by Sophie Stern
He rolls his eyes. “She works at an aquarium. She can handle fish and ocean creatures. She just can’t eat them.”
“She seems nice,” I tell him.
“She is nice,” he agrees. “I hope you meet her someday.”
“Well, maybe if I play my cards right,” I wink at him, taking another bite of my food. We relax back into our seats. The hard part of the conversation is over and now we can just get to know one another. We don’t have much time before we have to get back to work, but somehow, just being here with Ben is calming to me. He’s kind. He’s sweet. He’s super fucking hot.
And he made me come harder than I ever have before.
Is it wrong that I think he’s the complete package?
I didn’t come to Blossom Falls looking for a life partner or anything like that, but Ben is kind of great.
I just hope I don’t do anything to mess this up.
Chapter Fourteen
Alice
The rest of the week flies by in a blur. Each day, Ben and I spend our lunch hours together. Natasha saw us talking in the lobby and didn’t hesitate to let everyone know we’re an item. I don’t really care. They can dislike me for something dumb or not. I’m just here to do my job. Somehow, I thought I left petty gossip and childish antics behind when I graduated college, but I guess that’s not always how life in an office environment works.
By the time the baby shower rolls around on Friday, I’m beyond tired. The plan is to have it during our lunch hour. The shower will last less than 60 minutes. It’s going to be simple: just sandwiches, cupcakes, cookies, and gifts. Lots and lots of gifts.
I don’t really know Hannah very well. She seems nice enough. Well, except for the fact that she’s never cleared Ben’s name. Natasha says something to her at the punch bowl and the two of them turn and look at me.
Great.
I turn away, but I’m too late.
“Hey, Alice!” I hear my name, and I turn back around. Quickly, I paste a smile on my face as the mother-to-be hurries over to me. She looks like a pregnant lady from one of those mothering magazines. She doesn’t look the way I imagine I’ll look when I’m pregnant. That whole bloated and swollen thing? That’s going to be me. Not Hannah, though. She looks picture perfect.
“Congratulations,” I tell her. “I’m happy I could be a part of your big day.”
“Oh this?” She waves her hand. “This is nothing. My mother is throwing me a baby shower in Vegas!” She says.
“Vegas? A baby shower? Really?”
Hannah nods enthusiastically. “It’s all the rage these days, really. A pre-motherhood trip. You know, it’s something fun to take the edge off having the baby.”
“Wow…well, I hope you have a great time.”
“Listen, that’s not why I came over here.”
“Oh, you came to tell me you’re ready to apologize about the lies you told about Ben? Is that it?”
The shocked look on her face tells me that’s not what she was expecting to hear.
“Uh, no, I…what? No, I came you to warn you about him. I heard the two of you have been getting close.”
I don’t have time for this cattiness.
“Thank you, person-I’ve-never-met-before, but I don’t appreciate your concern. If you’re ready to tell the rest of our colleagues here how you decided to make up some stories about Ben after the two of you didn’t date, well, I’m sure they’d love to hear it.”
The rest of the group has gone silent. They’re trying to act like they’re all deep in conversation, but I know the truth. No one here is focusing on anything except the fact that I’m being mean to the baby shower lady.
At least, it’s obvious that’s how they perceive what’s happening.
I shouldn’t rock the boat.
I’m new, I know, and I shouldn’t do anything that might make people not like me, yet I’m doing it. I’m going for it. It’s all or nothing now because Ben has been great to me and he doesn’t deserve this.
“Look, I don’t know what Ben’s told you about me, but he cheated on me.” She’s still trying, and I’m so tired. I don’t want to deal with this, with her. I don’t want to talk to this lady. Not right now.
“Hannah,” I lower my voice. “I know he hurt you. I’m sorry that happened to you. Being rejected isn’t fun. It doesn’t give you the right to do what you did, though. You can’t just spread rumors about someone you don’t like.”
