by Penny Wylder
I’m already calling it my building, because that’s the way it feels. It’s mine.
By the time we’re done and our conversation drifts to a stop, the sun is just past setting. Glenn pays, even though I protest, and he takes my hand as we walk outside. As soon as we’re out the door in the semi-darkness, he pulls me into the alley beside Jane’s and into the shadows.
His mouth covers mine, hot and urgent, every hard inch of his body pressed against mine. And I do mean that every inch is hard. Including the inches that matter the most. “Dinner was lovely,” he says against my lips.
“And?”
“And I can’t wait to have my dessert.” He sinks to his knees in front of me, and I can’t even speak as he peels my pants down my legs far enough that I’m exposed to him and far enough that he can taste me. He strokes a finger across me, finding me wet and ready, and then his tongue is on me, and I have to bite my lip to keep from crying out.
Glenn is not gentle. He devours my pussy, tongue and lips sucking at my entrance and clit, and all I can do is fall back against the brick wall behind me. Anyone could come around the corner, or out the back door, and see him with his mouth on me. But I don’t care because it feels so good. Let them come. Let them look at me getting consumed by this man.
I can’t even count the number of orgasms he gave me last night, and my body rises to the occasion. Muscle memory of coming over and over again. On his cock. On his mouth. On his hand. Pleasure sinks through my gut, sweet and deep, and rises to meet his mouth. Higher and higher. God, yes.
And then nothing.
He pulls away, quickly pulling my pants up and fastening them before pinning me to the wall with a bruising kiss. My body is echoing with lost pleasure, and I can taste myself on his lips.
I stare at him when he pulls away. The slow smile on his face is smug and I could just slap it off. Or kiss him, I’m not sure which. “Did you forget?”
“Of course not.” But I did. For a second, I did.
He laughs as he kisses me again, “Lean into it. Embrace it.”
“You’re mad.”
“Yes.” He reaches between my legs and strokes along the seam of my jeans, just enough pressure to make me moan. “No touching,” he reminds me. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
He disappears out of the alley and I’m left panting and desperate. Why did I agree to this? It’s going to be the longest week in the history of humanity.
My hand is shaking so badly that I can barely put on my mascara. Normally I wouldn’t be so worried about make-up, but it’s Monday, and it’s the day. It’s been a week. I’m about to drive over to Glenn’s place in Green Hills, and he’s going to fuck me until I have to call in sick because I can’t walk.
I used to laugh at people who said that you could get so aroused that a breeze could do it. Well, I’m there. Every day for the past week, Glenn has appeared after work, and he’s brought me to the edge. He’s had me bring him to the edge too. Sometimes it’s multiple times. But every time I get close, it gets harder to hold back and it’s been fucking torture.
At the same time, I understand why Glenn had us do it. I’m so aware of my body. Of his body. I’m ready to explode, and I know that he’s barely going to have to touch me for it to happen. I’m ready.
Fuck the mascara. I’m going to sweat it off anyway. Grabbing my purse, I head out to my car, and even the way the seat is pressing against me is turning me on. God, I’ve never felt like this before. I told Glenn I’d gone a week without masturbating, and that’s true. But that’s not the same. Forgetting or being too busy is not the same as being told that you’re not allowed to. Or someone trying to take you as close as they can with no intention of finishing you off.
It’s been an experience that I’ll never forget. But we’re not doing this again for a long damn time.
This is the longest drive of my life. When Glenn’s house comes into view, my body is practically crying out in relief and I’m already wet out of sheer anticipation. I can’t get out of the car fast enough.
My breath disappears from my chest when I see Glenn open the door. He’s already shirtless, perfect chest and abs that look good enough to eat. He doesn’t get a word out before I’m kissing him, and he’s right there with me, pulling me inside and pulling the dress I’m wearing over my head. I didn’t even wear underwear because I wanted this to be as easy as possible.
He gets us up the stairs and into his bedroom. I’m not sure how. I would have fucked him in the foyer if he’d have let me. “Glenn,” I breathe, “I need—”
“I know.”
I collapse onto the bed and pull him with me, but he’s already sinking down, putting his mouth on me. It’s like setting a match to gasoline. I go up in flames. I’m so ready, and I don’t hold back. His fingers and tongue take me up and over and I’m in a shining supernova of pleasure that has me screaming in release and relief.
I’ve never had an orgasm like this. The sensation is as sharp as a knife and cuts so deep I’ll never forget, and it just seems to keep going. Because Glenn is here again, plunging into me with his cock and the moment he sinks into me, I’m gone again. And again. And again.
I’m holding onto Glenn like an anchor in the storm, and he goes over too. With me. As I fall into an abyss of nothing. Of endless, radiant, pleasure. I have no idea how long it goes or how many orgasms I have, because it never seems to end. Glen is an animal, fucking me with raw strength that I’ve never seen, through both of our orgasms and more, fucking until he’s shaking as hard as I am and he has to stop. I’m still gone, floating in a prefect sea, blissed out, overloaded, and fucked like I’ve never been fucked before.
