On Fire (Seduction Series Book 3)

by Emily Vincent

  I was nervous waiting to meet him. I got to the booth first and I could feel my heart palpitating inside my chest as I sat there. “Want something to drink, Krystal?” George, one of the waiters, asked me.

  I looked up and smiled, then shook my head. “No thanks, George.” I glanced at my watch as he walked away. Trevor wasn’t late; in fact, he still had ten minutes to get there. I was so nervous that I left in plenty of extra time to meet up with him. I heaved a sigh and turned my head to see if I could find him when I heard his voice. He had come up behind me.

  “Hey, Krys,” he said. I turned my head to see him standing at the table. He held a sheepish grin on his face.

  “Hey!” I said. I stood up and we hugged. It was a polite hug, but I could still feel the way my heart leaped when I was in his arms and this was only supposed to be a friendly connection. I quickly pulled away and we sat down.

  “You want something to drink?” he asked.

  I thought about it for a moment, before responding with, “Just water.” I didn’t want to drink anything too strong, when I would be going on stage in a little more than an hour.

  George came back and I ordered water, with Trevor getting a beer. He left and I took a deep breath and Trevor nervously smiled. “So…what’s going on?” he asked.

  This was it. I could start off with the reason I was calling him to meet up, or I could first just talk casually. I went with the latter. “First things first…how are you doing? How’s work going?”

  “Things are going pretty well. I’m doing great. I have no complaints…not really.” He hesitated, before responding in kind. “How about you?” he asked.

  I nodded. “Oh…things are going well. Thanks!”

  We sat there for a moment, both of us staring at one another before I knew that I couldn’t keep things back any longer.

  “I broke up with my boyfriend last night,” I said, not worrying about how he might take that news.

  He sat there for a moment, an expressionless look on his face. George came with our drinks, and we still stayed like that, looking at one another, waiting for someone to speak. Trevor then took a drink from his glass and then looked at me again. “Wow!” he finally said. “So, uh…you want to talk about it?”

  I shrugged. “What do you want to know?”

  He arched an eyebrow and then laughed. “You first ignore my texts, then you say that you need space, and then you text me and say that you want to get together, and now you’re telling me that you broke up with your boyfriend.” He shrugged. “It seems out of the blue if you ask me.”

  “No one asked you,” I mumbled.

  He snickered. “Fair enough, but the point remains that I came here and that would rank up as being the last thing I expected to hear. “Like…I don’t want to be conceited or anything, but does it have to do anything with the kiss?”

  My mouth dropped. He didn’t want to be conceited, but that was exactly what he was being. “Just because you kissed me, doesn’t mean I’m suddenly thinking anything about anything that would suddenly make me break up with my boyfriend.” I frowned. My words were barely coherent. “I don’t know,” I said. “Maybe it could have had something to do with the kiss, but the thing is things just aren’t as easy when it comes to him and I. With you…I guess it just felt right and now I always want to hold every guy up to those standards.”

  He listened to me ramble. The more he sat there staring at me, the more I knew that I could easily get tongue-tied when it came to Trevor. I took a drink of my water, and his eyes stared at my every move. “Okay, so you want to talk about the moment we decided to break up?”

  “It wasn’t easy,” I quietly stated. “You have to know that if I thought there was another way, I would have taken it, but you were going out of the country. The distance was killing me…it was killing us. I thought that if we ended things, then I would be allowing you to live your life as you should be able to.”

  “Did you ever have any regrets?” he slowly asked me.

  I thought about that. I grabbed my straw and circled it around the water. “For the first year after we parted ways, I thought about it every night. I thought that maybe I should have done things differently. Yet, my parents always taught me to look forward, not back, so I decided to live with my decision and hope that one day we both would understand why we had to come to that conclusion.”

  “It was hard, no doubt, but isn’t love supposed to be hard? Everything worth having is, so I hated the fact that we parted ways. I wanted to just be with you and you didn’t seem to want that anymore.”

  There was hurt in his eyes. I hadn’t expected to see that. “It’s not that I didn’t want it, but I wanted you to find your happiness. I’m sorry that I gave up on us and I’m sorry that I gave up on you.”

  “Would you go back if you could?” he asked me.

  I sighed and looked down at my water glass. “I told you that my parents always taught me to look forward and not back,” I said. I looked up at him and he shook his head.

  “That’s not what I asked. If you had the chance to do everything differently, then would you?” he asked.

  Lies wouldn’t help anyone, but what was the truth? I didn’t know if I even knew that. I shrugged. “Perhaps, but we can’t change what’s already happened.” I took a drink of my water and then set it down and tilted my head. “It’s over and done with and we can only be stronger from learning from our past. I know that now.” I took another long swig of my water, to take care of the lump that had formed in my throat.

  “Why’d you want to get together?” he suddenly asked.

  I was now faced with asking myself that same question. Did I want to try to rekindle my relationship with him? Did I want to risk losing my heart once again, when he might just up and leave with it? “I really don’t know,” I softly confessed. “I guess I had hoped that by meeting you I would get some answers.”

  “And you don’t think you have?” he asked.

