by Parker, Ali
It’s all going to be fine. He’s still your friend. Nothing has changed. Just get changed and put your face on.
I was alone in the back room for the first fifteen minutes as I started getting ready. Then, the other girls showed up and wanted to know everything about what had happened last night.
“Why did Caleb drag you out of here?” Sadie asked.
“Is everything okay?” Milly wondered.
“Does this have to do with that bruise?” Cassidy questioned.
I held up my hands to get them to stop asking me questions all at once. “It was a rough night, okay? And I don’t really want to get into it right now. But … yeah. It had to do with the bruise. Caleb didn’t like it one bit, and he took me home and kicked Cliff out of my apartment. He and I are through.”
“Oh, shit,” Sadie breathed.
Milly’s eyes widened. “That’s good. Right?”
I nodded. “Yeah. It was scary but good. I needed the push. I wasn’t strong enough to kick him out on my own, and Caleb took the bullet for me.”
Cassidy cocked her head to the side. “Are you okay?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. It was a lot to process. Most of all, I was just so embarrassed.”
“Why?” Cassidy asked.
“Because of how far I let things go with Cliff. I never walked away from him, and I knew what he was capable of. I knew he was bad news, but I kept him around because I would rather be with an asshole than be alone. And, well, having access to Zandra all the time was a nice perk.”
“The only perk,” Sadie muttered.
I smiled. “Yeah. You’re right.”
Sadie opened the front zipper of her bag and pulled out a Ziploc baggie. There was one blue pill sitting in one corner. “I can help with that. You sound stressed. You’ve had an ordeal. Let’s loosen up with a bit of the good stuff. What do you say?”
I stared at the blue pill. I should say no. I should be strong. Caleb wouldn’t want me doing this. He’d specifically told all of us that we had to stop using the stuff. But the temptation was so good. The promise of calm, of desire, whispered to me from that little baggie, and I couldn’t say no.
I held out my hand.
Sadie cut the pill into four parts and put a quarter of the tablet in my palm as well as in the other girls’ palms. We all took our quarter tablet and continued getting ready.
As I leaned toward my mirror to paint my lips red, Sadie wrapped strands of blond hair around her curling iron. “So, Lauryn. Did you fuck Caleb last night?”
Milly and Cassidy both giggled as my eyes widened. I almost smeared my lipstick. I shot Sadie a reproachful look. “No. I had other things on my mind. Besides. He and I are just friends.”
Sadie clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “That’s what you think. I’ve seen the way that man looks at you. Like you’re a mermaid out of water. If you wanted him, he’d be yours.”
“Well, I don’t want him,” I said.
Was that true? Or was I just saying it to protect myself? I’d never been good at opening up or being honest about what I wanted, and if I sat and thought about it long enough, I knew there had always been something between Caleb and me. It was as intense and as hot as a raging fire, and both of us had been skirting around it for years since we started working together. We’d never been available at the same time.
For once, we both were now.
Sadie finished curling her hair. “I bet he fucks like an animal. I’d let him do whatever he wanted to me.”
“Same,” Cassidy chimed in.
Milly blushed bashfully and shook her head. “He’s fine as hell, but he’s still a co-worker. I don’t know if I could cross that line.”
Would I be crossing a line if I slept with him? I wasn’t sure. The Zandra was rushing wildly through my body, and there was a heat forming in my center, something wild and naughty that I hadn’t felt before.
Now, the idea of being beneath Caleb was in my mind, and I couldn’t shake it. I thought of him filling me up, leaning over me, so close I could smell him, taste him.
Sadie giggled and plucked my red lip color from my vanity. She swiped it on her own lips. “Somebody is daydreaming about our sexy Caleb Jones, isn’t she?”
“It’s just the Zandra,” I said. But all four of us knew that was a lie. I’d barely taken enough to feel more than the buzz of lust in my blood, and that would wear off in an hour or so. But my dirty thoughts about Caleb had been lingering for days. Weeks. Months.
