Falling Away

by Devon Ashley

  “Well, I might just have to give you that one for free if you suck at poker.”

  I walked around to the other side of the card table I’d asked him to conjure up for tonight’s festivities. “Please don’t. I’m rather interested in seeing you in nothing but that sock.”

  He tossed the box of cards on the table and it skidded towards me. “Then deal already.”

  Oh, this was gonna be fun. We both sat, game faces on as we stared one another down. I shuffled and dealt the cards for a quick game of five card draw.

  “So tell me,” I said, choosing three cards to discard and tossing them to the center of the table face down. “What were you studying at Penn State?”

  He scrunched his eyes at me. “Are you trying to distract me? Because I promise that little outfit of yours is already doing the job.” He floated two cards atop mine.

  I lightly bit my lower lip as I dealt our additional cards. “No. It’s just occurred to me recently that since we’re both taking the semester off, we haven’t really talked about school much.”

  He tapped his cards on the table. “Marketing. Two pair. Jacks over eights,” he said as he tossed them face up, scattering them randomly across the table.

  I whined as I lay mine down for him to see. I only had a pair of sixes and his eyes and smile became insatiable. Leaning back, his index finger motioned for me to come forward. I obliged, and even allowed him to twirl me about as he decided what to take.

  “That shirt’s got to go. I’ll even be nice and let you do it this time.” He swept his arm across the table, collecting and stacking the cards. I shook my head good-naturedly and pulled it off on my way back to our dinner spread, tossing it on the floor. “I was hoping that would be lace,” he complimented, already shuffling for the next round. “Oh, waitress. Would you be so kind as to bring me a salmon sashimi?”

  Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was supposed to win the first hand and every one thereafter, so now I was just gonna have to suck it up and play along. On the bright, less humiliating, side, Evan seemed to be incredibly happy with the game. I dipped his salmon in a mixture of soy sauce and wasabi and placed it on a plate for him.

  “And how would you like to eat this tonight, sir?” I asked, begrudgingly playing along.

  “Well, I think I’m going to just let you feed me this round, but if you wouldn’t mind, would you please sit on my lap while you do it?”

  I tried really hard to minimize my smile, but he was just so freakin’ cute asking that. I straddled him, taking my time to break the chopsticks and place the fish into his mouth. “Thank you, Princess,” he said gratefully. As I stood, his hand swooped in an upward arc and smacked the side of my butt, and I startled ‘cause he managed to hit nothing but flesh.

  “Careful, buddy.” I actually pointed at him. He gave me the kind of look that dared me to do something about it. I returned the threatening stare until all the cards were dealt for our next hand.

  Shit. Crappy hand again. I tossed three to the table.

  “Why Rutgers?” he asked, deciding which of his cards needed dumping.

  “They have a good science program. And I like the upper east coast.”

  “I’m willing to bet Penn State has a good program too.” Amused, I shook my head as he dealt our replacement cards. Another boyfriend trying to get me to go to his school so we won’t have to live separately. “Pair of fives.” He scratched the back of his head nervously, already thinking I kicked his ass on this hand. And he’d be right.

  “Aces.” I tossed my pair over his pathetic fives. I thumped my fingers on the table, debating over which item of clothing I felt he’d do best without. “An eye for an eye and a shirt for a shirt. And if you wouldn’t mind getting me a gyoza afterwards, that’d be awesome. Thanks.”

  He obliged, pulling the shirt over his head at a glacial speed, giving me ample time to admire the curvature of every muscle before finishing, leaving nothing but a navy and cranberry diagonally striped tie hanging loosely around his neck. I licked my lips seductively, and he tossed the shirt on my head, which smelled incredibly intoxicating. He prepared my snack on a plate like I did for him, though I asked him to get on his knees to feed it to me rather than sit in my lap.

  Okay, I was beginning to understand the lure of a camera phone.

  The next hand had me a little happier with the initial deal. Four spades. I risked it all and tossed the three of hearts, praying for another spade to come along. My lack of discard piqued his interest, and curiosity kept him from asking another question that round. When he dealt my new card, I didn’t pick it up.

