by Tia Siren
“What?”
“You aren’t wasting your first weekend back, working. I have plans for you.”
“Joseph. No. I’m not up to….”
“It’s not negotiable,” he interrupted. “You have no choice in the matter. I have it all set up.”
“What do you have set up? Don’t tell me you set me up with someone?”
“I did exactly that. She’s sweet. Trust me, you’ll like her.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about.”
“It’s time for you to get back into the swing of things whether you like it or not.”
Edward smiled, knowing his best friend, and knowing he wasn’t going to win the fight. “When are you picking me up?”
“That’s better. Be ready by nine.”
Edward worked as long as he could, knowing full well that if he went back to his apartment until they went out, he would dwell on things he didn’t need to dwell on. He wished he could forget about the last six months of his life, but knew it was impossible. Second best thing to do was to stay busy so he didn’t think about the best thing in his life that he lost.
By nine o’clock sharp, he was reading a text from Joseph asking him if he was ready to go. He walked out of his apartment to a waiting red Lamborghini, the engine revving it’s V12 impressively. He climbed in and let Joseph whisk him away to the bar scene he hadn’t been in since he left over six months ago.
“I see nothing has changed,” said Edward when they walked into The Pryzm. The first group of women they walked toward started ogling them and thrusting their hips out to show off their barely there outfits.
“Hellooo, ladies.” Joseph kept his eyes on them the whole way by.
“Nothing at all,” reiterated Edward, shaking his head.
“Grab us a couple of drinks. I’ll get us a table and look around for our dates.”
“Who are we supposed to be meeting here anyway?” Edward asked, nonchalantly. He didn’t really care who they were. He was just playing the part, half hoping his date was as disinterested as he was and he could gracefully bow out early. Joseph could have said they were meeting Jack and Olaff and Edward would have nodded and smiled, agreeing that they would all have a good time. He felt like he was just there, going through the motions.
Edward ordered two beers and paid the bartender well before setting off to find Joseph. When he finally found him in another part of the bar, he was quite busy with a woman in a very short and very form fitting red dress.
“Ahem.” Edward cleared his throat loudly after setting the beers on the table and smiling awkwardly at the woman with her arms crossed. She obviously felt out of place as her girlfriend accepted Joseph’s entire tongue into her mouth. “That… is my friend, Joseph, right?” he asked the woman.
“I hope so, otherwise Ruby is making out with the wrong guy,” she smiled.
“I’m Edward,” he said, holding his hand out formally.
“Hi. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Bethany.” She walked around the table and stood next to him.
“What brings you out tonight?”
“Not small talk.” She slid her hand up Edward’s arm and cozied up to him, much like women did when they wanted him for what was inside his pants rather than what was inside his mind.
Just go through the motions, Edward. It’s nothing more than a good fuck. You are used to this. Just go with it.
“Well then. Why don’t you come a little closer? Let’s see what we can accomplish.”
He was surprised at how easily it was to switch back into Edward The-Ladies- Man Caldwell. The only difference this time was the anger and vengeance he held in his heart.
He let his cock lead him through the night as the bartender set up another round of drinks. That and a few shots in between, got Edward feeling a little too good for his own good. His date reminded him too much of Eva, with the same color hair and complexion Eva had. She was nowhere close to her in attitude but that, along with the alcohol caused him to speed things up and get what he wanted.
“Drink up, darlin’,” he said as he pulled her body into his. He leaned down into her ear and whispered, “It’s time to fuck.”
Eva would have slapped a man for saying something so vulgar to her like that. Bethany giggled and wiggled her perfectly sculpted twenty-two-year-old body as she downed her mixed cocktail so fast it ran down her chin and dripped onto her chest.
“Let me get that,” he said, and he leaned in, licking the alcohol from her tanned skin as she giggled some more.
The bartender delivered a bottle of whiskey to the table as requested by Edward and he downed his beer after giving her his credit card.
“Pay the tab,” he said. He looked at Joseph and watched as his tongue found its way around Ruby quite nicely. As soon as his card was returned to him, he grabbed the bottle and took Bethany by the hand, pulling her away from the table.
“Let’s get out of here.”
Chapter 43
The hotel across from the night club wasn’t the best around, but it sufficed for what Edward was going to use it for. He paid at the desk for an entire night and led Bethany to the elevators, not giving a care at the looks they received. As soon as the elevator door closed and began its ascent to their floor, he slammed her up against the wall and imprisoned her between it and his body. He grabbed a fist full of her hair and directed her mouth at the angle he wanted it to be in before he covered it with his. His tongue darted into her mouth as he grabbed her legs, picked her up and pulled her legs around his waist. He pushed himself into her, showing her just how much she aroused him.
“Ya know, cowboy,” she said breathlessly. “You don’t have to go so fast. We have all night. I’d like to enjoy a man like you.” She squeezed his arms, admiring how fit he was in his cotton twill shirt and tie. “It’s not often that I get to touch such a rare breed.”
