by Toler, B N
I nodded and squeezed his hand.
We spent a great deal of time with my parents and grandparents that weekend and they all loved Brandon. My mother would give me knowing looks, the fact I was head over heels in love with him obvious. Tia followed us around everywhere and time alone was impossible until after the fireworks on the fourth. We snuck away and walked along the shore of the river, holding hands.
“Thank you for coming, Brandon.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” He kissed my hand and I smiled.
He would be leaving the next day and my heart squeezed at the thought. The weekend had flown by so quickly and our time alone had been brief. I gazed up at him to see his eyes fixed on me with a hungry desperate look. Without a word, I took his hand and led him up the stairs from the beach to my grandparents’ boathouse. Just as we reached the door he spun me around and pressed me against it, his mouth meeting mine in a desperate kiss. My hand fumbled blindly for the door knob as Brandon’s hands assaulted my body, unbuttoning the front of the dress I was wearing. Once I found the knob, we fell inside, tumbling over each other, but Brandon caught us, lifting me and sitting me on the work bench.
Our chests heaved up and down as our breathing became heavier and we tore at each other’s clothing. “I need you inside of me now,” I pleaded and Brandon wrapped his fingers around the side of my panties and ripped them. He pushed my dress down so that it pooled around my stomach, before pushing the cups of my bra down exposing my breasts.
“Fuck, I love your tits,” he groaned before taking one peak in his mouth and sucking hard. My hands worked frantically undoing his belt buckle and pulling his erection out.
“Finger me,” I moaned and he immediately obeyed, sliding two of his fingers inside of me, the heel of his hand rubbing my clit. “You make me feel so good, Brandon.”
“Sophia, you drive me fucking crazy.” His voice was hoarse, the sexual tension making his body rigid, but he would please me the way I wanted him too because Brandon was an unselfish lover. He always put my wants above his own.
As the tension built and my climax lingered, I couldn’t wait any longer. “Now, Brandon. Fuck me,” I demanded and he pushed inside of me. “Please don’t stop. Please don’t stop loving me,” I begged as he thrust hard, moaning my name.
“Fuck, I love you, Soph,” he repeated over and over, his words building my climax again. “You’re mine. Tell me you’re mine. That you belong to me.”
“I’m yours. I’m only yours,” I moaned as my hand clawed at his shoulders, my body begging for his thrusts. Sweat blanketed his skin as his thrusts became harder and shorter and we exploded in orgasm together, moaning as he filled me. He stayed inside of me, my legs wrapped around his waist and his head pressed to my chest long after we finished.
When he looked back up at me, his gaze was heavy. “Come back with me, Soph.” My breath hitched with his words. “Be my wife. I’ll spend my life making you happy, just please say yes.”
I waited for the little voice inside us all that argues reason to speak up and tell me why it was a horrible idea. To tell me it was way too soon and we needed more time, but that voice never came so when I said, “yes” there was no apprehension.
“Yes?” Brandon questioned as an unsure grin began to spread across his face.
“Yes.” I nodded, and his expression conformed to a mixture of happiness and relief.
“Thank you, Sophia. For finding me. For loving me.” He kissed me again. “I guess I need to ask your father, huh?” His tone sounding nervous.
“Think you might need to pull out first,” I joked, hoping to make him laugh and ease his worries.
His smile faded and he stared at me. “I mean it, Soph. I’ll make your life happy.”
“I know,” I whispered. “I know.”
I roll on my side and hug my pillow, the memory of that night drifting through my mind like a lazy summer day, in no hurry to end. Tia was right when she said seeing Brandon and me together in that boathouse made her believe sex was the most amazing thing she’d ever seen. Brandon and I were amazing. Our relationship was intense, addictive, and when she saw us together, she saw that.
Even though my father strongly discouraged it, we became engaged, but I didn’t go back to Alabama with him right away. I had just signed on for a new job at a bank as a human resource administrator and I needed the experience. My uncle had pulled quite a few strings to get me the job so I couldn’t just bail and run away with Brandon no matter how badly I wanted to.
