by Ashley Pullo
When the ice cube finally melts, Levi concentrates on exposing Thessaly’s breasts. Biting the silk fabric covering her chest, Levi makes contact with an erect nipple. He gently sucks and tugs, and then moves the fabric with a swift pinch of his mouth. Kissing her small breast and delicately flicking her nipple with his tongue, Levi releases her arms and reaches for a strawberry. As Thessaly closes her eyes and trembles, Levi secretly dips the strawberry in the opened jar of honey.
Standing upright between Thessaly’s legs, and watching as her face reddens with color, Levi smirks and then falls to his knees. He places his hands under her ass and carefully scoots her to the edge of the table. Resting her legs on his shoulders, Levi kisses inside her thighs as Thessaly shudders in delight.
“Mmm,” she moans.
Continuing with his improvised seduction, Levi positions the honeyed strawberry between his teeth so that the tip protrudes from his lips. He trails the strawberry along the inside of Thessaly’s thigh, occasionally swirling in different directions as she quivers. Lifting the skirt of her dress, Levi traces the lacey pattern of her black thong with the point of the ripe strawberry. Approaching the sensitive spot of sexual pleasure, Levi chews the strawberry and then slides the triangle of lace to the side with his teeth. With the black lace finding a place between her lips, Levi sucks off every remaining drop of glistening honey.
He nibbles. She moans.
She shudders. He groans.
Needing to feel more, Levi lowers Thessaly’s skirt, takes her hand, and slowly helps her to her feet.
Wobbling in his arms, Thessaly says, “I’m dizzy.”
“I know what you mean – all the blood rushed to my dick.” He smirks. “Maybe we should go.”
Holding Thessaly’s hand, Levi pops a few blueberries in his mouth and finishes off his vodka. He retrieves Thessaly’s small purse from the wheelbarrow and then leads them to his office. “Hang on. I need my shoes.”
Levi sits on his desk and puts on his burgundy Adidas Sambas while staring at Thessaly, leaning against the door with the face of a satisfied angel.
“Are you still dizzy?” he asks.
“I feel weightless,” she replies.
Standing from the desk and shutting off the lights, Levi wraps his arm around Thessaly’s waist and guides her into the elevator. As the elevator starts its descent, Levi declares, “I’ve never tasted a riper peach.”
When the doors open to the ground floor, Levi walks Thessaly to the main entrance of Brooklyn Soil. As Levi pushes on the handle to the revolving door, he clears his throat to wake the security guard napping in the corner. “Good night, Felicia,” he jokes.
“Now what?” Thessaly asks as they spill onto an empty sidewalk.
Pressing his mouth against her ear and sliding his hand to her ass, Levi whispers, “Now we fuck.”
Squinting his eyes and tightening his lips, Levi asks, “F-seven?”
Arching an eyebrow and peering over the top of her Milton Bradley naval plans, Thessaly replies, “Miss. G-two?”
“Miss. F-six?”
Thessaly sighs. “Hit. Do you ever get tired of people always assuming you’re the really good guy?”
“Not really, why?” Levi scrapes the remaining ice cream from his bowl and shrugs his shoulders.
“It bothers me when people describe me as sweet or super nice. B-four?”
“Miss. H-two? Why is that a bad thing? The alternative to being nice is a bad thing.”
“Hit. And, you sunk my battleship.” Licking her spoon, Thessaly adds, “But sometimes being likeable is boring.”
“You’re not boring, Tess. And trust me, life on the opposite end of the human spectrum is a miserable way to live.”
“A-seven? How would you know?” Thessaly ladles a spoonful of melting cookie dough ice cream and slurps through her lips.
Looking down at his plastic ships, Levi says, “Hit. Because there was a time when I was a complete asshole.”
Shocked, Thessaly drops her spoon. “No way!”
Scratching his chin and watching Thessaly’s face sadden, Levi takes a deep breath and explains. “I was a bully in high school. I spent two years mercilessly torturing a kid in the grade above me.”
“Why would you do that?”