  We both thumped our fingers, trying to size the other up. Finally, he spread his cards out before him. “Straight.”

  I tossed my four spades to the table and continued thumping my finger on my final card, a smile plastered across my face as he quietly cursed. If the fifth card turned out to be a spade, I’d beat him.

  One in four. Sorta…but I wasn’t gonna try to figure out the actual odds of this being a spade in relation to the deck at hand. After letting it bug him for a few more seconds, I flipped the card over. He whooped, and I moaned over my ten of diamonds.

  “Princess,” he beckoned. I went, but took my sweet time getting there. He pulled me to a stop between his legs and his eyes scanned me from head to toe. This would get really embarrassing if he took my bra, and the way he kept staring at my breasts made me sure he was gonna go that route. The decision made, his head bent up to stare at me, a wicked grin across his face, ‘cause he wanted to watch my reaction as he took whatever was going. His hands reached underneath my skirt, and I felt my eyes widen and my mouth drop as my panties began sliding south. I groaned and covered my face as he made me step out of them.

  What was I thinking coming up with this game! I should’ve just spared myself the endless embarrassment and talked dirty to him for five minutes. It probably would’ve been enough to get him to misbehave. Now he loved this game, and was gonna wanna play it all the freakin’ time!

  “I’m going to get my own food this time, so why don’t you go ahead and lie down on the bed for me?”

  “Oh, shit,” I blurted, my eyes peeking between my fingers. He rose and headed for the food. I scooted back on the bed and rolled down. I couldn’t tell what he was choosing ‘cause his back blocked my view. I lay there, shaking my head at my stupidity until he straddled himself over my hips, a bowl and a salt grinder in his hands.

  Edamame. Well, it least it wasn’t something sticky.

  Good Lord… He had already shelled several beans and was actually making a long winding trail of them all across my belly. After placing about fifteen beans, he twisted the top of the salt grinder and sprinkled tiny white granules all across my skin. “For some reason I really want a lime and tequila shot right now.”

  I grinned, trying to withhold the laughter I felt within. “Don’t make me laugh right now, Evan!”

  “Oh, right. Guess I should help you out with that then, huh?’ He wiggled his eyebrows and began kissing my stomach, occasionally sucking up a soy bean and licking some salt to go with it. There was actually something really sensual about it all. His love bites were soft and delicate, and sometimes he’d look up to watch me watching him. And all of a sudden it didn’t seem so stupid, and I actually reached out to play with his hair until he finished. Afterwards, I could tell he was headed for my mouth, so I wagged my finger at him.

  “Uh-uh. You’re not allowed above my neck, remember?”

  “But you know where I am allowed? An exposed area for one minute. And you know which area is technically exposed?” he asked, his grin becoming more wicked with each passing second.

  I gasped. “You wouldn’t!”

  “Your rules say I can. Every time I win.” He loved my reaction as my O face made another appearance. “You thought I forgot about that little part, didn’t you?”

  “Oh, my God.” I threw the back of my arm over my eyes the moment his hands spread my legs apart. I didn’t wanna admit it, but
my insides were already tingling, yearning for what I knew he was capable of doing down there. He chuckled, and a moment later something hit the bed beside me. “There. My phone has a stopwatch feature if you’d like to time me.”

  I laughed uncomfortably, but within seconds of his lips kissing and licking me, that awkward oh, my God from before became a pleasurable one. I didn’t time him, but by the number of times my back tried to lock into an arch, I’d say he went well over one minute. Which was cruel in a way. It was my intention to do the exact same thing to him, and here he was nailing me with my own dirty trick. But at least I had him excited, ‘cause he was gripping my skin so hard his fingers had to be leaving red marks.

  The bastard abandoned me abruptly, leaving me squirming for more on purpose, sensations erupting from my belly uncontrollably. As I struggled to deal with my inner spasms of ecstasy, he watched me with amusement, popping a few more beans into his mouth. I was really freakin’ turned on at the moment, and as wet as he just made me, I didn’t like that my panties were now sticking out of his side pocket like a trophy. And if I lost anymore rounds, he was surely gonna do that all over again…and part of me wanted that so bad.

