by Anthology
I slowly slide my hand down her cheek, brushing my thumb across her lip. Her eyes lock with mine. I lean forward and slowly press my lips against hers. My heart races like John Bonham’s playing a drum solo in my chest. I gotta take it slow, or she’ll bolt out of here in a second. She lets out a slight moan as my tongue slides around hers.
She lunges forward, wrapping her arms around my neck and weaving her hands in my hair. Holy shit, did hell just freeze over? Maybe I got her all wrong. I move my hands down to her hips and lift her onto my lap, so she’s straddling me. I lean back, pressing myself against her thin panties, letting her know exactly how bad I want her. She’s probably going to stop cold turkey and leave me high and dry. Probably all part of her master plan to fuck with me as much as humanly possible. Not sure why she gets off on aggravating the piss out of me, but I’ll ride this train until it crashes and burns.
I slip my hands underneath her sundress and slowly move them up to her breasts. Ah, no bra, nice. I run my thumbs along her rock-hard nipples. She breathes heavy and presses down on me, slowly rocking back and forth. Jesus Christ, this is really happening.
I glide my hands around to her back and hold her tight, lifting her for a split second. She wraps her legs around me letting out a low moan. No way this is the martinis; she wants me as much as I want her. I slowly turn and ease her down on the couch.
I pull away for a split second and look into the bright green eyes staring at me, filled with a mix of passion and fear. I can’t be a dick, not to her. Believe me, I want her more than I’ve ever wanted a girl lying on my couch. Does she want me…I mean really want me, like this or is she in over her head?
“You sure about this or do you want to watch the movie?” Did I really say that out loud? Jesus Christ, what the fuck is wrong with me? It’s like I’m trying to sabotage myself.
She breathes heavy trying to catch her breath. “It’s not a glitch, the first storm troopers were clones of Jango Fett; after he died, they shut down the cloning process and started to recruit people for storm trooper duty. That’s why they’re different heights.”
I move my head back and lower my eyebrows. Wait, if she knew this, then she didn’t come here to watch the movie. I stare at her for a second, trying to figure out what the hell just happened.
“Yeah, I’m sure.” She pulls my lips down to hers.
Three small words and all doubt erases from my mind, leaving behind animal instincts. I break from her lips and slide my fingers along each side of her panties, slowly pulling them down the soft skin of her legs and tossing them on the floor. She sits up just as I crawl back toward her. Here it is, the moment she stops me and destroys my spirit.
She reaches down to the hem of my shirt and yanks it up and over my head in one swoop. She really does want the whole Vic Steele experience. Hate to break it to her, but nothing that’s happening tonight is remotely close to what I’m used to. We’re on a whole new playing field tonight, and for once I don’t want to fuck it up. She runs her fingers along the ink on my chest to my biceps, slowly moving to my abs and stopping at the button on my jeans. My heart thumps like gasoline runs through my veins. She pulls open the button and shoves her hand down my jeans, grabbing onto every inch of me.
I gasp. A million volts of electricity flow through me, like a bolt of lightning struck me full force. Enough of the teasing, I need her and I need her now. She moves her hands to the rim of my jeans and tugs on them. I dig in my back pocket for my wallet and quickly pull out the condom I always keep in the end slot. I slide down my jeans and boxers in a move I should have patented, and kick them off into oblivion.
She breathes heavy, like she just ran the Boston Marathon. I rip the condom open with my teeth and quickly slide it on. I grip the skirt of her sundress and move it up and over her body, tossing it over my shoulder. Her perfect skin glistens in the dim lighting of my living room. Every inch of her is flawless. I hover over her, slowly lowering myself to meet her lips. She runs her fingertips along my back. Her arms tremble.
She’s either filled with adrenaline or things just got real in her brain. Should I stop? Maybe we shouldn’t do this tonight. What the fuck am I thinking? It’s like some deranged angel infiltrated my brain.
