Lush Seduction

by Layla Arts

  I wondered if Red was ever going to settle down because to me, she didn’t look like someone who wasn’t able to fall in love.

  “Should I visit him right now?” I questioned Red.

  “Tonight, because that makes everything more dramatic.”

  ***

  I grabbed my usual black leather jacket, and I wrapped it around my body. Nerves consumed me, and I wanted to talk to Hadrian as mature adults. I didn't need to be playful right now because I really wanted to be on good terms with him. I hated to have an argument with Hadrian and stay silent for days.

  I was longing for his attention, constantly.

  As I started my Mini-Cooper, I drove away from the garage. It was crowded on the road, and I cursed under my breath. I just wished there could be one day I wouldn't be annoyed by the traffic when I needed to do something important.

  Hadrian didn't know I was coming so it would be a surprise. I hope he wouldn’t be mad, since I couldn’t deal with him being more pissed than he was this afternoon.

  When I reached his driveway and parked my car in front of his house, I saw light shining through the long windows. I shut the engine off, and I stepped out of my car. I slammed the door shut carefully, and I walked to his front door.

  I didn't know whether I would be able to really face Hadrian, but it was now or never, and I really didn't want to have this barrier of tension between the two of us.

  I pressed the doorbell, and I heard the sound resonating through the house. I entwined my hands and shifted from one leg to another in anxiety. My eyes landed on the tall figure making its way down the hallway. The front door, which was made of glass, showcased him perfectly.

  His hair was pushed back by his glasses, and he wore something that wasn't black this time. Grey sweatpants, and a white t-shirt. He looked so comfortable and cuddly that I just wanted to sit on the couch and watch a movie together.

  However, that wasn't my intention at the moment.

  “Good evening,” Hadrian greeted me monotonously.

  “Hey,” I greeted him back, a bit nervous. “Can I come in?” I asked him as soon as I got the chance.

  “Sure,” he muttered, and he opened the door further to let me in.

  I stepped inside his mansion, and I placed my jacket away. I followed Hadrian into the living room. A big glass, filled with a smoothie, was placed next to a car magazine. I made a quick ponytail, and he opened the door from the refrigerator. Without asking me if I wanted a drink, he grabbed something for me. He poured it into a glass and gave it to me.

  Hadrian gestured me to sit on his couch, so I did. I crossed my legs. I turned my body toward Hadrian, and he had placed his glasses away. He rubbed his fingers in his eyes, and I could tell that he was tired from another day at the work.

  “I'm sorry.” We both said at the same time.

  A soft chuckle left our mouths. Hadrian rested his back relaxingly against the couch as he wrapped an arm around me. He gestured me to come closer to him, so I kicked my Nike's off and shuffled into Hadrian's awaiting arms. Warmth was coming through his clothes, and I nuzzled happily against his chest.

  “You first,” I told Hadrian.

  “Well,” Hadrian started. “I should've been nicer to you and respected your choices, but I am not going to support you seeing William.” And I understood he wasn’t going to let it go. “You know our previous intentions, and that he wants to keep going. I don't like the idea of him and you spending time together,” he spoke truthfully.

  “But Hadrian, if I want to stop this, it will be the only thing that could prevent further actions.” I made it clear, honestly.

  “I just cannot guarantee you that,” Hadrian mumbled against my head.

  “I know, but trying is never wrong.”

  “So,” I heard Hadrian say. “What about you saying sorry?”

  “Because I walked away,” I told him.

  “Yes, but it was the right thing to do. I was a complete arse for treating you like that, and I shouldn't have said you smelled, it was immature. You always smell like vanilla, and I like vanilla.” Hadrian kissed my neck repeatedly, and even if I didn't want to get playful with Hadrian, it always happened.

  “How cute, you noticed my new perfume.” I beamed.

  “I did. Vanilla is nice.” He complimented.

  “A bit sad that I don't have a perfume that smells like vanilla,” I announced, and I slammed Hadrian on his chest. A groan came out of his mouth, and I knew he was being dramatic; it didn't really hurt him. “Oh, I'm sorry, did I hurt you?”

