by Jade Kuzma
I didn’t realize I was staring so hard at Hunter until he snapped his fingers. I blinked my eyes and looked down as he held his hands out to me.
“You were staring,” he said.
“I wasn’t—”
“You were staring. One second. That’s all it takes, Faye.”
“I guess I was.”
“There’s no need to be embarrassed. I was doing the same thing.”
I bit my bottom lip and looked away from him to try and hide the smile coming to my face. No doubt my cheeks were reddening with embarrassment. It was strange to think that a man I’d known since we were young could make me feel a certain way. I chalked it up to the whiskey.
Hunter swirled his drink around and swallowed it down with another satisfied sigh. I did the same. The alcohol was like getting hit by a hammer. Hunter was so much bigger and stronger than me that he handled his liquor a lot better. It was no wonder that he seemed to have his wits about him more than I did.
I wasn’t drunk though. If anything, the alcohol just loosened me up to the point that I could appreciate Hunter’s company even more.
I reached up and put a hand on his arm. I could feel his hard tricep underneath the sleeve of his leather jacket.
“A modern feat of engineering,” I said. “You didn’t build that yourself, did you?”
“I know a guy,” he said. “You meet a lot of people when you’re in the right circles.”
“The right circles. Is that what you’ve been doing these past six years? Hanging around in the right circles?”
He chuckled at me, his teeth gleaming white even underneath the dim lights of the bar.
“Something like that,” he said. “I was in jail for about three years. I met a lot of… interesting motherfuckers there.”
“What was that like?”
“It was…”
Hunter stared straight ahead, his eyes unblinking. He pursed his lips like he was trying to find the right words to say. I almost second-guessed myself. Maybe I was asking him to tell me something he didn’t want to talk about. But if this was the Hunter I knew, he would never hide anything from me. He was never ashamed of anything.
“I don’t know what it was,” he said. “All I know is that I did my time and everybody agreed. I think I’m better off for it, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“You spent time in jail. You’re playing card games and trying to hustle people. Is that all you’ve been up to?”
“I got out of jail a year ago. I’ve been able to get by so far. I made four grand just the other night. There’s no need for you to be concerned about me.”
“I didn’t say I was.”
“You didn’t say you were. But I know you are.”
The smirk came back to his face. I smiled just the same as him. Hunter had a way of making me smile even if we were talking about something serious.
“And how do you know?” I asked.
“That look.”
“What look?”
“That look…”
He reached his index finger up and started pointing things out.
“…The way your eyebrows kind of arch down. The way your eyes slightly squint like you’re almost gonna cry. Your lip twitches a little bit, like you’re not sure whether to smile or frown. It’s all over your face, Faye.”
I slapped his finger away and rolled my eyes.
“I’ve played more hands of cards than I’d ever be able to count,” he said. “I’ve seen it all. All of the nervous ticks that people have. All of the ways people try to restrain themselves despite their body doing otherwise. You’re human, Faye. Just like the rest of ‘em.”
“That’s exactly what I wanna hear. That I’m just like the rest of ‘em.”
“You know I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Sure, you didn’t. I can’t imagine that reading people’s faces is always a pleasant experience.”
“No, some people get pissed when I know their hand.”
“Can you read my mind now? Can you think of what I wanna do?”
Hunter grinned wider than I’d ever seen him up to this point. He laughed loud enough to grab the attention of a few other patrons in the bar.
“You wanna hit me,” he said.
“Not bad.”
“But you always wanted to hit me. Even back in high school. That’s the easiest read I could ever make.”
Hunter got the bartender’s attention and ordered another round of drinks for us. Even though Hunter was still going strong, I could already feel the alcohol beginning to affect me. Just another drink would’ve been a disaster.
“I think that’s it for me tonight,” I said.
“You haven’t gotten all your answers yet.”
“I think I got enough… You were in jail. I knew that already. And you’ve been hustling ever since. Is there something more you want to tell me?”
I raised an eyebrow at him. Hunter thought about it for a moment, sipping on his whiskey with another quick gulp before shaking his head.
“That’s it,” he said. “That’s my whole life story.”
“I thought so—”
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“What have you been up to, Faye?”
I was so distracted by learning more about Hunter that I forgot that he didn’t know what I’d done these past few years.
“Well…” I started. “What’s there to tell you? I work for Henry Alvarez at Eden. What else is there?”
Hunter scrunched his face in confusion at me. He always gave me that damn face when he was trying to make a fool of me.
“Listen, Faye. I know what I am. I’ve spent a few years in jail and now I’m making ends meet playing cards. That’s what I do. But I know you’ve got a more interesting story than me.”
“It’s not interesting,” I said. “I’ve never been interesting. I read books. I… I don’t do much else—”
“What was college like?”
Hunter’s eyes widened. We’d had this discussion back when we were in high school. I almost didn’t want to tell that but I knew that I couldn’t avoid it.
“It was… It was fun.”
“Fun? That’s it? Faye, you always talked about going to the university and that’s all you have to say about it?”
