by Mercy Amare
“Me,” he said, cockily.
I couldn't hold back the giggle.
“I'll be your slave for the day. If you can eat them all.”
“Slave, huh?” I raised my eyebrow. “Challenge accepted.”
“Wait, what do I get if I win?” he asked.
I rolled my eyes. “We've been over this. You aren't going to win. I am.”
He glared at me.
“Fine. If you win, and that's a big if, I will clean Gary's side of your dorm room.” Something that would benefit us both.
“No,” he shook his head. “If I win, you have to wear nothing but that little red bikini for the rest of the day.”
I gulped. I didn't like that. Sure, the alcohol last night had made me feel more confident, but there was no way I could do it all day. “I don't know...”
“I thought you couldn't lose,” he provoked me.
“Fine.” I looked at my plate, suddenly feeling sick to my stomach. How did I manage to get myself in situations like this? Seriously. He looked at me with those big blue eyes, and I was like putty in his hands. I swear, he could make me agree to anything.
We sat down at the table in front of Emily. Steve had already left for the hospital, and Emily was about to leave for her job too.
“Are you two going to behave yourselves today?” She asked both of us as she was getting up. My plate wasn't even half empty and I felt like I was going to explode. I blamed Aiden. My stomach was always in knots around him.
I took a big bite of my pancake before answering. “When do I ever misbehave?”
Emily laughed. “I'm serious. You two be good.”
She gave me a big hug, and then left the kitchen.
Aiden eyed me. “You don't look so good.”
“Must. Finish.” I said, forking down another bite of pancake.
“It doesn't count if you get sick after and throw up. In order for you to win, you must be able to hold your food down.”
I rolled my eyes. “Those are stupid rules.” I looked at my plate, and then I looked over at Aiden. “Fine! I lose. I can't eat it all.”
He smiled, and I swear it was worth losing to see him smile like that. “You have exactly 3 minutes to have that bikini on. And it doesn't come off until midnight! No cheating!”
I complained, but I ran up the stairs to change. I swear his main joy in life was torturing me. But I smiled. I kind of liked his “torture”.
THIRTEEN
AIDEN
When Roxy walked down the stairs in her little red bikini, I was beginning to rethink my sanity. Seeing her in that all day was going to be torturous. She even had her hair pulled up in a ponytail, which I decided was adorable on her. She always wore her hair down, like she was trying to hide her face. Now that I could see it all, I could see just how beautiful she really was.
Must be good, I told myself over and over again.
“You are absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful,” I whispered in her ear. Once again, she shivered in my arms. I knew right then that I was going to be very bad today. I took a step back from her. “So, what do you want to do today?”
She stood there, staring at me for me minute. I think she was stunned by what just happened. “Um, we're only an hour away from the beach, if you want to go.”
I thought about it, but shook my head. No way in hell I was letting Roxy go out in public in her little bikini. I didn't think I could handle it if other guys were looking at her. “I'd rather keep you here, all to myself.”
She bit her lip to keep from smiling. I couldn't help but look at her lips. I swear, she got more beautiful everyday. “You know, my parents won't be home until after 5.”
I groaned, and threw my head back. How was I going to resist her for the next 6 hours?
“Let's go swimming,” I suggested.
“Meet you at the pool.”
She walked towards the back, and I ran up the stairs to get changed. I gave myself a couple extra minutes to cool off. When I went to the pool room, Roxy was swimming laps. I jumped in and began to swim around.
“Do you guys have a net for the pool?” I asked, curiously. “Water volleyball is fun.”
“Yeah,” she looked sad. “I wish I had friends we could invite.”
“Nothing is stopping you from making friends now.”
She looked up at me, a little shocked. “You're right. I think you are a great first step. We're friends, right?”
“I'd say we are a little more than friends.”
She smiled, coming closer. “Like what?”
She was fishing, but I knew exactly what she wanted to know. She wanted to know where she stood with me... To know that this was more than just fling. “I consider you my girlfriend.”
