Annabella's Oblivion (Hard World Tour)

by V. F. Mason

  “I didn’t come here for a quickie,” she let me know, and I smiled.

  “Honey, I didn’t think you did; but you know I wouldn’t mind, right? The idea of fucking you against the wall in my gym makes me all kinds of hard.” She whimpered and her nails bit into my shoulders, making me hiss in response.

  “Don’t put those kind of images in my head,” she complained, but made no move to get away from my hold. “I came here to ask you something.”

  “What?”

  “The girls want to have a night out tonight. Just go to a bar, dance, and unwind. Can we go?”

  Well shit, she was asking for my permission? I knew she was confident, but it felt good to know she cared about my opinion as well.

  “Are you ready for that?”

  She was quiet for a moment. “I think so. I mean, I won’t drink, obviously, but I don’t mind having some fun. I think I need it. You will come along, right?”

  “You want me there with you? I thought it was about you girls.”

  “Well, it is, but it’s not like you guys can’t join us. I would prefer if you were there with me.”

  It wasn’t exactly my scene; in fact, I still didn’t have the skills to feel comfortable in clubs with loud music. But for her, I would do everything in my power to make this day unforgettable. I gave her a loud peck on the cheek and moved back.

  “Okay. Let’s leave at nine then?” She nodded, but still stood in place. “Honey, you need to go so I won’t attack you right now. We’ll have plenty of time tonight, okay?”

  “It seems like so many hours away.”

  “There is some beauty in anticipation, isn’t there?” I said with my voice low, and she blushed.

  “Yeah.” A soft whisper, and she was out of the room in a second.

  I needed a shower and to think through the speech again. Since I was going out and probably would have to dance, I couldn’t exhaust myself, although it was probably too late for that.

  It would be interesting to watch the guys go all crazy about their girls.

  Now that promised to entertain me tonight.

  Annabella

  “I have to say, I meant something else by going out tonight. But it seems like we’re out of options here.” Ariel didn’t sound happy at all and pouted her lips.

  “It’s a small town, and I told you, it’s pretty much dead. You didn’t listen.” I had the need to point that out.

  “Well, come on, babe. We’ve been to small cities, but it never looked like this.” Sam grumbled. We were in the middle of the bar, actually the only place in town where we could drink and dance, and it was pretty much dead. There were a few folks who either had a beer or played pool. They were around our age, but they all seemed to be here with their significant others, and the ones who weren’t, looked like shit and gave us perverted stares. The bartender raised his brows when he saw us. There was something oddly familiar about him, but I couldn’t catch it. There was soft music playing, some old country hit, and the smell of cigarettes was all over the place.

  Basically, it looked like something from the old Western movies, and to me that made it hilarious.

  “What are we supposed to do here? There is no music!” Ariel couldn’t let go of her disappointment.

  “Look, there’s a juke box. Let’s put on a song.” Jane grabbed her hand and Ariel huffed after her in high heels that made her legs go on for miles.

  Actually, all the girls outdid themselves tonight. Sam and Ariel dressed in tight dresses showing off their goods, and had made some big plans that now went down the drain. Jane wore tight black jeans, a red t-shirt, and boots, while I had on skinny jeans, a purple t-shirt, and heels. And if the looks Nate was giving me were anything to judge by, I chose well.

  I still could feel the sexual tension we had in the gym and how hard it was for me to move away, but I knew I had to.

  But tonight, all bets were off.

  Now that made me excited. I looked back to see Drake was beyond amused with the bar, as was Jeremy, but there was also relief in his eyes. The girls were sending me daggers for inviting the guys with us, and I had a lot of apologizing to do, not that I was sorry for it.

  There was a huge war over who sat where in the car. Jane and Sam didn’t want to be near their guys, not that it was such a hardship for Jeremy. He was fine with staying away.

  Finally, it ended up with me sitting shotgun next to Nate since he was driving his seven-seated Jeep. Then the girls took the second row and the guys the third. No one was touching anyone and, at least, no one bitched along the way.

  On our way there, it gave me a clear view of the town, and I realized nothing had changed in those ten years. The same buildings, school, shops, and, I suspected, people. We passed by my old neighborhood and I noticed that someone occupied our old house now. It looked like it was in better condition than it used to be. Good for those folks, I thought, although the house was anything but a happy place. I knew I should feel some nostalgic feelings, or I didn’t know, something, because I grew up here after all. But the only feeling I had about it was that I was fucking glad I’d moved away.

  Enough said.

  I went to the bartender, who gave me weird looks, and I had a thought that maybe he recognized us, but it was highly unlikely. I smiled and he smiled back and raised his brow.

  “Yeah?”

  “Can I have five beers and two sodas delivered to this table?” I gestured to the table the guys occupied and he just smirked.

  “Honey, we have self-service here.”

  “No waitresses?” He shook his head, and there was still laughter in his eyes.

  “No.” Well, okay then, it looked like the service here was really to tend to yourself, on your own. Not surprising, but I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. “No people willing to help out?”

