His Eternal Flame

by Valentine, Layla

  Pushing my bra up and letting my breasts spill forth, he buries his face in them. Sucks and twists make my mind spin. I dig my fingers into his hair, push my chest up against him.

  He works fast, unhooking my bra and sliding off my skirt and panties. I’m laid bare in front of him, totally exposed while he’s still dressed. It doesn’t feel weird, though. In fact, it feels empowering. The look on Ethan’s face tells me I’m having a strong effect on him.

  I’m in charge. I’m powerful. I’m the one calling the shots.

  As awful as I felt earlier, now, it’s like I can do no wrong.

  Trailing my fingers down my chest, I take one nipple between them and squeeze lightly. Ethan is sitting back on the bed, his eyes transfixed on me. I take my time, rolling the bud between my fingers, squeezing, tugging. It’s more for him than it is for me, and he obviously appreciates it.

  “God, Noelle,” he groans.

  Licking his lips, he stands and unbuttons his shirt. Hard muscles appear, each one seemingly more defined than the last. My hand stills against my chest as I hold my breath and wait for his pants to drop.

  His dick is rock hard, ready to go. I shimmy toward the edge of the bed, wrapping my fingers around its base. It twitches against my palm, warm and soft. It’s perfectly thick, with a slight curve. Just looking at it makes the muscles between my legs painfully squeeze together.

  Dipping my head, I take the length of it into my mouth. I suck hard, then stop to rapidly flick my tongue against the tip. I’ve never been too good at this, but today I’m running on pure lust. Ethan has made this hidden, wild part of me come to life. I want to suck on him till he’s dry, to gulp his pleasure down and make it my own.

  He sighs with contentment, his hands traveling through my hair. Faster and faster I bob my head on his length. Each time I speed up the pace he groans louder. It’s beautiful music, something I could listen to all day.

  “Fuck,” he hisses.

  Knowing he must be close, I back off and resume a sitting position on the bed. Ethan shakes his head slowly, a smile on his lips.

  “You temptress.”

  “Obviously you like it.”

  He chuckles and retrieves a condom from his discarded pants. Watching him put it on has my aches doubling. He leans forward, getting onto the bed, but instead of putting his weight on me, he grabs me and rolls over.

  I’m on top of him, legs straddling his thighs. Ethan looks up at me from hooded lids.

  “Ride me.”

  I gulp. If I were standing up, my legs would be shaking now, but Ethan is gripping my hips, keeping me pressed tight to him. The nerves are back, but the excitement is still there. I want to give this man what he’s asking for, want to show him that I’m even more than he wants.

  Falling forward, I cover his mouth with mine. My breasts are pressed between us, and his dick slides along my inner thigh, catching some of the wetness that’s escaped from me. As we kiss, he lifts my hips up and guides me carefully back down. My hand finds his dick, holding it as it slips between my folds.

  I cry out as he enters me, and Ethan kisses me with new voraciousness. I press down, down, until his whole length is buried in me. The slightest shift forward and pleasure flies up and into my core.

  Our faces close together, Ethan’s palms on my lower back and hips, I rock against him. Jabs of ecstasy strike. His tongue wraps around mine, and I’m trembling, barely able to control myself. All I can do is ride him.

  Breaking the kiss, I sit up, arching my back. Ethan growls in pleasure, running his fingers over my stomach and hips. His thumb presses against my clit, giving it a little massage, and I tremble in a new way.

  He’s still looking at me in that lip-parted, slack-jawed, heavy-eyed way. The man whose reputation precedes him, who people fear. Right now, he’s mine, a victim to skills I didn’t know I had.

  Pushing my chest forward, my butt back, I rock with smooth motions.

  “Fuck,” Ethan hisses, tossing his head back and shutting his eyes. He’s not looking away for long, though. His lashes flutter, and his dilating pupils are back on me, watching my every move.

  I pick it up, swaying with more force. Ethan’s breathing quickens, matching my growing pleasure. This is no longer for him. It’s for me. I’m the one who needs this, the one who deserves it. And, God, I want it so bad.

