The Rites: Ethos Society Part One

by Chloe Gunter

“So what do you say Char, do you want to check out Veritas? They’re open on the weekends and tonight should be a pretty good crowd since it's the first one since break.”

  “Honestly, I’m not feeling much up for crowds right now,” I looked to Gavin who was watching me, “are you fine with staying in and watching a movie or something?”

  “That sounds good Charlie, why don’t you guys head out and have some fun? We’ve got clean up covered. It’s the least we can do for such a fantastic meal.”

  “See! Roommates with benefits Char, this is the beginning of a beautiful thing,” Reed said standing up from the table.

  The guys grabbed their things and made their way out the door, leaving me and Gavin to our own devices for the evening.

  Clean-up went by rather quickly and we decided to put on one of the comedies from Reed’s extensive movie collection. The scenes flickered by, but I couldn’t seem to focus on them. Instead, I leaned deeper into Gavin’s warmth.

  Gavin was propped up in the corner of the couch, sitting sideways with his legs spread, one hanging off the couch so that he could hold me against his chest as we cuddled. While Gavin wasn’t shy with his affection, and I knew he definitely wanted me, he was too much of a gentleman to ravage me here on the couch without some type of sign from me. Between my voyeur self watching Reed and Ramsey alI night, and the not so subtle kisses and touches from Gavin, I was more than up for taking things further with him.

  I really needed to get out of my head and stop overthinking things. I wanted Gavin, desperately. I wanted him more than I had wanted anything in a long time.

  Leaning up from his embrace, I turned around and leaned over him, tangling my hands through his hair and pulling him in for a searing kiss as I rested on my knees.

  His hands automatically came to my ass, squeezing and kneading me as his tongue slipped in my mouth, caressing me in a cadence as if he was making love to me already.

  My hands traveled down his chest before I tugged on the bottom edge of his shirt, wanting it off so I could feel him without any barriers.

  He reached behind him, grabbing his shirt and pulled it off his frame, revealing a toned sun-kissed chest. My lips found his collarbone and I made my way across his chest, pressing kisses along the way. I felt a tug on my shirt and I leaned back to let him pull off my sweater, leaving me clad in my navy french-cut demi bra.

  “Fuck Charlie, you’re gorgeous.”

  His hands cupped me, his head dipping down to press kisses along the swell of my breasts. I grabbed his head and held him to me as I felt myself grow wetter from the sensation.

  “Bedroom. Now,” I gasped, wanting him in my bed and inside me.

  I slipped out of his grip and off of the couch, making my way quickly to my bedroom, Gavin hot on my heels.

  He caught me as I reached the door, turning me around and pressing me up against it. His lips found my neck as he cupped me through my jeans. I let out a low groan as I blindly reached behind me for the door knob.

  Finally making contact with the cool metal, I twisted, both of us stumbling into my room. Desire and lust coursed through me and I wasted no time making my way to my bed, pulling Gavin down with me.

  Reaching behind me, I unclasped my bra and threw it to the side, my nipples pebbling against the air before our lips reclaimed each other. My nipples brushed against his chest, tightening at the sensation.

  Wet kisses trailed from my lips down to my chest before he sucked me into his mouth, swirling his tongue around my nipple gently before grazing it with his teeth. The action made me restless and wanting more.

  “We forgot the chopsticks,” I said breathlessly.

  He let out a deep chuckle of amusement as he nipped me with his teeth again. “Patience, cara. We have all the time in the world to explore one another.”

  “Patience is the last thing on my mind right now.”

  Desperate for friction, my hips lifted off the bed, trying to find some relief from his leg that was braced between them.

  “I’ve got you, Charlie,” Gavin whispered against my skin as he scooted down the bed, his mouth making his way towards where I wanted him the most.

  He placed one sweet kiss, low on my stomach, before unbuttoning my jeans and grasping them on the sides. I lifted up slightly and he pulled them and my panties off in one fell swoop.

