Etoile (The Mannequin Series)

by Olivia Besse

  "See? Told you."

  His condo did indeed have a killer view. The living room was wide and airy with floor-to-ceiling glass windows that showcased the glittering lights of the city that never sleeps. The room was bare and minimal, a far cry from the messy model apartment that had housed their first encounter.

  As she turned around to make a comment on the view, her lips were forcefully met with his as he pushed her into the windows. She gasped out in surprise as he held her against the cold glass with his hard body, lunging into her mouth with his sweet tongue.

  "I meant it when I said I missed you," he whispered as he quickly unbuttoned his shirt. Tyler held her wrists up high above her head with one hand as he groped at her breasts with his other, all the while never letting their lips move apart. She moaned against his mouth in pleasure as he began to aggressively rub against her as he stiffened.

  He kept her hands pinned in place as he maneuvered his jeans off and pushed the skirt of her dress up. She let out a sharp breath as her bare ass cheeks made contact with the chilly glass.

  "See?" Tyler grinned. "You did want to fuck me."

  After gloving up, he proceeded to slam into her against the window as she cried out yes. Tyler fucked her so intensely that she feared the glass would shatter behind her. He finally let her hands free and she held onto his broad shoulders as she straddled his waist, screaming out in joyous agony. Tyler, being the arrogant bastard that he was, got more turned on as he watched his dick enter the beautiful girl over and over again, becoming more ferocious with each thrust.

  Elodie's pleas echoed throughout the quiet room hauntingly. Tyler's panting and the squeaking of her moist back against the glass were the only other sounds that could be heard. Her long hair hung over both of their faces, encasing them in a muggy fog of sweat and longing. He began to drill her more slowly and deeply as she leaned her head back against the cool window.

  "Deeper," she demanded in a shaky voice as he obliged. The feelings of joy were thick and heavy as they made their way up to her brain. Tyler's thrusts became increasingly long and probing, causing Elodie to shudder as she nuzzled her face against his. They held each other tightly as they finished and collapsed onto the floor in an exhausted heap. He let out a small laugh as he pulled her frail body towards his own, tucking her hair behind her ear and kissing her eyelids.

  "We make a great team," he informed her quietly. They lay together for a while, staring at each other with stifled laughter.

  When they finally had the energy to get up, Tyler put on a pair of sweatpants and gave her one of his worn in tee shirts to sleep in. Elodie climbed into the cool bed with him and he held her for a while, playing with her hair and telling her about his Gucci exclusive until his eyes fluttered with sleep.

  His body completely encased her own in heavy protection, and she could feel each rise and fall of his chest. She watched his face as he slept, surprised by how long and thick his eyelashes were and by the presence of stray freckles on his cheeks.

  Elodie turned around in his arms to stare out the window at all of the twinkling lights. And, with Tyler right there with her, she couldn't help but feel something that hadn't stirred inside of her for a very long time.

  Hope.

  Eight

  Elodie slowly stirred awake the next morning, bathed in the warm sunshine that was streaming in through the window. Her head was pounding, courtesy of the generous hangover that had decided to make an appearance. What had happened last night?

  Her eyes slowly flitted open to the sight of Tyler's piercing green eyes lazily staring at her face. He gave her an unapologetic smirk as she shyly smiled back. "What?" she whispered.

  "Nothing," he continued to stare and he softened his chiseled cheeks. His rockabilly haircut was now mussed like a child's, and she was sure that her hair probably wasn't looking great either. He leaned in to kiss the tip of her nose ever so lightly before drawing her body closer to his with his toned arms. His morning wood sharply stabbed at her thigh and he gave her a sly smile.

  Tyler stroked her bare bottom gently with the back of his right hand. "Your skin's so soft," he mumbled as he began to nuzzle her neck. "You smell like a fucking baby."

  She lightly outlined his shoulder blades with the pads of her fingers while he slowly kissed her neck. When he began to nibble on her earlobe, she felt her body involuntarily shudder. Seeing her reaction, he focused on the newfound sensitive spot a bit more before moving on to her tiny pink lips. He pulled Elodie on top of him and they kissed slowly and sensually as she moved her petite body rhythmically against his bare chest and sweatpants.

  "You look better in my shirt than I do. Now, we can't be having any of that," he joked as he ripped it off of her and flipped her onto her back. She squealed and he playfully spread her legs open and laid the weight of his body over her before pulling the heavy blanket over them. He then proceeded to hold her face in his hand as they made out some more, like two hormone-crazed teenagers away at summer camp.

  Elodie gave in to the delicious kisses and slipped her hand into his sweatpants, which he seemed to thoroughly appreciate. She felt him throb and grow bigger against her smooth palm as his hot tongue began to vigorously massage her own.

  The warmth of the sunlight only added to the suffocating heat that was growing underneath the heavy blanket. As they continued to moan and explore each other's mouths, Elodie thought she might faint from lightheadedness.

  As they rolled over and she lay across his heaving chest, she began to move her kisses southward. Tyler eagerly rolled off his sweatpants and grinned at her with hunger in his eyes. She took her time leaving a trail of soft kisses across his salty skin as he aggressively ran his fingers through her damp hair.

