by Jessica Wood
“Okay.” I smiled into the phone. “Goodnight.”
“I would say sweet dreams, but I doubt you’ll be sleeping,” she sang as she hung up the phone. I took a deep breath to gain my composure and then looked back at Xavier.
“Sorry about that.”
“Who was that?” He raised an eyebrow. “Your boyfriend?”
“No.” I shook my head. “Of course not.” As if he didn’t know.
“Why of course not?”
“Why would I be here with you if I had a boyfriend?”
“Well, you were here with Max last night and then decided on sloppy seconds.”
“You know I wasn’t here to hook up with Max yesterday. I was here to make sure Anna was okay.” I could feel my blood boiling at the smirk on his face. “Whatever,” I sighed. You would never be anyone’s sloppy seconds either, I thought to myself, but there was no way in hell that I would give him a bigger head than he already had.
“Your vocabulary is quite expansive, isn’t it?” He stared at me with a glimmer of humor in his eyes, and I realized that he was attempting a joke. A pretty poor and ill-timed joke, but a joke all the same.
“I do wonder how a man like you gets women with your poor sense of humor and rude comments.” I played with my hair as I stared at him, determined that I was not going to let him kiss me or make love to me, no matter how much I wanted him to. I didn’t know what his problem was. Everything had been going fine until Anna had called.
“It’s a wonder, isn’t it?” He smiled. “I’m not sure what women see in me.”
“Neither am I.” I walked out of the bedroom and sat down on the couch. “I think I’ll just sleep here until the morning.” I lay back and closed my eyes. “Goodnight.”
There was silence for a moment, and I lay there pretending I was falling asleep before slowly opening my eyes to see if he had gone back to his room. I nearly jumped out of my skin as I saw his eyes peering down into mine.
“What are you doing?” I sputtered as I sat up.
“Coming to see if you were really sleeping.”
“Well, I am.” I glared at him again, trying to ignore the way his eyes crinkled when he was laughing inside.
“Shall we call it a truce?” He sat on the couch next to me.
“I suppose.” I shrugged and then looked over at him. “Though I’m not sleeping with you. That train has passed.”
“Well, that’s regretful.” He picked up the remote control. “Let’s just watch the movie. Then you can leave.”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
“How did you like the art show yesterday?” He peered at me thoughtfully.
“It was fun. I enjoyed it a lot.”
“Oh, you like art?” His eyes were shining. “I don’t meet many girls who enjoy art.”
“Kinda,” I mumbled, not sure why I didn’t tell him that I was actually in London because I was taking an art history course as part of my college degree. Maybe it was because I didn’t want to draw attention to the fact that I was still in college. He looked like he was in his late twenties or early thirties and I wasn’t sure that he would be interested in someone in her early twenties.
“Or were you there to find yourself a rich man?”
“Yeah, that’s it,” I huffed, annoyed that he had me out to be some sort of gold-digger. First, I was a prostitute and now I was a gold-digger. “I go to art shows to meet rich men for a night of hot sex.”
“Very funny, Lola.” He chuckled and sat back.
“Do you like art?” I looked at him curiously. I assumed he did because he had been at the show, but who knew why he’d really been there. Maybe he and Max went to art shows to pick up girls. “Or were you there to find a young impressionable girl to hook up with?”
“Touché.” He laughed and then paused. “I think that art is as important as the air we breathe.”
“Oh?” I looked at him in surprise. His voice had come alive as he’d spoken about the subject.
“I don’t suppose you would understand, but many do not understand what it is to live and breathe creativity.”
“Yeah, I suppose not.” I thought about Anna and how bored she looked when I talked about Monet and his Impressionist paintings.
“I can see I’m boring you.” He jumped up from the couch. “Let us watch a movie.”
“Okay, thanks.” I peered up at him and tried to avoid staring at his lips. I wasn’t sure why I lied about loving art. It just felt too personal and too intimate of a subject to discuss. I didn’t want to find out that we had things in common. This was just supposed to be a night of fun. I didn’t want to fall for him. “I’m feeling a bit sleepy.”
