by Hazel Kelly
“How so?”
“Because I’ve already checked the dessert menu, and I’m confident that I’d rather have another helping of you.”
My cock was straining in my pants, and we hadn’t even ordered yet.
“Well?” she asked. “What do you think?”
“I think that can be arranged,” I said, taking a sip of water and trying to calm the fuck down.
“Good,” she said, leaning across the table and dropping her voice to a whisper. “Because after what you did back there, you’re never going to get rid of me.”
I laughed. “You have no idea how pleased I am to hear that.”
A mischievous smile lifted her face. “I might have some idea.”
“Seriously, stop it. The bathroom at this place doesn’t allow for any more talk like that.”
She feigned an exaggerated pout.
“We will continue this conversation later.”
“I’ll look forward to it,” she said, straightening in her chair as the waiter arrived at our table.
He presented us with a stack of poppadoms on a brushed gold tray and then decorated the space between us with a selection of colorful dipping sauces in small gold bowls.
I was grateful for the interruption to my filthy thoughts—and for the chance to order so we could leave as soon as possible. If only I’d only had the good sense to treat her to my favorite takeout. Then she’d probably be naked by now, straddling my hips or my face or bent over the edge of my couch with her perfect ass in my—
“Are you ready to order, sir?” our waiter asked, clasping his hands in front of him.
“Yes,” I said, keeping my eyes on him in a desperate attempt to not think about Margot’s naked body for two seconds. “We’ll have an order of the Gorkali with chicken and the Ledo Bedo with lamb. Both nice and spicy, please.”
“What kind of rice would you like?”
“Pilau,” I said. “And to drink, we’ll have a bottle of the aged Tempranillo.”
“Of course,” the waiter said, scribbling away. “Anything else?”
“That will be all, thank you.”
He bowed his head and collected our menus. “I’ll be right back with your wine.”
“Great,” I said, smiling. “I’m sure it will taste better than ever.”
T W E N T Y S E V E N
- Margot -
There was no doubt in my mind that we were changed forever, and like Cinderella after she tried on the glass slipper, I wasn’t sure whether to squeal with glee or let out a massive sigh of relief.
I mean, how did I get so lucky? We all want things. It’s human nature. Only hardcore Buddhists can resist the constant desire for things outside their grasp, but Landon had been that constant thing for me for as long as I could remember, and I had him now.
I had his attention, his affection, and even his leg resting against mine under the table. And while I didn’t want to get ahead of myself, I sincerely hoped my actions earlier had been enough to drive us from the friend zone forever.
“What do you think?” he asked, serving himself another spoonful of rice.
I swallowed the flavorful bite I was chewing and licked my lips. “I’m surprised it’s not more popular than Indian food.”
“Is that a compliment?”
I nodded. “Maybe the highest I could give.”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying it. This is one of my favorite places.”
I sliced a fragrant piece of lamb with the side of my fork. “Do you come here a lot, then?”
“Only with people I’m crazy about,” he said, flicking his eyes up at me. “So, no.”
“I’m crazy about you, too, you know.” I reached for my wine. “But that’s not exactly news, is it? You’ve always known.”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Don’t bullshit me, Landon.”
“Okay,” he said. “I may have suspected once or twice.”
“You totally knew. You’ve known ever since that day in the basement when—” I couldn’t say it. The memory of feeling rejected at sixteen by a boy I’d wanted for years was still as fresh as if it happened yesterday.
He leaned back in his chair. “Actually, I suspected before that.”
I furrowed my brow. “When?”
“When your parents gave me the Twister X9 for my thirteenth birthday.”
“Your skateboard? What’s that got to do with me?”
“You’re the only one who knew I wanted it.”
I squinted and tried to remember.
“We were at the end of the driveway one day, and I was watching Matt attempt a new trick on the Hurricane R8 he got for his birthday.”
I studied his face, surprised that he remembered something I didn’t when I prided myself on that sort of thing.
“You were doodling with chalk, drawing some kind of made-up bird,” he said. “I didn’t even think you were listening to me. All I said was that I would’ve asked for the Twister X9 instead.”
I bit the inside of my cheek.
“And two months later I got one for my birthday.”
“And I was the only one who knew you wanted it?”
“Of course. I wasn’t about to tell Matt I thought he picked the wrong model. And I certainly didn’t tell your parents since I was always so self-conscious about how generous they were with me anyway.”
“I remember now,” I said. “My mom asked Matt what she should get you for your birthday, and he said you didn’t want anything from her, that you thought my parents did too much for you as it was.”
“They did,” he said. “They still do.”
“They’re good like that,” I said, smiling. “Anyway, my mom insisted that thirteen was an important birthday.”
“Too bad my mom didn’t get the memo.”
My eyes drooped at the corners when I thought of how much he probably would’ve preferred a card from his mom over anything else.
“Anyway,” he said, waving his own comment away. “You must’ve told them then.”
