by Alexis Angel
"Break it up! Enough," Andrew yells, placing his body between ours. He grabs Ben by his shirt collar and drags him off of me.
We're both breathing heavy as I get back on my feet. There's a small cut on my lip, and I use the back of my hand to wipe away a trickle of blood. "You'll be fucking sorry, Ben."
Ben's hair is wild on top of his head, some of it flopping over his eyes. "You're little girlfriend is going to be sorrier when she's a viral porn star."
As soon as these words fall from his lips, I realize that Athena hasn't been working with Ben. I've had it all wrong. Ben has been blackmailing Athena.
I run my fingers through my hair, and straighten my tie. "That's where you're wrong, asshole. I'm not going to let anyone hurt her."
Athena
I walk through my office floor quietly, flicking the light switches as I go. The lights flicker for a while, and then they bathe the whole office, making me squint. It’s late at night, and the whole place is deserted. Just like I need it to be.
These past few weeks have been the most stressful weeks of my life and yet, at the same time, the happiest. Strange how love works, huh? It’s never easy, and you can never take it for granted, but while it lasts… Oh, it’s the most amazing thing in the world.
At least it was for me. And I’m saying was because I’m not sure how things are going to play out from now on. There are a lot of moving parts in this whole situation, and I know that everything’s about to implode… The clock is ticking, and it seems to be ticking faster and faster lately.
And the faster the clock ticks, the faster my mind spins. That’s why I’m here this late at night, walking through my deserted office floor like a ghost. I tossed and turned in bed before I finally gave up on sleep; grabbing my car, I drove all the way here almost unconsciously. Somehow, this place is like my fortress. This is where I feel the strongest, as if my office is an unassailable castle.
I make my way toward my private office at the end of the floor, slide my key in the lock and step inside. Throwing my purse on the couch lining the wall, I then make my way toward the liquor cabinet I keep at the end of the room. From the inside I take an unopened bottle of whisky and pour myself a glass. Despite having a thing for martinis, I’ve never been a heavy drinker, but tonight I feel like a good whisky is exactly what I need.
And, more than a good whisky, I need good music.
With the glass in my hand, I turn to the side and run my hand over the mahogany cabinet I keep there. It’s an old thing and, considering the modern and sleek decor of my office, it kinda stands apart.
This cabinet was my father’s and, after he passed away, I knew I had to keep it to myself. I had it fixed up and painted, and kept all its contents neatly organized over the years. My father was just an accountant, but whenever he was home, he was so much more than that. I used to sit on his lap when I was younger, helping choose the soundtrack for our dinner.
He always kept the cabinet filled with records and, whenever the money permitted, he took me to the store so that I could help him choose something new for us to listen to.
I leaf through the records slowly, the scent of paper and vinyl making me feel as if I’m just a young girl again, sitting across my father’s knees. Closing my eyes, I grab one of the records at random and pull it out.
A black and white Joni Mitchell smiles at me from the cover, and I can’t help but smile back at her. I take the record from inside its sleeve and place it carefully on the record player sitting on top of the cabinet. Turning it on, I then grab the needle and position it very slowly over the dark vinyl.
Joni Mitchell's sweet voice and her piano fill the room in an instant and, still with a smile on my lips, I make my way toward my desk and sit behind it, sinking down on my leather chair.
I close my eyes and take a sip out of the whisky, letting it burn its way down my throat. For a moment, I let the whisky and the music blanket all my thoughts, and it’s a pure blessing—for the first time in weeks, I feel as if there’s nothing to worry about.
Even though my world might be crumbling around me, something inside me tells me it’s all going to be okay.
Opening my eyes with a smile, I then notice something weird on my desk. There’s a piece of paper there, a pen lying across it. I always clean up my desk before I leave, making sure that it’s neat and tidy for the next day, and I don’t remember leaving something like this in here when I left before dinner.
