“You’re so damn tight…” he breathes, a tick in his cheek is going crazy.
He pauses to allow my muscles to relax around him before he pulls back and pushes in again. And again. We find an easy rhythm, working together, and every sure stroke of his cock brings me closer to the edge again. I close my eyes and let him take me away. I’m his. He can do whatever he wants.
He sits back on his haunches and pulls me up into his arms. Turns out I like this position even better. The friction against my clit as he moves inside me is amazing. His mouth sucks one nipple, then the other. His big, sure hands move up and down my back, over my butt, then to my hips where he guides me up and down his length.
I sit up, pulling him to me by the back of his neck for another deep, breathless kiss.
“Fuck, you’re so fucking hot,” he groans as his mouth moves over my neck and shoulders, nipping, licking and sucking, his breath is hot but not the same glass melting heat building in my core. He’s losing control and I love it, knowing I can do this to him that I can break through that shell of confidence and control, bring out the animal side of him that grunts as I thrust harder. This is really happening, this is us—just us, losing control in each other’s arms and oh, my God…!
“Yes! Yes, Yes!” I scream as I collapse in his arms, sweaty and exhausted.
He takes his last powerful thrust and explodes deep inside me. For a long while, we stay entwined while his breathing normalizes. He touches my forehead with his. I kiss the side of his head. He kisses the love bite he put on my throat.
My fingers move to the spot I’ll have to hide with makeup. “Why did you do it?”
He shakes his head slowly. “I don’t know. I’ve never done it to a woman before.”
I climb off him, suddenly achy and awkward. I hope it was alright for him. He came, but it doesn’t take much for a guy to do that. He must have had dozens of women in his time. Did I measure up?
He ties off the condom and turns to me with a sheepish grin. “Sorry, about the sleazy motel. It was the closest place to your home. I was going insane. I just couldn’t help myself… I had to have you. Even if it meant we had to hide out here to do it.”
“I got the impression you like doing things you have to apologize for,” I reply looking around the room for the first time. “It’s not that bad anyway. It looks pretty typical.”
“You deserve better.” He’s not smiling anymore. “But I didn’t want to run the risk of getting recognized in a high-traffic area.”
“No, no, you were right. This is just fine. Seriously.” What matters more than anything is who I’m with, but I don’t have the courage to say that out loud. I only cuddle up next to him and hope he understands.
“Are you sure you have to be back for your mom so soon? I have the room all night,” he murmurs with his mouth against my ear.
I shiver as his breath hits my skin, but I sit up. It’s time for a confession. “You told me to remember my reason back in the helicopter, remember?”
He nods.
“You were right. I do have a reason. A very important one. Although you’d be surprised how many thoughts can go through a person’s head in such a short amount of time.” I laugh. “Or maybe you wouldn’t be surprised, since you went through the same thing.”
He chuckles, nodding again. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure my whole life flashed before my eyes.”
He’s so different now. So relaxed. It makes him even more handsome than ever, or maybe that’s just because we’re naked, in bed, and he’s mine right now. All mine. “My mom is the reason I’m doing all of this. It was her I thought about throughout the jump.”
He touches my hand, and a frown wrinkles on his forehead. “What’s the matter with her?”
Instead of looking at him, I gaze down at our hands, the way they touch. If I look him in the eye right now, I’ll break down. I know I will. “Lung cancer.”
“Oh, Dakota. I’m so sorry.” His fingers curl around mine and squeeze gently, tenderly, and that simple gesture gives me the strength to continue.
“It doesn’t have to kill her, if she can get the right treatment. You know the commercials they have on TV for those special treatment centers? They, you know, take a holistic approach to treatment instead of just pumping a person full of chemicals. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but for her it would just be a delay of the inevitable. The doctors at this center can help her. They already told her so. They have a plan in place for her care. All she needs is—”
“—the money,” he finishes in a flat, toneless voice.
“Exactly.”
“That’s why you’re going through all this craziness? Because you want to save your mother’s life?”
“What else is there?” I look at him, blinking, waiting for an answer.
“I don’t know. Everybody has their reason. Yours is pretty strong.”
I hope he’ll tell me what his is, why he needs the million dollars so badly that he’s willing to humiliate himself in public.
Only he doesn’t. What he does is slide his hand away from mine.
And I understand something—he wishes he hadn’t asked.
Because now he knows, he’ll be thinking about my mom at the end of the competition, when it’s only the two of us left. He doesn’t know what to do with that.
I understand something else, too…I don’t want to ask him now. I don’t want to know. If I can imagine something tangible, a gang of loan sharks out to get him, a family business about to go underwater, even a sick relative like mine, I might hesitate when the time comes for us to stop working together and turn against each other.
I can’t do that to my mom. No matter how I feel about him, no matter how much fun I’m having and hope we continue to have because that was the best sex ever, I love Mom more. End of story.
“Thank you for today,” I whisper instead of asking him to spill his guts.
“For what? What did I do?”
