Hard Game

by Harper Lauren

  “What project?”

  “It’s really none of your business,” I said matter-of-factly.

  “Is it a project that will help you earn money?” he inquired, his eyes narrowing.

  “You sound just like my dad,” I said with annoyance. He looked taken aback. “But yes, it will help me earn money eventually.”

  I was getting really angry at how he was talking like he knew me so well. Okay, maybe those points did drive home. But now I was dead set on proving him wrong. Fuming, I didn’t even bother to respond anymore. I just walked away and joined the girls again.

  The arts and crafts store was a haven to me! My eyes widened at all the cute little trinkets and shelves of supplies I found. It was actually a two-story house that had been transformed into a quaint shop. The Craft Lady herself, a lady called Mrs. Wells, assisted us personally.

  “What kind of fabrics do you have?” I asked her.

  “Oh, you must be a fashion designer,” she said cheerfully. “You sure look like one.”

  That made me grin. “Just starting out,” I said.

  “Well, everybody has to start somewhere, right?” she said, leading me up the stairs to the second floor. “Come, I’ll show you my collection of fabrics.”

  When she opened the door to a room filled with rolls and rolls of laces, silks, cottons, linens, chiffons, wools, and more, I felt like a little girl in a candy store. “Enjoy yourself,” Mrs. Wells said. “And don’t forget me when you become famous someday.”

  I was ecstatic. “Thank you,” I whispered right before I waltzed into the room and examined almost each color and type of fabric, my mind whirring with visions of creations I intended to make. As my fingers glided through the materials, I suddenly knew that this was something I had always wanted to pursue. I vowed at that moment to work hard on this project and show my father that I could be someone important in my chosen industry.

  Jenny and Mel had to tear me away from the store. It was a good thing too because I’d spent almost everything I had. I was also grateful that Mrs. Wells had offered to deliver my items for free, because we surely couldn’t haul them all back to the car.

  On our way back, a dress on display caught my eye. I instantly stopped and stepped into the store, which was actually a little upscale for a small town. The owner of the store was there, telling us about her curated items from around the world. There were so many pretty clothes and shoes inside that I couldn’t decide which one to get with my limited money. It was upsetting not to have that same financial freedom I used to enjoy.

  As I was ringing up a pair of sandals at the counter with my last bit of money, I felt a wave of satisfaction and joy. I was already picturing the outfits I wanted to wear them with, but as we were heading back, I remembered Ivan’s warning. A flash of guilt instantly burst my bubble, and I hated the feeling it gave me.

  He had a knowing look on his face when he saw the shopping bag I was carrying. He tried to peek inside, but I shooed him away. “None of your business,” I told him flat out.

  Jenny and Mel watched over my package while I drove. We dropped them off at Jenny’s place before heading over to Aunt Ellen’s.

  “You bought only one item?” he asked, not wanting to drop the topic.

  “No,” I answered just to get him off my case. “I spent the rest of my money on that project, okay? Mrs. Wells will deliver everything tomorrow.”

  “So you did spend all your hard-earned money?” he prodded. “Poof! Gone just like that?”

  It was certainly irritating. I didn’t understand why he was so adamant to monitor my spending. I didn’t answer anymore.

  When we got home, Aunt Ellen invited him to stay for dinner. I was so glad he didn’t bring up the subject of my money again, so we ended up sharing a more or less peaceful meal.

  I was back in a good mood by the end of dinnertime. I even helped Aunt Ellen with the dishes while Ivan stepped outside.

  “I’m going to bed, dear,” Aunt Ellen told me afterwards. “I have a headache coming.”

  “Okay, rest well,” I told her. “Good night.”

  “Good night.”

  Chapter 8

  Ivan

  I took a drag from my cigarette, breathing in the relaxing sensation. I really should stop smoking while I still can, I thought.

  “Mind if I join you?” a female voice came from behind me.

  I looked up, shrugging.

