Outside the Box

by H. M. Montes

  “I hope to see you again Ember.” He said with a smile then started typing on the computer keyboard.

  I pushed the door open and there sat a taxi waiting for me, I looked back at the warehouse when I was in the taxi. I shook my head, “I can’t work in the box…or maybe I can try?” I whispered to myself.

  “Where to?” the driver asked. I gave him my address and watched as the “Box” grew smaller as he drove away.

  The drive back to the apartment seemed to take longer than it should have, I was grateful for the time to think about everything that I had just seen. I told myself over and over there was absolutely positively NO way I was going to take THAT kind of job. Sure the money sounded like it was great, but putting a price on something as special as my virginity just seemed too ‘slutish’. My other thought was who had seen me and thought that I would actually do something like that. When the driver pulled up in front of the building I slid him my fee and hurried to get out of the car. Clancy tipped his hat and opened the door for me. The lobby was empty besides the lady working at the desk, obviously everybody else was either working or at college.

  I made a sandwich and sat down to watch TV, nothing could keep my attention though. It kept drifting back to the ‘Box’, the way that Cally and Bliss were so natural at what they were doing. Her moans, the way he would growl and whisper sexual things to her as he slowly moved in and out of her played over and over in my head. My nipples were getting hard and pressing against my bra and my panties were getting damp again at just the memory of what I watched them doing together. “Two days to make up my mind.” I said to myself and blew out a breath. I was going to have to talk to Destiney first, part of me was screaming ‘NO’ but another part of me really wanted to take the job. After I finished my sandwich I decided to shower and get ready for the evening out with Destiney and William.

  I stared at myself in the mirror after I got out of the shower, images of Bliss sucking on Cally’s nipples and kissing down her body flashed through my mind. My nipples tingled as they grew tight again, “Uggg, you’re a virgin, there are other ways to lose your virginity. You can wait until you’ve found Mister Right.” I said out loud to myself. Peaches words rang through my mind, “You’re a college girl that would rather lose your virginity to some drunk frat boy?” I stomped out of the bathroom and into my bedroom. I checked my phone to see if I had missed any calls or text, there was one from Destiney telling me to be ready when she got home because we were going to be going out with William and some of his friends for supper then start clubbing. I text her back asking her what I should wear. She replied, *Something SEXY!* I decided to wear a dark blue dress that ended just above my knees, the shoulders were open and had a wide jewel straps over the shoulder. The fabric of the sleeves was open to my wrist where more jewels formed a cuff. The back was open with a wave of fabric that stopped at the base of my spine. I paired it with the black wedge gladiator sandals I had bought, rather than flat iron my hair I let the natural sandy blonde waves cascade down past my shoulders.

  I heard the front door shut then Destiney yelled, “I’m going to shower real fast William is on his way over!” followed by her bedroom door shutting. I finished applying my makeup, then walked out to the kitchen and fed Frank. Just as I finished feeding her the bellman came over the intercom that William had arrived. A few minutes later William knocked on the door, when I opened it his eyes got big, “Holy shit Lexi! You’re going to be fighting guys off all night long!” He said with a smile. I walked back to the living room and sat down;

  “I doubt that, so tell me who we are meeting up with for the evening.” I said.

  “Well, there’s Derrick that you’ve already somewhat met. Steve, Bryce, and Josh will be coming too, I go to school with all of them.”

  I smiled, “Are any of them single?”

  “Steve and Bryce are a couple, Josh just went through a major break up with his girlfriend of five years so…”

  “Okay, and Derrick?”

  William laughed, “Yeah he’s single but he can be a major dick head.” He told me.

  “Oh, he seems nice though.” I replied.

  “Absolutely not!” Destiney said from behind us as she clipped her large silver hoops in each ear.

  “And why not?” I asked her.

  “Just no, no!” she said shaking her head.

  “She’s seen how he treats women, they had one hell of an argument about two months ago because he was flirting with one woman at the club then he started flirting with another. Destiney about slapped him.” William said as he walked over to her.

  I stood up from the couch, “Holy shit woman!” Destiney said with a massive smile on her face. “Turn around let me see that sexy body!” I turned around then faced her again, “WOW, I’m so borrowing that sometime too!” she told me.

  We made our way out of the apartment and rode the elevator to the lobby, Derrick was standing at the receptionist desk visiting with the lady. His eyes landed on me then a smile spread across his face as he looked me over from my hair to my toes and back up. Destiney elbowed me as we walked towards him. He stepped away from the desk, I took in his dark blue jeans, black Bog shoes, and a light grey V-neck t-shirt that stretched tight around his shoulders, chest, and arms.

  “What’s up.” William said and shook Derrick’s hand.

  “Ready for this fun filled evening?” Derrick asked and smiled at me.

  “Over the top excited.” Destiney replied with a hint of sarcasm.

  Derrick shook his head and laughed, “Lead the way!” he told her. She followed William out, I was behind her and Derrick behind me. I could feel him staring at me as we walked out of the building to the awaiting taxi. “You look really REALLY good this evening.” Derrick whispered from behind me into my ear.

  I smiled, “Thank You!” I whispered back.

