by Chloe Grey
After I made sure he looked perfect, I straightened up and returned the smile. “If there is nothing else, I’ll go now.”
Never in a million years would I have thought this would ever happen. I had sworn never to open my heart and let a man in again. What happened? It all seemed too good to be true.
“You could give your new boyfriend a parting kiss, and maybe return the favor by giving him a quick handjob while you’re at it.”
I leaned forward, pecked him on the lips, then stepped back. If he had pulled me in, I don’t know if I had the willpower to stop him—or myself.
I licked my lips, tasting his honey. “To—”
“Night.” He finished the word for me. “God, Audrey, you’re really hyping me for tonight. I expect the best orgasm I’ve ever had.”
SAM JUMPED ON HER SEAT next to me and spun the chair a few times. It was already half past one, and the workload had slowed down.
“Hey,” she said, still spinning. “Let’s go for lunch.”
“Sorry.” I smiled at her. “I’m having lunch with Kevin.”
“Mr. H?” She put her foot on the floor to stop spinning. “You are having lunch with Mr. H?”
“Yeah. What about it?”
“I have... I mean.” Sam cleared her throat. “He has always eaten lunch alone.” She emphasized the word. “Wow, he must really like you. The last girl was t-e-r-r-i-b-l-e.”
I laughed, taking out the invoice I had just printed.
“Hey.” Sam nudged my shoulder. “Are you interested in coming to a wedding with me?”
“Whose?
“My cousin’s.” She groaned, making a face at me. “She’s marrying her high school sweetheart. I would rather cry myself to sleep than go there, but my cousin expects me to come since we’re, you know, cousins and all. I know I’m asking a lot, but if you come, it would make everything so much better.”
“When is it?”
“This Sunday evening. Six thirty.” She held up a hand. “I know this is kinda last minute. I won’t blame you for saying no, but there is free food and all the booze you could ever dream of.”
I couldn’t help but smile at the mention of alcohol. “I’m sold.”
“Yay!” My eyes widened as she threw herself on me, wrapping me in a tight hug. “Thanks so much, Audrey!” She broke the hug and looked at me. “Do you want me to pick you up?”
I looked over at Kevin who was staring at us and chewing on the tip of his pen. Should I bring him along? I should, right? After all, he was my boyfriend and all, but then again, I didn’t want Sam to know about our relationship as stupid as that may sound.
“No, I’ll meet you there. Just tell me where it is.”
She hugged me and thanked me again, telling me I should bring Zane along too because she really wanted to meet him.
“Why would they get married so young anyway?” Sam asked suddenly as we chatted. “It’s not like they are on a time limit. Well, they kind of are, everyone is, but...” She lapsed into silence.
“What?”
We had been talking about the new fancy Italian coffee machine at the break room when she suddenly popped that out.
“Oh.” Realization dawned on her face. “I didn’t mean to say that out loud. I need to go to lunch. Thank you again!” She gave me another hug before racing out of the office.
I chuckled and stacked all my papers together in front of me because I like everything neat and organized. When I got back from lunch, I would know exactly where everything was. After finishing that, I stood up and poked my head into Kevin’s office. “Do you want anything in particular for lunch?”
He stopped typing and looked up. “Yeah, one order of Audrey Hemlock please.”
I groaned, and he laughed.
“Anything would be good,” he told me, his eyes bright. “Except prawn.”
“Fish and chips, it is,” I muttered then set off, wishing I had a pair of sneakers instead of these instruments of pointy torture.
“WANT SOME MORE CHIPS?” Kevin asked.
“I’m good,” I replied, shoving more chips in my mouth. I made sure to swallow everything before speaking again. “How do you get so muscular when you don’t eat much?”
“I do eat. But mostly late night snacking. I have excellent genetics too.” He stopped chewing and glanced at me. “But we should really start eating clean, or you will lose all your curves. And I really like your curves.”
I shrugged. “I have always eaten like this. No, it was worse before. I lived off ramen in college.”
“You must have god-like genetics then. Having a body like that and eating like crap.”
I smiled, and we ate in comfortable silence for a little while.
Kevin ate the last chunk of his fried fish and pushed his food box aside. “What did Sam say to you?”
“Oh.” I looked away. “Something about a wedding.”
He must have expected me to say more because he kept looking at me, tapping a finger on his desk.
I fidgeted. “What?”
“Did you get invited?”
“Yes.”
“And I assume you accepted her invitation?”
I nodded.
“And you’re not bringing your boyfriend along?”
I was in trouble. I looked down and fiddled with my fingers. “I don’t want anyone to know about our relationship.”
“Why? Are you embarrassed to be with me? Is that why you refuse to even walk with me to the office?”
“No, of course not. It’s just...”
I trailed off into silence as his gaze bored into me.
“It’s fine, Audrey,” he finally said, leaning back in his chair and looking to the side. “You can go after you finish your food.”
Chapter 24
The first day of our relationship and I was already fucking things up. What the hell was wrong with me?
I tried to focus on work but I kept unintentionally glancing up into Kevin’s office. Finally, I went with the cowardly route and texted him instead of going into his office and personally apologizing.
