by Sienna Evans
Yet, he didn’t wait for a reply. He walked up closer on me and cupped my face. I struggled to breathe, to get a single breath out and appear normal all at once. I was cornered, gladly, though nervous as hell.
“Don’t get quiet now. You had that attitude a second ago.” He fed me the words. They vibrated against my lips, traveling over every inch of my body. I wanted it; God knows I wanted this!
“This is crazy, Greyson,” I threw from under my breath, though still weak and under his spell. My words were breathy. Didn’t know if I was coming or going. Didn’t have or want to understand any of this either. “I’m... Forget―”
His tongue darted into my mouth. What could I do? I didn’t fight or push him away. This was everything I’ve ever wanted. So, I reached up and tugged his hair, yanking him closer into the kiss and into my body.
“You’re killing me,” he mumbled against my lips.
“Good,” I replied and nibbled on his lips. They tasted like nectar, and I nearly lost my mind.
He picked me up from the ground, to his waist, as we drifted further into the darkness of the alley. His fingers reached underneath my dress, beyond sheer yellow panties. I wanted to fight him off because I was so wet that I’d already soaked my undies. I couldn’t find the strength to let him go though.
My muscles were pulsing and throbbing. I slipped deep into a vortex that was devoted to him. My mind flashed over every possible scenario, leading up to a single fact: I finally had my brother’s best friend, Greyson Michaels!
After years of waiting for something to happen between us, the opportunity has arrived. After messing up my brother’s best friend’s hair just about every time I’d see him, I now know it might’ve set something in motion. We wanted each other above some childish promise. We were here and there was no backing away.
Our emotions were like a freight train on the fritz, without an end in sight. And I couldn’t help but savor the hell out of this catastrophic train wreck. But I was there for it. All in for the man of my dreams, allowing our desires to burn like hell and consume us without end.
“Ahhh,” I breathed towards the dark sky. The night air gave me a sense of freedom. Being vulnerable out in the open had me feeling brave, maybe even cheap as hell, and I didn’t care.
“I’ve dreamt about your body so many times, Cee. About kissing you. Ripping your clothes off. Owning every inch of you.” He eased two fingers at my clit, and began massaging my juices. I matched the circular movement by grinding on him.
“Take me, Greyson. Now, right now!” I was bursting apart at the seams, losing any ounce of decency. Warmth sped up my legs, only to settle at my core. “Oh my god!” I threw back my head and moaned. So, when he fell to his knees and his tongue twirled around my clit, I screamed louder, in sync with my release.
But he didn’t pull back...
Greyson held tighter onto my hips. His breath tickled, sending chills throughout my limps. My head fell back to the wall. My fingers slowly shuffled through his hair, making sloppy circles over and over again. A teardrop trickled down the left side of my face. I didn’t want to cry—not now, not with him.
He had me caught up in the worst of ways. “Just get up, Greyson.” I suddenly felt scared, thinking about where this was leading and what our future held. We had to consider what this now meant. “Please, let’s talk.”
I could tell I’d caught him off guard, but he pulled back and moved to his feet, saying, “I’ve tried to ignore this what was clearly building, Cee.” He ran the back of his hand across his lips, but still remained close to me. “I don’t think I can anymore. I need you like the air we’re breathing. I’m lost whenever I have to walk away. I’m insane whenever I’m with you.” He reached up, gripping his hair and yanking forward.
“Where do we go from here?” I croaked. “We’re in an alley. I’m naked. I’m ready to give you all of me. Right. Now.” I blew out. “But I’m not this girl.”
Greyson moved on me again. I held on, not ever wanting to let him go.
Neither one of us pulled away. I should’ve but couldn’t force myself to let him go. And what kind of place to be stuck like statues.
What if...
Maybe...
But, just maybe if I moved, this dream would dissolve, and I’d have nothing more than my imagination to live off of. If we’d only met without our families being intertwined, then this all wouldn’t matter. That wasn’t the case. There was history.
