by Raven Scott
“You’re evil.” Giggling a little at the mental image, I smiled broadly.
David nodded, pride shimmering in his blue eyes.
It didn’t take long for my smile to falter though, as I slumped back to thumb the edge of my half-folded paper football. “The guys that raped me are all dead. I don’t know what kind of people they were, but they were monsters to me, and I don’t feel bad at all for being happy they’re dead.”
“Yeah... we can only judge people on our interactions with them. It doesn’t matter who they are to someone else because that’s not who they are with you. It’s the same shit with my sister. She’s a golden girl to everyone else, but to me, she’s a loser with a loser boyfriend, and she’ll never aspire to anything but to hate me for trying harder. It sounds so self-centered, but...” He shrugged lightly. “I stopped being bitter when I got into college on full scholarships and she was still working the same retail job she had in high school.”
I nodded in understanding.
The quiet that ensued was peaceful and I went back to folding the napkin football as my mind wandered. I felt bad for lying, but I couldn’t exactly tell David that I’d tortured the men that raped me to death. That’s a no-no because any sane person would go to the cops, and I’m not Carlyle status to where I can sidestep something like that.
Yeah— I had money and some influence, but I wasn’t untouchable.
A soft, insistent bzzzt flooded the atmosphere and David fished a cheap flip phone out of his pocket. “Oh, this is my mom. One sec.” He slid out of the booth to walk a little ways away, but the illusion of privacy didn’t last long. Whatever his mom was yelling into the phone made David have to talk over her, and he sighed a few feet away before simply walking back to sit again. “Mom— Mom, relax. What happened?”
“What do you mean she’s moving back in?” David started to tinge red up to his ears. His expression tightened. “Okay, well, if she’s moving back in, I’m moving out. Whatever bullshit she’s going through, I’m not going to entertain it, and you know as well as I do that she’ll milk both of us for money. I haven’t had a job in over a month, I don’t start until next week, and the last thing I need is her whining about petty cash.” His eyes flashed at whatever his mom said, and he held his forehead to prop his arm on the table.
Awkwardness tickled my ribs, witnessing something like this and I fiddled with my napkin football.
“Stop— stop. Okay. You honestly think she didn’t know he was cheating on her? Whatever made her snap, I’m not involved. This is her fault. If she wants pity, she needs to find something she had no control over and milk that shit instead.” His increasing frustration rippled in his voice. David shook his head as he glanced over at me. His face twisted between annoyance and apologetic. He rolled his hand under his chin as his mom presumably went on and on. “... Okay. I’m still not staying. I am not going to let her drama risk my new job, Mom. I told you how important it was to impress my boss, and— fine— o-okay, fine, Mom. We’ll talk about it when I get home.”
When he hung up, David rubbed his face and dropped the phone carelessly on the table with a loud clatter. He groaned loudly.
My brows rose a little when he flopped back to frown at the ceiling. “S- so... do you wanna go back to my place?”
David’s head snapped up and his lips twisted as a war raged on his face.
“I guess not, huh?”
“I would in a heartbeat if I had more than a few days to find a new place to live.” He rubbed his cheeks with both his palms. “Of fucking course, my sister would decide to leave her boyfriend right when I get the job opportunity of a lifetime. I don’t know if it’s intentional, but God damn, the universe is just gunning for me.”
My brows drew together at David’s abysmal groan. “You know you get a sign-on bonus, right?”
“Sh-h... that’s a secret.”
I smiled a little despite how obviously upset David.
He ran both hands through his mahogany hair roughly. “Things were going so great, too.”
His grumble warmed my heart.
He checked the time on his watch. Regret glistened in his eyes when they met mine.
I bit at my lip.
Neither of us wanted to be the first to call an Uber or Lyft and the quiet became filled the disappointment.
12
David
Drumming my fingers incessantly against the kitchen table, I frowned at the bold, ridiculously high numbers blazing from my laptop screen. I’d done some research, but even with my sign-on bonus, I knew I wasn’t ready financially to move out of my mom’s place. Her brownstone flooded my peripheral vision, and I hated that, at worst, I’d have to find a roommate to share expenses. At best, I’d probably struggle along for a while until I got a pay raise, which wouldn’t be available until six months from my start date.
