Playing Irish

by Brooke Harris

  He slipped his hand inside the high slit of her dress and reached behind to roughly cup her ass. Eva gasped as her slit tore a little to accommodate his strong arms.

  ‘Julian, my dress. How can I go back inside?’

  He ignored her question. His cock was bulging and he ached to feel her around it. It was more than the desire, more than anything he’d ever felt before. He didn’t just want to fuck her, at that moment he needed to.

  He slid a finger behind the silky string of her thong and followed the line until he touched her wet. He had waited for Eva’s tiny gasp before he pushed his finger deep inside her for the briefest of moments. Her eyes glistened as she stared into his. He knew she was searching for a hint of his intention, but he wouldn’t dare reveal the surprises he had in store for her.

  He ran his finger across his bottom lip, spreading her wet across them like sparkling lip balm. He pushed his mouth against hers - hard. Eva pulled back exactly as he’d expected. She was going to taste a whole variety of pleasure tonight, and he planned to shock her every step of the way.

  He pushed the silky, aubergine material of her damaged dress out of his way to reveal Eva’s tiny lilac thong.

  ‘Fuck, Evangeline, you’re hot.’

  He could hear Eva’s smile. It turned him on even more.

  ‘So fucking hot.’

  He took her in his arms and guided her back against the grass. She gasped as the cold soil brushed against her near naked body, but she lay still.

  Julian pushed her tiny panties to the side. She was wet and ready for him, but he wanted more. He wanted her absolutely saturated and screaming his name. He pushed her legs apart and lowered his head. He paused for a moment, breathing over her, teasing her. Satisfied her clit was aching and ready for his attention, he swept his tongue flat across her delicate hood and groaned as her taste filled his mouth. She squirmed beneath his expert touch and clutched clumps of grass in her fists. Her clit pebbled and her breathing became short even bursts. He could feel

  her right on the edge of orgasm. But he wouldn’t give it to her just yet, she’d have to work a little more for her pleasure.

  He stopped, pushed himself onto his knees, and stared back at her.

  ‘Julian, please more. Julian.’

  He loved the way his name sounded in her mouth, and it took all his willpower not to give in to her request.

  ‘Get this off,’ Eva said, wrestling with his jacket.

  Julian caught her wrists and forced her hands above her head. ‘Just you, baby.’

  He parted her and pushed two fingers deep inside her. She was warm and silky inside and he thought about how amazing she’d feel wrapped around his cock. But not yet, not until she’d come. He curled his fingers inside her and found her G-spot within seconds. Her hips bucked and trembled.

  ‘Oh my God, oh my God,’ she squealed softly.

  He flicked the spaghetti strap of her dress down her shoulder and pushed the material over her breasts out of his way. He sucked her stiff nipple into his mouth and then bit gently.

  Eva’s back arched as she screamed his name over and over.

  Julian watched as her body relaxed back against the grass. Her chest was heaving and her cheeks were flushed.

  ‘Fuck, that was amazing,’ Eva said, still panting.

  Julian shot her a lubricious smirk. He was just getting started. He helped her stand and waited as she fixed her dress.

  ‘There you are.’ Eva jumped as Nathan’s voice travelled toward them.

  ‘Fucktard,’ Julian mumbled under his breath, and Eva sniggered shakily.

  ‘I’ve been looking everywhere for you? Are you okay?’ Nathan reached up and pulled a couple of blades of grass out of Eva’s hair. ‘Jesus, did you fall or something?’

  Julian’s temper flared. Eva looked so uncomfortable with Nathan’s touch. He hated seeing her like that. Eva stepped away from them both and ran her fingers through her hair. She coughed awkwardly. ‘No, no, I em…’

  ‘Too much champagne. Silly girl. C’mon. I’ll take you back inside.’

  That was it. Julian rose to his full six-two, his fist clenched and he stepped forward to stand between Eva and Nathan. But he was distracted by Eva tugging on the back of his jacket. He turned around to find sadness in her eyes. She shook her head, silently begging him to calm down. Julian had never been very good at controlling his temper. Even as a child, he’d been hot-headed, but the hurt in Eva’s eyes diluted it. He remembered what she’d told him about her father. Violence held horrible memories for her; he understood that. And although it went against his usual instinct, Julian pushed his thumping fist into his pocket and stepped aside.

