Hooked

by Christine Manzari

  I laughed. Loudly. Probably because all of that was true. I wished I’d been around to watch Huck learn the rings with Jay as his teacher. Jay was probably much more of a hindrance than a help.

  Suddenly Huck was right in front of me, his thighs touching my knees. “It’s good to hear you laugh again. I missed it.”

  “It’s good to be able to laugh again,” I replied, my thoughts briefly touching on my mom. I pushed them away immediately. For one night—just for one night—I wanted to be free of the worry.

  “I want to kiss you.” His hands twitched, but he didn’t touch me.

  I knew I should’ve told him no, that it was inappropriate, that we couldn’t because of some rule in a book. But in the darkness of the playground, under the small fragment of the moon hanging in the sky, Cate and Will seemed so far away. I didn’t even know them. It was just Cat and Huck tonight. I reached up and grabbed his shirt in my fists, pulling his face toward mine.

  “Then kiss me,” I demanded.

  He leaned forward until our lips touched, hesitantly, as if waiting for lightning to strike us down for breaking the rules. Huck’s mouth opened and I dipped my tongue inside before capturing his top lip and sucking it with soft teasing pulls. He rested his hands on either side of my hips, flat on the top of the wall like an anchor to keep him moored to me.

  As our mouths continued to touch slowly and tentatively, I slipped my fingers into the waistband of Huck’s leather pants and pulled him closer, spreading my legs so that his body would be flush against mine. I eased my legs around him, holding him in place. His hands left the safety of the wall and were on my hips, my back, my chest. His touch was feverish and barely controlled. Huck’s hands finally settled on my breasts, gently squeezing and lifting as he tilted his head down and kissed along the bodice of the dress. I pushed my hands up under his shirt, sliding them along the bumps and contours of his stomach and chest, pressing along his ribs until my fingers curved around his sides and slid down his back. When my hands reached the hard muscles of his ass, I pulled his hips toward me and pushed myself into him until I felt his muffled groan against my chest.

  Huck’s lips came back to mine, dangerous and urgent as his hands and mouth pulled soft moans from me. Finally, I unhooked my feet and gently pushed back on his chest without breaking the kiss. He seemed desperate to keep his lips on mine, but he allowed me to move his body. I turned us around and then pushed him down into a seated position on the ground, his back against the wall. Then I straddled him, my bare knees digging into the sand uncomfortably. I didn’t care. The discomfort was nothing compared to the ripples of pleasure that were pulsing through the lower part of my body when I settled into his lap.

  Huck’s hands slid under me, his thumbs grazing the edge of my panties as he cradled my bare cheeks.

  “This thong is a sin,” he growled, twirling the strap in his thumb as if he was going to rip them off. Part of me wanted him to. “Why are we sitting on the ground?” he asked, his voice low and husky.

  “Less chance of being seen,” I said.

  “Seen doing what?” he mumbled against my shoulder as he kissed along the bare skin.

  I hesitated for a moment, knowing I should stay quiet. But my brain wasn’t in control anymore, my body was. Huck’s lips were at the hollow of my throat, his tongue tracing a wicked circle before his lips followed. His hands were still on my ass and I’m not even sure if he was aware he was moving my hips, grinding me down on what was clearly his appreciation of my sinful thong.

  “Huck.” His name was a moanful plea.

  “I’ll never get tired of hearing you say that.”

  “What?”

  “My name. Say my name again.”

  “Huck.”

  He groaned, his lips back on mine, eager to catch his name falling from them. He pushed my hips down while he lifted up into me and I could feel our bodies falling into a tempo we couldn’t deny. Our hips moved against each other as we kissed one another in our secluded little spot on the beach.

  “Huck, I’m wearing my fuck-me dress. Don’t let it go to waste.”

  Unexpectedly, he went still underneath of me.

  “What?” I asked. After all that talk about what he’d do to me, was he really going to chicken out?

  “I don’t have a condom, Cat.”

