“Gee, thanks,” I respond sarcastically. “You really know how to make the girls swoon.”
“I’m not usually a takeout, chilling out on the couch with a girl kind of guy,” he says, grinning.
“So what kind of guy are you then? One who gets plastered and then ruins his best chance to sell his house?”
Laughing, he grabs my waist and pulls me down on the bed beside him, turning his body so he’s on top of me. Sweet, short kisses rain over my face and he asks me again not to go.
“Just stay here, cancel your appointment.”
I kiss him back, wrapping my arms around his neck. It feels so good to be here with him, like I’ve finally found where I’m supposed to be. I’ve never had such an instant connection with anyone. It’s intoxicating. I put my hands on his chest and push him away gently.
“I can’t tell you how good that sounds but I’ve been flaking on this friend of mine all week and I think she needs to see me.”
He lifts himself onto his elbows. “You really care about her, I can tell.”
“She’s my best friend. I wouldn’t have survived the past few months without her.”
He cocks his head to the side and brushes my hair away from my face. “Why, what happened the past few months?”
I want to tell him about my breakup and my struggles for the past few months but I can’t. Not yet. I’ve just met him and this is all happening too fast. I shrug. “It’s nothing. But right now I need to go.” I kiss him one more time and gently push him away. “I’ll be back tonight. How does Thai food sound?”
“Sounds perfect.”
Chapter 24 – Clay
Who am I? I don’t even recognise myself anymore. Val’s been gone for an hour and I think I miss her. My bed feels cold and I want to do is turn around into her and hold her in my arms.
Get a grip, I tell myself, this isn’t me. First I go out and I can’t even look at another woman, and then I can’t control myself and kiss her, and THEN I run after her into the street! Where is the cool collected, driven doctor that I know myself to be?!
But then she came back for me. Twice.
Ok, fair enough, the first time was because she was furious with me but the second time she wanted me. She wanted me! Just as much as I wanted her.
I smile as I think about her running back down the street towards me. The way my body felt weightless when she collided with me. And then… I’ve never been with a woman like that. I’ve never felt such a connection with someone.
And she came! I gave her her first ever orgasm. My heart swells with pride and I just want to do it again, and again. When I think about her back arching and the surprise in her eyes it makes my cock twitch in my pants. It was almost enough to make me explode, just feeling her pleasure and knowing I’d done it to her. I wish she was here, I’d turn around and give it to her all morning and all afternoon.
This is new territory for me. It’s always been just sex with me, ever since my ex ripped my heart out of my chest and stomped on it in front of me. I shake my head. Now is not the time to be dredging up the past. The twinge in my heart when I think of Val reminds me a little bit too much of things I’d rather not think of.
But now… this feels good. I actually want her to come back tonight, and I was serious when I said it sounded good to have her here to watch a movie tonight. If it feels this good it can’t be wrong, can it?
I check the clock. It’s barely past noon, she won’t be back for hours.
I need to distract myself. I get up and try to tidy up a bit. There’s clothes everywhere, both from last night and from this morning. As I go around my apartment cleaning, I think about the botched sale this morning. I can’t help but feel relieved that my apartment is still mine.
I must just be having cold feet, I’ve lived in New York for ages. I need to stay focused. This has been my plan ever since I started medical school. No women, no distractions. I’ve had these rules for a reason. Sex when I want it but the ultimate priority is my career.
When I’m done cleaning up, I flop down on my couch and take a deep breath. One more night with Val won’t hurt. I can just keep it casual with her. I want to see her again. I want to make her come again. Is that still keeping it casual? When you care about someone else’s pleasure as much as your own?
I don’t just want to make her come. I want to make her smile, hear that beautiful, tinkling laugh of hers and see her face light up. I want to hear her story, listen to her voice as she talks to me. I sigh, thinking about how good it felt to be near her.
I need to stay busy or else my mind is going to run circles around me. I call Davey. His voice booms over the phone when he answers.
“Yo! What happened to you last night? You disappeared!”
