by Smoke, Lucy
"Shit..." I hissed through my teeth as Dex withdrew and slid in again. He was gentle, trying not to slap my ass too hard with his hips as he went. But every time he did, it hit me just right. His cock in my pussy. His hips against my red asscheeks. I gasped when he sank in again and this time, hit me in that magical place deep inside that sent sparks through my core.
I struggled up on my elbows once more, pushing back. I could feel something in the distance. I wanted it like I wanted my next breath. Dex felt it too, I could tell. Because his hands gripped my hips a bit harder and he powered forward, pushing straight up against my ass. He fucked me slow, but hard. Then, one of his hands released my side and slid down and over one of my asscheeks, heading straight for my asshole. I clenched as he pressed a thumb against the rosette of my ass.
"Fuck!" I screamed as his thumb slipped inside and I went off, my orgasm washing me away on a wave of bliss and shock. I shuddered even as Dex pulled out. I could feel his knuckles brushing against my skin as he retracted his thumb as well. My orgasm crested, and came down slowly, leaving me feeling languid and at ease.
"Turn over, Baby," Dex urged. I did so, wincing as my tender ass pressed against the mattress. "Knees," he grunted, his fist working his cock.
I watched in fascination as he pumped into his fist and I slid to my knees in front of him. I opened my mouth without any prompting from him and he groaned as his free hand grasped the back of my head and pressed me forward, his other hand holding himself at the ready for me. My tongue came out and flicked against the tender head of his cock before he sank into my mouth. He held himself there in my mouth, not pumping, just holding. Dex gazed down at me, gently stroking my hair back from my face. I sucked and love how he lost his control. Dex hissed, his hips jerking of their own accord and then he came. His muscles tightened, his hips pistoned, his hand was solid at the back of my head, his fingers tickling the nape of my neck.
I closed my eyes and moaned around his cock as the taste of him flooded my mouth. I swallowed everything he gave me. When he was done, he lifted me into his arms and gently set me on the bed. He yanked back the covers and crawled in next to me, our naked bodies pressed together, and even though my ass was tender, my heart was full of nothing but happiness.
A warm palm trailed down my arm. "Baby..." Dex whispered. I turned and nuzzled into his chest, wanting him to know that I wasn't mad. Dex touched his lips to my hair and his arms wrapped around me, encasing me.
"I'm okay, Dex," I whispered. "I'm sorry I worried you. I promise I won't do it again." All of the irritation I had felt with him and Taylor and Cody for refusing to let me go find Darren had dropped away. They were truly afraid that something had happened to me. Even my parents had never been this worried about me. They were loving, in their own way, but also very busy. They trusted me to take care of myself without help. It didn't feel like the guys didn't trust me. They just cared about me in a way that was deeper, more intimate.
"I love you, Jamie."
I blinked and then shuffled away from Dex's chest, my eyes going up in shock. He kept his gaze locked anywhere but my face. A blush crept up from his neck. I was so surprised - I had never seen Dex blush before. "You love me?" I asked.
He nodded, holding me to him as close as I would let him. Almost as if...he was scared to let go, scared that I would run and leave him. I wouldn't. I softened against him. "I love you, too, Dex." Finally, his eyes met mine, so full of concern and brimming with serious intent.
"I want you to marry me," he said. I raised an eyebrow and he amended, "It doesn't have to be me - you can marry Taylor or Cody or Darren. You should marry all of us. But I want you to be locked to me. I want us together."
"Does this mean I get to meet your parents?" I asked teasingly. He stiffened, and I immediately felt bad. "Hey," I stroked my fingers across one pectoral, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to push."
He sighed, tension deflating as he closed his eyes and practically purred under my caresses. "After I turn twenty-one, I won't have to talk to them or see them again. I'd rather you not have to suffer them on my behalf," he finally said.
"Why?" I asked.
"Why don't I want you to suffer them or why won't I have to see or talk to them?"
"Both I guess," I replied.
