Stuck in Between (Bound by Your Love)

by Bennett, Blakely

  “Get one with a top like this,” he said, tickling down my cleavage.

  “You like this suit?”

  “Very much, but I liked you better without it.”

  I laughed. “I feel the same way,” I said, tugging on the elastic waist of his shorts.

  “Off with you,” he said, lightly shoving me on my way. “I barely have time for a shower. I’ll call you later.”

  A bright smile overtook me. “Good,” I said.

  *****

  As soon as I arrived home, I shot a quick email to Ted to let him know I planned to start in two weeks.

  Needing to rinse off the salt water from my skin, I ran a bath, hoping it would relax my amped up libido from spending time with Red. I felt on edge and raw, as if my nerve endings had been awakened in a new, more intense way. Tapping my foot, impatient to feel the warm water soothing my skin, I absentmindedly caressed my breast, tugging on my nipple. My mind wandered back to Red and me floating in the water as he caressed my smooth pussy lips. Traveling farther back, I thought of the explosive orgasm he gave me as I sat on my kitchen counter.

  “Jesus,” I said to myself. I really needed some relief.

  Stepping into the tub and immersing myself in the warm water didn’t lessen the need. I imagined all the sexy activities we could have done on the boat. Would he want to tie me up there or just in his bedroom? Never having given in to Bond’s proclivities, would I, could I submit to Red?

  My hands roamed over my body as if they were Red’s hands, sculpting, kneading, and pulling on my flesh. Not being able to stand the heat of my desire another second, I slowly let the water drain out of the tub and restarted the flow at the perfect temperature and speed for what I had in mind.

  I scooted my butt to the edge of the tub and lined up my pussy under the flow of water so it hit right against my clit, my legs held up straight against the tile wall. “Ohhh,” I groaned. Reaching down with both hands, I spread my lips to the sides, unsheathing my swollen clit.

  As the water tapped against my bud, and I pulled on my nipple, my imagination ran wild:

  “I can’t wait another second to take you,” Red exclaimed, bending me over the living room couch.

  “What if someone stops by and comes in,” I said, struggling against the hand that held my neck firmly in place.

  With his other hand he lifted my skirt, pulling my panties to the side. “You’re so wet for me already, I know you want this and you’re going to take it for me.”

  “Yesss,” I moaned.

  “Good girl. Next time, I will tie you down and have my way with you, but right now, I have to sink my fat cock deep inside you.”

  I felt his thick head pushing against my distended lips, and I struggled to relax against the intrusion. “You’re so big,” I uttered.

  “Shh, you can take it … you will, for me.” He reached around us, capturing some of my wetness, coating the length of his shaft. I felt him pull out slightly before thrusting more of his girth within my tight pussy.

  “Oh lord … oh please … I don’t know if I can stand it,” I mumbled.

  “Relax Little One, I’m barely in.” Circling my clit with his large fingers, he forced more of his length inside me.

  The water level had risen too high; I no longer felt the flow on my clit. I slid down the tub, moving off the drain, letting some of the water escape. My hands continued to massage my breasts and tug on my nipples, not wanting to lose the momentum. As soon as the water level lowered enough, I scooted back in place and continue to allow the stream and my imagination to work their magic.

  “There you go,” he cooed. “See, you can take it. Let me all the way in.”

  His breath against my neck gave me goose bumps all the way down my spine as he increased the pressure on my clit and the force of his penetration. I felt his balls swing close, and I knew he had fully seated himself within me.

  “Jesus you’re tight,” he grunted, grabbing my shoulder with his free hand and using it as leverage. He yanked me against him for each stroke.

  “I’m so close,” I yelled.

  “Come with me,” he bellowed.

  I lifted my hips above the waterline and screamed my release as the flow jettisoned me out of my body as I convulsed. After the waves of my orgasm ceased, I collapsed into the tub. “Holy hell,” I mumbled. I sat up, trying to collect my bearings. As soon as I could stand, I switched the water spray to shower mode and washed myself.

