by West, Sinden
“So what would you like to do, if you could do anything in the world?”
He seemed to relax a bit more. “I don’t know. I’m a spoilt rich kid, remember? There are not many opportunities I haven’t been given.” His phone vibrated on the table and he took a quick glance at it before frowning. “Sorry, Ivy. Would you excuse me for a moment? Family duty calls.”
“Take your time.”
I watched as he walked from our table and disappeared down a back corridor to take his phone call. I sipped more wine and looked around the room at the other diners. I let out a slight laugh as I realized how underdressed I was. Other women wore numerous diamonds that caught the light and flashed brilliantly. They were all immaculately coiffed with their hair twisted into elegant chignons that made me all the more aware of my wild mane trailing down my back. In that instant, I decided that I liked my hair. I liked how untamed it was. These women with their tightly wound and abused hair seemed like nothing more than conformists to their wealthy husbands. They were slaves…
And in a sense, I was free. Except for the bindings placed on me by the Circle, I was in control of my own destiny.
Then I caught sight of them, and my blood ran cold. A weight came over me like chains and my internal musings about freedom crushed and shattered under the pressure. Michael and Lake Corin were being led by a waiter to a table where several men already sat. They all shook hands, and although the table was circular, when Michael sat down, it was like he was sitting at the head and they all deferred to him.
Except for Lake, of course. He had that stoic, unimpressed look on his face, and there were no cracks of a smile, no aim to pleasure or please, to be seen. I cast my eyes away from them and thought about leaving, but the food was placed down in front of me. I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to see anything about the server in the shiny silverware as he lightly brushed against me.
Fuck them, I decided. I wouldn’t go anywhere.
Caleb returned. “Sorry about that,” he said as he sat back down. “And I’m even more sorry that I can’t come back home with you after we’ve finished dining.”
I stopped myself from showing any disappointment. “Why not?”
He let out a breath. “Family meeting.” He reached his hand out and gently touched mine. “I’m sorry. I’d rather be with you.”
“It’s fine.” I left my hand where it was, enjoying his touch for a moment, but then I returned to reality and eased away from his warmth, taking my hand back and picking up my fork. “We should have fucked when we had the chance like I wanted to. Now, we’ll both miss out.” I speared a pear from my salad and brought it to my mouth.
He watched me eat, making no move to touch his steak that sat bloody in front of him. “You’re an odd girl, you know that?”
“Yes,” I said once I had swallowed my mouthful. “I do know that. I’m not sure why people feel the need to tell me something that’s such an insult, yet they still do.”
“You’ve got me all wrong, Ivy. I like your oddness. It sets you apart.” He leaned in closer. “It makes you fucking sexy. It makes me want to screw you on this table in front of everyone.”
I leaned back, not letting my satisfaction cross my face. “Eat your steak before it gets cold.” I dug my fork in the slice of pink lamb buried amongst the pear, walnut, and blue cheese and placed it daintily in my mouth. I liked him talking like that; it made me feel desired.
The succulent flavor of the lamb in my mouth died as I swallowed.
“Ivy, how are you?” Michael stood beside us, very much the powerhouse in his expensive suit and silk tie. Caleb’s eyes went to him, and something sparked in me when I saw nothing in him that would be intimidated or cowed.
“I’m fine, Michael.” My tone was civil, yet still like ice in its unfriendliness,
Michael’s lips curved into a cold smile. “I haven’t met your friend.” His gaze went to Caleb as if the younger man were a curiosity and nothing to be taken seriously.
Caleb showed white teeth as he held out his hand, yet he didn’t stand; he wouldn’t show that much respect. “Caleb Rossi. I doubt you’ve heard of me. But I know you, Mr. Corin. I studied commerce. One of my professors was a fan of yours. He frequently sang your praises and held you up as a figure that we should all aspire to be.”