  “Come for me,” Ethan whispers in that low, syrupy voice. “Do it right on me.”

  I can’t respond. Pleasure is destroying me, bursting from my core into the rest of my body. I bounce faster, crying out.

  The pleasure subsides, but I’m still rocking, struggling with my inhales. I collapse against Ethan’s chest, my face against his strong shoulder. He wraps his arms around me, flipping us over once more, never pulling out.

  I gulp in sweet air as Ethan leans back, taking my legs and holding them up high. His jaw sets tight with determination, and all I can do is succumb as he drives into me, taking me with tremendous speed.

  The bed shakes under us, and I have to press my palms against the headboard behind me to stop myself from hitting it. Ethan drops one of my legs, his fingers finding my clit. He strokes with perfect precision, the pace of his fingers matching the pace of his hips.

  The good feelings build fast, brought on by the double stimulation. My mouth falls open, but I can’t make any noise. The pleasure Ethan’s giving me has stolen my ability to even moan.

  For the second time, I burst, my toes curling and my hands pounding against the headboard for dear life. Ethan cries out, jack-hammering into me with a glorious ending.

  Sucking in a breath, he pulls out and falls down next to me. Thick, humid air surrounds us, oxygen full of sweat and passion. I’m crazily aware of my body, its tingles and pulses abnormally loud.

  Inches away, Ethan sighs.

  “Noelle…” he whispers.

  “Yeah?” I look over at him.

  He chuckles, turns his head to face me. We don’t say anything, just look at each other.

  From somewhere on the floor, his phone rings.

  “I know you need to get that,” I quietly say. “It’s all right.”

  “They can wait a minute.” He reaches over and smooths my hair. I inhale the muskiness surrounding us. I just had sex with my boss. I should feel appalled with myself. Shocked, like I was when I discovered I hooked up with Zach Garner himself.

  But…I’m not.

  Because, as crazy as this is, it also feels right.

  “Where did you learn to ride like that?” he asks.

  I laugh. “From you, I think.”

  A primitive rumble emerges from his throat. “Say that again, and you’ll have me hard in no time.”

  Sore as my body is, it tingles in excitement.

  Ethan turns on his side, propping his head on his hand and continuing to run his other hand over the length of my torso.

  His phone rings again, and he sighs and sits up.

  “This is going to make me look shitty, but—”

  “You’re busy,” I interrupt, quickly sitting up next to him.

  “I have a meeting in twenty minutes. And now I’m going to smell like sex in it.”

  “Sorry.”

  He grins.

  “That’s a good thing.”

  Ethan rubs my shoulder, and the sweet attention makes me suddenly feel shy. I tuck my chin, glancing up at him from under my eyelashes.

  “We’re not done here,” he says.

  “Are you saying you want me to wait here in bed for you?” I tease.

  He chuckles.

  “As tempting as that sounds, I’m afraid I won’t be able to get back here that soon. But…let’s just say I’m going to be counting down the minutes until we can make this happen again.”

  “I’d like that.”

  His eyes dance.

  “Don’t worry. I’m not going to tell anyone at work about this.”

  “I won’t either. I promise.”

  “Sorry I have to go.”

&
nbsp; “Really. Don’t worry about it.”

  Hard as it is, I make myself get out of bed. I can feel Ethan’s eyes on me as I dress.

  “You’ll be at work tomorrow?” he asks.

  I turn to face him. He’s finishing buckling up his pants, but he’s still shirtless, that perfect torso on full display. I step forward and touch his chest.

  “Yes. I’ll be there.”

  “I wouldn’t be able to stand it if I chased you away,” he says with an intense gaze.

  “You’re not. That job is important to me.”

  “Good.” With a blink, his serious face turns into a playful one. “God, you’re sexy.”

  Drawing me into him, he nips my neck, and I shout with glee.

  We finish getting dressed, and as I walk Ethan to the door, he turns to me one last time.

  “About the article…”

  “Uh-huh?”