“I kind of like that.” She put her hands around my neck, and I put my hands around her waist.
“Me too,” I agreed.
Later that afternoon, I went upstairs and showered. While Roxy was taking her shower, I decided to call home and check on Aaron. He was feeling much better, which was a relief, but my mom sounded exhausted. I worried about her.
When I clicked 'END' on my phone, I saw that the web search for Emma Bradford was still up. I started to click off of it, but another news article caught my eye.
September 6
Police are now questioning a Chicago school about Emma Bradford. According to reports, young Emma was malnourished. It is evident that her mom went days without feeding her, and this wasn't the first time that she was abused severely. The school has said they are “looking into it”, but no further statement has been made at this time.
Emma Bradford is still in critical condition, but she is expected to make a complete recovery.
I sat down on my bed, and put my head in my hands. Roxy told me the story about her mom almost killing her, but I don't think I had realized just how bad her life had been. I wondered if she would ever open up to me about it all.
ROXY
As I took a shower, I thought about what Aiden said about making friends, and I knew he was right. I should try to make friends. I had a friend once. We became friends in kindergarten and were friends up until the third grade. My mom, she's always been crazy, but I thought she was normal. It was all I knew.
It the first sleep over I had ever had at my house. I remember I wanted everything to be perfect. My mom promised we could bake cookies, pop popcorn, and stay up late watching TV. She said she would braid our hair, and we could even sleep in our sleeping bags on the living room floor. I was so excited.
When I got home from school that day, I opened the door, and I swear my heart sunk into my stomach. My mom was in the corner of the room, holding her legs to my chest, rocking back and forth. I could see that she was shaking, and she was whispering.
My friend got scared and ran out into the hallway crying. A neighbor came out and called her mom for her. Since then, my friend wouldn't have anything to do with me. Maybe she was scared I was like my mom. She told everybody at school that me and my mom were freaks. From that day on, I knew it would be better to be a loner. Having a friend sucked.
It was also that day that I realized my mom wasn't normal. Really, I think I knew before, but just had never admitted it to myself.
I shook off the bad memory. My mom wasn't a terrible person, I knew that. She was just sick, and didn't get help. I'm not like her. Really, I'm not. Since I was 16, I've had 2 psychology evaluations. Both of them said I had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and anxiety. I was relieved. My mom has multiple personality disorder.
When I got dressed, I didn't put back on my red bikini. My parents were taking us out for dinner at a nice restaurant, so I went to my closet to find an appropriate dress. Normally, I wear black all the time, but today, I decided to be different.
I pulled out a silver dress. It was fitted all the way to my hips, then it poofed out. It went to just above my knees. I always loved the dress, but never wore it. Emily bought it for me, but I thought it was too much. She would be excited to s
ee me in it. I pulled a matching pair of silver ballet flats out of my closet, but put them down. I quickly put on my hot pink Converse. It was more me.
I curled my hair with a big curling iron. Every time I walked, my curls bounced behind me, and I couldn't help but smile. I liked it like this.
When I walked downstairs, Aiden was in the sitting room with my parents. He was wearing a pair of nice jeans, and and a dark blue dress shirt. He looked nice.
His face lit up as he looked at me. “Wow,” he got up, and walked towards me. “You look amazing.”
“Thanks,” I said, a little bashful, though I wasn't sure why I was being shy now. I certainly wasn't shy when I was throwing myself at him in the hot tub last night.
“You look lovely,” Emily said. I had almost forgot they were in the room. I looked her at her and Steve. She was wearing a lovely black dress, and my dad was wearing a suit. I knew that Emily loved to dress up, so once a week she forced my dad to as well. It was a family tradition whenever I was home. We always go out to a nice restaurant every Friday night.