“Then I shall let you sleep.” He nodded and stood, looking at me with a blank expression.
I felt oddly disappointed and bereft as he left me alone, and I lay back and looked at the ceiling, wondering what on earth I was doing. I stared around the opulent room and couldn’t quite believe where I was. I was just a regular girl from Palm Bay, Florida. I had never even been abroad before, yet here I was in London, with my best friend Anna, having the time of my life. And I had only been in London for a little over a week. Everything in my life seemed different and better, though there was still a dull ache and pain that throbbed through to the surface when it thought no one was paying attention.
I closed my eyes and tried to picture Xavier’s face. I didn’t want to think about what I had left back home; it wasn’t worth it. This was my life now—or at least it was for the next nine months. I was no longer Lola Franklin, nerd and boring girl next door. I was now Lola Franklin, ingénue and up for any and everything. Only maybe I hadn’t changed as much as I thought … If I had, would I be sleeping on a couch in a hot guy’s hotel room? Wouldn’t I be in the bed with him? Yeah, so he was a bit of a jerk. What did that matter? Wasn’t I trying to do something different now?
“Night.” I looked at him and watched as he walked back to his bedroom. I closed my eyes and wondered what had gone so wrong so quickly. Part of me wanted to go into his room and pick up where we’d left off. The other part of me just wanted to leave and go home.
I froze as I heard Xavier’s door open and footsteps coming towards me. I counted to ten before opening my eyes, and I saw him standing by the wall watching me. I felt a bit creeped out but didn’t say anything. Finally, he walked towards me, grabbed my hands, and pulled me up off of the couch.
“Come. You must sleep in the bed. You’re my guest. I cannot have you sleeping on the couch. I will be a perfect gentleman and will not lay a finger on you.”
“Oh, no,” I stammered, blushing as my blood boiled in excitement. “There’s no need. I’ll be fine on the couch. It’s very comfortable.”
“I insist. You must sleep in the bed.” He pulled me into the bedroom with him and then picked something off the bed and handed it to me. “Put this on. It will be more comfortable to sleep in.”
“I, uh … Thanks.” I nodded sheepishly. It was true. My skirt was feeling pretty uncomfortable. “I’ll just go change in the bathroom.”
I quickly walked into the bathroom and unfolded the t-shirt he had given me. It was big and long enough to cover my ass, but just barely. I pulled my skirt, top, and bra off and quickly pulled on the t-shirt. But then I stood there in the bathroom, unsure of what to do next. When I walked, the t-shirt rode up and showed my ass, and I realized that my nipples were poking through the thin white top. I thought about calling out and asking him to borrow some boxer shorts, but then I giggled to myself at my thoughts. My first night as a seductress and I was asking for boxer shorts and worried that I was revealing too much.
“Be confident, Lola. Own your sexuality.” I repeated the mantra of some self-help lady who’d had a free podcast on iTunes.
I shivered as I pictured Xavier staring at me with lust as I walked back into the room. He’d be so overcome with his attraction that he would fling me onto the bed and have his wicked way with me. I smiled at the thought of him wan
ting me so badly that he would beg me to kiss him and touch him.
I walked back into the room, practicing the sexy and sultry walk I had seen on a YouTube video, but my hopes and dreams had been for nothing. The lights were already off and Xavier was already in bed, and from the looks of it, he was fast asleep and snoring.
I gingerly climbed into the bed, lifting the covers carefully before sliding in next to him. I snuggled into the soft pillow and stretched out my limbs as I relaxed into the luxurious sheets. I took a deep breath and delighted in the masculine smell and warmth that surrounded me. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, feeling comfortable as I snuggled up to Xavier’s back. I figured I might as well enjoy as much of him as I could.
***
I was having the most wonderful dream. Xavier was kissing me all over and feeding me grapes and strawberries from his mouth. I purred against him, and then he poured champagne in the valley between my breasts before licking it up eagerly.
“You’re so beautiful, Lola. I am so lucky that you have given your body to me.”
