Hearts of Darkness: A Valentine's Day Bully Romance Collection

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  I lock eyes with August, unsure of his next move.

  A kinky version of the lopsided smile covers his face, and his blue eyes become dark. He drops to his knees and opens my legs. I stare down at him. My mouth is slack and my eyes are wide. He spreads my folds and drags his tongue across me.

  My vision blurs.

  He treats me like I’m a gourmet meal to be savored while I hold onto the sink for dear life. I stare down at him as he sinks fingers inside of me and his mouth finds my clit. I see stars.

  “Who’s pussy is this?” he asks taking his heavenly mouth away from me.

  “Mine.”

  He stares up at me with his eyebrows knitted together. “Wrong fucking answer.”

  This time, when August returns his mouth to me, he feasts. I nearly climb onto the sink trying to back away from him. I’m unable to take what he is giving. I climb toward a climax that might alert the patrons at Thanks a Latte of what’s really going down in the bathroom. My clit swells and hardens in his mouth, my knees weaken under my shaking body. I do my best to quiet myself as I tip over the edge in whimpers and moans.

  “It’s your pussy. It’s yours, everything is.” I gasp and moan through the orgasm. He has always had all of the love and trust that I will ever give another human, and he has never done one thing to prove himself unworthy.

  I’m cold when he backs away from me, and slides the condom over his erection, only to feel warmth and comfort when he sinks deep inside of me.

  He watches me as he thrusts. His fingers wipe away the moisture at my eyes.

  “Tell me you’re mine, El.”

  He pumps in and out of me fast and hard like quick bathroom sex should feel. I can’t tell him what he wants to hear.

  “Nine days is all I can give you, I’m sorry.”

  He rolls his eyes and slides in faster, deeper, harder.

  “Fuck Florida. Fuck nine days. You and I are going to get married and have babies and travel the world.”

  “Will I owe you for the rest of our lives?”

  He scoffs and a boyish laugh escapes him. “Not the entire time.”

  His eyes flutter and he stills on a hard thrust inside of me, and he comes in a calmer fashion than I did. He’s likely not a stranger to sex in public.

  He stares down at me. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  We clean ourselves up as best as we can, and he pulls me through the café. I look straight ahead, avoiding the eyes of the patrons, but I can feel them.

  AUGUST

  2003

  AFTER THREE ATTEMPTS, the door to my father’s office opens with a whoosh. The thick air rushes out into the hall, happy to escape the stifling space. This room and my parents’ bedroom are the only places in the house that we haven’t fucked. I draw the line at the room where they sleep.

  “Fancy,” Elody says when we walk into the room. The walls are painted steel gray and the furnishings are rich and stately, almost presidential. His many accomplishments are touted on plaques that hang on the wall. A single picture of me at three sits on his desk. I’m a little boy in that one with big eyes and unbrushed curly hair.

  “This feels so wrong and wonderful at the same time,” Elody says with a smile. “Would you like your Christmas present in the big stuffed leather office chair?” She runs her hands along the chair. “Or, the sofa?” She points across the office. “Or, would you like to have it on Daddy’s desk?”

  I swallow hard, and my dick grows in my pants. I don’t know exactly what her surprise is, but now I know that my dick will be involved.

  “Uh, all three sound pretty good to me.”

  She smiles and begins pulling her clothes from her body. I do the same. We stand in the middle of my father’s prized office, naked and ready to defile it. I pick up my pants and pull out a condom from my pocket. Elody shakes her head.

  “Do you trust me?” she asks.

  I nod.

  “I’m on the pill. We don't need condoms anymore.”

  The idea of feeling her heat against mine almost ends things before I even touch her. I walk over to her, lead her to the desk, bend her over, and slide inside of her. The condom may as well be a bullet proof vest for how much more I feel without it. I never dreamed anything could feel this good.

  “El, you feel so damn good...so hot and tight.”

