by Jax Hart
I might have been a child the way his hands only touched me to help me get to the tub.
“It’ll sting at first, but the salts will clean your cuts and the water will help your bruises.”
I nodded and lowered myself down. He still wouldn’t look at me, naked under the swirling water.
Maybe it was just adrenalin that made him hard yesterday, there’s no way it was me…at least not how I looked now with shorn hair and scabby skin.
He opened a cupboard and placed a fluffy white towel next to the tub and rested the coffee he brought me on a ledge.
“Shout if you need me.”
I wanted to scream that I did. But instead, I shut my eyes and let it ring in my head where no one else could hear it.
Days went by.
The more he tried to connect the more I shut him out. He stopped sleeping in his own bed, worked long hours and hired a private bodyguard who never let me leave the penthouse, not even for the pool and gym below.
Rafael even took over my dog walking business. The damn thing was booming. I had an app and a website within a week.
I was bored.
I hated myself.
This wasn’t me.
So, I spent my days writing lyrics, doing yoga, and cooking. His penthouse had a kitchen that was made for it. But nothing in his penthouse screamed bachelor, in fact, it was the exact opposite. Everything was inviting; warm and almost feminine. It made me wonder if he had ever lived with a woman here. That thought hurt.
Despite how I tried to keep myself busy, the days were long and lonely. Rafael would come home and just stare at me—not knowing what to say. So, he just stopped trying. He’d thank me for the food and disappeared into his study.
Sighing, I finished cleaning up the kitchen and turned on the dishwasher. He had once again shut himself in his study, so I decided to go to the guest room and watch a movie. My eyes closed and soon after the credits started rolling, I was out.
“No! No! Don’t touch me!”
I was running barefoot through the dark. I could hear his heavy footsteps behind me as I tried to get away. My hands went up as I ran through tumbled brush and thick tree branches.
But it was no use.
He tackled me from behind.
I felt his huge cock pressed against me.
I only had a tattered T-shirt on, making it easy for him to get where he wanted.
“No!” I screamed, again trying to wiggle free. But he only pushed me into the ground. I felt the sharp tip of a knife press into the side of my ribcage. I lay still trying to fight the magic of his fingers plucking my clit then rubbing through my folds and entering me.
I hated myself for moving my hips, needing him to go deeper.
He laughed softly and kissed the back of my neck, while continuing to prep me with his hand.
“Please,” I broke off, raggedly.
“Please, what? Stop? Or keep going?”
I couldn’t answer.
“Selina? Selina…baby? I’m here. Shhhh.”
I blinked awake. Rafael was next to me. The bedroom was bathed in the soft glow of Manhattan at night. My skin was slick and sweaty, and my clit was throbbing.
Fuck.
I knew what my answer would have been if I hadn’t woken.
My heart pounded as his hooded eyes took me in, biting my lip. Very slowly, I sat up. I lifted my shirt clear over my head and tossed it to the floor.
His nostrils flared.
“Fuck, baby. Are you sure?”
I answered by palming my own breasts and circling my nipples.
“I’ve wanted this for so long. I can’t promise it'll be gentle, but it’ll be good,” he vowed, as his finger came forward and strummed my nipple. I licked my lips and his eyes dropped to my mouth. His lips found mine. It was a slow kiss, full of promises unspoken but made, nonetheless. His tongue swept through my mouth, over and over again. We couldn’t get enough of each other. I fell back as his mouth moved to my neck, my collarbone and back to my lips. His thick cock jutted between us, I stroked him causing him to hiss and pull back. He flipped me on my stomach. “Lie still.”
I heard him removing his clothes, I looked over my shoulder and watched as he ran his hand up and down his shaft while staring at my ass. Pre-cum glistened at his thick tip.
His body was beautiful.
Every muscle was defined and ripped. His chest was smooth and tan. I wanted to trace every tight muscle of his abs with my tongue. I wondered how he would taste. I licked my lips.
His hand pressed down on the small of my back. “What were you dreaming about?”
I shook my head. “I can’t say.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
I bit my lip again.
“Someday, Selina, there will be no more secrets between us. Tell me, what you want.”
“I can’t. I’m embarrassed.”
He hissed as he bent forward to kiss my turned head and his thick cock brushed against the back of my legs. He grabbed the ends of my short hair and pulled my lips to his. Our mouths fucked. It was hot, wild and frenzied.
We both wanted this.
“Tell me,” he asked again, panting for breath.
I looked down at the pale white sheets. “I was running from someone. They wanted to hurt me but then I wanted it. I wanted to be taken hard by some faceless stranger.”
Even though the room was dim, I’m sure he could see my reddened cheeks.
“Don’t be ashamed of your fantasies. Own them. I’ll be your faceless stranger. Talk to me…what did he do?”
“H-he pushed me down, played with me, laughed at how wet I was for him”
Rafael immediately yanked me by the hips, turned me on my back and pinned my wrists over my head with one hand. The weight of his body pressed me into the mattress as he did what I had described.