“I mean… I’m not in school any longer, so what’s the point of talking about it? It’d be like me asking you about jail.”
“There’s a tiny bit difference between going to a university and going upstate. Getting out isn’t exactly like graduating. What was that like? What did you study?”
Hunter kept egging me on. The way he looked at me, his mouth half-open, waiting for my response…
“Oh, come on, Faye! You were always talking about it and now that you went through it, you can’t talk about it—”
“I didn’t graduate.”
“…What?”
Hunter blinked his eyes. It was strange to see him as confused as he was with the kind of confidence he always had.
“Did you say you didn’t graduate?”
I sighed and shifted my eyes away from him.
“I didn’t graduate,” I said. “I never finished.”
“You didn’t finish. How did you not finish? If there was ever a woman meant to go to school, it was you—”
“Yeah, well, things happen sometimes. It just… It just didn’t work out.”
I looked out into the bar. There was a small dance floor at the center of Hades where there were a few couples on it. The music from the jukebox off to the side wasn’t anything sweet but it was soft. With how dark it was and how quiet the conversations were, it was almost romantic. I figured that this was a good opportunity to finally get away.
“Can I ask you a favor?” I said.
“Not a big favor, I hope…”
I laughed and rolled my eyes at him.
“Dance with me.”
“What?”
“Just… dance with me, woul
d you?”
Hunter looked onto the floor then back at me.
“You’re shittin’ me, right?”
I didn’t wait for him. I just got up from my seat and took his hand in mine. Hunter resisted for a moment but eventually relented.
We moved to the center of the floor. I wrapped my arms around his neck. Hunter pulled me close and put his hands on the small of my back.
“What are you doing—”
“Just shut up for a second, would you?” I cut him off.
He smirked as he stared down at me. I kept looking up into his eyes. Those intense gray eyes. I felt myself forgetting about everything I was just worrying about. It was like all of my troubles were gone when I was here with him.
The smile eventually left Hunter’s lips. His stare was so intense that it felt like we were the only two people in the room.
His masculine scent filled my nostrils along with the liquor and leather. His muscles pressed against my body. His shoulders were so broad and strong that I felt like I could hang off him and he would hold me up effortlessly. I was half-drunk and my stomach was turning. But everything about being in Hunter’s arms felt so comfortable.
I felt warm.
I felt calm.
I felt safe.
“You missed out on this,” I whispered.
“What are you talking about?”
“Prom. You never went to prom. We could’ve danced like this. A long time ago. It would’ve been… nice.”
“I didn’t go to prom but you did. You were always with him… Bradley.”
“Yeah…”
I kept having trouble speaking. I was so distracted by the way he was looking at me that I couldn’t find the right words. It didn’t help that my throat was suddenly going dry. I swallowed to clear my throat and kept staring up at him.
“Where is Bradley?” he asked. “You two were such a good couple…”
“Not good enough, apparently…”
I tugged on him slightly. I wanted to bring him closer. I wanted to kiss him and completely forget about everything that happened.
Maybe he reading my face like he always did. But Hunter didn’t need any expertise to know what I was thinking.
He leaned forward and I closed my eyes. His lips were on mine quickly. He kissed me softly. His tongue danced into my mouth. The scruff on his face was rough against my skin. I tasted the whiskey on his mouth but only wanted even more of him.
I thought about what this would be like before. Hunter was always handsome but we never did anything until last night. I wanted to go even farther now. From the way Hunter was kissing me, he felt the same way.
His cock thickened in his jeans and pressed against my stomach.
He tugged on my lips gently before pulling away.
“Let’s get out of here,” he whispered.
A confident smirk made my cheeks flush with embarrassment. Even if I didn’t drink all that whiskey tonight, I was at his mercy.
Nothing could stop what was about to happen.
Chapter 9
FAYE
I’d only been with one other man in my life. A high school boyfriend I lost my virginity to. I never cared too much for it. The sex was as satisfying as it could’ve been but I had nothing to compare it to.
I was the last woman to have a one-night stand with anybody. I was always the type to shame my friends when I heard about them hooking up with someone they barely knew.
And that’s how I was rationalizing this with myself right now.
I knew Hunter. I hadn’t seen him in years but he wasn’t some guy I just ran into at a bar.
But damn if he didn’t feel like a stranger. A man who popped up into my life all of a sudden.
Last night, he put his mouth on mine. I took my panties off. He grabbed my ankles. He shoved his cock into me and pounded me until he came inside of me.
Just the thought of spreading my legs for him was enough to make me blush. It washed away all of the memories I had with the other man I’d been in with my life.
Hunter wasn’t a man. He wasn’t just my friend. He was an experience.
And here I was again, craving him. I had no motives. I wasn’t eager to get to know him better. I didn’t care about what he was up to these past few years. I wasn’t worried about what the consequences would be if someone caught us. I just wanted him to satisfy me.
Hunter felt the same way.
