Meagan stared at me for a moment, a slow smile forming. “Unless, of course, you want him to paddle that ass again.”
All righty, time to change the subject.
Despite the uproarious laughter of my turncoat friends, I affixed my holier than thou expression to my face and ignored them.
When they quieted enough for me to be heard, I gave a go at starting a new conversation. “When are you gonna tell us what happened with Peter?” I demanded. “We’ve been waiting all night.”
Ha! The amusement slid off Meagan’s face in a millisecond. It was like watching wax melt. Feeling smug yet again, I shifted on the pillow and stole another hot wing.
Jumping on the bandwagon with both feet, Ann twisted around to look at Meagan and added, “Yeah!” to my request.
“I’ve been thinking about you and Peter all day,” Katarina said. “Tell us what happened when you confessed your undying love to him.”
Wide-eyed, Ann stared at Katarina for a few seconds. “Tell us, Meagan, before Miss Mary Sunshine over there starts spewing more of that saccharine crap.”
“You’re about to be married, Ann, and you’re about as romantic as a boar.”
“And fucking proud of it.” Ann hoisted her MGD and toasted herself.
“Marriage is wasted on you. Romance is wasted on you. You’d be happy enough to live out the rest of your life with a cat.”
“Meagan?” I prodded, desperate to end this discussion before it really got going.
Ann slammed her beer against the table and leered at Katarina. “Better to live my life by myself than spending it clinging to the bootstrap of some man I hooked up with just so I wouldn’t be alone.”
Katarina’s mouth fell open. She began to sputter.
“Meagan,” I said through clenched teeth.
For a moment, Meagan looked mutinous. But when the alternative was refereeing a verbal catfight between Ann and Katarina, there was only one choice to make.
With Katarina in mid-sputter, Meagan began. “I chickened out. Happy now? I got to his place and I couldn’t do it.”
Shit! From one crisis to the next.
Katarina turned and Ann transferred her attention from Katarina to Meagan. “You what?” Ann demanded.
“Chickened out.”
“But you got a negligee for the occasion, and sexy panties. How could you chicken out?”
I didn’t see the correlation between undergarments and a confession of love, but decided to leave it alone. “Did he do something?” I asked.
Fingering the bright pink, blue, and yellow parasol poking from her Margarita, Meagan frowned. “I was at his place, he’d made dinner and we were drinking wine…everything was perfect.”
“So what happened?”
“I got the jitters. I started thinking, what if he turns me down? What if he’s not interested in having a relationship with me? I don’t think I could take that kind of rejection, Stella.”
Okay. This was a new twist. How on earth could gorgeous Meagan be afraid of rejection? For the twenty-five years we’d been friends I’d never, not once, seen or heard of any breathing male turning her down.
Elbows flat on the table with her chin resting on a fist, Katarina looked as confused as I felt. “But you ask guys out all the time. You never worried about rejection before.”
Continuing her intent study of the tiny, multi-colored umbrella, Meagan shrugged. “It’s different with Peter. We’ve been seeing each other off and on for about a year now. He says no, and that’s it for us.”
“If he doesn’t want to be in a serious relationship you can’t go back to things the way they were?” I asked. “The way they are now?”
Meagan shook her head. “I’d be too humiliated.”
“But that’s crazy,” Katarina said. “Peter’s a great guy. If he doesn’t want to be in a relationship now, give it a few months. He may change his mind. Why throw everything away just because you’re ego’s been bruised?”
“This isn’t about my ego, Katarina.”
“Yes it is. You’re too petrified to take a chance on a sure thing because you’re afraid you’ll be hurt. Well at long last, welcome to the real world where rejection is possible and not every man is dying to fall at your feet.”
The table went silent.
Katarina’s anger had caught us all off guard. What was eating her?