“I could lie and say it was because of my douchebag friends. Or maybe I just wanted attention. But the truth is, picking on that kid was a twisted rush of excitement.”
“Levi,” whispers Thessaly. “What did you do?”
“Nothing physical, but my parents found out I was a cruel bastard and we moved to Harrisburg. They enrolled me in a private school and cut off my contact with almost everyone.”
“Oh.” Thessaly sighs.
“But then a few years later, I spent the summer with Dani on the farm, and I saw the kid working as a cashier in the supermarket.” He leans forward and exhales. “Marshall Lewis dropped out of high school to take care of his mother going through chemo.” Levi’s eyes, the color of the deep water, begin to tear. “A week later, after I asked around about Marshall, I returned to the store and quietly approached him. He recognized me immediately – what victim doesn’t memorize the haunting face of their tormenter?”
“What happened?”
“I apologized. Like six times. And at first he refused to accept my apology, accusing me of wanting to clear my own conscience, but then he reached out to me.” Levi takes a sip of water and then continues. “I was sitting on the porch of our farmhouse watching the fireflies when Marshall rode his bike down our main road with a six-pack of beer.”
“So he forgave you?” Thessaly shifts in her chair and bites the inside of her cheek.
“Not exactly, but he did pity me. And then he asked something of me that required my trust more than my remorse.”
“What did he want?”
Leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his bare torso, Levi replies, “Marshall asked for my help. So I spent the final two weeks of my summer vacation designing a small garden in the back of his house. Tomatoes, herbs, and . . .”
“And?” Thessaly asks, fighting a smile.
“You know, a little something for medicinal purposes.” He winks.
Laughing, Thessaly quizzes, “So the moral to your story is to be kind.”
“I don’t preach morality, Tess. But the moral of my story is to always use hydroponics and cannabis seedlings at the start of germination.”
Nodding as she licks the stubborn hot fudge from her spoon, Thessaly mutters, “I actually did know that – whose turn is it?”
Knocking his Battleship board off the table and laughing, Levi quips, “You win.”
As Levi stands and clears the bowls from the table with a devilish grin, Thessaly glances at the trail of auburn hair disappearing into the waistband of his shorts.
“I normally do,” Thessaly gloats.
Running water over the sticky bowls in the kitchen sink, Levi mumbles, “As per our agreement, winner has to get naked.”
Feeling a surge of excitement engulf her body, Thessaly rises and makes her way toward the king-size bed next to a large window. With her back to the kitchen, she removes the T-shirt she borrowed from Levi and tosses it on the floor.
When Thessaly looks over her shoulder and smiles, Levi shuts off the running water and raises his eyebrows. Casually strolling to her backside, Levi admires Thessaly’s milky-white skin and perky ass before making his move.
Ripping off his shorts and pressing his hard shaft against the small of Thessaly’s back, Levi bites her ear and pushes her against the cool, tempered glass of the window. He runs his tongue along the curve of her neck while cupping her breasts. “I need to taste you again” he growls.
But wanting to feel all of him, Thessaly arches her back and reaches behind her. Panting and clawing at his hips, she emits a wild moan.
Sliding his hand to her hip and pinning her arm beneath his, Levi asks, “Remember how we met?”
“Yes,” Thessaly whispers
, closing her eyes.
“You totally wanted me,” Levi teases, trailing his long fingers across her pelvis.
Opening her eyes to watch their reflection in the window, she purrs, “Yes.”
Stroking her clit and biting her neck, Levi hums, “And I really wanted you.”
“Yes.” Thessaly gasps.
“But I was outside.” Gliding two fingers along her lips, Levi adds, “And I wanted inside.”
“Mmm, yes.” Collapsing into Levi’s chest and dropping her head back in pleasure, Thessaly shudders and slows her breathing.
“And now?” Levi asks, penetrating her rhythmically with his fingers. “We’re on the same side of the window.”
“I’ve been a guest at sixty-seven weddings and seventeen engagement parties. It was my own wedding that made me feel unwelcome.”
