The Virgin Diaries: The Complete Series

by Lauren Landish

  “Mmm . . . nothing quite so big as that,” I purr, reaching down to swish the hem of my skirt back and forth. “But these fishnets I’m wearing . . . they’re thigh-highs, not pantyhose.”

  Liam’s eyes drop low, and once I’m sure he’s watching, I flip my skirt up to let him see the gartered lace tops of my fishnets.

  He growls. “You’re not wearing any panties, doll.”

  I lean forward onto the railing and wiggle my ass. The naughtiness he’s awakened in me is recklessly daring him. “Come and get it.”

  Liam doesn’t need any more invitation. I hear his zipper slide down, and a moment later, the thick, hard heat of his cock slides deep inside me, making us both groan. “You were wet for me already.”

  “Being . . . ooh . . . being with you has me always wet,” I gasp as Liam starts pounding my pussy. “Mmm. That’s it . . . fuck me harder, Liam.”

  He gives me a rough, deep stroke and rumbles in my ear, “You sure your little virgin pussy can handle me fucking you that hard, doll?”

  I bite my lip, trying to remember that the party is just one floor above us, though it’s mostly at the other end of the boat. “Yes, yes. I can take it.”

  “You asked for it,” he says through gritted teeth. And then he unleashes on me. His hips pump and slap against my ass so hard I have to fight to keep my footing. With every thrust, his balls smack my clit, adding to the sweet torture. His fingers dig into the flesh of my hips, his thumbs pressing the dimples on my spine as he pulls me onto his cock. He doesn’t vary the rhythm to keep me guessing. Instead, he just hammers into me, mercilessly driving me higher, faster than I’ve ever climbed.

  With every grunt, I feel pure joy fill my being, and when my orgasm hits me, he slaps his hand over my mouth, muffling my screams. In the moment, I don’t care about the music, the party, or keeping secrets, but I’m glad he has enough forethought to keep our private moments between us. “Liam!” I scream against his palm. “Fuck, yes!”

  Liam pauses, grinding his cock deep inside me, letting the pulses of my pussy squeeze him. When my orgasm sparks out, every last tremor stilling, he starts again, his breath coming in short little gasps.

  “Need you,” he moans, not quite making sense but being perfectly clear all the same.

  “Take me,” I reply, my body already tingling as another climax builds inside me. I thrust back into Liam, meeting his cock harder and harder as we sprint toward a mutual finish, and I feel his cock swell and his hips seize. “I’m giving you everything. Give me your cum, Liam,” I beg.

  It seems like Liam’s climax starts from the depth of his very soul as he cries out, his voice gravelly and whispered. His cock slams deep inside me, and he holds there before he comes, the heat and release triggering my own release. We’re both lost to the pleasure, and I’m sure our voices rise a bit too loud in a passionate duet that echoes over the water.

  I sag, my chest heaving as a droplet of sweat falls from the tip of my nose to stain the wooden decking underneath me. “Mmm . . . don’t move,” I ask him as Liam starts to pull out. “I just want to feel you inside me longer.”

  “You know you can feel it as much as you want, anytime and anywhere, doll,” Liam says softly, reaching up and stroking my hair back from my face. He lifts me from my bent-over position, turning me to face him and wrapping his arms around my waist. “You . . . you’re amazing, a fucking miracle I thought I’d never find.”

  “Just a girl in the world,” I reply nonchalantly, though we both know his words mean everything. I smile widely at him as I drape my arms over his shoulders. Though there’s no music currently playing, I feel like we’re dancing, floating on the waves that are gently rocking the boat.

  Liam chuckles. “I’m serious. When I first wanted to fuck you, I thought that there was no hope for me. No real future, just . . . money and work. Now I know there’s so much more. I found someone I can trust and have by my side for the rest of my life.”

  I feel tears threatening at the corners of my eyes, burning with emotion. “You were wrong that first night. You said there is no perfect man. You just weren’t looking in the mirror enough. You . . . you’re perfect, Liam. And you have me by your side for as long as you want me.”

  Liam looks like he’s about to say something, but then there’s a knock at the door. “Liam? It’s Jacob. Helen says it’s thirty minutes until go time, and she wants to go over some stuff with you.”