We visited once a month, taking turns traveling back and forth. Our visits flew by, even though we spent most of the time in bed together. Every time I had to leave him I cried. The distance was so hard. I wasn’t sure how much longer either of us could take it.
But that all came to a head not long after we were engaged. Being apart from Brandon was taking its toll on me. I wanted to be one of those women that was strong and confident and didn’t need a man, but that wasn’t me. I loved him and needed him so badly it was painful. These feelings finally took their toll and, added with a few other stressors in my life, led to the inevitable.
It was January and I had a shitty day. My boss had been riding my ass all morning, bitching non-stop, and I really wanted to tell him to pull the stick out of his ass.
“Miss Campbell, did they teach you any form of management skills at Alabama?” my boss, Mr. Dickwad asked me as he peered at me over the rim of his glasses. “Perhaps a young lady such as your self isn’t suited for the business world.”
What a condescending dick.
I put on my most saccharine smile when I said, “Only certain businesses sir. You know the ones that are run by men with their heads so far up their asses they can’t see the light of day.” With that I quickly collected my purse and personal belongings and left.
As I strolled out to my car, my shoulders squared off, my strong posture didn’t match the freak out going on in my head that went something like this, “What did I just do? I just told my boss he had his head up his ass and then I walked out. Oh my God! I’m unemployed. My uncle is going to kill me. My parents are going to kill me. I’m dead. Dead! I’m a fucking corpse! Shit! I need a drink. Shit! I’m unemployed!”
It just happened to be right around the time I would normally take my lunch break, if I hadn’t just walked out on my job, so it was no surprise when my cell phone rang. I knew it was Brandon and I debated not answering, too embarrassed and ashamed to tell him what I had just done. I knew better than anyone, especially for a woman, dealing with asshole bosses and condescending men was almost a guarantee. I lost my cool and now I was unemployed because of it.
“Hello,” I answered meekly.
“Hey, gorgeous.” Brandon’s deep voice made my stomach flip. God I miss him. “How’s your day going?”
I decided to wait on telling him what happened afraid, I might start crying over the phone. “Eh, I’ve had better.”
“What’s wrong, babe?”
“Oh, my boss is being a dick. That’s all.” I started my car and let it idle while we spoke. “How’s your day?”
“Soph, what is it? I can tell something’s wrong.”
Damn him. He knew me too well. “Nothing babe. I just miss you so much.” My voice cracked against my will and I choked back the sob I wanted to let out. All I wanted in that moment was to be in his arms.
“Oh, baby. I miss you, too. It makes me fucking crazy sometimes.” He sighed.
“I just wish we could be together right now,” I said softly.
“Me, too, babe.” There was a long pause before he said, “Hey, Soph. I’m really sorry, but I gotta run, baby. I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Okay. I love you.”
“Love you, too.”
When we hung up I immediately dialed Jill. She moved back to Georgia when I did and we still hung out frequently.
“Hey, Soph,” she answered chipper.
“Hey, Jill. Can you meet me for a drink tonigh
t?”
“Yeah, of course. Everything okay?”
“Yes, well, no. I’ve just had a shitty day.”
“Okay. Bennigan’s, six o’clock?”
“See you there.”
***
It was eight o’clock by the time I finished off my fifth beer and since my nerves had gotten the better of me I hadn’t eaten all day, so needless to say I was pretty buzzed.
“You could bartend for a while,” Jill offered before sipping her vodka cranberry.
“Ugh,” I half grunted half slurred, repulsed at the idea. I enjoyed bartending in college. I loved my job, but going back to that felt like failure. Like I couldn’t hack it in the real world. I was starting to wonder if maybe I couldn’t.
“Or not,” Jill added dryly after my not so polite response to her idea. “It’ll be fine, Soph. Don’t worry. You’ll find another job. What did Brandon say about it?”
I signaled the bartender for another beer before answering. “I haven’t told him yet,” I mumbled. “I just couldn’t. You’re the only person I’ve told.” I had no idea why telling Brandon seemed so hard. I guess I didn’t want him to feel sorry for me.