We reach for each other, sliding together, rolling our hips together to more orgasms, slow and rippling and shaking. I think I might black out from all of it. Zero to sixty doesn’t even compare to this sensation. I press myself against Glenn, and let go.
But eventually, I come back, drifting.
Glenn and I are tangled together, resting, breathing. He looks as overcome as I feel. “You were right,” I say. My voice is raw with crying out. “But it’s going to be a long time before I do that again.”
He laughs, running a hand down my side. I shiver, body still overly sensitive, and impossibly it still wants more, the craving I’ve made it get used to isn’t gone yet. “As long as you admit that I was right,” he says.
“You were right. Asshole,” I say, but I’m laughing.
He rolls over and kisses me again. My body ready and wanting more of his cock immediately. He gives it to me.
13
Glenn
Time seems to slip by without my noticing. I spend less time at First Shot, and more time with Diamond. I’m addicted to her, and her body. No one has ever made me feel the way she does. Ever since the end of our no-sex week, we haven’t been able to keep our hands off each other.
This weekend was amazing. We spent it at my house, in and out of the hot tub, with all our food delivered, splitting our time between movies and sex. It was simple and easy. Like a breath of fresh air.
But it’s more than that. I can talk to her. For the first time in a long time it’s nice to have someone to just be honest with. We’ve talked a little about our pasts. Family issues. Turns out coming from a rich family can be just as fucked up as coming from a poor one. And it feels great to talk about it. As much as Frankie and Wallace are my best friends, things haven’t been the same between us in a long time. And that’s probably my fault for trying to force them into doing something they didn’t want to do.
Every time I have the thought, there’s a part inside of me that rages. They made a promise. And it doesn’t matter if you don’t like it, you keep your fucking promises.
But that’s not fair, really. There are promises that should be kept, and there are ones that don’t really matter. I’m starting to finally see the difference, at thirty. Took me long enough. Promises that are made to your kids should be kept. Like
when you say you’re going to come and see them. Take them somewhere special. Be there at all. Those things are important.
Making your friends sleep around…less important.
But every time they threw it back at me, there was that fury at a broken promise that started when I was young, when all I wanted was someone in my life who would do what they said. And when I became friends with the guys, they were there for me. They were the only people in my life who actually showed up and kept their word. And that was important to me. And when we drifted apart, even with First Shot, every bad part of my childhood came roaring back. It was wrong of me to hold them to that, even if it still hurts.
I always keep my promises. Whatever they are. I won’t be the man who breaks a commitment. Ever.
We’ve all been so busy, that we haven’t seen each other except in passing. So when they walk into the bar early, there’s a huge smile on my face. “Hey.”
Frankie slaps me on the back. “Long time no see. It’s good though. I thought you’d never get out of the bar.”
I have good people working here, and they haven’t missed a beat since I’ve spent less time at the bar. And that makes me happy. Let’s me know that I did a good job picking the people to run this place.
“Yeah,” I say. “It’s been good. But let’s not kid ourselves, you guys are busy too.”
Wallace wipes a hand across his face. “You’re telling me. We have more clients than we can handle right now.”
“And Anna’s album is in the final phase of mixing,” Frankie says. “All hands on deck.”
“What exactly have you been doing?” Wallace asks. “Or, should I say, who have you been doing?”
I shake my head. “I haven’t started it yet.”
The two of them share a look. A very skeptical look. “Really?” Frankie asks.
“Really,” I say.
Wallace is already smiling. “Tia said that she keeps seeing you with the same girl. I told her that it couldn’t be true, but it is. You’ve got a girlfriend.”
I roll my eyes. “I don’t, really. I met her when I went to Nashville for that birthday trip. Turns out that she lives in Eastborough. So we have…an arrangement.”
Frankie’s grin is so wide he could fit a watermelon inside there. “Does your new arrangement involve a lot of sex?”
I stare both of them down. “It might.”
“Does it involve her staying at your house?” Wallace asks.
My body goes cold, and I don’t say anything. I just stare them down, waiting for them to get to the fucking point. Wallace finally shakes his head. “We’re just messing with you, man. This is good. I’m happy for you. Now you don’t have to do the pledge after all.”
“Yeah,” Frankie says. “I’m not going to let you forget it for a while, but it’s about time you had someone that makes you happy.”
I don’t break my promises.
They’re still talking, but those words are echoing in my head. I was going to apologize to them, to tell them that I was an ass for trying to force them into something, but no. It’s not right. Ever since I was seventeen, I’ve kept my promise. It’s the one thing that keeps me going. It’s the one thing that separates me from being a piece of shit like my dad.
I keep my promises, and I’ve promised myself that I would take this pledge seriously for over a decade. The allure of good sex lured me away from my purpose, but I have to do this. I’m going to do this. Because I can. Because I have to. Because I don’t fucking walk back on anything I say that I’m going to do.
“I’m still doing it,” I say, cutting off whatever Wallace is saying about the fact that I’m being domesticated.
“What?”
“I’m still doing the pledge,” I say. “I’m going to start tomorrow.”
Their faces both look blank. “Okay,” Frankie says slowly. “If that’s what you want.”
“It is,” I say.