Me: I’m sorry. Please come with me to the wedding as my date.
He looked at his phone and then at me before his fingers twiddled around for a response. Seconds later, my phone buzzed in my hand.
Mr. A2: Ok.
If there was one thing I learned from years of texting, a one-word response with a period in the end was never a good thing. I looked into his office again. Kevin was back on his laptop, typing away.
I sent him another text.
Me: I’m really sorry.
I debated whether to add a crying or a sad emoji at the end, but that might cheapen my apology. I hit send.
Kevin picked up his phone from his desk and typed a response.
Mr. A2: It’s fine. It’s just that I was also invited and dumped my date for you. I was about to invite you to Jessica’s wedding, but Sam asked you first.
Me: Jessica? Is she Sam’s cousin?
Mr. A2: Yeah. We’re good friends. Sam doesn’t know though since I don’t see a reason to tell her. Not surprised to know that Jessica didn’t tell her too since they aren’t close.
Me: Okay. Again, I’m really sorry.
Mr. A2: Make it up for me tonight -wink emoji-
I broke into a grin and looked up. Kevin gave me the barest hint of a smile before he got back to work. Still feeling guilty, I went to Kevin’s contact on my phone and changed ‘Mr. A2’ to ‘Kev.’ He deserved it.
Hours passed, and I left work a little late because there was a customer on the phone who kept inquiring about his order. I still had to prepare the day’s report, and not to mention finish up tomorrow's schedule for my boss.
By the time I was done, it was already five forty-five. Sam and Kevin had long since left and the office was emptying out by the minute. I quickly packed my stuff and waved goodbye to the few people left at their desk doing god knows what. I felt bad when they remembered my name but I forgot what theirs were. But t
hen again, it was easier remembering the new girl’s name than trying to remember forty.
I half expected to bump into Marcus again as I walked through the revolving doors. The asshole was nowhere in sight, and I speed walked toward the back of the building. It wasn’t a fun experience walking through the chill without panties.
“Hungry?” Kevin asked as I climbed into the BMW.
“Starving,” I moaned, clutching my stomach.
I called Zane to see if he wanted takeout and complained to Kevin about the annoying client who kept me on the phone, much to his amusement. He told me about his nine o'clock meeting when the client tripped over a pocket of air while entering the room.
“I didn’t see that!” I laughed.
“You were pretty busy,” he said, taking a quick glance and smiling at me. “He was pretty embarrassed about it and kept apologizing.” He looked back toward the road and slowed down at a red light. “Have you started writing your book yet?”
I groaned. “Not yet. I keep forgetting, and something always comes up when I want to start.”
Kevin said nothing.
“What?” I said, getting a little self-conscious. I caught my reflection on the window and tidied my hair up.
“Nothing. You just look so cute when you’re flustered.”
“Thanks?” I didn’t know how to react to his compliments. Was that even a compliment?
The light turned green, and he stepped on the gas.
“Mind if we make a stop after dinner?” he asked me as he signaled to take a U-turn. “I’m out of condoms.”
Kevin glanced at me as I giggled. For some reason, that was hilarious to me.
“You don’t have a spare one in your wallet?”
“It’s kind of old. I told you, I don’t have sex often nowadays.”
“And why is that?”
“Like I said, I’m over it. I would rather have a real, emotional connection with a woman that I can spend the rest of my life with than mindless sex. I’m sure you understand.”
“I do.”
Was he hinting towards me? He said he was in the long haul with me, right? I was interested in the reason for his breakup again. There must have been a big problem, and didn’t he say his ex was the one who dumped him? I stole a glance at Kevin. He was so perfect. So why would she leave him—why would anyone?
What was the reason he gave me for his breakup? She wanted something I couldn’t provide for her anymore.
What does that mean? There were still more questions I wanted answered. Why does he stay in a crappy apartment when he’s loaded? It doesn’t make sense. And the incident this morning, too. Something about his whore. What was that all about?
Suddenly I felt like I didn’t know him at all.
I HAD FORGOTTEN HE had promised to take me to someplace nice. When we decided on Chinese, I’d pictured a normal Chinese restaurant. The last thing I expected was another Michelin star establishment with a menu only aliens could understand. And the more time I spent eating in the chilly restaurant, the more I regretted not wearing my panties.
We finished our delicious four-course meal and left the place to walk to a nearby drug store. His hand was on the small of my back, igniting a fire inside of me as we pushed through the night crowd.
“Do you like chocolate?” Kevin asked me as we browsed through the condom section.
“You mean chocolate as in chocolate or...” I nodded towards the flavored latexes.
“The latter. It’s for you, not me.”
I shrugged.
“Alright, Audrey.” He turned to me. “What’s wrong?”
I looked at his blues. “What do you mean?”
“You were quiet during dinner, and you’re acting distant now. Are you nervous?” He paused. “If you don’t want anything to happen tonight, just tell me.”
“Can I ask you something?” I said instead.
He placed the condom packet back on the shelf. “Sure.”
“Why are you staying with us when you could live in, like, a nice condo or something?”
He sighed and scratched the back of his head. “Is this what’s bothering you? Why does that matter? Do you have to know everything?”