"Well..." He settled back into the pillows with my upper body draped across his chest. "my grandfather left me an inheritance that my parents can't touch, but I can't get it until I turn twenty-one. His requirements. My mother has been trying to get into it for years. But her lawyers are nothing against my grandfather's airtight stipulations." He smiled at that.
"Which side of the family is this?" I asked. I only knew bits and pieces of his family. There were two sides - the Jones and the Smythes. Both were vastly wealthy.
"My father's side - Smythe," Dex answered. "He didn't care for my mom or her family. He didn't like how they got their money."
"Are they the ones that own the hotels?" Guilt ate at me. From the sound of it, I knew practically nothing about Dex's home life, about his parents or the rest of his family.
Dex laughed. "No, my mom's family - the Jones - they'd never stoop to hotel chains." He shook his head. "No, the hotels are new, and they are owned by my Uncle Seamus. He's my dad's younger brother. He's about the closest I have to an older brother."
"Why does your mom want the money?" I found myself asking.
Dex sighed. "She's just greedy. My dad barely spends time with her. They cheat on each other constantly. She's bitter about that, despite the fact that she does it herself. They're just...not healthy for each other and they would be happier apart. I don't know why they're still together."
"Sometimes people are too attached to what they think they should want to really see what would be better for them in the long run," I said.
Dex glanced down at me. "That sounds like us," he said. "If most people knew you were with me and the others, they wouldn't understand. Everyone thinks that you're supposed to have one person."
I nodded. "I couldn't even begin to think about choosing."
"It could hurt your career," he pointed out.
I stiffened. I hadn't thought about that, but he was right. I thought about the Press Awards ceremony coming up. I had been told I could bring a date, but...I couldn't bring four. How was I going to choose?
"Hey." Dex's fingers drifted up to my chin. "What's that face for? I didn't mean to scare you."
I shook my head and told him about the ceremony and the fact that I had to bring a date. He seemed to understand right away what I was thinking. "Take Cody or Taylor," he said. "You haven't spent much time with them in a little while."
"But what about you and Darren?" I asked.
He smiled down at me. "We'll be fine, Baby. Don't you worry about us."
I sighed. He had narrowed it down, but now I still had to choose between Taylor and Cody, and I was not looking forward to asking. I felt like if I asked one, I had to cut out the rest and the very thought hurt me deeply. I didn't want any of them to feel left out - like they were any less loved. I would have to make sure I made it clear that just because I could only take one did not mean I had a favorite. I loved all of them equally.
Dex stroked my hair as I leaned back into him and worried about the ceremony and decisions to be made.
Chapter 9
I grasped the stem of the champagne flute filled with sparkling water as I watched the people before me mingle. There were dozens of circular tables scattered throughout the ballroom covered in cream colored tablecloths. Grand, tall stalks of flowers in centerpieces towered over the place settings.
"It's quite beautiful," Cody said in my ear, whispering low so that no one would hear. "But you look even more stunning."
I smiled and turned to him. As it was, Taylor had actually requested to stay behind. He wanted to talk to Darren. It had been rather easy then to have Cody escort me to the USPA awards ceremony. I sipped my drink and leaned into Cody as others passed by. I had already seen Mr. Costel
lo once more and spoken with him briefly. As well as Mr. Johnson. The only person I hadn't seen again was Mrs. Hartley. I kept looking though.
Unfortunately, at that moment, the same girl from the tour appeared in my line of sight with a tall slender man at her side. Rather than the polka dot blouse I had met her in, she was dressed to kill in a black sheath dress with a slit up the side. She sauntered towards me, and I bit back an ugly grimace, waiting for her to reach Cody and me.
"Incoming," I whispered behind my glass.
"Bitch in the black?" he asked.
I nearly snorted and tried to hide my twitching smile as I nodded. The girl arrived, stopping before us with a hand outstretched. "Hi there," she said, "I didn't get a moment to introduce myself when we toured. I'm Bethany White."