  Cassy went to sit beside me on the front steps, her denim skirt riding up her long legs. I couldn’t help glancing.

  She grabbed the stick from my hand and took a puff before throwing the cigarette butt aside. “Smoking is bad for your health,” she told me in a teasing tone. “Tsk-tsk. Bad, bad athlete.”

  The way she looked right that moment, her beautiful face illuminated in the moonlight, certainly made me feel bad. I knew I wanted her bad enough.

  “So,” she began. “I wanted to celebrate this milestone of my career in farming.” She began to giggle, which made me laugh too. “I was thinking of playing hooky and getting a drink at the local bar.” She trailed off then, giving me a wink.

  “Not a good idea, Cassy,” I told her, making her disappointed. She pouted and pleaded like a teenage brat, which was both cute and irritating, but I had something up my sleeve to satisfy her craving. “Wait here,” I told her. I stood up and opened the trunk of my car.

  Impatient and curious, she’d followed me to the car. Peeking into the trunk, her eyes shimmered at the sight of the bottles of beer in a cooler. I took one for myself and handed her one. “I figured you’d want to celebrate,” I said. “I got them while you girls were busy.”

  She actually looked grateful as she took a swig from her beer. “You think of everything, Mr. Willard,” she said with a smile. “No breaking of curfews then. Okay.”

  “Of course,” I answered.

  She gave me a scrutinizing stare. “You don’t really strike me as the rule-abiding type,” she said, her tone kind of provoking. She appeared to be questioning my motives. “But this is cool, whatever.”

  I laughed with her as we settled on the swinging couch in the patio. The evening was quiet, except for the sound of the crickets. The sky was blanketed in stars, a romantic touch that seemed to make us want to cuddle on the gently moving sofa. The cushion was warm and inviting, and so was her closeness.

  Without hesitation, I placed an arm around her as we sipped our beer and talked about life in the city. She snuggled close to me, her head fitting perfectly onto that space between my neck and shoulder. I loved the smell of her hair, which served as a soothing distraction as I tried to focus on what she was saying.

  The evening wore on. We got carried away with our stories, laughing and teasing and having a mean banter of insults and retorts. We weren’t complete without that sort of exchange, like it was a part of our growing connection.

  I don’t remember how many bottles of beer I had, but I know I wasn’t drunk yet. I was less inhibited, naturally, which was making me more talkative and bold. We got to talking about our dreams, and I found that it was easy to share mine with her. She listened intently, her eyes fixed on my face.

  When I stopped talking, I knew I wanted to kiss her right then and there. She was gazing into my eyes, her face mirroring the desire mounting within me.

  Without hesitation, I leaned forward and kissed her on the lips--- gently, softly. My lips pressed against her in lingering sweetness, rousing the longing deep within our bodies, causing desire to surface and take over our senses.

  She kissed me back with intense passion, meeting the hunger that was fast escalating with every caress of my lips on hers. My hand automatically went to her face, cupping the side as I leaned closer and deepened our kiss.

  Our tongues met in a dance of sexual yearning, fanning our flames of desire into an uncontrollable erotic blaze.

  I savored her taste, longing for more.

  A raucous clanging sound suddenly came from the direction of the barn, causing us
to jump apart.

  “What was that?” I said, standing up.

  “Did it come from the barn?” she murmured, still looking a bit dazed from our intimate moment. “Must be the animals.”

  “I’ll check it out. You stay here.”

  “No, let me come with you,” she insisted.

  We walked in the darkness, neither of us saying anything. We weren’t even tipsy yet, but there was a common yearning within us that had been wanting to get out since the day we met each other.

  She had a confused look on her face, which gave away her thoughts. As I opened the barn door cautiously, my head whirled with powerful memories of our kiss and what it could mean.

  I grabbed a gardening tool that was lying on the floor, just in case we encountered an intruder. Carefully, with our senses very much alert now, we circled the area, looking for signs of imminent danger. There was none. Thank God.