  “You’re a guy, isn’t it some kind of guy code that you always carry one?” I couldn’t help being irritated. How could he not have one?

  “No.” He frowned. “Do you have one in your bag?”

  “This wasn’t exactly planned,” I pointed out.

  “Well, that sucks.” He was no longer moving underneath me and his thumb released my thong, but his lips were back on mine, taking what little bit I could give him. It was good, but it wasn’t enough. Not now that the other question was lingering in the air around us. I pulled away to look at him.

  “Have you ever gone bareback before?”

  Huck held his breath for a moment and when he spoke, it was with great effort. “Christ. I can’t believe you just said that. It nearly made this entire conversation of who should have a condom completely pointless. I know I may seem like a god, Cat, but I’m a mere mortal man. I only have so much control.”

  I looked down at where the leather was straining underneath me. “You almost lost control because I said bareback?”

  Huck gritted his teeth as he breathed in deeply. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back against the wall, mumbling.

  “Are you saying the Pledge of Allegiance?” I asked him. He definitely was and he ignored me as I waited for him to finish.

  He took a another deep breath. “You can’t sit on top of me in a thong, dry hump me until I’m delirious, and then say shit like that.”

  “So, have you?” I asked.

  “No, I haven’t,” he managed.

  “Me neither.”

  We stared at each other.

  “I’m on birth control,” I offered.

  Huck continued to stare at me like I was speaking another language. I knew if we left, if we tried to go back to his place or mine, one of us would come to our senses. And right now, I didn’t want to think about my mom or my job or my reputation. I didn’t want to think about anything but pleasure. I didn’t want to think about anything but how perfectly Huck and I fit together.

  “I swear to God if you don’t fuck me right now I’ll never forgive you,” I said, reaching down to unzip his pants to release him.

  He finally came to his senses and his hand was between us, pushing my thong out of the way. I pushed up on my knees to put some space between us as he positioned himself beneath me. When I slid down onto him, it was so slick and smooth, my breath came out of my lips in a shuddering, wordless gasp. Sex had always been pretty good. With Huck it had been pretty amazing. But sex with Huck, with nothing between us, was so good I thought I might forget my own fucking name. There was no room in my brain for anything but the delicious pleasure of him inside me.

  I could tell by the sounds rumbling in his chest that I wasn’t the only one feeling overwhelmed. I put my hands on his shoulders and started a sweet rhythm, moving up and down on him, loving the moment when he was buried deepest and rushing to get to that moment each time. Huck grabbed my hips to slow me down.

  “Too much,” he said. “You’ve got to slow down, Cat.”

  I leaned over to kiss him, moving my hips in small, slow circles that kept him pushed as deep as possible while I rocked myself into tiny peaks of pleasure.

  “Much. Better,” he said, haltingly.

  We continued to move slowly, allowing our mouths and hands to explore while he stayed buried inside me. Finally, Huck moved his hand between us, stroking me with his fingers until the tiny peaks of pleasure exploded into thundering pulses. They crashed over me in waves that forced his name to my lips over and over again. Every time I breathed his name, his fingers touched with the perfect amount of pressure, drawing out my orgasm.

  When his name fell one fina
l time from my mouth and my knees went slack, he pulled me against his chest. One of his arms was around my waist, the other was wrapped around my back with his hand on my shoulder, holding me in place. He started to push up into me, giving me the smooth in and out movement that had driven me crazy at first. His hips thrust into mine over and over again, the slick friction between our bodies leaving us both breathing heavily and moaning half-formed words.

  “Don’t stop . . .”

  “Harder . . .”

  “So good . . .”

  “Want you . . .”

  On his final thrust, he held me firmly against his lap while his hips pulsed small, jerky, movements into me that left me tingling and warm.

  Finally, he went still and I collapsed against him. It was still incredibly dark out and the only sounds were our panting breaths and the echoes of the ocean in the distance.