  His fingers immediately went to my core as he slid them softly through my slit, spreading the moisture around. His touch was gentle and sure, taking his time exploring me.

  “Please.”

  My voice was ragged and rough, as I pled for him to speed up his movements. Looking up the length of my body, his mouth hovered above my spread lips, so close to where I wanted him.

  “You don’t ever have to beg with me Charlie, I’m yours.”

  His tongue pressed a firm swipe through my slit, licking me from bottom to top before circling my clit. Easing two fingers inside me, he pumped them gently while sucking and nibbling at me.

  I started thrashing at the immense pleasure, my hips bucking at his mouth. Bracing one hand against my hips to hold me still, Gavin redoubled his efforts, fucking me faster with his fingers before he curled them inside me, hitting me in just the right place.

  With one more pass of his tongue I shattered, drenching his face and hand as he continued to lick and fuck me through my orgasm softly while I came down.

  Brown hair slid through my fingers before I clasped him tightly and tugged till he leaned up, wanting to move so that I could explore him as well. His lips captured mine again and I groaned at the taste of myself on his tongue. Needing to feel him, my hands traveled down his chest until I was met with the buckle of his belt.

  I managed to unclasp it before Gavin broke from my lips with a groan, getting off to stand at the foot of the bed. He unbuttoned the top button of his jeans before dragging down his zipper, the sound echoing through the room against our harsh breaths.

  As he pushed down his jeans and stepped out of them, I took a moment to appreciate him. His form was lean and toned, a prominent v cut of his hip bones leading to a light smattering of brown hair.

  His cock hung heavy between his thighs, long and lean. He crawled back on the bed, and I leaned back, spreading my legs wider and inviting him to where I wanted him the most, until I was cradling his hips between my thighs.

  Guiding himself to my entrance he paused, looking at me with an emotion I hadn’t seen from a significant other before. A tear escaped my eye from the unexpected onslaught of raw emotion and he bent to kiss it away as he slid all the way inside me with one stroke.

  “Gavin, I-”

  He bottomed out, filling me completely before slowly dragging his hips back. We set a slow pace, my hand cupping his face to stare into his crystal blue eyes, before I leaned up slightly to capture his lips, dragging his bottom one gently between my teeth.

  My hands wrapped around him and pressed into his back, urging him on. He broke the kiss and looped one of his arms behind my knee before snapping his hips harder into me and making me gasp.

  “That’s it Charlie, take what you need,” Gavin groaned.

  He didn’t stop as our bodies slicked from the exertion, completely lost in one another. I started to tremble, the connection I felt with him and my impending orgasm blending into one.

  My back arched and my eyes squeezed shut as I fell over the edge. Gavin gave a few more firm strokes before I felt him swell and empty into me, suddenly flooding me with his hot warmth.

  A moment later he grabbed me and deftly rolled me so that I was laying on top of him, still joined. Sounds of labored breaths filled the air as we basked in the moment.

  Just as I was about to fall asleep, Gavin rolled me to the side gently and I felt the bed creak. A second later the sound of running water greeted my ears and I opened my eyes to see him bringing back a warm washcloth to clean us up. I was touched by the thoughtfulness of his gesture and I pulled him back down on the bed.

  We fell asleep in a tangle of li
mbs, raw and somehow secure in each others arms.

  Gavin woke me the next morning before he left, giving me another toe curling kiss before saying goodbye and leaving me more at peace than ever before.

  I took my time in the shower, letting the hot water cascade over me, more relaxed than I’d been in a while. Deciding not to waste the day, I dressed in workout gear, wanting to get some more training in since I didn’t have any seminars on the weekends.

  As I finished tying my shoes, I reached for my bag. A letter floated out from the open compartment to the hardwood floor. Picking it up, I stared at the flat black, matte card, not recognizing it. On one side there was a gold symbol embossed, two keys crossed, surrounded by a laurel wreath with the letters 'BCH' underneath in Old English script.

  I turned the card over in my hand, running my fingers over the grooves. The other side was embossed with six clearly distinguished digits, a date.

