"Okay ..." he surrendered. "But let's continue the same speech as before, right?"
"You will never change!"
"It's not my intention," Easton said proudly. “But I promised my father that in exchange for your recruitment to the Daily Journal, " I will finish the year with remarkably high grades. He also appeared strangely happy when I told him that I want to study law and not economics as he wanted."
"Why?"
"I don’t know. He only told me that he had never felt me to be so determined and confident, so he would accept my decision and talk about it with my uncle. He only asked me to show him results that would make him understand how capable and decisive I was with this choice of mine. I replied that my grades will make Jake eat dust. He laughed and wished me luck. "
"Is your brother good?"
"He’s the best."
"Wow ..."
“ But that doesn't scare me. I have more skills than he does. So far, he has only beaten me thanks to his ambition, which has always allowed him to face every challenge without fear. “
"But now I see that you too are ambitious."
"Not as much as he is, but with you by my side I feel stronger," Easton confessed, before kissing me.
My heart turned at the sound of his words. With Easton it always seemed like I was on a roller coaster, going from the moments when he was the most arrogant and hateful boy I had ever known to the sweetest, most adorable, and fantastic one.
However, since we had returned from Seattle, Easton had changed.
He was more balanced, serene, determined, ready to set the past aside.
Until just a few weeks ago it was unthinkable that he would ask his father for a favor or that he would spend time with me without doing something at least vaguely sexual.
I felt that I had taken our relationship to a higher level where we shared passions, hobbies and more.
I still didn't know how far we would go, but I hoped to be able to get to the moment when I would hear the long-waited words from his mouth: "I love you."
For now, I was satisfied, although I often wondered what we were. A couple of friends? Boyfriend and girlfriend?
It was frustrating not to know. Sometimes that doubt became unbearable.
***
EASTON
Seeing Alice happy was the only thing that could give me peace of mind.
I was going through a period of great disturbance and change, but I had never felt as ready, decisive, and positive as at that moment.
Changing my major did not frighten me. Alice had taken me to a university library, and I had leafed through some books on civil and tax law. I had also bought one.
I’m, buying books. Who’d have thought?
Even my friends had made fun of me although they congratulated me and said they would bet to see who would become the best lawyer between me and Jake.
I had laughed because for the first time I had not felt in competition with him, but only with myself.
I had even gone so far as to call my father and we had spoken without arguing.
I had also asked him for a favor and when he replied that he would do anything to help me in exchange for excellent grades on my exams, I hadn't blinked.
I was still smiling at the memory of having silenced him with my determination.
And then there was Alice.
She was mine. She belonged to me.
Nobody could approach her. I had made a commitment that all the boys would keep their distance from her, and I knew that nobody would dare to upset me.
The mere idea of losing her drove me crazy, but her beautiful green eyes, always bright and smiling, resting on me peacefully, were enough for me.
Since returning from Seattle I could no longer stay away from her.
Feeling her laughter, her caresses, the way she kissed me ... everything about her gave me comfort and had the power to put the pieces back together.
Alice possessed the ancient Japanese art of kintsugi, used by restorers to repair broken ceramic objects, bringing together the shards with lacquer and gold dust. In this way the fractures were not hidden but enhanced by the gold that flowed along all the cracks, giving the object new life and a new value, starting right from its breakage.
Alice did the same thing with me.
She knew my past. She hadn't tried to eliminate it because it was something that couldn’t be erased, but she helped me put my broken and destroyed soul back together and then give it new lifeblood. Alice had been able to enhance and bring to light what was good in me and now she was helping me to find a new direction, a stability, which although precarious, gave me the strength to take back the reins of my destiny. With her I felt I had a future. A future that was consciously chosen by me. I was no longer in disarray as before.
That's why I had worked so hard to make her dream of having a job come true.
"I could give you pleasure as a thank you," Alice whispered, stroking the edge of my jeans.
"You don't have to thank me for the internship."
"Not for that, but for the fact that you're here with me," she replied, surprising me. Only she managed to always leave me speechless.
"And what would you like to do?"
"I don't know," she murmured, unbuttoning my pants. "Kira has class for two more hours and I thought we could do ... something."
"You don't even know what to do, huh?" I teased her.
"Yes, I do! I saw a porn film and it didn't seem difficult,” she returned with her cheeks ablaze but with a combative and proud expression.
“ You’ve watched porn?"
"Yep."
"When?"
"Yesterday."
"Without me?"
"Yes. It was just teaching material to learn how to do things to please men ... I also took notes."
"You're kidding, right?" I exclaimed, unable to think that Alice had seen a video about another naked man.
"No."
"Couldn't you have asked me ?!"
"I was embarrassed, okay? And I'm tired of playing the part of the inexperienced. I felt pathetic. "
"I can't believe it," I found myself admitting, throwing myself on the bed and covering my eyes as if I could erase Alice's image while watching porn.
"It’s not serious."