Her jaw hits the floor, and Lexi, one of my cubicle-mates, stands up.
“I told you the same thing, Hannah. Ben’s not a bad guy.”
There are a couple of murmurs throughout the room as the eavesdroppers start to form their own opinions, but Hannah suddenly looks like she’s about to cry. That’s my cue to leave. I feel bad for ruining her baby shower, but I wasn’t going to say anything to her. She approached me. What was I supposed to do? Bad mouth my new boyfriend in front of an entire department? Not going to happen.
I turn to go.
“Congratulations on your new baby,” I tell her. “I hope the rest of your party is very nice.”
“Fuck you,” she spits, turning away. A couple of her friends move in and start to console her. As I near the exit to the party room, someone hands me a party bag and a cupcake.
“Thanks,” I say, and then I head back to my cubicle. It’s a strange thing being in an office environment like this, I realize. I think gossip is always going to be a part of the job here at Blossom Falls. It’s up to me to make the most of it in spite all of that, though. I still have to learn to get along with people and play nice. Office politics, so-to-speak. I take a bit of the cupcake and the frosting melts in my mouth. Delicious. I quickly devour the entire thing, and then I realize suddenly that I’ve made a terrible mistake.
My entire throat starts to swell up and I realize that wasn’t butter cream frosting.
It was peanut butter.
Don’t panic.
I reach for my purse. First things first: I need Benedryl. If I can reduce the inflammation first and get things under control with a pill, I won’t have to stick myself with my Epi.
Only my purse isn’t there.
Because I forgot it in the party room when I left in a huff.
Quickly standing, I try not to panic as I make my way back to the room. The girls are still loitering around talking. Someone notices me and makes a snide remark, but I don’t have time to care. I motion to my throat when another girl says something, but they turn back and ignore me. That’s fine.
I just need the purse.
I glance around the room, but I really can’t breathe at this point and I realize that my airways have almost completely closed. Panic is going to set in, but I can’t let it. I won’t be able to swallow a Benedryl. I don’t even think I can talk at this point.
But then I spot it.
Just as I’m about to reach for my purse, I start to feel dizzy, and I sit down in the middle of the floor.
“What’s she doing?” Nancy asks. I can hear the sneer in her voice. My eyesight is getting hazy, and I reach my hand out.
“Are those peanut butter cupcakes?” I hear from behind me, and my heart soars.
Ben.
It’s Ben.
He’s here.
“Uh, yeah.”
“Who fucking gave her one?” He growls, hurrying over to me. His eyes search mine and he realizes I’m having a reaction. “Where’s her purse?” He yells. “Get me her purse!”
He spots it where it’s sitting on a chair, dives for the bag, and pulls out my Epi. Then he looks me in the eyes as he takes the lid off.
“Everything’s going to be okay, baby.”
Chapter Fifteen
Alice
After using my emergency allergy relief, Ben took me to the hospital. I haven’t had to use my Epi in years, but it hasn’t been so long that I don’t remember proper protocol. The thing about an allergy episode is that you can have problems again once the Epi wears off, so he took me to the hospital where I cou
ld be monitored until the doctors were certain my body was going to be okay.
Then he drives me home.
By the time we get to my apartment, I’m exhausted, but I still invite him upstairs. To my delight, Ben accepts, coming up the narrow staircase with me. He doesn’t say anything as I unlock my dingy door to my tiny place, nor do I get the impression that he’s judging me. It’s definitely a starter-apartment in the truest sense of the word.
I lock the door, take his hand, and go into the bedroom.
“Alice,” he says carefully. “You’ve had kind of a long day. Why don’t you go take a shower and I’ll make us some tea?”
“No,” I say.
“No?” He raises an eyebrow. “Hmm, not the words I expected from a sweet little submissive.”
“Maybe I’m not as submissive as you think,” I counter, feeling a little edgy.
Today rocked me.
I don’t like knowing that it did, but it did.