“Grey...” Another teardrop escaped with the words. One drop after another trickled down my face to land on the back of my hands. “Greyson, talk to me...please?”
I know this whole mess with our backgrounds would only drag on our future together, though we’d already gone this far, but he held on in silence. When I tried to move away, he pulled me closer. He had to want this as much as I did.
“Say something or let me go,” I demanded. “Grey! Don’t do this to me.” I started crossing my arms, wrapping them snuggly around myself. I loved him, but he was tearing me apart. I parted my lips to inhale. I was ready to tell him to go to hell, but he grabbed my wrists, pulling them apart and forcing me to open up to him.
He pressed further into me as I was already against the wall. He hunched down and leaned forward, pressing his forehead to mine. Our lips touched lightly for about half a second before he began nibbling on my lips. His mouth traveled along my cheeks and chin before lunging for my neck. Within seconds, his fingers slipped inside of me. He got back down on his knees, and his tongue began twirling around my clit. This time, his actions seemed more intense, like he was trying to get me to understand him.
“No...” I knew better than to move around. But I did. Knew better than to try to fight him off. But I did. Yet, with each attempt, I grew weaker and weaker until the effort was no longer there.
He had me...
I let go and paid attention to nothing more than his words.
And once again, I became weak, completely sated and beyond giving a damn about time, place and circumstance.
Greyson
Celeste wasn’t some broad I’d thrown up against the wall to take advantage of. God knows, I’ve always wanted to possess her. But what we’d done... Specifically, what I’d just done had me on edge. I loved every minute, yet I felt a tug of guilt. I’ve always promised her brother to never lay a finger on his sister. And yes, that promise was now completely out of the door.
So, I admittedly felt bad for the obvious reasons. I licked my lips, tasting the sweet evidence of my power over her body. Can’t say I was weighed down by too much regret either. With both of us now leaning our backs to the concrete building and the sound of horns screaming out in the distance, I hoped she couldn’t hear my heart thumping.
I might’ve been adventurous in so many ways, but this was a first. Reaching over to check if she was okay, my fingers rubbed against the coarse brick building. Her arm was just there, dangling. As I ran my palm up and down her hand, eventually stopping at her wrist, I slid my thumb between the back of her hand and the wall. I dipped down, so that our faces were just inches apart. Her breath hit my face, but I tried to hold mine.
“Are you okay?” My voice was shaky. Waves of emotions rode up and down my spine. “I didn’t know what to expect.” It was dark enough out here in the alley that I couldn’t make out the full details of her face, but I’d already memorized her profile.
“Grey,” she whispered. Her fingers cupped the sides of my face. I shivered from her touch. This wasn’t a typical thing for me because I wasn’t one for just anyone putting their hands on my face. That was too intimate. And like now, the impact grazed my soul. My heart raced, quicker by the second.
“CeCe...”
She was in a dazed. Her eyelids fluttered down while she bit on her lower lip. She wanted to be lost, to forget that this should’ve never happened. I didn’t blame her, but it was a beautiful thing. I struggled with our entire lives. In a perfect world, this would be right. I wasn’t perfect though. Seeing
Brendan reminded me of that. But standing right next to Celeste, watching her get jealous over the waitress and the two of us pretending that our emotions weren’t real had finally gotten to me.
So, was it the right thing to do?
And if... if given the opportunity again, would I?
Two Weeks Later
Celeste
“Who keeps calling you?” my younger cousin Quinn asked on our way up a busy block, leading to flashing lights of a new club. I needed to get out of my place to keep from thinking about the past two weeks. I hadn’t seen or heard from Greyson since he’d dropped me off that night, after our time in the alley.
I was on edge. Was it too much for me to expect that things wouldn’t go back to normal? But after the first day without so much as a call, I’d chosen to go into protection mode. Now, after two weeks, he chose to call? When Grey’s name had flashed across the screen earlier as Quinn and I were getting ready, I’d only stared at it. Although my first instinct was to answer, my feelings were still hurt and I consequently ignored him.