“Thank you, Xavier.” I smiled up at him and closed my eyes as my toes curled in pleasure as he sucked on my nipples.
“You have breasts that rival the Venus de Milo. So supple and firm.” His fingers traced the curve of my breasts as he gazed at them admiringly. “Your body is a work of art.”
“Just make love to me, Xavier,” I groaned as I felt his hardness press in between my legs.
“Beg me, my love.”
“Make love to me, Xavier,” I moaned and pulled him down to me, crying out as he entered me slowly. “Yes, yes. That’s it.”
“Do you like how that feels, Lolita?” he whispered into my ear.
“Yes, yes,” I moaned and trembled as I felt his fingers playing with me.
I froze in my sleep as I realized that my dream was starting to feel real and confusing. If he was making love to me, how was he playing with me through my panties? My eyes fluttered open and I froze as I felt Xavier’s breath behind me.
“You wanted to tease me, didn’t you, Lolita?” He nibbled on the back of my neck as his fingers rubbed me gently over my panties.
I felt the warmth of his chest against me, and as I stretched, I felt something else protruding into my backside. I froze again as I realized that he was naked. Xavier was naked and I had an opportunity to make my dream a reality. I swallowed hard and tried to ignore the feelings of guilt that spread through my body as I enjoyed the feel of him against me.
All of my earlier courage was gone. I was no longer Lola Franklin, seductress and down for everything. I was once again back to Lola Franklin, interested in sex but too scared to do a damn thing about it.
Oh my God. Oh my God. What am I doing? Does he have a condom? Will I get pregnant? Does he have an STD? All sorts of thoughts were running through my mind as my inner angel and devil argued over whether I should let myself capitulate to the feelings running through my body.
However, Xavier wasn’t having any such doubts. I felt his fingers slip inside my panties and he rubbed my clit gently for a few seconds before I panicked and turned around to face him. He groaned as he was forced to withdraw his fingers from my panties.
“I want to make love to you, Lolita.” His fingers reached around my waist and pulled me towards him so that my body was crushed against his. “You can feel just how badly I want you, you tease.”
His lips crushed down on me, and I felt his hardness against my leg, but I was unsure of why he had used that word again. Why was he calling me a tease? I hadn’t done anything to him.
“You have been playing with me and teasing me all night,” he growled against my lips as he bit on my lower lip.
“Say what?” I blinked at him in surprise. “I’ve done what?”
“You do not know?” He pulled away from me with a dark look in his eyes. “You were dreaming?”
“I’m not sure,” I whispered. “What did I do?”
“Your fingers have been playing with me for the last twenty-five minutes. You have been driving me crazy. Moaning out my name and asking me to make love to you as you have caressed my—”
“Oh. Oh.” I cut him off and my face blushed a deep red. Oh, shit. Maybe I had gotten a bit carried away in my dreams. “I was dreaming, I’m sorry.”
“I didn’t realize.” He pulled back away from me. “It is I who should be sorry.”
“No, no.” I shook my head and moved closer to him. “Don’t be sorry.”
“I should not have—”
“Shh.” I looked into his eyes and leaned forward to kiss him. His hair looked tousled and sexy, and I ran my hands through it as I kissed him.
There was no way I was going to let this moment pass. I had never felt like this before. So sensual and turned on. And I’d never had a man do the things he had done to me and light my whole body on fire like he had in my dreams. I had to see if the feeling would be the same in real life.
“Make love to me, Xavier,” I mumbled against his lips, and his eyes widened as he realized what I had said.
He wasted no time. I felt his hands pull my top up and throw it on the floor. Before I knew it, I was on my back and he was on top of me. His warm chest crushed into my breasts as he kissed my face and my neck, and then he moved to the valley between my breasts. I trembled as his lips moved over to my breasts and he suckled on my nipples.