  “Duh,” Hadrian spoke. “God, that sounded girly,” he said, and I laughed softly. “I was reading a magazine about cars, I want to buy a new one for Christmas,” Hadrian muttered like it was the most normal thing in the world.

  “Why would you buy yourself a new car for Christmas?”

  “Because a new year means a new car,” Hadrian stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

  “Along with your million televisions, I am not getting the point of this either.”

  I felt Hadrian holding me stronger.

  “Vicks?” he mumbled.

  “Yeah, Hadrian?” I looked up at him.

  His recent playfulness was long gone. It had disappeared, and he looked at me with the utmost sincerity.

  It scared me for a second, I didn't know what to expect. What he said next banished all my fears, and I felt safer than I ever had in my entire life.

  “Whenever I see you, my heart stops beating. I do not know if that's a good or a bad thing, because everything I feel is so confusing. I know I say the wrong thing and I know that I hurt you. I'm sorry for that. But if you just give me some time to figure it out, I promise it'll be worth it.” Hadrian conceded.

  He spoke with a conviction that I had never seen before, I could hear the truth, and I could feel it. It felt like I was the only girl he saw; like he could stop looking for love because he had found someone worthy of it. He just needed time and patience. Surely, I could give him that.

  I took a deep breath, ready to say the words that crossed my mind.

  `“If we continue doing this,” I signed between the two of us, “Be aware that I am going to be honest with you. I will tell you everything, and I will tell it to you because I trust you. I really do. You get to know my biggest fears, and you will tell yours.” I intertwined our hands, and I felt a sheen of sweat coating his palms. “It can become ugly, and at times I can barely handle myself.” I traced my thumb over his clammy skin, and the way he looked at me made feel alive inside.

  We were really talking about a possible future? Everything was happening exceedingly fast.

  “A-and even if I won't be the best girlfriend every day, I will try; like you are trying,” I whispered meaningfully. “That is what you do when you truly start to like someone.”

  ***

  I tried to get some sleep, but it was hopeless.

  At times like these, I wanted to grab a mug filled with milk and anise, but I didn't feel the power to even get out of my bed. I was feeling warm and cozy underneath the duvets, but being the stupid woman I was, I didn't close the blinds. I groaned and rolled over to see what time it was, but the alarm wasn't working. I may have slammed the snooze button a tad too hard and broke it.

  “For fuck’s sake.” I hissed when I heard clattering of stuff falling off my nightstand. I searched for my phone, waving my hand back and forth over the cluttered surface. When I felt the phone case, I knew I had found it. I breathed in relief at the thought of not having to get up and look for it.

  When I clicked the unlock button, I was met with the blinding brightness of the screen. I squeezed my eyes shut for a couple seconds, willing my eyes to adjust. I forgot to turn the brightness down, so it remained at full brightness. I am so clueless with technology.

  Five a.m.

  So that meant I needed to be at work in a few hours and dance on stage. Just the thought already – getting out of bed – was exhausting, but thinking about
the club made me also think about Hadrian. Kick-starting my libido, and I no longer felt the desire to go back to sleep.

  Then again, just seeing a sandwich made me think of that man and his sex appeal.

  I opened the conversation that Hadrian and I had a few hours ago before I went to bed.

  Hadrian: “It's cold beside me.”

  Vicky: “You have plenty of heaters. If you really are that cold, maybe you'll feel compelled to buy a new one.”

  Hadrian: “Can you just take pity on me for once?”

  Vicky: “Don't expect so much of me, Hadrian.”

  Hadrian: “Anyway, why did Keeton mention that you weren't good enough for this club?”

  Vicky: “It's all a matter of opinion.”

  Hadrian: “Well, fuck whoever's opinion it is that you aren't good enough.”

  Vicky: “Well fuck me then.”