  Eva stared at the ground. Nathan slipped his hand behind her back and led her back toward the mansion.

  Julian couldn’t miss that even though Nathan was talking to Eva, he was watching him. Nathan was starting to become a complete pain in the arse, and Julian wasn’t sure how much longer he could tolerate it. Nathan’s sweeter than candy, almost smug, grin pushed all Julian’s buttons. Tonight was about to become very uncomfortable for someone, and Julian knew that someone wasn’t him.

  36

  Eva gathered up her cape and mask and put them back on in silence as Nathan pretended not to notice. Irritating as it was, she was relieved he’d chosen not to pursue the awkward conversation.

  ‘You disappeared so suddenly; I was worried,’ he said, breaking the silence.

  ‘Sorry,’ Eva threw an insincere apology out. ‘I needed fresh air.’

  ‘You shouldn’t be outside alone…it’s not safe.’

  Eva shrugged her shoulders. Maybe she had strayed a little far from the rest of the party guests but unsafe was a slight exaggeration, wasn’t it? Eva suspected Nathan’s concern was less about where he’d found her and more about who he’d found her with. But she didn’t dwell on it, her head was filled with thoughts of Julian and her skin still tingled from his touch; there was no more room in her brain for thoughts of Nathan and his insecurities, insecurities that only seemed to grow when another man entered the picture.

  Eva picked up her pace, more comfortable to stay a couple of steps ahead of Nathan. She fought the urge to look back and held her head so high, the back of her neck twitched.

  The bright lights and music drew her back inside like a moth to a flame. The tear in her dress embarrassed her, conscious of how it exposed the entire length of her thigh. Thankfully, the cape hid it from view, but it didn’t do much to disguise her flushed cheeks. Heads turned as she crossed the noble dance floor. She tried to shake the feeling that those eyes were watching her, shocked at her behaviour in the garden moments before. It was nonsense, no one had seen her, she knew that. Not even Nathan. But she felt so self-conscious, she thought she might be sick. She grabbed a glass of champagne from a semi-naked waiter’s tray and scanned the scattered tables for signs of Shelly. She needed to tell someone what she’d done. Shelly would confirm she’d done the right thing and then maybe Eva could relax.

  It was impossible to see anyone. One person looked exactly the same as the next. Dark shadows of different heights and shapes scattered across the room like dominoes. The only hint of colour was their soul bared across their face. The lights dimmed suddenly and loud excited shrieks rang in Eva’s ears as everyone became giddy and energetic. Eva was certain everyone knew something she didn’t. She looked behind her, suddenly sorry she’d walked so fast ahead of Nathan. She couldn’t find him. She was alone in a room full of familiar faces disguised as strangers. It was too weird. Her head was spinning. ‘Stupid champagne,’ she spoke to the glass in her hand before slamming it crossly on the table beside her. She pulled out a chair and sat down, not trusting her legs to support her much longer.

  The atmosphere was wild and feral. People were acting so strange. All inhibitions loosened. Maybe it was the confidence born from anonymity or the power of a free bar. But whatever it was, Eva didn’t want to be there anymore. She wanted to run back out into the garden
and into the solace of Julian’s arms.

  Her eyes darted around the room and she actually had to catch her head in her hands to steady herself. Her stare finally steady and fixed on the now closed glass doors behind her, hoping Julian would walk through any moment. She stared for a long time, but he never appeared. Maybe he’d left? It wouldn’t surprise her. Nathan had been unintentionally supreme. But she couldn’t blame him. He couldn’t have known that she’d fucked Julian and then just walked away. She was becoming the type of girl she’d preached to Julian that she never would be. But why hadn’t Julian reacted? She didn’t understand. His pride must be hurting. She hadn’t chosen Nathan over him, she was just honouring the commitment of her date. But Julian couldn’t know that. Maybe it was better if he never knew, she thought. It was easier than a messy goodbye that she doubted she’d be strong enough to say. She knew she had to walk away from Julian, but everything that her head told her, her heart argued with. Her earlier confidence was unravelling faster than the stitching of her torn dress. Christ, what a mess.

  37

  ‘There you are,’ Shelly shrieked, wrapping her arms so tight around Eva’s neck that she almost pulled her backwards off her chair. ‘Where the fuck did you go?’