I get it, she’s scared. Afraid I’m going to break her in half or something. Every cell in my body wants to fuck her into next week but I’ll go for making her beg for more instead. I press myself against her and softly run my lips along hers. She wraps her arms around me tighter, pulling me close. I move slow and steady, easing into her. She gasps as I fill her completely. Her heart vibrates across my chest. I stop for a second, letting her make the next move.
She holds me close, pushing me deeper inside and we match each other’s moves, creating a unique rhythm, quickly gaining speed and momentum. I grow rock hard, unable to stop myself from losing all control. I thrust inside her hard and fast.
She lets out a loud moan and grips my hair, pulling it an a million directions as I push deeper insider her. I hold back the urge to explode. She’s about to lose it. I hover above her, staring at her face. I need to see the pleasure bursting through her face when she comes. I move forward hard and fast, throbbing inside her. She lets out a moan that could pass as a scream. I watch a wave of ecstasy take over her face. A split second later I explode inside her, collapsing on top of her chest. Our hearts beat fast, in unison with each other.
I bury my head into her shoulder, catching my breath. She loosens the grip on my hair and lets her arms fall onto my sweaty back. I turn my head and catch a glimpse of the TV screen. You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. Not sure if we rolled over on the remote or timed it perfectly. The scene with the taller-than-normal storm trooper is about to play.
I slowly ease myself out of her. She squirms as if electric impulses still shock her body. I got to keep this from turning into a disaster. Once the blood returns to her brain she might have second thoughts about what just went down. No reason to make her regret being with me before she gets dressed.
I roll over to the side and wrap my arms around her. “Ready to have your world rocked?” I point toward the TV. Guess it doesn’t matter, her Star Wars knowledge surpasses just about anyone’s I know.
She looks at the screen and then turns toward me. “I think I just did.”
**********
Sunlight blares in through the window, burning through my brain. I slowly open my eyes. Hailey lies beside me, a few stray strands of her hair dancing as she breathes. Her porcelain skin glows in the sun’s rays. A relaxed smile plasters on her face, like she’s totally content without a care in the world.
Weird, usually I can’t wait until a chick gets out of my bed and leaves. Hell, sometimes I flop around the bed like I had ten cups of coffee the night before just to speed up the process. Not this time. Hailey can stay forever and I wouldn’t care. Hell, I’d even like it. What the fuck did she do to me? Not sure if I’ll come back from this one. Better question, what happens when she wakes up with a clear head? I nibble at my nails and watch her sleep.
Loud knocking resonates through the quiet apartment. Hailey jumps up, her eyes pop open and lock onto mine. She glances around the room, like last night rushed through her brain and brought her back to reality.
I step out of bed and pull on my boxers that lie on the floor. “Be right back. Sam probably locked himself out again.” Jesus Christ, my key is on his goddamn keychain. Maybe he’s too wasted to put the key in the lock.
Hailey nods, pulling the sheet up to her neck. What’s her deal? It’s not like we haven’t seen each other naked. Now all of a sudden she’s embarrassed of that kick-ass body?
I trek to the door, fiddling with the locks and fling it open. A blonde, wearing daisy dukes with the pockets longer than the shorts and a pink tank top stands in the doorway. The blood drains from my face.
“Hey. I left my purse in the kitchen.” I step back and she bursts through. Who the hell is she? My brain rewinds back through the last few months.
Nope, never seen her in my life.
“Got it.” She hurries through the kitchen with a purse that looks more like a wallet in her hand. “Thanks. See ya.” She rushes out, leaving a path of destruction behind.
I close the door and stand still, not sure what’s about to go down when I face Hailey. The weight of her stare burns through me. How the hell am I supposed to explain this to her? I don’t even know what the fuck just happened.
I turn toward the bedroom. She stands in the archway, fully dressed in her black sundress. Her just-got-fucked hair makes her look sexier than hell. She kills me.
She taps her black high-heel on my floor, creating the rhythm of an angry battle cry. “You had me fooled.” She shakes her head.
Chills flood through me. I’m fucked and for once I didn’t do anything to deserve it. “Listen, I have no idea who she is.” I hold up my hands.