Chapter Twelve
Waking to the smell of fresh coffee and the heat of the eastern sunlight, Thessaly opens her swollen eyes and moans. Recognizing her phone charging on the side table, and the glorious feeling of soreness between her thighs, Thessaly sits up and searches for Levi. Shielding her sensitive eyes from the blinding sunshine peeking in the window, she tucks the sheet under her arms and scans the loft.
“Morning,” Levi says.
Following the sound of Levi’s voice, Thessaly finds him, slouching in a leather chair, wearing only dark denim jeans and a brilliant smile. He reaches for his coffee mug on a nearby tray table and slowly takes a sip.
“Were you watching me sleep, Levi?” Thessaly scrunches her nose and then grins.
Returning the mug to the table and rising from his chair, Levi replies, “Nah, I was watching you wake up.”
“Come here,” demands Thessaly.
Strutting toward the bed, Levi stops abruptly and crosses his arms.
“What?” Thessaly asks.
“Just thinkin’,” he quips.
“About?”
Sitting on the edge of the bed and leaning back on his arms, Levi says, “I was just thinking how beautiful you look with the golden rays of sunshine pouring through the window, casting an apricot glow upon your heavenly, flexible body.”
Waiting for the punchline, Thessaly rasps, “Oh, please.”
“I’m serious! I was admiring your beauty.”
Relentless, she presses, “And?”
“And . . . thinking about how sweet your pussy tasted last night.” Levi laughs, causing the muscles in his stomach to contract and relax as he adds, “And also the thing about the sunlight.”
While grabbing a pillow to pounce on top of Levi, Thessaly’s phone buzzes on the side table. She tucks the sheet back under her arms and reaches for her phone. Realizing she has a full battery but didn’t bring her own charger, she asks, “Did you charge my phone?”
“Yep.”
“Levi, that’s the most romantic thing ever!”
“Your standards are really low, Tess.”
Glancing at the time on the screen and biting her lip, she answers the call from Seth. “Hey.”
“Tess, you’re not going to believe this,” Seth blabbers in a feminine shrill.
“What happened to your voice?”
“Oh, I didn’t get much sleep . . . know what I’m sayin’?”
In the background, Meg can be heard shouting, “Lies, Tess. All lies.”
“Where are you two?”
“At the shop. Shelby misplaced his wallet in the kitchen so we met him here.”
“Oh shit, is he still there?” Thessaly panics.
“He left for the airport half an hour ago. I thought you knew?”
“Crap! I suck.”
“A little bit. But listen to my incredible news,” Seth demands.
“Tell me.”
“The art director emailed the proofs from the photo shoot and told me to keep as many as we want for our personal use. Tess, I found the perfect image for Wild Honey.”
“That’s good. We can print some things before the launch.”
“Um, you need to understand something.”
“Okay?”
“The image I want to use is not your typical promotional photo – in fact, let me hang up and send it to you.”
“Fine, send it to my email.”
“Bye,” Seth says.
Ending the call, Thessaly quickly texts Shelby.
Tess: I overslept. Do you hate me?
Shelby: Nah, I’m good. And please don’t hate me when you find the stain on your couch from my plate of hot wings. Your laundry detergent has bleach, btw.
Tess: Shelby!
Shelby: Tess!
Tess: That couch is upholstered in velvet. It’s ruined!
Shelby: Flip the cushion. Problem solved.
Tess: Have a safe flight, butthead.
Shelby: Good luck with your launch, sis.
“Everything okay?” asks Levi.
“Yeah, typical sibling drama. Can I use your laptop to check my emails?”
“I don’t have one here, but you can access Gmail on my TV.”
Standing from the bed and grabbing the remote from the dresser, Levi powers on his television and then tosses the remote in her lap.
Palming the remote and laughing, Thessaly asks, “How big is that thing?”
“Nine inches of rock hard steel.”
Thessaly tilts her head and chews the inside of her cheek.
“Oh, you mean the TV? Sixty-inches of ultra HD and a SmartTV.” Levi removes a T-shirt from the dresser drawer and instructs, “This screen displays all the apps.” Pointing to the top row, he adds, “Use the keyboard on the back of the remote to sign in.”
