Laughing, predicting the epiphany I’ve just come upon, Ace finishes my thought. “Yes we are aware that together we are Ryan Reynolds. It’s been years of jokes, trust me.” He rolls his eyes.
“Yeah, in university they called us ‘The Ryan Reynolds’,” Mercer adds, shaking his head. “We are that lame.”
I nod, unable to hide my laughter. “That’s so bad. I can only imagine. Ha! Ryan Reynolds.” I motion between the two. “Well, it was good to see you both. I’d better go find Courtney, she has my ticket.” I wave. I’m about to move around Ace and Mercer when Ace moves in close to my ear.
“See you around, E,” he says, and rubs the inside of my wrist as I pass.
My voice is non-existent, I can’t seem to find any words. Instead, I’m too focused on how much more I’d like to feel him touch me.
“Hey. Els, where ya been?” Court asks, as I rock up beside her.
“Are you kidding? You were supposed to come back to me. What, being around Jax makes you that forgetful? Are we that smitten, my little kitten?” I say, using her words against her.
“Whatever. He’s hot. My brain goes mush. I’m a bad friend, blah, blah.” We both laugh.
“You really are. Luckily, I understand. Now let’s go find our seats. And then you can buy me popcorn.” I nudge her.
“About that,” she pauses. “Don’t kill me.”
“You know when you start a sentence like this I know it’s bad, right? What’s going on, Court?” I ask, hoping I’m not going to have to kill my friend in public.
“I’ve got bad news, babe,” she says. “Seeing as there are so many of us, we have assigned seats. Just like with Fifty Shades, it’s too busy. This is their way to control it. So we’re not sitting together.” She drops the tiny bomb. I sigh, then she leans in to whisper: “I’m beside Jax, though. You okay if I don’t ask him to trade you, like the good friend I usually am would?”
“You really are the worst friend. You know this, right?”
“The worst.” She jumps up and down.
“Fine. Ditch me. Give me my ticket and let’s go so you can get me my popcorn before you go suck face on your date, you ass,” I smile, looping my arm in hers as we walk to the concession stands.
“Thank you. You’re the best, Els. Layered butter for you tonight.”
Chapter 34
Ellie
You’ve got to be kidding me.
Now I know what Courtney was referring to when I overheard her telling Jax that she thinks they pulled it off. And cue the “it” she was talking about…
“Ellie.” Ace’s husky voice appeals to every inch of my body as I slip into my seat. The one right next to his, of course.
“Ace, hi. No Mercer?” I swear my voice squeaks, as I look past him, clearly my name should be Captain Obvious.
“No, we got separated, too.” He looks past me, referencing my missing friend. “Looks like it’s you and me.” His voice drops, and I swear it takes all my might not to admit how good the words “you and me” sound used in the same sentence when he says it.
“Yeah, looks that way.” I jam popcorn into my mouth, causing him to laugh out loud, the deep sound making my body hum with awareness. I’m so screwed.
“You’re cute, Ellie.” He leans in close, something he seems to like to do, and I wonder if he realizes how much I like it. “I’m excited to watch this with you.” He runs his thumb under my bottom lip, and I almost jolt off the seat with the force of his touch.
“Butter. There was a bit of butter there. Sorry,” he says, moving his thumb to his mouth and licking the butter off.
“No. Don’t be sorry. I liked it,” I whisper, so low I’m not sure he catches it, but he does. Oh. My. God! Did I just say that in my outside voice?
“Jesus. You’re killing me,” I hear him mutter.
“Mmm,” I stuff more popcorn into my mouth, mortified, as he chuckles beside me, his shoulder brushing mine as he shakes.
“Fuck, you’re sweet.”
“Mmm hmm.” I stuff more popcorn in my mouth, still speechless, but saved by the dimming of the lights. Knowing we’re both huge Star Wars fans, I know I’m safe from further words.
He chuckles, gripping my knee. “Let’s sit back and watch your girl.”
I nod, appreciating his Leia reference.
