I think about her words. She’s probably right. “I have to go, Jade,” I say, grabbing my jeans from the side of the bed. She gives me a reassuring hug, and we both leave.
Chapter 5
As always, when I arrive at Eva’s house, the porch is once again laden with random females. Eva, as per usual, is less than thrilled to see me. This time, I have no bag of cash, so she doesn’t leave her spot on the porch, instead just waits for me to go to her.
“Where’s Emmanuel?” she spits as I ascend the first stair. A few of her friends give me the same cold glare. A few others seem to be salivating slightly.
“Locked up,” I say, looking down.
“What!” She squeals. “How the hell did that happen?” She leaves her chair and digs her pointed finger into my shoulder. “How could you let that happen?”
“I just- I don’t want to talk right now, Eva. I just need the bag,” I say dismissively.
She storms inside, slamming the screen door behind her and comes back a minute later carrying the bag, her face hard and furious. “I kept Emmanuel’s cut,” she says.
“I’m sure you did. You better not spend it all. He’ll be mad as hell if he finds out you did,” I warn. Just as she’s about to start another verbal assault, my phone rings, giving me the perfect out.
“Hello,” I say, walking back to the Camaro.
“Hi, stranger,” Nina’s low and oh so sexy voice comes over the line. “Are you busy?”
“I have something to do, but not after that,” I say, my dick immediately responding in anticipation. “Wait, how did you get my number? I don’t remember giving it to you.”
“That’s a shame, I’m free now. Busy later,” she says coyly, deliberately avoiding my question. “Maybe next time.”
Fuck it, Julius can wait an hour or two more. “Well, look at that, my schedule just cleared,” I reply cockily. I don’t push her on the phone number question. One shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
“I thought it might’ve,” she answers. It is obvious in the tone of her voice that she knew from the very beginning of the call that I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to see her. “Do you still have my address?”
“I’ll flick through all of the numbers I have here in my pocket,” I tease.
“Do that,” she answers. “And let’s hope you find it.”
I finger the folder piece of paper. There was no way in hell I would have lost that address. I navigate the Camaro over to Nina’s, driving through several questionable neighborhoods on my way. Emmanuel plays on my mind for the whole journey. Pulling up to the modest apartment complex, I suddenly find myself feeling strangely nervous about walking up. Performance anxiety? Me? Screw that.
Nina answers the door a little differently than I had expected. I’m not really sure what I had expected, but I know it wasn’t a pair of worn jeans and a faded tank top. Still, she exudes sexual prowess, and her obvious confidence is so fucking erotic.
I’m at a loss for words, but can’t risk looking like a slack-jawed idiot, so I do the next best thing. I take two steps over the threshold and slide my hands under the front of her tank top. Her eyes don’t leave mine, her intense stare unwavering. The creaking of an opening door causes me to forcibly avert my eyes from Nina’s. A timid looking middle-aged woman peeks through the crack. Her eyes widen as she catches sight of Nina’s bare breasts. Nina shoots her a challenging glare, topped off with a snide grin. The shocked and probably appalled woman promptly slams the door shut. The girl is pure evil.
“Do you usually operate with such reckless abandon?” I say, grabbing her by the wrists and kicking the door shut.
“Usually,” she answers lowly. Nina pulls her wrists free from my grasp and backs against the door. I take a step towards her.
“Are we playing rough?” I ask quietly.
“Only way I like it,” she jibes. “But if you can’t handle it, then maybe I was wrong about you after all.”
“Oh, you weren’t wrong,” I reply, undoing the button on her jeans. “In fact, you probably underestimate me.” I grab her wrists, this time more forcibly. Using my one arm, I lift her both arms over her head, pinning them to the door. My other hand slides into the front of her jeans. Nina’s body immediately arches forward, bringing the soft flesh right into my waiting fingers. My dick threatens to rip straight through my jeans in anticipation. Nina bites hard on her lip, as my fingers work against the motion of her writhing hips, expertly building her to a climax.