  Hadrian: “Okay, time and place? ;)”

  Leaving his house was nearly impossible after our confessions. He held me up in the doorway for fifteen minutes, leaving soft pecks all over my face. The way he gently held my face, occasionally placing loose tendrils of hair behind my ear, and whispered sweet nothings in my ear was mesmerizing. I thought that we were going to fight and have a huge argument, but it went splendidly: with both of us acquiescing our apologies before moving on to something much more significant in our relationship.

  I had a peculiar relationship with Hadrian: we were both stubborn, which made it hard to agree on the slightest things, but we knew what we both wanted, and we were willing to do whatever we could to progress toward that. I hated him sometimes, and no doubt he hated me too, but we were crazy about each other, and like I told Hadrian before:

  “I could have walked out of this house, dragged this argument out for days, but where would that get us? I won't walk away, I won't stay mad at you and let myself simmer in that hatred. I want to sit here and talk to you, tell you how I feel because we need to know when we hurt each other. We need honesty if this is going to work, and I want this to work.”

  Yes, one day I was telling Hadrian I didn't want to have any contact with him for the rest of the week, but I had my reasons. With all the baggage that I brought with me, I was scared, mad, and frustrated. Back then I didn't trust him, I couldn't tell him how he made me feel.

  I trusted him now, that's what mattered. We were imperfect, and we both had so many flaws, but I enjoyed his flaws just as much as his perfections, and I hope he felt the same.

  Out of nowhere, I was wondering how he wanted his toast on a Sunday morning. Maybe he wanted it covered in butter? Perhaps only jam on top? I thought about how he slept, with his mouth open, and snores coming from his mouth. If he smiled a lot when he saw me being clumsy or dancing around. What he would feel inside of his body when I touched his hand and kept it laced with mine. Would Hadrian feel something in his stomach that kept him up all night, thinking about the things we could do? If he wanted to hug me repeatedly like I wanted to wrap my arms around him.

  I thought about him at five a.m. How his dimples were showing when he smiled brightly at a stupid remark that I made. Suddenly, I became ecstatic, and I realized that Hadrian was the reason for it.

  So here I was at five a.m. in the morning; thinking about how perfect he was, and how perfect we were for each other.

  ***

  Red and I made ourselves comfortable in the little café she had brought me to. We had been on the phone that morning, talking for a good hour, then we saw each other at the club, and continued to chat. Judy was kind of pissed because we kept interrupting our training, so Red suggested that I join her for a cup of coffee. As it turned out, Red ordered a smoothie, and I had the coffee.

  We were having a lovely time at the café; it was very quaint and didn't at all resemble the other coffeehouses that littered LA. It was slightly dark inside, the dimmed lights and flickering of the candles placed on each table gave the room an ambiance of warmth. The windows were small and shadowed by Victorian-laced curtains. It was all very cozy and majestic.

  “You know what I find so annoying?” Red asked me suddenly. I shook my head as I added a bit of sugar in my coffee. “People who wear band t-shirts,” she added, clearly frustrated with the certain choice of attire. I frowned at her and shot her a look of confusion. I knew she wasn't even close to being done, so I sat back and prepared for the slew that was certain to follow. “Look, I like bands, a lot. But I was in the mall the other day, shopping because I thought I was running low on clothes, and I saw these teenage girls wearing Ramones t-shirts.”

  “Go on,” I instructed Red.

  “I bet you fifty bucks that they have never even heard a Ramones song. They just think 'let’s be cool and wear a shirt from a band'. They probably don't even know it's from a band, but that pisses me off. At least I know the bands that are printed on my goddamn t-shirts!” Red spat out, clearly exasperated with the teenagers’ ever-present desire to be generic. “They should stick with their awful leopard-print shirts instead of obliviously flaunting an important piece of history in the race to remain relevant.”

  “I never looked at it in that way,” I admitted. “Now that you've so passionately explained all of that, I absolutely agree.”

  “The worst part is: cute boys fall for it and think they have found a lovely girl with a good music taste, but in fact, she has shitty taste in music! Seriously, I am one Ramones t-shirt away from putting my shoe up some little girl's ass,” Red bellowed dramatically. I giggled softly when I thought about how worked up she got over something as minimalistic as a t-shirt.