“I don’t think I can move out right now.” Rubbing my face roughly, I held my forehead against my palms to frown at my laptop screen. This rising sense of me acting stupid and immature about my sister clogged my throat. I hated her with a passion, but I may have to suck it up and ignore her.
Talk about awkward.
“Sarah’s going to be here in a few hours. I hope you two will treat each other civil, David.” My mom waltzed into the dining room to sit next to me.
Pursing my lips thinly, I forced my frown off my face.
She didn’t say anything more while I stared at her from under my palms.
My mom was pretty in that plump, older lady style of way, with short blonde hair, round cheeks and always wearing flower print. “I know you have every reason to dislike her, but if you can’t be civil, at least ignore her.”
“I’m mentally preparing for the discomfort of living here with her, Mom. I’m sorry I can’t just be the bigger person, but... the way she treats me is just disgusting and I can’t forgive her.”
Of course, my mom acknowledged the tension between Sarah and I, but she wanted us to get along. Any mother would. Nodding solemnly, my mom reached to take my hand.
I sat back to bluster a tired sigh. “Whatever happened, Sarah earned it for herself. I know she doesn’t see it that way, but did she honestly not expect her boyfriend to cheat on her? He’s the most loser piece of shit I’ve ever known, and I worked on phone support!”
My mom’s eyes widened as pain flickered across her pudgy features. She patted the back of my hand as a tense silence came between us. “David... Samuel disappeared. He drained their accounts and ran off.”
I could hear it in her tone that my mom wasn’t saying something, but in that moment, I didn’t really care. A dark, empty laugh burst from my throat. I covered my mouth with my free hand as appalled shock‒or lack thereof, to be fair‒emptied my chest of all emotion.
When I bumped into him a week and a half ago, he seemed skittish and upset. Samuel would not shut the fuck up and stop following me though and I knew he was going to try something. In the end, he ended up with my phone and maybe 50 dollars in cash but he hadn’t used my stolen credit card before I had a chance to report it.
My mom didn’t know it had been Samuel who’d knocked me out and robbed me. I wasn’t going to add to her stress by saying anything. Squeezing my cheeks as a scoff built against my sternum, I ground my teeth hard. I had insurance on my phone, so really, my loss was only about 50 and a massive headache, but... “I’m not surprised.” Clearing my throat roughly, I shook my head and pressed my palm flat on the table. “Sarah’s a dumbass if she didn’t know that Samuel has been cheating on her for almost their whole relationship.”
“... You’re entitled to feel that way David, but please don’t say anything unless she says something first. Okay? I know this is going to be difficult for all of us, but just bear with it. Now that your sister is moving back in, the expenses will go down, which means you’ll save up faster.”
Nodding glumly, I squeezed my mom’s hand in agreement. “I’m not exactly looking forward to Sarah’s tantrums, either.
It was hard enough getting her out of the house the first time.”
She flashed me a small, sad smile.
“I’m glad I kept Dad’s last name in the divorce so she won’t be associated with me.” Goosebumps washed down my arms and across my chest at the absolutely horrific consequences of my sister being publicly connected to me. When she changed her name to our mom’s maiden name, I decided to keep Dad’s even though he just up and left my life. I mean, I guess he started over considering neither of his kids could live up to his grand ideas, but...
If the rumor mill was correct on my dad’s side of the family, his new wife was about ready to divorce him, too. He was a perfectionist, pushed his children to go above and beyond— and not the good way, either.
Shaking my head furiously, I closed my laptop and inhaled deeply, closing my eyes. In my pocket, my cheap flip phone vibrated with a call and I fished the device out to frown. “Hello?” Only three people had this number and one of them was sitting next to me. “Who is this?”
“Hi, yes— hello! Is this David Batiste?” I held up a finger to my mom before standing up to leave the room.