  I snickered. “I think I’m more confused than ever.” I finished off my water and shook my head. “I certainly don’t have a clearer picture of what I expected to find.” I looked at my watch. I still had to get dressed for work, and it was an easy escape away from him. “I need to head, but I guess maybe we can talk again soon.”

  He looked up at me as I stood to my feet. “So, that’s it?” he asked. “Just like that, we’re going to finish the conversation?”

  “I don’t know what to say,” I admitted. “I know that we ended things because of too many complications and we still have complications that are holding us back. I’ll call you later. I really need to go.” I leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. “Have a goodnight!” I walked past the table and picked up my pace, so I was hurriedly making my way to my dressing room.

  Once inside my dressing room, I took a deep breath and fell back against the door as it shut behind me. The way things finished up was awkward. I needed to get away from him before I let myself fall for him again. I stepped away from my door and grabbed my bag that had my change of clothes in it. I pulled out my outfit and then took off my blouse and bra to get dressed. The bra had just fallen to the floor when I heard a knock on the door. I looked around and grabbed a robe, then flung it on.

  I went over to the door and opened it up. “Yes?” My mouth hung down when I saw Trevor standing there. “Why are you here?” I asked.

  “You forgot something,” he said. He wrapped his hand around my neck and pulled me to him and his lips met mine.

  “Trev…” I started to argue, but my words were drowned out by the kiss. He walked closer to me, guiding me into the dressing room, as his tongue slowly dipped in between my lips. He closed the door behind us and almost immediately grabbed onto my robe and tugged it off. My head was screaming that we needed to stop, but my heart could barely keep up. He left my lips and wandered his mouth down my neck and to my shoulder as I tried to catch my breath. What’s happening to me? His mouth kept inching down my body until he latched onto
my right nipple and started to suck. Oh God, Trevor…don’t stop! My head was screaming out the words of pleasure as he flicked his tongue around each areola and then flicked it against each hard peak.

  I opened my mouth as he lavished each breast with his lips and then grabbed onto my skirt and started to undo it. It was in that moment that something clicked inside of me and even though I didn’t want to stop, I had no choice. “Wait!” I moaned, grabbing onto his hand and forcing him to stop.

  He pulled back and looked at me. “I’m sorry…I pushed too hard,” he said.

  I shook my head and then reached down and grabbed my robe. I put my robe back on, just so I held some kind of modesty intact. “It’s fine and God knows I wanted it, but…” My words dropped off as I took a few breaths and regained my thoughts. “If we’re going to do this, then we really need to slow things down. We shouldn’t jump into a relationship.”

  He nodded slowly. I could tell that his eyes were finding it hard not to dip down to the spot where my robe gaped open. “I understand,” he said. “But you’re not saying you don’t want to do this, right?”

  I shook my head. “I’m not saying that at all. I just need for things to be at a slower pace.”

  He nodded. “Okay. I can deal with that,” he said. He then wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me to him. I laughed as my lips went to his. “Is that slow enough?” he asked between soft, slow, and sensual kisses.

  I nodded and lifted my arms around his neck, as the kiss lingered. I wasn’t going to stop him from kissing me because the sexual chemistry was still there. I just wanted us to take it at a leisurely pace, so we could ensure no one got hurt. That was best for both of us, but I was looking forward to where things might go from here.

  Chapter 4

  Did that just happen? I wonder to myself, as I go about the night working my shift. My thoughts went back to Trevor every two minutes, and I found myself smiling, just thinking about him, and I was lost in thought. At one time, I didn’t even realize I was no longer alone.

  “What are you smiling about?” I looked up to find Tina, one of the dancers was standing by the bar just staring at me.

  I shrugged. “Just had a great night of tips, that’s all.” Of course, my smile had nothing to do with tips, and everything to do with the fact that Trevor and I were going to try to rekindle what we once had. Don’t get your hopes up. You know that he might not be sticking around. Just take things slow.

  My mind kept telling me to be cautious and I was going to, but it killed me to have to say goodbye after just a kiss. I can do this.

  “Yeah, it’s been a good night of tips,” Tina agreed.

  I smiled, grateful that she really believed that, so it wouldn’t seem odd that I felt that way. I looked at my watch. It was quitting time and I was ready to get home and dream of Trevor. There was certainly no harm in that.

  “I’m gonna head out,” I said.

  She nodded. “See you tomorrow?”

  I shook my head. “I’m off tomorrow.”

  “Okay then…see you around.” Tina waved as I went through the backroom to get dressed out of my work uniform. As I was tossing the last bit of things into my bag, my cellphone dinged with a text message.

  Trevor: I miss you already! :(

  I smiled at the message. He had no idea how much I missed him.

  Krystal: The feeling’s mutual, but it won’t be long before we see each other again. How ‘bout tomorrow night?

  The message came almost immediately to my response.

  Trevor: Sounds great! Want me to pick you up?

  Krystal: Sure. Let’s say 7:00?

  Trevor: I’ll be there.

  I texted him the info as to where he could pick me up and I felt good about it. Thinking that would be the last of our messaging for the evening, I drove home, got dressed for bed, and laid down. I yawned, feeling exhausted, but then a text came back to my phone.