  While drying off with one of my clean towels, my mind tried to chastise me for my behavior. “Oh, shut up,” I said to myself in the mirror.

  Finally relaxed, I threw on my PJs, grabbed my phone out of my bag, some chocolate from the kitchen cabinet and plopped down on the couch. I had a backlog of cooking shows to watch and would take advantage of the extra time I had. I decided to swing by Lainie’s boutique the next day.

  Before flipping on the tube, I noticed a voicemail from my sister. Not wanting to deal with her, I placed the phone on the coffee table and snuggled into the couch. I must have dozed off during the episode on making bread from scratch, because the phone startled me awake.

  Without thinking, I answered it.

  “Hello,” Samantha said. “I’ve been trying to reach you.”

  “Hi Sam. Please don’t tell me I need to come rescue you from somewhere.”

  “No. I just called to say I’m sorry about Saturday night and I haven’t had a drink since.”

  “What is that? All of five days?”

  “I have to start somewhere.”

  “That’s true,” I said, getting up and shuffling into the kitchen for some water.

  “Don’t be mad at Darren. He took my car away because he knew I was in a mood and didn’t want me drinking.”

  “Why do you keep choosing controlling men that you need to rebel against? And trust me, his violent and aggressive display didn’t earn him any points with me.” I drank a couple of swallows and sat on one of the stools next to the kitchen island.

  “He was just worried about me.”

  “Worried or not, his manhandling of me was completely out of line. Let’s not fail to mention that you stole my keys and my car.”

  “I borrowed your car—”

  “What do you want?” I said, anger seeping into my words.

  “I want to tag along to Red’s this Saturday.”

  “I think that’s a really bad idea. Everyone there drinks and you’re just barely sober. Give it few months and several meetings. Are you going to AA?”

  “No, those meetings just depress me.”

  “Samantha, you know I love you, but you need help. I think your last therapist was right. You need to grieve for Dad. He was your best friend when he died, and you haven’t recovered from his death. I think you continue to choose older men because you still want to feel like that little kid. Help yourself, please. I can’t do anything else to help you.”

  “Well, I guess I’ll hang up now.”

  “Please take care of yourself and really think about what I said.”

  “I love you,” she whispered before hanging up.

  The call left me feeling like crap. It’s hard when you can’t really help the ones you love. I scrolled through my contacts and dialed Lainie.

  “Hi girl,” she said when she answered her phone.

  “Hi Lainie. Will you be in the shop tomorrow?”

  “Sure, all day. What’s up?”

  “I need a black dress—”

  “For who?”

  “Me,” I said with a slight chuckle.

  “You in black? What gives?”

  “For the party I’m going to with Bond. It’s kind of odd because in the past he wanted me to wear the most outrageous of my colorful outfits just to piss off his people. As a favor to him, I told him I’d wear black, but you know how I’ve shunned the color since my father’s funeral.”

  “Of course, I remember.”

  “So do you have any little black dresses? Maybe something strapless?”
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  “I have a few options in your size. I still think it’s a bad idea that you go with him but please, keep your dress on.”

  “That’s the plan.”

  “Uh huh.”

  “I love you, Lainie and I’ll see you tomorrow after work. Speaking of work, I have some news on that front and will tell you tomorrow.”

  “You know I hate when you do that!”

  Another call chimed through, and I said, “I have another call and have to go.”

  “Who is it?”

  “You don’t want to know,” I said, shifting over.

  “Hey you,” Red said.

  “Hey yourself,” I said, moving back to the couch and lying down.

  “I miss you already.”

  “You do not!” shot out of my mouth before I could sensor myself.

  “Oh, but I do, Jacqs. I wish we had more time today.”

  “Well, I’ve thought about you since I’ve been home. You left me keyed up.” I adjusted the pillow behind my head and sighed.

  “What kind of thoughts?”

