Take a Chance

by Ash Johnson

  I hold my breath while the garage door rolls up, hoping I don’t wake Blake or Alex.

  Once the car is in and off, and the garage door rolled down, I take a moment to reflect on where my life is at right now. I’m still working hard to pay off a debt that was never mine. I’m raising a teenage girl who is getting angrier at the world, and me, by the day. But I’ve also gained a boyfriend who I’m very into, who has helped me out in more ways than one recently.

  Thinking the word “boyfriend” brings a small smile to my face.

  Even though he destroyed my old clunker when he ran it over with his tank, he has lent me his BMW, which is the most comfortable car I’ve ever been in. He’s also moved us into his beautiful home when we had nowhere else to go, and he did it happily. There were no hints of regret on his face the entire move from our shitty apartment on the other side of town.

  But I wouldn’t need material things to be happy with a man like Blake. Just being around him both calms me and sends an electric jolt through my body. I can be myself with him, and he would accept everything that I am. I feel beautiful and smart and like I’m enough when he looks at me. I think I might be in love with him.

  A knock on the driver’s side window startles me out of my revelation. Blake is standing in the garage, shirtless and smirking at me.

  I get out of the car. The second my feet hit the ground, Blake wraps me up in his arms.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t wake you, did I?” I mumble into his chest and wrap my arms around his waist.

  “Yeah. I woke up because of the garage door, but only because I wasn’t expecting it. I’m going to have to get used to hearing it this early in the morning again.”

  “Again?”

  “When my best friend Jay lived here with me, he would roll in around this time of night after a hook up. I got used to hearing it, but then he met Ada, and they were expecting a baby and moving into their own house only a couple of months after they got together, so I haven’t heard it for a few years.”

  I nod to show him I’m listening. He gives me a small squeeze and leans down to whisper in my ear. “Why don’t we go in the house, and you can take a shower to wash off that old lady smelling perfume, and then we can both get in bed and not sleep.”

  A small buzz takes over my lower abdomen. I haven’t had sex in years, and I’m more turned on than I should be at the thought of sleeping with Blake right now. I smile and nod against his chest, moving with him through the garage door and into the house.

  He leads me upstairs and into the extra bathroom I’d used earlier today and stops in the doorway.

  “Are you coming in with me?” I tease, but I’m more than ready to move into the physical part of this relationship. I haven’t had the opportunity to be physical with anyone in a very long time, and now that I’m in a relationship, I’m going to take advantage of it.

  “I would love to, but I don’t want our first time to be in the shower. It will be in a bed where we can both be comfortable. So I’ll wait until you’re in the shower and then come in to hang out with you for a bit. I don’t think I could handle seeing you naked right now without wanting to jump your bones.”

  I snicker and move toward the shower, lifting up my tank top. Blake lets out a deep groan as soon as my shirt is almost off.

  “Damn it,” I hear as the door quietly shuts. I finish taking off my clothes quickly, jump in the shower, and pull the curtain closed, more than ready to wash the aroma of strip club off my skin.

  Then, the door opens again. “Is it safe to come in?” comes from the other side of the shower curtain.

  “Yeah, I’m in and not coming out for a while. Have a seat.”

  He asks me how my night went. “It was fine. I didn’t make as much as I would on a Saturday, but I did okay.”

  “You don’t ever have to dance do you?” he asks, his voice taking on a hint of panic.

  “No. I went there searching for a dancing job, but I think the owner knew I would have a meltdown if I had to dance in front of a room full of guys, so he offered me a job as a bartender with the occasional night of cocktail waitressing. Those are rare, though, because I’m the quickest behind the bar, so they normally choose Sugar or Star to do it.”

  “Sugar and Star? Is that their real names?”

  I giggle again. “No, we all have nicknames. It lessens our chances of a creepy stalker finding out who we are outside of work.”

  “That’s good. So what’s your nickname then?”

  “Victoria.”

  “What? Why Victoria?”