Then, moments before she reaches it, I pull my hand away. Her eyes haven’t left mine, the penetrating gaze stuck on me ever since I walked in the door. I see the challenge in it as she attempts to pull her arms free. I hold them in place. A small laugh escapes her lips.
I lean in and leave a trail of hot kisses down the side of her neck, carefully adhering to the no lips on lips policy. She leans in towards me.
“If you want from me what I know you do, you’re going to have to release me,” she whispers.
“Why would I do that?” I ask lowly.
Wordlessly, she brings her lips to my neck, and slowly works her tongue from my jawline down towards my shoulder. My eyes close involuntarily. Fuck! She has barely touched me.
“Imagine what I could do with my mouth, if only I was able,” she says quietly.
No further explanation necessary. I drop her hands, which immediately work at undoing my belt and jeans. I could come in my jeans just thinking about Nina’s lips on my dick. Before pulling my jeans down, she grabs them by the belt hooks, using them to flip us, throwing me with a decent force against the door.
She kisses a trail from my neck down my torso. My abs clench approvingly as she teases her lips straight past my crotch and down to my thighs. My fingers lace through and tug her hair, in an effort to divert her attention back to where I needed it to be. She knows exactly where I want her mouth. And that’s precisely why she’s playing this game.
Just as I think I may explode from the sheer tension of it all, Nina, slides her mouth over me. I have never worked so fucking hard to maintain self-control in my life! With my hands still firmly grasping the back of her head, I move her mouth in until she has absolutely all of me in it.
As I’m about to lose it, in beautiful karmic revenge, she pulls her mouth away and slides her tongue over her lips. Holy fucking hell. Payback has never been more of a raging bitch than right now. Just when I think my tolerance level has reached its crescendo, Nina flips us back around, pulling me hard against her. The situation has become critical. I need to get inside this girl, right fucking now.
Just when I think all control on my part is lost, my eyes meet Nina’s. Her eyes are still completely fixated on mine. Determined, fierce, and making it clear that she has me by the balls. And with her hand firmly clutching my shaft, she kinda does. But more so, there’s a challenge in the way she’s looking at me. One that dares me to make her scream my name.
I step back and she stands against the door, a puzzled look on her face.
“Come here,” I say, taking a step backwards. Nina shoots me a defiant glare, combined with a cocky smile. I smile slyly as I notice her trying to even her breathing out. She doesn’t like to give anything away. Control freak, or just a good old-fashioned freak?
I walk over to the haphazardly made bed and sit on the edge, eyeing her expectantly. Just when I think my attempt at gaining control may backfire and she may throw me out, Nina saunters slowly over. As she is about to push me backwards, I grab her by the hips and bring my lips to her thighs, trailing soft yet purposeful kisses upwards. With the promise land in sight, I slide my hands over her ass and pull her onto me. The look of surprise registers first on her face, then pure, uninhibited ecstasy.
Nina’s body grinds against mine, pushing me further and deeper into her. Her fingernails rake against my back, digging in each time my thrusts match hers. I try to maintain my stamina, but I’m too far gone.We both are. She bites hard on her lip to stifle a scream as her body con
vulses against mine. Seconds later, mine does the same.
Chapter 6
The game of sexual cat and mouse that Nina and I just played was exhausting. For the first time since I walked in the door, I actually took a look around the apartment. It was a single studio, with a small bathroom off to one side, a barely-there kitchenette, and a double bed and worn sofa loveseat within inches of each other. It’s definitely minimalist. Besides the expensive looking sound system in the corner, there are no other personal touches in here. No photo frames. No unopened mail on the table. No quirky collectibles from random travels.
Nina walks over, wearing nothing but my T-shirt and hands me a cup of coffee before walking over to the window, opening it and lighting a cigarette.
“So, is this a routine?” I ask, gesturing to the lit cigarette.