"Jamie Houston," I said, lowering my glass and taking her hand with my free one. I turned to Cody. "This is my boyfriend, Cody."
"Cody Lawson," Cody said, taking her hand and then the man at her side's hand.
"Kyle Ralston," the other man said quietly. He was really quite handsome, but once everyone had finished making introductions, he stepped back as if trying to fade into the background.
Bethany's eyes flicked down to the navy blue, boat neck, lace dress I had selected for the ceremony. Her lips pinched as if displeased before her eyes met mine again. "That's interesting," she said, gaze sliding to Cody for a moment. She smiled. It was a decidedly mean smile that I did not like. Not one bit. "I thought I saw someone else pick you up from the tour. You looked...intimate."
I frowned and narrowed my eyes. This bitch thought I was cheating and she wanted to catch me, and cause some shit in the middle of the Press Awards too! How dirty. I smiled back at her, sweetly. "You must have been confused."
"No, I don't think so. I would have known if it was this...Cody, you said your name was?" She shook her head and then sent Cody a sympathetic glance, her eyes trailing up his strong legs to his abdomen and then his face. I had never seen a woman undress a man like this before.
I stepped in front of him before he could answer. "Yes, his name is Cody. You were mistaken. Cody is my boyfriend." I grabbed his arm and tugged him along. "Make sure that your eyes remember that."
I was steaming as I pulled Cody away, towards our table. "What was that about?" he asked.
"I have no clue," I said, "but I don't think she likes me."
"I think she likes me a little too much." Cody over-exaggerated his shudder, making me laugh as we stopped by our table.
I sobered. "I didn't like the way she was looking at you," I admitted.
"Yes, Jamie, I caught that," Cody took my flute from me and set it down. "Don't worry about her."
"I really hope she doesn't get the internship," I said. "I don't want to have to work with her."
"Hmmm." Cody hummed as he moved a strand of my hair back over my shoulder. Around us, people were still talking and mingling and finding their seats.
"What?" I asked.
"An internship in Washington DC," he said. "Where are you going to stay if you get the internship?"
"Uhhh, I'm not sure," I admitted. "Some big companies have dorms for interns. I don't know if the Washington Post is one of them."
"How long is the internship?" he asked.
"A couple of weeks."
He hummed again at my answer and then turned, sliding my chair out and holding it for me. I pulled myself away from him and sat down as he took his seat at my side. Already, more and more people were finding their tables and their seats. The ceremony was starting.
"It's a big opportunity," I said quietly. But I wasn't sure, this time, if I was trying to convince him or myself.
I wasn't surprised to see Mr. David Costello take the stage as the crowd began to quiet down. There were a few other intern applicants at the table with us. Unfortunately, while Bethany wasn't at our table she was just behind us at a table less than five feet away. I felt her sharp gaze on my back and I ignored it. What was her problem?
I threw myself into chatting with the others at the table even as Mr. Costello talked and announced winners from current employees. My table was obviously filled with intern applicants, so all of us were rather distracted since nothing that was being said was directly related to us. When Mr. Johnson took the stage to make a speech about the NAACP - National Association of Advancement for Colored People - we listened.
"Ugh," someone nearby said, scowling behind me.
"What?" I asked curiously. Cody's gaze moved between me and the young woman in a white, off the shoulder, dress across from us.
"Bethany White keeps looking over here," she said.
I blinked. "You know her?"
The girl nodded, her golden curls shaking around her chin. "Everyone knows Bethany. Her dad used to work for the Washington Post. She's pretty much guaranteed a spot. It's not fair. It looks like she's got her eye on you. I wouldn't consider that a good thing."
I turned just as Bethany's face moved away and a tall woman in a cream-colored pants suit stopped by the table. They spoke briefly, and the woman's brown-eyed gaze moved over here slightly. Bethany smiled at me as the woman straightened and left.
"Uh oh," the girl across from me said. She looked at me apologetically as I turned back around.
"What was that about?" Cody asked curiously.