“Amazing! It’s like the Jetsons.”
Levi pulls a heather-blue T-shirt over his head and then takes out his expensive watch from a glass box. “Will you be okay here?” he asks over his shoulder.
Typing the information into the television screen, Thessaly mumbles, “Are you leaving?”
“I have to go to the farm for a meeting.”
Picking up a shirt from the floor, Thessaly dresses and walks toward Levi. “You trust me in your apartment?”
Levi sits on the leather chair and ties his sneakers. “You have my permission to snoop, if that’s what you’re asking.” Standing, he rests his hands on Thessaly’s shoulders and smiles. “Let me think . . . the antibiotic in the bathroom cabinet is from an ear infection, and I keep extra toothbrushes in the drawer for travel – pick your favorite color and give it a home next to mine. I hide my bong in the bottom drawer of my dresser and my passport in the top. You won’t find any embarrassing pictures, but if you come across a photo of a redhead with a fake smile, that’s my ex-girlfriend, Taylor.”
“I think you covered everything.”
Levi kisses Thessaly’s forehead and then says, “There are bagels and coffee in the kitchen. And caramel creamer in the fridge.”
“Can I jump on your bed?” she asks.
“Please,” Levi teases while moving his hands to her ass. “Shit, I have to go. I’ll call you later,” he adds, walking toward the door.
“Bye, Levi,” Thessaly says, plopping on the bed and opening the email from Seth.
When the image attachment opens, Thessaly gasps. “Holy shit!” She grabs her phone and calls Seth.
“You’re on speaker, Tess,” answers Seth.
“Seth, I can’t have my face plastered all over the brand! And Levi? He’s shirtless for God’s sake.”
“I’m a graphic designer, Tess. That image is provocative and sweet – just like the brand.”
“I trust you, but you have to crop it or something.”
Sighing, Seth drones, “I’ll work my magic.”
“Tess, you look smokin’ hot,” Meg interrupts.
Glancing at the number of an incoming call, Thessaly blurts, “Guys, I have to take this call. I’ll stop by later and we’ll work it out.”
She swipes the incoming call and asks, “Hi – everything okay?”
In unison, Bruce and Ros
alyn chime, “Congratulations on your engagement!”
Sitting in a cab as she makes her way Downtown, Thessaly combs her wet hair with her fingers and fastens it with a rubber band. No woman likes to walk the crooked line of shame, and Thessaly is no different. So, she took a long, hot shower at Levi’s loft, brushed her teeth, and borrowed one of his black blazers. Fashioning it over her dress and rolling up the sleeves, she hailed a cab a few blocks from his building and headed home.
Arriving at her building, she pays the cab driver and then proceeds inside. To her surprise, she finds Mason sitting on the bench inside her lobby.
“Mason?”
Standing and walking toward her with a confident gait, he says, “Tess.”
“What are you doing here? Let’s go upstairs.”
Dropping to one knee and reaching for her hand, Mason takes a deep breath and pulls her closer. “Thessaly Sinclair, would you do me the honor of being my wife?”
Thessaly shifts her weight and furrows her brows. “What?”
Mason removes a small, turquoise box from his pocket and pries it open. He pinches the large diamond between his fingers and lifts the ring from the box. “Tess, will you marry me?” Without an answer, Mason attempts to slide the ring on her finger.
Pulling her hand away and frowning, Thessaly replies, “Mason, I can’t marry you.”
Surprised and slightly annoyed, Mason stands from the floor and glares at Thessaly. “Why not? It’s what you’ve wanted for years,” he accuses.
Shrinking in embarrassment, Thessaly whispers, “I did. I wanted to marry you.”
“Then what changed?”
“I changed.”
Running his discerning eyes over her clothing and wet hair, Mason sighs disapprovingly. “I guess you did.” He returns the ring to the box and snaps it shut. Placing the box back in his pocket and gently thumbing her cheek, Mason adds, “Take care, Tess.”
As he walks away, Thessaly calls after him. “Mason?”
Hopeful, he answers, “Yes?”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
Passively, she replies, “New York.”