  ‘Sorry, I just needed some air; I didn’t mean to…’

  Eva stopped mid-sentence. Shelly had company. Meghan linked Shelly’s arm like a gaudy decoration on a beautiful Christmas tree. Eva wondered if Shelly recognised the office bitch beneath her ugly mask. She must have; no amount of sequins and glitter could disguise Meghan’s ever-imperious personality.

  ‘It’s so exciting, isn’t it?’ Meghan said.

  Eva sank down in her seat, steaming. Meghan seemed to recycle the same sentence when talking about the ball. Had she nothing better to say? What was so exciting anyway? The free drink? The weirdness of not having a clue as to who anyone was? Or the fact that she was enjoying some fucked-up joke? Eva shuddered at the thought. She was certain Meghan was waiting for the optimum moment to mortify her. Eva’s heart thundered in her chest as she looked back at the door and tried to ignore the niggles that Julian was in on it.

  ‘I thought you weren’t going to be back in time?’ Shelly said, pulling out the seat next to Eva and sitting down.

  ‘In time for what?’ Eva asked, briefly distracted from worrying about Meghan’s fucked up sense of humour.

  ‘Don’t spoil the surprise, Shelly. It’s her first year.’ Meghan had cut across before Shelly had time to reply.

  Eva gasped drily. Surprise? What surprise. The word jarred in her mind as panic built again. Oh Christ, maybe this joke was bigger than she thought. Shelly could be in on it, too. Eva shook her head. No, she trusted her friend. Shelly wouldn’t hurt her. Eva closed her eyes. She couldn’t think straight, the bubbles of champagne danced around her head, paralysing all reasoning.

  She looked at Shelly. She was so drunk she danced in her chair to the music that had stopped playing ages ago. And Meghan was busy trying to take the perfect selfie, hindered by holding her phone upside down and not noticing. If Eva hadn’t been so on edge, she’d have laughed. Instead, she snorted roughly and decided enough was enough…she was getting the hell out of there.

  Like a perfectly timed scene from an old black and white film, just as Eva stood up, complete darkness fell. Loud shrieks echoed around the room, followed by hushing sounds and clapping. Eva sat back down and waited for the generator to kick in. Seconds seemed to tick by in exaggerated slow motion and the room remained pitch black. A delicate tinkle sounded as someone, somewhere, tapped a spoon on the side of a glass. A bright spotlight illuminated the centre of the dance floor and Shelly reached for Eva’s hand and grasped it tightly.

  ‘This is it,’ Shelly whispered.

  ‘I know he never picks the same girl twice, but I really wish it could be me again,’ Meghan said, ending her sentence with a delicate hiccup.

  ‘Me, too,’ Shelly said.

  Shelly and Meghan seemed to be talking in riddles. It was driving Eva crazy. ‘Who never picks the same girl?’

  ‘Shh,’ a man from across the table said angrily.

  Shelly and Meghan didn’t even notice. They were staring at the stage, enchanted. Eva blushed. She had no idea what in the hell was going on and she resented Meghan and Shelly drawing attention in their direction.

  ‘Mr. Doe…’ Shelly whispered into Eva’s ear. ‘…he’s about to choose his Number One. It’s the same every year. He invites her up on stage, blah, blah, blah.’

  ‘Blah, blah, blah?’ Eva echoed. What in the hell? That told her nothing. Mumbles weren’t helpful; she needed details. What happened on stage?

  ‘You know, she’s his thing.’ Shelly was struggling to get the words out.

  His thing, who? Eva knew the drink wasn’t helping, but it was more than that. Shelly seemed upset just talking about it.

  ‘I dunno. His chosen one, I suppose. It’s all a bit weird. But he treats her like royalty all year then picks a new girl and it starts all over.’

  ‘And you were that girl?’ Eva said, her hands flying to her face, alleviated all the clues finally added up and made sense.

  Shelly nodded. ‘Last year’s entertainment.’

  ‘And now?’

  ‘Well, now, he picks someone new.’

  ‘Meghan?’ Eva said, barely able to speak. She was baffled by the pattern she was seeing.

  ‘The year before.’

