by Adele Huxley
“Listen, I hate fighting like this. We barely spoke for days and now we’re just sitting here sniping at each other. This isn’t like us.”
“No, it’s not. There’s a lot that hasn’t been ‘us’ lately.”
“I guess.” She wanted to reach out and grab his hand, at least touch him in some way.
Nick sighed, dropping his head. “I’m going to try and be an adult here, okay? I figure rather than yelling we can just talk about what we want and need from each other.”
Lauren felt reassured. This was the Nick she knew, the Nick who would work things through. “Good, great. I like that idea. I can go first if you want.”
“Sure.” He took a big gulp of his beer, still staring forward.
As they spoke, she realized they hadn’t truly connected in a very long time. They’d gone about their lives together, chugging through the motions, but hadn’t taken a moment to check in with one another. Calmly, they talked about splitting up. They discussed the option of Nick moving back home, her staying in the city, meeting in the middle when time allowed. Their body language softened, turning towards each other. They looked into each other’s eyes as if reuniting from a long time apart but spoke as frankly as only a long-term couple can. By the end, they were holding hands and smiling. She still wondered about the proposal but was afraid bringing it up would cause another rift. Besides, she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to hear what he had to say about it now.
“I think we’ve been fighting so much because we have different goals—”
“The only goal that has ever mattered to me is that we’re together. I’ll try to be more patient. I forget you have so much going on.”
“I’ll make more time for you. You’re right, this is what matters most.” She mimicked one of his favorite gestures, pulling his hand close to her lips and kissing his knuckles. “Now go on, I think you’re late for work. Thank Chrissy for letting me keep you this long. I’ll see you later.”
Lauren felt amazing after leaving the bar. She and Nick had resolved their fight and she could go home and work guilt free. Forgetting her confession to Ali earlier in the day, she wanted to make sure they had incredible make up sex when he got home from work. She jumped in the shower knowing that once she sat down in front of her computer the night would fly by. She wanted to make sure she looked irresistible when he got home. She pulled her long, dark hair into a messy bun and put on just a touch of makeup. Stepping into little blue terrycloth shorts and a white tank top, Lauren checked herself out in the mirror. The shadow of her dark nipples were visible beneath the thin shirt and the shorts stopped just below the curve of her ass.
Cocky and feeling like luck was on her side, she decided to text Parker before sitting down at her computer.
Parker, can we meet tomorrow? I have something I need to discuss with you. Shouldn’t take longer than an hour.
She reread the text several times before pressing send. That’s good, she thought. Strong, no nonsense.
She set the phone to the side knowing that Parker never responded immediately. A few golden rays of sunshine reflected off the tall building across the street and into the room, momentarily feeling like the dark apartment received natural sunlight. She touched the post-it note and smiled, feeling like she might be getting closer to that promise. Do it for the future.
Her phone buzzed.
Absolutely. See you at the office, 11. Bring coffee.
“Maybe I’ll bring coffee just for myself,” she muttered to herself with an indulgent smile. Not even Parker could ruin the mood she was in and after tomorrow, he’d see how valuable she really was to the company.
Hours later, Lauren’s heart skipped a beat in her chest when she heard the front door shut. It was late, close to three in the morning, but she’d managed to stay awake. She sat on the corner of the bed, her legs spread wide and leaned back on her hands. Nick’s eyebrows shot up when he walked in the room and she couldn’t conceal her excitement.
“Hello to you too.”
“Come here,” she purred. He dropped his backpack on the floor, kicked off his shoes, and obeyed her command. He knelt on the floor between her legs, hands on each pale thigh. Lauren took his face in her hands and kissed him deeply.
“I like these little shorts,” he said, his finger slipping under the white trim. “Mmm, and I like this little top too.” He palmed her left breast, rolling her nipple through the thin material. Nick locked his mouth on her through the shirt, his breath hot and wet as he nibbled on her skin. A small moan escaped her throat as she arched into the sensation. He did the same to her other breast and pulled away, a mischievous look on his face. With a sharp exhale, he blew cold air on the two damp spots, her nipples suddenly cold, erect, and completely visible through the shirt.
Without a word, he tugged her shorts down and pulled her closer to the edge of the bed. There was no teasing this time. He dove straight in, his tongue lapping at her clit like he’d been dying for a taste. He plunged one finger in then another, keeping an agonizingly slow pace compared to the rhythm he maintained on her clit. Lauren’s body felt electrified. Every touch was amplified, the pressure inside building more quickly than she was used to. She felt like she was barely hanging on, his passion unexpected and exhilarating.
He sucked her clit into his mouth softly, the tip of his tongue running circles over and over with increasing pressure. She kicked her feet onto his shoulders and raised her hips, straining to meet every pass. Her fingers dove into his thick hair and pulled his face closer, closer. Nick kept her agonizingly close to the edge. He slowed the tempo, two fingers became one, until he pulled away with one last lick. Her pussy was left throbbing, begging for release.
Nick stood and took off his clothes. He stroked his cock a few times while looking down at Lauren’s writhing body. “Get on your knees.”
