Burning Up

by Marie Coulson

  “What do I say to him?”

  Mel shrugged. “Who said you have to say anything at all? You two always had that kind of connection. Maybe just this one time try not trying to fix it, and just let him do his thing.”

  Amy nodded and smiled in agreement. Biting my lip, I turned and jogged across the sand to Ollie. Catching up with him, I slipped my hand into his, catching him by surprise. He halted and entwined his fingers with mine. Lifting my hand to his mouth, he pressed a kiss on each of my knuckles. I held my palm to his chest and leaning close, I kissed him. My tongue slid into his mouth, caressing his gently. His free hand gripped my hip. Driving him backward, I pressed him against the wooden stand of the lifeguard hut. His back hit it with a low thud and releasing his hand, I gripped his shirt and tore it open making the buttons ping off in different directions. He chuckled into my mouth and hurriedly unbuttoned my own shirt. His lips kissed and caressed the curves of my breasts as he unhooked my bra, sliding it off and tossing it onto the sand.

  “What are you doing to me, Layla,” he said breathlessly.

  Biting his lip, I licked at his lip ring. “I want you, Ollie. I love you. I need you. It’s always been you.”

  He held my wrists in his hands and stopped me, pulling me flush against him. “You’re drunk. You’ll regret it in the morning, and I can’t take that.”

  I shook my head, pressing my lips to his quickly. “No. I want this. I will never regret being with you. Ever.”

  He didn’t hesitate. Pulling off his shirt, he draped it over me, picked me up like a new bride, and carried me up the steps of the lifeguard station. Putting me down, he jiggled the lock and pulled out a pocket-knife. A few seconds later, the door swung open, and taking my hand, Ollie pulled me inside.

  I giggled and beamed at him as he held my hips and pushed his thumbs into the waist band of my pants, urging them down to my feet. Falling to his knees, he pushed me against a large desk that was against the far wall. His lips kissed and teased the lace of my panties. I groaned and moaned as the warmth of his mouth tickled my swollen clit. Looking up at me, he pulled down my panties. My head fell back, and I bit my lip as Ollie’s tongue slid inside the folds of my sex. I took in a sharp breath as Ollie’s hands gripped my thighs and thrust them apart. The tip of his tongue flicked, teased, and brushed against my clit.

  “Oh, Ollie!”

  My fingers gripped in his hair and I tugged on it gently. His lips left my clit and slowly, he trailed kisses up, over my stomach to my breasts. He took my nipple in his mouth as his hand massaged my other breast. I groaned with pleasure.

  His mouth worked up to my throat and I couldn’t contain my eagerness and lust anymore. Grabbing him by the waist of his jeans, I pulled him over to the chair that sat beside the desk. Whipping the belt from his jeans, I pulled them down to his ankles and gasped as his enormous erection sprung free. The Ducati wasn’t the only monster Ollie possessed. I shoved him into the chair, and grinning, he grasped my hips and pulled me close. I positioned myself over him, hovering, allowing the very tip of him to slip inside me, teasing and tempting him. He pressed his lips together and hissed.

  “You are such a tease,” he chuckled.

  I bit my lip and slowly lowered myself onto him. His head fell back and his mouth opened.

  “Oh, fuck.”

  I started moving back and forth, up and down achingly slowly. I wanted to savor every second. I wanted to draw out our love-making for as long as humanly possible. I wanted to freeze this moment in time and re-live it over and over. Just us. Shutting the world out. Just us, the dark, silence, and our hot bodies, rubbing, brushing and grinding together.

  Wrapping his arms around my back, he held me close. His lips trailed kisses from my face to my chest and then back to my mouth. It was more than erotic; it was sensual and romantic. Sex with Ollie was more than just fucking, it was an act of love. Ollie didn’t fuck me, he never had. Ollie and I had always made love, and this was no exception.

  My hips gyrated and my hands gripped his shoulders as my nails dug into his flesh. I moved my hips faster and as he hitched a breath, it spurred me on further. Arching my back, I positioned myself at an angle, causing his cock to brush against my sweet spot.