He made me too eager, but I still needed to look at the screen and see the name of the man I craved more than food. Well, a slight exaggeration, but close enough. So, I slipped out my iPhone one last time to turn it off before the thing could vibrate again, and then shoved it back into my purse.
Screw him! I internalized. To hell with everything I love about him.
“Ugh!” slipped out. I tried to walk quicker, my heels clicking away on the sideway while I maneuvered through everyone else that appeared to be heading our way.
Though young, Quinn was no fool. She caught up with me, grabbing my elbow and slipping her fingers down to my wrist. “Celeste, who’s got you so worked up?”
“Huh?” I was literally in a daze. “What are you talking about?”
“The phone calls. You’re sneaking into your purse and turning off the phone. You’re spazzing out.” She purposely stepped in front of me. “Your bouts of Tourette’s.”
“I’m okay, Quinn.” I was the worst and couldn’t even maintain eye contact with that lie. God knows I really wasn’t okay. I’d finally made it past the friendship stage with Greyson, only to be shunned like I was the plague. “I’m okay,” I repeated, like my feelings would magically change with the words.
“Enough, Celeste. Who are you avoiding?” Her pupils sparkled, while a sly grin formed across her lips.
I was stuck in place. There was a slight breeze and the usual sounds from being out in Manhattan. Being outdoors should’ve helped to quell the anxiety I’ve felt since losing myself to him. But I had no intentions of admitting it to my little cousin. “Absolutely no one,” I whispered, leaning sideways to her ear.
“Well Celeste, I wish absolutely no one would keep calling me and get me caught up like you.”
“Forget about my phone, Quinn.” Redirecting her attention with a nod towards the entrance to the club ahead, I added, “Your father would kill me if he knew―”
“C’mon Celeste, my life has been a series of books, numbers, letters and all.” While she made these proclamations, I couldn’t help but notice how mature she looked. “We both deserve a night out.”
“Yeah, whatever.” I stopped moving to grabbed her by the arm. “You’re seventeen. You have so much time ahead of you.”
She blinked. I couldn’t believe how much older she looked, dressed in a bronze mini with matching accessories and natural makeup to compliment her honeycomb complexion. Quinn had the deepest, waviest, shiniest black hair.
“Okay cuzzo. But tell me, who are you trying to avoid?”
I exhaled. Never realized I was holding my breath until I blew out, as usual. “Do you remember Greyson―”
“Michaels?” She cut me off and wrapped her fingers around my wrists.
“Ugh!” I was trying to play it cool, but my heart pounded at my chest. “Yes. Him.”
“I swear, Celeste, I used to dream about the outline of his lips.” She got a distant, far off gaze. “And those eyes! The tat―”
“Quinn! Yeah, I know.” My cheeks grew warm, and I’m sure the color came out. My lips twitched. I bit down on them in an effort to mask the smile. Greyson’s touch was still fresh on my mind. Which brought back the thought that two weeks had passed, and now he wanted to call me.
Screw him!
“Wait, why is he calling you?” Suddenly, going out didn’t seem to matter to her, like my life represented a shiny, new toy.
Quinn could be such a pain in the butt. I shook my head left to right. “Umm, he comes to the city from time to time.” I tried to get us moving again. Loud flashes of lights now called out to us, close enough to give me hope for an end to this conversation yet far enough to see no end in sight.
“And you actually hang out with him, Celeste?”
“Yeah, so what?”
“So what?” She spun me around while sporting an odd, childish pout. “Arson. Theft. Assault. Take your pick. He’s done it all.”
“Hearsay. Besides, he’s a grown man now.” I heard all of that before. “Those were teenage accusations that he never got caught on.” I didn’t care either because I never saw him light any fires. Never saw him steal anything. And sure as hell never saw him beat up on anyone, unless I considered his assault in the alley a crime.
“Don’t let his sexy fool you. He’s no good!”