  “Uh, the girls and the bouncers say it’s because I have the body of a Victoria’s Secret model.” I shake my head and wonder where they came up with it. I most definitely do not have the body of a model. I haven’t stepped foot in a gym in over four years because I haven’t had the time, and I eat way too much fast food to keep a slim enough figure.

  “I can see that.”

  I scoff and change the subject before we can get into the topic of my-less-than-ideal-shaped body. “So how did everything go with Alex tonight? She wasn’t too much to handle, was she?”

  “No. We had a nice conversation during dinner and then went down to the theater room to watch Super Troopers, and then she went to bed. We talked for a little bit about what she wanted to do when she grows up, but other than that we didn’t say much.”

  I’m a bit surprised. She won’t even tell me what she wants to do with her life. “What did she say she wanted to do?” I wash the mint shampoo out of my hair. I hope that doesn’t make me sound like a terrible older sister. I have tried to talk to her about these things, but she doesn’t want anything to do with me anymore.

  “She said she wants to be a pastry chef and own a bakery. She said that was something that you guys and your grandma did together a lot.”

  I nod, even though Blake can’t see it through the shower curtain, and bite my lip to prevent the tears from falling down my face. The three of us made so many fun things together in my grandma’s kitchen when Alex was old enough to join. If one of us had a bad day, we would bake cookies, and if we had a great day, we would bake banana nut bread.

  “Yeah, we did that a lot until she died.”

  “I know we’re talking about sweet memories and conversations that you and your sister have yet to discuss, and this might make me sound like a huge tool, but are you close to being done with your shower? We can talk more once you’re out, but just knowing you are less than five feet from me, naked and wet, is totally throwing off my concentration.”

  I rinse the conditioner out of my hair as fast as I can, ready to move onto the fun part of my night; and unlike the twelve dirty men that asked me to sleep with them tonight, this man I’m really excited about and will agree to.

  Chapter 22

  Blake

  The sound of the water turning off in the shower is music to my fucking ears. I have a raging hard-on knowing that the girl that I’ve been dreaming about and doing despicable things to in my head for the past few months is now naked and within touching distance.

  As soon as the towel on curtain rod is pulled down, I realize I may be a bit too eager, because I stand up and all too quickly rip the curtain back, thinking she has covered up with the towel. It is the luckiest day of my fucking life, because she hasn’t placed that towel around her at all.

  The gray towel is draped over one shoulder and hanging down her back, soaking in the droplets that are stuck to her skin. Her perky breasts are pushed outward, perfectly on display for my viewing pleasure, and her tiny waist and rounded hips make me hard enough to pound nails.

  I am surprised that the curtain almost being torn from the wall didn’t frighten her, but instead Harlow stays still, holding out the towel away on each side of her body, and a challenging smirk spreads across her face.

  “Holy shit,” I grit out while my eyes keep doing a top-to-toe scan of her amazing curves. The sexy smile on her face widens, and I release a strangled groan.

  Af
ter a few seconds of neither of us doing anything, she pipes up. “Well, are you going to do anything about the fact that I’m standing here naked, or do you just want to take a picture? I can’t hold my arms out like this for much longer.”

  I narrow my eyes and pull my phone from the pocket of my basketball shorts, fucking ecstatic that I put it there when I grabbed a condom from my room. When I turn on the camera, she squeaks and starts to move.

  “Unh-uh. You asked me if I was going to take a picture, and you can bet your ass if you offer something like that I’m going to take it. So get your sexy ass back in that position, and after I’m done with this spank bank photo, I’ll put your nudity to good use.”

  She smiles and, unbelievably, clutches the towel back out to her sides, ready for the picture. She is the most perfect woman in existence. I snap two or three and then pocket my phone before she can nab it and erase them.

  Once my phone and its newly added treasures are put safely back in my pocket I reach into the shower and snag her out, smiling when she lets out a small squeal. I hook my hand under her knees, scooping her up and move to her room, her naked and me in basketball shorts with a fucking steel rod protruding from the crotch.