She rolls her eyes and marches forward. “Really…well that makes it worse. You can’t even remember your conquests.” She holds up her hands making quotation marks in the air.
A crimson hue takes over her face. I want to tackle her on my couch. Make her listen to me. Tell her this isn’t my fault and since she walked into my shop I haven’t been able to get her off my mind. But nothing comes out, I stand, frozen.
“You can forget about me too.” She rips open the door and storms out, slamming it so hard it almost flies off the hinges.
What the fuck just happened?
**********
“Sorry, man. I don’t check a chick’s inventory before she walks out the door.” Sam blows air out his cheeks and plops onto the couch. “Rough night for me too, running on no sleep, and the start of a hangover.”
Hailey hates my guts, probably wants me dead, and he wants me to feel sorry for him? I run my hands down my face, dragging them down my chin. “Dude, you just fucked things up big -time for me.”
He shrugs and leans his head against the back of the couch. “You’ll have another chick here by tonight.”
“I want her.” I don’t want some other girl tonight. I want Hailey hanging around my shop and busting my balls with her smart mouth, shoving her hot body in my face, and pulling it away. Letting me run my hands over every inch of her skin and driving me to the brink of insanity. She brings me to my knees and there’s not a fucking thing I can do about it. No one can do that to me.
“What? Hell, if she’s that good maybe I’ll ask her out.” He turns his half-open eyes toward me and smirks.
I throw my arm across the couch, giving him a quick shot to the stomach. “Watch it. She’s not like that and I’ll beat the fuck outta you if you go near her.”
He lets out a loud grunt and curls over. “Not cool.” He sits up and rubs his weary eyes. “I get it, this chick’s got you by the balls. Believe it or not, I’ve been there.” He wrinkles his forehead, like he’s trying to read my mind or something. “If you’re that into her, you better tell her. You know…if you can get her to speak to you.”
I exhale loudly. “She doesn’t want anything to do with me…especially now.”
He nods. “Yeah, can’t blame her.” He flashes a smile and gets up off the couch. “I’m hitting the sheets. Listen to me for once, go talk to her. Never know until you try, dude… Holy shit, I think I just wrote a song.”
I toss a throw pillow at him. “Go to friggin’ sleep.”
He moseys into the spare bedroom.
“Sam.”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks, bro.”
He nods and disappears into the hallway. What am I supposed to say to her? She’ll believe whatever the hell she wants anyway. It’s pretty much a losing battle. Useless waste of my time. Doesn’t matter. I gotta give it shot. She could punch me in the face, slam the door shut as soon as she sees me; hell she might not even let me in the building. No matter what, I need her to know that I want her and no one else even comes close. For the first time in my life I don’t want anyone but her. And at the very least I need to finish that tattoo, so I can leave my permanent scar on her forever.
**********
“Coming in?” A girl carrying enough books to start her own library struggles to pull open the door.
I jog toward her, quickly holding it open for her. “Yeah…need help?” Jesus, the security here blows. What if I’m some psycho killer? Guess she’d let me right into the dorms, no questions asked. Another smart girl making an idiotic decision. Yeah, I bet every one of them who wakes up next to me mutters that thought under their breath.
She shakes her head. “I’ve got this.” She scurries through the hallway and turns the corner.
I take a deep breath, blowing air out my puffed cheeks. Okay, gained entrance into the building. Step one complete. Now, if I only had a schematic for the rest of the plan. Hailey’s gonna slam the door in my face, no doubt about it. How can I convince her that whatever this is that we have, deserves a shot?
Overthinking like she would isn’t gonna give me magical words that will change her mind. I’ll just wing it. Live for the moment and take whatever comes my way. Hmm, telling her that might get me punched in the face. Well, won’t be the first time a scorned woman wants me left for dead. I’ve gotta chance it, live on the wild side.
I march up the steps to her room. My heart pounds against my chest like it’s going to break free and fly around the room. I nibble my lip, trying to come up with something…anything to say when she swings open the door. My brain goes blank. I got nothing.