“What the…?” I mutter under my breath, sitting up straight and reaching for the piece of paper. I only need to read the first few words to know what I’m looking at; it’s a declaration of love, the ones my client sign when they finally find what they came looking for.
Love.
With my heart as tight as a fist, I let my eyes fall slowly to the bottom of the page. There, scribbled in a flowing font, is Malcolm’s name.
“No way, he didn’t…” I whisper, not even blinking as I look at his signature. I can’t believe that he really signed this. All he had to do in order to save his company was walk away from me, but he gave up on that… Instead, he decided to risk it all: my investment in his company is barely enough to keep it afloat, and he’ll still be vulnerable.
But, right now, I can’t think of any of that. The only thought echoing inside my head is a simple but loud one: Malcolm loves me.
But love without trust… It’s worthless. Julia’s words come at me out of the blue, and suddenly I find the courage to do what must be done. Whatever the cost.
I love him with all my heart, and knowing that he loves me back … Malcolm deserves to know the truth, all of it.
Standing up, I finish my whisky at once and then walk toward the record player.
“Sorry, Joni,” I whisper as I pull off the needle and stash the vinyl disk inside its sleeve. “I’ll play you again, promise.”
Grabbing my car keys and my purse, I take a deep breath and then head out the door.
It’s time to come clean.
Athena
I drive all the way to Malcolm’s apartment, courage making my heart beat like a war drum; but now, as the elevator doors close in on me, there’s a knot in my throat. But no, don’t think I’m going to turn around and run; courage brought me here, and courage is going to make sure that I’ll walk all the way to his door and knock. And then… well, then I’ll let the chips fall where they may.
It’s time I’ve stopped living in fear.
It’s time for the truth.
I take a deep breath as I hear the metallic jingle of the elevator doors swinging open and, refusing to wait a second longer, I step outside onto his floor. I make my way toward his door and rap my knuckles against it, my heart racing even faster now. I hear nothing from the other side of the door, so I just knock again.
My knees buckle under my weight as the door finally swings open; on the other side stands Malcolm, handsome as always. He looks at me with an unreadable expression, and then takes one step back to allow me in.
“I’ve been expecting you,” he finally says as he closes the door behind the two of us.
“You’ve… been expecting me?” I ask him as I turn to face him.
“I have,” he merely says, leading the way toward his living room. I follow after him and sit on the couch after he does, placing my purse between the two of us. I run my tongue over my lips, wetting them, and prepare to do what I came here to.
“I came here because… I need to tell you something, Malcolm. I can’t go on like this. I—I have a secret.”
“A secret?” He arches one eyebrow and places one leg on top of the couch, turning so that his whole body is facing me. Folding his arms over his chest, he waits for me to continue speaking. “What kind of secret, Athena?”
“I haven’t been truthful with you. I lied. I… I don’t even know where to start, Malcolm. I feel terrible.” I look into his eyes, waiting for him to say something, but he just stares back at me with that enigmatic expression. I take a deep breath and then find
the necessary strength to continue. “Ben has been pressuring me. He wants you to fall in love with me so that you’ll lose the buy-in and… He wants to ruin you, Malcolm, and I’ve been a part of it. He threatened me, and he --”
“I know,” he suddenly says, cutting me short and reaching for me. He lays his hand on top of mine and then opens up into a smile. “I know about everything.”
“Everything…?”
“Everything,” he nods. “Ben, the tapes… I know about it all.”
I’m so stunned that I can’t even look him in the eyes. Averting his gaze, I pull my hand from his and fold my fingers over my lap, looking down at my hands. Malcolm knows…
Oh God.
“I’m sorry, Malcolm, I really am,” I tell him, feeling tears start to sting my eyes. I force myself to look up at him, shame and fear welling up inside my heart.
“Hey, hey,” he whispers, caressing my face with the back of his hand. “I don’t care. I don’t give a fuck, Athena. You came in here, you told me about it… And that’s all that matters. Fuck Ben, fuck the tapes … fuck all that. You’re the only thing that matters.”