  What the hell was this, and how did it get in my bag?

  Wind whipped through my hair as I pondered the mysterious card I had found that morning. I didn’t remember my bag being unzipped, but hell, I could have had it opened during seminars the day before. There was no telling how the card managed to end up in my bag.

  The date on the card was still a few days away, but there had been no comment or clue about what was actually going to happen on that day. The seal led me to believe that it was from a well structured organization. The weight and quality of the paper, not to mention the gilded embossment, spoke of the quiet wealth and hushed power.

  The quad was relatively quiet as I made my way around the track, using the cadence of my steps to serve as a metronome for my thoughts. Strength training had been my core focus with Reed, especially with that wall looming in my mind, but running had always been more my speed. Runner’s High is totally a thing, and I desperately looked forward to that endorphin release and the extra boost it would give to my speed.

  “I didn’t expect to see you out here this early on a Saturday.” A voice called from behind me, the man pushing forward to match my pace.

  “We meet again Assistant Director Ridley. One would think this is either a really small campus or that you were stalking me.”

  “It could be either, you can never tell with some people.” I looked over to see him grinning.

  “So to what do I owe the honor of you interrupting my morning run?”

  “I didn’t see you at Veritas last night. I thought with all the interest you showed, you would have come to check out the place.”

  “I was otherwise engaged,” I said, remembering my intense night with Gavin.

  “Maybe next time then. Let’s race, one lap, loser buys coffee.”

  “What if I didn’t want to race?” I asked mockingly. Ridley really knew how to push my buttons and I wasn’t exactly sure what his endgame was.

  “We always like a good challenge,” Ridley said before starting to sprint. I kicked up my pace, my knees raising higher and my arms pumping.

  Not wanting him to get the better of me, it became a full out sprint in the home stretch. We were neck and neck when we passed the flagpole.

  Raising one arm, I wiped the sweat from my brow looking over to Ridley who was panting. He pulled his shirt up slightly over his head, using it to dry off, and I was greeted by the sight of a six pack with ink marking his side. Down girl. I guess Gavin was just what I needed to break me out of my slump. Not that I was planning on giving him up, well, ever, if I could help it.

  “I guess we’re at a stalemate DeWitt, coffee's on me this time.”

  “I know it’s only been a few hours, but I missed you. I’m glad you were free for lunch,” Gavin said as we made our way out of the cafeteria.

  “Well, it is our thing,” I said coyly giving him a soft smile before placing my food at our bench in the quad.

  “I really like that we have things now.”

  “Me too. Maybe we’ll even find more things.” Gavin grabbed my hand and pulled me close, nipping my bottom lip before gently sliding his tongue across.

  “Want to come over to my apartment tonight? My brother is going to be out doing some type of recon work.”

  “Are you sure he exists? I haven’t seen him in any of my seminars.”

  “Gage is, well, he’s kind of a prodigy when it comes to computers. So even though it's his first term here, when they poached him from the NSA, one of the things he wanted before agreeing to sign on was to start assignments immediately.”

  “Impressive,” I mumbled, taking a bite of my sandwich.

  “Enough about him, let’s talk about tonight. I can make dinner for us. I’d love to show you a couple recipes I picked up while traveling.” His eyes sparkled with excitement, like they often did when he talked about something that he was passionate about. It was the same look he had in his eye as he gazed down at me the night before.

  “I’d like that, should I bring a bag?” I asked, wanting to be straightforward about where this was going. I knew we intrinsically clicked on a deeper level, but I felt better putting my cards on the table. I was too old to play games with my heart.

  “Absolutely,” he paused, grabbing my hand and threading our fingers together. “I want you to know how much our time together has meant to me, Charlie.” The sincerity in his eyes was absolute, no flicker of doubt on his face.

  “It's meant a lot to me too Gav. I just wanted to make sure we were both on the same page.”