  “Only for you.” She arches her back and I slam into her. I am going faster than I want.

  “Do you feel like a big man taking me on Daddy’s desk?”

  “Fuck, yeah.” I say pushing into her slowly.

  “August,” she moans.

  “Yes?” I say with my eyes shut tight while I try to hold back. I’m not ready to come.

  “Is that your father’s car?” she asks.

  I open my eyes in a hurry, and, sure as shit, my father’s dark blue Mercedes rolls to a stop in front of the door. Meanwhile, I have my adult girlfriend bent over his desk.

  “Fuck.”

  I pull out of her and the panic begins. We bump heads when we reach for our clothes on the floor at the same time. We dress in a hurry, then scan the room for any evidence. Just as we step into the hallway and close the door, the security alarm goes off.

  Elody has a scared look in her eyes, and her face turns white.

  “We’ll be fine,” I say. “If he asks, I’ll just tell him I had a girl from school over without you knowing.”

  She nods and smiles at me, and I kiss her hard before we head in opposite directions.

  I round the corner to the entryway and almost run into my dad. “Hey Dad,” I say, trying to sound calm.

  His eyebrows raise when he sees me, then he nods. “Why was the alarm on?”

  I shrug. “I haven’t left the house today, so I never turned it off.”

  “Hmm. Where’s the nanny?” he asks.

  “Her name is Elody.” I correct, then I shrug. “I don’t know, I haven’t seen her since last night. What are you doing home? I thought you’d be gone for another couple of days.”

  He starts walking, and I pray that he turns left to the kitchen and not right toward his office. I know it probably smells like sex in there.

  “I know I said your mother and I would be home for Christmas, but it turns out we still have a lot ground to cover before the new year.”

  I stare at him without blinking. Is he expecting me to tear up or cry for mommy and daddy like a sad little boy? He forgets, I’ve done this so many times. This is normal. I think I’d freak out if they did plan to be here for Christmas.

  It would be weird to sit around a dinner table laughing and sharing old memories of my childhood then exchanging gifts. I’m more okay with being alone. Especially since I have a dark-haired beauty who has already given herself to me for Christmas. What more could I need?

  “It’s fine,” I say.

  He walks over and pats me on the shoulder firmly, like always.

  “Don’t worry, your mother and I got you an amazing gift. We got something for your nanny, as well.”

  I drag my hand through my hair. “Elody, Dad. She’s been here for ten months and you can’t remember her name?”

  He gives me a proud smile. “Elody, then.”

  “Okay, well, I’m gonna head up to my room.” I pat his arm as I pass by and take the stairs two at a time. The sooner he leaves, the sooner I can get back to her.

  AUGUST

  2003

  I MAKE IT TO MY ROOM without being seen, but my hands shake as I close the door behind me. That was much too close for my comfort. If I hadn’t looked up at the camera at exactly the right time, we might have been too late. The alarm would have told us he was home, but he would have been inside already. There’s no way we could have hidden what we were doing.

  I bite and nibble my finger and wait.

  This is taking forever. His father knows. He has to. I may as well start packing my things. Oh, this is so bad. I should have never crossed the line like this. How am I going to leave August? I
love him.

  Shit. I sit back on my bed and stare up at the window, waiting for him to appear. It seems to take forever. I glance back and forth between the room door, where I expect to hear a knock right before I’m asked to leave, and August’s window room, which means we are safe for a while longer.

  When August appears in his window, I relax. I didn’t know how tall I was sitting while I waited. Then the knock comes. My eyes get big, and I hope that August can see the panic in them from his room.

  I walk to the door and pull it open. August’s father is tall and strong and powerful without needing to say a word.

  “Hi, sir. I didn’t know you were home,” I say and smile.

  He steps into my room. I didn’t invite him inside. I turn to look at the window and August is gone.

  “How are you and August getting along?” he asks.

  He knows. There is no way he doesn’t know. “Just fine.” I avert my eyes from his intense gaze.