“Yeah just had to go home, had enough of being in that club. Should have left sooner though”
“Yeah you were pretty wasted, you hungover today?”
“Dave, not only am I hungover, I fucking slept through my apartment viewing and fell out of bed completely naked when they walked in.”
Davey is laughing his usual full-bellied laugh. I smile.
“That’s a guaranteed sale then, right?!” he asks, still laughing.
“It was pretty bad,” For some reason I don’t want to tell him about Val. Usually we tell each other all the gritty details about the women we pick up but somehow it seems wrong to tell him about this one. It was different with her.
“What about you?” I say to change the subject. “How’d your night end up.”
“Oh man you remember that smoking hot brunette I was talking to?” He rattles on and I try to stay focused but it just doesn’t seem that interesting. The thought of picking up chicks and then never calling them over and over just seems so pointless now. How could this change so quickly? If I even talked to another girl now I’d just be picturing Val.
“Are you still there?”
My thoughts jolt back to Dave.
“Yeah man, sorry, still got a splitting headache.”
“I’m just as bad. Anyways I’ll catch you later. You want to hang out tonight?”
I think of my plans with Valerie. I can’t believe I’m thinking this, but I would actually prefer to stay in watching a movie with her than go out with Dave and find another woman to sleep with. This is different, but in a good way.
“Nah I’m good Davey, gonna stay off the booze today and try to recover. Big week at work next week.”
“Alright, your loss,” he says with a chuckle.
I hang up the phone and sigh. I feel nervous about this change, but then I think about Val and the way her face looked when I was on top of her. I need to see that face again, need to feel her body against mine. I hope her lunch doesn’t take too long.
Chapter 25 – Valerie
“Val! You look different. Something’s different. What happened?!” I haven’t even seen Emma for five seconds and she already knows something’s up. I’d never be able to hide anything from her, not that I’d ever want to. She spreads her arms and gives me a big bear hug. Her hair smells like fresh flowers and I can’t help but feel comfortable in her arms. We pull away and she looks at me, searching my face. “That,” she declares, “is the glow of someone who has had an orgasm!” She’s almost triumphant when she looks at me with raised eyebrows, waiting for me to confirm. “Emma, shh!” I laugh, looking around. How can she just blurt these things out without thinking of who’s around us. “So you’re not denying it.” I look at her and my face breaks into a huge smile. “I can’t hide anything from you,” I say. She lifts her arms up in celebration. “Yes!!!! I’m so happy!” She grabs me and gives me another hug. “Tell me everything. When, how, what,” she pauses. “Who?” I’m blushing now and I can’t help it. She inhales dramatically and brings a hand up to her chest. “Valerie Brooks! Who was it!” She’s laughing now and guides me over to a table. We sit down and I wait for the waitress to give us a menu and take our drink ord
ers before I say anything to Emma. She’s staring at me. “Val, if you don’t start talking I’m going to jump over this table and strangle you. What happened!!” “It was the doctor,” I finally blurt out. Emma’s jaw drops. “No!” “Yep,” I say, laughing. “The doctor?!” “The doctor.” “And he made you… he got you there?” Now she’s the one who’s tongue tied. “You’ll never believe what happened.” I tell her every detail from the morning, starting with picking up the keys from the other real estate agent. She’s hanging on my every word and laughing and asking me for more details. I only pause my story when the waitress comes back to take our orders. When she walks away I continue. “He just grabbed me and kissed me and I didn’t know what to do so I ran away!” “You ran away? What do you mean you ran away?” “I mean like I turned around and ran out the door.” Emma is cackling and people at the next table are turning their heads. “I don’t even know why, it was like my brain just noped out of the situation and I had to leave,” I laugh. “I made it to my car and then I turned back. He had ran out of his apartment after me and we kissed again out on the street.” “This is like, some RomCom shit. You ran away and then ran back and he had come out to run after you?! If it was raining it could have been in The Notebook.” I laugh. It’s nice to talk to her, to digest what’s just happened. I feel like I can relax and think about the crazy morning I’ve had. “So tell me about the sex. I want to hear everything. How big was his cock?” She holds up her hands, index fingers an inch apart. “Tell me when,” she says with a raised eyebrow before slowly starting to spread her fingers apart from each other. I laugh, but still, I hesitate. Somehow it doesn’t feel right to tell her every detail about that. It was so intimate, so private. I want to keep it that way but I’m not sure why. I ignore her hands and keep talking. “Yeah I don’t know it’s kind of a blur. We just… it just happened.” The