“Was it good for you?” I asked before I could stop the question from escaping my mouth.
He chuckled. “You have no idea,” he said, zipping up his pants. “What about you? Did you have a good time?”
I nodded, once again trying to play it cool. The truth was it was the best sex I had ever had in my life. It was so simple and quick, but he made me come harder than I ever had before. I was still in a bit of a daze when he stealthily slipped out of the booth.
“You don’t have to lie to me,” he winked. “If it was bad, just say so.”
“No, it’s quite the opposite, really,” I giggled. I couldn’t wait to tell my friends about it. But, there was still a small part of me that wanted to keep this moment all to myself. I knew I would never see this guy again, but I wanted to keep him with me, if only in my head.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty thirsty,” he said. “Can I get you a drink?”
“Yeah,” I responded, “that would be great.”
We walked further into the club, away from where Felicity and Kara were sitting. I wondered if they were even still at the bar. I checked my phone, and there were no messages, so I assumed they weren’t concerned about where I was. I figured I could have one more drink before going to find them.
While the second bar was nice, I wished that we had gone back to where my friends were. I would have loved to see the looks on their faces as I casually waltzed around the corner with Apollo in tow. I hadn’t looked in a mirror yet, but I bet my smudged lipstick and messy hair would have told the whole story.
Now, I only had my word. Maybe, if I gave them enough details, they would believe me. It would suck if they thought I was making it all up, though. However, the sex was so good, that it didn’t even matter that I did it to prove myself to them. I got way more out of it then they could ever imagine.
“Are you looking for someone?” Apollo asked as my head swiveled around the room. “Did you tell another guy to meet you here?”
“No,” I laughed. “I’m all yours.”
“Do you ask guys out often? I must say, I don’t think a girl has ever asked me out first.”
I blushed. “I hope I didn’t seem too pushy,” I said meekly. “I can’t really explain what came over me.”
“No, I thought it was great,” he said. “Now,” he said, looking for a bartender, “let’s get a few drinks and enjoy our time together.”
No Strings Attached
Apollo
I debated going straight back to my apartment once I got off with the girl, but I decided that I would go all out with my celebration. It’s not every day that you get released from prison after five years. If there were any cause to celebrate, this would be the time.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have a lot of cash on hand, so I bought her a vodka tonic with the cheapest liquor I could get. For myself, I purchased a light beer on special. It wasn’t particularly good, but it quenched my thirst and even bad alcohol was better than no alcohol.
After I gave her the drink, I gestured over to an unused, sticky table with two chairs. She sat down and sipped from the tiny straw, wobbling on the unsteady chair. Sierra was clearly intoxicated, but not so much that we couldn’t carry a decent conversation.
“How long are you staying?” I asked.
“Tomorrow afternoon. We planned on going all out tonight, so we didn’t want to be too hungover and tired on our flight home.”
“Good thinking. But, I have a feeling that you’re still going to be pretty miserable tomorrow if you continue on at this rate.”
She laughed. “I’m not much of a drinker. Does it show?”
“Nah,” I lied, wondering if she had three or four drinks before we fucked. She was giggly but in a cute way. It wasn’t annoying like the other screeching girls around us.
“I don’t think I want to leave this place,” she said wistfully, looking out over the crowd. “It’s not usually my kind of scene, but it’s been surprisingly fun.”
“What is your kind of scene?” I asked.
“Like, something a little quieter. Maybe a private beach or a weekend in a ski lodge. Not drinking bottle after bottle of champagne and staying out until the sun comes out. But you know what? I’ve really enjoyed all the craziness.”
She frowned. I hoped she wasn’t the type to get emotional after a few too many.
“What’s wrong?”
“I was just thinking that I’d probably never have the opportunity to do something like this again.”
“Why not?”
“The reason we’re here is because we passed our certification exams in nursing. I’m not a student anymore. Once I get back, I’m into full work mode. Our schedules are so crazy that I don’t think we’d ever get the chance to do something like this again. It’s just strange thinking about how life will never be the same again.”
“Then let’s enjoy this moment while it lasts,” I said, raising my drink to hers.
“To freedom,” she said.
I echoed her and took a swig. That was something that I could understand but on a completely different level. To a rich girl right out of college, freedom meant being able to go on expensive vacations and hook up with strangers in bars. When she went home, she would have to start her job—one that she worked very hard to get. Her days would be filled with taking care of patients, but at the end of the day, she’d still be able to go home to her own bed. She would still have a life outside of the walls of the hospital.
On the other hand, I knew exactly what it was like to have your freedom taken away. It’s probably surprising to a lot of people, but I had never been in any real trouble with the law until the incident. I’d been fined for underage drinking and petty things like that, but I’d never been arrested before. That’s probably why my sentence was so short.
For a repeat offender, money laundering could get you put away for a lot longer. During my sentencing, the judge noted that I had a clean record, which worked in my favor. However, people like me don’t get off very easily. If you’ve got enough money and connections, you can make problems go away.