I had the distinct feeling that Caleb was mocking him, and it took everything in me to keep my face straight. Michael’s eyes narrowed at him as he shook his hand. “You’re right, Mr. Rossi. I doubt you’re someone I would have heard of,” he said dryly. “However, Ivy is very dear to me, so for that reason alone, I’m sure I’ll find out more about you.” The men’s hands parted.
I let out a peal of laughter that sent their eyes to me. “Oh, Michael. Drop the protective act. Nothing I do should concern you.” I looked at Caleb. “I used to fuck his nephew, and Michael’s father took my mother as his mistress. It’s all very sordid, and I’ve decided it’s best to stay away from this family as much as possible.”
Caleb’s eyes shone with glee. “Brilliant. Just like a soap opera. But if no one’s fucking you, Ivy, I’d love to step into the role. What do you say?”
I matched his slimy smile. “Why Caleb, I think that’s just perfect. Shall we start right now?”
Michael cleared his throat. “I appear to have upset you, Ivy. I do apologize. I’ll see you soon.” He gave a slight nod of his head before walking away to rejoin his table. I didn’t let my eyes follow him, just in case Lake was watching. Instead I grinned at Caleb.
“That was great. I can’t stand that man, and we pissed him off.” I raised my glass, instantly feeling lighter and freer. “Here’s to us.”
“To us,” he echoed, raising his glass and taking a gulp.
I leaned in toward him. “I was serious when I said that I wanted to start right here, right now.”
His hand holding his glass paused in mid-air and then he let it continue down to place the glass on the white tablecloth, a sliver of dark red running down its side and threatening to mar the white crispness and purity of the cloth.
He indicated with his head. “Bathrooms are this way.”
I got to my feet. “Let’s go then.” I took his hand, pulling him behind me as I led the way, past the snooty and diamond laden women, past the men who all thought that they were important and ruled the world. My skirt felt too short, my top too low. I felt decadently slutty and wanton as I was about to screw in the bathroom of this upmarket restaurant. I did not cast my eyes in the direction of Lake, but if he raised his head to see us go past, then he must have guessed what we were about to do.
I took Caleb into the ladies room that smelled like the exotic pink flowers sitting in a crystal vase on the marble vanity. Mirrors and marble, gold fittings, a sanitary cleanliness—it excited me that I was about to dirty it all up. I didn’t close my eyes to avoid all the shininess and reflective surfaces. With Caleb, I was safe from my visions.
In one quick, smooth motion, I lifted the bottom of my dress and pulled it over my head, my bra and panties swiftly followed suit, falling in a pile on the glossy white floor. Completely naked now, I turned to Caleb, our reflections mirrored numerous times around the room like we were a thousand different people, all about to fuck at the same time and in unison.
He licked his lips and his eyes trailed down me. “Shall I block the door?”
I shook my head. “No. If we get caught, we get caught. Now get over here.”
He didn’t need to be told twice. Pushing me against the wall, his lips went to my neck with a furious speed, sucking my skin into his mouth as his arms encircled me. I felt my own moisture dribble down my thigh without any touch there from him. Impatient, I grabbed his hair and pulled his head up so I could capture his mouth in my own violent kiss. I bit his lips and grunted, “Get your cock out.” His hands went to his fly, and his pants dropped. Picking me up with ease, he pushed me hard against the marble wall, and my head banged, but I didn’t care because at that stage he was pushi
ng into me, and I was gasping as he filled me, like he was scratching an itch that I didn’t realize was even there.
“Fuck me,” I ordered. And he did—hard, vicious thrusts that would have ripped the delicate flesh of a girl who wasn’t as turned on as me. I closed my eyes in bliss, and he screwed into me as hard as I wanted it. I heard a door bang open, and I laughed and didn’t bother to look. Whoever it was must have scurried away, either in disgust or turned on. No one else bothered us, and my cries echoed around the room as I came.
I laughed again as he held me up, still in me, and panting away, sweat beading on his forehead. He grinned and slowly let me down, sliding out of me. I stepped away from him once I was steady on my feet again.
“Well, that was fun.” I reached for my underwear. On the once clean marble wall, there was now a smear marking where we had been.