waitress reappears with our food and it saves me from skirting her questions any more. I change the subject. “So what about you, Em? You sounded a bit down about that guy not calling you back.” “Oh, I’m not down,” she says. “I’m fine. It’s fine.” She waves it away but I can tell there’s a sadness in her eyes. “I just thought we had a bit of a connection I guess. Like, we talked a lot more than just a hookup, you know? We laughed a lot and I slept over and I thought that he wanted to see me again.” “Maybe he’s just a jerk. It sounds like he was using you.” “Probably.” Her eyes are still sad when she looks at me. “Rejection just sucks, you know? Especially when I felt like we actually got along. As many single people as there are in New York, having an actual connection doesn’t actually happen that often.” “Believe me, I know.” She shakes her head and changes the subject. “Enough about me. It was just a random hookup and I made the mistake of getting attached. It was one night! It’ll blow over though, I don’t even remember his name.” I think she’s lying about that last part but I don’t push it. It’s rare for her to be vulnerable like this, and I know her well enough to just let it go for now. She’ll open up when she’s ready, and it’s nice to be here together and share this moment with her. “And you know what they say,” she continues. “The best way to get over someone is to get under someone else. I see that you’ve finally taken that advice to heart.” I can feel myself blushing at her words but I can’t help but laugh along with her. She has a way of making me feel good about anything, and I feel so lucky to have her as a friend. We finish our food and I’m happy that I’ve come to see her. She gives me a big hug when we leave and squeezes me tight. I think she’s tearing up when she backs up and looks at me. “I’m really, really happy about you and Doctor O. You deserve to be happy and have lots and lots of orgasms.” I laugh and say goodbye. Maybe she’s right, I do deserve to be happy. I can’t help but smile at the thought of going back to Clay’s house tonight. Chapter 26 – Clay
I keep checking the clock. How long can one lunch take! She said she’d be back for dinner but the afternoon seems to be dragging on. I’ve cleaned my house from top to bottom and organised everything, making sure my TV worked and thought of some movies we could watch. I even scrubbed my microwave for some reason, as if she’s going to open it up and check that it’s clean. I know I’m just trying to keep myself busy, to stop myself watching the clock. It’s not working. I haven’t been this excited to see a girl since I was in high school. It’s taking all my self control to not text her twelve times. It’s like I don’t even know myself anymore. Maybe it’s the thrill of giving her her first orgasm, the novelty will wear off and I’ll be back to myself in a couple days. I hope so. Still, it’s kind of thrilling to feel like this. To care about what she thinks and what she says. Plus, I can’t wait to have my arms wrapped around that tight body of hers again, feeling her tits pressed up against me and her nipples hardening. Just the thought of her nakedness makes me want her, badly. My phone dings and I practically pounce on it. It’s her. The novelty certainly hasn’t worn off yet. Hey, just at home changing and showering. You still down for Thai food tonight? My fingers can’t type fast enough. Sounds good but I don’t care about the food. I just want to eat you. Get back here I’m dying to taste your pussy again. I pause before hitting send. Maybe that’s coming on a bit too strong. I don’t know if she’s into dirty talk, she’s only just had her first orgasm. I erase the message and restart. Sounds good. What time do you think you’ll be over? 7ish :) Sevenish. That’s two more hours away. My heart sinks. Get a grip! I’m a grown man, I can wait two hours. I pop on one of the movies I’d chosen earlier and grab a beer out of the fridge to help the time go by. Finally an eternity later my buzzer rings. I jump-hop out of my seat and over to the intercom. “It’s me!” Her voice rings over the speaker. I buzz her up. My palms are sweaty. I can’t wait to see her and feel her in my arms again. I want more time with her to explore her body, get to know every curve and every bend. I want to taste her again and make her come again and again and again. A light knock at the door and she’s here. “Hey,” she says simply, holding up a big bag of styrofoam containers. “I brought food! I’m not sure what you like but I got my favourites so that’s what you’re stuck with.” She’s dressed like she was in my office, in a simple tank top and jeans. I’ve never seen her look so good. Her hair is cascading all around her and she’s smiling at me in that honest, innocent smile that lights up her face. I say nothing, just lean down and crush my lips against hers. They taste better than I remember. I grab the bag of food out of her hands and place it on the counter, turning around to lift her up over my shoulder. Her feet are dangling in front of me and I put my arm across her thighs.