I lift my hand but can’t muster up enough energy to knock. Come on Vic…get it together. No sense in pussying out when you came this far. I close my eyes and knock on the cold steel door. The lock jiggles and my eyes pop open, ready to face my fate. The door creaks, moving a centimeter a second, like we’re in the middle of a slow motion movie. A lock of her hair hangs down, dancing along her shoulder.
Her eyes travel from my black boots, along my ripped jeans and black T-shirt from last year’s tattoo convention, to my face. Her gaze locks with mine and instant flames shoot through me. I stick my foot in the door a split second before she tries to slam it shut, stopping it from closing me out.
“Really, Vic. What’s that…a move you mastered from the plethora of doors slammed in your face?” She sneers at me, her eyes filled with hell fire.
Pain radiates along my foot. I don’t even give a shit if it’s broken. I need her to listen…even if it’s just for a minute.
“Uh-huh, another one of my moves.” What the fuck…it’s like my brain is on man-whore mode. “I’m kidding. I wanted to talk to you.”
“I think you said enough this morning…or that girl summed it all up for you.” She pushes on the door, trying to wedge my foot from the door jam.
She’ll have to cut it off before I leave. “It’s not what you think. She was my brother Sam’s conquest…not mine.”
She shrugs. “Doesn’t matter, yours was probably next in line.”
“It’s not like that…not anymore.”
She’s not getting it. She somehow de-whoreized me without my consent. Does she think I want to be here groveling and begging for her to spend another minute with me?
“Really…were you visited by three ghosts or something?” Her eyes shimmer, reflecting silver specs of light from the dim hallway. Her knuckles turn white from the death grip she’s got on the doorknob.
Even when she’s ready to kill she’s beautiful. “Something like that. Listen…can we start over?” I run a hand through my hair and lean against the doorjamb.
She lets out a deep breath and shakes her head. “What’s the point? You want a friend with benefits…or whatever they call it now.”
I lean forward, jolted by the scent of her fruity perfume. “No. I want you.”
She loosens her grip on the knob, releasing the pressure on my foot. “Yeah, for now.” She exhales loudly and takes a step back. “Then what happens?”
I shrug and let out the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. “Wish I knew…
I can’t get you off of mind…ever. I stare at the door of my shop every time it opens hoping it’s you, I went on a real date the first time since my high school prom just to be with you. Hell, I’m ready to hire security to stand outside this damn dorm so some psycho doesn’t break in.”
Her scrunched eyebrows relax and she drops her hand. A small smile forms. “Like some crazy guy sticking his foot in my door?”
“Pretty much.” I nod. “Look, I know there’s a million reasons going through your head on why I’m the last guy in the world you should be with.” I push the door forward and take a few steps into her room. “But it only takes one to change it all…right?”
Her mouth falls open but no words come out.
I push the door closed with my foot and run my hands along her soft cheeks, pressing my forehead against hers. “I guess it’s like tattooing, if the color saturation isn’t right, it fades with time. Skill helps but when you find that magic combination of perfect skin and ink placed just right the image lasts forever. Like the first time you ever laid your eyes on it… Every time I look at you it’s like staring at first ink, perfect in every way.”
I close my eyes and swallow hard. “I can’t stop thinking about you. I want you…no one else, and it scares the hell out of me.” I slowly open my eyes, staring into hers. “I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, or next week, or when we’re both in Miami but I know that no one else in the world refers to me as an anti-sematic dictator, or spends hours in my shop bad-mouthing my work and demanding a tattoo they’re not sure they can handle, or can bring me to my knees with one look.”
She locks her eyes with mine and wraps her arms around me. “Shut up.” She slams her lips against mine, her body trembles.
“One more thing.” I suck on her bottom lip as I pull away. “We’re finishing that tattoo. No way Vic Steele’s girl is walking around with an unfinished piece.”
She lowers an eyebrow. “You’re not afraid I’m going to pass out in your chair?”