“You were kind. You could’ve bullied me into it. Forced me. Screamed at me. You didn’t. You eased me into it and reminded me why I was there in the first place. And that I had the strength inside me to do something that absolutely terrified me. I would’ve fallen apart if you hadn’t done that. I really would have, and I’d be disqualified by now.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do. I know myself. I was right there on the edge, and it could’ve gone either way. You pushed me in the right direction.” I giggle. “Besides, you were holding my hand so tight I didn’t have a choice but to jump.”
He chuckles, pulling me to him. “I’m glad you did.”
“If I hadn’t, we wouldn’t still be in the game.”
“Actually, if you hadn’t jumped, I was going to push you.”
My mouth pops open. “You wouldn’t have?”
“Since you jumped, you’ll never know, will you?”
I gasp when his lips brush against my throat and send shivers of pleasure down my spine. Reflex takes over and my arms wrap around his shoulders, leaving my hands free to roam over his back.
“But I’m glad I got to see you like that,” he whispers. “You looked so…happy. No, not just happy. Joyous.”
“Wanna see me looking joyous again?” I murmur. He kisses my earlobe before nipping it, teasing me. I close my eyes and giving myself over to him. Like I have a choice. Like I want one.
“First, I want to eat your sweet pussy again…”
Chapter 25
TRENT
“Who is this person, anyway?” I shout. We’re standing in a line of roughly a million people. Mostly female. Mostly laughing and squealing with excitement. It almost reminds me of waiting for an audition to get on the set of Dare Me.
Dakota turns her head slowly, then blinks as if I just lapsed into Russian. “You’re joking.”
“I’m not.”
“You’re acting like you don’t know just to remind me how much cooler you are than pop culture.”
“
I have no time for it,” I say honestly. My eyes seek out and study the parking lot-sized poster hanging from the roof of the arena, draped over the wall. A larger-than-life woman with a microphone in her hand, mouth wide open like she’s in the middle of belting out a long note.
“She really doesn’t ring any bells?” Dakota asks. Her voice is a cross between disbelieving and horrified.
“Sorry.” I look ahead. I don’t know what our stunt is going to be today, but I’m willing to bet it’s going to include some kind of involvement from all these people. I frown trying to think what it could be. What do those sadists want from us this time?
““No,” Dakota decides firmly. “You’ve heard her music. You just don’t know it.”
“If you say so. Why is this damn line not moving an inch?”
“It will once they open the doors, genius.” She rolls her eyes and smirks.
And I just want to grab her and fucking kiss her right there.
“You’ve heard Eva’s songs. I know you have.”
“Oh, my God! Will you let it go?” I laugh and wonder what I did to deserve this impossible woman in my life. “Why does it matter so much to you?”
“Because it seems unnatural.” She shrugs. “What kind of person doesn’t listen to the radio?”
“A person who prefers listening to carefully curated playlists, if you must know.”
“Oh. I should’ve guessed. You have to be in control of what your delicate ears will be subjected to.”
“Why not? I only have so much time in the day for music. I listen while I’m in the car, while I’m working out, and sometimes if I’m working from home.” Probably best to leave out the part of my history when I listened to Nine Inches and dreamed of being a famous drummer in the world’s biggest Alternative rock band. “So when I have the chance, I want to listen to music I love. Is that a crime?”
She shakes her head slowly. “If you don’t listen to new music, you’ll never get to discover new songs to love.”
“Excuse me. Have you heard what passes for music nowadays? I’ll stick to what I know, thanks.”
“You’re such a snob,” she accuses.
“I’m not a snob.”
“Are.”
“You’re really turning this into a kindergarten-level argument.”
“What is your taste anyway?”
“Can we just leave it?”
“Jesus, don’t bite my head off. I was hoping to learn a little more about you. That’s all.”
When she puts it that way, I feel like a dick for pushing back so hard. The line is finally starting to move into the arena, which of course means everybody behind me is screaming their lungs out with excitement. “Alternative rock.”
“Seriously? You like industrial rock?”
I sigh. “What’s wrong now?”
Dakota laughs, waving her arms. “Nothing, nothing, it’s just that I wouldn’t have guessed. Hey, I love alternative rock. Who’s your favorite?”
“Marilyn Manson.” No hesitation.
Her face goes blank. “You’re kidding?”
“Why?”
“Because that’s my most favorite singer of all time. Like, nobody else even comes close.”
I smile. Who’d thought? “Really?”
“Trent, I’ve loved his work my entire life. I have every album. Bootleg concert videos. Books. T-shirts. The whole works.”
“Have you been to see him?”
“Of course. I saw him in Boston, New York, Philly and Baltimore the last time he came through.”
“Now that’s dedication.”
“What can I say? When I love something, nothing’s too much.”
The line has started moving steadily now. I glance at my mobile. No texts yet. We shuffle into the huge stadium. There are ushers directing people towards their seats.
“I can’t believe they got us front-row seats!” Dakota squeals, clapping her hands as an usher escorts us to two seats in the center of the row.
“I guess they can pull all kinds of strings,” I muse, looking around.