  He smirks. “Do you need anything?”

  I shake my head at him and train my eyes on the wall behind him.

  He steps deeper into the room and stares up at the window, before turning to me. “My son is very strong-willed, and I think he has feelings for you. Perhaps it was a mistake bringing in a young, beautiful woman.” He steps closer to me. Too close. I step back.

  “I’m a professional, sir. I’m here to take care of your son and do my job and that’s what I’m doing. Nothing more.” Lie.

  “Are you lonely up here in the mountains?” He runs his fingers through my hair and I cringe inwardly. This isn’t happening. “I don’t have to leave just yet.” He adds and peels off his suit coat. “Maybe if I spoil you, my son will lose interest and you can do your fucking job.”

  I take a cautious step back, and my eyes dart around for the best escape route should he decide press forward. His jacket falls to the floor. His eyes become hooded and lustful. No matter what he wants or aims to do, he can’t have me.

  There’s a hurried knock at the door, and I know August is on the other side.

  “Come in,” I say, my voice small and strained.

  “Hey,” he says when he steps through the door. His eyes pass between his father and me.

  “Dad, put your coat back on and leave Elody alone,” he says, his chest rises and falls quickly. I know how angry he is by looking at his narrowed eyes.

  His father clears his throat. “I was only taking my coat off to look in the pocket for this—” He scoops it up from the floor, pulls out a box, and hands it to me.

  I open it, and find a set of keys inside. I look up at him in confusion.

  “What is this?” I ask.

  He smiles. “Keys to a new car. It’ll be delivered tomorrow. A white Mercedes.”

  I look back and forth between them. “I can’t accept a car. I mean, thank you so much, but it’s too much.” I hand him the keys and rush into the bathroom, then sit on the toilet and cry. This is too much for me. I’m not used to dealing with so much attention from men. I communicate mostly with mothers and small children. What was his father was planning to do before August arrived? I’m sick. A car? Who buys the nanny her own car?

  The door opens, and August is in the doorway.

  “He’s gone.”

  I can’t speak.

  “Are you okay?”

  I shrug.

  He falls to the floor and lays his head in my lap. His arms wrap around my legs, and mine around his head and shoulders.

  “I’ll never let him get close enough to you to touch you again, okay?” he looks up at me.

  I nod.

  This boy is so much more man than he knows.

  My head falls back. I’ve let this go too far. I can’t change my feelings or take them back now. How did I let myself fall in love with a seventeen year old?

  AUGUST

  2010

  I’M having a tremendous amount of fun with Elody, but the deeper I go down the rabbit hole the worse it’s going to be for me. She’s leaving in six days. Nothing I do or say changes that, and I need to let her go because I’d be a fool to trust her with my heart. What’s that expression? Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.

  Still, I can’t seem to get enough of her.

  I’ve just gotten home, and I make my way to my mailbox. After I unlock and open it, I gasp. It’s full to the brim. I can’t remember the last time I checked it, and I never let it pile up. I shove my phone in my pocket, along with my keys, and proceed to pull it all out. A familiar, bright-red envelope catches my eye. Mother. I fish it out and put it on top of the pile, then shift everything around to one arm so that I can manage my keys to unlock the front door.

  I’ve just gotten the door open when the mail slips out of my arm and crashes to the floor. I manage to keep hold of the red envelope. I stare down at the mess and laugh. It’s just like my fucking life right now. I tear the envelope open, then my phone rings inside my pocket.

  I don’t recognize the number. “Dr. Mitchell,” I say.

  “August, dear. It’s your mother.”

  “Mother? Is this a new number?”

  She makes a familiar sound that’s a mix between a polite laugh and an exhale. I can imagine her smile through the phone. It’s both heartwarming and cunning, depending on who she is arranging her features for.

  “No, dear. I’m calling from the foundation phone. I’m at work right now.”