  “I'd pay to see that,” I conversed.

  “Well, if you come shopping with me one day, you probably will,” Red admitted. “I am not the type of person who tolerates young people's antics just because they are children. They are horrible creatures most of the time, and they piss me off.” Red leaned back in her wooden chair, and I shook my head at her ability to make such a ridiculous topic amusing. She wasn't boring, that's for sure.

  “So I've talked to Hadrian, and things are back on track,” I proudly spoke. I've been completely and utterly satisfied with how things turned out between us. Hadrian and I are okay again, and I couldn't have asked for anything better. I brought the coffee cup to my mouth and quickly drank the warm liquid. Red was enjoying her kiwi smoothie, and then she randomly started to make dramatic movements with her hands; letting me know she was going to say something.

  “You guys didn't have sex, did you!?” she asked, several octaves higher than I would have hoped for in a public place, but Red wouldn't be Red if she minded her tone. I shot her an annoyed look, and she just shrugged casually. “I mean, did you guys have a heated, physical debacle afterward?” She insisted, clearly trying to sound more mature this time.

  “Actually, no we didn't,” I confessed.

  “You didn't have make-up sex?” she questioned softly. I shook my head in confirmation, and her jaw went slack. I didn't understand why Red thought that sex was the answer to everything, but I got reassured that she was going to explain to me why it should've happened. “I don't understand why you haven't hopped on that shit yet,” she said disappointingly, folding her arms across her chest in mock-disapproval.

  “Should I have just jumped on his dick then?” I quirked an eyebrow at her.

  “Duh.” She beamed. “I would, but that is just useless information. Wait, hold it there,” Red suddenly instructed me, though I hadn't moved at all. I was, in fact, quite confused by her sudden demand that I listened up. “When was the last time you guys had sex?” she inquired, all her playfulness gone, as she stared at me with a dead-serious expression.

  “Uhm,” I muttered, trying to pinpoint the last time we had sex, probably not so long ago. “I guess last Tuesday,” I answered bluntly. I wasn't sure whether this was true or not, but it was approximately three days if I was right.

  “You both are definitely not in a relationship,” Red spoke matter-of-factly.

  “How do yo
u know that? We haven't really agreed to being in a relationship b-”

  “Because,” Red cut me off. “Otherwise, you two would have done it yesterday.”

  “So you conclude that not having sex for three days means we're not in a relationship?,” I asked her, still not getting how her thought process worked.

  “Yes,” she said proudly. “Because in the beginning, we are all sexually frustrated, and we need to have it all the time; it's called the honeymoon phase. As the relationship progresses, it slows down, but in the beginning, it's all just basically screwing.”

  I placed my empty cup of coffee on the table, and I rested my head carelessly on the palm of my hand; I was absolutely stunned with the enlightening I had received. I never thought like that. I just thought that you had sex when you went to bed at night, or after a date or romantic gesture. This was entirely new to me, and maybe it was only like that in Los Angeles.

  “But since when does Miss One-Night-Stand know a lot about relationships?” I asked her curiously, noting my tone as to not offend her. She chuckled slightly, and I knew that Red must have been in a relationship at one point in her life. I wasn't going to make her feel bad for her lifestyle choices. If she didn't want to be in a relationship, that was her choice.

  “I have been around couples my whole life, and I am definitely not dumb,” she pointed out giddily. I nodded my head, in understanding and acknowledgment. “However, I'm going to change the subject. I've seen this extremely hot guy at the Empire lately,” Red said, and she squirmed in her seat just thinking of him.

  “What does he look like?”

  “Well,” Red began. “He had a bit of a beard, and his hair was brown. He had this dishevelled, sexy look about him – I almost asked him to do me in the dressing room.” I could see her eyes clouding with the memory of him. It was a pretty funny sight to see Red daydreaming about somebody.

  “Have you heard his name?”

  “Yeah,” She breathed out. “Something like Le…?”

  “Aw, Levi.” I nodded my head solemnly when I realized who she was talking about.

  “You know him?!” Red squealed.