  I use my foot to close the door once we’re in and step slowly to the bed, using every ounce of self restraint not to throw her down and ravage her body like I’ve been dying to. I want to be a gentleman, at least for now.

  She doesn’t remove her hands from around my neck even after I lay her down, suddenly appearing nervous about this.

  “What’s the matter, babe? We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” I tell her, hoping like hell that she does.

  She shakes her head and unlocks one hand to run it down my cheek, the motion allaying my concern a bit. “I want to do this, Blake. It’s just been a while.”

  I smile, more than fucking pleased that she hasn’t been with anyone in a while. I don’t care how long that while is and I don’t dare ask. I’m just ready to take advantage of the fact that I have my girlfriend naked underneath me. I haven’t had a girlfriend since high school, and it feels nice to finally have someone I can call my own.

  I press my lips to hers softly, prepared to take this night slow, but Harlow must have a different idea of how this should play out, because she runs her tongue against my mouth, begging me to open up; and I’m more than happy to comply.

  Once our tongues are locked, her hands roam my skin, lighting my body on fire. Her fingers tease the band of my shorts, trying to push them down in a rush, but I put my hands on hers to stop her movements.

  “Baby, we don’t have to go fast. Just let me take my time with this gorgeous body of yours. Let me make you feel good, Harlow.” I peer in her nervous eyes and see some of the anxiety start to melt away.

  I lean in to kiss her lips one more time before moving to her neck, taking my time to taste each patch of skin my lips come in contact with. I continue my descent, making sure to show some adoration to each perfect breast and the line of her sexy sternum.

  “Oh Blake,” she mutters and runs her hands through my hair as I move lower. When I reach the apex of her thighs, a strangled sound escapes her lips, making me smile against her skin.

  “I’m going to enjoy every second of this,” I mumble before I dive into her slick, wet folds. The second my tongue darts into her opening, Harlow’s hands tighten almost painfully in my hair, but it only turns me on more.

  She tastes better than I dreamed she would. The sounds she’s making as I lick and suck at her pussy have me almost ready to come in my shorts, but I have to keep thinking of other things, like fighting in a cage or going rock climbing. I need to try and hold out until I get at least two orgasms out of her.

  I spend a few minutes showing every inch of her delicious center the attention it deserves before I suck her clit out from behind its hood and move my hand from her thigh to her apex, sinking two fingers inside of her.

  “Oh my God,” she whimpers and arches her back, thrusting herself farther against my face. I curl my fingers inside of her, rubbing at her most sensitive area, and it sets her off. She lets out a loud moan followed by a hot-as-fuck gasp before her body starts to come down.

  I kiss her just above her pubic bone and remove my fingers, smiling wide when a sigh of contentment escapes Harlow’s mouth. She opens her eyes and tilts her head down to find me resting against her stomach.

  “Wow,” is all she can say. I give her a smirk and kiss her belly button, more than ready to be inside her but nervous at the same time. This girl means so much to me, and I’m afraid that with how sexy she is and how much I want her, I’ll come within seconds of getting my dick inside of her tight, wet body.

  “Come here, Blake,” she whispers, her voice drawing my body along hers without even thinking about it. Once my face is close to hers, she runs her fingers lightly through my hair and pulls me toward her. Our lips connect and every ounce of my nervousness evaporates.

  “Do you have a condom?” she asks, barely breaking her lips from mine to speak. I nod and nip at her bottom lip before I ease back to get the rubber out of my pocket. Once I have it tucked in between my fingers, Harlow’s toes are suddenly at the hem of my shorts. She somehow gets her big toes into the band and pushes them down my legs.

  I cock my head back a little, looking at her in amazement. “How in the hell did you get your feet high enough to be able to do that?”

  She licks her lower lip. “I was in gymnastics until I graduated high school.”