“But--”
“You don’t have to worry about anything anymore, Athena. I promise you. I had a bit of luck, and had an anonymous investor who has made a guaranteed investment promise and I used the paperwork from that promise to get an advance loan. I used that money and had Andrew buy the tapes from Ben. You’re safe now,” he continues, his soothing voice making me feel safer than I’ve ever felt. But then, when I finally comprehend the meaning behind his words, I can’t help but jump up to my feet.
“You what?!” I ask him, my jaw hanging open. I can’t believe that he used the money I invested in his company to save me. I gave him a way out, so that he could save himself… And instead he sacrificed himself and his company to save me.
“Yeah, I used that money to buy the tapes. I signed the Love Declaration. Andrew showed Ben and he got so mad and pissed off he wasn’t thinking right and started looking for someone to buy the tapes of you,” Malcolm says.
I stare in horror as Malcolm continues, “I’ll be in debt to the investor, but considering everything I owe… It’s not like it matters. Besides, I don’t give a fuck about money. Not anymore. All I care about is you, Athena,” he says, going up to his feet and taking one step toward me. “You’re my everything.”
“But…” I start. “Your company. You won't be able to pay back the investor…” I finish.
He doesn’t say anything.
I’m afraid to speak.
I look at him, not knowing what to say. He threw away every chance he had to save himself, in exchange for… my safety.
“I love you, Athena,” he breathes out in a whisper, cupping my right cheek with one hand and leaning in to kiss me. Our lips brush together and I offer him a pale smile.
“I love you too, Malcolm … and it was me.”
“It was you that…?” he asks me.
“I’m the mystery investor. I wanted to… save you from Ben.”
“Jesus,” he breathes out, and for the first time since I stepped foot inside his apartment, he sounds genuinely surprised. He looks away from me as if to collect his thoughts; then, when he turns back to look at me, there’s a radiant smile on his lips. “I can’t believe you did that, Athena. But … it just goes to prove that I’ve picked the right woman,” he finishes, and then kisses me again. “And I don’t ever want to lose you.”
“You won’t.”
“I want you to be my wife,” he suddenly says, his unblinking eyes focused on mine. This time he isn’t smiling—no, he’s dead serious right now.
“Are you…?”
“Yes, I’m proposing,” he whispers, a thin smile now taking shape on his lips.
“YES!” I shout, putting my arms around him and pulling him close. “YES!” I continue, tears streaming down my face, except this time, I welcome these tears.
Because they’re tears of joy.
That’s all I remember before Malcolm wraps his arms around me and my world goes black.
Athena
I swear to all the stars in the heavens, being with Malcolm is turning me into a dude. I don’t see him for a few days and I want to fuck him. He gets angry, and I want to fuck him. He has good news, and I want to fuck him. The sun rises in the east, and I want to fuck him.
Ben has gotten what he fucking deserves, and it was a long time coming, if you ask me. So I don’t see any better way to celebrate than to fuck the living daylights out of Malcolm. I'm sure he won’t object too much.
Another reason that I think I'm becoming a dude, or at the very least learning to like fucking like dudes like fucking, is because my wants are changing wildly. The other day in my office I wanted angry, rough, panty-tearing sex. Right now? I want to be the one who is aggressive. Rough sex is always good and maybe there'll be some torn clothes by the end, but it'll be his shirt or pants if I have my way.
“What're you thinking?” Malcolm asks, looking at me with a little bit of concern in his eyes. Shit! I must've gone deeper into my mind than I'd realized.
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” I respond, trying to cover my lapse in concentration. I'm not sure why but I've always done that. I can lose myself in my own thoughts. Friends have told me I get a far-off blank look on my face.
“Ummm, yeah I would.”
“I was thinking about your cock,” I say, not finding a reason to hold off any longer.