“Forget about Greyson.” I thought about the phone, but his disappearance stood out more than anything else. “C’mon Quinn, let’s see what Matryoshka is all about.”
“You’re kidding, right?” she blurted out.
“Look, I’m not doing this now. We’re out. Period. End. Of. Discussion.” I clapped my hands together like I’d seen her mom do countless times when she was over a topic. “You begged me to bring you out, and now you want to ask about a non-issue. Really Quinn?”
“But Celeste―”
I spun away from her in order to end the discussion. We were out for a little underage fun, on her part. She needed this to quell her curiosity. I needed this to get him out of my system. And so, I walked toward a club I’ve never visited, but was always curious about. Quinn took the hint and followed. She trotted alongside me. I would make this a night to remember for both of us.
Little did I know that these few steps were bigger than I could’ve ever imagined.
—
A group of people were at the entrance and on their way in, so we didn’t have to show ids. In fact, I really don’t think the bouncers cared. It was too easy to enter this intriguing club.
It was dark, and music blasted from every angle as streams of red flashed all around us. I couldn’t see much but made sure to pull Quinn to my side.
She turned to me. Her warm breath rushed at my right ear, but the words weren’t coherent.
I spun in place, hitting up against too many people and all at once. There had to be somewhere peaceful inside of here. But all I kept getting was the same beats booming on top of one another and a sudden headache to kill my vibes. Wasn’t there supposed to be some kind of code for public settings?
I reached up to cork my ears because the noise only seemed to get louder by the second. I spun around again, in search of my sanity. It was nowhere in sight, just like my cousin who’d somehow split in less than the five-seconds it had taken for me to turn.
The music paused.
Red laser beams bounced from the ceiling only to disappear, and darkness piled in.
People started cheering.
“Quinn!” My cries were lost. I suddenly felt like I’d gotten knocked off course. My head spun and tears filled my eyes. Drops of sweat formed on my nose. I reached up to wipe at my face as the lights flashed on and back off every couple of seconds.
Darkness.
Light.
Darkness.
Light.
They wanted to play hide and go seek with my life. If I didn’t bring Quinn back, and fully intact, it would be my life.
I stumbled right and bulldozed i
nto two couples.
“Watch it!” someone screamed out.
How could I hear that, and Quinn not hear me calling her?
“Quinn! Quinn, where are you?”
My throat burned like hell.
I stumbled forward, briefly coming out of my heels in the process. The straps got somewhat loosened. I adjusted and fixed with the tip of my other shoe, so I didn’t have to bend over. “She owes me for this,” I mumbled under my breath.
There was no real line of vision. Almost everyone appeared to be wearing black. The pattern of light and darkness got quicker. It was now pulsing. My heartbeat mimicked it. From the corner of my eyes, I spotted the hair. So many people were pale, but she stood out.
She was screaming and throwing her hands up into the air. Some guy slipped next to her, and she stopped. He ran pale white fingers through her hair and tossed it to the side before placing his nose to her neck like he was sniffing her, before kissing her with his filthy lips.
With the exception of the hair fanning down, I wouldn’t recognize him again if I saw him. I lunged past the others and grabbed her arm. We bounced through troves of people wailing their arms and spinning around to a fast, techno beat. In ten seconds flat, I shoved her through the crowds, past the darkness and out of the door.
“Leaving already,” a tall, muscular guy, dressed in full black asked.
I waved him off to focus solely on Quinn. Gripping her shoulders, I screamed, “You nearly gave me a heart attack!”
“What’s wrong with you CeCe?” She turned on me and seemed ready to go blow for blow.
“We’re done here. Quinn, I turned away for one-second and you took off!”
“Where was I going to go, CeCe?” She pointed behind us. “I was only a few feet away.”
“Excuse me? We’re out at some club that I don’t even know.” I slammed my right hand into my left. “That guy was groping on you and playing in your hair.”
“We were dancing!” She tilted her head past me, focusing on the entrance. “Can we go back in, please?”