  He swallows. “Let’s keep it going. And write it any way you want. You pick the angle.”

  My jaw drops.

  “Are you sure? But I thought… You and Zach…”

  “I know, but it’s a good break for you. I want you to have this opportunity.”

  “I don’t know what I’m going to write about. I mean, he’s so secretive…”

  Ethan nods.

  “Just think about it, all right? If you want to scratch the project, we’ll do that, and I’ll assign you something else. But it’s your choice, Noelle. See you at work.”

  With a peck on my lips, he leaves.

  Chapter 8

  “And that’s the situation in a nutshell,” I finish up. “Can you top me off?”

  I nod at the bottle of red wine on the coffee table, but Claire doesn’t move. She’s still sitting cross-legged next to me on the couch, her mouth hanging open.

  “Claire. I need more wine. ASAP.”

  She slowly shakes her head.

  “I… I’m speechless.”

  “Then how come you’re talking?” I reach around her, grab the bottle myself, and fill my glass to the very brim.

  She holds her palms up.

  “Okay, so just to summarize: you had sex with a man who you thought was the assistant of your subject, found out he was actually the subject himself, then had sex with your boss. And all within twenty-four hours.”

  “There’s a little bit more to it than that.”

  “Like what?”

  “Um… Okay, there’s not more to it than that.”

  “These guys must both be super-hot, because you’ve never—”

  “I know,” I interrupt, taking a big sip of wine. “I’m usually so…I don’t know. About one guy at once. I never even want to look at another guy when I’m sleeping with one.”

  “Yeah,” she nods. “So who do you like more?”

  I sigh.

  “It’s not that simple. It’s not like I met these guys at a speed-dating event.”

  Freddy, the Jack Russell terrier Claire walks, jumps onto the couch between us. He sniffs my wine glass, and I scratch behind his ear.

  “Does Freddy’s owner know you’re not really walking him?”

  Claire’s nose wrinkles.

  “We walked over here, didn’t we? And we’re gonna walk back to his apartment after this. There’s nothing wrong with multitasking.” She grins wickedly. “You know, juggling two balls at once. Or, in your case, I guess I should say two pairs of balls.”

  “Ha-ha,” I dryly say.

  “Hey, if you lose your job, you can come work for me.”

  “Why are you saying that?”

  “Dog walking is big in this town. The average work week here is, like, sixty hours. No one has time to walk their pets twice a day anymore. Plus, the sooner I grow this business, the sooner I can quit the bar.” She makes a face.

  “That’s not what I was talking about. I mean, why do you think I’m going to lose this job?”

  Claire cringes. “Maybe you won’t.”

  I can’t help but sigh.

  “I know what you’re thinking… I had sex with my boss, and now he’s going to get uncomfortable and fire me.”

  “Um, maybe? But, shit, I don’t know, Noelle. Does he know that you also did it with Zach?”

  “Yeah, I told him when he was inside me.”

  “Really?”

  “No!”

  She laughs and takes a drink of wine. “Hey, that’s something I might do. So what’s next? What are you going to do now?”

  “I’m going to write this article,” I say as Freddy curls up in my lap.

  “You know what I’m talking about. The men. Are you going to keep seeing them both?”

  I suck in a long breath.

  “I…don’t think I can. Zach… He was really mad.”

  After Ethan left, I tried working on my email to Zach once more, but in the end just couldn’t send it. Apologizing over the internet felt so final, and I couldn’t stand the thought of that being the last time I ever spoke with Zach. I need to see him again, and not just because of the article.

  I can’t stop thinking about him. My head’s been a mess all day, full of memories of what happened between me and Ethan, but also full of Zach as well. I keep thinking about how Ethan touched me, how he made me wild… But it’s the way Zach made me feel special that I really can’t get off my mind.

  This can’t be the end.

  “I’m going to finish this article,” I slowly say. “But I don’t know if I’m going to even be able to get Zach to talk to me again. He’s really mad.”