“Hey, Vanessa. What’s up?” Leaning on the wall, my lips quirked in a smile.
Vanessa sounded like she was on a hands-free set when the background noise started coming through. “I’m on my way into the office. The other execs are coming back in today for a briefing on our next media deal, and I wanted to know if you wanted to sit in. Since you’re managing a team of ten that bridges departments, I thought it’d be a good opportunity to introduce yourself before you officially start on Monday.”
“Oh… right now?” An intense but brief wave of panic slammed into me, as I raked my hand through my hair roughly. “Yeah, of course. I’ll wear my fancy shoes.”
“It starts in four hours, so I thought we could lump in your orientation, too. These things aren’t usually so uptight, so you probably won’t need the fancy shoes.” Her smile vibrated in her voice.
I pictured it vividly when I blinked.
“If you want to allocate some time to freak out in your car...” she teased.
“I’ll take a cab. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to meet everyone.” She hummed softly as I hung up, and I inhaled a huge, stabilizing breath as my heart jumped into my throat. Checking my watch, I held my breath for a long moment before exhaling slowly. “Mom, I gotta go, but we’ll continue this conversation later, okay?” Walking back into the dining room, I grabbed my laptop.
My mom nodded, a huge smile overtaking her face. She’d obviously heard my conversation.
I headed for the stairs.
Vanessa and I hadn’t spoken since Tuesday night after spending hours and hours goofing off at the waffle hut. I’d tried to find that place again, but it was so out of the way. Clearly, one had to be sober to remember exactly where it was, too.
Which was a shame, because their waffles were amazing.
“Oh, David!” Pausing about halfway up the stairs, I swung back a little.
My mom poked her head out of the dining room. “I’m really proud of you, honey.”
My face warmed to the tips of my ears and I smiled broadly, as fireworks went off in my field of vision. “I love you, Mom. I’ll stop and get a cake or something and be back by 6. Sound good?” My mom had a ravenous sweet tooth, and my smile widened when she nodded eagerly. Heading up the stairs to take a quick shower and change, I held my laptop to my chest to stop my heart from bursting through.
13
Vanessa
“No, don’t come in, Josh. I’m more than capable of prepping my own presentation.” I braced my palm against my desk to duck my head.
Josh grumbled to himself as he hung up.
Holding the phone to my ear with my shoulder, I frowned at the tips of my sleek, black heels. The dial tone rang shrilly and my mind wandered to the last time I really did much of anything.
Carlyle’s right. Being the boss is incredibly boring.
“You just have all the men wrapped around your finger, don’t you?”
Glancing up, I gestured David in and set the phone on the hook to shake my head. He’d shaved since the last time we saw each other, and he even gelled back his thick locks. “What do you think?”
Holding out his arms, he smiled cockily.
I stroked my cheek as I scanned him from top to bottom. He looked smart, his suit nice but not too nice, and he’d definitely worn his fancy shoes. “Very dapper.”
Smiling handsomely, he stood a foot or so away from me.
“I didn’t drag you from your apartment search, right?”
“Better. You saved me from having to help move my sister in.”
Goosebumps rose on my skin when David closed the distance between us. His eyes blazed with attraction and I held my breath as anticipation boiled my blood.
“I owe you a life debt.” He grinned.
“Yours or your sister’s?” I gasped when he cupped my chin gingerly, thumbing my bottom lip. “W-what are you doing?”
“You saved me from a perilous situation. I owe you a kiss.” My pupils blew at David’s mumble, and he pressed his hips to mine insistently. “Vanessa...”
“Yes...?” Harder and harder my heart pounded, as David cupped my cheek as he leaned in. My abdomen pulsed wildly, and my lungs screamed for fresh air.
“I want to get you on your back.”
“... You keep saying that, but you don’t seem to ever get to it.” Shivering when David kneed between my legs, I managed a sharp, shallow breath. Tilting my head back, his eyes never left mine. Expectation rampaged through me, fiery and unyielding, while his free hand slid up my inner thigh, dragging my skirt up with it.