Panic set in well after I was at the hospital. During the situation itself, I was brave and bold. Now, though? Now I want Ben to tie me up and make me forget.
“No? You seemed pretty sweet at the club.”
“I don’t feel sweet now, Ben.”
He steps toward me and wraps his arms around me, pulling me against his chest, for a minute, I just listen to his heart beating. I just listen to this wonderful man who has made me feel so many different emotions this week.
And then I turn my face up to him.
Ben reaches for my cheek and strokes it softly.
“You’re ridiculously beautiful,” he tells me.
“So are you.”
“I’m beautiful.”
“A man can be beautiful. Beauty isn’t limited by gender lines.”
“Alice…”
“Please,” I whisper. “Don’t do the right thing tonight. Don’t tell me you have to leave because I’m not thinking straight. You know I want you. You know I have for a long time.”
I’ve never spoken to a man this way before.
In the past, I’ve always held back.
I’ve always had to hold back.
When my parents were funding my life, I couldn’t risk upsetting them or it would affect me financially. There was no way I could tell them what I really thought because if I made them mad, they wouldn’t help me with school or activity fees or whatever.
It was the same in my relationships with men.
I never wanted to upset anyone.
I never wanted to rock the boat.
Now, though, I’m on my own.
And I feel like Ben can handle the truth.
“I need you,” I tell him.
And then he kisses me.
He kisses me deeply, like he can’t get enough. Suddenly, his hands are on my bottom, pulling me closer against him. I can feel that he’s already aroused: his cock digs into my belly as we kiss in my bedroom. Over and over, his tongue glides onto mine, and I feel my entire body begin to warm.
A craving stirs deep inside of me, one that didn’t rear its head for a long time before I met Ben. Suddenly, when I started working at Blossom Falls, it woke. Now, all I think about is sex with him. I touch myself all the time and now, my hands are roaming his body as he kisses me in the middle of my bedroom.
As he takes hold of my hair and tugs it back, just enough to remind me who’s in charge.
I wrap my arms around him, pulling him even closer, and I let myself go.
I let go of all of the stress I felt today at work when I was trying to get to my Epi.
I let go of all of the worries and fears I felt walking into Blossom Falls for the first time.
I let go of everything making me feel anxious or sad or alone or lost in the world.
I let go of feeling like a failure.
And I just allow myself to be present in this moment.
Ben kisses me for what feels like an eternity. I’ve never felt like this before. I feel powerful and strong as he kisses me, and I feel safe. He nips at my ear and kisses my neck, and I just want more.
“Please,” I whisper.
“What is it, baby? Tell me what you need.”
“I need more.”
Ben stops kissing me and looks down at me with a little smile.
“More spankings? Because I can arrange that.”
“I want you to tie me up,” I tell him suddenly. “I want to be blindfolded.”
“That’s quite the act of trust,” he says, giving it to me straight.
“I trust you,” I tell him. “You saved me.”
“Alice, you don’t owe me anything. If this is about earlier…”
“Ben, I can’t stand the thought of spending one more night without your cock buried deep inside of me. Please. For the love of dragons, I need this.”
That seems to be enough for him, because Ben lets out a low growl and lifts me, carrying me to the bed. He places me in the center and our eyes lock. Slowly, without another word, he starts unbuttoning his shirt. He tosses it to the side and continues undressing.
Slowly, slowly, slowly.
The entire thing seems to be happening in slow-motion, but that’s fine. Ben and I, we have all night. There is absolutely no rush here, and I have a feeling that this is going to be a night I’m never going to forget.
Finally, after an eternity, his cock springs free, and I can’t help myself. I shift onto all fours and crawl over to him. Before he can say anything, I lean forward, taking his length into my mouth, tasting him. He lets out a groan, and my heart soars.
Yeah, it’s going to be a great night.
Chapter Sixteen
Alice
“If you keep doing that, I won’t be able to last much longer,” I tell her.