  Liam sighs, chuckling as he pulls back, shaking his head. “He’s got terrible timing sometimes.”

  “Well, he hasn’t walked in on us in your office, so don’t give him too hard of a time. In fact, I’m pretty sure he’s been intentionally giving us some privacy and fielding people for you,” I remind him. “Go, take care of business. I’ll clean up a little, fix my makeup, and meet you on deck in fifteen.”

  Liam nods and gives me a tender kiss. “Arianna, I—”

  “Liam, come on! She’s about to throw a fucking tantrum!” Jacob interrupts, knocking on the door. “Seriously, guys . . .” I can hear Jacob’s eye roll even through the door.

  “Go,” I whisper to Liam, kissing him again. “I know . . . and me too. See you in fifteen.”

  “That’s one thing I don’t envy women for,” he says at the door. “Takes me ten seconds to zip up and walk off.”

  “Asshole!” I joke, and Liam laughs as he opens the door and slips out. I head to the bathroom and clean up. My makeup is a mess, smudged eye shadow and smeared mascara. Luckily, it kinda goes with my psycho persona, so I mess it up a bit more to make it look intentional. A quick potty stop, outfit adjustment, and the mirror says I’m ready.

  In the hallway, I see someone in a costume striding quickly toward me. He’s taller than me, even in my heels, but his Ted the Bear head brings him up to well above normal height. It’s a cute costume, but with this late summer heat, even at sunset, the poor guy inside has to be baking and suffocating. Then again, maybe he’s naked underneath . . . I think with an internal laugh.

  “Hi,” I greet Bearman as I head toward the stairs upstairs. He stops, turning to face me, so I do the same. He gestures toward the bat in my hand, holding his hand out. I take the cue that he wants to see it and hold it up. “It was a regular baseball bat until I got my markers after it. Made it myself to go with my costume.”

  He takes it from me, holding it up to the mesh eyes in the bear head to see it. Suddenly, there’s a swish of air and an explosion in the side of my skull.

  I fall against the wall from the force of the impact, my mind stupidly yelling that I’m a failure as a psycho badass. As if that matters in this moment.

  There’s another pop, and then darkness. And none of it matters anymore.

  Arianna

  The room is dark when I wake up, a dim set of lights spinning as I blink, trying to get the world to come back into focus.

  “What the . . . where am I?” I slur, my voice sounding like I’ve had a few too many to drink. That’s ridiculous. I rarely drink, and never more than a single glass of wine after watching my parents’ drunken struggles. No . . . my brain aches, and I try to focus again, trying to remember. There was . . . a bear?

  I try to move, but other than wiggling my arms a little, I’m immobile. Looking down, I can see black duct tape wrapping around my body just below my breasts, holding my arms tight against my body, my wrists also bound in my lap. There’s another line of black tape around my thighs and then a fourth around my ankles.

  “What the . . .?” I repeat, blinking as my eyes start to come back into focus. Standing across the room from me . . . wait, not a room. It looks like maybe some sort of industrial closet or something. But a few feet away is . . . the bear?

  Okay, so at least I didn’t dream that up.

  I feel wetness trickle down my hairline and over my ear, and I shake my head. The movement both makes my headache turn into a splitting migraine and clears my thoughts. Nope, that’s not water . . . that’s blood.

  “Who are you?” I
croak. “Where am I?”

  Bearman stands there for a moment, silent, but I can feel the coldness of his stare through the black mesh of his eyes. I strain my ears, searching for any clue to where I am. I can’t hear anything, but I can feel the subtle motion of the water, so I think I’m still on the boat.

  I always thought if I were in some awful situation, like the attacks or kidnappings you hear about on the news, I would be the type to shut down, just cower in the corner and pray for someone to save me. The too-stupid-to-live girl who repeatedly falls while running away from the chainsaw-wielding mass-murderer in movies. I never actually considered that something like this would ever happen to me. But now that I am finding myself in this nightmare, I’m not scared into frozen inaction. I’m pissed. I’m angry. I’m . . . furious.

  I don’t think about whether it’s a smart choice or not. I just growl out, “Hey, Bad News Asshole, I asked you a question.”