Lauren arched her ass in the air, knowing the bed was the perfect height for them. He ran his hands down her sweat-slicked back from shoulder to hip before guiding the tip of his cock against her wet pussy. She shuddered as he pushed inside, his cock touching the ache his fingers had created. He slowly worked himself in completely and rested deep inside for a moment. Lauren involuntarily clenched her muscles tight around him, eliciting a moan. He pulled almost completely out before plunging back in. The curve of his dick hit all the right places in this position.
Balancing on one arm, she reached between her legs and felt him slide in and out. Already wet and worked up, Lauren knew it wasn’t going to take much to get her off. Her fingers expertly picked up where Nick’s tongue had left off. She caught a glimpse of him fucking her in their mirror and couldn’t pull her eyes away. He was dripping in sweat, muscles taut, his face filled with unadulterated lust. With a few more hard thrusts she toppled over the point of no return. Her fingers slick and gliding with urgency, she moaned, “Yes, keep going.” Within moments a powerful orgasm washed over her, threatening to turn her muscles to jelly. Nick grabbed her by the shoulders and maintained his speed, sending ripples of pleasure through her with each thrust.
She collapsed to her elbows and tried to catch her breath. She smiled to herself, face buried in the bed. She and Nick had always fucked and rarely made love. He was only the second guy she’d ever slept with and after their first night together, she knew what she’d been missing. No matter what was going on between them, the sex was always amazing. He lifted her gently by the shoulders and returned her to all fours. Nick grabbed a fistful of her hair with his left hand and pulled lightly, her neck curving back.
He slammed into her with growing urgency as droplets of his sweat landed on her back. He pushed his weight onto her, pressing her flat onto the bed. He slid an arm underneath her chest and cupped a breast. Burying his face into her neck he groaned, slamming his hips against her. Lauren felt his cock pulse inside her, firing shot after shot of hot cum. He panted against her neck and after a few moments went still.
As he rolled on to his back, they looked at each other with
exhausted satisfaction.
“Holy shit,” said Lauren.
“Yeah, you can welcome me home like that every night, thanks,” he said with a cheeky grin. She caught a droplet of sweat running down his temple with her finger and wiped it on the bed.
“Shower?” she asked. He nodded and rolled off the bed.
Somewhere along their four years together they’d gotten into the habit of showering together after sex. Lauren figured it balanced out the raunchiness. They saved their fucking for the bedroom and lovemaking for the shower.
As Nick scrubbed her back with a sudsy loofah, Lauren was overcome with fatigue. Days of tension at home, stress at work, and the pressure she put on herself washed away down the drain. She leaned back and melted into Nick’s chest, the hot water and soap slick between their bodies. He wrapped his arms around her seeming to understand exactly what she needed. They stood under the pounding water, the room slowly filling with steam. When they were done, Nick grabbed a towel and lovingly dried her off.
Clean, relaxed, and tired, Lauren fell into a deep sleep. For the first time in months she felt like everything was heading in the right direction.
13.
Nick was already gone when she woke the next morning. For a brief moment she thought he might be in the kitchen but then remembered he was at work. Most Saturdays, he picked up extra shifts doing oil changes and tire rotations. Lauren felt a twinge of sadness she hadn’t woken up to kiss him goodbye. As she stretched in bed, she felt a pleasant soreness between her legs. A flood of memories from the night before brought a smile to her face. She reached for her phone and found a post-it note stuck to the back.
Didn’t want to wake you. Dinner tonight? You and me? I love you
She texted him a reply and checked the time. Thankful she hadn’t slept too late, she set about getting ready for her meeting with Parker feeling nervous but ready.
Lauren arrived to the office at 10:45 a.m. The door swung open as she balanced the two coffees and searched through her bag for the keys. Her face must have revealed her surprise since Parker was grinning ear to ear as he held the door open. He took both cups and let her enter.
“G’morning Parker,” she said. Damnit, I wanted a chance to get ready. Today of all days he isn’t late.
“Thanks for the coffee, still a little early for me,” he said. “Well, I should say late. Haven’t actually gone to bed yet.”
“Ah, I see.” Lauren was kicking herself for feeling nervous. His unexpected appearance had thrown her off her game plan slightly. Get it together! “I was thinking we could set up in the conference room? This shouldn’t take long.”
“Of course, lead the way,” he said with a wink.
As they settled into the room, she suddenly felt very self conscious as she pulled down the projector screen. Thinking that if she looked the part of fashion guru it might bring weight to her presentation, Lauren had opted to wear a black pencil skirt and a summery, sleeveless blouse. It wasn’t that she was over dressed but she was very aware that Parker had never seen her dress up in such a way and she could feel his eyes roaming across her backside.
To his credit, Parker sat patiently through her speech and even appeared to be listening. He asked polite questions, took a few notes. Lauren was especially impressed when he silenced his phone half way through.
“This is really good, I’m impressed,” he said finally. He leaned his elbows on his knees and nodded. “How far along are you with all this?”
“I’ve been working every night for over a week. I ran into a bit of a roadblock with the hardware but I don’t think that’s going to be a problem, just not my area of expertise. I’m confident this is a viable idea, now I just need the manpower to make it happen.”
