by E. L. Todd
Ash sighed as sadness filled his eyes. “That’s fucked up.”
“I didn’t know he was even seeing anyone…let alone in love.”
Ash moved his hand through my hair and pulled it from my face. Heartbreak was in his eyes, the exact emotion I was feeling. “He’s an idiot, baby. Don’t let him bother you.”
“I can’t help it…”
“If you want to leave, that’s fine. I’m not going to subject you to that torture.”
“He’s sitting right by your parents.”
He shook his head. “That’s a really weird coincidence.”
“How can I go in there and act like everything is okay? I can’t. I can’t sit there and watch him pine over his new love.”
“You’re right. You shouldn’t have to do that. I can call my parents and tell them something came up.”
I looked at him with surprise in my eyes. “You would do that?”
He gave a half smile. “I’d do anything for you. You know that by now.”
I believed him.
“But before we do that, there’s something else I want to say. Keep an open mind.”
“Okay…”
“We could both go in there with our heads held high, and sit down and have dinner like he’s invisible. He’ll wonder if you’ve even seen him because you’re so indifferent. And I’ll be all over you, drooling like I can’t wait until that dinner is over just so I can bend you over my desk and fuck you like an animal.” He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close to him. He rested his face near mine, holding me like I was the only thing that mattered. “I’ll make sure he realizes what he’s lost.” He kissed the corner of my mouth then rubbed his nose against mine. “What do you say?”
With Ash, I felt like I could do anything. The pain from seeing Tony seemed to disappear. All I could think about was the amazing and wonderful man in front of me. He’d quickly become so important in my life. He was my best friend but he was also my fantasy. He always put me first and made sure I was happy. He wasn’t even my boyfriend but he did a much better job than any guy I’ve ever had. “Let’s do it.”
He smiled. “There’s my girl.”
***
We entered the restaurant with Ash’s arm around my waist. He was close to me, as close as a magnet to steel. I made sure I didn’t look at Tony’s table even though my seat was right in his line of sight.
Ash pulled out the chair for me even though he never had before and helped me sit down before he scoot my chair in. Then he sat beside me and immediately put his arm around my chair. “Hey, Mom. Hey, Pop.”
I wondered if Tony was looking.
His parents greeted us warmly, and they seemed more thrilled to see me than him. They asked me how the flower shop was going, among other things. Ash ignored the conversation and just stared at me. Then he leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to my neck. “You look beautiful tonight.”
“Thanks.” My cheeks blushed because I wasn’t sure if he was just saying that because of Tony or if he really meant it.
“Sorry, we’re late,” Ash said without taking his eyes off me. “When I picked her up, she looked too beautiful for me to ignore.”
I couldn’t believe he brought that up.
His dad chuckled. “Good to know…”
“I have the most beautiful woman in the room,” Ash said. Then he quickly turned to his mom. “Besides Mom, of course.”
His mom blushed slightly.
“What are you getting?” Ash asked me. “Some wine?”
“Red,” I answered.
“Let me order it,” he said. “I want you nice and tipsy when we get home.”
We were supposed to be proving how much Ash was changing, but all he was doing was acting like he was madly in love with me. I guess we were killing two birds with one stone.
His mom leaned toward her husband. “I think our son is in love.”
If I heard it, so did Ash.
“Madly.” That was all Ash said, and he stared at me as he said it.
I suddenly wished he were being sincere. I wished this were real and not just an act. Ash had done more for me than any boyfriend or friend. He always had my back, even at his own expense.
***
At the end of dinner, I spotted Tony and his fiancée leaving. They walked past the windows, and his arm was around her waist. Seeing them together didn’t bother me like it did at first. Now I didn’t even care. I wasn’t sure why I got so upset in the beginning. Perhaps it was just a shock that he moved on and settled down so quickly.
We said goodbye to his parents then left the restaurant. Ash kept his arm around my waist. His fingers dug into my side as he gripped me possessively.
“Tony is gone,” I said. “We’re in the clear.”
“Maybe I like this game.” He winked then pulled me closer. His lips brushed past mine but he didn’t kiss me.
I smiled at his enthusiasm.
“I totally made that guy miss you. It’s a done deal.”
“I don’t want him to miss me.” He was a jerk who left me for a stupid reason. I shouldn’t want him to want me. “I just didn’t want him to think I was alone or I missed him. Now that everything is over, I’m not sure why I had a meltdown earlier.”
“Hey, it’s okay to panic. He totally caught you off guard. And to see an ex getting married…I doubt it’s easy.”
“It’s not easy knowing how easily I was replaced.”
“I have an idea but I’m not sure if I should say it…”
“Why not?”
“Might hurt your feelings…”
“I have a thick skin.”
He eyed my sincerity before he spoke. “Maybe he was looking to end the relationship, and when he saw you in that strip club, he found his excuse. Maybe he was already with that other girl while he was with you and he found an easy way out. It’s cowardice as hell, but maybe that’s the reason why.”