I couldn't help but smile to myself... family tradition. Steve and Emily truly have become family to me. Sure, they weren't my biological parents, but they were more of a mom and dad to me than I ever had before. They looked at me with such love in their eyes. How could I have never seen it before?
Before leaving, I walked over to Em... Mom and Dad... and gave him each a hug and a kiss on the cheek. They tried not to act surprised, but smiled even bigger.
AIDEN
I felt extremely under dressed. Roxy's dad was wearing a freaking suit and tie, and I was wearing blue jeans and a pair of Converse. I felt a little better because Roxy was wearing Converse, too.
I couldn't get over how breathtaking Roxy was in her silver dress. It hugged her in all the right places, and it was sexy.
She looked happy tonight. She wasn't the sad, depressed girl I first met. She was changing, and was getting better, every single day. I knew that it was all her, but I liked to think that I had helped her.
After dinner, Roxy's parents went to bed early, but I think they were just trying to give us privacy.
“So, what do you want to do?” Roxy asked, and then bit her lip. Did she not realize how distracting that was? Apparently not. She looked me up and down, and the emotions on her face were very clear. She wanted me.
“Are you checking me out?” I flirted, even though I knew it was dangerous.
“Maybe,” she didn't try to deny it. She got an excited look in her eyes, and said, “Let's go in the hot tub!”
With no chance to respond, Roxy ran towards the stairs to get changed. I sighed, and followed her. She went into her room, and I went into the guest bedroom. My bed was still made, and I smiled, remembering holding Roxy in my arms last night. I quickly changed into my swimming trunks, and waited in the hallway for her.
5 minutes later, Roxy came out of her room wearing a black bikini, and I swear this one was even skimpier than the red one. She didn't bother putting on a cover up. I couldn't help but stare.
“Aiden! Are you checking me out?” She repeated my earlier words.
“Yes,” I said, confirming it. I looked her in the eyes. I could see the fire in them, and I knew then that I was a goner.
Roxy grabbed my hand and pulled me down the stairs. I suddenly found it hard to walk. I was mesmerized by her. On the way out to the pool, we stopped at the bar.
“Want to do a shot?” she asked.
“Sure.”
“Tequila?” she raised her eyebrow, and I wondered where she was going with this.
“Ok.”
She smiled. She grabbed a lime out of the fridge and began cutting it up. Then she grabbed the tequila, 2 shot glasses, and the salt. She climbed up onto the bar and laid down. She put the lime in her mouth. Roxy didn't need to say a word. I knew exactly what she wanted me to do.
I took my tongue and licked my way up her abs, and put salt on it. I looked up at her, and she was looking at me with so much desire. I knew at that moment I was definitely not going to be good tonight. I wanted her, and she wanted me just as badly.
Not taking my eyes off of her, I licked the salt off of her body, downed the shot, and kissed the lime out of her mouth. I took the lime out of my mouth and threw it into the sink. Immediately, I started kissing her again. Desire shot through me, and I wanted to take her right here on the counter. But then I remembered, it was her turn to do a shot.... Which meant it was her turn to lick me.
I stopped kissing her, gently pulled her off the counter, and sat her on the floor. I gave her a wicked grin before climbing on the bar. “It's your turn.”
She smiled, and licked her way up my chest. I wondered if she knew how turned on I was, but from the look in her eye, she knew exactly what she was doing. She put salt on my chest, and then stuck a lime wedge in my mouth. She very slowly, and very purposely licked the salt off of my chest. She threw the shot down and then kissed the lime out of my mouth. She tossed it aside, just as I had done, and kissed me harder.
I got off of the bar, my lips never leaving hers. I cupped her ass, and picked her up. She had no choice but to wrap her legs around me. I knew that she could feel my erection between us, but I didn't care. I wanted her to feel how bad I wanted her, how bad I needed her.
I carried her out to the hot tub, and walked us both carefully into the hot water. I decided that this was definitely my new favorite place to be.