  “There,” she whispered in the dark as we reached the storage area just behind the tall stacks of hay. I groped on the nearby wall to switch on a lamp. The faint light illuminated a portion of the area. We saw that one of the closets was open, and it seemed like the metal equipment had fallen on top of each other, causing that mysterious clanging sound.

  “Okay, maybe somebody forgot to secure the lock,” I said, bending over to pick up the tools and arrange them properly.

  Cassy shrieked then, making me whip around just in time to catch her falling backwards. I saw a big brown dog leap from her side and run out the door. It was one of our own.

  Her weight and the abrupt fall made me lose my balance as well, and we ended up stumbling toward a haystack with her body on top of mine, her face inches from mine. She was so beautiful with loose strands of her hair cascading down the side of her face while her blue-green eyes appeared to be searching mine.

  I didn’t think. Any sense of logic immediately flew away from my mind, replaced by lustful thoughts of this beautiful woman in front of me. At that very moment, all I knew was that I wanted her. Badly.

  With our eyes locked together, I touched her cheek with my right hand, while my other hand wrapped around her waist.

  I felt the warmth of her body radiating through her clothes and passing on to me, making me feel hot. My heartbeat began to race. The sexual tension between us was undeniably intense.

  She leaned forward as I lifted my head to meet her halfway. The slight movement made her body press harder against mine, causing a pool of desire to spread across my limbs and gather in between my legs.

  Our lips met in a hungry, needy kiss, both of us succumbing to the longing we had been holding back. We kissed passionately, our tongues pushing into each other’s mouths, finding one another in an erotic dance.

  As our bodies were grinding against each other, our kiss deepened, intensifying our desire and engulfing us in carnal indulgence. My hands immediately found her breasts, sliding underneath her shirt and caressing their fullness. She reached behind her then, snapping her bra open with a single click, freeing her heaving breasts as my thumbs rubbed against her taut nipples.

  I felt her hand now groping between my legs, making me groan with anticipation. She easily opened my zipper and slid her fingers inside, rubbing, stroking, feeling my hardness beneath my boxers. I moaned with pleasure, my desire heightening with her every touch.

  We kissed some more, the sound of our starving lips seemingly echoing against the walls of the barn. Reluctantly, my mouth left hers as I gently pushed her back to take off my shirt. I felt a few sharp needles from the hay scratching my back, but I couldn’t care less. My full attention was on Cassy who had followed my lead. She straightened up, still straddling me, the hem of her skirt almost to her waist, partially showing her lacy underwear.

  Gazing into my eyes with yearning, she took off her shirt and bra in a swift motion, revealing her naked chest. Even in the dark, I could see her round, plump breasts with their rigid pinkish nipples, perfectly complementing her sexy curves. They seemed to call out to me, making me sit up and devour them with my lips. She moaned and threw her head back as my tongue flicked around each nipple.

  Her fingers tousled my hair as she lifted herself up to a kneeling position. I continued to kiss and lick her breasts while my hands glided across the soft, smooth skin of her thighs, pausing above her underwear and teasingly caressing but not entering. Our eyes met then, hers imploring, wanting me to touch her right then and there.

  Without hesitation, I pulled down the lacy fabric to above her knees. My fingers stroked her butt cheeks before sliding around to the front and finally playing with her tangle of hair. I used my thumb to fondle the top of her wetness, making circling motions that made her mouth open and utter sounds of pleasure.

  I felt her fingers tightening on my hair as I slid two fingers into her, moving deeper and circling inside, causing her entire body to stiffen. She was now soaking wet, which aroused me even more. I moved my fingers to her clit, pressing on her sweet spot, alternating gentle pressures with solid strokes.

  “Oh, fuck,” she whispered in between her raspy breathing. “You’re so damn good.”

  “And you’re so damn beautiful,” I whispered back hoarsely, my fingers expertly prodding, stirring, playing with her drenched pussy.