  We all climbed into the taxi, “Derrick, she’s off limits just so you know.” Destiney warned him. I grew slightly agitated with her but didn’t say anything back. Derrick tensed beside me then shook his head.

  “Whatever you say, you’re the boss aren’t you?”

  “No, I just don’t want to see my best friend get her heart ripped out by an egotistical asshole.” She told him.

  “My god, one night at the club and you’re never going to let it go. Both of those chicks were smashed and I was too!”

  “Whatever Derrick…” She was cut off by William.

  “Enough you two! We are going out to show Lexi a good time, you two are going to get along for one night!”

  Destiney mumbled, “Whatever.” And crossed her arms. Derrick shook his head and stared out the window. The rest of the ride was silent, the taxi pulled up in front of the restaurant and we all climbed out. Derrick handed the driver money then followed us inside.

  Destiney held Williams hand as he led us through the crowded tables to a back corner booth where three handsome guys were visiting. One slid out of the booth, “About damn time, I’m starving!” he said to William and laughed.

  “Whatever, the traffic was bad. Don’t even get me started on these two.” He nodded his head as Destiney and Derrick.

  She rolled her eyes, “Steve, Bryce, Josh…This is Lexi.” Steve and Bryce both smiled big and shook my hand but Josh only nodded and looked back down at his cell phone. We slid into the booth, I sat between Derrick and Josh. A waiter bought us over water and menus, the first thing I noticed was the outlandish prices on the menu. Before I could even say anything Destiney looked over her menu at me, “I know it’s a price jump more than what your use to but Derrick is buying so order expensive.”

  I looked at Derrick that was shaking his head, “I have no problem buying this beautiful woman supper.” Then he winked at me, “The filet mignon is pretty awesome here.”

  So, I ordered the filet mignon and sipped on my water as everybody else made small talk about college and work. Steve asked me what I was majoring in, “Well, I’m on the waiting list for the accounting program.
I’ve applied for some jobs around the neighborhood but I’m really interested in cosmetology so I’ll be starting class next week.” I told him.

  “That’s awesome one of my friends went through the same cosmetology school he’s now working with some of the top Hollywood actors and actresses. So what does your family think of you being in the BIG city?”

  I cleared my throat, took and drink of water, and blinked back tears. The table fell silent until Destiney cleared her throat and started to speak, I interrupted her, “Well, they…they passed away so Destiney made me move here with her.” I told him.

  “I’m so sorry to hear that, I’m sure that you being here is the best for you. If you need a shoulder you don’t hesitate to call me, I know Destiney is pretty busy. I’m always up for a sappy romance movie and some Ben & Jerry’s. Here give me your phone and I’ll put my number in it.” We exchanged phones then changed the subject. Two waiters brought us our food and drinks, we ate and visited about all the great things I needed to see, areas to avoid, and different restaurants I needed to try. After everybody was finished William and Derrick went and paid the bill, a few minutes later they came back. We finished our drinks then decided it was time to leave and go to the club that William refused to tell me what the name was.

  When we got outside there were two taxis waiting for us, William, Destiney, Steve, and Bryce rode in one. Josh, Derrick, and I in the other. Josh stayed very quiet and didn’t bother to talk to me except to tell me that he was going to be moving to Los Angeles in a couple of weeks.

  “Man I don’t know why you’re letting Cara run you off, she’s graduating this year.” Derrick said to Josh.

  “Because I’m fucking tired of seeing her and that douche bag everywhere I go, and I just want the change.” Josh said then looked at me. “No matter how big they tell you this city is, get your heart broke one fucking time and you’ll see the person every fucking day no matter how hard you try to avoid them.” He told me then glared at Derrick.

  “Oh…um okay.” I wasn’t sure what else to say. The driver told us it would be at least fifteen more minutes before we arrived at the club. The taxi was silent so I decided to try and start a conversation and asked Derrick about his soccer career. He told me about the position he plays and what nights they have matches. I shook my head, “Derrick I have NO clue about soccer so you’re going to have to break it down to simple terms for me.”

  He threw his head back and laughed, “I’ll get you familiar with the sport, you’ll be addicted in no time.”

  I tried to make small talk with Josh but he was more worried about texting on his cell phone, the driver pulled up in front of a massive brick building. When we stepped out of the taxi I could hear the bass of the music coming from inside. The line to get in the club stretched for almost the entire block, but William walked right up to the bouncer and shook his hand. The large muscular guy winked at me as we walked past him and into “Square”. There was a bar illuminated with shining silver LED lights, bottle after bottle of liquor lined the massive mirror wall in the center of the bar. Waitresses wore black leather halter tops and black leather booty shorts. The bartenders were all men that had on tight black shirts with only the word “Square” centered across the front. I looked out at the dance floor that was packed with people dancing to ‘Blurred Lines’ by Robin Thicke. Destiney nudged my shoulder, “We’ll hit the dance floor in a little bit let’s go get our table upstairs first.” I followed the group up the stairs to an open floored balcony that over looked the dance floor. The waitress came over and took our drink orders, as soon as she walked away Destiney pulled me closer. “I’m sorry about earlier, if you like Derrick then I’m okay with it. Just be careful.” She whispered.