He reached between us and toyed with my throbbing bud; made it cry for more. I gasped as his fingers finally reached deep inside me where they slipped in and out to the rhythm of sex.
He laughed against my neck. “Do you like this, gatita?”
“Y-yesss.”
“Do you want more?”
I purred, moved my hips and fucked his fingers.
“Greedy, gatita.” He pulled his hand out and smacked my ass hard. It stung, but then he was there, lifting my hips off the bed and impaled me with his huge cock.
“Rafe!” I screamed, as he slammed home.
My ass still stung as he filled me deep. Pleasure and pain mixed as he pulled out and smacked me before pumping in again.
“Fuck, baby, you feel so good. I’m going to bathe your pussy with my cum, just like I promised you I would.”
“Ah,” I gasped, as he increased the tempo. In and out. It felt so good. He filled me so good. My breasts bounced as he fucked me from behind.
I felt my climax coming. I just needed a bit more. I reached between my legs and rubbed my clit.
“No!” He smacked my hand away, taking over. “It’s mine.”
His index finger tapped my clit.
One.
Twice.
The third time, he pressed down firmly and thrusted deep—staying rooted all the way inside me.
I came in a burst of colors. I was falling, but he was there to catch me.
“RAFE!” I yelled, feeling my walls grip his bare cock.
I felt his lips curl and smile against the back of my neck. He jerked in and out of me a few more times.
“Selina,” he rasped, as his hips stilled and I felt every gush of his cum jerk out from his body and empty into mine.
He collapsed against me, staying connected. My womb buzzed with aftershocks, milking every last drop of seed from his cock.
“Fuck, that was good.”
He finally pulled out, playfully smacked my butt and rolled me over. He looked wistfully at my tits. “Next time, I’m playing with those.” I was sated and content for the first time in months. “Did I live up to your fantasy?”
“
You exceeded it.”
“How long have you wanted to be taken like that?”
“Not long. I only started having these dreams after…the lighthouse.”
“Traumatic experiences can bring out hidden desires. Never be ashamed to tell me any of yours, understand?” He gripped my chin. “Because I plan on living out every one of mine with you. Fuck, it’s all I’ve wanted for months.”
The smell of our sex was all around us. “Tell me. I want to know all of yours.”
“No. I’d rather show you.” He started to speak but hesitated. “Selina?”
“Yeah?”
“Tonight was about you, but I crave control. I want you on your knees begging for my dick in your mouth. I want you naked and chained again, but with a collar around your throat while you crawl to me, dying to lick the cum off my tip.”
“I’m hardly sub material. You know that.”
“I do. I don’t want to control your life, but I do want to fucking own it in the bedroom. I want you to yield to me. Always.”
“Like a pet?”
“My pet.”
I was silent. I wasn’t afraid of sex or kinky sex. I was afraid this was all we were going to be. “Will this be for as long as I’m here?”
“For however long we both want.”
He left me to ponder his words and walked into the bathroom. I heard the shower turn on. I debated going in with him. But I was sore from the pounding his cock gave me and needed space to build back the walls around my heart. I wanted to be his. But I wanted to be his everything, not just his little kitten in bed.
“Come sleep with me in my room.”
I turned over to face him. He had a towel wrapped low around his hips and a few droplets of water still ran from his hair.
“I’ll shower first.”
I scooted past him, feeling his eyes on my ass as I passed. He halted me. His palms running over my rounded butt.
“Is this a hard limit?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Damn, I want you here.” His finger pressed between my cheeks, finding my puckered hole.
I ran away.
His laugh followed me as I slammed the door and hid in the shower.
Despite all we’ve been through in a short amount of time, I was still unsure of who he was. Was he the cocky playboy who earned his Mr. Hashtag name or was he someone else? Could he be falling for me, the way I was for him? Was it even possible to have something real or even somewhat normal now? We never did have the chance to start off right. And I was still a bit insecure, not wanting to be a “sidepiece” who was just fucked hard then left for the uptown girl with skinny hips and a pedigree.
I wanted to trust him.
I did. I just needed him to show me a bit more.
After my shower, I debated sleeping in the guestroom, but the sheets were full of sticky things.
I pulled on fresh night clothes and knocked on his partly opened bedroom door. But he wasn’t in there.
I found him sitting at an antique desk, writing. I’d actually never been in his home office before. He kept it locked at all times. I had even jokingly asked if it was really a sex room.
“It’s beautiful in here and not what I expected.”
He swiftly closed the book he was writing in and placed a stack of papers on top of it.
“This was my mother’s penthouse. My parents stayed legally married, but I lived here with my mother, and as my nana aged, she moved in here with us. I’ve since redecorated but kept most of her furniture.”
I crossed the floor and ran a finger across the polished wood desk. “That explains why this never felt like a bachelors hookup pad.”
“I’ve never brought a woman here.”
“Tish?”
“We were in a relationship.” I ruined the moment between us after I uttered her name .“It’s late and I have a full day of meetings.”
I nodded my head and retreated. “I’m wide awake now. I’m going to watch some TV.”
