“Gotta go, boys.”
“I’ll see you at seven,” Devin said as I walked off.
I didn’t believe it for a minute that he’d be there, and so I was shocked when he stepped up beside me as I waited for my first shot of whiskey.
“So this is how the real world parties, huh?”
Kim blinked as Devin slung his arm over my shoulder.
“You came,” I managed around my shock.
“Yep.”
I narrowed my eyes. “It’s not like you’ve never been clubbing. You can’t tell me you’ve never been bar hopping.”
“I have, but with the plastic people.”
“Who are plastic people?” Kim asked.
“The people I normally hang out with,” he said waving to the bartender and calling out for a shot of whiskey.
“Rich people,” I clarified for Kim. “He wants to slum it tonight.”
“Nah.” He shook his head. “I’m looking for real. Like you.”
“Where is your friend?”
“With the plastic people. I didn’t catch your name before.”
“Serena and this is Kim.” To my thinking, Kim was more his type. She wasn’t rich or fake, but she was thin, tall, and more classically pretty.
“I’m Devin.” He grabbed the three drinks and handed one to each of us. “Sláinte.”
And then we were off, making our way through New York, visiting bars on the pub crawl route, drinking and laughing. Laughing a lot. He didn’t come off as rich and pompous, although I suppose that was why he was with us instead of his usual crew; he was bored of rich and pompous.
“So where are you going in a week that you don’t know when you’ll be back?” I asked about his friend’s comment at our third bar. Kim was lost in a gaze with Todd, a college classmate she was into.
The relaxed smile on Devin’s face faded. “Europe.”
“Gee, how awful.” I quipped. Only a rich person could feel put out by having to go to Europe.
He shook his head. “My parents think it’s time for me to grow up. I’m being sent there to learn the family business. My gap year after finishing my MBA is over. Time to enter the real world.”
“So, your family business is in Europe?”
He nodded. “Here, Dublin, London, Paris…” He shook his head. “The purpose of tonight is to not have to think about it.” He downed his drink.
Not wanting to ruin his fun, I didn’t ask him more about it.
Around ten, at the fifth bar, Kim and Todd disappeared.
“Your friend dumped you,” Devin said as we each nursed a Guinness.
“I don’t mind. She’s into him.”
“Who are you into?” Devin had to yell over the music and people even though I was just a few feet from him.
“No one.” Well, that wasn’t true. Three hours and twice as many drinks, and I was well into him.
“Why not?”
I shrugged. “No one is into me either.”
“Fucking waste.”
I quirked a brow. “What do you mean?”
“I mean you’re funny and pretty. It’s a waste that you’re not into someone.”
“You’ve got your booze goggles on.”
He frowned. “It’s not that. Why would you think that?”
I sighed, not wanting to go into my love life or lack thereof. Better to focus on him. “Is Lauren or Evie wondering where you are?”
He scoffed. “They’re probably pissed, but the best they could come up with was annoyance.”
I had no idea what he meant.
“The people in my world don’t like to show emotion except annoyance. No passion. No rage. No laughing…not that free and open kind anyway.”
“Sounds miserable. With all that money, you’d think they could afford to be happy.”
He laughed. “You’d think.”
“So, what makes people like you happy?”
“I’m happy now.” He held up his drink and I clicked my glass to his.
“Your girlfriend is probably missing you though.”
“I don’t have a girlfriend. Not technically, anyway.”
What did that mean?
He leaned forward. “Is your friend going to meet us again at the next place or has she committed the rest of the night to the guy?”
“I’m pretty sure she’s committed the rest of the night.”
“At least someone is getting laid.” He held up his glass again.
“To getting laid.” I clicked my glass to his.
He studied me. “When was the last time you got laid?”
Had I not been filled with booze, I’d probably have been coy with my answer, but as it was, I was feeling loose. “Never.”
He sat back with his jaw hanging down. Then he shook his head. “I’m sorry, did you say, never? You’ve never fucked?”