  Trevor: Are you sleeping?

  I look at the phone and chuckle, then type back my response.

  Krystal: Nope. Why aren’t you?

  Trevor: Because I would rather talk to you. Lol.

  Krystal: Good answer!

  The messages carried on for another hour until I couldn’t keep from falling asleep.

  Krystal: It’s almost four o’clock. We should be hitting the hay.

  Trevor: Yeah, I suppose you’re right. Have a good morning, Krystal!

  Krystal: You too Trevor. Look forward to seeing you tonight at 7.

  Trevor: Me too. I’ll be the one with the smile. LOL.

  He always did know how to make me laugh, and it appeared that I was still feeling that same way with him, no matter how much time has passed. It was great to know that I could feel so comfortable with him, even though we had been on different paths for so long. I couldn’t wait for my date and I went to bed that night feeling at peace, more so than I had in a long time.

  Trevor picked me up with five minutes to spare. I was so nervous getting ready and by the time he got to the apartment to get me, I had pretty much talked myself out of wanting to go. However, since he was there, I felt that I couldn’t really back down. So, I answered the door immediately, putting on a smile as I greeted him. “Good evening,” I said.

  He beamed and he was right, he had the brightest smile on his face. It was captivating and certainly made me realize that this wasn’t some fly-by-night decision he had made. “You look very beautiful tonight, Krys,” he said. He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek.

  I could feel the redness crossing my cheeks. “Thank you, Trevor,” I replied. I grabbed my purse and attempted to calm my nerves as I left my apartment. Halfway to the car, he reached out to take my hand. At first, I considered denying him the option, but then I took his hand in mine and we walked to his car. He opened the door for me and allowed me to get inside.

  Once in the car, he started it up and the radio came to life. It was playing a Country ballad, and he quickly turned the music off, as he apologized. “Sorry about that,” he said.

  I laughed. “It’s okay. I have nothing against music.”

  I turned to look at him and our eyes caught. In that moment we both realized how nervous the other person was and that seemed to cut through the tension between us. “We don’t have to be nervous,” I said.

  He smiled. “You’re right because we’ve done this dating thing before and surely we can go out like it’s no big deal.”

  “Right!” I stated.

  He turned back to face the front and we agreed that we could keep things simple if we didn’t let nerves dictate how we were feeling. From that moment forward, we kept things simple.

  We got to the restaurant and we talked like things were the way they always were. We didn’t focus on the past, as much as we focused on just catching up on each other’s lives.

  “How’s the work going in town?” I asked.

  “It’s going well. We’ll be ready to open the new branch as early as just a couple weeks.”

  “That’s amazing,” I replied. “You have come so far in your work practices,” I stated.

  He smiled. “The people that I work with are mainly to thank,” he replied.

  I shook my head. “For being as powerful as you are, you really are modest. That’s a nice quality to find in a person, let alone a man.”

  He arched an eyebrow. “Let alone a man?” he asked.

  I laughed and shook my head. “I hope you know what I mean. I truly mean no offense. I’m just saying that other men I have dated, I have seen that they aren’t ones to be modest. They know they are amazing and they want to make sure that everyone knows they’re amazing.” I chuckle and he nodded.

  “I know what you mean.” I breathed a soft breath of relief because I did not want him to think that I was trying to put him down, or the male species. I was trying to compliment him.

  The food came and we ate, with some bouts of silence, but it wasn’t awkward. There were a few times when we would glance at one an
other and just smile. I wondered if that’s how our relationship was in New York. There was so much I didn’t even remember, but I was enjoying the fact that we didn’t have to dwell on past mishaps.

  “Are you happy, Krys?” he asked me, surprising me by the sudden question.

  “Am I happy? Like in what capacity?” I ask.

  He shrugged. “Like in life…love...career?”

  “Well, you know my answer to love,” I stated. “As for whether I’m happy in life and career, I can say that I am. I think that coming to Vegas has been something that I couldn’t imagine not doing. It’s been an amazing experience. So, yes…I’m happy. Two out of three isn’t bad, right?”

  I chuckled and he laughed heartily and took a drink of his beer. “You’re right…two out of three is definitely not bad.”

  That was the only aspect of our evening that brought on an uncomfortable moment and even then, it wasn’t all that bad. We got through it unscathed, and then we finished our meal. The waitress came out and offered us dessert, but we were both busting at the seams, so we passed.

  Trevor paid the tab and we were out the restaurant. This time, it was an easy decision to grab hold of his hand. “This was nice,” I said.

  “Yes. It was,” he admitted. We stopped at the door to where I would be getting in. I turned around and faced him.

  “I don’t want to make anything awkward,” I started, “but I also don’t want any expectations to come up when you take me home.” I frowned. “Am I making any sense?”

  He nodded. “You’re basically saying that you don’t want me to assume that we’re going to have sex, right?”

  I chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. I’m sorry. I’m really confident that being cautious is the best route to go.”

  “Don’t worry, Krys. I respect your decision and I would never push you into doing anything you don’t want to do. So, you can trust me.”