After a few beats, swallowing, I find my voice and lean into him this time, “My woman, you mean. And I bet she’s totally kick-ass.”
My comment causes him to bark out a deep laugh before looking me in the eyes and telling me: “I think you’re pretty kick-ass, Ms. Hughes.”
“Ssssh!” someone hisses behind us.
With that little revelation, I spend the rest of Courtney’s “non-date” enjoying one of the best dates I’ve had. And if I had big green ears, they would most definitely be twitching. Like him I do, yes.
Chapter 35
Ellie
“Breathless Whispers—”
“Chanel, lovely. How are you?”
“Hey Jake,” I reply excitedly. “I’ve been hoping you’d call again soon. It feels like it’s been a while.”
Seeing his name across the screen did make me happy. It’s been weird not talking to him for a few days. Strange as it may sound, I feel an attraction to this stranger. Talking to him excites me, and not only sexually, either. I’m curious about him, what he looks like, how he acts, what he does in his day-to-day life. Over the last few weeks, he’s disclosed little things about himself: he’s in his early-thirties, his favourite band is The Tragically Hip, he recently moved here, he’s a movie buff, and Star Wars is his life, apparently. I might have fallen a little bit with that last revelation.
Truth be told, I’m intrigued. Jake sounds like my type. I know it’s insane but I want to meet him in person. I think we’d make great friends, maybe even more. I know I can’t (it’s a serious no-no at Breathless Whispers; the Conrads would have my head on a plate) and that it’s a silly Pretty Woman fantasy, but I do think about it. Maybe it’s because I can’t have Ace. Maybe on some level my brain is trying to manipulate my heart, when in reality both notions involving both men are beyond fucked up? One’s my teacher, the other’s a stranger. I definitely need a reality check. I’m sure even Destiny would tell me to put down whatever I’m smokin’. Lost in my wavering thoughts, Jake’s voice soothes my uncertainty, his words bringing me back to him, or, rather, to my job.
“I missed talking to you too, lovely. Work’s been crazy. My stu—pid job has been busy.” He’s quick to correct himself and I can’t help wondering what he was going to say. “With the holidays coming, I’ve been on a deadline at work, trying to get things wrapped up before the break. Then I’ll be taking some time off and working on a big side project.”
“Well, I’m sorry to hear that. I’m glad you’re calling now, though. And please tell me that this side project is something fun and sexy,” I tease.
“I’m glad I called too. It’s a fun project, there are some elements that are sexy, but I don’t want to think about that right now. I need this tonight. I won’t be calling again until after the holidays, beautiful.”
“Boo.” I offer my best pout. Over the past few weeks when Jake calls, it’s not always to get off. Sometimes he simply likes to talk. He’ll ask me things about my life—well, Chanel’s, anyway—we talk about movies, books, dating and relationships. A few times I’ve even shared a few crazy caller stories with him. He tells me those ones are his favourites to listen to me talk about. Says he wishes he could see me telling him my adventures, wants to see if he’s imagined my facial expressions and mannerisms the way I actually look when sharing my stories. Sometimes I feel as if I’m Scheherazade in One Thousand and One Nights, telling Shahryar different stories night after night. If you were to ask me honestly, I’d say Jake and I are sort of friends. Maybe even friends with phone sex benefits, if that makes any sense. Except that he pays for it, of course, and I do have a job to do. I clear my throat.
“I need you
too. Are we gonna play tonight, Jake? You going to get me off as hard as I plan to get you off?”
“Fuck, yeah. I’m wound so tight from work and this gir—other shit going on.”
“I’m sure I can help you relax. I happen to have a little present for you. I know how much you like Star Wars, and with Christmas coming this week, I ended up finding the perfect present when I was out shopping. I was grabbing a few new sets of panties and matching bras when I spotted it. Right away, I knew it was perfect, that I needed to grab it so I could send you off into the holiday season with a special treat if you called on time, and lucky for me, you did,” I say in my sultriest voice.
“Oh yeah? This sounds promising.” His deep voice sounding rich with excitement spurs me on.