I swallowed as I realized what I’d revealed. I looked down, feeling embarrassed. “No.”
His hand covered mine. “Don’t feel embarrassed. Are you waiting for marriage or something?”
“I’m not waiting. I just haven’t had the right opportunity.”
He scoffed as he sat back again. “I know that’s bullshit.”
I stared at him. “Why would you say that?”
“I’d fuck you in a minute. Most of the men in this bar would too. You’ve had opportunities.”
I looked at him and then around the bar wondering what men he meant. I hadn’t felt like I’d had any opportunities. Then again, the few men that might have wanted me didn’t do anything for me. I hadn’t wanted them.
“Don’t you think you’ll like it?” he asked.
“I suspect I would,” I said. The situation was a bit surreal. Was I really talking to him about my virginity?
He leaned forward with a glint in his eyes. “Do you touch yourself?”
Shocked, I could only gape.
“No shame in it. I do it all the time.” He made a wanking gesture. “But the real thing is better. You should try it sometime.”
“Maybe I will.” I managed.
He finished his drink and stared at me.
“What?” I asked, shifting under his gaze. His green eyes were glassy and yet I could see the wheels turning in his head.
“I’ll fuck you.”
“Gee thanks. So, kind of you to make the sacrifice.” All of a sudden, I was feeling humiliated and ready to go home and hide under my covers.
“No.” His hand was on mine. “Not like that. Shit, I’m sorry.” He shook his head like he was trying to clear it. “It’s not a pity fuck I’m offering.” He scooted his chair closer to me and put my hand over his zipper. His dick was full underneath it. “I’m genuinely wanting to fuck you. If you wanted. I could teach you.”
I looked into his green eyes as warmth spread through my body. My hormones chanted, “Yes, yes, yes,” but even with all the booze, my common sense warned that it might not be a good idea.
His hand went to my cheek. “I’ve been dying to kiss you since lunch.”
What? “Are you toying with me? Is this some sort of game or a bet?”
He smiled. “You watch too many teen movies. No. I’m not toying with you and there’s no bet. I like you.” He leaned closer, his lips a whisper away from mine.
Like a magnet, I closed the distance between us, pressing my lips to his. Fire ignited in my blood at the taste of him.
He moaned, slanted his head and parted his lips. I moved in sync, letting his tongue in. It was hot against mine.
His hand pressed mine against his dick. “See how bad I want you?” He murmured against my lips. “If you want to turn in your v-card, I can help.”
By now, my pussy was throbbing and I didn’t feel like I had a choice. He was the only one to soothe the ache in my body.
That’s how, twenty minutes later, we were in a fancy hotel room planning to do the deed.
“How often have you done this?” I asked as he poured champagne.
“Fucked? Or fucked a woman I’d just
met?” He handed me a glass.
“Both.”
He smirked. “I’m young and rich.”
“And sexy,” I added.
He smiled. “I’m glad you think so.”
I rolled my eyes. “There’s no way you don’t know that about yourself.”
He laughed. “That’s what I like about you. You say what you’re thinking.”
“Hoity-toity people don’t?”
He shook his head. “No. They like to be coy and in control. It’s fucking exhausting.” He took my hand and led me to the bed. “I want you to tell me everything you’re thinking and feeling.”
“What if you don’t like what you see?”
He stopped. “I already do.” His hands rested on my waist and then slowly slid up. “I want to touch your tits. Can I?”
“You don’t have to do this,” I said, still struggling with the idea that he was that into me.
He laughed. “I think that’s what I’m supposed to tell you.” His hands cupped my face. “Really. We don’t have to do this if you’re too nervous. Or we can stop anytime you feel uncomfortable.”
I looked down. “I just can’t figure out why you’re here with me. I’m not special. I’m not sexy.”
“Oh, but you are, Serena. Whether we do this or not, from now on when I jerk off, I’ll be thinking of you and I know I’ll come so hard.”