  Christ, no wonder she’s such a bitch, Eva decided, suddenly feeling guilty for all the time spent hating her. Eva’s eyes were wide open, to the point of uncomfortable, and she was nodding rhythmically as her head struggled to catch up with the sudden information explosion. Who did Mr. Doe think he was? Women weren’t toys available for his disposal. Yet Eva had a woman on each side of her crying at the thought of his rejection.

  A small lady shuffled into centre stage, using her hand to shield her eyes from the offensively bright light shining in her face. She tapped the microphone a couple of times and noise echoed around the room, like a giant, stomping his feet. Eva tried not to laugh; it was such an awkward contrast to the evening so far. The room was silent apart from the odd cough and someone taking it upon themselves to whisper ‘shh,’ every so often.

  The lady took a small sip of water from the low table beside her and finally spoke.

  ‘Ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure to welcome you all tonight.’ She stopped and sipped more water. If she was trying to combat nerves, she wasn’t very successful.

  ‘I’m very excited about this evening’s unveiling, as I’m sure you all are. So I won’t keep you waiting too long…’

  Eva was as enraptured by her words as everyone else in the room. She hung on her every syllable, not quite believing what she was hearing. ‘The total so far this year is a whopping fifty-five thousand, and we hope we can count on your generosity well into the evening.’

  What? Eva tugged Shelly’s sleeve. Shelly was in some sort of concentrating trance and Eva struggled to gain her attention.

  ‘Shelly, Shell…’

  ‘What, what, what?’ Shelly replied so speedily her words blurred.

  ‘This evening’s total?’ It was a question, not a statement, Eva hoped Shelly realised.

  ‘Yeah, it’s great, isn’t it?’

  Eva twitched nervously. ‘Yeah, yeah, it’s fab…but is this…’ She stopped, too embarrassed to ask the question with such an obvious answer.

  ‘Hmm?’ Shelly said, clearly only half listening.

  Eva shook her head. ‘Nothing, never mind.’

  Eva looked around for a waiter, but she could barely see her hand in front of her face. She needed to take advantage of the free drink, now, more than ever. She’d had no idea the event was a fundraiser, and she hadn’t spent a penny. Tickets, you must have had to purchase tickets, she thought - a little bile burned its way up her throat. How come she didn’t have one? Oh God, maybe Nathan had bought hers and she’d not even thanked him. Or Julian. Had he orga
nised her ticket along with everything else? She felt so out of place, so lost.

  Eva’s chair squeaked loudly as she forced it back along the highly polished porcelain tiles. Subdued lighting came back on and loud cheering and clapping erupted. For a second, Eva wondered what the lady on stage had said to provoke such a reaction, but really she didn’t care. Her only concern was getting the hell out of there, now, more than ever. Some people stood up and most were turning to stare at Eva. The cheering grew louder and before Eva had time to move, Shelly threw her arms around Eva’s shoulders and hugged her tight. Even Meghan was joining in the celebration.

  ‘It’s you, Eva. It’s you,’ Shelly shouted over the noise of the excited crowd.

  Me. What? No…No!

  Eva looked around once more, the room was awash with colour. Everyone had thrown off their capes and elegant silks and satins in the colours of the rainbow were splashed on every table. The women were the picture of elegance in their stunning dresses and the men were dapper and classy in expensive tuxedos and bow ties. It was exactly as Eva had imagined the evening to be, pristine elegance without the cloak and dagger nonsense. She still didn’t understand the purpose of the cape. Especially now that everyone had discarded it. Everyone except her. She was embarrassed by the black silk still draped over her shoulders. She untied the ribbon at her neck but was quickly stopped by Shelly and Meghan.

  ‘No, no, no. Not you, Eva,’ Shelly said, reaching across to retie the bow as if Eva were a small child struggling with a shoelace.

  ‘You’re special,’ Meghan explained. ‘It’s you. He’s chosen you.’

  ‘This is going to be the best year of your life,’ Shelly said, hugging Eva yet again.

  ‘He’s waiting,’ Meghan added. ‘You need to go.’

  ‘Who’s waiting,’ Eva said, searching for clues in Shelly or Meghan’s face, but all she could see was huge smiles and over excitement.

  ‘Mr. Doe, silly,’ Shelly said. ‘He’s up on stage. Go. Go now.’