  “I want you so much, Ollie. I love you.”

  He held me tighter, burying his head in my chest.

  “Oh, Layla! Fuck!”

  I leaned forward and sunk my teeth into his shoulder as my orgasm took hold. I shuddered, panted, and cried out his name over and over as my insides clenched delightfully around his solid, hard length.

  “Ollie! Yes! Oh, my God, Ollie!”

  I threaded my fingers in his hair and pulled his head back. His eyes gazed up at me, burning with desire and ecstasy.

  His brow furrowed, and he bit down on his lip ring as he came, hard.

  His breathing was harsh and erratic. Clinging to him, I stroked my fingers up and down his spine gently.

  “I love you, Layla.”

  I smiled against his cheek. “I love you, too.”

  Lifting me off of him, he grabbed a blanket that was draped over the back of another chair behind the desk before laying it out on the floor. I picked up my jeans and panties and slid them back on, but my bra and shirt had been discarded on the beach. Ollie put his jeans back on and handed me his shirt. I smiled as I took it from him and slipped it on. Taking my hand, he pulled me down onto the blanket and held me in a warm embrace. His lips pressed against my forehead as I rested my head on his broad chest.

  “So, what’s the big plans now, superstar? Music, a job, or college?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’d love to go back to college, but when I tried to get back in, they told me I was too late to sign up for the new semester.”

  Ollie nodded gently. “You know, I could get you in.”

  I gave him a puzzled look. “Oh?”

  He nodded again. “The head of admissions owes me a favor. I fixed his bike for free. The job would have cost him over a thousand dollars, but I cut him some slack and did the job on my days off. He owes me. Let me help you?”

  I shook my head. “I can’t let you do that.”

  He rolled his eyes at me. “You can and you will. Don’t argue with me because I’m calling him tomorrow anyway. Okay?”

  Nodding in agreement, I nuzzled my face in his chest as my fingers traced the outline of his puzzle tattoo. Glancing down at it, he sighed.

  “It’s yours.”

  Sitting up, I gazed down at him in surprise. “What?”

  Resting on his elbows, he let out a long breath and closed his eyes for a moment.

  “It’s yours. It’s you. The missing piece. It’s you, Layla.”

  I held my fingers over it and stroked the soft inked flesh on his thick and toned arm.

  “Ollie … I …”

  He shook his head and smiled. “It’s fine. I never meant for you to see it. I never imagined you would. Now I feel like an idiot. I got it because I needed something, anything, to remind myself that it was real, that it really happened, and I didn’t just dream you up.”

  Tears pooled in my eyes and seeing my reaction, Ollie pulled me to him, holding me close to his chest.

  “Hey, shhh … Why are you crying?”

  Pushing away from him, I sat up and pulled my knees to my chest.

  “I’m a horrible person, Ollie, and you deserve so much better.”

  He shook his head. “What are you talking about? You said you wouldn’t regret this.”

  “I don’t regret it. But you don’t understand, I’m disgusting. What we just did was perfect, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

  He shook his head in confusion. “Then what’s the problem?”

  Holding my head in my hands, I sniffed and sobbed gently. “The problem is that about six hours ago, I was doing the same thing with Jared.”

  Falling back onto the floor, Ollie held his hands over his face and groaned.

  “Fuck, Layla! Why did you have to t
ell me that?”

  I pulled his hands from his face and held them to my chest.

  “I don’t want any more hurt, secrets, or lies, Ollie. I’m tired of it all.”

  He shook his head, and pulling his hands from my grasp, he got to his feet and headed for the door.

  “I can’t do this. Every time you’re near me, whenever I think I might stand a chance with you, you find some new fucking way to tear me apart. I’m done. Fuck you, fuck him, and fuck this!”

  Pulling the door open, he stormed down the steps as I chased after him frantically. He marched across the beach toward the bonfire.

  “Ollie! Please, Ollie! Wait!”

  Stopping, he spun around and glared at me. “What for? For you to tell me you love me again? For you to tell me you’re sorry, but you choose him and I don’t even come a close second? What, Layla? What the fuck am I waiting for because I’ve waited long enough! I waited months for you to come back, and now that you have, I still can’t win!”