  Bearman steps closer but still remains silent. Fed up with his act, I swallow to clear my throat and take a deep breath. “HELP! HELLLLLLL—”

  He slaps me across the face, and while his costume pads the blow a little bit, my ears start ringing again. He looms over me, threatening in a creepy costume way. “Shut the fuck up, bitch!” he says, his voice muffled by his costumed head. “It won’t fucking help you.”

  “Who are you?”

  I don’t wait for the answer, seeing an opportunity he didn’t mean to give me. Though my legs are bound together, I’m not tied to anything, and I bend my knees, placing my heeled feet on his furry belly and pushing with all my might.

  He stumbles backward, slamming into the wall with a decent amount of force. I’m sure the costume helped take the brunt of the blow, but at least I’m fighting back.

  The man chuckles, reaching up to remove his fuzzy head. The light is pretty dim, but there’s no mistaking who it is. The maniacal smile is new, however. “Hey, Arianna . . . got time for that drink now?”

  “Melvin,” I gasp, shocked. “What are you doing here?”

  “What am I doing here?” Melvin asks, laughing shrilly. “What are you doing here? You said you were going to meet people, to make connections. The only connection I see is you being a dirty slut for that narcissistic thief.”

  I’m taken aback by his fury. It was obvious that Melvin didn’t like Liam, especially after Liam shut down his market forecast suggestions, but this? This is utter madness. “Melvin, the party—”

  He cuts me off, slapping his palm on the metal wall of the room and continuing his rant as he paces. “He’s nothing! Just a spoiled little rich boy whose daddy bought his degree. Not like me. I earned mine with hard work and intelligence.” He points at the side of his head to reiterate his point, but he doesn’t look like the smart analyst right now. His wild eyes, mussed hair, and sweaty skin instead give him a crazy evil look. I don’t bother arguing about Liam’s father, who I know for a fact didn’t pamper Liam and buy him any success.

  He comes closer, leaning over me, but he’s learned and holds my legs down this time, not giving me an opening. “He’s an empty pretty boy, good for PR. And you fell for it, just like the board did. But I won’t let him ruin everything I’ve worked for.”

  He bends down, picking up something from the floor, and I realize with a shiver that it’s my baseball bat. There’s a dribble of blood bright against the pale wood and my stomach turns. That’s my blood. I’m almost certain Melvin is going to hit me again, but I’m sure as fuck not going to be a stationary target. I twist and turn on the floor, trying to get away and yelling again, “HELP—”

  He doesn’t hit me, though he shoves the end of the bat into my gut hard. My breath leaves me in a whoosh and my distressed cry is cut short.

  But though my vocals are absent, Melvin is ramping up. His voice gets louder and louder, spittle gathering at the corners of his lips. “It should have been me as Morgan’s CEO. He stole it from me.”

  Slam! The bat clangs against the wall, and I huddle into myself, wanting to be as small a target as possible now and figuring I need to protect my vital organs from another blow. “I’m the one with the MBA, specializing in finance statistics.”

  Slam! “I’m the one who’s saved Morgan from financial ruin and increased our profits sixteen percent!”

  Slam! “Sixteen. Percent. Do you know how hard that is? Of course you don’t. But I do, and I did it.”

  Slam! “Me.”

  He begins pacing again, and I dare a glance up, watching his progress across the room and back. Distantly, I hear a beeping sound, and through the small crack under the door, I can see a flash of red light. I wonder if something is wrong with the boat, but I figure I have a more pressing threat than possibly sinking right now.

  I have to do something though. Eventually, Liam will realize I’m missing, but probably not until after his speech, and I don’t know how long I was out. Maybe it’s been a few minutes, maybe it’s been an hour. I don’t know.

  I search my brain. Though this is nothing like the contract negotiations I learned about at school, negotiating always has a similar construct. I hope that’s true of a hostage situation, especially when I’m the fucking hostage.

  I try to find some common ground. “Melvin, you’re right. Sixteen percent is an amazing increase and you did a great job. I know Morgan and the board appreciated that.”

  He sneers, “Not likely. They didn’t even acknowledge that without me and my predictions, Morgan would’ve been virtually bankrupt years ago.”