Chapter 17
Caleb
I’d known Lauryn was high on Zandra when she first came out of the back room and made her way up to her platform. She’d locked eyes with me instantly, and her gaze was hooded as she looked me up and down from head to toe. When she stood up on the platform, she ran her hands up her stomach, over her breasts, and into her hair and then began her routine.
She was wearing her usual black glittery stockings and a garter that held them up. The straps on her thighs looked perfect for snapping against her skin. The black bodysuit she wore was so tight, it looked like it was painted on. The fabric shimmered as if wet when she moved, and the plunging neckline reached all the way to her navel, revealing plenty of full breast and bare chest.
Lauryn looked like sex onstage. The way she moved sent all kinds of signals straight to my cock, and I hated how turned on I was. She was high. Fucked up. After I’d asked her not to.
It pissed me off.
And I didn’t like that it pissed me off. She wasn’t my woman. She was free to do what she wanted, even if what she wanted to do was an illegal substance that erased your self-control and changed your state of mind.
“Fuck,” I growled. “Just leave it the fuck alone.”
I spent the better half of my shift pacing around Kadia trying to ignore Lauryn. It was damn near impossible. She was too sexy and too alluring for me to look anywhere but at her. At the halfway point through the night, it was clear to see the drug had worn off. I watched as her movements became a little less fluid—still sexy but less languid—and her eyes become brighter. She was more alert now that she had sobered up.
I wondered who gave her the shit. One of the girls, probably. I also found myself wondering if maybe she was the one who kept bringing it in. I sure as hell hoped not. Then, we’d have a whole other mess of problems to deal with.
By midnight, I couldn’t stand it any longer. I had to confront her about it.
She got off her platform to take a water break. I met her near the door to the back room and grabbed her by the elbow. She blinked at me, confused, as I led her down the corridor to the main offices, including my own.
I unlocked the door and stepped inside. She came in behind me, and I closed the door before putting my back to it. I crossed my arms over my chest and tried to keep my eyes locked on hers. The temptation to soak in the sight of her nearly naked body was crippling. “Lauryn. I thought I was clear when I talked to you and the other girls about Zandra.”
Lauryn matched my stance and crossed her arms too. This only pushed her tits up higher. I couldn’t help it. I looked. Good god, she was magnificent. Her chest was covered in sparkles, and her breasts winked at me. “You were clear.”
“Then, why the hell are you still using that shit before you go onstage?”
“I’m not using anything.”
“Don’t lie to me. Please.”
Lauryn frowned. “I’m not—”
“You are. I know you are. I can tell when you’re using and when you’re not. It’s not as subtle as you seem to think it is. Who’s bringing that shit in here?”
She shook her head. “I’m not saying.”
“Fuck,” I hissed. “Why do you insist on playing these fucking games with me, woman? I’m trying to help you!”
“Help me? I don’t need your help, Caleb! I never asked you to insert yourself in my life and start picking at all my fucking issues and trying to make them right.” Her cheeks were red. She was pissed and maybe
a little embarrassed for being called out for being high earlier. “I just want to be left alone.”
“Do you?”
She flinched.
I let my hands fall to my side and sighed. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to bulldoze you. But I also can’t let you keep doing this shit. It’s fucking dangerous. If the cops who are snooping around this place find you doing this shit, then what?”
Lauryn looked away from me and scowled at the wall. “I can figure it out on my own.”
“But you don’t have to. We all need friends, Lauryn. Why are you so hell-bent on pushing me away? All I want is to—”
“All you want!” she practically screamed at me.
I slapped my mouth closed. I’d hit a nerve, clearly, and I’d never seen her look so furious before.
Lauryn’s eyes were wet with tears. She jabbed a finger at my chest and came in close. “Nobody ever thinks about what I want, Caleb. It’s always their vendetta. Always what they think is best for me. I’m so fucking sick of it. All I want is to stand on my own two feet. I want to make choices for myself. I want to-to-” she broke off and shook her head and then wiped at her eyes. “Forget it.”
