’s princess.
He opened the passenger door to his truck for me and helped me inside. I loved the way he looked at me and played a part that seemed so natural to him.
A few moments later, the truck was started and we were driving. There was no way in hell anyone in the paparazzi would ever think that I’d be sitting in a big, black pickup truck as my escape from them.
In the mirror I saw the park slowly fade into nothing.
Gavin just drove without asking about directions. He just knew what I needed and when I needed it.
We didn’t speak a word either.
I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad though.
Gavin finally did decide on a destination, and that was a drive thru burger place.
He pulled into the line and looked at me, winking. “Gotta eat, right?”
“Of course.”
“From there, you tell me what we should do.”
“Hide,” I said. “You and me, Gavin.”
“Okay. I can head back to my place.”
“No,” I said. I reached across the seat and touched his wrist. I bit my bottom lip. “No, Gavin.”
At that exact moment, I lost it. I burst into tears. Like a stupid fool.
Not a little cry. Not a tear falling from my eye. But a full blown, ugly cry. The kind where tears and snot mixed together, my chest felt like it was caving in, and my stomach hurt from the muscles working so hard to keep crying.
Gavin moved fast. He threw the truck into reverse and backed up enough to get out of the line. That meant jumping a curb and driving over a few small shrubs. Cars started to beep at him but he didn’t care. He drove forward into a parking spot and stopped the truck.
He grabbed for the seatbelt and unclipped it. His hands grabbed for me and he pulled. Next thing I knew I was in his strong arms, my face buried in his hard chest, crying my eyes out. His left hand slid into my hair as he started to rock.
“It’s okay, darling. Just let it all out.”
I clawed at his shirt as though my life depended on it.
What the hell is wrong with you, Olivia?
“I’m so sorry they asked you that,” he whispered. “Fucking morons.”
I broke away from his chest and looked up at him. My face had to look like an ugly mess.
“How did you…”
“I get it,” he whispered. He touched my face and used his thumb to wipe away the tears and whatever makeup had run down my face. “Why were you really there, Liv. I know she meant something to you but this was your way of maybe saying goodbye to your mother. You never got that, did you?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“I don’t know if you got that today or not, but you did amazing up there. I know we can’t bring back those that we lost, but you’ll always have today. What you said. And that little girl’s parents will have it too. And I know you, Liv. You’re going to stay in touch with them. Help them. Fulfill everything you said. Fuck, Liv, do you realize how important that is?”
I sucked in a breath. “Thank you, Gavin.”
“For what?”
“This. For letting me be… real. The second I met you, it was real. That’s me. That’s…”
He put two fingers under my chin and lifted my head. He leaned down and kissed me. “Darling, I still don’t get all the princess bullshit. I don’t care about cameras. About money. About private cars and helicopters. What I saw today was a beautiful woman offering her soul. The same woman who showed up in my town and got drunk and threw up and passed out on my couch.”
I smiled. “Gavin…”
“I’m hoping the next thing you tell me is that you’re hungry. So I can get back in this line and get some food. I know it’s not the first class dinner you’re used to, but there’s nothing wrong with a little grease once in a while, right?”
I reached up and touched his face.
I was amazed that I met someone who could see me. The real me. Who could read me. Who could sense me. Who knew exactly what to do, how to do it, when to do it.
That’s when an idea came to me.
I traced the steel line of his jaw.
“Gavin, I have something to tell you.”
“Darling…”
I put my finger to his lips. To shut him up.
“Gavin, I’m fucking starving…”
I looked out the window when he paid for the food, just in case someone recognized me. I hated to live that way but I couldn’t take any chances.
Gavin drove from the fast food place across the street to an empty parking lot. There was a large retail store closed down. He parked in the first spot and we sat there and ate.
He was right. This was not the first class meal I was used to. But you know what? It was fucking awesome.
Gavin downed his food in record time. He tossed the garbage into the backseat of the truck and then put his hands to the wheel.
“Where to now, princess?” he asked with a sly grin.
I swallowed the bite of burger in my mouth. “Hotel.”
“Hotel?” he asked.
I nodded. “I want to show you something.”
“Anything you want. That’s why I’m here.”
Gavin put the truck into drive as I finished eating.
We drove through the little rundown section of town and got on a highway for about twenty minutes before the city came into view, rising from the horizon. All the buildings looking like something out of a postcard. The crazy part was that I had been in every single building. I had conducted business in them. At the same time I could bet everything I owned that Gavin had never been in a single one.
“Have you ever been to the city?” I asked him.
“Sure. A few times. I think once when I was a kid. On a bus trip for school. To look at the buildings and go to the museum.”
“The other times?”
