Freeing Asia

by E. M. Abel

  When he started moving slow again, I let out a low moan. Biting his shoulder, I met his thrusts with my own. Marcus released my hair to grab my other leg, and he wrapped them both around his waist. He shoved himself deep inside me and held me pressed against the wall.

  We were both panting. He stared down at me, his wet eyelashes looking even thicker than usual. Leaning forward, I slowly licked up his neck and along the stubble on his jaw. Shuddering, Marcus hissed through his teeth before rearing back and pounding into me again. He finally lost his control, and he started thrusting harder and faster. I held on to him, my nails digging into his back.

  “Come with me, babe. Oh god, come with me,” he gasped.

  That was all it took to push me over the edge.

  After sex in the shower, we were lying in my bed. Marcus was in his usual position, on his back with his hands behind his head, and I was on my side, facing him, with my hands curled under my cheek. Marcus and I had just had our first fight, and although it had ended well, it still upset me that we had fought at all.

  “We need to get you a gun,” Marcus said, snapping me out of my sad thoughts.

  “I have one.”

  Marcus turned to me with an eyebrow raised. “You do?”

  “Yeah. Dad made me get one when I moved out of the house. You know how he is.”

  My dad had been taking us to the gun range since we were in high school. He’d insisted that all his kids know how to properly use firearms, just in case. When I moved out of his house after graduating from college, he had bought me a gun to keep in my apartment.

  “Where is it?”

  “In my nightstand. Second drawer,” I clarified, raising an eyebrow.

  Marcus twisted toward the nightstand and pulled out my black gun case. I liked guns. I knew it was a little weird, but when I held one in my hands, I always loved the way it felt, the power it gave me. I was actually a pretty good shot, too. Marcus flipped the clasps on the case and opened it.

  “Taurus 9mm. Silver with gold accents and a pearl handle,” I stated as if I were describing a pair of designer shoes.

  Marcus smiled at me as he took the gun in his hand. It looked a lot smaller in his hand than it did in mine. He lifted it up in front of him and lined up the sights, aiming at my door. Then, he pulled it back, looked it over, and returned it to its case.

  “The magazine is already loaded, and I keep a spare in my underwear drawer.”

  Marcus looked at me with a sexy grin playing on his lips. “You don’t play any games, do you?”

  I smiled and shook my head. “A girl’s gotta be prepared.”

  He closed the gun case and put it back in my drawer. He slid down onto the bed until our faces were level with each other.

  “I need you to be patient with me,” Marcus told me as he tucked my hair behind my ear. “I’ve never been in a relationship before, so all of this is new to me. But I promise to be more careful.”

  I nodded and bit the inside of my cheek as I contemplated what to say. “One thing that might help…”

  “Yeah?”

  “Just try to put yourself in my shoes. If I ever get mad at you and you don’t understand why, just take a second to see it from my point of view.”

  Marcus rubbed the pad of his thumb over my bottom lip. “Okay.”

  “She said I was stupid for trying to date you, and I should have learned my lesson from Jay,” I admitted, looking into his hazel-green eyes.

  “What?”

  “That girl…from my work.”

  Marcus’s eyebrows drew together. “She said that?”

  I nodded as his eyes studied my face.

  “Man, she is a bitch.”

  I giggled as I shoved his shoulder. “I told you.”

  Marcus rolled on top of me, pressing me into the bed with his weight, as he held my head in his big hands. “That bitch doesn’t have anything on you, babe. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted.”

  I smiled feeling my cheeks get warm.

  “You’re sexy as hell. You’re sweet. You surf, you skate. You’re so fuckin’ talented that I can’t even pick one of your damn paintings to hang in my room because they’re all so fuckin’ good. And the best part is you have no clue how special you are.”

  My eyebrows furrowed. “Why is that the best part?”

  “‘Cause that means I’m the one who gets to watch you figure it out.”

  That was definitely the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to me, and the fact that Marcus was the one saying it only made it that much better. I felt my breath coming faster while my heart was pounding in my chest. I looked into Marcus’s beautiful eyes, and there was no way I could hold it in anymore, not even if I tried.