  "Fuck, do it now," he ordered in short, hushed tones as he threw a condom towards her.

  She gave him an innocent look and proceeded to expertly roll it on using only her mouth. His response was a stream of expletives as he pulled tighter at her hair. Elodie enthralled him by alternating between long and short, soft and deep. She swirled her tongue around his bulging cock and sucked it hard while lightly caressing the velvety skin of his inner thighs. He continued to mumble nonsense as he writhed in delight.

  "Oh, shit. Oh, fuck. You're so fucking good. Do that, yea that."

  Her whole body was vibrating with him at the thought of his pleasure. Every pull to the roots of her tangled hair sent sharp currents down her spine.

  "Faster. Deeper!" Tyler ordered as he was about to come. "Fuck, grab it hard."

  Elodie felt her body shake as he pulled away from her mouth and threw her onto her back, kicking the blanket off of them in the process. The sharpness of the cool air hitting their burning skin felt like a merciful gift from the gods.

  Tyler pried her legs open and entered her so savagely that the air got knocked out of her lungs for a brief moment. Elodie grabbed onto his tense arms and stared at his handsome face through half drawn lids. She could stare at him in his entirety forever, he was so good looking.

  The headboard banged against the wall loudly as they shook the mattress like rabbits in heat. The skin on her back was raw from the vigor of his movements. "Oh my god, more! More!" Elodie yelled out as his skin rubbed viciously against her own. Just for the hell of it, she added in some nonsense French for his enjoyment, to which he moaned in agreement as he let his body fall onto hers.

  Elodie could hardly focus her eyes on Tyler's as he stared directly into them. His quick breaths slowed as he wrapped his arms around hers and they rocked together as his thrusts deepened. She dug her fingertips into his ass cheeks and guided his pace as he panted against her neck. The heaviness of his chest against her vulnerable nipples aroused her even more as they continuously rubbed together with rough abandon.

  Feeling her breathing quicken as she was about to come, she let go of his perfect butt to signal that she was ready. He moved his face back to hers and kissed her lightly, softly whispering, "You're so fucking beautiful."

&n
bsp; A sense of urgency filled the air as he lifted her legs up and began to fuck her hard. She cried out in rapture as his body bashed against hers and waves of euphoria overtook them both. With clenched eyes and teeth, he cried out as he finished and collapsed onto her.

  Tyler buried his face in her hair while holding her body tightly to his own. They lay in that position, heaving in exhaustion, until he finally rolled over and maneuvered his lifeless body over to his nightstand. He offered her a cigarette and joked, "Probably burned at least 300 calories, right?"

  She laughed in agreement as she ignored her grumbling stomach. Tyler heaved himself off of the bed and walked over to his mirrored closet doors, where he proceeded to examine his perfect body in the mirror while all was bared for the world to see. Elodie rolled her eyes. He was such a tool.

  "What are your plans for today?" he asked in a disinterested tone as he checked out his pores. She stretched out her body like a kitten and checked her phone. "Just waiting to hear from my agent about any castings. I'm optioned for a catalog shoot, but who knows how many of us there are. I should get going though."

  He made a small noise of acknowledgment and continued to examine his eyebrows and nose hair. She walked over to pick up her dress, which had been flung into a corner the previous night. She threw her hair into a messy ponytail after squeezing back into her dress and wiping the bottoms of her raccoon eyes. In an attempt to play down her morning-after look, she dug through Tyler's closet and borrowed a slim button-down shirt and aviators.

  "Cute," he said approvingly as she gathered her belongings. "But are you just holding my things ransom so you can see me again?" He gave a haughty snort as he pinched her side.

  She rolled her eyes at him dismissively before she really thought about it.

  Hm. Maybe she was.

  Nine

  "Lo, you not have fun?" Tatiana nudged her friend gently as she finished off her vodka soda and stamped out her cigarette.

  The three of them, minus Heddi, were out at the trendy downstairs lounge of a hip restaurant in the West Village. The entire room was packed with models, celebrities and professional athletes, though everyone tried their best to play it cool and not gawk at each other.

  After getting home and scrubbing herself clean that morning, Elodie had wanted to spend the rest of the day lazing around in her pyjamas while watching French movies on Netflix. She wasn't in the best of moods as her agent had told her that he had nothing for her that day. Again.

  The two troublemakers, on the other hand, had spent the whole of the day coercing her to join in on their night out. “Wednesday is always best day, you know,” Jelena had stated matter-of-factly, as if she didn't say the same thing every other day of the week when attempting to convince everyone to go out.

  At first she had refused, groaning into the dusty pillow on their futon in misery after taking an Adderall to quell her ever-present hunger. But peeping at her friends putting on their cute little Parker dresses had caused Elodie to cave in. So she had expertly thrown on her all black ensemble of a sheer sleeveless top, tight leather leggings and Alexander Wang booties in five minutes flat, joining them on the curb mere seconds before the car arrived.