  I close my eyes, picturing Harlow bending and twisting into different positions. “Oh my God, you just get fucking better and better.” When she giggles, I lean down to kiss her one more time. I’m so focused on kissing her that I don’t notice she has taken the rubber out of my hand until the package is ripped open.

  I pull back to watch as she pinches the tip and rolls it down my length, taking her sweet time, torturing me. I groan once she gets it on and gives me a tight squeeze before digging her heels against my ass and pushing me closer to her.

  “You ready for me, baby?” I ask, giving her a chance to back out in case she doesn’t want this.

  “I’m more than ready. Get inside me now.”

  Wish fucking granted. I grip my cock and run it up and down her slit a few times before easing myself in. It takes a few pumps to get myself fully in, but once I am we both groan.

  “Holy shit, you feel so good.”

  We fit together so perfectly. I pull back only to thrust in just a bit harder. I wanted to take my time and savor her, but she feels so damn good I can’t stop from going fast.

  Harlow is more than into it. She removes her hands from my hair and raises them above her head, grabbing hold of the straight metal headboard. “Fuck me, Blake. Oh God, fuck me.”

  Her words flip a switch in my brain, and now slow is the last fucking thing on my mind. I sit up on my knees between her legs and grab the backs of her thighs so I have some purchase for my thrusting. She wraps her legs tighter around my back and lifts her ass off the mattress to get a better angle, which only spurs me on. I grip her ass cheeks and thrust with everything I’ve got, pleased as fuck when her walls start to tighten around my cock, because I don’t think I can hold out any longer, and I don’t want to come before her.

  “Oh … oh God … I’m going … to—” she squeaks out. Her walls squeeze the shit out of my dick, the tightness causing me to come seconds after she does.

  Suddenly, my body is a wet, limp noodle, and I can’t stay upright. I fall forward, trying my damndest not to rest all of my weight on top of her—and more than likely failing.

  After a few seconds of silence, other than our panting, Harlow grunts. “Holy crap. Really?”

  I chuckle and finally pull my head off of her chest to look at her. “What, babe?”

  “I mean we’ve known each other for over a month, and it took us this long to have sex. If I had known that you fuck like that we’d have done this a lot sooner.” She smiles, letting
me know she’s just joking.

  When we first started talking, I’d told her my sexual past and how women had used me just to get off and vice versa. I’m so glad that Harlow and I waited before we had sex, because this was the most meaningful experience I’ve ever had with a woman.

  She means more to me than any other woman, and I intend to keep her with me, not just in my bed or my house but in my heart where she’s quickly taking up more space than anyone has before.

  Chapter 23

  Harlow

  I wake up to the sun shining through expensive wood blinds. It takes me a few seconds to remember that I’m not in my shitty apartment anymore. I’m lying in a way too comfortable bed in Blake’s guest room, with two boxes of my belongings sitting in the corner, waiting to be put away.

  I roll over, prepared to tell Blake good morning, and find that I’m in bed alone. He had lain down behind me, intent on us falling asleep, but he said we needed another round of “bedtime lovin’” before sleep was allowed. The second time around, he was slow and sweet but still focused on taking care of both of our needs.

  When we had lain down, I could see signs of the sun rising, so I knew it was early. I set my alarm an hour and a half ahead with the intention of getting a bit of sleep before taking Alex to school.

  Now, I realize that I must not have set it right. Alex should be leaving right now if she has any intention of making it on time, but my alarm hasn’t made a peep.

  I fling off the covers and open the box with all of my clothes in it—grabbing an oversized gray t-shirt with a white sugar skull on it and cutoff black sweat pants—and rush out of my room down to the kitchen.

  I stop in the entryway when I find Alex—dressed in a sensible pair of shorts and a blue tank top that covers everything—sitting at the island and Blake in the kitchen drinking what can only be described, from its color, as a cup full of vomit.

  “What are you doing up, babe? I turned your alarm off so you could get more sleep.” He gulps the rest of his questionable shake before placing the cup in the sink.