"It’s not serious?! How would you feel if I looked at other naked women while having an orgasm? I dare not even ask you if the actor you saw looks like me or not. Or if you touched yourself thinking about him."
"Easton, what are you thinking? It wasn't a movie! It was just a cartoon-style instructional video showing how to please your partner! "
"There were no actors?"
"Obviously not! How disgusting!” Alice was offended, making me shake off all the jealousy and anger I was feeling. "I'm not like you! I don't watch those things! "
"What did you learn?" I tried to change the subject. I just needed to tell her how many hardcore movies I had seen during my teenage years.
"I'll show you," she said, lifting me up to take off my pants and boxers.
I was silent, almost breathless, while I saw Alice looking at me with a mixed expression between amazement and concern. I could read her fear of not doing it on her purple face while biting her lower lip.
I was about to let go when I felt her hand touch me right there.
"Am I hurting you?" she asked hesitantly, improving her grip, and sliding her hand up and down.
"No," I managed to say, as I felt the excitement more and more uncontrollable.
"And now?" she asked, lowering himself and kissing me on the tip, while her long hair caressed my bare hips.
"No," I whispered slightly, my breathing getting faster and faster.
When I also felt her warm, moist tongue, I felt the contractions get stronger.
Her movements were delicate, perhaps too much to enjoy, but I felt a bursting orgasm coming.
When her lips surrounded me and started sucking on me, I went freediving.
"Alice," I tried t
o warn her, but she, instead of breaking away, looked up at me.
Reading the excitement in her eyes shattered the last bit of my self-control.
I barely had time to move away to avoid coming into her mouth.
"Did you like it?" She asked curiously, as I tried to recover from the overwhelming orgasm.
"Yes. did you?"
"Very. I felt in control of a part of your body. Next time, though, if you get mad, I'll use my teeth instead of my tongue. "
I burst out laughing. Alice never missed a chance to threaten me.
"So, the video said," she tried to justify himself in extremis.
"You are not old enough to watch certain videos without adult supervision. Next time, call me, and I'll teach you how to do certain things. Without needing a stupid documentary with a macabre sense of humor. "
17
ALICE
"Did you call me, Mr. Redman?" I asked, entering the editor-in-chief's office.
"Sit down," he ordered briskly, in his usual way. I was getting used to working for his newspaper after a week.
I obeyed like a soldier. If there was one thing I had understood in those days, it was that the man never got upset or that one should not appear to be not immediately ready to grant his every wish.
The journalists who worked for him were always quick, addicted to caffeine mixed with guarana and taurine.
Up to now I had been responsible for bringing coffee, making photocopies, booking hotels or conference rooms for conferences. Only once had they used me as proofreader.
However, I had also started to assimilate a supplement capable of making me hyperactive.
"The new decree that will affect your university's regulatory plan has come out."
"I knew that," I lied. Never be ignorant or stupid in front of him if you didn't want to lose your job instantly!
"I want a statement from your university rector."
"No problem. Do you prefer it written or verbal? "
"Take care of it. Go and interview him. I also leave you Chris, our youngest photographer. I want you to take some pictures to attach to the article. "
"Are you asking me to do my first article?" I exclaimed, too fast to stop in time.
“ Don't get too excited. I only asked you because the rector is Donald Carson's brother. It was he who asked me to hire you, so he owes me a favor. Besides, I can't get close to him but I'm sure he will never dare to close the door on the face of one of his students, who is also his brother's stepdaughter."
"I won't let you down," I asserted, determined to make him proud, to show my worth to the editor-in-chief, to Easton's uncle who had organized my lessons so that I could work and study at the same time and to Mitchell who had asked nothing of me in return, and who had acted as my guarantor. Even though I detested him, I couldn't help thanking him for this opportunity.
“ If you disappoint me, I will fire you. Now go away. I want the article for this afternoon, “the man dismissed me, already irritated.
I looked at the time. I only had a couple of hours to study the decree, review the master plan, have a bite to eat, find Chris and notify Easton.
In the end I was forced to eat with Chris to have time to plan the meeting. I wanted to surprise the rector, so that he could not pretend to be absent.
“ I would say we should wait for him outside headquarters, so that as soon as he arrives, we grab him and interview him. I will block him with my camera so you can block him and ask him any questions you want," he proposed, while I continued to study the decree on the iPad as I hurriedly ate a sandwich.
I was so taken that I didn't even notice Easton's calls. I had only managed to send him a short message, telling him about my interview.
I didn't even notice Chris stealing my fries from my plate in order to get my attention.
Too bad that I was used to worse and irritating things with Easton, so I just smiled and handed him my plate.
Chris blushed to the roots of his blond hair.
When we arrived at the university, outside the rector's office, it was still early.
"So, are you ready?" Chris asked, amused by my tension, which made me pace back and forth like a caged animal.
"I don't know if I can do it," I fidgeted.