Wallace clears his throat. “What about…what’s her name? You didn’t tell us.”
“Diamond?”
“Yeah,” he says. “What about Diamond?”
“Nothing but sex,” I say, even though there’s a twisting in my gut at the lie. “It’s time that ended.”
Both Wallace and Frankie look uncomfortable, shifting on their bar stools. They were so relieved when they thought I’d changed my mind. But that’s what separates me from them. I keep my promises.
“I have to go.”
I grab my keys and jump in my truck before they have a chance to say goodbye. In my kitchen, I retrieve the giant wall calendar with the words ‘Dirty Thirty’ printed at the top and I hang it on the wall again. Where it should be. I took it down since the project was on hold.
Good. There’s a sense of settling that I feel. This is the path I need to be on. I keep my promises. No matter what.
14
Diamond
“Are you sure?” I ask.
“Yes,” my realtor’s voice says on the other end of the phone. “It’s a good offer, and if you can’t come up with a counter offer by tomorrow, it’s gone. I’m sorry.”
Shit. “All right. I’ll call you back.”
I hang up and resist the urge to throw my phone against the wall. Shit. Shit. Shit. Someone’s trying to buy my building. I’ve been asking my parents for the money, but they keep putting me off. Obviously, I’ll have to ask them again more forcefully this time.
Unlocking my phone again, I dial Glenn. It feels like the most natural thing in the world, because right now it is. Just thinking about him sends a warm glow through my chest and stomach. I’m protective of that little glow because I’ve been here before.
It’s the same glow that I felt with Alex, when I was so in love with him that I couldn’t breathe. Right before everything fell apart.
Glenn isn’t Alex. The two situations aren’t the same. I know that. I don’t have any other sisters that can steal my boyfriends. But it’s too new and too precious for me to be anything other than afraid. But I need to tell him that I’m going to be late. We have dinner reservations. An early dinner, but now I need to go see my mother.
The call goes to voicemail. “Hey, it’s me. I have to go see my mom cause there’s something happening with the building. I might be late. I’ll keep you posted, okay?” There’s a second where the words I love you almost slip out of my mouth and I trip over the blank space. “Bye.”
It seems too soon for I love you. Two and a half months isn’t long. But it feels like so much longer than that. It feels like I’ve known him a lifetime.
My mother’s office is close by, and even before I’m inside I have a feeling of dread. I hate this part. Luckily, her assistant and the receptionist of the building know me, so I don’t have to go through the humiliation of having to spell out the fact that I’m there to ask my mother for money.
Liz asked me the other day if I could ask Glenn. I probably could, but I would never. And he’s never offered. Not because the money would matter to him or he wouldn’t want to, but because I’ve told him that I want to earn it.
When I think it through it sounds silly, because getting a loan from your parents isn’t exactly earning it. But I’ll be earning it while I pay them back. Slowly over time.
My mom’s assistant waves me through, and I give her a small smile. When I push through the door my mom is on the phone, but she gestures for me to come in and wait. I sit in one of the chairs by her desk, feeling more like a client than a daughter.
She hangs up a couple of minutes later. “Hi,” she says, sighing. “It never ends.”
“I can imagine.”
“I didn’t have you on my schedule today, did I?” she asks.
I shake my head. “No, I just dropped by.”
“Good,” she smiles. “I would have felt terrible if I’d forgotten.”
I keep the smile off my face, ignoring the jab in my chest that tells me that she would have felt bad about forgetting because that might make her appear like a bad mother, a
nd not because she actually forgot about me. “What’s going on?”
I take a deep breath, my stomach doing a flip flop. “Well, I just got off the phone with my realtor, and there’s another offer on the building.”
“Oh,” she says, her voice going flat. “I see.”
“I was told that if I couldn’t put together an offer by tomorrow that I’ll lose the building.”
Mom nods solemnly. “That’s too bad.”
“That’s too bad?” Dread is dawning in my chest.
“That you’re going to lose the building,” she says, flipping through a stack of papers on her desk.
“I came to ask for—”
“No.” The words cuts across mine, sharp and vicious.
“What?”
She draws herself up to be taller behind the desk. “Your father and I have talked about it, and the answer is no. We will not be lending you money for this business venture.”
My mouth falls open. “You’re serious?”
“You think this is something that I would joke about?” Her eyes narrow.
“Mom, I’ve been asking you both for months. I’ve been good about my PR impact for months. Why didn’t you give me any indica—” This time I’m the one who cuts myself off. “You never planned to give me the money.”
She hides it well, but I still catch the flash of smugness that crosses her face.
“You said you were thinking about it so that you could keep me in line.”
“It’s for the best. You weren’t responsible enough to go to college, and you’re not responsible enough to run a business. We’ve decided to invest the money elsewhere.”
“Oh really?” I start to laugh but nothing about this is remotely fucking funny. “Where?”
She smiles, and I know that I’m about to get punched in the gut. “Lillian and Alex have decided to open an art gallery here in town.”
My mouth opens, and it closes. Eastborough already has several art galleries. I know the people there, I’ve often done hair and make-up for gallery openings. “Lillian doesn’t know anything about art,” I say, patiently.