  Her moans grew louder, her breathing rougher. I could sense she was nearing her climax. Her legs began to tremble as my fingers moved faster. I then dropped down quickly, lifted her skirt, and pushed my tongue into her wetness. She screamed with pleasure as my tongue and my fingers brought her higher and higher to sexual bliss until finally she came, her whole body shaking for a few seconds before she plopped down weakly on top of me.

  Hastily I rolled her over so that I was now on top. As I took off my pants and boxers, her eyes boldly took in my rock-hard cock. She pulled down her skirt and underwear completely as I positioned myself. With my heart hammering against my chest and my blood rushing like crazy, I shoved my cock into her entrance, watching her expression twist into a mixture of shock and pleasure. I pulled back up and shoved harder and deeper, both of us moaning with immense pleasure.

  She wrapped her arms around my neck and brought my face down, kissing me hungrily as I pushed further. Our bodies began to meld into one, moving in unison, the heat building up between us. I felt the sweat breaking through my skin, mixing with hers, as our intercourse quickened.

  I closed my eyes, lost in the moment, as I felt myself climbing and climbing into extreme pleasure. I was submerged in erotic pleasure as bursts of ecstasy shot across my body. My body turned rigid. I felt the explosion of fluid surge through my cock, filling her with my seed.

  We fell back on the haystack, both spent and almost breathless, our sensibilities returning and making us aware of our surroundings. A million thoughts were running through my head. I gave her a glance, wondering if she was pleased or regretful.

  For some reason, I reached out and squeezed her hand. Perhaps I wanted to assure myself that everything was fine.

  She turned to me and gave me a weak smile. It was enough.

  Chapter 9

  Cassy

  “Hey, Cassy! Hey…”

  I snapped out of my thoughts, realizing that I was still holding my cellphone to my ear while fertilizing the crops. Because I’ve gotten quite used to the farm tasks already, I could do most of them on autopilot now.

  “Charlene, sorry,” I said over the phone.

  “What’s up with you? I’ve been chattering here and you haven’t been responding at all!” Charlene said, an impatient tone creeping into her voice. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” I said. “Just didn’t get much sleep last night.”

  “Oh, you shouldn’t work too hard!”

  “Yeah, well, I need the bucks,” I said, my mind still whirling with thoughts of Ivan. Naked, dirty thoughts of him. Shit.

  As if on cue, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Immediately I turned around with a big smile, my heart beating fast. But it wasn’t him, unfortunately.
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br />   “Are you done?” It was one of the younger farmhands. “I need help with the tractor.”

  On the other line, I heard a snort from Charlene, followed by peals of laughter.

  “Charlene, listen, I gotta go,” I said, ending the call before my best friend could say anything else. As soon as I put the phone down, I faced the guy with an annoyed look. “Where’s Ivan? I don’t know how to operate that machine, Kevin. It’s Ivan and Roy who use it.”

  “They’re both not here,” Kevin answered, shrugging. “I know Roy’s on leave, but I don’t know where Ivan is.”

  A warning bell sounded in my head. Ivan was almost never late. What was keeping him?

  “Where’s Aunt Ellen?” I asked, looking around and seeing that there were only a few farmhands present. Silently I groaned, knowing I’d have to work doubly hard. And more than that, I was greatly disappointed that Ivan had not shown up.

  “I think she went to the store to get some stuff,” Kevin answered.

  “Well, then, just wait for her or Ivan,” I snapped, my irritation building.

  He nodded and scuttled away. I suddenly regretted taking out my anxiety on him. I better just whip up a good snack for these guys later. After all, they had always been patient with me throughout my first week.

  I couldn’t believe it had only been a little more than a week since I got here. So much seemed to have happened already. And as I continued working, my mind kept flashing to images of my previous night’s intimate moments with Ivan. It wasn’t just distracting, but the fact that he had not shown up today was triggering an alarm in my head.