  It was awkward to sit, and I grabbed the cards and shuffled them, determined to win the next hand. “You are really lucky I took your shirt that first round, cause I’m going for those lower layers now, bucko.”

  “It’s called strategy, Jenna. Being one of the co-creators of this game, I would’ve thought you understood that.” He sat down with a glass of water in hand, dragging his finger all along the top rim. “You dressed all sexy to screw with my dick, when what you should’ve been doing was putting on six layers of underwear.” He winked before sipping his drink. “And yes, if you lose another hand, I will make you pay for it all over again.”

  I didn’t doubt that taunt for one second. “How is it you understand this game better than I do?”

  Half-smile. Wink. And nothing more. Oh, it was so on!

  I flicked his cards at him, and he good-naturedly collected them. Finally! A hand I wasn’t gonna lose. I crossed one leg over the other and kicked it out repeatedly. He’d already dumped three cards, his eyes greedily watching my foot as it went in and out of view. It wasn’t until I gave him new cards that he realized I’d kept my entire hand.

  “What exactly do you have in there, Princess?”

  Princess smiled. Big time.

  And then I spread my awesome cards across the table. Full house, kings over threes.

  “Fuck,” he groaned, and threw his hand on the table. He had absolutely nothing, not even a pair.

  I giggled, happy to finally exact some revenge. I straddled his lap and felt his body writhe beneath mine as I squeezed him through his thin cargo pants. Good thing he wore the loose ones, ‘cause he was running out of room in there. My hands slowly climbed his chest, and he actually griped when I removed the tie from around his neck.

  “What? I thought you were going to start taking off some of those,” he cried, motioning his eyes downward.

  I laughed wickedly, enjoying his frustration. “Why? So I can offer you some relief instead of forcing you to deal with a stiffy? No, Evan,” I teased. “I told you. I wanna see you standing there with nothing but a sock sticking up in the air.” Just for pleasure, I squeezed him again before standing up. “I’ll spare you the edible part of this win, ‘cause I don’t think you have too long before you burst through the seams down there.”

  I quickly shuffled the deck as he squirmed to get comfortable in his seat, eyeing me mischievously. My next hand sucked something else and I had to trade out three cards, same as Evan. Apparently, neither of us wanted to show our cards first.

  “I’ve got nothing,” I finally loathed.

  “Me neither. Guess that means the highest card wins.”

  Ooh. A grin spread across my face ‘cause I had the queen of hearts, and I quickly tossed it to the table. “Did I beat you?”

  He tossed his king of clubs over my card.

  Shamelessly, he rebutted, “I’ve got something I’d love for you to beat, but sadly, I’ll have to wait a bit longer.” My mouth dropped open in shock. His dirty little mind was getting more brazen by the second…and I secretly loved it. “Jenna, you look really cute with your mouth hanging open like that, but if it gets tired from repeating the gesture all night, just let me know. I’ve got something I’d like to slide in that’ll be the perfect fit to offer you some relief.”

  I slowly clamped my mouth, pursing my lips so not to be tempted to do that again. Oh, the sexual tension had him so close to snapping. Without waiting to be summoned, I willingly got up, placed my hands on my waist and exaggerated my sway. He reached out and firmly squeezed his favorite place, my hips. His fingers dug in so hard I thought for sure he was gonna rip the skirt from my body. And just to drive him a little more nuts, I moved my hands to his head and roughly combed through his hair. His head easily wrenched back with each tug, a look of pure bliss on his face.

  “You know, you look kinda drunk right now.”

  “That’s your fault,” he said very slowly. “It’s because I can smell you.”

  “Oh…” I bent to whisper in his ear, “Serves you right for taking my panties and then screwing with the dam, ‘cause now I’ve sprung a leak that you haven’t tended to.”

  He was still dazed, but laughing seemed to snap him out of it a bit. He pushed me backward and left me standing out of reach, his eyes filled with sexual desire as he ogled my body. He held his hand out, rubbing his fingertips together. “Could I please have your bra now, Princess?”