I served myself another spoonful of rice to soak up the extra sauce on my plate. “Yeah. Now that you mention it, I remember everyone being really surprised that I was so specific.”
“I bet,” he said, his mouth twitching towards a smile.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. I was just thinking about what happened in my office earlier.”
“That wasn’t funny, Landon. That was serious.”
“Trust me, I’m all too aware of that.” He topped up our wine. “My head’s still spinning with the repercussions.”
“Just don’t pull away this time,” I said, my eyes pleading. “Don’t act like nothing happened.”
“I wouldn’t do that.”
I leaned forward. “Yes, you would. You always do. Every time something happens between us, you freak out.”
He looked down at his plate.
“You know you do.”
He sighed.
“Please don’t do it again,” I said. “Not this time. Not now that I’m all out of tricks.”
His eyes dashed up at me. “Something tells me that’s far from true.”
There was a hunger in his expression that made my stomach flip. “You know what I mean.”
“I’m sure I don’t,” he said. “At least as far as your tricks go.”
“Seriously.”
“Seriously, I know I do that,” he said, laying his fork down. “And I’ve done it too many times.”
It felt strangely comforting to hear him acknowledge the fact that he’d been knowingly torturing me. “So why did you keep doing it?”
“Because I didn’t want to—”
“What?”
“I didn’t want to come between you and everything this world has to offer,” he said. “I didn’t want to interfere with you figuring out what you really wanted.”
“You don’t get it, do you?”
He tilted an ear towards me.
“You’ve always been
what I wanted.”
“You say that now,” he said. “But if I hadn’t given you space, you might never have known what else was out there, and that wouldn’t be right.”
“Pfff.”
“What do you mean pfff?”
“I mean, maybe you’re right, but that doesn’t mean I think you did me any favors.”
His mouth twitched.
“Because you know what this world has to offer?” I asked.
He leaned to one side of his chair.
“A bunch of guys who don’t give a shit about me, who don’t know where I come from, and who don’t know what I’m about.”
He flinched a little at the shit comment, like it pained him to think anyone might not have been good to me, and I was glad. He should feel like that. Not that those shitty experiences were his fault, but he was the one who made me shop around when it was never what I wanted.
“A bunch of guys I could never learn to trust as much as I trust you.”
His eyes softened.
“A bunch of guys I could never want as much.”
“Are you sure you don’t just like me because I’m the first guy who was ever nice to you?”
“Fuck you for saying that. That’s straight out of Matt’s mouth, and I know it.”
“I still had to ask.”
“No, you didn’t,” I said. “You know it’s not like that.”
He slid his hand across the table, and despite my frustration, I took it like a lifeline and found myself instantly soothed by his touch.
“I know,” he said. “I know.”
I shook my head and took a deep breath, desperate to return to the relaxed mood I was in before.
“And for what it’s worth,” he said. “I’ve been crazy about you for a lot longer than you realize.”
“No, you haven’t. You wouldn’t even be talking to me right now if I hadn’t been repeatedly throwing myself at you since I was—”
“Not true,” he said, squeezing my hand. “You’ve had my heart in your pocket since the July before you turned eight.”
I blinked at him, trying to hide my shock that he’d used that pocket phrase, which I’d never mentioned to anyone. “Excuse me?”
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” he said, letting go of my hand but keeping his eyes fixed on me. “It was pouring rain, and I was sitting in your kitchen building a paper mâché volcano with Matt for summer science club.”
“What was I doing?”
“Moving worms from the sidewalk and the flooded curb into the flower beds where they’d be safe.”
I remembered doing that more than once as a kid, but I didn’t recall that specific time.
“I thought it was a sweet—albeit unnecessary—thing to do,” he said.
“Understandable.”
“But when you came back inside that day, it was the first time I realized that you were beautiful. Like, intoxicatingly beautiful.”
A lump rose in my throat.
“You were soaking wet and your hair was dripping down the sides of your face, but you had this glow about you. I suspect it was a mixture of pride and satisfaction.”
“And?” I asked, intrigued by his tone of voice as he relived the memory.
“And that’s when I knew I liked you in a way that was different from how I liked other people.”
A coil of heat tightened in my gut.
“That’s when I knew there was nothing I wouldn’t do to see you make that face again.”
“And have I?” I asked. “Made it since then?”
He nodded.
“When?”
“Earlier today,” he said, his smile pulling towards his scar. “Right after you came down my throat.”
T W E N T Y E I G H T
- Landon -
I wanted to believe Margot’s smile was proof that the Pandora’s box I’d opened was full of good things. Things that wouldn’t make me lose my job and my family and my best friend.
Either way, it was open now, and as I rested my hand on her smooth leg during the cab ride home, dropping the pads of my fingers against her inner thigh from time to time, it really felt like nothing else mattered. Nothing but her. Nothing but us.
“Are you sure you want to come up?” I asked as we waited for the elevator in my building to arrive.