  I look up to the ceiling, then roll my eyes. I love how she thinks of her foundation work as a job. I know serving others isn’t easy, but it’s not a nine-to-five.

  “I got your invite out of the box.” I use my foot to start moving the mail away from my door so that I can close it. There are envelopes everywhere, but they’re inconveniently concentrated right in the doorway.

  She grunts. “If you came by the house more often, I could have handed it to you instead of mailing it like you’re a person on the guest list.”

  It’s my turn to grunt. “You and Dad are never home, and I run a busy practice.” And I’m never stepping foot inside the Aspen house again.

  “Oh, that is something one of your patients would say. Surely you have time to visit your mother?”

  I begged my parents to see, notice, and love me. Now that I’m fine with things being sterile between us and the fact that they don’t really know me, they wanna play family. They have the nerve to be shocked when I don’t reciprocate.

  “Don’t you think Valentine’s Day is a little on the nose for the gala?” I ask while I cradle the phone between my shoulder and ear and pick up the mail that I kicked near the foyer table.

  She laughs. “It’s perfect marketing, heart health on the day that celebrates love and hearts.”

  “Love isn’t real.”

  I turn to pick up the last few pieces of mail and my stomach flip-flops at what I see in my doorway. We stand locked in a trance, and a bewitching smile crosses Elody’s face. I have no words. She’s leaving in six days and as much as I want to fight for her, she doesn’t deserve for me to. When she and I were together, I did believe in love and hearts. I believed that we had one special person placed on this earth, created just for each of us. How could I not when two foster kids like us were thrown together? But if love was real, she would have never ripped my heart from my chest.

  “Don’t disappoint your father, and bring a date. You do have a date, don’t you? If not, I have a lovely young lady that I can set you up with.”

  I stare at Elody.

  “Mom. I have a date,” I say before mumbling a goodbye and disconnecting the call.

  ELODY

  2010

  “DO I EVEN WANT TO KNOW what you just said yes to? It looked serious.” I scoop up a couple of pieces of mail from the doorway and hand them to him.

  He doesn’t say anything, he only stands and stares at me like a man in love. The only thing he’s missing are the stars in his eyes. Maybe he doesn’t care about the past. Perhaps he doesn’t need me to tell him what h
is father did to me and why we’re really apart.

  Nope. The disdainful scowl has returned.

  “You really are so fucking beautiful, Elody.” He gestures for me to take a seat on his sofa.

  “The phone call?” I repeat. I don’t want to talk about how beautiful I am. What I want is for him to stop hating me. He said “date” and I’m standing right here. Did he mean me?

  I hope he did. I pray he didn’t.

  I’m leaving, and I can’t allow myself to get wrapped back up in the mysteries and wonders of August Mitchell.

  He sits down on the sofa next to me. “We are going to this.” He hands me a huge red envelope, with an invitation on top.

  “The Healing Hearts Gala.” I look up for his answer.

  “My father’s foundation,” he says. “Black tie, fancy food and drinks, mega auction...all for a great cause.” His response sounds rehearsed.

  I stare at him without blinking. My blood drops from normal body temperature to a chilly frost. His father is the last human on earth that I want to see, and I’m sure the feeling is mutual. In fact, he’d probably follow through with his threat if I show up with his son. I’m ‘the help,’ and his son couldn’t possibly fall for me. Flashes of our last meeting pop into my head. I couldn’t face him again.

  “And, if I say no?” I ask.

  He shrugs and stares into my eyes. “You won’t.”

  I smirk at his cockiness and look back down at the invite.

  “It says here that it’s on Valentine’s Day.”

  “And?” he stares at me. He knows the date that I’m leaving.

  “You know I’m leaving on the fourteenth, so I can’t be your date to this thing. Thanks, though,” I say and lay the heavy paper on the sofa between us. He stares down at it and back at me with a smirk on his beautiful lips.

  “You see, that’s where you’re wrong. You are going to the gala with me. You still owe me, and I’m not finished collecting.”