She’s a minx in disguise.
I thought she was this sweet, innocent kitten when I met her, but now I know the truth: Alice is a sex goddess and she’s chosen me. I’m happier than I’ve ever felt knowing that, and I can’t believe that after everything we’ve been through these last few weeks, tonight is the night it’s going to happen.
She laughs, but keeps going, and I tug on her hair, pulling her away. She looks up at me in surprise.
“Naughty girl,” I say. “I thought I told you to stop.”
“I didn’t want to,” she pouts.
Quickly, I slide beside her on the bed, sitting down. Without a word, I haul her over my lap.
“Hey,” she protests lightly, but she doesn’t use her safe word, and I know it’s a natural response, rather than actual fear. “I don’t want a spanking.”
“Then you should have obeyed,” I whisper in her ear. Pulling up her skirt, I run my hands over her red panties. I stroke her bottom softly for a minute, and then I start spanking her. This isn’t anything serious. It’s not hardcore Domination. It’s just for fun, in this moment, and she groans, wiggling beneath my touch.
She pushes her bottom up, against my hand, and I give her a few more swats before sliding a finger inside of her.
“You’re so wet, baby,” I tell her.
“I know. I can’t help it. You just turn me on so much,” she moans.
“You turn me on, too.”
“I can feel it,” she says, turning back to me. Then Alice smiles, and my world feels complete. She’s incredible. Alice is like a fairy princess brought to life, and I still can’t believe that I’m here with her in this moment.
She moves so that she’s straddling me on the bed. Before I can say anything, she sinks down onto me, and my cock fills her. I groan, fisting her hair. I bite her neck lightly, and then her ears.
“Naughty girl,” I tell her. “What happened to being tied up and blindfolded?”
“I got too horny,” she says sweetly.
Then she starts to ride me, rolling her hips in perfect rhythm. I grab her ass, holding her tightly as she sinks onto me over and over. She’s still almost completely dressed, and I unbutton her blouse as Alice rides my cock like she was born to do this.
; I toss her shirt to the side and then unbutton her black lace bra. Her creamy breasts spill out, and I reach for them.
“Such perfect little nipples,” I murmur.
“I’m glad you like them,” she says, kissing me. She runs her hands through my hair and down my back, scratching me lightly with her nails.
“They’re fucking hot, Alice.”
I lean down, sucking one of her breasts into my mouth. She likes it. Her entire pussy clenches, tightening around my cock, and I almost fucking lose it right there. Fortunately, I manage to hold onto some semblance of self-control, and I shift us on the bed so suddenly, she’s on her back and I’m over her.
“You got your turn to be on top, pretty girl,” I murmur. “Now it’s my turn.”
“No blindfold?” She smirks.
“Not tonight, baby.”
I reach between us, rubbing her sweet pussy as I slide my cock into her. She’s so fucking wet and tight. Saying she was turned on was an understatement. Alice needs this just as much as I do, and I make love to her on the bed until she’s near the edge. I feel it. A thin layer of sweat covers her body and she starts murmuring, whispering my name. She tenses, and I bite her neck.
“Come for me, pretty girl. Come for me Alice.”
“I’m so close,” she whispers, thrusting her hips up to meet mine.
“That’s it, baby. Come. Alice, I want to feel your tight pussy squeezing my cock, baby. Come for me.”
I rub her faster, harder, and then I kiss her.
I kiss her like I mean it.
Like nothing else matters.
Right now?
Nothing else does.
All I want is for this moment to never end. I want to lock it in my memory for all eternity: Alice on the bed with her pretty hair spread over the pillow. Her eyes closed tightly shut. Her lips parted slightly. Her little pink nipples hard from arousal.
And then she comes apart, and I realize I never will forget this moment.
She comes with a groan, arching her back, and I fuck her harder, faster. My own orgasm washes over me before hers is even finished: uniting us in this moment of passion and pleasure.