“Don’t really remember,” he said. “I think once was with Luke. He had this dream at some point of living in the city as some big business guy. He knew someone that got us into a rooftop party.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“Not quite,” Gavin said. “Bunch of weird people taking drugs while Luke and I wanted to drink beer and party. So we sat on the ledge of the roof and talked for a little bit. Then we bailed and got a ride back home.”
“Gavin. I want to know everything about Luke. If you trust me.”
Gavin looked at me for a second. Then he reached for my hand and squeezed it. “I trust you, darling. I just don’t know if I trust myself yet.”
I wasn’t sure what that meant but I had to respect his honesty.
I gave the directions on how to get into the city and get to the hotel. Now, imagine the sight of me in Gavin’s pickup truck, right? Now imagine pulling into a super high class hotel parking lot. I’m talking thousands of dollars a night. Private entrances and exits. Security like you wouldn’t believe. Privacy everywhere. This was a place where famous people stayed. Where politicians stayed. Where world leaders stayed. It was a place where a lot of people had affairs and everyone was paid handsomely to keep things a secret. There wasn’t a single vehicle
in a one block radius that wasn’t worth at least fifty grand.
Until Gavin showed up with his truck.
He parked around the far back in an open corner spot.
When he got out of the truck and looked at the hotel, he shook his head.
“Come on,” I whispered. “This will be fun.”
At the back private entrance we were escorted to a set of elevators that took us all the way up to the thirtieth floor. The elevator had gold doors with gold buttons and gold railings on the inside. It was all normal to me but I could sense Gavin was a little uncomfortable with everything.
When we got to my room, I paused. “Don’t judge me.”
“Never,” he said with a wink.
I opened the door and led him inside.
Gavin took three steps and stopped.
From his vantage point, I understood it.
The huge open floor plan. Like an apartment instead of a hotel room. A full kitchen. A sitting area. A living room. A gas fireplace in the corner. The entire one side of the room was floor to ceiling glass, a massive window that looked out to the rest of the city. There were a handful of doors in the room, too. Two closets, one bathroom, two bedrooms. And the master bedroom had its own private master bathroom.
“This is a hotel room?” Gavin asked.
“Yes,” I said. “Some people stay a while.”
“A hotel room,” he repeated. “I mean… to me a hotel room has a bed, a lamp with a buzzing lightbulb ready to die, and a remote that might work on a TV that has four channels.”
“Well, not here, Gavin,” I said and laughed.
“Holy shit. I’m afraid to touch anything.”
“Don’t be,” I said. “Want a drink?”
“Yeah. Sure.”
I walked to the kitchen where the fridge was fully stocked. And if there was anything I needed or wanted, it was just a phone call away.
I put a bottle of really expensive water on the counter and Gavin put his pointer finger to the top and tilted the bottle back. Then he shook his head and backed off.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I feel wrong being here, darling. All those people back in my town… struggling. And I’m looking at this.”
“You don’t think you deserve this? Even for a day?”
“I don’t know what to think right now, Liv.”
“Can I show you something else?”
“Yeah.”
I took Gavin to the middle of the large window and stood there. “It’s all crazy out there, Gavin. The city. The people. The world even. And you were right about today. About my mother. That’s what it was. You’re the only person who can see me. So I wanted to show you this. Because the truth… I hate it.” I reached for his hand and slipped my fingers into his. “I hate it so much. It’s all I’ve known so far in life. Until I met you. And I feel things trying to change. Or that I’m trying to see things differently.”
“Don’t do that because of me, darling,” Gavin said. “I’m not the guy you change for. I’m not the guy you chase. I’m not the guy you wait around for. Okay?”
“Then what are you?” I asked, looking at him.
Gavin let my hand go and side stepped so he stood behind me. His hands gently touched my hips. My body was instantly set on fire.
He leaned down and put his lips to my ear. “I’m the guy you remember later in life when you need to remember what crazy felt like.”
Before I could say something back, his right hand gently pulled at my dress. I let out a shuddering gasp and looked down, watching his strong, callused, partially black stained hand as he lifted my skirt. He moved slow and calculated, giving me time to resist him.
But I couldn’t resist him.
I wanted him.
I wanted this.
Slowly, I reached forward and put my hands to the window. I felt so exposed around Gavin. But I liked it.
With his left hand he grabbed my skirt as it was finally bunched up. His right hand then slipped down and touched my inner thigh. I was warm, comfortable, but that didn’t compare to the heat waiting elsewhere for him.
When I felt his rough fingers slide over the outside of my panties, I let out a sigh of relief. He pressed, twisting his finger, just enough to get me to buck my hips at him. I put my head back for a second and gasped for air.
Gavin then kissed my ear and let out a little growling sound. Then he kissed down to my neck, lips and tongue playing while his fingers ran up to the top of my panties. He then slid back down, inside my panties, finally touching me.