I pulled away from her mouth and began kissing my way down her neck. My fingers found the way to her bikini straps, and I gently pulled the string. I tossed her bikini top to the side.
Roxy gasped as I began to suck on her breast. It was the sexiest noise I had ever heard, and I sucked harder just so I could hear it again. I felt her tug on my shorts, and I quickly pulled them off. The only thing between us was her tiny bikini bottoms, and that could be easily fixed.
Roxy rocked against my hard on, and I let out a moan of pleasure. I pulled on her bikini string and added them to our pile of clothes. There was absolutely nothing between us, and I wanted her.
ROXY
Aiden's hand reached down, and he began massaging me between my legs. I moaned, but I was feeling too good to be embarrassed. He slowly slid his finger inside of me, and I once again gasped. He felt so good. I wanted him to keep going.
His lips once again found mine, and he kissed me as he slowly slid his finger in and out of me. I rocked my hips against him. As the pressure inside me built, his finger moved faster. I threw my head back, and moaned with pleasure at the release.
I looked at him, and he was giving me a sexy smile. I wanted more. I wanted all of him.
“Are you sure?” he asked, knowing exactly what I was thinking.
I nodded my head, scared I wouldn't be able to speak.
He gently lowered me onto him. He slowly worked his way in and out of me, until he was completely inside of me.
Slowly, we rocked against each other. He continued kissing me all over, and I moaned with pleasure. He moved faster, and once again, I felt the pleasure building inside of me.
I kissed him harder as he began to take me harder. I screamed out in pleasure. He gave one final thrust, and I felt him relax against me. We both sat there, breathing heavily against one another. It was complete bliss.
FOURTEEN
AIDEN
Sometime after midnight, Roxy and I made our way back up to her bedroom. After having sex with her in the hot tub, we did some more body shots, and I took her once again, right there on the bar. We barely opened her bedroom door before she was on me again. Finally, around 2 am, she cuddled up in my arms and we fell asleep.
There was no doubt about it, I was absolutely in love with Roxy, and though she had never said it back to me, I knew she felt the same. There was no doubt in my mind that she was mine forever, and I would go anywhere, and do anything for her.
The next morning, I woke up to Roxy kissing me. We decided to take a shower together, and well
, I couldn't keep my hands off of her. If she was sore, she didn't complain. We both quickly got dressed, and headed downstairs.
On Sunday afternoon, we headed back to Auburn. I didn't want to leave, and I could tell Roxy didn't want to either. We were both in our happy place there. Going back to college was like going back to reality, and reality sucks.
Before we left, Roxy's mom had a talk with me.
“She's happy,” she told me.
I smiled. “I am too.”
“She's been through a lot, Aiden. I'm sure you know some of it,” she sent me a sad smile. “But when she's with you, it's like she forgets about everything. She's getting better because of you.”
“She's stronger than she thinks.”
“I know,” she agreed. “But Roxy has some problems. It's good to know you're there with her, to watch her when we can't.”
“I know about the panic attacks. She had one I in front of me the other day. It scared the crap out of me.”
“It's not just that,” she said. “Roxy has an eating disorder. We think it's because her mom use to starve her for punishment.”
“Why did you let her go to college?” I asked, curiously.
“Her psychologist thought it would be for the best for us to let her try and have a normal life. As much as possible anyway. I can see that it has helped her. You've helped her.”
Her words hit me hard, and I thought about how much Roxy had improved since we started hanging out. She wasn't a sad girl who hid her face anymore. “I love her,” I admitted.
“I know,” she smiled. “She loves you too. Don't break her heart.”
“I won't,” I promised. It was definitely a promise I could keep.
As we drove to Auburn, Alabama, I grabbed Roxy's hand and gently caressed it with my thumb. Her hands were so soft, and felt so small next to mine.
I knew that from this moment on, things would never be the same... For either one of us. We had both given ourselves to each other this weekend, and there was no turning back. She was a part of me now, and I couldn't imagine her not being with me.
