by Faith Starr
“It’s as good a time as any. And neither of us has to wake up early for work in the morning.”
She pushed me flat on my back. Fuck, this dominant side of her was the ultimate turn-on.
She climbed on top of me and straddled me. My hands went to her breasts. How could they not? The two beauties were right in front of me.
I pulled her forward to kiss me. She rested her body weight on top of me. I explored the soft skin on her back, burying my fingers in the loose curls of her hair.
She circled her hips over mine. I stuck my hand between us to adjust myself. The angle chafed a bit.
Ah, much better.
She sat up partially, her hands resting against my chest, and kissed a snail-paced path downward. I grabbed a fistful of hair to stop her. She paused and looked up at me.
“Turn around,” I instructed.
Confusion overtook her.
“Turn your body around, babe. Bring that sweet ass of yours up here.”
From what I could see in the darkness of the room, her eyes opened wide. She understood my point loud and clear now.
Again, she did as asked.
Someone had apparently never done this before, her movements hesitant. Glad I’d be her first.
Needless to say, I took the lead. I brought her hips forward so they hovered above my face. I inched her down to my mouth once I had her in the right position. She responded by taking my cock inside her mouth.
Holding her hips steady over me, I fucked her with my tongue. She arched her back, moaning, but continuing to suck me off.
It was sensation overload. She had flawless technique in molding her succulent lips over me. My tongue devouring her only amped up my energy level, no longer tired and well into my second wind. The dual action going had me almost reaching my boiling point.
She got her hand involved—fucking nirvana—then sucked my balls, which upped the ante to wonderland status.
I removed my mouth from her for just long enough to provide praise for a job done to fucking perfection. “Shit, Teva.”
She paused, lifting her head slightly. “Do you want me to stop?”
“Hell no. It feels great.”
She resumed her activities. I had a difficult time with mine because the things she did to my cock left me numb with no sense of thought.
With little forethought, I walked my fingers to her ass where I probed the small opening. She clenched her muscles. “Relax. Trust I won’t hurt you.”
I sucked on her clit to distract her. It worked. When she gave way and lost herself, I slowly inserted my pinky into the tiny hole in back, being mindful to take it easy, the puckered flesh gloriously tight.
“Ah!” she cried out.
Not letting up, I continued to feast on her, easing my finger in and out of her ass until she fell apart at the seams, screaming my name as she did so, her body trembling and shaking like a ten-point earthquake on the Richter scale.
She brought her head down and took me in my entirety. I released my grip on her hips, and she fell on top of me, a pile of mush with her sweetness resting slightly below my chin. Her scent still intoxicated me.
She cupped my balls and sucked me hard. I was a goner. I moved her head back, not knowing whether she wanted to suck or swallow. She gave me a prompt answer, placing her mouth over me again, making her preference clear that she wanted to swallow. See, I knew this girl was special.
She rolled off me, the two of us lying in opposite directions but our hands clasped.
“That was fantastic.” She spoke in a whispered tone.
“I agree wholeheartedly.” I brushed my thumb over her knuckles.
“Is that what you meant by experimenting?” She sounded bashful all of a sudden.
“All experimenting means is trying new and different things together.”
“Then I want to experiment with you.”
I sat up and enveloped her weak body in mine for a hug.
“I’ll be right back. I want to rinse my mouth and wash my hand.” I released her and climbed off the bed.
She followed me into the bathroom. “I want to clean up as well.”
We washed up, then crawled back into bed. We got comfortable in each other’s arms, falling asleep in no time with me holding on to her.
The sound of my phone ringing woke me. I opened my eyes, having a difficult time remembering where I’d left the damn thing. I slipped out of bed, leaving Teva sleeping soundly. The annoying ringing got louder the closer I got to the living room. By the time I located my phone, the call had gone to voice mail. Dani had sent multiple texts and called several times.
“What’s wrong?” I didn’t bother to read her texts or listen to the voice mails. Something was up if she’d tried to reach out so many times. She sniffled, which made my heart beat faster. “Dani, what’s wrong?” I started to panic. For everything my sister had endured, she was a rock. For her to be crying so hysterically, the shit must have hit the fan.
“Mom called last night.”
Two words I’d never wanted to hear from her lips.
“Joey?”
“Yeah…yeah, I’m here.”
Pacing back and forth, I took a deep breath, swiping my hand through my hair. My legs suddenly felt weak. I dropped down onto the sofa.
“What did she say?” I said as little as possible with even less emotion. One of us had to keep our wits about us, and Dani wasn’t doing so at the moment.
Her crying got louder over the line. I started bouncing my knees. “Dani, what did she say?”
She whimpered. “Dad died.”
Time froze.
My heart skipped a beat.
“What did you say?”
“Please don’t make me say it again.” She heavily sobbed.
Christ! I buried my face in my hands, closed my eyes, and prayed for some kind of guidance.
“Why didn’t you call me last night?”
“Because she left a message during the charity event. You disappeared with Teva right after. I figured you went to her place or something. I didn’t want to disturb you after I spoke with her but I’ve been up all night. I waited as long as I could to call you. Will you please come home? I need you here with me right now.”