  “I love you, Marcus.”

  Marcus’s eyebrows lifted on his forehead as his lips curled into a bright smile. “You do?”

  “Yeah.”

  When he opened his mouth to speak, I put my finger over his full lips.

  “Don’t say anything, okay? I don’t need you to say anything. I just had to tell you. I couldn’t hold it in anymore.”

  Marcus smiled against my finger and gave me a small nod, so I moved my hand away from his mouth. Then, he showed me with a kiss how he felt about what I’d said since I wouldn’t let him tell me.

  And let me just say, he liked it…a lot.

  Saturday night, I was in my bathroom, using the flat iron on my hair, as I was getting ready for our girls’ night out.

  Hailey had reserved us a table at The Lounge, a nice restaurant and bar downtown. She’d demanded that we all come ready to “get this shit figured out” for her wedding. I wasn’t exactly sure how to get myself ready for that, so I decided dressing up and smoking a joint with Marcus before I left would be my best bet.

  As I stood in front of my mirror, I put the finishing touches on my hair. I started moving on to my makeup when Marcus came in. Standing behind me, he swept my hair off my shoulder and kissed it. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he rested his chin on my shoulder, and he looked up at my reflection through the mirror as I applied my mascara.

  “I don’t know how I feel about you going out in this dress without me,” he mumbled against my neck.

  I was wearing the same red dress I wore the night of my makeover. I smiled and put my hands on top of his as I leaned my head back on his shoulder.

  “You done with your period yet?”

  I giggled and squeezed his hand in mine. “Not yet, babe, but I think this is the last day.”

  “Fuck,” he muttered. He kissed my shoulder again.

  “I feel your pain, trust me.”

  Marcus gripped my waist with his hands and pushed his hips forward, emphasizing his point.

  I narrowed my eyes. “Now, you’re just teasing me.”

  “No, you’re the one teasing me in this fuckin’ dress.” He complained as he pressed his erection harder against my ass.

  I turned around and wrapped my arms around his neck. I got up on my toes and nipped his bottom lip with my teeth. He moaned against my lips, making my heart rate spike.

  As moisture gathered between my legs, I moved my hands behind his neck and pulled his head toward me, so I could whisper in his ear. “Let me see if I can make it up to you.” I bit my bottom lip and peered up at him as I sank down to my knees.

  “Shit,” Marcus whispered as he looked down at me with hooded eyes.

  I unzipped his black shorts, licking my lips, and I heard his breath hitch when I yanked his shorts down with his boxers. I smirked up at him as I gripped his cock in my hands, and then I proceeded to make it up to him.

  Marcus and I were sitting on the couch, smoking a joint, as I waited for Nick to come pick me up. Marcus had his legs kicked up on the coffee table, and I was leaning into his side with his arm draped over my shoulders.

  “You gonna drink tonight?” he asked as he handed me the joint.

  “Probably.”

  “Call me if you need a ride, okay? And make sure you don’t go an
ywhere by yourself. I’ve been asking around, trying to figure out who that guy is that was here last night, but no one knows him.”

  I nodded as I puffed out my cheeks and held the smoke. After exhaling, I said, “I will. I promise.”

  I passed the joint back to Marcus, and then there was a knock at the door. I stood up and walked toward it. I checked the peephole before I opened it.

  “What up, you sexy bitch? You ready?”

  I laughed as I opened the door wider for Nick.

  “Is that weed I smell? Oh shit, I haven’t smoked weed in years! I’m about to get fuucked up!” Nick exclaimed as he walked past me toward the living room. He was obviously on a roll tonight.

  “Hey, man. What’s up?” Marcus called from the couch.

  Nick turned to look at me over his shoulder. He gave me his devilish grin and wiggled his eyebrows before stopping in front of the couch. “Can I hit that?” Nick asked, looking at Marcus.

  I immediately burst into a fit of laughter. Marcus and Nick both watched me as I bent over with my arms cradling my stomach.

  Gasping for air, I lifted a hand toward them. “I’m okay. I’m okay. I’m okay.”