Dakota runs her hands over the sweater dress she’s wearing. “I hope I look okay. We might get to meet Eva”
“You think she’s going to care?” I laugh. “You’re not here for her.”
“I’m not here for you either, buster.” She elbows me in the ribs.
I fake a groan of pain then lean down and murmur in her ear, “That’s a shame, because I was about to tell you how sexy you look in that dress. You’ll keep the boots on for later, won’t you?” Her breath catches, and I run my lips over her earlobe before nipping it playfully.
“Not here. What if somebody sees us?” she whispers with a breathless giggle.
“So what if they do?” I ask. Even so, I glance around. One of my greatest worries is if they know we are together and using us against each other when the competition draws to a close. That’s the real threat, and just the sort of thing they would do for their all important ratings.
It’s weird and very unlike me, but I wish we were a normal couple, enjoying a concert together.
She smiles up at me suddenly, an open guileless smile and the wall around my heart crumbles just a little more. I can’t believe how drawn I am to that smile, that voice, that face. That body. I’ve had plenty of bodies attached to boring, silly, immature personalities. She’s different. She’s a game changer.
When my phone buzzes, my heart sinks in response. Another dare is about to start.
It’s not a text from the show though, it’s Eric.
Yo, man, where are you?
We need to catch up.
I can’t believe I haven’t thought about him since jumping out of the helicopter yesterday. My brain has been tuned to the Dakota channel for a day and a half.
Sorry, bro, it’s been wild
You know I trust you to keep things in order.
Will check back in soon.
Show should be over in no time.
My heart feels heavy when I send the message. No matter how positive I try to pretend, it’s like somebody or something in the universe wants to remind me of my priorities.
“Everything okay?” Dakota asks with a worried grimace.
I force a smile. “It was personal text. Work. Nothing to do with the show.”
Everything to do with the show. Damn it, couldn’t he have waited a little bit? I don’t need to remember how important it is for me to win. Not when I’m with her and she’s smiling and looking into my eyes with such trust. I guess she knows it’s still a competition. She’s in it for her mother and she won’t forget that—no matter how good the sex is, and it’s pretty damn fantastic sex.
The lights go down and the dull roar which has been filling my ears for a half hour is replaced by ear-piercing, bloodcurdling screams of complete rapture. The roar is deafening. Even the ground feels like it is heaving.
“Jesus!” I yell at Dakota, who’s wearing an ear-to-ear smile.
“No! Not Jesus! Eva!” She points to the stage, where a woman is rising up on a platform surrounded by fog machines and lights. The more we see of her, the louder the shrieking gets until it reaches a fever pitch when the woman herself steps out of silhouette and into the spotlight.
I should’ve brought earplugs.
I have to admit it’s fun seeing Dakota swaying back and forth to the music and belting her heart out. I guess she doesn’t get much time to be young and carefree, so this is nice. I don’t know who’s more entertaining, her or the girl onstage.
I almost miss the buzz of my phone, like a tap on the shoulder reminding me this isn’t all fun and games.
Chapter 26
TRENT
t
Having a good time?
Have an even better one with your next stunt.
Get onstage with Eva and surprise Dakota
by singing Marry You, by Bruno Mars to her.
“What the hell?” I whisper, re-reading the damn thing three times to make sure I got it right.
Get onstage? With at least two dozen security guards who look like they’d love an excuse to break somebody in half for getting too close to one of the world’s biggest pop stars? They have to be kidding. Or completely out-of-touch.
A thought crosses my mind. How the fuck did they know that I even knew the words of this particular track? I’m not a fan of Bruno Mars. I only know this song because I was best man at my buddy’s wedding and had to sing the chorus with him to his bride on his big day.
The only way they would know is if they’d been stalking all my friend’s social media too. Fucking bastards. I never gave them permission to look into my friend’s lives. That’s an invasion of privacy. Fuck them and their cold ruthlessness. I hold back the anger for the moment. None of that is important. Only completing this dare is. I’m gonna do it and take great pride in taking their money. I look around me.
Think, Trent. Think.
The rest of the audience falls away and it’s just me, sitting there, sizing up my options. I can’t jump on the stage because of the line of security guards standing with their backs to it, arms folded over barrel chests. That’s out. I wouldn’t have the first clue about how to get behind the stage, so that’s out, too. I scan the setup, looking for anything that’ll help me.
The lighting rig?
There’s a cage of metal poles set up on both sides of the stage, which is how I assume the crew climbs up and down to adjust the lights prior to the show. It looks sturdy. Yes, it would have to be, to support everything safely. If I can make my way over to it, I’ll be in good shape.
Part of me cannot believe I’m actually considering this. The store, the restaurants, even jumping out of a helicopter were nothing compared to this. The arena is full to capacity, with every visible seat taken. And I’m supposed to get up in front of them and make a complete fool of myself?
Dakota is oblivious to my tension. Her excitement of over being here has made her momentarily forget why we are really here. “You okay?” she calls out, still smiling.
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