“I’m on my way.”
My hands shook. I dashed into the bedroom. I didn’t know how to feel about what Dani had told me. All I knew was I had to get home ASAP because she needed me. She wasn’t handling the news well, and truth be told, neither was I.
Teva still slept peacefully. I sat on the edge of the bed next to her and gently rubbed her arm. I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye. I had done that to her once and had dealt with the repercussions. I wouldn’t let it happen again.
She blinked a few times. The soft light shining through the blinds made her squint, her open eyes mere slits.
“Good morning.” She reached up and caressed my cheek with the back of her hand before rolling onto her back.
“Good morning to you. I’m sorry I had to wake you, but there’s been a family emergency. I have to go home.”
Her eyes opened wider. She sat up, worry consuming her beautiful face. Even with morning breath and messy hair, she looked gorgeous to me.
“Oh my gosh, is everything okay?”
“Yeah, but I have to get going. You’re more than welcome to hang out and sleep some more. I’ll arrange for a car to bring you home, or I can drive you now, but I have to leave like five minutes ago.”
She climbed out of bed and sprang into action. I went back into the living room to retrieve my jeans from the chair I’d draped them over last night.
She zoomed out of the bedroom. “Whatever’s easier for you? I don’t want to waste extra time if you have to get home.”
“No, it’s all good. I’ll drive you home first. Can you be ready in five?”
“I can be ready in three. Give me a second to use the restroom and wash up. I’ll be superfast.”
She hustled to the bathroom.
&nbs
p; I buttoned my shirt and joined her. I brushed my teeth and washed my face. The hotel supplied toiletries, otherwise I would’ve packed my own for the two of us.
She got busy doing the same in the sink next to mine, watching me while brushing her pearly whites, worry lines setting in between her eyes. She rinsed her mouth.
“I don’t want to pry, Joey, but are you okay?”
Fuck, no, I wasn’t okay. This was only the beginning of the shitstorm about to take place at home.
“I don’t think I can answer that question right now. I’ll have to get back to you with an answer.”
She sucked in her bottom lip, almost hesitant to approach me. She did anyway, placing her hand on my forearm. “I want you to know I’m here for you. All you have to do is ask, even if it’s just an ear.”
I pulled her into my arms and gave her a hug, resting my head on top of hers. I took a deep breath, trying to suck in all I could from her. I needed all the strength I could to carry me through the hell I would soon face.
The car ride to Teva’s apartment was quiet, my thoughts racing the entire time. She didn’t press me for information. Rather, she listened to the music playing on the radio. When we got to her place, I walked her to the entrance.
“I’ll be in touch. I’m sorry again that I have to rush off.” My hands trembled, my body felt wired, as if I’d consumed an entire case of Red Bull.
“I understand completely. I wish there was something I could do to help.”
Her expression spoke more sincerity than her words. Unfortunately, this wasn’t something I could discuss with her yet.
A peck on the lips.
A quick hug goodbye.
I bolted to my car, making it home in record time.
Dani sat on the couch, tissues scattered around her. She had her knees hugged in tight and rocked back and forth. Hmm, maybe I should’ve brought Teva along after all. She had a shitload of experience in dealing with this type of stuff, it being her job and all.
She broke down and cried even harder, me now sitting next to her, holding her in my arms. I waited until she calmed before talking. I still had no clue what had happened to our father.
She released herself from me, her breaths ragged from crying so much. Her eyes were almost swollen shut. It killed me. I wanted to punch a hole in the fucking wall. I knew she wasn’t mourning his death but rather reliving what we’d endured while under his roof.
I handed her another tissue. I’d have to get another box soon. She’d almost emptied the first one. Good thing she hoarded shit, shopping at Costco and all, packing the closets with enough crap to survive the impending apocalypse.
“I’m dying to know what happened, but first I have to make sure you’re in the right frame of mind to tell me.”
She stood and began pacing back and forth in front of the coffee table. “I’m not in the right frame of mind. I don’t think I’ll ever be.”
“Maybe this is the closure we need to finally move forward, Dani. Karma has done its thing and done me proud.”
She stopped and faced me. “That’s why I want to go to the funeral. And I want you to come with me.”
I gasped and flew off the couch. I stood in front of her. “Are you fucking kidding me? I don’t care if the guy is cut up into a million pieces. If I see him, I’ll still want to rip him to shreds.”
My nerves jump-started my heart. I paced back and forth myself, thoughts of the man I once called father filling me with rage.
“Joey, you just said maybe this is the closure we both need.”
She kept repositioning herself to face whatever direction I walked in.
I paused, giving her full eye contact. “The fact he’s dead is closure enough for me.”
She pressed her lips together. Sorry, she wouldn’t win this particular battle. I refused to go to that motherfucker’s funeral.
“I think we should go. I think it will be good for us.”
No fucking way! I couldn’t believe she even considered paying that son of a bitch respects after how he’d treated us, especially her. He was a spawn of the devil, going straight to hell, right where he belonged.
“It’s going to be a small service. Mom will be there, along with some of her friends.”
My lungs couldn’t take in enough oxygen fast enough to satisfy them.