The ride to his hotel room was fast. I hugged my arms around his waist as we zoomed through the streets of Ivory. The anticipation burned in my stomach to the point of annoyance. Every second that went by felt like an eternity.
As soon as we got to his hotel room, I stumbled inside. He slammed the door shut and he was on me.
Messy kisses near the doorway made me laugh in delight. The alcohol flowing through my veins made me more sensitive to it all. Every kiss. Every touch. Every suck and lick. Hunter worked his mouth on me to the point that I was bouncing in place.
We fumbled with each other’s clothes. I pulled his jacket off of him. He pulled my shirt over my head. I did the same with his. Our lips stayed locked together as we fiddled with the top of our jeans. The metal sound his belt buckle made was music to my ears. The metal teeth of his zipper added to the wonderful chorus.
He put his mouth back on me, kissing me on my neck. I rocked my head back. My eyes closed, I groaned from the way his mouth felt. I ran my fingers through his hair and held his head close as he worked his way down.
My bra strap fell off my shoulder and down my arm. Hunter didn’t want to wait. He tugged my cup down and freed one of my breasts. Another gasp escaped my lips when he put his mouth on my nipple.
He teased the tender pink flesh with his tongue. I stiffened in his mouth and he sealed his lips around me. He sucked on my nipple, gently teasing it between his lips.
I was vibrating on the spot, trying to stop my legs from trembling because of how damn good he was.
Hunter moved to my other breast and another sigh escaped from me. I reached back and unhooked my bra to free myself completely for him.
“Hunter…”
I whispered his name to let him know just how good he was doing. He was doing too good.
My legs eventually gave out and I fell on the bed. Hunter stayed on top of me, hungrily sucking on my breasts then working his way down to my stomach. He licked around my navel and I squealed in delight. He kept going until he was around my panties.
He stared up at me. Those deep gray eyes of his had never looked so intense. I swallowed anxiously as he gripped the sides of my panties. I was about to raise my ass up so he could pull them down but a sudden tug from both sides snapped the fabric in half.
Feeling my panties strain and tear against my skin pulled another gasp out of me.
“Hunter…”
“You don’t know how many times I’ve thought about this.”
I was so wet that I could feel the cool air in the hotel room brushing against me. I spread my legs instinctively, letting Hunter take his place between them. I watched as he stuck his tongue out and licked over the smooth mound presented for him.
“Oh! Fuck…”
There was no other way to describe it. All I could do was curse. A wet tongue running over my clit made my whole body tremble. Another lick and I shuddered again.
I writhed on the bed as Hunter proceeded to go down on me. If he’d been thinking about this for years, he was certainly proving it.
His tongue worked over my clit then wrapped his lips around it to suck on it. It was too much for me to handle. I gripped the sheets underneath me, helplessly trying to brace myself from all the pleasure coursing through my veins.
Hunter pinned my legs apart even though I wanted to squeeze them around his head. He was doing all the work and had me at his mercy.
Over and over. Back and forth. He slid his tongue up and down my slit. The juices spilling out of me disappeared as he swallowed them down. The messy sound of his mouth on me grew louder a
nd louder.
My jaw hurt from my mouth being open so wide. My throat dried from moaning so much. I had to do something. I couldn’t take it.
I reached down and gripped his head. I pulled him up to give him a kiss and taste myself.
“It’s not fair,” I whispered. “You didn’t wait all these years just to do all the work.”
“Faye…”
“Let me…”
I looked into his eyes and saw that he wanted it just as bad as I did. I may not have been able to read faces like him but I could see it inside of him.
I crawled on the bed toward his lower half. Laying on the bed next to each other, we positioned ourselves just right.
I’d felt his cock before. To think that I was satisfied by my ex-boyfriend seemed like a joke now. Hunter was so much bigger that I realized what I was missing out on.
My hand gripped his shaft and started pumping. The veins on his cock throbbed with life. Thick pulses vibrated my hand as I kept stroking him.
At the same time, Hunter raised one of my legs up so that he could dig his head back in between. Another lick on my clit forced me to shudder in delight.
I had to brace myself again. With Hunter’s cock in front of me, there was no better way to do it.
I moved my mouth forward and wrapped my lips around him. I sealed my lips and lowered myself down, letting my spit coat his shaft. He was so thick that it was a wonder that I fit most of it inside. I kept pushing my face forward, desperate to take all of him in. I knew I’d gone too far when I gagged on him.
“You don’t have to take it all,” I heard him say.
“No… I… I want to…”
My inexperience was starting to show. I’d never had a dick that filled my mouth so completely. I had to push myself even harder to try and take it all in. But every time his tip hit my throat, I gagged.
My eyes started to water. I had trouble breathing. Along with Hunter still devouring my pussy, it was all so overwhelming that I couldn’t focus. I had to leave Hunter satisfied with as much of his cock as I could take.
He didn’t seem to mind though. He groaned with his mouth full of my pussy. I moaned the same as him when his cock gave me a chance to breathe.