  Elodie smiled at her friend and tossed back her own drink. She was out to have fun, she reminded herself, not to mope. Tatiana threw her scrawny arm around her friend's shoulders and led her to the dance floor, where Jelena was dancing with Melissa, another girl from their agency. Two grey-haired men in suits leered at them as if they were pieces of meat. In an attempt to let go of her stress, Elodie let the alcohol, and the tiny amount of coke that she had done earlier, course through her veins and loosen her nerves as she stomped to the music.

  The girls danced as onlookers snapped photos and asked them to join their tables. Jelena would brush them all off with a firm "no" as they enjoyed their girls' night, like some sort of Mafia bodyguard. The night was a blur as they rid themselves of any inhibitions, enjoying the scene and pushing any negative thoughts aside.

  While heading back from the restroom with Tatiana, Elodie heard Jelena let out a high-pitched squeal and watched as her friend pranced over to the bar area. She was surprised to see the toothpaste commercial kid from the night before envelope her friend in a bear hug. And her stomach fluttered for a brief moment when she saw who was with him.

  Tatiana grabbed her hand and walked with her to where Jelena was talking rapidly with her admirer. "Banker boys from yesterday," she informed Elodie in a hushed tone as she guided them through the crowd. "I like redhead. Do not touch."

  As the two approached the huddled group, Tatiana made a beeline for her ginger-headed victim like a heat seeking missile. When Elodie got closer, James looked at her with a warm smile.

  "Hey," he greeted her. "Didn't think I'd see you again. No spills tonight?"

  Elodie tittered charmingly, "No, but I guess I should be careful now that you are here?"

  "Ouch," he smiled with his perfect teeth. Perfect, so perfect. "I hope you're not going to hold that against me forever. Can I get you a drink?"

  As she nodded and walked with him closer to the bar, she felt his hand lightly rest on the small of her back. She normally wouldn't even notice a gesture like that but, at that moment, she felt like a giddy little schoolgirl.

  "Boyfriend didn't make it today?" he asked nonchalantly as he signaled to the bartender.

  "Oh no, that was just a silly friend. No boyfriend," she corrected him quickly. Tyler who?

  James turned and gave her a sidelong glance as he raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

  "Really," Elodie assured him with a nod.

  "Huh."

  ...Huh?

  That was it? Huh?!

  What did he mean by “huh”? Did he not believe her? Was he not interested? Why would someone say “huh” aloud? Was he trying to insinuate something? Discombobulated thoughts raced through her mind as she attempted to decode his simple response.

  James handed Elodie a vodka soda and clinked his glass of scotch playfully against hers. She gave him a tight smile as he cocked his head and looked at her. "You look different. Prettier. I like you better without all that makeup."

  She felt her cheeks burn. Was she blushing?! What was happening to her? Don't make an ass of yourself, she mentally screamed at her brain. Trying to seem casual, she did her best to breezily shrug her shoulders as he gave a tiny laugh.

  "Come on, you're a model. I'm sure you hear stuff like that all the time."

  She fought back the urge to make a face. Rude comments on her thighs, forehead, back curvature, hair ends and toe cleavage were more like it. But she knew that if she said anything otherwise, it would seem as if she were fishing for compliments. She chose to smile graciously and change the subject instead.

  "You are a banker?" she asked with genuine interest.

  He let out a small sigh. "Yep. I work downtown in investment banking. Nothing glamorous about that, huh? I actually just got off of work, swung by my place and came here. Sad thing is, this is a slow week."

  She looked at him in awe. All she'd done that day was sit around and whine.

  "So you never answered me yesterday," he slowly began. "Are you going to let me buy you dinner? I mean, it's the least I could do."

  Elodie looked up at him as her heart thudded violently, threatening to beat out of her chest. She prayed that he wasn't able to hear it. Be cool and think of something clever to say, she willed herself. Nodding ever so slightly, she replied, "Well, I really did like that dress."

  He gave her an appreciative laugh. "Cool. Maybe we can actually have a conversation. I'm not really a fan of scenes like this. You can't even hear yourself think."

  They exchanged numbers and arranged to meet that Saturday night. He would come pick her up at nine, he told her. She couldn't help but zone out while they were talking and think to herself how cute he was.

  The day before had not been a fluke. He really was adorable with perfect hair, perfect teeth and perfect manners. He was dressed
casually in a white tee, gray sweater and fitted black jeans, but looked like he could have just stepped off of a VMAN shoot. She was smitten.

  "Elodie?" he called her name as he looked at her teasingly. She had been spacing out the whole time that he was talking. He motioned towards the end of the bar, where Tatiana was waving her arms at them like a madwoman. "Shall we?"

  The tips of her ears burned as she nodded at him, and he guided them over to the rest of their friends. Jelena was nowhere to be seen. "Lodie, Lodie! Where you go? I want go home," Tatiana announced with a pout.

  "Why?" she asked cautiously.

  Tatiana had already grabbed her hand and had begun pulling her away. "Redhead is not banker, he is accountant," she grumbled simply as she briskly walked towards the door.

  As she was being whisked away against her will, Elodie turned back to look at James. He gave her an understanding smile as he waved goodbye. "Saturday!" he yelled out to remind her over the noise of the crowd.