  “But you didn’t really get the chance to explain yourself to him. He still doesn’t know that you weren’t trying to trick him, right?”

  “Right.”

  Claire shrugs. “Find him. Tell him.”

  I sigh and run my thumb around the rim of the wine glass. “Billionaires like him are hard to track down.”

  “Dude. You know where he lives.”

  “Stop it. I’m not going to stalk him.”

  “Not what I was saying. Ringing someone’s doorbell isn’t stalking.” She leans forward. “So tell me this: who’s better in bed?”

  Simultaneous memories flash in front of me. Zach’s gentle touch. Ethan’s ravenous need for my body.

  “They’re both amazing,” I admit. “They’re…different.”

  “Mm.” Claire bites her lip. Takes a sip of wine. “Tell me more.”

  “I’m not giving you a play-by-play.”

  “Fine, so just answer another question. Who do you like more?”

  “I already answered that, didn’t I? It doesn’t even matter. Neither one of these men is looking for me to be their girlfriend.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Believe me, I know.”

  My bed, rumpled from mine and Ethan’s wild romp, catches my eye. I wish he was here right now. I wish Zach was here.

  The thought makes me shake my head. What am I thinking? What would that even look like, me with two guys in my apartment at once? Furthermore, two guys that hate each other. What would we do, play some board games before the guys took turns screwing me?

  I must be losing my mind.

  “I’m just going to have to see what happens,” I announce. “I’m going to go to work tomorrow, do my job…”

  “Fuck your boss on his desk?”

  “Stop,” I chastise, although, honestly, that sounds like a great idea.

  Claire wiggles her eyebrows.

  “And I’m going to forget about Zach,” I finish. “He’s never going to agree to a second interview anyway.”

  “Just try,” she insists.

  I frown as I rub Freddy’s head. He’s asleep, snoring softly in my lap.

  “I can’t, Claire. He was really angry. If you’d only seen his face…”

  She shrugs, leaving it at that.

  Hours later, even after she and Freddy have left, I can’t stop thinking about the situation. Part of me thinks I should feel guilty about having sex with both men, but I don’t. The only thing th
at haunts me is that look on Zach’s face, the anger there… Even though I’d only just met him, I felt like I was hurting someone I’d known for years.

  Chapter 9

  My phone beeps sometime early in the morning. Rolling onto my back, I push my sleep mask off and rub my eyes. The room is gray; it’s barely morning. Who would be texting me so early?

  Tossing off the sheets that still smell like Ethan—the sheets that I shamelessly had pressed against my cheek as I fell asleep—I stumble from bed and pull my cellphone from its charger.

  The text is from a number I don’t recognize.

  Hi, Noelle. This is Zach. I would like to continue our interview, if you are open to it. Come to my office any time today.

  Say what?

  I turn the light on, make absolutely sure I’m awake, and read the message over a couple more times. It’s from Zach Garner, all right. Or it’s someone pretending to be him. But who would play a joke on me? Who would even know to do that?

  My hands trembling, I strip off my pajamas and jump in the shower. Zach wants another interview!

  But what changed? Just yesterday, he looked at me like I was scum, and now he wants to continue our conversation. Is this sudden change about the article or about me?

  Maybe he assumes the article is going to be written no matter what he does, so he might as well put his best face forward and appease me and Ethan. Or maybe it’s not about the article at all… Maybe it’s about me. About us.

  I close my eyes and turn to my side, letting the hot water hit my shoulder. Does Zach want to see me just as much as I want to see him?

  The thought causes more excitement than I want it to. Despite how I made it seem to Claire yesterday, simply getting over Zach isn’t going to be that easy. In a very short amount of time, the man left a permanent mark on me.

  I wash my hair, thinking about those hazel eyes, that dimpled smile, that warm embrace. Pressure builds between my legs, and I can’t stop myself from slipping my hand down there.

  My eyes drift closed, and everything about our night together comes back. The distinct smell of his cologne. The taste of his tongue. The way he growled with pleasure before taking me. I can almost feel his hands on me, claiming me, caring for me.