Edward grabbed her face and shut her up with another heavy kiss. He wasn’t going to let a daddy’s girl out on the town for a good time make him feel like a piece of meat. He was in control and he vowed to always be in control for the rest of his life.
The elevator stopped and the doors opened, but he didn’t let up, despite the couple waiting in the hallway to go down to the lobby. Bethany slapped him on his chest, her eyes wide open and looking to the side at them. He pushed his body into hers again, his hard cock pressed perfectly into her. If it weren’t for the material still covering them, he would be fucking her in that elevator. She slapped him a few times again and tried pushing him back but his mind was in another place. Just as the doors closed with the couple still in the hallway, Edward moved quickly and stepped forward, his foot stopping the doors from closing. When they reopened, he carried Bethany off the elevator, nodding at the couple and smiling.
“Good evening,” he said as he passed them by.
The couple stared in disbelief at the spectacle he created.
“I can walk, ya know,” Bethany said, looking back at the couple still peeking at them from inside the elevator.
“Oh, but this is more fun, don’t you think?” He picked her up further and hoisted her up over his shoulder, chuckling when she squealed and fought him for fear of dropping her. His hand held her tightly by the back of her upper thigh and he didn’t feel a stitch of her clothing. He wondered in amusement just how much was showing as he walked down the hallway to their room.
“Put me down,” she protested in a loud whisper.
They passed a man in a robe holding an empty ice bucket and the priceless look on his face told Edward this woman was showing much more than she had intended at the time. He rather enjoyed the spectacle he was making with her.
He didn’t put her down until they got to room 407, and even then, he still held her wrist as if she were one of his possessions while he unlocked the door.
“Why did you do that?” she asked, closing the door behind them.
He snapped on the light and looked around briefly.
“Do what?” he asked
nonchalantly as he moved around the room. He unwrapped two plastic glasses and opened the bottle of whiskey, pouring each glass half full. He handed one to Bethany as he walked past her and turned on the bathroom light, pulling the door partially closed. He downed his portion and walked back to the desk for a refill.
“That!” She pointed toward the hallway crossed her arms over her chest and thrust her hip outward.
“Bring you here?” He walked toward her and took another drink. “Don’t pout.” He leaned toward her, his eyes on her face and reached past her, shutting the main light off. The light from the bathroom illuminated the room and Bethany’s body enough to satisfy him.
“You carry me down the hallway like a sack of potatoes then hold my arm when you put me down like I’m some child who is going to run off?”
“Yes,” he said.
“What the hell were you thinking? You can’t just treat people like your little toys. You don’t own me.”
Edward walked to the other side of the dimly lit hotel room as he removed his shirt, setting it on the bed as he walked by. He pulled open the curtains and looked down toward the busy street below, his back to Bethany.
“Don’t I?” he asked quietly, more to himself than to his female companion.
“What?” She sounded offended and it made him smile.
Feisty is good, he thought. “You didn’t have to come to this hotel with me. You didn’t have to come into the room. You knew, when we left that bar, what we would be doing up here.”
“Maybe I should just leave right now.”
“You have every right to.” He stayed facing the window. When he didn’t hear her open the door he slowly turned around and sat on the heating register just under the window. His eyes focused on her and his arousal grew from watching her fidget and struggle in the situation. “Drink your beverage.”
“Why?”
“I want to taste whiskey on your tongue when I have mine in your mouth.”
She raised her glass to her lips and took a sip. Edward motioned for her to finish it and reluctantly, she tipped it back and drank it down, coughing at the harsh liquid burning her throat.
“Take off your dress,” he said calmly.
She took a deep breath and did what she was told. He knew she hated being dominated and he was going to have fun with it. She slid her dress from her shoulders and wiggled her body out of the tight garment, leaving a black lacey scantily clad bra and panties to barely cover what he was after. When her dress fell to the floor she eloquently stepped out of it and picked it up to set it on a chair by the wall.
“Leave it.”
She hesitated then set it back down at her feet.
He crossed his arms and studied her. When she began to walk toward him, he put his hand up.
“Stop.”
She froze.
“Crawl to me.”
“What?” she snapped. “I’m not going to crawl on the floor like a….”
“Then leave.”
“What?” Her voice softened and she became demure and upset.
“If you don’t want to do as I ask, then leave me. I didn’t beg you to come here with me and I am certainly not holding you here against your will. Am I?”
“Um, no. But I don’t, I mean,” she stammered. She closed her eyes and took a big breath.
“If you do everything I say, I will make it worth your while.” He stared at her and watched her body shiver.
“Everything?”
He nodded. “I won’t hurt you.”
She bit her lower lip and wrapped her arms around her body.
“Crawl to me, Bethany.”
His voice melted her and she slowly lowered herself to the floor. The carpet was rough against her knees but she kept her eyes on him, her mouth slightly parted and slowly crawled toward him like a cat. Once she got close enough, he noticed her lower lip quivering.