  “Congratulations. You just ruined sex,” he said, laughing quietly.

  “What?” I struggled to get away from him but he held me still, keeping me in our intimate embrace. He was still laughing.

  “After that,” he explained, “I will never be able to use a condom again. And I don’t want to be anywhere, but inside you. So, congratulations, Cat. I’m forever ruined for anyone but you.”

  Ruined? He was using my own word, but he meant it as a compliment. When I asked him not to ruin me, I meant my reputation. But this time, what we had done wasn’t his fault. I was the one who brought him here. I was the one who initiated the foreplay. I was even the one who suggested we have sex even though neither of us were prepared.

  Fucking hell.

  What was wrong with me? I didn’t have to worry about him ruining me, I was doing a fine job of it all by myself. Could I not control myself for one freaking night? Aside from the fact that I didn’t really feel like being the slut of William Stone Media, I also didn’t need the additional stress of a forbidden relationship in my life. There was enough to worry about with my mom, I needed the rest of my life to be simple. Getting tangled with William Stone Jr. was not going to simplify anything.

  I needed to do some serious damage control. Now.

  “Ready to go?” I asked, shifting off of Huck and straightening my clothes as I stood, facing away from him.

  “If that’s what you want,” he responded, clearly confused. It was a question. What he was really asking was, “What the hell is your problem?” He zipped up his pants and stood up, too.

  My heart squeezed uncomfortably, knowing I was acting like a heartless bitch. The night had been fun, but his words were just confirmation that I couldn’t afford to have the kind of fun I was having. If we couldn’t control ourselves, we’d ruin each other. This night had to end as soon as possible. I was only doing what needed to be done. I’d be lucky if I hadn’t already spoiled both of our reputations.

  We walked back to Huck’s car quickly and in silence. Ten minutes later I parked his car in the garage at his condo and I waved a quick goodbye to him from the safety of the driver’s side as I closed my door.

  “See you Monday,” I said, turning to leave.

  “I’m walking you back to your apartment.”

  “Not necessary, I’ll be fine.”

  “It’s 2 o’clock in the morning and you’re hardly wearing any clothes. I’m walking you to your apartment.”

  “I did just fine walking around Venice before you came along, Huck. Nothing has changed.” Huge lie. Everything had changed.

  “I’m starting to see that,” he snapped.

  He was angry. That was good. If he was angry at me then it’d be less likely that we’d be tempted to do something else we’d regret. I snuck a glance at him and saw that his mouth was set in a grim line. I walked quickly and he kept pace with me, even though he didn’t say anything. He walked me all the way up the stairs to my door. I put the key in the lock and walked just inside the doorway. I felt like I had to say something. I turned to face him with the door barely open, making sure he realized he was not invited inside.

  “Thanks for giving me a ride tonight,” I said.

  “Which one?” he asked, tilting his head to glare at me. All of the warmth and humor was gone from his voice.

  “It has to be like this, Will.”

  “Oh. So now it’s ‘Will?’ Which this? Like it was three months ago? Or on Labor Day? Or last week? Or tonight? Or right now? I can’t keep up with your moods, Cat.”

  “Good. Don’t try. I’m sorry for what happened earlier.”

  “I’m not.”

  “It was a mistake.”

  His answer was a glare.

  “Goodnight, Will.”

  I quickly shut the door behind me and locked it, leaning against it and waiting for the sound of his footsteps to retreat down the stairs. Several seconds passed and then I heard a loud bang on the other side of the door. I quickly stood and put my eye to the peephole. Huck was still outside my door, but he was cradling his right hand. There was blood on his knuckles. He looked at my door one more time and then disappeared from view as he walked down the steps.

  A few minutes passed as I waited for him to be gone. When I opened the door, it didn’t take me long to figure out what the source of the sound had been. Huck had punched the wall next to the door. The siding was cracked and dented, just like my heart.