“Oh,” I cried out and scratched his back. I spread my legs and felt him hard against my panties, slithering in between my legs, seeking an entry. His fingers reached down and I felt him slipping my panties down my legs as he kissed down to my stomach and then to my throbbing womanhood. “Oooh,” I cried out as his mouth made contact and found my wetness. I squirmed against his face as his tongue worked his way inside of me and discovered all of my secrets.
“Is it okay?” He looked up at me as I trembled beneath him. I was so close to an orgasm that I thought I was going to scream out.
“Yes, yes!” I cried out in abandon, wanting to feel him inside me so bad that I was almost crying.
Xavier was swift, and I felt myself come as soon as he slipped his hard member inside me. He didn’t stop as he felt my insides tightening on him; instead, it seemed to turn him on. He grunted as he slid into me deep and hard, and our eyes connected as our bodies became one in that moment.
“You feel so tight,” he groaned as his mouth crushed down on mine. “Oh, Lolita, I’m not going to last long, I’m afraid. It’s too good. You were teasing me for too long.”
“It’s okay,” I moaned as he increased his pace. “Oooh, my God. I think I’m going to come again.”
“Come again for me.” His fingers squeezed my breasts, and I screamed as I felt myself experience the most intense orgasm of my life. “Yes, Lolita. Enjoy it.” He continued pounding into me and then he slowed. I felt his body shudder as he climaxed and then collapsed on top of me as he kissed my face and grunted.
He then rolled over onto his side and smiled as he ran his fingers over my lips. He stared at my face and I smiled at him shyly. I felt warm and cozy and full. I snuggled up next to him, wanting to feel and smell him next to me. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all. Any guy who could make me feel like this couldn’t be all that bad. I smiled at him with open and happy eyes, about to tell him that I thought I was wrong about him. I reached over and tenderly ran my fingers through his hair.
“That was worth every penny.” His eyes clouded over as he grinned at me, and I froze as I stared at him, not sure I had understood him properly.
“What?” I frowned.
“I don’t normally do this sort of thing, but I have to admit you were worth it. Do you take checks or is cash fine?”
My face flushed with anger and humiliation as I jumped up, horrified at his words. All thoughts of happiness and comfort disappeared right away. And then my stomach dropped when I realized that I didn’t know if he had worn a condom. Oh fuck, fuck, fuck. I wanted to scream and shout at myself. The one time I don’t l
isten to myself, I fuck up.
“Did you wear a condom?” I whispered as I pulled on the t-shirt on the floor.
“Of course not. You told me it was okay!” His eyes narrowed as he stared at me. “Or are you a gold-digging whore who is trying to trap me with a baby?”
“I’m not a whore and I never said I was …” I paused as I thought back to the moment he’d finally entered me.
He had said something and I had said yes, but I’d thought he was asking permission to make love to me. Now I realized he must have been asking me if I was on birth control. My body went cold as I realized that I had completely fucked up my first one-night stand.
“I’m leaving.”
“I can’t get seconds?” He jumped up and glared at me. “And what happened to your warm, loving ‘I just enjoyed every moment of you fucking me’ smile?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I ran into the bathroom to grab my clothes.
“Where are you going? You couldn’t get enough of me just a few minutes ago.”
“It’s morning.” I glared at him as I tried to brush back my disheveled hair. “I’m leaving now.”
“But I don’t even have cash.” He raised an arrogant eyebrow, and I wanted to slap him.
“Do you really think I’m a prostitute?” I stood there with arms folded and stared at him with a false casualness. “Not that I care, but do you really think that?”
“You were with your friend and my security guard last night in this room. You came back tonight with me. What am I supposed to think?”
“Whatever.” I shook my head and walked towards the door. “Think what you want. I don’t care. I’ll never see you again and I couldn’t be happier.” I ran out the door and kept going, even though he called out my name with an apologetic tone.
I felt like a damn fool. I always had bad luck picking guys, and it seemed like my cycle hadn’t ended just because I was now in Europe. I ran through the hotel lobby as quickly as possible. This time, I didn’t saunter through and eagerly stare at the opulent decorations and post-Modernist art. All I wanted to do was go home and cry and then eat some ice cream.