She put her hands on his knees and pulled herself up between his legs. He looked down at his pants and then back at her and she knew what she was being instructed to do. She reached up and unbuckled his pants as she licked her lips. She pulled at the zipper until it was low enough and reached into his pants. When her hand wrapped around his cock her eyes widened and her breath caught. She looked up at him and pulled him free.
“Yes,” he whispered.
He slid his hand down her back and unclasped her bra and it slid down her arms. She discarded it off to the side. She slid her panties off and discarded them in the same manner before redirecting her attention back to him.
He buried his hand into her hair and pushed her downward toward his cock, her hair falling around her head obstructing his view from the activities. When he felt the warmth of her mouth around his cock he pulled his head back and closed his eyes. He felt the stroke of her tongue along the shaft and every so often he would feel the tightness of her throat against his head before she coughed and gagged.
Bethany was very good at giving oral pleasure but when Eva’s face slowly formed in Edward’s thoughts he grabbed Bethany by her hair and pulled her off him. He clenched his jaw tightly and tried to rid his mind of the woman who destroyed his heart.
“Get on the bed,” he ordered.
Without hesitation, Bethany walked to the bed and crawled into the middle of it.
Edward stood up and allowed his pants to fall to the floor. He stepped out of them, his arms to his side and his body flexing with every move he made toward her. He grabbed her ankles and pulled her to the edge of the bed before flipping her over and grabbing her by her hips. He hoisted her up onto her knees and before she could take her next breath he was inside her, pushing and pulling her body the way he wanted to. His aggression left no room for petting, caressing or any sort of romance.
When he noticed her wiping tears from her face, he pulled back and flipped her back onto her back on the bed. He watched her try to hide the embarrassment she was feeling.
“What’s wrong?” His tone was flat.
“Nothing,” she sniffled. “It’s just sex, right?”
“That’s what I thought this was. Did you expect something more?”
“Nope.” She wiped her eyes and tried to smile. “I know this is a one night stand. I know that. But I figured there would be some compassion between us. I felt a little connection when we met.”
“Did you? You felt a connection?”
“Yes, and honestly from what I have heard about you….”
“What you’ve heard about me? What did you hear?”
“You are pretty well known, you know, with the ladies. Successful, well off, well endowed,” she said, looking down. “Women love you.” She shrugged. “I guess I wanted to be a part of that.”
“Well, maybe I am just treating this exactly like what it is. A one night stand with a whore who only wants me for one thing.”
Bethany looked at Edward curiously. “Is that what you expected?”
“It’s what I’m used to. Are we going to finish this or are we going to have a therapy session?”
“For the record, I’m not a whore. But I know something good when I see it.” She got up on her knees and moved closer to him. “And you are good.”
She slid her arms around his neck and kissed him until he turned his head away from her. He whipped her around the other way and slammed her head down into the mattress grabbing her wrists and pinning them behind her back. He entered her again and ruthlessly fucked her until he came hard. He flipped her back around and continued having sex with her until her body convulsed and stiffened before collapsing.
He rolled off her and walked toward the only light in the room, disappearing into the bathroom and closing the door, blocking all light from the room completely.
He ran the shower as hot as he could stand it and stood next to the bathroom sink on the verge of tears himself, knowing what he did to Bethany and hating himself for doing it. He slammed his fists into the wall and yelled at the top of his lungs. He looked in the mirror as it slowly fogged up from t
he hot water.
What the fuck is the matter with you? Why did you treat her that way? No woman deserves to be treated like a dog.
He climbed into the shower and let the heat of the water surround him.
I need to apologize to her. I need to make this right.
He washed up and clumsily dried off as the whiskey started taking its toll on him. He opened the door and walked to the bed. It was empty and Bethany’s clothes were gone.
“Shit.” He sat on the edge of the bed, leaned toward the desk and grabbed the bottle of whiskey, flung off the top and tipped it back. Eva’s face formed in his thoughts again and he lay back on the bed allowing his mind to replay the day at the park when he made love to her under the stars. He closed his eyes and let the alcohol take him away.
Chapter 44
Edward woke up to the sound of his cell phone going off. His wet towel was in a ball next to him and his body was tangled in the sheets on the hotel bed. His head pounded but he forced himself up. He pulled his phone out of his pants pocket and answered it just before it stopped ringing.
“Hello.”
“What the hell did you do last night? Where are you?”
“Joseph,” he said, trying to pry his tongue from his dry mouth. “I’m at the hotel across from the bar.”
“Well, whatever you did to Bethany, don’t bother trying to see her again.”
“I wasn’t planning on anything of the sort.”
“She hates you, man.”
“When have I ever dated a woman more than once after sleeping with her? I know what they want, Joseph and I know what they expect. I just happened to beat this one to the punch before she got there. It’s not my fault that I hurt her feelings by doing so.”
“Not cool, man.”
“No, it’s probably not.”
“She was a nice girl. You might have had a chance with her.”
“They all seem nice in the beginning. You didn’t see her after we got to this hotel room.”
“Well, maybe you’ll have to fill me in on the details,” he snickered.