I groaned as his fingertips rounded me, moving against my wetness, and then slowly entering me. I lost my breath for a second and shut my eyes, feeling him sinking deeper into me. When I exhaled, my body clenched against his touch. He then pulled his fingers down and quickly plunged forward again. My body jumped and my nails tried to scratch at the window.
“Yes,” I whispered. “Oh, fuck, Gavin…”
His mouth kissed my neck with a loud noise. I felt his nose touch my cheek as he sighed against my skin.
His fingers began to move faster, harder, more thorough as he knew exactly what he was doing.
I soon lost myself to his touch, my hips rocking back and forth, wanting and demanding more. My breathing became labored, any sense of outside reality slipping away as all I cared about was Gavin touching me.
But as wild as it was, it suddenly stopped.
Gavin was gone.
I let out a whimpering sound.
His hands grabbed my hips and he spun me around.
I looked up at him, not sure what to think or do.
He slid his hands around to my ass and then down. One hand lifted my skirt again while the other hand touched me again. I gritted my teeth and exhaled with a needy groan of relief when his fingers slid back into me.
“Gavin… I want…”
He put his lips to mine and stole my words. Then he left his lips brushing against mine as he spoke.
“I’m giving you what you need, darling,” he whispered.
I felt his two fingers ease up and find an even more tender spot. The moment he touched my throbbing clit I grabbed at his arms. I groaned, loud.
Gavin smiled.
“Keep going, princess,” he said.
I felt myself tingling and building, my toes curled tight, my body thrusting against his touch. He had found the right spot at the right time. I was so screwed but that was okay with me.
Gavin kissed me again, commanding my body head to toe.
My hands ran up his strong arms and gripped at his thick shoulders. I let my body ease back against the glass window. I lifted my left leg and hooked it around his body. Pulling at him. Needing him.
And Gavin gave it to me. He could have easily opened his jeans right then but he didn’t. He was giving this moment - this pleasure - to me. For me.
I reached my climax and gave a shuddering whimper. Gavin put his lips to mine but didn’t kiss me. Was there anything fucking hotter than that? He then thrust his fingers harder than ever, making me cry out as I began to come.
Gavin let my dress go and slid that hand around to my lower back, pulling me tight to his touch and tight against his body. I cried out, kissed him, groaned, kissed him again, and then I called out his name. I felt dirty and messy, anything but a princess, but when I looked into his eyes, he made me feel… like a queen.
He kissed me gently and left a trail of kisses down to my neck before pulling away for good. He took his hands away from me and left me standing there. My legs felt rubbery. My hips quivering as my insides were still feeling everything. My heart was pounding super fast. My head spinning.
I looked at Gavin and took a deep breath.
“So, what now, darling?” he asked.
“We get the fuck out of here,” I said, semi-breathless.
“Yeah?”
“I have a secret place I want to show you.”
Sixteen
A Private Place
(Gavin)
I drove where she told me to. I couldn't remember the last time I was out of town this long. The little town had a hold on people like me, it was our sense of comfort and our reminder of tragedy. The kind of thing where you needed to get away but you never did. Time was soft, fluid, sometimes going fast, sometimes going slow. But when I was with Olivia, time meant nothing. Not even the flirting lights of the sky during the twilight hours.
I’d been driving north for almost an hour when I looked over and saw Olivia had her head against the window of the passenger seat, her eyes shut. She looked uncomfortable and I hated to wake her but I had no choice.
I couldn’t believe that hotel room, huh? That’s how rich people did it I guess. That room was way too big for one person to stay in. I guess money couldn’t buy you time but it could buy you space. And in some ways, space was as valuable as time. Space allowed you to think, rest, appreciate being alone. That I could respect. In my life there was no space. Proof of that came from the fact that Nikki had text me about twenty times. I had to keep reassuring her that I was fine. That I was with Olivia. I needed her to check on Jesse and told her to bring Ava to the house and just stay there for the night.
It was the reality of my life. All the events that led up to Luke… being gone… and then I was left to carry on and pick up everything left behind.
My hands gripped the wheel tighter.
It was nice to get away for a day and night, but that’s all it was. A getaway. I looked over at Olivia again. I didn’t know what to think about her. I didn’t want to go too deep into how I felt about her either. We were both new to each other, the complete opposite of the life we knew, so it made it wild and exciting. But her life was made up of speeches and boardrooms. High rises and handshakes. Those big ass hotel rooms and the paparazzi. My life was made up of wrenches and classic rock blaring from a static radio. Small town drama with big implications. My old ass house that was ready to fall apart at any second, with my old ass dog that was ready to call it a life at any second. My hands were forever beat up, callused, a slight black stain from the grease. I smoked because it tasted good. I drank because it tasted good. I built a wall to keep the past away but it always found cracks.