A guy like me has to do jail time, no matter the circumstance. When the mayor is committed to cleaning up the streets, anyone remotely related to gang activity has to be put away. But, it only applies to the bottom tiers of the gang.
If you’re on top, there are a few ways of getting away with serious crimes. First of all, if you have the money to pay off the cops and the connections with the higher ups in the justice department, you’re basically untouchable. Then, if you have any dirty work to do, you can pass it off to your underlings. A mob boss would never lay their hands on a person if they didn’t need or want to.
Finally, if a mob boss did find themselves in a sticky situation, there was always a fall guy. If the police are trying to pick you up for something, a fall guy keeps you from getting pinned for it. They confess to the crime and take the sentence to make the problem go away.
In my situation, there were several of these loopholes in action. My father was supposed to be the one doing the money laundering for the boss. While I love and respect my father to a certain extent, he isn’t the smartest man I know. Getting caught really wasn’t his fault, though. I think just about anyone would in his situation.
When you’re tasked with hiding a lot of money, you have to be good with numbers. Why the boss ever got my old man involved, I’ll never know. Maybe he held a grudge and wanted my father to get caught.
My dad is a good guy, but he’s had his fair share of trouble with the law. Another felony could put him away for at least thirty years, maybe even life. I couldn’t let that happen. My mom would have been absolutely devastated to lose her husband, so I took the fall. The moment I found out about his arrest, I went to the police station and confessed to the crime.
It’s easier to confess to crimes you didn’t commit when you’re in a city where the government is corrupt. I didn’t know the specifics of the case against my father, but I knew enou
gh of the general facts that I could make it somewhat convincing. Then, I was taken to booking. I even saw my dad being released as I entered. His face was white as a ghost and he just nodded at me when we passed. He wasn’t happy that I had to go on trial, but he knew that it was the best way to keep the family together. Plus, he didn’t want to be in jail for the rest of his life.
My mother was devastated that her son had to plead guilty to a crime he didn’t commit. She was furious at both my father and me, but with time, she forgave us. Once her initial anger subsided, she visited once a month for the entire five years.
Now, I was free and it was time to get my life back and to get revenge for everything my family went through. When the time was right, I’d go after the boss. But for now, I would seek all of the pleasures I had missed out on for so long.
Like sex. Damn, I couldn’t believe how much I missed sex. The best part was, the first girl I spoke to, came to me. I didn’t even have to do any of the work. Plus, she was just my type.
Sierra was short and curvy, with those strong, thick thighs that I could really grab onto. I didn’t know much about her—hell, I didn’t know anything about her—but she looked like a girl I could bring home to my mother. However, that would never happen.
In fact, as it turns out, the best thing about Sierra was that I never had to see her again. She’d go back home and I could remember the sex fondly from the privacy of my own home. I would never have to call her and talk about things I had no interest in. I wouldn’t have to spend money I didn’t have on fancy dates to please her. Most importantly, I wouldn’t have to bring her along as I took back the life I once had.
I would share one last drink with the sexy stranger who approached me in the tattoo parlor, and then we’d both go back to our own lives, never to see each other again. I could have amazing sex with no strings attached.
In that moment, I had never felt so free.
The Bad Girl
Sierra
As I sat with Apollo, I was trying hard to live in the moment and not completely freak out about what was happening. For the first time in my life, I was hooking up with a stranger. He wasn’t just any stranger, either. He was gorgeous and he chose to get with me.
As usual, I was starting to doubt myself. I didn’t feel like I was beautiful or sexy enough to catch the attention of a guy. Then, I didn’t think I was making good enough conversation. My brain was a little fuzzy from the drinks. Then, I wasn’t sure if the sex was as good for him as it was for me.
However, when I looked at the facts, it helped dispel my argument against myself. First of all, if he wasn’t interested in me, he didn’t have to go to the club. Next, if he wasn’t interested in me, he would have left after the sex and not bought me a second drink. Finally, I saw his face as he came. I must have been doing something right.
I smiled as I listened to him talk about how he just got into the city today. This was the first time I had ever managed to snag my dream guy. Apollo was muscular and clean-cut, but he also had a rough side to him. I had a thing for bad boys. This trip to Vegas was my last hurrah as a young person, and he came at just the right moment in my life.
I knew my friends were around the bar somewhere, but I didn’t really care. I would have more time with them in the future. I wouldn’t have another night with Apollo. I balled up my fists under the table. If the tattoo and the club hookup weren’t enough for me, there was just one more thing I wanted to do. I was feeling particularly lucky tonight.
He had maybe two more drinks in his bottle before he would go home and leave me in the club. I had to make my move now.
“It’s still early,” I said, checking the time. “What do you think about taking this back to your place? If sex in a club booth was that good, I can’t imagine how great it would be in a bed.”
I bit my lip and tried to gauge his reaction. I saw him wince slightly and my remaining self-esteem plummeted.
“Or we can leave things as it is,” I said quickly, backpedaling. “I should probably get back to my friends anyway.”
