Never Again

by Lilliana Anderson

  I let out a nostalgic sigh, longing to be twenty again. I would do a lot of things differently if I had the chance to relive the last decade of my life. I smiled to myself as I thought back to those years. I’d been so in love, so willing to do anything to keep my man happy. I would have gone to the ends of the earth for him if it meant he’d love me forever. If I could do it all again, I’d spend more time on my own, I’d focus solely on my career, and only spend time with men who made me happy. The moment they didn’t, they’d be out the door, and I wouldn’t say sorry, I wouldn’t feel guilty. I’d be just fine because my life was all about me.

  Pulling at my bottom lip with my teeth, I laughed to myself. Life really was whatever you made of it. Then I felt a delicious chill rush over my body seconds before my eyes caught with his—the guy from the bar; Green-eyes. My chest jolted. He was standing amongst a group of friends, laughing at something being said. It hurt my entire ribcage to look at him, he was so beautiful. Why he wasn’t surrounded by women, I had no clue. If my reaction to him was anything to go by, he had his pick of any girl in the room. I found it curious that he wasn’t using that to his benefit. That’s what guys did, right?

  About to take a mouthful of his drink, he paused before it touched his lips, smiled then tilted his glass toward me.

  With a nod of my head, I smiled in return, my stomach flipping excitedly from his attention. I could see him still talking, his eyes flicking from me to the group he was in. I wanted more from him, more than a few words at the bar and smiles across the room. But…what? I’d never had to entice a stranger into wanting me. Where did I start? What did other girls do? I wanted to ask Olivia, but she was still locked in conversation with Paul. So, I looked around the room for inspiration. The most obvious answer was all around me.

  “I want to dance,” I said to Olivia, touching her arm to get her attention while still looking at Green-eyes. Maybe he was interested. Maybe I was just desperate. Either way, I’d drunk away my inhibitions long ago, and I was going to have the fun that Olivia had promised me earlier.

  Making our way onto the dance floor with Paul in tow, I stopped in a spot that meant Green-eyes would be able to see me clearly. Then I started swinging my arse. If I was sober, I would have been embarrassed by the display; my inner stripper took hold, and I couldn’t seem to stop myself. I was body rolling and running my hands through my hair, feeling like the woman Olivia kept telling me I needed to be—a Queen. A couple of guys tried to dance with me, but I pushed them away and waggled my finger at them as I shook my head. Who this woman was, I had no idea. But I was having fun and every time I looked in Green-eye’s direction, he was looking right back. I pulled at my bottom lip with my teeth.

  “What has gotten into you?” Olivia asked, her voice full of laughter.

  I kept dancing as I answered. “I’m just having fun. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

  “Yes! I love this party girl.” I couldn’t hear her laughter, but I could see it as Paul wrapped his arms around her middle and swayed with her to the music. Then she caught me looking at Green-eyes. “Go and get him, Cor. He wants you.”

  “Shouldn’t he come to me?” I asked, suddenly feeling out of my depth, despite the alcohol. Dancing and flirting across the room was one thing, but going up to him boldly was a whole other story.

  “Games are for relationships. Do you want that, or do you want a fuck?”

  My chest got tight at her blunt question. I knew I didn’t want a relationship, but could I really go through with a one-night stand? Maybe… “I don’t know. Maybe nothing. Maybe…” I let the word hang, running my fingers through my hair as I stopped dancing and looked around, my stomach dropping when I realised he was gone. What I would or wouldn’t do didn’t matter anymore. “Maybe we should just go.”

  Taking a step back, Olivia was grinning as she shook her head, her eyes focused over my right shoulder.

  He didn’t speak at first, he just slid one hand over my hip until it flattened possessively against my stomach, pulling me against him as his head lowered to the curve of my neck and he inhaled deeply. I could barely breathe. Every nerve in my body was alive and screaming for more. I had never, ever, ever, ever, ever, had this reaction to a man before. The question of whether or not I could go through with a one-night stand suddenly became a moot point. His touch had already melted my panties right off my body.