“I’ve been dying here on my own,” I tell her as I carry her towards my bedroom. “Poor you,” she says sarcastically. I throw her down on the bed and jump on top of her. I’ve been thinking of this all day, of having her body underneath mine. I devour her lips and move down towards her neck. I trace the line of her collarbone with my lips and bring my hands over her stomach, her breasts, her arms. I breathe in and feel the hammering in my chest as her perfume fills my nostrils. My head spins and my body takes over. She’s under me, around me, over me. Her hair falls across her face and her mouth opens and I’ve never seen anything so beautiful. I can’t help myself, I just want to be closer, closer, closer. The sound of her moans is music, the touch of her skin is magic. I don’t think about what it means that my heart is soaring every time I look at her or touch her. All that matters is her, and her pleasure, and her body here next to mine. She sits up so that she’s straddling me and pulls her tank top off over her head. She unclasps her bra and throws it to the side and my hands fly up to grab her tits. They’re perfect and soft and she leans into my touch, closing her eyes as I feel her body. Val opens her eyes back up and moves down my legs, unbuttoning my jeans and pulling them down my legs. I help her pull my boxers down and my hard cock springs free. She grabs it in her small hand and starts stroking it gently up and down. I groan, it feels so good. I watch as she works her hand up and
down the shaft and my cock gets harder in response. My breath catches in my throat when she leans her head down and kisses the tip of it. Her mouth opens and I feel the warmth of her lips over the head of my cock. The feeling is insane. My cock fills her mouth and she starts bobbing her head up and down. I can’t keep my eyes off her, off my cock going in and out of her mouth and her hair cascading on either side. I run my hands through her hair and gather it all behind her head, moving my hand with the motion of her head. The sound of her licking and sucking my cock is almost too much to handle. She swirls her tongue around the tip and I moan in pleasure. This is the best feeling in the world. “Val,” I breathe. She moans in response, not slowing down her movements. Her hand is cupping my balls and she uses her other hand to stroke the bottom of my shaft as her mouth works the top. I can feel my balls tighten up towards my cock and I use her hair to pull her off me. I’m breathing hard. “Val, you need to stop. I don’t want to come yet.” She moves her hand to her lips and wipes a bit of spit away. The look in her eyes is pure lust and just looking at her makes me want to explode. Chapter 27 – Valerie
Clay’s looking at me, panting. He puts his hands under my arms and pulls me up towards him, crushing his lips against mine and wrapping himself around me. The heat from his body sends sparks flying through me every time he touches me. The way Clay touches me is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It’s like he’s everywhere around me, his heat passes through me and his hands are touching me everywhere at once. Every time his fingers trail over my skin I feel an electric current straight to my centre. His touch is soft and then all of a sudden his hands are gripping my waist and I want nothing more than to feel him inside me.
I roll to my side and pull off my jeans. As soon as I kick them off he grabs my hips, turning me over so that I’m straddling him. I’m wearing nothing but the lacy black thong I chose this afternoon and I can feel his hard cock pressed against my hip bone. I’ve never felt so alive. All I want is his cock inside me. I can feel the excitement growing in the pit of my stomach as I grind my hips slowly and listen to him groan.
Second Chance: A Rockstar Romance in North Korea Page 18