I crossed the line. This embarrassment would live in the crevices of my mind for some time to come. I tried to do too much in one night. I was glad that the risks I was taking had to do with guys that would go home at the end of the night, instead of at the blackjack table. Failure stung regardless of what I was doing, but at least I scored before I went home.
“I don’t know if it’s such a good idea to bring you home,” he said, rubbing the back of his head. “It’s not that I don’t like you—I think you’re great and smoking hot. I’m just not into making relationships out of things that just won’t work. It doesn’t have anything to do with you as a person, but it’s just the way I live my life. I’m not going to be in this city for long, so I don’t want to find any reason to hold me down. Do you get what I’m saying?”
“Oh, yeah, of course,” I answered casually. “I’m not looking for anything more than a one-night stand. You don’t have to worry about me holding you back. I do this all the time.”
In reality, I wasn’t sure what he was so worried about. I wasn’t going to suddenly become attached to him. I didn’t have that choice—I would be getting on a plane and heading back home in less than twenty-four hours from now. I just wanted one last time with Apollo, because good lovers don’t come around that often.
I didn’t really understand why he didn’t want to have sex with me again. It was my understanding that guys would do whatever it takes to hook up with girls. I knew I should just take his explanation and go, but for some reason, it wasn’t enough for me.
Yet, his rejection made me even hotter for him. I wanted to conquer him, to prove that I could do anything if I just put myself out there. I wanted the forbidden romance.
My past experiences had always been planned and consequently, bland. I slept with boyfriends in their beds after going on dates to the movies or to a nice restaurant. Once the private act was over, we’d go to sleep. There was nothing spontaneous or adventurous about any of it. At the time, I enjoyed it, but I had no idea how good it could be until I was with Apollo. I couldn’t go back to infrequent and boring sex. Not again.
When I thought of how ridiculous we were both being, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“What?” he asked, squinting at me. I bet I looked insane laughing at his rejection.
“I only wanted to fuck you again because it was the best I ever had,” I said through the giggles. “Don’t act like I want to marry you or anything.”
He cracked a smile. “Good. I’d make a terrible life partner.”
“I don’t doubt it. Do you really think I’m the type that can’t separate sex and a relationship?”
“Honestly?” he asked hesitantly. “Kind of. You seem like you’re a very good girl who doesn’t do this kind of thing very often.”
Was it that obvious? I hated the idea that guys could spot those kinds of things. Maybe that’s why the bad boys that I liked so much never went after me.
“Does a good girl fuck a stranger in a bar?” I asked.
“Not usually. I suppose you aren’t as squeaky clean as I thought.”
“So, what are we going to do now?” I asked. “You’re almost done with your drink, and I don’t think either of us came here just to talk. Either we can part ways now, or we can part ways in an hour once we’ve had sex again. I think you know what I want, but it’s up to you.”
He thought for a few seconds, but it felt like I was waiting for much longer. Finally, he opened his mouth to speak.
“Let’s go,” he said, grabbing my hand.
I tried to hide my absolute delight and sent a quick message to my friends.
I’ll meet you back at the hotel. I’m going home with the hottie from the tattoo parlor.
Almost instantly, I got a reply.
What?! I want full details about this tomorrow. Let me know if things get weird and you need to be rescued. Be careful.
Nothing about this is careful, I replied, but i
t is fun. I promise I won’t get myself murdered or anything, I joked.
Once I told my friends my whereabouts, I walked hand in hand down the street with Apollo. I thought about asking him his last name, but I didn’t really care. I wanted him for one thing, and one thing only.
Down and Dirty
Apollo
I had my reservations about bringing this girl home, but I craved sex so badly that I could hardly think rationally. This was probably a fluke—if I didn’t bang her, then who knows how long it would take for another girl to show up. I had five years of sexual desire built up inside of me. If I couldn’t release it, I would drive myself insane.
I don’t know what came over me, but once we were outside the bar, I didn’t drop her hand. Something about it felt nice. I must have been completely starved for human contact.
While in prison, I learned that human contact is a basic human need. I had never been a touchy-feely sort of guy, but it made me think about all of the people I interact with in my daily life. During my time away, a night in bed with a woman, a hug from my mother, or even a handshake at work felt like a luxury. The closest I ever got to touching someone in prison was when I’d accidentally bump into someone. And then, there was always the risk of being punched out for brushing up against the wrong person.
Sierra’s warm hand in mine made me feel human again. Sierra, the woman, meant nothing to me. She was a complete stranger, so there’s no way she even could. But, what she represented meant everything. She humanized me and reminded me of all the simple pleasures in the free world.
“It’s not much,” I warned her before opening the door to my apartment. She seemed a little nervous, and for good reason, too. My apartment was pretty shady and probably a big departure from the homes where she spent her time. “I just moved in tonight. I literally don’t have more than a few belongings here.”
Deadly Ink: A Dark Mafia Romance (Omerta Series Book 3) Page 3