  As his hips moved with mine to a beat that was all our own, I felt the tip of his nose brushing along my jawline as his breath caressed my neck. I let out a moan that was thankfully drowned out by the music and I curved into him, feeling the brush of his nose and lips as he travelled upward, pausing at my ear. Holding my breath, I waited for him to say something. I could feel the heat of his body as it seared through me, turning me into a desperate, quivering mess. God, I wanted him. I wanted him, and I didn’t even know his name, didn’t even care what it was.

  “Want to get out of here?” His voice cut through every other sound in the room, so clear. It felt like a wild promise curling through my body until it pooled as a heat between my thighs.

  I found myself nodding.

  With a grin that curved only one side of his mouth, he wrapped his large hand around mine and led me through the crowd into the cool night air.

  The change in temperature jolted me somewhat, the reality of what I was doing sinking in. I hadn’t even told Olivia I was leaving.

  “My friend,” I said, stopping just outside the club entry.

  “She knows you’re with me.”

  “Do you know her?”

  “No. She just smiled and waved as we left.”

  “Oh.” What if he was a serial killer?

  Looking down at me, those eyes searched mine with curiosity. “Changed your mind?” he asked, reaching up and running his thumb gently over the side of my face until his hand rested on my shoulder, that thumb caressing my collarbone. His touch made me feel even drunker than the alcohol had, and chased every doubt away.

  I opened my mouth to speak, but all I had was a gasp and a small shake of my head. The truth was, I didn’t know what I wanted, but I didn’t want this—whatever it was; a moment of insanity, a lust induced coma—to end either.

  He grinned that half grin again then hooked his finger under my chin, tilting it up before he took my mouth with his, his tongue seeking entry to which I was powerless to refuse. My lips parted and he was in, taking over my mouth with skilled strokes that had my body screaming for more. I could come from him kissing me. I was nothing more than putty in his hands. I wanted everything he could give me and then some.

  “Good,” he whispered when he was done destroying my mouth. I pressed my swelling lips together, looking into those amazing eyes of his. If that’s what he could do with his mouth, imagine what he could do with the rest of him. If I thought about it too intensely, I’d probably combust.

  4

  Hand in hand, we headed toward the Elizabeth Street intersection. I followed along blindly, still too drunk on tequila and hormones to spare a thought for all that could go wrong in this scenario. Olivia was right. I needed to enjoy myself. This was simply one crazy night. One crazy night where I’d let go and smile about it tomorrow. It didn’t have to mean anything.

  My heart raced faster with every step we took, even so, I smiled. This really was crazy. It was exhilarating, and it wasn’t me. But it was fun. I felt alive.

  We only walked for a few minutes when we turned down a small alley that had a large neon sign advertising Causeway 353 Hotel. Seeing that sign sent nerves swirling around in my stomach. This was happening. I was seriously about to go into a room and have sex with a stranger. I was…excited.

  He already had a room. Doing this obviously wasn’t as foreign to him as it was to me. We headed straight for the elevators where he hit the button for the top floor. There had been no small talk, no attempt at learning anything about me. He literally didn’t say anything the whole way here. I hadn’t spoken because I didn’t trust myself
to speak for fear of chickening out and running the other way, or ruining this lustful feeling with silly chatter. But now, with the elevator doors closing, words seemed like such useless tools. The hunger radiated off his body, need radiated off mine. He was a lion, and I was more than happy to be his prey.

  The second those doors sealed, he pulled me against him then pressed me against the metal wall, his hungry mouth wasting no time in taking mine. My hands went to his light brown hair, taking fistfuls of it and pulling while those luscious lips travelled down, his teeth grazing my chin, kissing and sucking until he reached my breasts. He took a mouthful of the abundant flesh, marking me while his hands grabbed and squeezed. It was a glorious pain that sent me into a frenzy of desire.

  Inhaling deeply, I caught the scent of shampoo and a woodsy cologne, mixed with that manly smell that was different from person to person. Pheromones, I supposed, beautiful, glorious pheromones. They made me want to hit the emergency button and rip his clothes off then and there. I didn’t want to wait, didn’t want to waste time getting to a room when I was already dripping wet and wanting him inside me now.