“How can you even think about going? Are you honestly telling me you’re ready to face Mom after how poorly she treated us?” I didn’t understand my sister’s logic.
“I think it’ll be a healing experience for both of us. To lay those demons to rest, so we can finally move on with our lives.”
So not happening.
I stood firm on my beliefs about this. It baffled me that my sister actually considered going. I had always sworn to myself I’d never be in the same room with that man again, dead or alive. I didn’t intend to break that promise now.
“When’s the service?” It didn’t hurt to ask.
“Tomorrow morning at ten.”
“Did you tell Mom you were going?”
“No. I told her I wanted to speak with you first. I told her not to expect us, but if we did show up, not to make a scene. That the two of us being there would never change how we feel about either one of them or our relationship with her.”
I let out a deep breath and went to the kitchen to get myself a cold glass of water. This news had come too suddenly for my liking, unexpected and out of nowhere.
Fury possessed me. I had to release some of it. I couldn’t think straight. I knew of a few healthy techniques to get rid of it—exercise and playing music. I couldn’t go to the club. Uh-uh, that option out of the question. And playing my keyboard wouldn’t cut it this time either, the situation too colossal to find some relief from it.
“I’m going to change and go downstairs to the gym for a workout.”
I couldn’t discuss this anymore. She hadn’t even told how the old man dropped. Not that I gave a shit. Paybacks were a bitch. Hopefully Karma had taken good care of the sick bastard.
Her forehead puckered. “Joey, you can’t ignore this and pretend it isn’t happening.”
“I fucking know what’s happening, Dani! I also know my body’s full of fucking tension, and I don’t want to break something! Okay?” I hated to raise my voice at her, but she and I had different methods of dealing with shit.
She slouched, went back to the sofa, and plopped down on it. “Fine. Do what you need to do. Please think about coming with me. As difficult as it will be, I want to see him get what he deserves.”
“Your message has been acknowledged.”
I stormed into my room and changed, my blood pressure probably soaring through the roof.
Dani busied herself in the kitchen when I left the apartment. I didn’t say anything before closing the door behind me. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to speak with anyone, longing for some time to myself to sort shit out in my head.
What a blessing to find the gym empty. I had the entire place to myself. I stuck my earbuds in, hoping the blaring music would quiet my thoughts.
Unfortunately, it didn’t.
I ran and ran on the treadmill until my legs ached. I stepped off the machine and sat on a weight bench. That was when my tears started to fall.
25
Teva
My mind went berserk, wondering about Joey’s emergency situation. He’d honestly looked like shit when he’d dropped me off at my apartment. Oh, don’t get me wrong. He was still his gorgeous self, but his emotions were on his sleeve, exceptionally antsy and jittery.
Something horrible must have happened. A part of me felt disappointed he didn’t feel close enough to me that he could share at least some of the details, but could I blame him? I had my own secrets, secrets I’d never shared with anyone. Not even my therapist. Some secrets were better off protected with a padlock and slide bolt latch, for good. Shit, why not add a dead bolt to the mix as well?
Being I had the day off, I attended to my mountain o
f homework plus reviewed for my upcoming exam. I spent hours in front of my computer, managing to get ahead of schedule. What a great feeling.
I went for a run in the early afternoon to clear my thoughts. It didn’t help. I couldn’t stop thinking about Joey. He had acted so sweet and attentive toward me at the show and in the suite. I felt confident about where I stood with him, even though he didn’t want to give what we were engaged in a name. The fact he didn’t want to see anyone else helped reassure my doubts and put my mind and insecurities at ease. I didn’t know why, but for some reason, I trusted him. At least with my body I did. I hoped one day my heart would follow suit as well.
Back home after my outdoor sweat fest, I went straight to the bathroom to shower. I turned the water on and began to undress. My phone rang in my bedroom. I had left the door open, knowing Lily wasn’t around. Naked, I dashed through the hallway and into my room to retrieve it. My mother’s name appeared on the Caller ID. Crap! I should have closed the bathroom door so I wouldn’t have heard the darn phone ring. I answered out of guilt because we hadn’t spoken in a while. I couldn’t very well let the call go to voice mail. At least I knew I had an out, the shower.
“Hi, Mom. What’s up?” I slowed my breathing from my mad rush to my room and carried the phone with me to the bathroom.
“It’s been a while. I wanted to check in.”
She sounded uptight and stressed, more than usual.
I had no intention of filling her in about Joey or pretty much anything else, for that matter. My mind remained fixed on Joey’s mystery situation and I wasn’t in the mood for a lengthy conversation.
“Things are fine. I have the shower running.” I made sure she could hear it in the background. “Can I give you a call later or tomorrow?”
“I wanted to see if you could come by for dinner. I know it’s short notice but thought I’d ask anyway.”
I paused. She knew how much I hated to go home.
“Please, Teva. We need to talk.”
About what?
I clenched my jaw in frustration.
“Fine. After my shower, I’ll get dressed and come by.”
I disconnected the call, my thoughts now preoccupied with what my mother wanted to discuss with me. I prayed she wasn’t ill or anything like that.