“When it comes to my boyfriends, yes. All of my past lovers had hidden something from me, and that is usually the reason for the inevitable breakup. And that isn’t all. I have so many questions for you that I feel you won’t answer. You’re hiding things from me, Kev, and that’s a huge red flag. You said I could trust you. But how can I trust you if you don’t trust me? Hell, I don’t even know why I agreed to be in a relationship with you. Everything just happened so fast.”
Kevin was silent for a moment, his shoulders slumped. When he spoke, his voice was barely a whisper. “Let’s just go home, okay? We can cuddle and watch Netflix.”
“Kev...” I leaned toward him and grabbed his arm, feeling his toned muscles under his suit. “I didn’t really mean that. You have been nothing but lovely to me, and I really like you. I want this, us, to work. Why don’t you tell me and get this all over with? Why do you feel the need to hide things from me?”
He lifted my chin up with a thumb and ran his knuckles over my cheeks. “I wish I could tell you, but I can’t. Let’s just go home. I’m tired anyway.”
“Wait.” I stopped him as he turned away.
“Yeah?”
I nodded toward the XL packets. “Get the vanilla flavored one.”
Chapter 25
Kevin was on me before we even got into our apartment.
“Kev,” I gasped as he backed me into the wall beside our apartment door. His lips crashed onto mine, and his fingers went under the hem of my dress. Now I was glad I wasn’t wearing panties.
“Audrey,” he replied, his voice all coarse, rough, and sexy. “Are you still angry with me?”
No. “Yes.”
It was hard to be angry with him when two of his fingers were buried deep inside me.
“Then why do you want to do this? Is this what people call angry sex?”
It was also getting hard to speak with his thumb circling my clit. “Are you mad at me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?” I gasped, the word coming out more high pitched than I intended.
“You’re happy one minute and mad at me the next. I thought I had you figured out, but you drive me fucking crazy.”
I grabbed his sides and whirled us around, so he was now backed up against the wall. Kevin dropped his wet fingers in surprise, and it was my turn to attack his full lips. There was that feeling again. Every single time I made love to Kevin, I felt so empowered, so fucking sexy.
“I want tonight to be about us, okay?” I pulled back a little but kept my eyes on his and my hips close to his massive bulge. “I want to please you tonight.” I leaned forward and pecked him on the lips, nipping on his bottom as I pulled back. I felt his bulge twitch. “I want to pay you back for everything you’ve done for me.”
He chuckled, running his tongue over the spot where I had just bit him. Everything he did was so damn erotic. “You might be the first woman to make me come by kissing me.”
Smiling, I got on my tiptoes and leaned forward. “I—”
Our apartment door opened, and Zane poked his head out. “Hey, guys, I wanted to let you know we can hear every word you say.” My best friend rapped his knuckles on the wall. “It’s super thin if you hadn’t noticed, and I bet all our neighbors can hear your lovemaking, too.”
“Oh.” My face turned red as I took a step away from Kevin. I was so caught up in the moment I forgot about Zane.
Kevin coughed into his fist and cleared his throat. “Sorry.” I met his gaze and couldn't contain my laughter.
“Should we get a hotel room?” my boyfriend asked me.
“No need,” Zane said. “Jason and I were just leaving.”
“Oh, to where?”
Zane groaned. “You just have to ask, don’t you?” He winked at me, and I giggled.
“Jas
on!” Zane poked his head back inside. “Let’s go!”
“Go?” A voice answered from inside. “What? Why are we leaving?”
Moments later, we were all outside our apartment door. Zane leaned in and kissed me on my cheek. “Have fun tonight, cookie,” he whispered in my ear.
“Thank you,” I mouthed.
“Alright, let's go!” Zane said with more enthusiasm than needed before pulling a confused Jason away.
“What was that about?” Kevin asked once they were out of eyesight.
I shrugged and took my boyfriend’s hand, leading him into our shitty apartment. “Just Zane being Zane.”
Our place reeked of beer and cigarettes. What the hell? I saw several empty beer bottles on the dining table and a couple of used cigarettes on an ashtray when we never owned an ashtray before. I would have a talk with Zane. But for now, there were more urgent matters to attend to.
“Wait,” I said when Kevin led me into his room. “I’ve got to change first.”
He frowned. “What do you mean? We‘re fucking, aren’t we?”
“Just give me a minute,” I told him before scurrying to my room. I took off my dress and dumping it into the basket for my dirty clothes. Fully nude, I opened my drawer to search for sexy lingerie. I knew there was a black sheer lace set somewhere...
I found it and put it on, performing numerous poses in front of the mirror before I was satisfied that it did indeed look decent on me. I shrugged on a white bathrobe before heading out, pinching my nose as I crossed the living room.
Anticipation coursed through my veins and settled between my thighs. I had promised to give him a really good night, and I hoped I could deliver. If I kept overthinking it, I would pressure myself and back out at the last minute for fear of disappointing him.
Just relax and enjoy tonight, Audrey.
I took a moment to do my breathing exercises before I entered Kevin’s room. At least it didn’t reek of cigarette smoke, and I happily inhaled a breeze of his intoxifying pineapple scent.