  Marcus smiled at me as he handed the joint to Nick. Nick rolled his eyes, took the joint, and sat on the other end of the couch.

  “She doesn’t need any more,” Nick told Marcus before he took a hit from the joint. He instantly started coughing.

  When I finally caught my breath, I walked over to the couch and sat between them.

  “I picked out that dress for her,” Nick said as he tried to pass the joint back to Marcus.

  Marcus waved it off, gesturing for Nick to keep it.

  “I owe you then,” Marcus told him as he looked down at me, giving me that secret smile again.

  “You have me to thank for that wax job, too,” Nick groaned as he blew out more smoke.

  I gasped and smacked him on the shoulder. I could feel Marcus shaking behind me, and I turned to see that he was laughing.

  I stood up and looked at Nick, crossing my arms on my chest. “Let’s go. Hailey’s gonna be pissed if we’re late.”

  “Aw, don’t be a sourpuss, Ais.”

  “I’m not being a sourpuss. And who says sourpuss anyway?”

  Nick rolled his eyes at me before facing Marcus. “You see what I have to put up with every day? You should have seen her before she started getting regular booty.” He widened his bloodshot eyes. “It was not good,” he whispered.

  Marcus smirked at Nick and then looked up at me. “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that anymore.” He winked at me and I winked back.

  Nick put out the joint in the glass ashtray on my coffee table. He cleared his throat, interrupting our moment, as he stood up from the couch.

  “Okay, let’s get outta here before you guys end up giving me a show. You’re hot, honey, but I don’t think I’d ever be able to look at you the same,” Nick told me as walked toward the front door.

  I rolled my eyes at him as Marcus stood up. He came to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I turned to face him, so my front was pressed into his.

  “Be careful.”

  I nodded. “I will.”

  “Don’t forget to call me if you need a ride.”

  I nodded again. “I will.”

  Marcus moved his arms around my waist, his hands resting just above my butt, and then he leaned down and gave me a soft, wet kiss on the lips.

  “Have fun,” he whispered against me.

  My eyes were still closed as my lips slid into a small smile.

  “Okay,” I whispered back.

  Nick cleared his throat again, and I realized he was waiting by the door. I opened my eyes. I gave Marcus another smile before he dropped his arms from around my waist, and I left.

  We were all sitting around a long table in The Lounge. All of Hailey’s bridesmaids were there. Hailey’s older sister, Monica, was sitting next to me. She looked a lot like Hailey, but their personalities were complete opposites.

  Monica was a lot like me, except she was older, was married, had two kids, and had more tattoos. Nick was across from me, and Sharon, another bridesmaid, was next to him. She was our age, but she seemed timid. She was sweet, but I didn’t know much about her since she hardly spoke. From what Hailey had told me, she had been homeschooled and lived a pretty sheltered life. They had ended up being roommates in college, and Hailey had taken Sharon under her wing.

  Next to Monica sat Margo, one of Hailey and Monica’s cousins. Margo’s family was loaded. Hailey and I had gone to her house in the summers to enjoy her pool and beach house. Margo was kind of superficial, and we had very little in common, but I was able to look past that when it meant a pool overlooking the beach.

  Finally, next to Sharon was Jamie, Margo’s older sister. She was the walking definition of a rich bitch. She was spoiled and stuck-up, and she thought she was ten times more gorgeous than she actually was.

  Hailey was sitting at the head of the table with Nick and me on either side of her. In total, there were seven of us. We had just finished our food, which Nick ate a lot of, and we were moving on to drinks and desserts when Hailey broke out her wedding book. It was less like a book and more like a gigantic portfolio overflowing with papers, pieces of material, and Post-it flags.

  When Hailey slammed the enormous book onto the table, some girls clapped and squealed while others, namely Monica and me, looked at each other in horror. I was relieved that I was still feeling buzzed from the joint, and now, I had a big margarita sitting in front of me.

  As I looked across the table, Nick was beaming, making him look a little crazy. After smoking that weed at my apartment, Nick had been more talkative than usual, and he’d asked for an extra side of french fries with his burger. Nick never ate french fries—ever.