I shook my head. Tears burned behind my eyelids. I was pretty sure that Miss Spoiled Washington Post Legacy behind me had just ruined any and all chances of me getting the internship. I reached under the table and snagged the purse I had brought with me. I wanted to leave sooner rather than later.
"What are you doing?" Cody asked, putting a hand on my arm.
I shook my head. "This next one is for one of our potential interns," Mr. Johnson announced. "We truly love to see young student journalists excelling in their chosen fields and this young lady has certainly done that. Please congratulate Miss Jamie Houston, winner of the student journalist award."
I was half out of my seat when all eyes turned towards me. My mouth gaped as I stared towards the stage and the crowd began clapping. Cody looked at my stunned expression and chuckled quietly. Slowly, he got up and helped me out of my seat and then took my purse, nudging me towards the front. I started walking, following the path set out for me until I found the stairs up to the stage.
Mr. Johnson still stood there in a crisp suit and a white shirt that reflected well against his handsome, dark tones. He smiled brightly at me and handed me a small placard. I thanked him, and he hugged me quickly, congratulating me before I managed to turn and head back off the stage. The only person in the crowd not smiling was Bethany White.
When I got back to the table, I handed the placard to Cody and excused myself to go to the restroom. He frowned, but took the award and let me go. I rushed off.
I pressed into the cool interior of the bathroom. The tiled floor under my heels echoed, the clicks of each step in the empty room. Everyone else was out there, listening to awards being announced and I was in here...What was I doing in here? I had received an award. I should be celebrating. I wished, like I had been wishing all night, that the others were with me. I pictured myself how I should have been. Walking up the stage proudly and coming down with the placard and flinging myself into Dex's arms and then Darren's and Cody's and Taylor's.
The door behind me opened and of course, Bethany White stepped inside. "Congratulations on your award," she said stiffly. I nodded, but she wasn't done. "It's really too bad that's all you're getting."
"Excuse me?" I asked, turning to face her. I leaned back against the bathroom counter.
She pursed her lips smugly. "You may have gotten some sort of student award," she waved her hand, "but I hope you don't think that makes you a good journalist."
"What is your problem?" I demanded.
"I've seen you around," she said. "You're so eager and so bright." She scoffed. "You don't have what it takes to be a good journalist. It's dirty work. And you're...well..." She eyed me up and dow
n. "You're a different kind of dirty."
I honestly had no clue what to say to that, but I was not going to let her talk to me that way. I knew that for sure. "Listen here," I said, stepping towards her, "I don't give a shit what you think. I think you're just scared."
"Scared?" She scoffed again as if the idea was preposterous.
"Yes," I repeated. "Scared. You're scared that someone is going to come in and best you."
"You couldn't even if you tried," she sneered.
"How old are you?" I asked.
"Why does that matter?" she demanded. "I'm twenty."
"And I'm barely nineteen," I replied. "I'm younger than you and I'm already here."
"You're here, but you won’t get the internship," she replied.
"If you have to step on people to get it then I don’t want it," I said. "If it’s under false pretenses then it’s meaningless."
Bethany rolled her eyes. "That's the way the world works, Princess. You climb, and you work, and fuck anyone that gets in your way."
"And I'm in your way?"
She tilted her chin up, facing me. Bethany, up close, wasn't a beautiful girl. In fact, she was rather plain with round cheeks and eyes that were too far apart. "Yes, you are," she stated. "And tough break, kiddo, but you're not getting an internship. I know for a fact that they've already got everyone selected. And your name is not on that list."
Whether she was telling the truth or not, that sucked. It made me feel shitty, but honestly, even if I didn't get the internship, it wouldn't matter. This was just one opportunity among many to come. If I didn't get it, then this would have just been a weekend that I got to spend with my men. I'd go home, back to Winthrope, yes. But I wouldn't be alone.
I sighed and stepped around the girl who so obviously felt like she needed to intimidate me to feel confident. I opened the door to the bathroom and called over my shoulder. "Good luck, Bethany."