I was still staring, dumbfounded at Katarina when a feminine voice I vaguely recognized as Ann’s began speaking. “The other guys were just guys, Katarina. Don’t you understand that? If she asked out some guy she thought was hot and he turned her down, big deal. Who the fuck cares? But Peter isn’t just some guy, he’s the man Meagan’s in love with. You can’t just tell the man you’re in love with how you feel and not be afraid. There’s a lot more than ego on the line. Meagan’s about to offer Peter her heart…I think he’ll take it, but if he doesn’t…” Ann sighed. “You don’t just bounce back from a broken heart, Katarina. It can’t be done. So if you’re gonna offer you’re heart to someone, you better be damn sure they want it.”
Who the hell was this person and what had she done with Ann?
“You and Gerard didn’t break up again did you?” Meagan asked.
Ann waved the question off. “No. But I remember how I felt last month. Last month sucked.” She paused for a beat then smiled. “Until he proposed to me. And we still haven’t decided on a date, so don’t ask.”
Katarina ran her fingers through her hair and sat back. “I’m sorry.” She shook her head, seemed as confused by her outburst as we were. “I’m sorry,” she said again. “Bad day.”
Meagan reached across the table and clasped Katarina’s hand. “Wanna talk about it?”
“Not particularly. Tell me more about the beach house.”
She gave Katarina’s hand a squeeze, then released her. “I wanted to talk to you about the beach house anyway.”
Katarina perked up. “Did you find one?”
“Yep. In Rodanthe. It’s a pretty quiet town, ocean views galore, and romantic as hell. I think you’ll like it.”
“Ooo! Tell me more.”
“It’s on the ocean, just like you wanted. There are a few houses around it, but each house has a two-acre lot, so they’re not right on top of each other. There’s a Jacuzzi, an indoor pool, an indoor gym—supposedly state of the art, gourmet kitchen with two ovens and a bunch of other stuff, a reading room—”
Katarina’s lip curled. “Last thing I plan to do is read. It sounds fantastic Meagan. I can’t wait.” She was positively glowing now. I could almost see the visions of traipsing around on the sandy beaches with Jim flashing in her minds eye. “How much?” she asked.
“And it has five bedrooms, did I say that already?”
“Sounds wonderful, Meagan,” I agreed. “I can’t wait.”
“How much?” Ann asked.
“The kitchen’s really big. The house is huge. One of the biggest in Rodanthe.”
Katarina’s smile vanished. A tiny worry line appeared between her furrowed brows. “Why so big?”
Meagan’s smiled wide. The fakest damn smile I’d ever seen. “That’s the other thing I wanted to tell you guys about tonight. I didn’t tell Peter I’m in love with him, so he was wondering what it was I had to tell him that was so important.”
“And,” Katarina prodded, deadly serious now.
“And I sort of invited him to the beach house.”
“You what?” Katarina demanded, just as Ann was saying, “Well if Peter and Jim are going, I’m inviting Gerard.”
And thus, we all agreed to ask our boyfriends to take a vacation with us next month, much to Katarina’s chagrin.
~*~
3/17/05 3:14 a.m.
Have decided to definitely have anal sex with Jake and Dev. The plug hasn’t come in the mail yet, but I wasn’t too crazy about using it anyway.
Two days till crunch time.
Chapter Eleven
3/18/05 9:01 p.m.
; I sat comfortably between Jake and Dev, a bowl of popcorn balanced on my thighs. Though I was holding the snack, the two massive hands constantly buried in its depths prevented me from having much. Couldn’t say I minded, though. Thanks to Jake, the popcorn pretty much sucked. It was low sodium, no butter, and no taste! He caught me trying to dump a half-cup of melted margarine into it and nearly had a meltdown.
We were sitting in the living room, watching Spider-Man 2, I was trying my damnedest to figure out an appropriate time to tell them I’d decided to give anal sex a try, but couldn’t seem to find the right moment. Already we’d sat through some B-rated horror movie. I figured if I told them now, Jake would forgo the remaining hours of my sex restriction and take me upstairs.
Anyway, we’d just watched that amazing train/fight scene in Spiderman and I was busy trying to figure out how best to broach the subject of anal sex, when Dev’s voice broke into my thoughts.
“How’s the wedding coming?” He asked.
On my right, Jake grumbled.