“Didn’t you bring this up a few months ago? I see now I didn’t give you proper credit. This is good.” Despite the source, Lauren felt her pride swell. She was also surprised he remembered the idea from before, reminding her he was sharper than she gave him credit for.
“Thank you, I appreciate that. I’m happy you can see the future applications,” she stood and walked towards the projector screen. “I really think with this concept we’ll be able to kick some serious ass.” Standing on her toes, she pulled it down and released, the screen sliding into place above. When she turned, she was face to face with Parker. As she instinctively stepped back and away he moved forward, cornering her between the wall. His hands gripped her waist with surprising strength. Too shocked to speak, she gaped at him and tried to wiggle free.
“I get it. You’re ambitious and smart. I’m glad you’ve come around to my way of thinking,” his eyes traveled across her skin with a hungry smile.
“No, I didn’t...” He tugged her blouse from the skirt and slipped his hand against her warm skin. His other hand slid down and squeezed her ass, pulling her close to his body. His breath was stale alcohol, mint, and coffee.
“I was rock hard when I read your text. I knew you wanted this.” His hot mouth closed on her neck and he pushed her even harder against the wall, his cock stirring against her pelvis.
“Parker,” she squeaked trying to push him away without success. With a mixture of fear, anger, and revulsion, she shoved him. Her voice finally returning she yelled, “For the last time, I don’t want to fuck you!”
Lauren felt as though she were floating a few feet above her body, watching the scene unfold. Parker stared at her with lust and confusion. She kept her hands up in front of her chest defensively and slowly stepped away from the wall and towards the open space of the meeting room, careful to not turn her back on him. Her shock was quickly replaced with anger.
“For fuck’s sake, not everything has to do with sex. I legitimately wanted to show you my project. Unlike you, I actually want to see this company succeed.”
“So do I, I just figured we could have a little fun along the way.” He grabbed his crotch and readjusted himself before sitting back down. Lauren tried not to acknowledge the obvious bulge in his jeans. “Apparently you aren’t interested in furthering your career.”
Lauren trembled with rage. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“I give you what you want,” he replied coolly, “I get what what I want.”
“And I’m just supposed to pretend you didn’t just sexually assault me?” Her fists opened and closed at her sides as if they had a will to strike him all on their own. He glanced at them and chuckled.
“It’s certainly in your best interest to do just that, yes.”
“Why wouldn’t I just go straight to a lawyer and tell him what you just did?”
“Because I’d fire you for gross misconduct. Faith would back me up and I doubt you could afford a decent lawyer anyway. This is your first job, right? I know people. Your degree, all your time, worthless with just a few phone calls.”
She was speechless. A huge part of her wanted to prove him wrong, walk right out the door and into a law firm and sue him for everything he was worth but deep down she knew it was pointless. He was right.
“You need me a hell of a lot more than I need you,” he continued. He leaned back in the computer chair and kicked his feet up on the table. “That’s not to say I don’t want you, Ms. Kemp. Fact is, I could just take this idea and pay someone to make it. You want credit for this? You should probably learn to give me what I want,” he said with a shrug. “Who knows? Play your cards right and a couple months from now and I could be looking at the next CTO.” He became steely-eyed, any hint of playfulness gone from his voice. “Make no mistake, darling. I’m the fucking Jesus Christ of online fashion, you understand me? There aren’t a lot of things I wouldn’t do to keep it that way. Besides, it’s not such a big deal to throw me a piece of action now and again, is it? I can tell you want it. Just ask Faith, I’m a pretty good lay.”
Lauren was afraid to speak, the words choking in her throat. Tears welling up in her eyes it was all she could do to keep herself from smashing his face in or bursting into tears. Instead, she n
odded feebly. “Fine,” she whispered. The disconnected sensation followed her as she collected her things and left the office, her mind’s eye hovering just above. In a daze, she wandered the sidewalks hardly aware of the people she bumped into or even the streetlights. At one point a hand grabbed her wrist as she idly followed the person ahead of her off the curb. Numb, she turned to see a kind woman holding her back from the busy street, shaking her head.
Wandering until she felt weary, Lauren found herself walking through Madison Square Park and collapsed on a bench. Large lines trailed from a ring of food trucks and hundreds browsed the booths of the weekly farmers market. Just another beautiful Saturday morning in the New York City which is partly why she could believe that in the short span of two hours she’d gone from feeling on top of the world to under it. For over an hour she sat, struggling with waves of disgust and anger. I should’ve done more. I should go tell someone but then what? What good is that going to do for anyone? I could tell Nick—but even as she had that thought she knew she couldn’t. Some part of her felt guilty, almost as though she’d asked for it.
After a while the initial shock wore off and her emotions steadied, she found comfort in her normal analytical mind. Parker was right. There wasn’t anything she could do and he could destroy her career on a whim. Especially now that she and Nick were back on track, she needed the job, at least until she could find another. In some ways wise beyond her years, she knew there was always a solution. Call it divine intervention, perhaps a muse reaching out with guidance, but an idea quickly composed in her mind. As the pieces slotted together, her excitement grew and with each new revelation that sense of helplessness disappeared. Not believing in fate, she couldn’t deny it was as if everything Parker had done forced her to this conclusion.