“Good things come in threes,” she replies.
“So…coffee, cigarette and…” I ask, trying to fill in the blanks.
“Cock,” she answers confidently.
“Wow!” I answer in shocked amusement. “So do you have many cocks strolling in an out of this joint?”
“Not at all,” Nina replies. Her face contorts into a bizarre mixture of amusement and offense. “I just choose my conquests well. It’s a talent.”
“Well, it’s not your only one,” I answer with a grin. “So, you’re in college? What do you do exactly?”
Nina stubs the cigarette out on the windowsill and falls next to me on the bed. “I like you for this,” she says sliding her hand over my dick, which instantly hardens at her touch. “But that’s it. I’m not looking to share my history, or my dreams, or my fears, or even my thoughts with you. That is not what I want, not at all. And if we can’t hang under those circumstances, then we can’t hang at all. Are we clear?”
She’s not really asking me if I’m happy to be her casual fuck. She’s telling me that that’s what I am, and giving me an out if I want it. That said, I feel like I’ve just been schooled. Shana and I never did that. Nina is wild, impulsive, and defiant. Shana was sweet but extremely inhibited. A real good girl. And I loved having sex with her because I loved her. With Nina, this was something else.
I turn to Nina and slowly pull my shirt over her head. “I’m gonna need this,” I say with a grin. Her naked body laid out in front of me looks like yet another delicious meal, ready to be devoured, but I have to get Julius’ money to him before he sends someone to find it.
At the risk of sounding even remotely clingy, I ask Nina as I’m walking towards the door, “So when will I be seeing you again?”
“When you see me,” she answers simply, slipping on a button down denim shirt. I think about asking if she’ll call, but decide against it and leave.
No need to scare away the hottest sex I’ve ever had. Besides, I fucking invented no strings sex. I can handle her. For the first time since Shana left, I managed to fuck someone else and not see her face. Now that was progress.
* * *
Julius looks relieved when I walk into the club, almost as if he expected to have to send his boys to find me in Mexico. Since Emmanuel is otherwise detained, he motions for me to sit on the lounge with him. I turn purposely to the side, to avoid having to continually stare at the very scantily clad and clearly very high stripper who’s molesting the pole in front of him.
“Shame about Emmanuel,” Julius says, lighting a cigarette. There is not one ounce of sincerity in his voice. “He called me to say the bail is set at fifty grand.”
“Are you gonna bail him out?” I ask Julius, almost certain I already know the answer.
“Nah man, I don’t have that kind of money,” he says with a laugh. Lying motherfucker.“I’ll see what I can do. But I need someone to take his place in the meantime,” Julius says, leaning forward. “And since you already know the drop points and most of the clientele-”
“What’s in it for me?” I ask plainly. I really shouldn’t be fucking around with a guy who would leave his own cousin in jail, and who also has no problem with blowing my brains out for looking at him wrong. I realize now that since Shana left me, I have had very little regard for my own life.
“I’ll let you keep both yours and Emmanuel’s cut,” he offers.
I think about the scenario. I could actually get the fuck out of this town and away from all the memories of Shana after just a few months of doing this shit. “Okay,” I agree, “but I set the terms.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Julius looks like he’s getting pissed.
“I choose the exchange points. I only exchange solo, one on one. And you give me the option of pulling out when I need to,” I say. The last condition is the most important. Selling yourself to someone like Julius permanently in this neighborhood is like selling your soul to the devil.
“Done,” he says. I lay the bag with the cash on the lounge next to him, and wait for him to hand me a stack of bills.
“Eva already took Emmanuel’s cut,” I explain when he examines the bag further.
“Of course she did,” he scoffs, handing me the cash. Even the dude that only beds strippers knows that Eva is a gold digger.
I take the cash and the burner phone that Emmanuel tosses me and make a quick exit, away from the club and everyone in it. Amber makes a grab for my dick on the way out, and yells that I’m an asshole when I dodge and she misses.