  “Let’s just say, I took care of things.”

  “So did I. Otherwise I never would’ve been able to concentrate in my meeting.”

  “In the shower?”

  “How did you know?”

  “Let’s just call it a calculated guess.” I laughed, trying to keep the sound under my breath. “How did your meeting go?”

  “As well as I expected. I was hoping to take you to dinner tonight, but we have a follow up meeting tomorrow morning, and I plan to stay in the office late.”

  “I understand. What time is it anyway?”

  “After six.”

  “I guess that’s why my stomach’s growling.”

  “You do have a noisy stomach when you’re hungry.”

  “Thanks,” I said, laughing.

  “Have I mentioned that I love your laugh?”

  “No.” My cheeks warmed. “Thank you.”

  “Are you ready for tomorrow?”

  “Ready? Yeah. Looking forward to it? Not in the least. However, I do have a plan of action.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “Tell Henry last. I want to have a chance to say goodbye to everyone I’ve worked with for the past six years, and I could see it going badly with Henry and him throwing me out of the building. I plan to take all of my personal belongings to the car at lunch time.”

  “Don’t let him give you any shit—”

  “I thought you hated cursing!”

  He laughed and said, “It was an easy thing to give you a hard time about.”

  “You are too much!”

  “I’d like to give you a different kind of hard time.”

  “I’d like that too. A lot I think.”

  “No doubt we’ll be great together. We already are.”

  “Aren’t you worried about how our friends are going to take it?”

  “Sure, but like I said before, we have to live for us. We aren’t doing it out of spite, at least I’m not.”

  “I’m not either.” I sighed and said, “So what’s your favorite curse word?”

  “Fuck is pretty good. The word can be used in so many different ways. Like: oh fuck man, that sucks. Or fuck yeah, that’s great. Or holy fuck I can’t believe it, or one of my favorites, shut the fuck up.”

  “That’s definitely a good one. Motherfucker is good too, especially if you slam your toe, but shit works fine for that as well. I also like oh hell and damn.” A huge grin spread across my face. Just talking to Red filled me with happiness. It was a first for me. “I don’t recall ever feeling like this before.”

  “Like what?”

  “Happy and not twisted up in knots.”

  “I’d like to twist you up in knots.” His voice sounded husky.

  “As you’ve mentioned. I’m not sure how I feel about that.”

  “Trust me, I’ll change your mind. I’m happy as well, Jacqs. Were you never happy with Bond?”

  “I met Bond when I was twenty. He certainly captivated me and at times I felt euphoric, but it has always been this crazy rollercoaster of emotions—extreme highs and lows. Until recently I always felt insecure with him. Never being enough for someone can really tear at your self-worth.”

  “I’ve seen it myself. I love the man like a brother and hope someday he can let go of the past and really love.”

  “I hope that for him too.” My stomach grumbled and I said, “I need to get something to eat—”

  “Yeah, I need to get going myself. I can’t wait to see you on Saturday. Can I text you tomorrow?”

  “Sure, I’d like that.”

  “Okay. Have a wonderful evening.”

  “You too.”

  *****

  I climbed into bed and tossed and turned for a while, mulling over my feelings for two men. Just before falling asleep, I fixated on Bond’s family party and telling him about Red on Sunday. Those thoughts made giving notice at work seem easy. Having another job lined up and walking away from my boss was simple in comparison.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Skinny Love

  by Birdy

  For casual Friday, I threw on a pair of blue jeans and a bright-pink, three-quarter sleeve V-neck. Although I usually wore a bit of makeup to work, I didn’t on that day. I packed my lunch as always, finished my coffee, and headed into the office.

  Clandestinely I met with my three favorite managers and each tried to talk me into staying. They said they were willing to talk to Henry on my behalf. Where were they this past year, when Henry was being unbearable? I thought. They knew what he was like and could have intervened at any time. As far as I was concerned, their time had run out.