  I reached for his arm, but he brushed me off. “Fuck you, Layla. I hope you and him are very happy together because this … me and you … is over. I told you, I wouldn’t be your fucking safety net anymore, and I won’t. I’m out of here.”

  Tears were streaming down my face as I watched him walking away. His arms brushed his cheek, and I knew he was wiping away his own tears. This wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted a fresh start, a clean slate and a chance to make things right, but all I’d done was create a bigger mess. I slowly walked across the beach, and when I finally got back to the bonfire, only Amy and Mel were there.

  “They left,” Amy snapped.

  She had every right to be angry, and I probably deserved her ire. Mel stood up, and lifting my chin with her hand, her expression softened from a harsh stare to one of concern.

  “Oh, baby girl. You really made a mess of this one.”

  Sniffling and sobbing, my body shook as she held me in a tight hug. Amy immediately dropped her angry tone and wrapped her arms around me.

  “He hates me. I’ve broken him. I can’t believe it. I never wanted this to happen.”

  Mel shook her head. “Well what did you want, Layla?”

  I swiped my tears away and tried to control my erratic breathing. “I don’t know. But now, I’ll never know. He said he’s done He’s giving up on me. And I deserve it.”

  Amy shook her head. “Bullshit. He’s hurt. If there’s one thing I know about Ollie Green, it’s that that guy is head over heels, take a bullet for you, cross an ocean to find you, in love with you. That’s not something you can easily throw away, Layla.”

  Maybe she was right, but she hadn’t seen the hurt in his eyes, and I would never get that image out of my mind.

  “I have to make this right, guys. I can’t be without him in my life.”

  Pulling my cell out of my pocket, I wrote a text and sent it. I held my breath, hoping he would give me the chance to make him understand, and to explain. He needed to know how I felt, and I needed to choose which path I would take before anyone else got hurt. This couldn’t go on anymore.

  Message: I need to see you. Please, we need to talk.

  Sent To: Jared

  At: 23.46

  Chapter 28

  Burning Up

  I stared out of the window as my mind repeated everything I needed to say to him like a mantra over and over. It would be the hardest conversation of my life, but it was time. I’d made so many mistakes, broken too many hearts, and my own was tearing in two. I needed to end the cycle, and this was the only way I knew how. As the plane landed, I let out a long breath that I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding. Asking me to come to New York had taken me by surprise. I knew he was there on business, but I’d hoped we could have talked in L.A. where it had all begun. It would have had symmetry, and I liked symmetry. As I stepped off of the plane, I glanced around, hoping to see a familiar face, but there wasn’t one I recognized in the sea of people waiting in the arrivals’ lounge. I found it odd considering he knew all of my flight details, and I’d kept him up to date on my arrival time. Maybe he was busy signing contracts, negotiating a deal or maybe, just maybe, he’d finally quit babysitting me and allowed me to be slightly independent. Either way, I was clearly going to have to make my own way to our meeting place.

  Hailing a cab, I climbed in and gave directions to the apartment, and as we pulled up outside, my heart started pounding like a drum. I got out of the cab and stared up at the building. Memories flooded my mind and a sense of regret and longing filled me. It should have and could have been so different between us if only we’d tried harder. Pushing my way through the entrance doors, I walked slowly through the lobby to the elevator. I noticed Layton wasn’t at the desk. It struck me as odd, but I assumed he must be on a bathroom break. To be honest, I was glad that he wasn’t there to have his beady little eye on me. Pressing for the elevator, I stepped in and hit the button for the apartment. The entrance hall was silent, and as I walked slowly through it, I heard the distant sound of music. It wasn’t Jared’s usual choice of music. I didn’t have him down as a Guns N Roses fan, but sure enough, Sweet Child of Mine was playing. Dropping my purse on the table, I took a deep breath and followed the sound of the music to Jared’s office. I pushed the door open gently, and stood rigidly as I saw his chair, turned away, facing the window. I swallowed the lump in my throat.