  “I just met him, slow down!” I told her with a laugh. The guys were all deep in conversation except for Josh he found another group of guys and went to their table to visit. The waitress returned with our drinks and a round of Patron shots for all of us.

  Derrick held his up into the air at the center of the table, “To Lexi and her new journey, may you have fun, party hard, and enjoy life to most here in New York!” We all tapped the shot glasses together and chugged them down.

  “Oh god!” I choked out and grabbed my pink drink. It soothed the burning of my throat and tasted like raspberries. “What’s this? It’s really REALLY good.” I asked Destiney.

  “That’s called the Barbie Drink, be careful it’ll sneak up on you.” She told me and sipped on her favorite Long Island Ice Tea.

  “Alright boys and girls grab a dance partner, it’s time for you to show us what ya got!” The DJ yelled into his microphone.

  Destiney threw her hands up, “YES!”

  I looked at William that was shaking his head and laughing as he stood up from the booth. “What’s going on?” I asked as I stood up.

  Destiney looked at Derrick, “You can dance with her, but I’m watching you.” She told him. She grabbed my hand and pulled me behind her down the stairs and to the dance floor.

  “What is the big deal?” I yelled over the bass that was thumping louder and louder. Once we got to the dance floor Destiney turned to me.

  “This is the hottest club song, they had to cut down on playing it because so many couples started having actual sex on the dance floor.”

  “What song?” I asked completely confused. Then ‘Pour It Up’ by Rihanna started bumping and thumping causing the entire dance floor to be body to body as couples grinded against each other. Derrick and I were pushed chest to chest as people bumped into us, I smiled up at him and started moving my hips then turned around so my back was against his solid body. His hands slid around my hips and he pulled closer, I looked over my shoulder and sang along “Throw it up, throw it up, watch it fall out. Pour it up, pour it up…”

  Derrick licked his lips, “Jesus woman, you’re making my dick hard.” He said as he ran his fingers up my arms to my bare shoulders then slid them down my back until his hands were resting on my hips again. He spun me around so we were chest to chest, one of his legs between mine, we continued grinding, his erection pressing against my stomach. As the beat sped up he would move us faster and slow down keeping perfect time with the song. “If you weren’t so fucking innocent I’d think you’re enjoying teasing me.” He told me.

  The song faded out then Beyoncé’s ‘Partition’ started playing. Derrick didn’t let me go, he continued moving our hips with the bass of the song, pressing his leg harder against my center. When he bowed his head and licked my neck, my skin started to tingle, I couldn’t stop myself from rolling my head to the side to give him more access. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think YOU’RE enjoying teasing ME.” I told him.

  He smiled down at me, lightly ran his finger across my chest, up my throat, then slid his hand around and cupped the back of my head. “Oh trust me Lexi, I’ll get to enjoy every fucking inch of you some day. I know you’re a virgin, I’m not going to be the one to take that from you, because once I fuck you there’s no turning back. You’ll be mine and only mine after it happens.” Then he lowered his lips to mine and kissed me. Once our tongues met, we both deepened the kiss. After a minute Derrick pulled away, “Someday Lexi, just remember what I said.” The song ended so we left the dance floor and went back to our table. Destiney was whispering something in William’s ear as she ran her hand up and down his thigh. I sat down and cleared my throat causing her to pull away from him, she turned to me, looked at Derrick then at me.

  “You two looked awful cozy out there.” She said.

  I could feel myself blushing, “It was a good dance.” I said and took a drink of my fresh Barbie drink. Destiney nudged my arm and winked at me.

  The rest of the night was spent dancing with Destiney, trying different mixed drinks, and laughing at Derrick when women would come over and try to get him to dance. He refused all of them and pulled me closer to him each time. Steve and Bryce were absolutely hilarious and made a great couple. Josh never did come back over and
socialize with us, when we left he was nowhere to be found so Derrick text him to make sure he was okay. He got a text back letting him know he was fine that he had left because he was bored. Derrick and I exchanged phone numbers earlier in the night, even though we lived in the same building he said he wanted me to be able to call him if I ever needed him or if I was ever bored.

  Steve and Bryce waved from the taxi they were in and we waved from ours, about forty five minutes later we were all back at our apartment building. William and Destiney no doubt had plans for the night, hopefully I wouldn’t have to listen to what they were going to be doing. Derrick kissed me before he got off the elevator, “I’ll text you soon.” He told me.

  The elevator doors closed, William and Destiney were both standing there staring at me. “What?” I asked with a smile.

  “If you are the woman to tame THAT guy I swear to god I will kiss your feet.” Destiney told me and leaned against William. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

  “He’s a good guy, I’ve never seen him turn ANY woman away at the club. Give the guy a chance to prove himself, don’t just turn him away because Destiney doesn’t like him.”

  “You guys need to just chill out, I’m sure what happened tonight was a combo of the booze and the music. He’s way out of my league I think.” I told them both.

  Destiney rolled her eyes, “You make me so fucking mad, you know that? Just because Carter didn’t see what we all see doesn’t mean that ALL guys are stupid like that. You’re hot, deal with it. If anything, YOU are out of Derrick’s league.”