  Yeah, I knew that was coming. I was in the process of reaching behind my back and turning around when I suddenly heard something I used to say to tease him in our dreams. “Bip-bip-bip-bip-bip!” I gasped and shot around to face him, appalled he even remembered that. “I swear to God, Jenna. I’m walking a fine line here. If you make that O face one more time, I will shove myself in it.”

  Oh, really? I slowly scraped my teeth across my bottom lip and made my way back to him, swinging my leg around so I could sit snugly in his lap. Yeah, he was definitely having a hard time down there. It seemed licking me the way he did got my pheromones all crazy, and actually might’ve screwed him more than it did me. Reaching up to scratch his scalp with my fingernails, I leaned to whisper in his ear. “Is that a promise? If you want it off so bad, why don’t you just take it then?”

  “Are you talking about me or you right now?”

  I chuckled, ‘cause he was literally throbbing between my legs, and I knew he was close to breaking on me. But before he could start stripping himself instead of me, I reached behind and unfastened my bra, dropping the lace between us. “Me,” I replied all innocent-like. “You can stay all snug and warm in your clothes for now.” I looked down to his feet. “But if you’d like to cool down a bit, I can remove those socks for you if I ever win another hand or two.” He glared at me, his lips rolling tightly, disappearing inside his mouth. “So how’s that strategy working out for you now?” I teased, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck.

  Oh, that did it. There was no mistaking the look in his eyes, which were just two inches from mine. You know that ol’ saying, don’t poke the bear…maybe I’d actually learn that now.

  “You know, I’m feeling kind of hungry again, so I should probably grab something to eat. You may be willing to pass on the edible portion of our game, but I’m not. I know exactly what I’m in the mood for next.”

  “Oh, yeah?”

  He stood with me still enveloped within his arms, and my legs instinctively wrapped around his body to keep from dragging. He leaned me over until my back was flush against the bed, releasing me. “Get comfy,” he whispered before pulling away.

  I lay there while he messed around at the food table again, curiously awaiting his next course.

  “Finally, I get to practice my culinary plating skills,” he scoffed, enclosing my body with his knees as he crawled towards me and finally set
tled upon my hips.

  I covered my eyes in shame the moment he used a spoon to smother peanut sauce in a circle on my breasts. The metal spoon was freakin’ cold and he allowed it to linger there on purpose, waiting for me to shiver. I tried not to laugh as something was placed on top of the sauce, most likely the Vietnamese spring rolls I sliced earlier. I figured they’d most likely be used for this purpose, but imagining it happening and actually being subjected to it, were two completely different things.

  “Look at you all blushing. I’m getting dinner and a show tonight. What’s the matter? This game not working out quite like you planned?” He grabbed my hands and held them prisoner above my head, forcing me to observe that twisted smile of delight. “Sorry, but I’m not going to eat my dinner unless you’re willing to watch me lick my plate clean.”

  “Oh, just eat me,” I playfully threatened.

  “With pleasure.”

  Lordy, it was unfair what that boy could do with his mouth. He was swift to eat the rolls, but took his sweet time sucking and licking the peanut sauce off my skin, spending most of the time swirling it around with the tip of his tongue. Long before he finished, embarrassing moans were coming out of me, and my belly area was spasming so hard my hips were thrusting, his stiff cock ramming against me with each beat. Mercifully, he released me after about ten minutes, just eight long minutes after I was ready to shred his clothes off with my teeth.

  Maybe that’s why he continued to hold me down.

  He hovered above me, my body unable to stop wiggling, even though his hips secured me in place. He grinned and beared my thrusts, pinching his lips. “So…I’m willing to offer you a trade at this time.”

  All I wanted to do was moan and scream and beg him to take me, so it was hard to steady my voice and force the words, “Oh, yeah? Trading isn’t mentioned in the rules, but I’m open for a possible rewrite.”

  His eyes darted back and forth between my face and breasts. “I’ll spare you the minute down below, which we both know you can’t take any more of right now…” With a little more intensity, he finished, “If you’ll reach down and pull that fucking sock off my dick.”