“I’ve never been so sure about anything in my life.”
My heart swelled in my chest, and I extended a straight hand across the parting doors for her, dropping my eyes to her perfect hips as she stepped past me, hips I might soon have in my bed. Once inside, I leaned against the opposite wall and tried to figure out how I could possibly make the rest of the night as perfect as she deserved.
“Hey, stranger,” she said, crossing her ankles with an amused expression on her face that I was eager to kiss right off. “Why so far away?”
She had no idea what she was doing to me, what she’d always done to me. She’d never understand how hard I’d fought to suppress my feelings for her. All I ever wanted was for things to be simple, but they never were. My life had been a complicated string of short straws drawn one after the other. And while I’d done incredibly well for myself despite my challenges, having her here before me, ready to give herself to me so totally, felt too good to be true.
And I was suspicious of anything that felt like that.
It was too good to be true when Matt saved me from that dog, only to end up with his own forearm ripped to shreds.
It was too good to be true when my mom came back, feigning happiness to see me again just so she could destroy her remaining personal effects, as if erasing all evidence of her existence was somehow a merciful act.
And it was too good to be true that Margot wanted me back. And I hated not knowing how it would end.
Because it would. Of course it would. Nothing good in my life had ever lasted, no matter how tightly I tried to hold on to it. Except for my friendship with Matt, and I was about to throw that away because I could no longer resist the only woman on Earth he’d ever trusted me not to touch.
My only consolation was that I believed even the memory of having her would be so good it would sustain me, no matter what the future held.
“Well?” she asked, eyeing me from across the shiny silver cube.
“I think I finally understand why diets don’t work.”
She furrowed her brow. “What?”
“You know how my secretary starts a new diet every Monday?”
She shook her head. “I didn’t know that.”
“Well, she does.”
“Okay.”
“But every week, she falls off the wagon, and it’s always in the exact same way.”
Margot cocked her head.
“She’ll have one bite of something she’s not supposed to have, and next thing she knows, she’s eaten the whole pie or the whole box of Munchkins or the whole bag of fun-size candy bars.”
“Because she can’t have just one bite?”
“Exactly,” I said. “And that’s what you’ve done to me.”
She smiled.
“I could no more walk away from you right now than Gloria could walk away from a free sample of cheesecake.”
“I’m flattered,” she said, leading the way when the doors parted beside us.
“You should be.”
When I stuck my key in the lock, she slid a hand up my back, and all the desire I’d fought to keep at bay during the taxi ride home bubbled up inside me.
I clenched my jaw and let her inside, taking a deep breath as I flicked the light on and closed the door. When I turned to face her again, she was leaning against the counter, her hips tilted just enough to remind me how she looked in my office chair.
I stepped up to her, pinning her against the counter before dragging my fingers across her cheekbone and into her silky blonde hair.
She flattened her palms against my chest, and I wondered if she could feel my heart hammering as obviously as she could feel the reaction my lower body
was having to her.
“Sleep with me, Landon,” she whispered, her sparkling eyes searching mine. “I want to feel you inside me.”
I grabbed her face and kissed her, the taste of red wine still sharp on her tongue.
She fumbled at my buttons while I pushed her coat off her shoulders.
“I liked it better when you didn’t have anything on under here,” I said as it slumped to the floor.
She yanked my dress shirt from where it was tucked in and started on my belt, stopping only when I pulled her blouse over her head.
I froze when I saw her perfect breasts suspended in a silk and lace flesh-colored bra.
“What?” she asked, looking down.
“Nothing,” I said, determined to take my time over every inch of her. “You’re just—”
“What?”
“So beautiful it hurts.”
She blushed, unzipped her skirt, and slid it down over her hips.
My eyes dripped down her sexy stomach to where I could barely make out the edge of her matching panties. “Fuck,” I said, aching so bad I had to adjust myself. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything,” she said, her eyes smiling. “Just take me to bed.”
T W E N T Y N I N E
- Margot -
I expected him to lead me to his room, but he scooped me up instead, carrying me over the threshold like a princess.
He laid me down and turned on the soft light by the bed before standing back to admire me. “Are you sure this is what you want?” he asked, his eyes on me as he removed his cufflinks.
“Stop asking me that,” I said. “I’ve wanted this as long as you have.”
He set his cufflinks on the bedside table, removed his dress shirt, and tossed it over the armchair behind him.
I kicked my shoes off and scooted up towards the pillows, watching as he pulled off his undershirt and revealed a chest so chiseled it deserved twelve months of calendar space all its own.
When he unzipped his pants, my mouth began to water, and when he freed his cock again, I had to swallow to keep from drooling. It was solid and straight and looked intimidating from where I lay, but I couldn’t wait for it to finally fill me up.
He knelt on the bed, straddled me, and lowered himself down onto his elbows so I could feel the heat coming off his body. “I’ve never wanted anyone like this, Margot.”