  I hear what he wants, some recognition, and try to figure out how to get that for him. “Melvin, we can tell them. They should know how important your work is. They want to know that. They need to know. We can tell them . . .”

  He barks out a mirthless laugh. “We? We aren’t doing shit. You’re a nobody, a pawn that Liam plays with. But pawns can be sacrificed, Arianna.”

  A shiver runs through me at his threat and my eyes lock on the bat as it swings at his side with every step.

  “He didn’t deserve to be CEO. He didn’t deserve you. I was nice to you, you fucking bitch.” His eyes shift to me, hot hatred sparking in them. “But no, even when I warned you, you fell for his act too. Just like them. He’s got them all fooled. But not me. I can see what he really is.”

  I’ve got to keep him talking, let him think that I’m on his side. Play the part. It’s not the one I’ve played most of my life, but I can damn sure play it now. I let my voice pitch higher, my eyes wide as I say, “I can’t see it, Melvin. I guess I’m just too young and inexperienced, even though you warned me. Please, tell me what you see in Liam. What he really is.”

  “Fucking useless,” he spits out. For a second, I think he’s talking about me, or at least about the me I’m pretending to be, but then he keeps talking. “He’s an entitled brat, handed anything he ever wanted. He rolled into Morgan and changed everything, not giving a shit about the people who built the damn company. He swaggers around like a fucking rockstar, smiling at people as he stabs them in the back. But if that’s what they want, that’s what I’ll give them.”

  He freezes, breath panting as his eyes lock on me. I can see that something has clicked in his mind and I know my time has run out. He comes closer, and though I thrash about, he stays out of my range. His lips spread, his teeth bared in a threatening smile. “Oh, yeah, I’m gonna smile while I set him up to take the fall for this. They’ll find your body with his filthy cum all over you and know that you’re his whore. Your fingerprints and his on the bat.” Unbidden, my eyes tick to where his still furry-gloved hands grip the bat, leaving no trace of him. “And when he’s on the six o’clock news as a cold-blooded killer who murdered the sweet, innocent intern he was fucking, I’ll step in and save Morgan the way I should have before he ever came. It’ll be me.”

  “ME!” he yells, tapping his chest with the bat tip.

  I flinch at the loud sound, but when he adjusts his grip, both hands holding the bat like he’s ready to swing, my body go
es into flight mode. I struggle against the tape anew, thrashing back and forth to get away and screaming.

  Even as I flail, my eyes close as I prepare for him to swing. For the blow that will end this all so much sooner than I’m ready for. I’m sorry, Liam. I wanted to say I love—

  Before I can complete my thought, the door to the room bursts open and Liam comes through the door, roaring with rage. Seeing Melvin, he catches his arm, stopping the bat in mid-swing before Liam spins them both, slamming Melvin into the wall so hard his glasses go flying off. I feel hands tugging at me, but I ignore them, my eyes locked on my saving angel. Liam may be my angel, but he looks like an avenging demon as he knees Melvin in the face, Melvin’s head banging off the back wall before he slumps to the floor unconscious.

  “Don’t worry, we’ve got you,” a familiar voice says in my ear, and I realize it’s Jacob. I wiggle against the tape restraints, suddenly needing desperately to be free.

  Liam kneels in front of me, his eyes filling with tears as he sees my bloody cheek. My eyes rove his face, needing to make sure he’s real, that he’s really here, that this is really over.

  “Oh, doll,” he whispers, stroking my cheek. “I’m so—”

  “I love you,” I blurt out.

  Liam stops, and I feel my wrists and then my arms free as a crew member slips a knife into the tape binding my wrists and cuts me loose. My arms lift of their own volition, grabbing at Liam to pull him close for a hug. I bury my face in his neck, blubbering against the warmth of his skin, “I love you. When Melvin was about to kill me, my only regret was that I didn’t tell you that. I love you, Liam. I trust you, I need you, I love you.”

  I feel the tape holding my legs let go, and Liam picks me up, holding me safe and secure in his arms. “I love you too, Arianna. And I promise, I won’t ever let anything hurt you again.”

  Liam

  “Are you sure you can handle this?” I ask, not trusting anyone, not for a second. I eye the tiny blonde in front of me, but she doesn’t flinch a bit. That’s probably a good thing, but it still frustrates me.