“You just get more amazing by the minute. I keep forgetting that fucking you is my prerogative.”
Giggling a little as David’s compliment went right to my head, a gasp of delight escaped me when he brushed his lips against my chin. Reaching between us to unfasten his slacks, goosebumps swept up my arms.
Thrusting eagerly against my palm, he sucked in a sharp breath and nibbled my jawline, and a soft moan breached my lips. “Lay back, baby.” Kissing down my neck, David gingerly pushed against my abdomen before pausing. He reached around to grapple my ass, and my skin jumped in carnal delight when he hoisted me off my low heels. Carrying me to the sofa, his lean muscles played against my breasts and a shiver lodged between my shoulder blades.
I stuck my hands down his pants.
David gasped against my neck as his fingers crept up my inner thigh.
His cock was big, hard, smooth, and pulsing with need. I leaned back in his lap to glance down warily. Anxiety slammed into me, and my palm tingled wildly around his impressive girth. Gulping down the sudden, dense lump in my throat, I tried to speak, “I-I... I-it’s r- really big...” My voice wavered.
David cupped my chin to draw my gaze. Despite the boiling hot male pride in his eyes, his expression was tender, almost sympathetic. “I’ll take really big over slightly bigger than average.” He flopped his head back against the sofa cushion as I pumped his cock experimentally.
I tore my eyes off his face to look down. His flushed, hard cock curved, a few shades darker towards the bottom and I bit my bottom lip diligently.
“It’s so hot watching you psyche yourself up, baby,” he whispered.
When I squeezed, David groaned softly, and I tensed when his cock flexed against my palm. Snatching my hand away, my breath caught at the tingling that engulfed my palm.
He chuckled.
Flames licked up my cheeks, embarrassment flooding my chest even when he grabbed my hands to pull me closer. Cupping the back of my head loosely, he drew my lips to his, and a bolt of lightning struck through me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, as he guided my hand down along his chest to wrap my fingers around his cock once again.
Oh...I had never kissed a man before— at least, not voluntarily. David tasted like spearmint when he pushed his tongue past my teeth. My eyelids
fluttered closed as I tried to stay as still as possible. Smooth fingertips caressed my pussy outside my thong, and he guided my other hand up and down his shaft firmly. Peeling back the damp fabric, he thumbed my clit as his tongue danced against mine.
My thighs quivered as anticipation ran rampant through my veins, and my abdomen tightened. Grinding against his palm, I sunk into David’s touch, as he slipped his fingers between my folds. Need dribbled out of me, and my heart went wild when he circled my clit with his thumb.
“Ah...” Moaning softly when David eased two fingers into my pussy, I jerked my head back to suck in a sharp breath. He placed sloppy kisses down my neck, his other hand leaving mine to push up my shirt. The sudden rush of cool air blanketed my skin in goosebumps, and my nipples tightened before he pushed down my bra. Sucking the dusky, taut peak between his teeth, he wiggled his fingers in me, and I clenched hard. Pleasure melted my insides, and a shudder wiggled my shoulders.
Tweaking and nibbling my nipples, David sucked on the swell of my breasts before fumbling to take his wallet out of his pocket. The fresh, stiff leather flopped to the floor, and he paused lavishing me to tear open a condom with his teeth. “Sit on my cock, Ness.”
Tingles shot up my spine when David’s fingers left me empty. He pulled up my skirt over my ass to spread my cheeks. Panting like a bitch in heat, I trembled with delight, and he squeezed my ass firmly with a hungry grunt. Grinding against his cock shamelessly, I ducked my face into his neck to hold my breath thick with the smell of him.
“O-oh-h!” A sting assaulted my sensitive hole when he thrust up, the bulbous head of David’s cock tearing me open. Tensing, I ground my teeth, and colorful spots danced behind my shuttered lids. Arching sharply even as he pushed down on my ass and lifted his hips, my mouth dried from the sensations ripping through me. My nails dug into his hard shoulders, and I whimpered when he seated himself fully in me.