The air around us was tense. We were tense. “What do you want, Lauryn?”
Her hazel eyes lifted to meet my gaze. She was so close to me and so beautiful. Her lips were parted, and there was a speck of glitter on her cheek. Her eyes were painted with deep purples and blues, and her lashes were incredibly long. Lauryn licked her lips. “I want to not feel so alone anymore,” she whispered. “I don’t know how to do that. The Zandra helps. It’s the only thing that helps.”
“You’re not alone.”
She put both her hands flat on my chest and pushed me backward. I found myself with my shoulder blades against the door as she shoved me again. With nowhere left to go, she ended up pushing herself back a step. “Fuck you! Fuck everyone who thinks they know a damn thing about me and how I feel. I am alone. I have no one. No one! The only person who could tolerate me is gone now. Thanks to you. I should never have let you intervene. Cliff is gone and—”
I grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she fell silent. “Why on earth would you want to spend your time with someone who just tolerates you?”
“Because it’s better than there being nobody there,” she whispered.
“No. It’s not. He hurt you. You deserve so much more than that, Lauryn. You’re a good woman and a strong one too. You raised your son alone. He’s a good fucking kid. You did that. But listen to me. You’re better off without Cliff, and you’re not alone. I’m here. I’ll always be here.”
“Stop saying that,” she whispered.
“No.”
Her eyes searched mine. I stared back, willing her to believe I wouldn’t leave her. I’d stand by her and protect her fiercely for as long as she’d let me.
My body took over and started doing things before I was able to stop myself.
I lifted a hand and rested a finger under her chin. I heard her soft intake of breath as I tipped her face up to mine. I leaned in, and when I was just inches away, her eyes fluttered closed. Her lashes cast long shadows on her cheekbones, and I closed my eyes when my lips touched hers.
She tasted like cherries and oranges. Her lips were full and soft, and they parted for my tongue when I pushed her for more. She moaned softly, and I trailed my hand under her chin to the back of her neck, where I cupped her head and drew her to me with more force.
Her hands rested on my chest. This time, she didn’t push me away. She melted against me and pressed her body against mine. I plunged my fingers into her hair and kissed her with more need. It felt so good to have her tongue in my mouth and mine in hers. She was a collection of tastes and smells, and I couldn’t get enough of her.
Her skin was silky smooth, and her hair was falling all around us in a curtain of auburn. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and held herself to me as I tightened my fingers in her hair. I gently pulled her hair back so she was looking at the ceiling.
Lauryn’s eyes were still closed as I pulled my lips from hers and rained kisses down her jaw and neck. Her breath was quick and needy, and her breasts rose and fell against my chest. I ran my free hand up her waist and traced a thumb along the exposed skin from her belly button to chest.
Then, daringly, I pulled one strap of her jumpsuit aside.
She didn’t stop me.
Instead, she helped me by shrugging out of the other strap. Her tits sprang free, perky and wild, and I soaked in the sight of her. She was an exquisite masterpiece. I’d never laid eyes on a woman with a body like hers.
I ran my thumb over her nipples and pinched them playfully between my thumb and forefinger. She drew a sharp breath, and her nipples hardened.
Then, she reached around me and locked my office door.
That was all the permission I needed. I walked her backward until her back was against the far wall of my office. She crushed her lips to mine and hooked her arms around my neck again. I wrapped my arms around her waist, cupped her ass in my hands, and squeezed. She giggled into my mouth.
I found myself smiling into our kiss. This had been a long time coming.
She hooked a leg around mine as I trailed my hand down her stomach. I slipped my fingers beneath the thin fabric of her jumpsuit and kept going until my fingers found her wet pussy.
Lauryn rested her head against the wall and ground her hips against my hand. She bit her bottom lip and whispered, “Are you going to fuck me, Caleb Jones?”