The thought hadn’t crossed my mind. I faced forward as I processed his words.
“Whether it’s true or not, he’s stupid for letting you go.” He hugged me to his side tighter. “I can honestly say you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever been with—on the inside as well as the outside.”
My eyes turned to him automatically as the surprise swept through me. Ash was rough around the edges and had a hard exterior, but when that shell was cracked, his beauty emerged. He was sweet, sensitive, and thoughtful. In that moment, I knew things had changed. I didn’t just see him as some guy I fooled around with. He’d become my best friend but he also became something more.
Shit, that was scary.
***
Ash stuck around for the rest of the weekend.
I sat on the couch and slipped my heels off. “Oh lord.” I rubbed the bottom of my feet. We’d just returned from brunch and the new shoes I got weren’t broken in.
“What?” Ash asked from his side of the couch. “Ate too much?”
“Yes. But that’s not what’s bothering me.” I rubbed the balls of my feet then my arch. “Damn Armani…”
“Let me help.” He grabbed my feet and yanked them into his lap. I slid down the couch as he pulled me.
“What are you doing?”
He massaged my feet with his fingers. “I have big hands. Your tiny little fingers will accomplish nothing.” His ministrations were strong but not painful.
I wanted to argue but I couldn’t. It felt so good. I sank into the cushion and released a loud sigh. “Oh my god…” It came out as a moan rather than a painful groan.
He chuckled. “I’m good at everything.”
“You are…” I closed my eyes and felt my body relax.
“Did you just agree with me?”
I was barely listening to him. “Uh-huh.”
“Because normally you tell me I’m a cocky pig.”
“Yes, you’re doing a great job.” I released a loud sigh as my mind floated on a cloud.
He flinched for a moment. “You aren’t even
listening to me.”
I rested my arm behind my head.
“I’m the best you’ve ever had in bed, huh?” There was a grin in his voice.
“Uh-huh.”
“Call me king.”
My mind was on the edge of sleep.
“Baby?” He shook my leg gently.
“Hmm?”
“Call me king.”
“You’re my king.” I didn’t bother opening my eyes.
He chuckled. “At least now I know how to get what I want from you.”
“Yep.” I couldn’t care less about what he was saying.
He continued to massage my feet as I fell asleep.
***
When I woke up, I was in bed.
And I wasn’t alone.
Ash held me close to his chest and he was playing with his phone in one hand. It looked like he was playing Candy Crush. “Awake, sleepyhead?”
“What time is it?” I asked with a yawn.
“Three.”
That was a long nap. I wouldn’t be able to get any sleep that night. “Damn, I was knocked out.”
He rubbed his fingers together. “I have the magic touch.”
“You don’t even knock me out that hard after sex.”
He turned his gaze on me and abandoned his phone. “Excuse me?”
“I just meant my feet must have really hurt.”
He turned back to his game. “Why do chicks wear those shoes if they hurt so much?”
“Like you don’t like them,” I challenged. “It makes our legs long and our ass look great.”
“Well, your legs and ass look great buck naked. If the shoes hurt, don’t wear them.”
“I always assumed they were a man’s fantasy.”
“They aren’t bad. But seeing a woman in pain is a major turn off.”
“Thanks for rubbing my feet…” I rubbed his chest.
“Thanks for calling me king.”
“What?”
He grinned. “You don’t remember? You were saying a lot of shit when I was giving you a massage. It was pretty fun.”
“What else did I say?”
“That I’m the best sex you’ve ever had.”
“Well, I could tell you that right now too.”
“It doesn’t hurt hearing it more than once.” He set his phone on the nightstand. “Now what?”
“I’m surprised you stayed.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“You just laid there and waited for me to wake up?”
“No…I played a few games.”
It surprised me how much he enjoyed being around me. Sometimes I wondered if this relationship meant more to him than he realized. Was he in denial about it? Or was I just overanalyzing it? Because I was starting to feel things and I never expected that to happen. My ideal boyfriend wasn’t covered in ink and didn’t have an ego. But yet, Ash was the only man I ever wanted to be with. I could be myself around him at all times. It was a really nice feeling.
“So, what should we do now?”
“We can keep laying here…”
“Still tired?” he asked with a laugh.
“We were up late last night.”
“No, I just think you’re lazy.”
I kicked him playfully under the sheets. “Not lazy.”
He chuckled. “Whatever you say.”
“If I were lazy, would I do this?” I crawled on top of his chest and straddled his hips.
Interest came into his eyes, along with a smug grin. “Do what, exactly?” He put his hands behind his head.
I pulled his boxers down until his cock popped out. Anytime he was around me, he was hard. I never had to do anything to get him up. He was always ready at a second’s notice. Then I moved my underwear over and sheathed him slowly.
His grin vanished and a dark look came into his eyes. “Hmm…”
My hands clawed his chest as I used it for balance. I bounced up and down his length, feeling him stretch me with every thrust. I was never strong enough to be adventurous in bed but Ash gave me confidence. He was the type of guy that would appreciate anything I did and never make fun of me. “I like your cock.”