  “Okay, ladies! Time to discuss dresses,” Hailey announced as she flipped through the pages of her book.

  I took a big gulp of my margarita, and Monica did the same with her long island iced tea.

  “Feathers!” Nick blurted out as he slammed his hands down on the table, making me jump.

  Hailey gave him a confused look and then shot me a what-the-fuck glance before he continued.

  “Feathers are so in right now, girl. You could have them in your hair and maybe incorporate them into the dresses somewhere. Oh! Oh! Did you watch Sex and the City? You know the headpiece Carrie wore? Oh my god, that would be so freakin’ gorgeous!”

  The entire table sat there in silence, staring at Nick as he tried to convince Hailey to have feathers in her wedding. That was when I realized that letting Nick smoke weed before our girls’ night out had been a bad idea.

  “I’m not having feathers in my wedding, Nick,” Hailey stated as she put her hand on his. “I appreciate your input, but it’s not happening.”

  Nick looked at me and rolled his eyes as he shook his head. His expression was saying, Hailey has absolutely no vision, and she’s making a colossal mistake by not having feathers in her wedding.

  I took another swig of my margarita as Monica spoke up.

  “I think we should be able to pick our own dresses. You tell us the color and length, and everything else is up to us.”

  Hailey glanced at her sister and then widened her eyes at me, like she was pleading for help. I had no idea how I was supposed to help though. I thought Monica’s idea was a good one.

  “Um…” I muttered. “What do you want us to wear, Hailey?” I hoped it was the right thing to say. I was wrong.

  Hailey proceeded to pull out a stack of bridal magazines from beside her chair, and she started passing them around.

  “Okay, so I’ve marked all the dresses I like. Pass them around, and you guys can decide which one you like the most.”

  I looked around at the group of girls sitting at the table. There was no way all of us were going to agree on one dress. I decided I was taking a backseat on this one. I would just agree to whatever they wanted to wear. I wasn’t
about to throw down with the other bridesmaids over a dress. Their fingernails were long and sharp.

  As the magazines were going around, I picked a topic I might actually enjoy. “So, what about the bachelorette party?” I asked Hailey.

  Her eyes shot up from the picture she was showing Nick. Raising her eyebrow, she asked, “What do you have in mind?”

  As I glanced around, I realized that everyone’s eyes were on me. Apparently, this was a topic of interest.

  “Um…strip club?”

  Hailey’s mouth curled into a devilish smile, and I heard Jamie groan from the end of the table. I kept talking, ignoring the groan.

  “There’s a male strip club in Richmond. I was thinking we could go out there and stay at a hotel.”

  “Hell yeah! Let’s do it!” Monica exclaimed next to me as she slammed her palm down on the table.

  “I better be invited,” Nick informed Hailey with a warning glare.

  I chanced a glance at the rest of the table. Margo was grinning, Jamie was pouting, and Sharon was blushing.

  Hailey made the decision. “Strip club it is!”

  I smiled back at her. Thank God. I might not know anything about dresses, but I could handle a bachelorette party.

  Forty-five minutes later, we had all moved to the bar, and we started taking tequila shots. Jamie was keeping her distance, probably completely embarrassed by our behavior, and Sharon wasn’t drinking, but she seemed to be having fun from just observing us. The rest of us were tossing back drinks and laughing so hard that we were crying. Although, I wasn’t sure that any of us knew why.

  “One more shot! One more shot!” Nick yelled toward the bartender helping a customer at the other end of the bar.

  Hailey started shaking her head in protest. Monica stopped her by gripping the sides of her head.

  “One more, Hailey! I never get to go out anymore. Damn it! You’re getting drunk with me!”

  Hailey struggled to focus on Monica’s face. “I. Am. Drunk!” she yelled at her sister.

  We all fell into a fit of laughter again.

  When we finally decided it was time to go, not much progress had been made on the dress situation or the wedding at all, but by that point, Hailey didn’t seem to care. She held on tight to her twenty-pound bag overflowing with wedding paraphernalia as she waved to us from the door of the restaurant.