His words sent another wave of erotic sensation coursing through my blood.
“At the very least, let me get you off. I can do that without fucking you.”
My pussy was aching for his touch.
“Do you want that? Do you want to come?”
“Yes,” I admitted.
“Let me make you come.” His lips fused to mine and his hands began to undress me. He broke the kiss and sucked on a bra-covered nipple and that was it for me. All resistance or concern broke, replaced by white-hot need. My hands were like whirling dervishes as they worked to undress him too.
When I was naked, he lay me on the bed, his gaze scraping over my body as he shucked off his pants tossing a condom on the bed. He pushed his boxer briefs down and his dick popped out. It was long and thick, and my pussy convulsed in need.
“Look at my cock, Serena. Don’t think you’re sexy? Think again.” Then he was over me, his hands and lips doing delicious things to my body. I felt like I was in a netherworld of sensation. It felt so good and at the same time frustrating as tension coiled tighter and tighter.
“Can I fuck you?” His voice was hoarse.
“Yes.”
He rolled to his back, grabbing the condom. I looked down at his dick, so long and hard, I wondered how it would ever fit. I reached out to touch it.
He hissed. “Careful, he’s about to blow.” He rolled the condom on and then covered me with his body. “I’m going to try and go slow but I’m so fucking hot right now, I’m afraid I might lose it.”
I nodded, feeling more needy than nervous. “I’m hot too, Devin. I need to come.”
“Let me take care of you, baby.”
A different sensation washed through me at his use of “baby,” but I tried to stop it. This was just a hook-up, I reminded myself. He didn’t care for me. I wasn’t his baby.
“Open up for me,” he said, settling between my thighs. “Bend your knees.”
I did as he said, feeling a little vulnerable at being so exposed. But then he ran his finger through my pussy lips and all thought left. I gasped and arched to his touch.
“So wet. So responsive,” he said. He gripped his dick and rubbed the tip over my clit and through my folds. “Tell me you want this.”
I appreciated that he was concerned about me, but at the same time, I was frustrated because he was delaying.
“Fuck me.”
He groaned, and then pushed his tip inside me. It was soft and hot, and unfulfilling. I needed more. So much more.
I gripped his ass, pulling him. “More.”
He levered up on his hands, shifted his hips and pushed in deeper. “You’re so tight. Jesus…fuck…so good.”
At least he was enjoying it. I was still annoyingly frustrated. “Devin…please…I need…”
He withdrew and I was about to protest when he thrust hard, and his cock plunged inside my body, filling me.
I cried out, but I didn’t feel pain as much as I felt shock and then fullness.
“Are you okay?” His breath was coming in gasps.
I inhaled a breath when I realized I’d been holding it. “Yes.” I rocked my hips, trying to fulfill the ache inside me.
“Ah fuck,” he said at my movement. He withdrew and slid in again. He did it slow and gentle the first few times. My body seemed to know what to do as it rocked in time with him. Soon we were moving faster. The graceful rhythm of before was replaced by a frenetic pounding of our bodies.
“Do you need to come?” he ground out.
I gripped the sheets as pleasure coiled tighter and tighter. “Yes.”
He dipped his head, sucking my nipple hard and deep into his mouth, and I felt that pull right to my pussy. He plunged in and pleasure burst like a nova, shooting out to every nerve ending. I cried out as my body went taut.
“Fuck, I’m coming…” He drove in again and again, and his movements seemed to hold me in suspended pleasure. It was even better than I could have imagined.
Finally, he stopped and collapsed on me, his breath harsh in my ear. It was several minutes later when he asked, “Are you okay? Was it okay for you?”
“Yes.”
He lifted his head and stared down on me with concern in his eyes. “Are you sure? What are you thinking?”
I felt like I was in blissful heaven. “I’m wondering how long before we can do that again.”
His smile was wicked. “I’m young and virile. Give me a few minutes.”