"You're going to be fine and I'll be there with you," he said with a broad smile that brightened his brown eyes.
I returned the smile, but the fear of saying or doing something wrong was torturing me.
"You have to calm down, Alice," he whispered, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"You're right, but I can't."
"So, let's try it then," he exclaimed, taking his camera, and taking pictures of me.
"Are you crazy?" I embarrassed myself uneasily in front of the lens.
"Give me a smile. A sexy pose. Get in profile. So. Yep. Come on. Don't squint!” he continued to tell me, while I no longer knew how to avoid his photos.
I was laughing, but at the same time I felt annoyed by his intrusiveness.
"Stop that! Come on! Erase those photos,” I snapped, trying to grab his camera, but he raised his arm and, tall as he was, it was impossible for me to reach his hand.
"Give me a kiss and I'll delete all the photos I've taken of you," he proposed at one point, holding me close with his free arm.
"No," I said dryly, pushing him away, but he grabbed me again.
"Why not?"
Could I say I had a boyfriend when I didn't even know what Easton and I were?
"I can't and I don't want to."
"Liar," Chris whispered to me.
I was about to kick my knee between his legs when I saw a tattooed arm come between us.
"Hey, leave her alone," thundered Easton's voice, making me stiffen with the surprise of finding him in front of me, just then.
Please don't beat him!
Unfortunately, my prayers were not answered and, before I could stop him, Easton punched Chris.
Luckily, the photographer was smart and quick enough to run away before Easton turned him to mush.
"What the hell did you do!" I was furious when we were alone. "How could you blow up my help?"
"He was going to kiss you!" he justified himself, pulling his dark hair back.
"But he didn't! And you can't always come and beat everyone up. You didn't have to get in the way! "
"Yes, I did! You are mine and nobody else should dare to touch you!” he shouted, taking me by the shoulders and giving me a rough, angry and possessive kiss.
It couldn't always end with a kiss. I was too furious, and I had no intention of making it go smoothly this time.
"I'm yours?"
“ Yes!” He got even more furious looking at me as if I were someone who didn't understand even the most basic things.
"Am I yours because ...? What are we? Are we together? Are we engaged?” I provoked him, bringing to the surface the exasperation I felt every time I thought of us.
"I didn’t say that!"
"Exactly! Because we are nothing. We are two people spending time together, right? "
"It's not quite like that."
"So how? Illuminate me, Easton, because I never know how to define our relationship and I still haven't figured out where we're going to end up or what you feel for me. "
"The problem is you who always need to label everything! You put rules and borders even where they are not needed."
"That's not true. I just want to know what the two of us are. I don't think I’m asking too much."
"We are ... this," he replied troubled, gesturing meaninglessly.
" This what? Easton, I'm fine with you but I have a right to know where our relationship is taking me."
"I ... I don't know!" he exploded after a long moment of silence.
"Then I advise you to think about it and come back to me only when you’ve figured it out. Until then, I’m asking to take a break," I found myself asking him, with a lump in my throat that risked suffocating me.
I never wanted
to say those sentences, but for more than a week I had been asking myself repeatedly what I was to Easton and if he loved me.
With each passing day I felt the ever more uncontrollable need to know the truth.
"Alice, are you serious?" murmured Easton with an incredulous and frightened look.
“ Yes, and now, if you want to apologize, I have to interview your uncle and photograph him alone since you deprived me of the photographer. I just hope I don't miss the stage, otherwise things between us could take a decidedly unpleasant turn.”
"I just saved you from a molester!" he justified himself, losing his temper.
"No, you just put my internship and my professional future at risk."
"You’re talking like that because you're too naive to understand what could have happened if I hadn't intervened."
“ I am a virgin, not a fool. I would never have allowed him to go further. I am not an idiot to let someone put his hands on me without rebelling."
I didn't wait to hear his answer.
The rector had arrived, and I had a job to complete.
When I returned to my room that evening, I asked Kira to stay and sleep with me.
I needed a friend, somebody to keep Easton away. He had been trying to get close to me all through dinner.
I told my roommate what had happened. Easton's ex-classmate Felicity Roadfield had also joined, and by now was a permanent presence in our room between classes with Kira and the hours of gossip that distracted us from our problems.
“ I seem to have a déjà-vu. I was in the journalism club in high school and Lucas made my life impossible with his jealousy,” Kira replied, smiling sympathetically.
"I don’t know what to do. I gave him a choice and now I feel guilty and I'm terrified of losing him. "
“ I think you have every right to know how Easton feels about you. I honestly think he's in love with you, but from what Felicity has told us, I think he's having some trouble managing his feelings. "
"Handle?! It’s not that Easton can't handle them. He just can't prove them. He has closed himself up so much that he denies love in all its facets," Felicity intervened. “But I have to admit he has changed lately. I think he loves you, but he doesn't know how to express what he feels for you."
Broken Rules (Love Storm series Book 2) Page 12