“Ann’s?”
Dev nodded. “Did they set a date yet?”
“Gerard wants the summer but Ann says summer weddings are too common.”
Jake poked me in the ribs and scowled. “Do you two mind? I’m trying to watch the movie. Can’t you talk about this later?”
“I think Ann’s right,” Dev continued, winning more swears from Jake’s corner of the sofa. “Getting married in June or July would be trite. If I were Ann, I’d do it in October.”
“Ooh,” I purred. “And her bridesmaids can wear orange. I look good in orange.”
“A sexy orange and black gown with fitted—”
“I don’t give a fuck if they wear orange, black, or candy apple red. I’m trying to watch a movie. Could you both be quiet?”
Dev looked defiant. I leaned in close and whispered, “Is he always like this during movies?”
Dev shook his head. “Worse. He hates when anyone talks when he’s watching—”
“Dev!” Jake demanded.
Dev and I fell silent.
Still horny and desperate for sex, I studied Spiderman’s suit, various alluring ideas running through my head. I wondered how Jake and Dev would look in the Spiderman suit. With their tight asses and sculpted bodies, they’d be a sight amazing enough to leave a girl crying. I could nearly see the tight spandex melding to their backsides.
Tobey Maguire looked all right in the Spidey suit, but he couldn’t fill it out the way Jake and Dev could. I wondered what I could do to do to persuade them a little game of Spiderman would be fun.
My pleasant thoughts were rudely interrupted when Dev bolted upright and raised a brow at me. “Don’t you think you’re spending an inordinate amount of time looking at him?”
I frowned. “What?”
“You’re staring at Spider-Man’s ass.”
“Am not.”
“You are. I’ve been watching you the whole time.”
I rolled my eyes, something I did whenever I was preparing to lie. “I was not staring at Spider-Man’s ass. Spider-Man’s practically a kid.”
“And you were staring at that kid’s ass. Face it Stella, you’re a sexual deviant. What is he, twenty-one, twenty-two?”
For a while, Jake managed to refrain from comment. Then he took in a deep breath and prepared to yell.
Deciding it was now or never, I swallowed. Finding the remote on the coffee table I clenched it in one hand, hit the off button, then tossed it aside. The screen went black and the room fell silent. “I’ve come to a decision,” I said quickly.
Jake set his glass on the table, then waited. Dev twisted around on the sofa so he sat facing me. Eyes bright with interest, Dev leaned back on the heels of his hands.
Focusing my attention on the ground, I began. “I’ll try the anal thing,” I said, feeling incredibly stupid hearing the word anal come out my mouth. “I trust you both, and know you’ll do your best to make it feel good for me, so I figured, what the hell! Might as well give it a go. You know, I might actually like it. Cause, you know, if someone had told me in early January that I’d get off on domination sex I would have thought they’d lost their mind. But here I am.” I shrugged. “Getting off on…” I looked up and glanced around. “What was I saying?”
Dev studied me as though I were a lab specimen. “I have no fucking idea.”
Ignoring Dev, Jake set his index finger on my jaw and gently turned my head to face him. “Is this your way of ending your sex restriction early?”
“Three hours and it’s over anyway.”
“Are you sure, Stella? There’s no rush.” Before I could answer, he stroked my cheek, then tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “We can wait.”
I was absolutely powerless against Jake’s charm when he went all gentle and patient on me. It was at times like this, when Jake seemed more concerned with my emotional well being than his own, that I knew how much he truly cared about me. He may have cut me off sexually, but I knew he’d never cut me off emotionally.
Leaning into his hand and breathing in the musky scent that was uniquely Jake, I allowed myself a moment to revel in his touch. I let this bizarre sensation—that I was truly cared for—wash over me. A few seconds later, I opened my eyes and met Jake’s intent emerald gaze. “I’m ready. Let’s go upstairs.”
~*~
9:39 p.m.