“Well, okay then,” he answers with a big grin on his face. No surprise—he likes this topic of conversation. “Were you thinking about anything particular, or just a general mental survey of my cock?”
“Shut up and find out, big boy,” I tease, stepping up to him and looping one arm over his shoulder so I can put my hand on his head and pull him in for a kiss. My other hand heads in the opposite direction. I find the shaft of his cock, hardening and pushing against his jeans from the inside. He’s hot in my hand. I give a few firm squeezes. The moan I draw from him feels divine radiating through his lips.
“It’s my turn,” I say, finally breaking the kiss but keeping our faces close. “In my office, I let you have me. Tonight, you’re going to let me have you.” I press my lips to his before he can answer and to emphasize the point, I push my tongue into his mouth aggressively.
“What if I don’t want to give in so easily?” Malcolm asks, his eyes dark with lust once he’s able to pry his face away from mine. His questions say he doesn’t want this, but his body is betraying the truth.
“I was hoping you wouldn’t,” I start, and then plant a small peck on his lips. “But I’m betting that eventually you’ll want to give in.”
So this is not going completely like I’d planned, but what can I expect from thirty seconds of preparation? I have to up my game if I’m going to get what I want.
“I’ll let you know when I’m ready.” I push away from him. Malcolm’s arms are around me in a flash and he pulls me tight to him. Luckily, my one hand is pinned pointing downward. “Trust me, this’ll be worth your time.” I give his shaft a particularly hard squeeze. He flinches but his mouth turns up in a smirk. With that, he lets me go.
I rush to the bedroom with the sound of Malcolm’s grunt of appreciation in my ears as I go. I’m glad I decided to wear the little black skirt that hugs every part of me just right. Some things are worth investing in. Normally, I wouldn’t spend $300 on just a skirt, but that day in the shop… Once I had it on, the sales lady had me. There was no way I was leaving without it. Hell, I wore it out of the shop. Today, that investment is paying off big time.
I find my bag in the corner and throw it on the bed. When I said I’d planned for only thirty seconds, that wasn’t totally accurate. I’d packed some fun stuff before I came over here. I just hadn’t put much thought into how I was going to use the things I’d packed. That part of the plan was where I’d only spent thirty seconds of thought. Now with Malcolm still hanging onto his dominant status, I have to
think quickly.
Luckily, in terms of lingerie, I’d only brought one outfit. It’s the set that I jokingly call, in my mind, The Complete Package. Six-inch, black, stiletto heels with a peep-toe and one-inch platform, because you have to start with a good foundation, right? Black stockings made of real silk with a six-inch split in the back that’s laced with red satin ribbon that clips to a matching black garter belt. Crotchless panties made of the same black lace. Add the cup-less bra and it’s The Complete Show. There’s no fucking way he’s going to resist this.
But, I’m not done. I’d packed some of my friends: Nipple clamps and my favorite vibrator. The vibrator is totally for me but not in the way most people would assume. I’ve always wanted to use a vibrator in bed with a man.
Unfortunately, every man I’ve ever fucked up to this point has been intimidated by Bob. Yes, I named my vibrator. What woman hasn’t? I didn’t spend too much time thinking of the name when I bought him. The name Bob is actually an acronym: Battery Operated Boyfriend.
I think I read it in a Dark Angel book.
Anyway, I’m hoping this is the right time to introduce B.O.B. to Malcolm. Pushing my skirt down my legs, I then pop out the buttons on my blouse and let it float down my arms. I climb on the bed, propping myself up against the pillows. My heels dig into the bedspread as I part my knees. I twist the knob at the base of B.O.B., turning him to the highest setting, and then press the button on the side to select the pulse setting.
I’m already revved up so no need to ease into this. I rub the tip over my clit, letting the vibrations pulse through me.
Damn! This feels sooooooo good. I’d been planning on calling Malcolm in immediately, but maybe I can indulge myself for just a few moments first.