  With an electronic chime, the doors opened and we rolled out of the lift, into a hallway that could have looked like anything for all I cared. I wasn’t paying attention. I was more focused on pulling his shirt from his pants and getting those buttons undone so I could get to the body underneath. It felt rock hard against me, and I knew that it would be a feast for my eyes. We landed against a door at the same time I pushed his shirt open, rewarding me with a tan, ripped torso that had me licking my lips. The tip of my tongue longed to make its way between every ridge of those perfectly sculpted muscles, and I wasn’t going to waste a second worrying about what he’d think of me when we were through. This was a one-time thing.

  Grabbing my arse, he held me tight as the door opened and he pulled me through. I was up against the wall and he was pulling at the straps of my dress, pushing them off my shoulders so he could get to my skin to nip and suck.

  My God. I was on fire. Beautiful, skin-searing fire. My hands went to his chest and I shoved him back with a strength I didn’t know I had. He landed against the opposite wall of the narrow entryway and grinned at me before he licked his lips then eye-fucked my body. Holy crap. Seeing that hunger caused my insides to clench and yearn. I wanted to taste him.

  Stepping toward him, I did exactly what I’d wanted in the hall and pressed my lips to his chest, sucking and licking between his curved pecs, then the ridge that ran down the centre of his abs. I released a moan, feeling the hard heat of his skin, salty against the tip of my tongue. My hands worked at the waistband of his jeans, I wanted to set my eyes on the impressive cock I knew was inside. It had been pressing against me since the nightclub and I needed to see it, taste it.

  When it sprang free, I gasped. It was…gorgeous, hard and thick—just like the rest of him. My mouth watered and my skin tingled with anticipation. Then I licked the head and he groaned. “Fuck me.”

  His head lolled back against the wall as my hand wrapped around his base before I drew him into my mouth, swallowing him back with a greed I never knew I possessed. Who was this woman? I was giving head like a porn star on my knees in a hotel room with a stranger.

  I’d never felt so free in my entire life.

  “My God. Fuck.” The muscles in his neck strained, and his hands went into my hair. I looked up at him, seeing the look of a man coming undone as he hissed through his teeth and tried to steady his breathing. Knowing I was doing this to him, that I was the reason he looked so completely lost in ecstasy, made me feel powerful. I hummed around his shaft, taking him in deeper, sucking him back harder. His hands tightened, pulling my hair against my scalp and I knew he was close.

  With a growl, he pushed me back, lifting me so I landed against the opposite wall. I hit it with a thud, my arms flying out to catch myself. He took the opportunity to grab me by the wrists and trap me in place. “Who knew?” he murmured, then his lips crashed into mine and that cock of his pressed against my dress, probably ruining it with pre-cum forever. But I didn’t care. The dress could be set on fire if it meant he’d take it off me faster.

  Running his hands down my arms, he took a hold of my rib cage, his fingers digging in for a moment, grabbing. Then he spun me around so I was front against the wall and he was covering my back. That mouth of his seared a path over my skin, starting in the curve of my neck then moving over my shoulders to my exposed back. I felt my zipper loosen and his fingers slide down, down to the waist of my panties. His mouth followed, lips skimming lightly, making faint noises of need escape my throat. Then his hands pushed and pulled at my dress until it pooled in a puddle of fabric at my feet.

  He was on his knees. I was still against the wall, panting, waiting. Reaching up, he popped the clasp on my bra then dragged his fingers down the skin of my back, hooking my panties, dragging them down too. Then with a groan, he grabbed my arse cheeks, squeezing hard before he bit down. My eyes went wide and I gasped, a bolt of lust landing right in the centre of my core. What the hell was that?

  “That arse.” The words were a rumble against my skin as he stood back up, spinning me so I was facing him again. I let my bra fall down my arms and his eyes darkened. “Those tits.”