I lay on my stomach, naked but for my ruby pinky ring and a sterling silver necklace. Despite the small inferno blazing in the fireplace and the heat coming through various vents around the room, I couldn’t stop shivering. My toes felt icy, my fingers stiff with a bitter chill, and I had gooseflesh all along my arms. I wasn’t cold, at least not in the normal sense. But I was scared…petrified of what was coming. How bad would it hurt to have an erect penis shoved up my butt?
Another chill danced up my spine and I shivered.
Beside me, Dev hoisted me onto his lap, so my face was resting comfortably against his leather-sheathed thigh. As though he’d known how terrified I was of the mere prospect of anal sex, Dev had been chattering since we got in the room. Now, he slid his fingers through my hair and began to massage my scalp.
The gentle pressure of his fingers as he rhythmically moved them over my skin was like paradise. Moaning softly, I burrowed closer.
“I decided to use the name Cinder,” Dev was saying, “because there already was a band whose singer called himself Blaze. In retrospect, Blaze sounds a bit like a feminine name. Don’t you think?”
“Dev?” I interrupted.
For a moment, his hands stilled. But only for a moment. A few seconds ticked by, then he asked, “Yeah?”
“I know I’ve been waiting two weeks to have sex with both of you but…” I let the sentence trail off as I searched for the right words.
“You’d rather wait.”
I would have nodded, but what he was doing to my scalp felt so good, I didn’t want to move. “Yeah. I kinda just want to focus on the anal thing for tonight. I’m thinking I may be a little sore afterwards, and a little tired so it might be good if we hold of on doing anything else for a few hours. Is that all right with you?”
When he began to laugh I couldn’t help but twist around so I could stare up at him.
“I’m sorry Stella,” he began, “but you make us sound like sexual predators instead of your lovers. If you’re sore or tired we’re not going to force sex on you. We’re not like that. You should know that by now.”
Feeling chastised, I subsided against his lap and frowned. “I’m sorry. You’re right.”
“Of course I’m right. Stop worrying.”
“What a pretty picture.”
At the sound of Jake’s voice, I froze. I told myself to be calm and take a deep breath, but the air wheezed out of me when I tried.
“I don’t know, Jake,” Dev began. “She’s really scared. Maybe we shouldn’t do this.”
Jake didn’t answer, but I knew he was close. I could feel him focus on me, knew
he was devouring my naked body with his eyes, anticipating the moment when we were joined. It had been two weeks for Jake and me, after all.
“Look at me, Stella,” Jake said.
He was standing at the side of the bed, waiting.
Slowly, I sat up and turned until my eyes lit on Jake’s very luscious, very naked body.
I think I sighed or moaned or something. I know I stared.
Had it only been two weeks? Suddenly, face to face with the wonder that was Jake, it felt like ions since our last time.
Hair hanging in loose waves down his back and over his chest, Jake looked like a Native-American warrior god. His olive skin was flawless under the firelight. It seemed to glisten with a luminescence that added to the godlike façade. The muscles lining his arms and legs were rigid as granite as he stood, waiting for me. Most impressive of all, his erect penis stood at firm attention, as if eagerly awaiting the coming hour.
The fear I’d been experiencing receded under the force of sudden arousal. My gut clenched as lust turned trepidation into eager expectation.
Suddenly I not only wanted this. I needed it bad.
“Have you changed your mind, Stella?” Jake wanted to know.
I finished my visual perusal of his body and shook my head. “No. I’m ready.”
“Good.” Saying this, he climbed onto the bed and positioned himself between my thighs. He had to nudge them open with his knee, because I was still too awed to move of my own accord.
“Do you want her on her stomach?” Dev was asking.
Grasping my shoulders and guiding me onto my back, so my head rested on Dev’s thigh again, he said, “No. I want her just like this. On her back and staring at my face.” He focused on me. “This way, Stella, I can feast on your mouth while I ride you.”
“Oh,” I chirped. Maybe this anal thing wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Jake was motioning at something behind me. I could feel Dev move in response, then reach over me to hand something to Jake.
Baby oil.
“You seem relaxed enough,” Jake began again, eyes on mine, “but I’m not taking any chances.”
The Chronicles of Stella Rice: March Page 9