  — HUCK —

  18. DAY OFF

  The siding looked a lot worse in the day than it had the night before. I knocked on the door and wasn’t at all surprised when Jay answered.

  “I thought you’d still be here when I got home this afternoon,” he accused.

  “I wasn’t invited back last night.”

  “I thought for sure it was your night. Sorry you didn’t get lucky, Pretty Boy.”

  “I didn’t say I didn’t get lucky, I just said I wasn’t invited back.”

  Jay narrowed his eyes at me. “What was her name?” He looked like he wanted to hit me.

  I leveled my gaze at him. “Cat.”

  “You got lucky with our Cat? What’s the problem then?” he asked.

  “You tell me, I have no idea.”

  Jay leaned out the door and pointed to the broken siding. “Your handiwork or Cat’s?”

  I held up my bandaged hand. “Sorry. I’ll pay for it. I just came by to return your costume,” I said, holding up the bag of his things.

  He took the bag from me and stepped back in the apartment. “Come on in. I’m just making lunch and watching the game. Cat’s not here.”

  “I was hoping you’d say that,” I said, showing him my other hand which was holding a six pack of beer.

  “You were hoping she wasn’t here?”

  “I’m a little exhausted from the head games and I need a drinking buddy while I watch the game.”

  “Chargers versus Ravens okay?”

  “Honestly, I’d watch anything right now.”

  “Aren’t you from Maryland?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Then the Ravens game it is.”

  “Are you a Chargers fan?”

  “I’m a fan of the male physique and free beer. It doesn’t matter to me which game it is. Besides, Spooky’s been lonely without your ankles.”

  I followed Jay to the living room, sat on the couch, and was quickly joined by the aforementioned black fur ball.

  “What happened last night?” Jay finally asked.

  My beer was already half gone and we hadn’t even gotten to kick off yet. “I don’t know. Everything was going great, and then all of a sudden, she became the ice queen. It’s like she’s two different people and can’t decide which one to be with me.”

  “She has a lot going on right now—“ Jay started.

  “Which she won’t explain to me.”

  “But you understand enough. You’re her boss and she likes you even though she wishes she didn’t.”

  “I’m not her direct boss.”

  “It doesn’t matter. You’re still off-limits as far as the rules are concerned. She’s trying
to follow the rules.”

  “Then why were you encouraging me to spend the night with her last night?”

  “Because she doesn’t always know what’s good for her. You make her happy and right now she needs all the happiness she can get.”

  “Even if she turns into a bitch afterwards?”

  Jay waved his hand. “The bitch is always there. You just have to learn how to survive it.”

  “What if I don’t want to?”

  Jay smiled as he looked over at me. He tilted his beer back and took a long drink. “You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t want to. I know my company is a magnificent thing, but you’re not here for me. You’re here for her.”

  I couldn’t argue with him. I finished my beer and reached for another one. “What do you suggest?” I asked.

  Jay shrugged. “Just be there for her. Don’t drop off her radar. Eventually she’ll come to her senses and figure out what she wants.”

  “Maybe she really doesn’t want me.”

  Jay’s eyebrows arched. “I have a good feeling about you.”

  “But there’s still the problem of the fraternization policy. I don’t care about it, but she does.”

  “Just be patient. Let her get past this other crisis with her mom. Right now, that’s consuming pretty much all the energy she doesn’t spend at work.”

  “Are you finally going to tell me what that crisis is?”

  “It’s not mine to share.”

  ***

  Monday at the office was more of the same. Cat’s office door was closed and I received email updates on her projects. I thought about what Jay said about being patient and being there for her. I left my door open as a gesture that she could come to me whenever she needed. Unfortunately, she was the only one that didn’t take the hint. My office had to have been the busiest part of the building all day because my coworkers took the open door as an invitation to bother me. I hardly got anything done. After lunch, I took a page from Cat’s book and locked myself inside to catch up on work.

  When I got an email from her, I had a brief glimmer of hope that maybe she would want to talk about what had happened Saturday night.