  I smiled, standing in front of him completely naked, completely unashamed. He made me feel like the most desirable woman on the planet. Leaning in, he buried his face in my cleavage, his hands kneading the heavy flesh of my breasts, fingers finding nipples and teasing then tasting. His mouth sucked on one and I cried out from the sensation, arching my back, and pushing that shirt off his shoulders so he was just as naked as I was. I wanted skin on skin, naked flesh on naked flesh. He was exposed, but I wanted all fabric in a pile on the floor.

  With the shirt gone, my hands didn’t know where they wanted to be. His chest was a smorgasbord of muscle and sinew. “That chest,” I whispered, my face tilted up and pressing into the curve of his neck. I ran my teeth along his jaw, and he smiled. Then I slid my hands down those glorious muscles and pushed at the waist of his open pants. “That cock.”

  An erotic noise hummed in his throat, then he kicked off his shoes and got rid of the rest of his clothes, producing a condom at the same time. I stood and watched him open the foil pack with his teeth, the anticipation driving me wild when he rolled it down his shaft. I went to remove my heels.

  “Leave them,” he commanded, pushing the condom so it fit against his base.

  “OK,” I whispered, smiling as I turned away from him and walked a few steps into the room, being sure to sway ‘that arse’ as I did. I didn’t make it far. He caught my wrist and shoved me so I was against a desk. I grinned. I was going to have bruises after this, but then at least I’d know it was real and not some crazy sex dream I’d conjured up in my drunken mind. With my arse on the cool surface, I slid back and opened my legs as wide as I could, inviting him in. His cock bounced and he growled before dropping to his knees, his face colliding with my pussy. It was a violent shock as his tongue skimmed over my clit, not in a languid suck, but a rapid flick. I grabbed his hair with one hand and used the other to support myself against the desk, my back curving as my mouth fell open, releasing a long, deep moan. It felt like he was tearing the orgasm from my body. How the hell is he doing that with his tongue? The build up was so sudden, so intense that my hips lifted and my body convulsed with my release. “My God,” I screamed, my throat dry and hoarse as wave after wave of pleasure coursed through my body, undoing me completely.

  “Fuck, you taste good.” He continued to lave at my pussy, extending that mind-altering orgasm for almost longer than I could stand. Then he licked his way up, taking a moment to pay homage to my nipples before he stood to his easily six-four of height and grinned at me wickedly. With one hand, he grabbed my hair and tipped my head back, his tongue pushing between my lips as he kissed me with force, sharing my taste. I moaned into his mouth, pulling him against me so hard that our teeth clashed. Then I
felt the tip of his cock run along the inside of my thigh and land at the entrance of my pussy. He teased me with it, running it up and down, through my wetness and my over stimulated clit. I rocked my hips, whimpering in my desperation to feel him inside me. Then, answering my prayers, he pushed inside.

  I saw stars.

  I made keening noises.

  I may have even glimpsed heaven.

  Perhaps the Lord Himself.

  He filled me up with one slow, controlled thrust. He filled me. And I stretched around his girth, my insides quivering as he pumped in and out. I held on, barely able to breathe as he drove me closer to ecstasy than I’d ever been before. Sex had always been good. Jack hadn’t been a horrible lover. But this, this was the kind of sex that ruined women for other men. It was the kind of sex you thought about as you drifted off to sleep, knowing your dreams would be nothing but amazing memories. Nothing in the world was this good—not even cake and chocolate.

  I wrapped my legs around his hips, pulling his thrusts even deeper. “Faster,” I gasped, and he pumped with increased speed and aggression.

  God, I loved it. I was being fucked, my body jostling against the desk, my hand braced above my head, while the other dug nails into his bicep, and the desk went thump, thump, thump, against the wall.

  Heat pooled in my lower belly, my cries turning into low moans as he began to grunt and thrust harder. I was so close, my whole body set to burst. Then it did. My orgasm took over and I threw my head back with my release, hitting it against the wall, but not giving a shit because my body was too busy being exploded into a million tiny pieces to react.

  “Fuck. Me.” The words were forced between his clenched teeth as he spilled himself inside me then kissed me as he stilled, inhaling deeply like he was somehow taking some of my life force on as we both came down from that amazing high.