  “If being on the same page means that we’re together and want to develop a future together, than yes, we’re on the same page,” he said so matter-of-factly, his confidence ringing through. That was one of the things that drew me to Gavin in the first place; he was so unapologetically himself.

  “We’re definitely on the same page.”

  We ate our lunch, finalizing plans to get together that night, before Gavin left to go shopping at the commissary for the ingredients he needed. I decided to stay at our bench, picking at the rest of my lunch, and doing my favorite activity of all time, people watching.

  Silence can be a powerful thing. True character is often revealed when you think no one is watching.

  Having had my fill in both entertainment and food, I lifted my tray and made to return it to the receptacle. As I tilted the tray to empty the contents into the bend, my eyes caught on a black square attached to the bottom of the tray.

  I quickly looked around to make sure no one was watching, then I lifted the card off the tray. It somehow managed to stay flush with the tray, not straying from its spot. Checking the card and looking for some type of adhesive, I found none. As my fingers met the familiar cardstock, I quickly pocketed the card, making haste to my room so that I could read it away from prying eyes.

  As soon as my door was shut I ripped the card from my pocket. It looked almost the same as before, the laurel wreath, keys, and ‘BCH’ embossed in gold on one side. But when I flipped the card over, instead of a date, it had a time.

  Something was going to happen at 0000 on Tuesday, but I had no idea what or where. Unable to put off my curiosity any longer, I headed to the repository to see if I could find any clues before my date that evening.

  My trip to the repository turned up empty handed but luckily the rest of my personal items had arrived a few days ago. So, I donned one of the few dresses I had, a knee-length cerulean number, and showed up in front of Gavin's door later that night.

  “Wow, you look breathtaking,” Gavin said as he opened the door before giving me a sweet kiss. He offered to take my bag, briefly disappearing into a bedroom before gesturing me to take a seat at the dining room table.

  “This looks gorgeous, Gavin. You didn’t have to do all this.”

  The wooden table held an impressive spread. Fire flickered off the white pillar candles that were placed in the center of the table illuminating a salad and a basket that had something wrapped in a hand towel.

  “I wanted to, cara. Dinner should be ready in twenty. Why don’t we start with some wine
and salad?”

  My heart swelled as he called me his ‘dear one’ in Italian and I offered him the wine glass that was in front of me to fill, “Thank you Gav, for everything.” The sincerity in my tone and the look in my eyes had Gavin scooting closer to me before he wrapped my free hand in both of his.

  “I’ve learned throughout my travels that sometimes you just need to trust your gut and take a chance on people,” he said smoothly as he gave me a confident smile, “and I know that this, what's blossomed between us, is right. Sometimes, you just know Charlie.” He sat back and grabbed his wine glass, giving me a cheers gesture before taking a sip, never taking his eyes off of me.

  “You really mean that don’t you?” I asked, questioning his self-assured tone.

  “Of course I do, we’ve had more in-depth talks between us since we’ve met than I’ve had with people I’ve known for ages. And while we’re still learning about each other, and I hope we never stop, you know who I am Charlie. Who I am at my core. I feel like although it was difficult for you, you finally let me all the way in this weekend, and I’m not talking physically.”

  Remembering the night before had a flush rising to my cheeks as I squirmed in my chair. Gavin was as generous of a lover as he had been with offering pieces of himself. He had always been open with me and he embodied everything my past relationships had lacked. Complete transparency. Not only was Gavin confident in himself, but he was also confident in what he had to give. He didn't shy away from giving me affection when he wanted, and every time he looked at me, it showed the sincerity of his emotions, the truth in his touches.

  His quiet steady love, and that's exactly what this was, wrapped around me like a safety blanket, absolving all the past hurt and heartache I had endured over the years. But I was still preoccupied with the cryptic messages I had been receiving and how much our jobs might eventually get in the way of us.

  "I have, Gavin. I wasn't expecting this when I came here, and quite frankly it scares the shit out of me, but I feel it too." His hand that still captured mine gave me three firm squeezes, and my eyes widened at his admission.