I’m about to drive off in the Camaro when a tapping at my window stops me from accelerating. Jade’s face greets me as I turn my head. Rolling down the window, I see a Mini Cooper pull away and the person inside giving Jade a wave.
“Twice in one day, are you stalking me?” I tease.
“Sweetie, you have nothing that I want,” she replies sarcastically.
“Bullshit, I have something everyone wants,” I rebut. “What are you doing here?”
“Picking up my cash from the gig last night,” she replies.
“Really, not here for the show?” I grin.
Jade rolls her eyes dramatically. “There is nothing worth looking at in this hole in the wall club. Wait for me, I’ll be a few minutes.”
I turn the engine off, my mind drifting back to Nina. I lose myself in the memory of her riding my dick. She definitely brings out the freak in me, that’s for damn sure.
Jade jumps in the car, startling me out of my almost-wet daydream. “Let’s go,” she smiles.
Given that the sun is low on the horizon, Jade and I decide to grab dinner. I love the fact that we can hang out again. For the first year after Shana left, we all but avoided seeing each other. The memories were too real and raw. Shana leaving not only broke both of our hearts, but also caused a divide in our friendship. I was grateful that it had begun to mend itself.
We drive over to a small café a couple of miles from our neighborhood. Jade likes this place because it isn’t usually frequented by too many locals. In fact, we’ve often wondered how they stay in business. Usually whenever we’ve been there, there’s been us, a waitress, and maybe two other patrons there at most. But mainly, we go there because it’s one of the few places where Jade, Shana and I never hung out. It’s devoid of memories, only the once we choose to create.
Shana is still the elephant in the room for us. But Jade and I are coming to terms with her leaving, slowly but surely. Jade masks the pain of it all with anger. Being angry with Shana is easier than missing her I guess.
The waitress walks over and takes our orders. She leans in dramatically to show me the specials, her impossibly large breasts threatening to suffocate me in the process. Jade snickers as I slowly shift my weight to prevent an imminent injury.
“So, I have news,” Jade says excitedly.
“You have decided that you really do like men and would like to profess your undying love for me?” I jibe.
“No, idiot,” she says pegging a sugar packet at my chest. “I got a call from the guy that came to the club. He’s recommending me to the music program at Brown!”
“No fucking way!” I say
jumping up and scooping her into a hug.
“Let’s not jinx it,” she says laughing into my chest. “I haven’t heard back from the college yet. If I do, I start next year.”
All the more reason for me to get the hell out of dodge. With Jade leaving, there was really no reason for me to stay.
“Jay, you should try and do something, get yourself out of here,” Jade says, eyeing me with concern.
“I can handle myself, Jade,” I say quietly.
“Oh really? Does handling yourself include fucking half the state to stay sane, or staying permanently high or drunk to try and forget Shana? Or maybe it includes selling your damn soul to Julius to make some quick cash. Are you missing Emmanuel that much that you’re trying to get locked up too and share a cell with him?” Jade’s face is clouded with anger. I forget sometimes that when Jade is fired up, she has absolutely no filter.
I want to refute her argument; say that it isn’t true. Only it is. That is exactly what I do, all day, every day. “Colleges don’t want people like me in them. What the hell else can I do? I can go and work for my dad at the mechanic shop. Or work for Julius as a career criminal. Those are my options.”
“I guess you’re right,” she spits in reply. “I guess you are too stupid for college, ‘cuz only an absolute dumbass would say some stupid shit like that. Did you forget that before Shana left, we were all planning on applying to colleges together? We all had the grades to do it. You included.” Jade points a finger menacingly towards my face.
My saving grace, also known as the well-endowed and overly friendly waitress, arrives with our food. We eat in silence. But if I know Jade, and I do know Jade, this conversation was not over. Not by a long shot.
“This isn’t over,” Jade says with a mouth full of waffle.
Infinite Fear Page 3