  “Not today,” was his only answer, and I shrugged. I suddenly felt heat behind me and was pulled back to a strong chest.

  “What’s taking so long?” Nate’s voice was anything but warm, and I could bet he was giving the bartender a hard stare.

  My caveman.

  I almost chuckled.

  “I have to wait for our drinks because there is no one to serve us.”

  “You shouldn’t have ordered them in the first place.” I spun around in his arms and raised my chin stubbornly.

  “Oh yeah?”

  He just gave me a cocky smile, and said, “Yeah.”

  Damn! How was I supposed to argue with that?

  “Go have fun with the girls. I’ll take care of it.” He gently nipped my lower lip and sent me to them with a gentle slap on my butt, which was only for me; I was sure no one was able to see that. Ariel and Jane were still arguing over music, and I really wondered what the hell would be their choice. Sometimes they could be unpredictable, and I had no idea how to dance to some of the songs they listened to. Sam was eyeing the pool table but gave a hard stare to the guys who eyed her.

  I snorted and she snapped at me. “What?”

  “Well, here is your golden opportunity to get laid!” She wrinkled her nose in distaste.

  “Yeah, right. I meant someone else when I said that. Look at those guys!” They were fairly decent, and not that far a cry away from what she usually went for, so I just shrugged.

  “Just admit that the only guy you want to sleep with is Jer, and that would be it.” She was all red from anger, or embarrassment, I wasn’t sure. She was about to say something when the familiar music of Elvis Presley filled the bar.

  “Blue Suede Shoes” started to play, and Sam was the first to jump on the dance floor. For her, he was always the king, and she could watch him with the guitar forever. It was love at first sight, as she called it.

  Ariel grabbed me and we all ended up in the middle of the bar. We rocked the dance of rock and roll, swaying our legs and adding our hands. Ariel and I were both wearing heels, and we were pretty good with using our feet to dance around. We couldn’t help but swirl our hips too, and even Jane, who was
always shy, couldn’t help herself at this song. We forgot about everything else around us. When the song ended, we finished off our dance moves with a pose, and out of the blue, Ariel grabbed her phone and took a selfie of us.

  “Everyone freaking smile!” We put our best smiles on and she snapped a few pictures and then ran to put on more music. I was hot and needed a drink badly. Glancing at our table, I saw the bartender had all of our drinks ready and grabbed Jane to pick them up. She reluctantly accompanied me, and Drake gave us a hard stare, which also held desire. While I winked at my guy, Jane completely ignored hers and picked up two beers, I took my soda and another beer and leaned down to give Nate a soft kiss on the cheek. He was apparently surprised. Ariel was involved in a talk with the owner and ended up holding a wire, which she plugged into her phone and to the big stereo that was in the corner.

  Now the loud music of Fly Project’s “Musica,” the remix version was on and, shit, was this a club jam or what? The girls picked up their beers and took deep swallows while I had to deal with a straw, and we danced as much as was possible with our drinks in our hands.

  We were having such a good time, and the second round of drinks was given to us by Jeremy. We had no idea what the guys did, but we knew we were watched like hawks and were protected, so we could let go of our inhibitions. Not that there were people who we had to be protected from, but still.

  We danced for around forty minutes, until we were tired, hot, and red, and the girls were slightly tipsy after their three beers.

  I looked around but couldn’t see our guys anywhere. I frowned when a hand grabbed me by my waist and Nate pointed to the pool table.

  The guys were playing alone, and I wondered what the hell happened to those weird-looking guys.

  “Where are the other people?” The bar was pretty empty before, but now it looked like it was only us here.

  “We convinced the owner that it would be good for him to close up and allow us to have the bar to ourselves.” In other words, they paid him well to make it exclusive, only for us.

  “Jeremy is clever. Is he afraid Sam will run off?”

  Nate looked insulted. “You don’t think it was me who wanted to keep those people away from you?”

  I patted his chest and smiled. “There weren’t that many people.”

  “Still.”

  “Of course not.”

  “Why?” he asked.

  “Because you know you’re getting laid tonight.” He blinked as though it was the last thing he expected for me to say, but then his blue eyes became heavy with desire and his voice dropped low.

  “I do?” He took my mouth in a deep kiss and I moaned, but it ended too soon and I made the sound of protest. I wanted to follow it up and have one more when he leaned back with a smile.

  “Later, baby,” he whispered, and I knew it was a promise I could look forward to.

  “Come on, guys, you can suck face, at home. We’re here to have fun!”

  “Ariel never shuts up, does she?” he asked with an annoyed sigh, and now it was my turn to laugh.

  “Yeah, it’s hard for her.”

  “That’s what I thought. Let’s play.”

  Ryan

  I couldn’t believe it was happening and she was here with me, in my house.

  I must be dreaming.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to go for some ice cream?” After all, that was the reason she went out with me in the first place.

  Then the kiss happened.

  I had no idea what went through me. I certainly didn’t expect to grab her and do it.