“Look at these two wild cats,” a deep voice called from behind us and I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. I knew the voice well.
“Liam,” Jill smiled up at my ex, who was staring at me. I had bumped into him a few times since I’d been home while Jill and I were out and we’d always had a few laughs. Liam was a good friend, one I could always count on and I loved there was never any awkwardness between us even though we had a past together.
“You okay, Soph?” he asked before I had a chance to greet him.
“Yeah, rough day,” I muttered before forcing a smile and giving him a brief hug.
“Well, how about a dance?” He took both Jill’s and my hands and led us to the floor. My day had been shit, but Jill and I started laughing as Liam shook his ass obnoxiously and with the help of all the alcohol I had drank, my bad day seemed to fade away.
When it was time to leave, Liam insisted on driving us both home as he had only one beer and we’d had a lot more than him. He dropped Jill first and then drove me to my parent’s house. When we pulled in the driveway, he put the car in park and smiled at me.
“It feels like yesterday I would bring you home after a date and we’d make out in my car until your Mom started flashing the porch lights warning you to come in.” He chuckled.
My mother would flick the porch light in Morse code, get your ass inside now. “Yeah, she was always worried Daddy would notice us out here and kick your ass.” I pulled my purse up from the floor board and sat it in my lap.
“You know you still look as beautiful as you were all those years ago.” Liam turns towards me and alarms start ringing in my head. Is he coming on to me?
“Well thanks for the ride, Liam.” I didn’t comment on his compliment. Instead I tried to say goodbye to avoid any possible chance he was hitting on me. I leaned in to give him a quick one armed hug, something I always did when we said goodbye, but Liam took that as an invitation for something else. When his lips caught the corner of my mouth I tried to rear back, but his arm quickly looped around my waist and pulled me to him.
“Don’t, Liam,” I warned as I pushed against him.
“Oh, God, Soph, do you know how long I’ve wanted to kiss you?” he mumbled as his mouth continued to kiss my neck.
“Get off,” I shouted and shoved him back as hard as I could. His eyes were wide with shock when he stared back at me. “What the hell, Liam?” He kissed me. My mind didn’t want to process this. Why would he kiss me?
Liam sat back against his door and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. I thought you wanted me to.”
“I’m engaged!” I roared. “You know that.”
“I’m sorry,” he offered again and I flung my car door open.
“Thanks for the ride,” I growled as I slammed it shut and stomped up the stairs of my front porch, only to trip and hit my right knee hard in the top step.
“Shit,” I groaned. This day just gets better and better.
“Sophia, can I help you,” Liam asked from behind me. I turned slightly towards him as I pushed up, pain shooting down my leg to my foot.
“No, you’ve done quite enough!” I hissed. At this point, he’s lucky I didn’t punch him in his face. It wasn’t his fault I fell and hurt myself, but it felt good to blame him for it.
“Jesus, Soph. I only kissed you. You don’t have to be such a bitch. I just wanted to help you.”
Code-red alarms sounded off in my head. He called me a bitch. A bitch! I grabbed onto the railing of our porch and prepared myself for showing him just how big of a bitch I could be, when I heard, “What the fuck did you just say?”
My jaw felt like it hit the floor when I spun around to see Brandon giving Liam a death glare, his hands fisted at his sides, every muscle in his body tensed. Oh my God. He’s here. Why is he here? He’s supposed to be in Alabama.
“Shiiiittttt….” The word seemed to drag on forever as it flowed like honey from my mouth. I’d never seen Brandon so pissed. My eyes were wide with anticipation. I had no idea what Brandon had heard or saw.
“Who the hell is this guy?” Liam asked quirking an eyebrow at me. I glared at him. Oh, he knew damn well who Brandon was. Last time I saw Liam out I showed him a photo of Brandon and me together.
“I’m her fucking fiancée, but the better question is, who the fuck are you?” Brandon bit out each word, clipping them short.
Liam nodded with a slight smirk. What in the hell is wrong with him? He was totally acting like a dick.