“He loves you too, baby.” His hands moved to my hips and he helped me move up and down.
His cock ring was the best part. It rubbed against me in just the right way. It hit me from the front and the back. It was a godsend. And his thick shaft and long length just made it better. How could I ever go from this to some other guy? He would never compare to Ash. No guy ever could.
“I love your tits.” He grabbed one and squeezed it. Then he pinched the nipple gently. “Nipple piercings would look sexy as hell on you.”
My hands moved to this hips and I continued to move up and down.
“Turn around,” he commanded. “I want to see your ass.” He gripped me without waiting for a response and spun me around while he remained inside me.
“Not sure how to do this…”
Ash placed my hands on his thighs then gripped my ass. “Now rock your hips.”
I did as he commanded.
“Just like that.” He moaned then thrust from underneath.
He made me feel sexy without actually saying anything. Listening to him moan and grow harder inside me made me feel attractive, not average. Instead of feeling insecure about trying something new, I felt invigorated. It was an adventure I loved taking with him.
“Shit, your ass is off the hook.” He spanked me then rubbed the skin.
His smack didn’t hurt. Actually, it was kind of hot.
“You like that?”
“Yes,” I said in a heated breath.
He slapped me again. “Fuck that cock.”
I moved hard as he spanked me continually.
Like always, I hit my threshold and tightened around him. I kept grinding against him as the pleasure rocked through me. Every inch of my skin tingled like I’d just been burned with a match. I slowed down at the end as the pleasure left me. I caught my breath then started again so Ash could feel just as good.
He took over and thrust hard from underneath me. When he did this, I knew he was eager to come. He pushed himself far inside me then released a loud moan as he came inside me. “Oh yeah…that was good.” When he was finished, he kept his hold on my hips. “You’re a cream queen.”
“What?” I looked at him over my shoulder.
He still had a dreamy look in his eyes like he just woke up from a nice dream. “You’ve never heard that expression before?”
“Does it look like it?”
He grinned slightly. “I think you can deduce what it means. And you’re the only cream queen I want to have.”
My heart stopped beating as his words echoed in my mind. Did he mean that literally? Or was I reading too much into it? My heart fluttered uncontrollably and I felt like I was on a cloud. My reaction told me this was no longer just a fling. Ash had come to mean a great deal to me. I didn’t just care about him. I felt a whole lot more.
Ash sat up and kissed my spine. He was still inside me, and even though he was soft, he still felt big. He was unnaturally gifted below the waist. He moved his lips to the back of my neck and into my hair.
I loved it when he kissed me like that.
“Do you mind being my cream queeen?”
“Does it seem like it?”
“No.” He kissed my ear. “I think you love it, actually.”
“I do.”
He kissed me again. “Cream queen…I like it.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a good nickname for you.”
My eyes widened. “Don’t you dare call me that in front of other people.”
He chuckled. “So I can call you that when we’re alone together?”
“Yes.”
He grinned. “That sounds fair.” He gripped my ass then rolled me toward his chest, pulling himself out of me. Then he lay with me on the bed again.
“I have a feeling this is how we’re going to spend the re
st of our Sunday.”
“Sounds like an excellent plan to me.” He kept his arms fixated around me like steel bars.
I lay comfortably and almost fell asleep again when my phone rang in the other room.
“Wow, someone actually called you.”
I kicked him under the sheets. “Hey, people call me.”
“Like who?”
“Shelly.”
“And?”
“The other girls from work.”
“And?” he pressed.
I couldn’t think of anyone. “Oh shut up.” I got out of bed then grabbed my phone from the table. When I looked at the screen, I almost did a double take.
It was Tony.
Why the hell was he calling me?
What did he want?
Did he butt dial me?
There was no way. That was too much of a coincidence.
What do I do?
“Are you going to answer that?” Ash asked. “Or is it just a telemarketer? Because I know no one calls you.” His tone was full of humor.
I didn’t even listen to what he said. I walked back into the bedroom as the phone continued to ring in my hand. I approached the bed.
Ash had his arms behind his head. “What’s up?”
“It’s Tony.” It felt weird saying it out loud. “I can’t think of any reason why he might be calling me.”
His eyes immediately furrowed in anger and smoke practically came out of his nostrils. He was like a bull that had just been let out of the pin. “Looks like I did my job a little too well.” He snatched the phone from my hand then took the call. “Yo, it’s Ash.”
I could hear Tony’s voice on the other line.
“Uh…I’m calling for Alessandra. Is she there?”
“My lady’s in the shower.” Hostility radiated from his voice. “Is there something I can help you with?” He threatened him without actually saying the words.
“No.” Tony’s voice came out submissive. “I’ll try later.”
“No,” Ash snapped. “Don’t try later. Don’t call her. Period.” He hung up and tossed the phone aside. “Fucking jackass.”
I was in too much shock to care about Ash’s rudeness. “What does he want?”