“There I was in this lingerie store called Avec Plaisir, when I come across a table featuring Star Wars merchandise. With the new movie coming out, it seems Star Wars stuff is everywhere.”
“Oh fuck. Chanel. Tell me it’s a bikini.”
Smirking, knowing this is going perfectly, I continue on. “Spying a sexy gold bikini, a perfect replica matching Princess Leia’s, I thought of you right away,” I pause, letting that sink in.
“You thought of me, beautiful?”
No, I thought of Ace, but I’ll keep that bit to myself. Instead, I keep going.
“Yes I did. I thought of how I could buy it and wear it just for you. Give you me as your Leia for Christmas. Then let you tell me all the things you’d like to do to me for a change.”
“Fuck, you might be perfect if not for this no-seeing, no-touching conundrum we have going on. You make me so fucking hard.” His breathing increases, and, of course, so does mine. “Tell me about how you tried it on, Chanel. Describe how it didn’t fully cover those amazing tits.”
“That’s exactly what happened. How did you know?” I giggle teasingly.
“’Cause I imagine your tits to be perfect. Beautifully formed, with pink-tipped nipples that beg for my touch. Fuck it, let’s take turns telling this one tonight. Sound fun?”
“Yes,” I reply, sounding out of breath.
“Let’s pretend I’m your boyfriend and I knew you were trying it on, and I came into the change room. I got so turned on knowing what you were doing that I had to come in.”
“God, that would be so hot. Let’s do it.”
“Okay, ready, lovely? I think we’re both going to come so hard tonight.”
“God, me too. Please, Jake. Let’s continue,” I say, needing to see how this all plays out. Once again, the idea of this very thing happening with Ace fuels my desire.
Jake’s husky voice brings me back from my Ace-induced thoughts. “You’ve just finished trying it on and I’m so fucking turned on knowing what you’re doing behind the curtain. I charge into the small change space. Tell me what happens next.”
“I gasp. Then I say ‘Jake, you can’t be in here.’ I try to scold, when really I want nothing more than for you to see me like this, my tits spilling out of the bikini’s front, the small gold panties barely covering my aching pussy.”
“Shit, that’s perfect. I step in closer to you and tell you how fucking beautiful you are. I reach for the tie at your neck and pull.”
“Yes, it falls, releasing my huge tits, my nipples instantly hardening with the cool air’s kiss.”
“I take them between my finger and thumb, rolling each tip and pulling, convincing them to get even harder for me.”
“I moan, and beg for you to suck on them, aching to feel your tender bites and the swirl of your tongue as you drop your mouth to each one…”
“Hell, yeah, I love when you beg. Sucking on your nipples, I drop my hand down the front of your gold panties and rub your clit. Feeling how wet you are makes me growl.”
“You push me back against the mirror, taking my mouth hard with your own. Then, next thing I know, you’ve turned me, my hands now bracing myself against the mirrored wall.”
“Shit. I look you up and down all ready for me, sexy as fuck. I drop my jeans, grabbing my hard-as-stone cock needing to slip it inside you. Wanting nothing more than to feel your tight cunt hugging my cock while I thrust so fucking deep inside of you. Our eyes never break contact in the mirror.”
Jesus, I’m soaked. This scenario is killing me. I’m lying on the chaise and it’s taking everything in me not to slip my hand down the front of my jeans and get myself off. Despite being turned on by this man more times than I care to admit, I’ve only ever touched myself that one time. But right now, I’m wondering what the hell I found so wrong about giving into this type pleasure?
“You feel so goddamned good, Chanel. Seeing my cock slipping in and out, the sheen of your juices coating my cock, is going to make me come hard.”
“Yes, keep fucking me, Jake. I move my hand to my tits, pulling each nipple while you watch in the mirror. God, I’m so close. I can feel my pussy quivering, it’s intense, my legs are shaking, the drag and pull of your cock feels so good. Oh fuck, it’s all blurring, I see flashes of lightsabers. Oh, oh, oh, fuuck, the stars…I see the staaaarrs!”