“I’m Liam. I gave Soph a ride home.” Liam smirked. “Sophia and I…we were kind of first loves, if you know what I mean. So you’re the fiancée? Brad is it?” Anger lashed like wild waves inside of me. Liam knew his name and mentioning we were each other’s first loves wasn’t necessary. He was mad because I rejected him and now he was trying to create problems between Brandon and me. Liam stepped on the bottom stair and extended a hand to Brandon to shake with an all too obvious twinkle in his eyes suggesting he wanted to piss Brandon off, and that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Brandon drew back and cold cocked him right in the eye. Liam fell off the bottom stair and hit our concrete sidewalk in one hard thud. In a flash, Brandon was down the steps standing over Liam, when he bent down and grabbed his shirt pulling him up slightly to meet his face. “My name is Brandon Dalton. Sophia is my fiancée. I’d make sure to remember that if I were you. You ever come near her again, I’ll break your fucking legs.” With that he let go of Liam’s shirt and stepped away, his chest rising and falling dramatically as he tried to calm down.
I was frozen. My hand didn’t just hold the railing to support me with a bum leg, it now gripped the hard wood like a life line keeping me from being dragged under in the massive undertow that was Brandon.
I watched Brandon as he watched Liam half crawl/half walk to his car and drive away. When his gaze met mine, I could see the doubt playing out in his eyes. He was wondering if I kissed Liam. “Brandon, I—”
“Shut the fuck up,” he bit out and I recoiled.
Okay.
He’s mad.
I get it, but no one tells me to ‘shut the fuck up.’
“Excuse me—”
“Sophia!” he yelled.
“Fuck you!” I yelled back and turned, attempting to quickly hobble to my front door so I could slam it in his face.
“Oh, don’t worry,” he growled. “You will.” And just as my hand reached the door knob, he hoisted me over his shoulder and carried me down the steps of our porch.
“Put me down!” I shouted as I kicked my feet and hit his back.
He carried me an entire block, screaming through my neighborhood like a mad woman before he set me down near his car on the passenger side. He opened the door and ordered, “Get in.”
I glared at him. My day had officially gone off the freaking trac
ks and here was my fiancée acting like a Neanderthal. “And if I don’t?” I gave him my fakest saccharine smile.
“Then I’ll be forced to fuck you right here on the hood of my car, in front of your entire neighborhood,” he warned. His brown eyes bore down on me, like tongues of fire licking my skin and even as pissed as I felt, I had to squeeze my legs together as the familiar ache that Brandon always caused pulsed. Something about him angry and demanding turned me on. His mouth curved slightly, daring me to argue. There was no doubt in my mind that he’d make good on his promise and take me on the hood of his shitty Ford Focus that was due to break down any day.
I swallowed the dry lump in my throat and tried to stop my body from trembling. If he knew I was turned on, he’d only torture me more. “Maybe if you ask nicely.”
“Sophia…” He said my name in a deep and gravelly voice. “Would you please get in my car, so I can take you to my hotel and fuck you?”
A little whimper escaped my mouth. Jesus, woman, don’t show him he’s got you. Fight, tell him to go to hell. But, I didn’t do either of those things. I slipped in to the seat and he closed the door. My day may have been awful, but maybe getting fucked senseless would right my world.
***
My parents always welcomed Brandon to stay at their house, but it was made very clear by my father that we would not share a room under his roof unless we were married, so Brandon always got a hotel room when he came into town. My parents weren’t idiots; they knew Brandon and I were intimate so they understood why he got a hotel room, even though they never mentioned it.
We didn’t speak all the way to the hotel. The longest ten minute drive of my life. My body was pent up with so much anxiety. What will he do to me? What will he say? When we finally entered his room, he shut the door and immediately walked into the bathroom leaving me alone. My knee still hurt, but I wasn’t limping anymore. I plopped down on the edge of the bed and waited.
When Brandon emerged, he stood in the doorway, staring at me. There was a long moment of silence and I couldn’t take it anymore. He had to know I didn’t kiss Liam. “Liam kissed me.”