  I spent the morning finishing the marketing package I had been working on for Tom. I took down all the pictures I had hanging on the backdrop of my bulletin board, gathered the one plant that I brought in from home and searched through my drawers for any personal belongings. My phone chimed, so I sat in my chair and looked to see who had texted me.

  Red: How did it go?

  Me: I don’t know yet. I’m just about to find out.

  Red: Text me after if you can.

  Me: 

  After depositing the stuff in my car, I steeled myself for the inevitable confrontation.

  “I already know,” he said once I knocked on the door and entered his office. “Steven, Mark, and Tom have all been in to see me.”

  “Great, then that makes it easy enough. I can give you two weeks but then my new job starts.”

  “You already have another job?”

  I smiled with pride, “A far more lucrative one.”

  “I’m supposed to offer you a raise for you to stay.”

  “Don’t bother.”

  “I wasn’t planning on it. Where’s my spreadsheet?”

  “I’m available to train someone, maybe Star or Cara would like to work full-time? I will spend the rest of my time wrapping up my current projects.” I turned on my heel to leave and said, “I’m taking the rest of the day off, and I expect to get my outstanding vacation pay in my last check.”

  I shut his door and heard him yell, “Don’t count on it.” However, I knew I would get it because Steven managed the money.

  Once in my car, I sent a text to Red.

  Me: Given how it might have gone, it was short, if not sweet.

  Red: That’s good. How do you feel?

  Me: Hmm, let’s see. Powerful, vindicated, and relieved.

  Red: All good things.

  Me: Thanks for checking in on me.

  Red: My pleasure.

  I drove straight over to Lainie’s Bella Boutique and found her in the backroom with the recently delivered clothing.

  “I’m never using this wholesaler again. Feel this,” she said, holding out a shirt for me to touch. “Cheap shit that I plan to send back.”

  “Sorry girl.”

  “Yeah, so how are you here so early?”

  “I’ve quit my job.” I clapped my
hands, bursting with excitement as the words settled in.

  “You what?” Her jaw fell open.

  “Love that expression, Lane. Priceless!”

  “What are you going to do for work?” she said, shaking her head.

  “I already have another job. More money, more time off.”

  “When did you have time to do that? I just saw you on Sunday when you rudely interrupted my sleep.”

  “It happened suddenly. Red—”

  “Oh god, please don’t tell me you’re working for Red!”

  I stepped closer and touched Lainie’s shoulder. “I won’t be working for Red, but I will be working for Ted, a financial partner in his company.”

  “Why must you make your life so complicated?”

  Another text came in and I glanced at my phone. “One sec,” I said to Lainie.

  Red: I thought you might like to know, I thought about you in the shower again today.

  Heat infused my body and I could feel Lainie watching me.

  Me: I’m looking forward to you thinking about me in person.

  Red: Oh, Little One, me too. Soon.

  Me: I have to run. I’m at Lainie’s shop and she is staring me down.

  Red: K. Talk to you soon.

  I turned my attention back to Lainie and said, “Me, making my life complicated? I don’t mean to. Really I don’t, but it’s looking that way at the moment.”

  “Who was that?” she said, placing her hands on her hips.

  “Red.” I put my shoulders back, preparing for the onslaught.

  “Have you told Bond about Red?”

  “We’re telling him on Sunday, after you and I have brunch.”

  “I hope you’re prepared for the fallout.”

  I wasn’t, but I didn’t care to focus on it. I would have to deal with the consequences soon enough. “So black dresses?”

  “Sure, follow me.”

  *****

  Saturday evening came upon me all too soon. I dreaded Bond’s family party and just being around Bond could turn problematic. Anger and guilt brewed an unpleasant concoction in my belly.

  After slipping on the black dress I bought from Lainie’s boutique, I pulled a shoebox from the back of my closet. Opening it, I discovered my black pumps. I remembered the last time I wore them. It was the night of our most recent breakup.