Caleb pulled up his pants. “It’s always fun with me, baby,” he said with his customary arrogance, which I found that I didn’t mind.
Stepping into my panties, I dragged them up over the cum on my thighs, feeling wanton and dirty once more. It made me smile again. I would walk out into that fancy restaurant smelling like sex and satisfaction. Once we were dressed, Caleb took my hand and led me from the bathroom, never dropping my hand as we walked out amongst the diners and back to our table. Curiosity overcame me, and I twisted my head to find Lake. Immediately, I met his eyes. Unsmiling, he held my gaze. I wanted some kind of reaction from him; I wanted jealousy to seethe from him like visible ectoplasm and float across the room.
But there was nothing, and I turned away.
Once our meals were finished, Caleb drove me home. His hand lingered on my thigh during the entire drive, creeping up under my skirt and tracing circles higher and higher on my skin. Once he parked the car outside my building, I gripped his neck and brought his lips down to mine. “Are you sure you want to fulfill your family obligations?” I asked when I released him.
He sighed and nipped at my lips. “You have no idea how much I want to take you upstairs right now and get you to ride my dick, but…”
I laughed and pushed away. “Never mind, I can satisfy myself. Thanks for dinner.” I swung my legs out of the car and blew him a kiss before striding away and not looking back. The apartment was silent when I entered, and predictably, all the lights were on. After switching them off, I entered my bedroom and closed the door behind me. I paused for a moment, leaning against the back of the door and letting my lips curve upwards at the thought of what we had done in the restaurant bathroom.
But then I caught sight of my boxes, and the pale pink one seemed to glow at me. I stepped forward and picked it up. “I should throw you away,” I murmured, letting my nails dig into the wood and expecting a splinter to pierce through into my flesh. It didn’t though. The wood was too well varnished to let my nails intrude or ruin the finish. Someone had once crafted the item with a lot of care and attention, delicately hand painting the bird on the branch so it appeared to stare at me. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the creature, and I remembered the night that Lake had given it to me.
He had appeared at my door late at night, hands deep in the pockets of his coat.
“Hey.”
“Hey.” My heart gave a small jump of joy at his appearance, but I didn’t let it show. “Want to come in?”
He gave a nod and walked past me into the apartment. Penzance was away, and I had only the dimmest of lights illuminating the place. He sunk down into the couch, his dark coat and hair blending into the shadow like he didn’t wish to be seen.
“Do you want a drink or something?” I felt almost nervous at how he was acting, so silent and unsmiling. I wanted the drunk boy whom I had first met back, the one with his lighthearted, random acts.
If he was staring at me, I couldn’t see in the dark. “Sure.”
I walked to the fridge and grabbed two beers. When I turned around, I let out a small cry and jumped back. Lake stood right in front of me, staring down at me. “Sorry,” he said quietly.
I shrugged like I hadn’t just almost had a heart attack. “It’s fine. Here.” I thrust the cold beer bottle at him, feeling stupidly nervous.
He didn’t take it and kept staring at me. “I missed you.”
His weirdness fled from my mind as he said those words. “I missed you, too.”
A small smile spread across his lips and he took both the bottles from me, placing them on the kitchen table before taking a seat. I joined him and watched him open them and pass one to me. We drank in silence for a while, nothing more needing to be said. Then, as if he only just remembered, he sat up straight.
“I got you something.” He dug into his coat pocket and drew something out before taking hold of my hand and placing it in my palm. The wood was still warm and the finish smooth against my skin. Maybe I gave a slight gasp of pleasure at the perfect box that Lake had given me, or maybe I just stayed silent as I ran my hand over the images painted on it. Either way, I felt almost spell bound at its perfection.
“Thank you,” I said softly, not taking my eyes away from my new treasure.
“There’s something inside it.”
Slowly, I lifted off the lid, and the cool fire of diamonds caught the light.
I looked up at Lake who sat there, sipping his beer casually. “It’s too much.”
“No. It’s perfect for you.”