  “Hey, I’m here,” I said, trying to be heard over the music. Silence. Walking into the room, I approached the desk.

  “Jared?”

  Silence. Skirting around the desk, I grabbed the back of the chair and spun it around and was surprised to find it empty. Where the hell was he? I glanced down at the desk and noticed all of Jared’s files and papers sprawled across them. Case files for his paternity battle, property development contracts … everything. I felt uneasy and turned to leave when I found myself grabbed from behind and held firmly in a tight hold.

  “Hello, Layla.”

  The sound of his voice sent a chill down my spine.

  “Felix!”

  I tried to scream, but he held a handkerchief firmly over my mouth. His lips were pressed to my ear.

  “Shhh. Don’t try and scream, it won’t work, and struggling will just make the narcotic kick in faster.”

  My head felt woozy and my eyelids began to feel heavy. The room was spinning quickly and my legs were growing weaker.

  “That’s it, just relax and let the chloroform do its job.”

  Every atom in my body was screaming for help, but I couldn’t utter a sound. The room was fading away. I tried to focus on something, I tried to stay awake, but it was no use. Darkness descended, and I was helpless to stop it.

  * * * *

  My head was pounding like a drum, and my entire body ached.

  “Wakey wakey, sleepy head.”

  The sound of a man’s voice was echoing in my ears, and as I opened my eyes, his blurry and hazy shadow loomed over me.

  “I was beginning to think you would never join me.”

  I suddenly recognized the voice, and my eyes flew open. “Felix,” I muttered helplessly.

  “The one and only.”

  I shook my head, trying to regain some composure. I tried to move my hands and feet, but as I looked down at them, I discovered they were both bound to a thick wooden chair by leather straps attached to the legs and arms.

  “Where am I?”

  He chuckled and crouched in front of me, lifting my chin. “Ah, you’re in my favorite place in the entire world. Well, at least it was till Garrett went all one woman man on me.”

  I tried to lift my head to look around, but it felt too heavy.

  “Don’t bother trying. The chloroform will wear off, and then I’ll give you the grand tour!”

  “The grand tour of where,” I muttered.

  He grinned wickedly and his smile made my blood run cold. “The pleasure penthouse! Don’t tell me you’ve never been here. It was Jared’s favorite property he owned!”
>
  My mind went into overdrive trying to figure out where I was, and as I slowly regained my consciousness, my eyes fell on a disturbing sight. I was in the middle of a torture chamber. Well, it looked that way. Tables, chairs, beds, and all kinds of devices were scattered around the room. A large cross was attached to the far wall and chains with leather straps hung from the ceiling. The arched doorway opposite me revealed a room with several beds all covered in red satin sheets. Felix walked around the room, examining each piece of equipment with an expression of affection, and each seemed to provoke a memory. His smile was broad, and he clearly enjoyed every second he spent in that chamber of horrors.

  Toying with one of the leather straps hanging from the ceiling, Felix snickered.

  “We threw hundreds of parties here. Only the most elite and beautiful people in the city were invited. We spent hours drinking; women would throw themselves at us and we could use them, toy with them, and tease them for hours in these very rooms. They were our play-things. We used to laugh about it all. Jared Garrett, the respectable business man by day was a sexual deviant by night.”

  He let out a loud laugh, and my stomach churned. The thought of Jared with all those women made my chest tight, but the thought of what he would do to them in there, made me feel sick. Crouching down to meet my gaze, Felix gripped my arms tightly.

  “Surely, Layla, you knew about his nocturnal habits? His pleasures and his dirty little secrets?”

  I didn’t answer him. I wouldn’t give him the sick and twisted satisfaction he would get from it.

  “Well, after he met you, all the parties, games, and fun stopped. But I was intrigued when I discovered he’d kept the apartment.”

  It suddenly dawned on me where I was. The apartment in Daniel’s building. The one he was so adamant that I not go in. I was inside the fucking apartment! This was what he kept it for? This entire apartment for one disgusting purpose? I felt dirty, and a feeling of total devastation was eating away at me. I was right; I didn’t know Jared at all. Felix watched me with glee.