I started to leave later that night but he convinced me to stay until morning. That night turned into two and two turned into three. We spent our days hanging out in New York, with me showing him all the wonderful things the city had to offer away from the rich and snooty. And at night, he showed me all the wonderful things he could do to my body. He let me explore his and showed me how to turn him on too.
During the week, he’d meet me at my college to take me to lunch, where he introduced me to sex in public locations.
“Come with me to Europe,” he said mid-week as we sat in the large tub of yet another fancy hotel room. “If you come with me, I won’t be so miserable.”
I turned in the tub to look at him, not quite believing what he was asking. Sure, I was head over heels in love with him by now, but I’d been pretty sure this was just a fling for him.
“I have to finish school.”
“Do it online. Besides, what better place to learn than in Europe?”
I wanted to go so badly. Not to see Europe, but to continue to see him.
“I know it sounds nuts, but I’m not ready for this to end and I can’t get out of going.” He held my face in his hands. “I’m crazy for you, Serena. Tell me you feel the same.”
I nodded. “I do.”
“Then come with me.”
I swallowed. “Yes. Yes, I’ll come with you.”
The day before I was supposed to leave, I was preparing to tell my parents, but having a hard time figuring out how. They’d think I was being impulsive. They’d say this was young love that wouldn’t last. How could I convince them otherwise?
A knock on my dorm room door interrupted my plotting. I opened it to find an extremely well-dressed woman in her early fifties.
“Ms. Serena Moore?”
“Yes.”
“I’m Katherine Roarke. Devin’s mother.”
Oh crap, I thought as I looked down at my sweatpants and t-shirt. “Mrs. Roarke. Come in.”
She glanced through my room like she was afraid it was infested. But she stepped inside. “I’ve come to tell you not to go to Europe with my son.”
I frowned. “Why not?” Inwardly
I kicked myself. She didn’t want me to sully her son, I was sure.
“Because he’s leading you on.”
Huh?
She gave me an apologetic stare. “I’m afraid my son is spoiled and entitled. It’s one reason we’re sending him to Europe. He needs to grow up. Learn to be responsible.”
The Devin I knew seemed grown up and responsible enough.
She sighed. “He’s not in love with you. In fact, you’re not the only woman he spends time with.”
Something in my chest shifted. I didn’t want to believe her, and yet, I could feel my faith in Devin slip. He was young, rich and handsome. He could have any woman he wanted. In the near-week we’d been together, I couldn’t figure out what he saw in me.
“I hate to do this. Every time I have to talk to some young woman, I hate it. Somewhere I’ve done wrong by him.”
My heart began to split as she pulled out something from her purse. She handed it to me.
“This is Devin the other day.”
I looked at the photograph of Devin with a gorgeous blonde woman who was clearly from his world. He had his arm around her, and she had her hand on his chest, gazing up at him with adoration. He was smiling down at her.
“Why Evelyn puts up with his philandering ways, I don’t know. My husband doesn’t stray. We’re hoping he’ll grow out of it.”
Evelyn. Was that the Evie that sometimes came up in conversation?
I stared at that picture, as I replayed the last days I spent with Devin. The man in this picture, that his mother was describing, wasn’t the man I knew. But then, how much did I really know about him? Only what he told me.
“This younger generation does love to sow its oats.” She smiled sympathetically. “At the expense of nice young women like you. I do apologize for my son.”
I handed the picture back.
She put the photo back in her purse. “I’m prepared to compensate you. Sometimes money can soothe the hurt.”
I was pretty sure Fort Knox wouldn’t fix my hurt. I shook my head. “No. That won’t be necessary.”
She studied me for a moment, and I guessed that the other women she’d had this talk with had taken the money.
“So, you won’t go?” she asked.
I shook my head. “I have to finish school. I graduate in May.”
“How wonderful. Your parents must be very proud.” She handed me a business card. “If there’s anything we can do to help you get a job after you graduate, let me know.”
Heart of Hope: Books 1-4 Page 26