I rubbed her in slow circles, and she moaned. The sound rippled through me, and my cock strained against the inside of my jeans. “I’m going to make you forget your own name, kitten,” I said, and then I pressed a finger inside her slippery wetness while she sighed and let her eyes close once more.
Chapter 18
Lauryn
For the first time in years, I was glad I wasn’t high.
I was pressed up tight between Caleb and the wall at my back, and he had his finger in my pussy, pressing right against my G-spot, his tongue in my mouth. I was completely at his mercy, and I loved it.
His kiss set my soul on fire. I had never felt so alive, so wanted, in my entire life. The way he caressed my tongue with his own was intoxicating, and when he flexed his fingers inside me, I was powerless to the moans of pleasure that escaped my lips.
“Are you going to come for me?” Caleb muttered against my ear.
I trembled before him and nodded. I couldn’t formulate the simple word “yes.” I was too far gone, too lost to the lust, to say a three-letter word.
Caleb gave me a cocky, sexy grin and nibbled on my earlobe. “Only when I say you can, all right?”
I whimpered.
“I can’t hear you, kitten.”
“All right,” I said. My voice hitched in my throat, but I was pretty sure he understood what I was trying to say.
He pressed another finger inside me. I moaned and clung to him, wrapping my fingers in the fabric of his shirt on his shoulders. “Yes,” I breathed, arching my hips toward him.
“I haven’t given you permission yet,” Caleb scolded.
I writhed between him and the wall. I needed the release so fucking badly. I hadn’t felt this good in forever. Cliff had never given me an orgasm. In fact, once he fell asleep, I’d inch to the very edge of the bed as far as I could get from him and put my own fingers between my legs to get myself off. It worked every time. I’d be able to fall asleep and feel the same endorphins Cliff did, but they had to be self-induced. Always.
I was hovering seconds away from my climax, and my body was tight with anticipation. It felt so much better at the hands of someone else, and Caleb sure knew what the fuck he was doing with my pussy. His fingers curled and uncurled, and he pressed in deep, not worried about hurting me.
“Fuck, yes,” I moaned as my thighs started to quiver.
“Not yet,” he grated, dipping his head and pinching the sk
in between my shoulder and neck with his teeth.
“Please,” I said breathlessly.
He chuckled against my throat. The sound sent shivers of desire down my spine. I pressed my hips toward him. I could feel the bulge of his cock against the inside of my left thigh. I wanted him inside me so fucking bad.
“You can’t hold it anymore?” he asked.
I shook my head.
“You’re sure?”
I bit down on my bottom lip, and he pushed in deeper, forcing me to take the length of his fingers. I moaned. And so did he. Then, I knew I was done for.
“Come for me baby,” he growled in my ear.
It was like nothing I had ever felt before. My body bucked wildly as it took over. I felt my own juices leak down the inside of my thigh as my orgasm rocked me senseless. Caleb never stopped thrusting with his fingers. He groaned against my ear as I came, and once I was done, he pulled out to rub my clit with his thumb. I was so sensitive, I came again, hard and fast.
“You’re so fucking sexy,” he muttered.
I reached up to kiss him. I was out of breath and didn’t care. He’d already done more for me than any man, and I wanted to show my gratitude. When our lips parted, I worked my way down the length of his body until I was on my knees between him and the wall. I started undoing his pants.
He helped and hooked his thumbs in the waistband. He dropped his pants and boxers and his cock sprang free in front of my face. He was more than blessed in that department. His meaty head was thick and smooth, and I wasted no time putting it in my mouth. He was sweet and salty, thick and long, and I thrummed with anticipation. I wanted his length in my pussy.
I pushed myself down on his cock, taking as much of him as I could. When his tip was pressed against the back of my throat, I held him there, waiting as my mouth became coated with saliva. Then, I bobbed up and down, sucking him off for all he was worth until he leaned forward and braced himself with one hand on the wall behind me.