“Oh fuck. I’m coming…I’m gonna fucking come.”
“Have a Merry Christmas, Jake,” I whisper over his moans.
“God, you too, Chanel. Thank you.”
Chapter 36
Ace
“Great session, Doctor Ryan.”
Melody Richards pats her pink mitten-covered hand against my chest while batting her blue eyes my way, thanking me as she walks through the library’s exit door that I’m holding open. She’s thanked me now at least ten times. I get it, but of course I simply tell her that she’s welcome and that it was indeed a productive three hours.
Three hours of absolute torture for me, however. Tonight’s study session went very well, and all of my students showed up, including Ellie—the torture factor. Ever since the movie, I’ve wanted to talk to her, to discuss whatever this is between us, but to my dismay, I haven’t had a real chance to get her alone. Other than the couple of short office meetings since she began to really delve into her thesis (every time she stops by, it seems I’m booked, only having a couple of minutes to talk), we’ve emailed a bunch of times, but it’s not like I can ask her how she feels about me over campus servers, now can I?
Now it’s the last time I’ll see her for three weeks and I hate it. I hate not knowing where things stand. Sure, we flirt, there are rare touches and glances, but I need verbal confirmation. And I want to stamp her body with my body, claiming her. I want her to be mine.
Fuck, I’m completely screwed. I tried to pretend that the only reason I set this up is because I’m a good professor and wanted to make sure everyone was on target with his or her thesis timeline. I’d be lying, though. I also set it up so I could make sure I saw her once more before the holiday break to make sure she was on track with her thesis, seeing as I know it’s a difficult one. Or so I try to tell myself, anyway.
“I hope you all feel good heading into the break, but remember, the goal to keep up your pace is to work on plotting your first argument, and try to get ten pages or so done from that,” I share, as I hold the door for the rest of the students.
The December air is cold. A few flurries flutter around us as we stand outside in the brisk night air, the breath of our words turning that familiar hue of greyish-white that accompanies winter, as we all give our final goodbyes and good wishes for the holiday. Most of the group is heading home for the almost three-week break. I myself will be staying in Toronto for most of the break this year. With the TIFF submission deadline around the corner, my goal is to be done sooner than later. Submissions timelines run from February to the beginning of July, but I want mine in with lots of time to spare. I have too much to work on if I want to submit it by mid-April. My plan, however, is to make the almost two-hour drive home to Kingston for a few days over Christmas, then come back and lose myself in the film. My grandparents would disown me if I tried to skip coming home altogether.
“Shit,
I think I left my cell phone back on the table…” Ellie’s distressed voice as she rifles through her purse breaks my train of thought. “You guys go ahead, I’m fine to walk from here. I’m just off campus, over there.” She points across the expansive campus to where I can barely make out a set of traffic lights, then turns and heads back up the stairs.
“We can wait, Els,” Dom calls out.
“Nah,” she stops. “Honestly, I’m fine. I was planning on going to The Froth House to do some work anyway, so I’ll actually be heading the opposite way. You guys go on, I’ll see you next year,” she laughs, while encouraging them to go. They all agree, waving goodbye.
The fuck I will.
The sound of the door opening draws my attention. Seeing Ellie walking down the library’s steps, I make my way over to the bottom of the stairs where I’ve been shifting from one foot to the other for the last five minutes to keep warm.
“Jesus, Ace. You scared me,” she says, finally looking up from her phone, her hand flying to her heart.
“You should be paying more attention to your surroundings, E,” I chide, not happy that it’s dark and she had no clue I was standing there until she practically collided with me. She would have no clue who or what could have been waiting for her.
“Oh please. It’s the safest campus in Canada. Besides, I knew you were there,” she lies.
“Bullshit. You need to pay attention, Ellie. I don’t care what you say. Eyes wide at night, always.”
“Yeah, yeah, okay, Professor. Now tell me, what are you doing here, anyway?” She cocks her head before making a show of looking around, to see if anyone else hung back.
“You’re such a pest. You know that?”
Call Me Page 17