He shrugged and went into his room. The door shut behind him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
I slept on the couch that night and fell asleep there many nights after. But I always awoke in his bed, with him gone.
He moved me in my sleep and left earlier and earlier for work each day. When I questioned him, he said he was working out before going to the office. I wanted to chase him, pursue him—but also knew that turned him off. He needed to be the hunter.
A few weeks passed and we never had sex again. I was frustrated.
He must have been too.
Finally, one night, I couldn’t take the weird existence between us any longer.
“Rafael?”
He looked up from the baseball game he was watching, surprise showed on his face since I had been avoiding him.
“Can we talk?”
He raised the remote and the TV turned off.
I twisted my hands in the hem of my shirt. “I want to leave. Things are beyond awkward between us now.”
“No.” His eyes cut away and his jaw was tight.
“Why? I’m dying here. Can’t you see it?”
His jaw ticked as he finally looked at me. “Get dressed,” he sighed. “There is something you should see.”
I hurried back to my room before he could change his mind. I tucked my hair under a ball cap and threw on a pair of jeans. Rafe gave me his credit card and told me to buy anything. But all I wanted were my things. He had a driver go back to the Hamptons and get all my bags. Getting my possessions back made me feel more grounded, that Selina hadn’t been completely run over by bad happenstance.
Rafe didn’t speak as he ushered me down the elevator, across the lobby floor and out to an SUV with tinted windows. My bodyguard opened the door for me, then slid into the passenger seat next to the driver.
We didn’t go far. I was confused as the car pulled up to a children’s hospital. “Rafael?” But he just shook his head.
My heart hammered.
Did he have a child?
What was this about?
His arm gently curved around the small of my back. “Come on. There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
The nurses all knew him by name. We walked down a few halls and entered a treatment wing. I hesitated, but he kept me moving forward. Then he paused outside a half-opened door decorated with colorful drawings.
“Frankie?” He knocked.
“Rafaellooooo!” A young girl shrieked and jumped up and down in her hospital bed. “Did you bring me any?” Her eyes were excited. Her body pail and thin.
Rafael took out two candy bars from his trouser pocket and whispered, “I snuck them in.”
The girl wasted no time ripping them open. Her eyes closed as she chewed. “I hope I don’t throw them up like the ones you gave me last time.”
“Are the new nausea meds working?”
“So, so…,” she raised her arm and waved it. “Who are you?”
“This is Selina. My…”
“Girlfriend?”
“Prisoner,” I bit out at the same time.
Frankie just stared at me while she chewed. “That is sooooo cool. Rafe is the coolest guy I know.”
I rolled my eyes, feeling like the old me for the first time in weeks. But this half-pint was right. Rafe is the coolest guy I knew, and I barely knew him. I wanted to dive deep and see just how much depth there is in his ocean because I knew it was much deeper than I ever gave him credit for.
“Oh! I almost forgot! Look what just came!” Frankie excitedly grabbed something from next to her bed and put it on her head.
I gasped.
“Does it look good?”
With his hands in his pockets, Rafe turned and looked at me. “Yeah, it does.”
“May I?”
She nodded and I moved forward to touch the familiar strands of mahogany hair sprinkled with caramel highlights that I got naturally by being in the sun.
“I feel so glamorous and pretty. I hope Dan, from do
wn the hall notices me tomorrow. Maybe, he’ll even invite me to game night in his room.”
My eyes were wet as I looked at her. I turned to Rafe and mouthed, “thank you.”
He shrugged and chatted with Frankie about how dumb boys were; something that I completely agreed with and we stayed for a while until it was clear the little girl was too tired.
When we left, I took his hand and held it tightly in mine, not trusting myself to speak yet. There was too much unsaid between us, but I wanted to get my words right.
But he started first.
“I… my company is involved with a lot of charities. Locks of Love being one. I knew I couldn’t let all that gorgeous hair just go.”
“You did it for me though.”
“I did. You're beautiful and so strong. What happened in the Hamptons was cruel and ugly. Something good needed to come of it. I thought it would help heal you, to know it did. I think your dream was your way of trying to process what you had been through and twist it into something you wouldn’t fear. I’ve felt guilty as hell for taking advantage.”
“Why do I have to be such a mess, while you’re perfect?”
“I’m not perfect. And you never used to let me forget it.”
We strolled on the street for a bit, both of us caught up in the moment. A light drizzle started to fall. He stopped, cupped my face in his hands and stared at me as if I were his world. His whole world and no one else's.
And I stared back, my eyes telling him it was time.
Time for us.
Our lips parted and met; tongues and hearts twining together. Right there in the middle of Manhattan on a rainy fall night, I finally accepted my destiny to be his.
Cameras clicked.
“We’re going to make ‘Page Six’ again.”
“Good,” he mumbled, in between kisses. “I don't care who knows you're mine.”
“Even Roque?”
“He knew before you did.”
“He did. Is it safe yet?”
“Fuck,” he bit out. “I need to get you back inside the car.”
“Can’t we just walk?”
“No. The car is bulletproof.”
I swallowed hard. “But he knows now that I had nothing to do with it?”