Swallowing, I tentatively hooked a finger through the loop and lifted the bracelet out and just stared at it. Lake took charge. He drew it around my wrist and fastened the clasp. It felt foreign and cold against my skin.
“It’s beautiful. It really is,” I told him.
He smiled. “But you like the box better.”
I let out a laugh. “Am I that transparent?”
He grinned and leaned forward and kissed me before getting to his feet and holding out a hand to help me up. “Come on. Show me where it will take pride of place with the others.”
I put it, of course, at the front and turned to where he lay back on the bed, watching me.
“I love it. Thank you.” I sat down beside him, trailing my hand over the bedcover, almost too scared to touch him in case none of this were real and he would simply disappear in a puff of smoke, and I would wake up alone, trapped in my reality. He had no such idiotic ideas holding him back.
His hands slid down my arms, and smoothed over my skin in a way that sent a tingle down my spine. For a moment, I closed my eyes, inhaling his scent that was something like cinnamon or some other dark spice. I felt intoxicated by it like it was making me drunk with desire for him. When I opened my eyes, he pressed a soft kiss to my lips with a surprising gentleness. It nearly took my breath away, and my lips felt bruised when they shouldn’t have with the care that he had taken. He leaned back and looked at me from under hooded eyes. He felt it too. I could tell. I was drunk on him and he was drunk on me. Spurred on by this realization, I leaned forward and placed my palm on the back of his head, forcing him to kiss me again. There was a hesitancy there on his part that registered somewhere in my brain, but then he was kissing me, and all coherent thought went out the window.
His hands pushed up my skirt, and I imagined what he made of me. Did my skin feel soft and smooth under his touch? Was there a scent to me that worked to intoxicate him? I hoped so, I really did. I couldn’t believe that I cared so much what he thought. Putting my hands over his, I helped him push my skirt up, eager to reveal myself to him, hoping to see pleasure and approval in his eyes.
Already I could feel myself moistening in anticipation of having him touch me, be in me. That hunger made me place his hands on my panties, in the center over which I pulsed in desperation to be touched. His fingers began to massage me, working to send sparks through me, only marred by the damn lace and silk of my panties that suddenly felt too thick and too much of a barrier.
“I want you,” I whispered into his ear. “I want you right now, in me.”
He responded by kissing my neck and lett
ing his fingers run over the lace at the waist band. There was no hesitation now as they plunged down into me, and I let out a gasp of satisfaction. But no sooner had he touched the slick of wetness that spelt out my desire for him did he snatch his hand away as if burned, pushing away from me and leaving me staring at him in confusion with my panties down and skirt up.
My hair had fallen over my face, and for once, I was glad for the coverage as my cheeks burned with embarrassment and shame at his rejection.
His head was bent down and his hand rested on his forehead so I couldn’t see his face properly. He took several deep breaths before raising his head to look at me. “I’m sorry, Ivy. This is…wrong. I shouldn’t be doing this.”
“Wrong? I thought it was wonderful,” I said in a faint voice that did nothing to mask my disappointment.
His mouth twisted into a crooked smile. “It was wonderful, Ivy.” His hand reached over to grip mine. “I just…I can’t explain. I shouldn’t have let it get this far but you’re so…” He didn’t finish what he wanted to say, and his shoulders seemed to sag as if there were a weight on them. I felt a pang of sympathy go through me at his obvious distress.
“Are you married?” I croaked out, that was the only acceptable excuse that I could think of.
He shook his head at me. “I’m not married, Ivy. It’s just that it’s too soon.” He gave a sigh. “I think that I’d better go.”
“No,” I blurted out. “Don’t go. Whatever it is, maybe I could help you. Just don’t go. Please?” The desperation in my voice should have sent me sinking to the floor in shame, but I didn’t care. I wanted neither lies nor games. I just wanted him to stay.
His forehead creased. “I want to be with you. I really do.”
“Then we won’t have sex,” I said, hope flooding through me. I crawled closer to him across the bed, settling on my knees beside him. “But let me pleasure you.”