  But she kissed me back and came home with me, and we both knew what it meant.

  It was killing me because I didn’t know how to act. I’d never done this before.

  I was fucking twenty-two years old and a virgin. Whoever heard that would laugh their asses off.

  I was sure she had more experience than me, and although it killed part of me to know what she did all those years when I loved her, I forced myself to not care about what happened in the past.

  She would be mine in the present.

  She gave me a weak smile and took off her jacket while looking around my neat apartment. I liked everything to be clean and in place, but I didn’t have a lot. Couch, TV, table, kitchen, and then there was the bedroom, with a bed and a wardrobe. I could afford more, but I just didn’t want to.

  What was the point of a big space if there was no one to share it with, or bring home?

  “We grabbed ice cream at the store, remember? Nice place. It suits you.” I had the need to ask if it was as boring as she considered me, but kept my mouth shut.

  “It’s not the same as going to the ice cream parlor.” I put the bags on the kitchen counter and went to the sink to wash my hands, and she joined me.

  “True, but I think I’m okay with that. Where do you have spoons?” She opened one of the drawers and, with her luck, that was the one she was looking for.

  “Don’t we need bowls, too?”

  She cocked her head and questioned, “To put ice cream in? Haven’t you ever shared it from the container?”

  “No.” Who was I supposed to do it with? I had a limited amount of friends, and they all were guys. No one would share this shit with me, and I had no girlfriends, platonic or otherwise.

  “Okay. Then it’s your first time I guess.” She sat on the couch and put up her legs, crossing them in front of her.

  “I guess,” I repeated under my breath, still finding the image surreal.

  Annabella Hastings on my couch. I needed to really get a grip. I didn’t want it to be wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am.

  As I joined her on the couch, she gave me a spoon and opened the carton. She took a spoonful of strawberry ice cream and then passed it to me.

  “So how is life as the rich heir?” Everyone wanted to know that, but for the first time, I gave an honest answer.

  “It’s okay. Nothing changed much. I still live at the place I rent. I finished college and got my job on my own and, basically, have the same life. I just have my dad now, who makes my mom happy, and that makes me happy.”

  “You don’t want the hotel business? It’s huge and worldwide famous. Besides, you could move to Manhattan.” She wiggled her eyebrows, making me laugh.

  “No, I know it may sound weird to you, because I know how much you love the Upper East Side, but I have the same love for Brooklyn. As for the job…” I looked at my TV wistfully. “You love to sing, don’t you?”

  She nodded her head eagerly. “I can’t imagine my life without it.”

  “Would you change it for anything else?”

  “Never.”

  “It’s the same with me and management. I know it seems like a boring job to an artist,” her cheeks became red, and I knew my statement was correct, “but it’s what I love to do, and what I’m good at. I can be good at a lot of things, but I really want to do something I enjoy. As for the money and good apartments, I will get there on my own, and I’m in no hurry.” Suddenly, she smiled and let go of the ice cream, putting it on the table.

  “I’m sorry. People probably ask that all the time, don’t they? I should have known better.”

  “I don’t mind.” I felt like I had to be honest. “At least I don’t mind it from you.” There was a long silence after that, and in that moment, I hated the fact I didn’t have more experience for this kind of thing. What did people do? Think fast, Jackson. “Do you want to watch a movie?”

  “Sure.” She seemed as unsure as I was, but then tried to smile again as she picked up the remote and turned on the TV. There wasn’t much to look at, but then she found some movie that looked like chick flick and I groaned inwardly. It wouldn’t have been my choice, but whatever. She started laughing and I gave her an odd look. Maybe her nerves played a part in this.

  “You should have seen your face.” She changed the channel again and settled on some action movie. “I can’t stand all those romantic movies either. I was teasing you.” She rest
ed her head back on the couch and we silently watched the movie together. I wondered if maybe I misread the whole situation.

  Somehow the idea that we may not have sex tonight gave me some kind of relief, letting me enjoy the moment. At some point, I brought us soda and chips as we laughed and discussed some random shit about the movie.

  “You know, I haven’t watched a movie like that in ages,” she said.

  “Me too. I think last time was with you and Nick that day he made us dinner.”

  She groaned. “Yeah, when he wanted to surprise Megan, right? He tried out a new chicken recipe and burned it, because he didn’t use the new oven right... It was awful.”

  “I was afraid to eat the shit he made.”

  “So you ordered pizza and snuck it out.”

  “Yeah, and we ended up eating it on the balcony.” She was laughing hard that her eyes watered up.

  “The most hilarious part was when he saw us and just joined us with defeat written all over his face. He couldn’t eat what he made either.”

  “Yeah!” Suddenly, our eyes met and there was a moment of hesitation, but then the next thing I knew, she was in my arms, straddling me, while my hands were on her hips and her lips covered mine in a deep, sloppy kiss.

  I moved my hand to her hair and tried to control the kiss, to find the rhythm, but she just wouldn’t let me; it was like she was attacking me. Finally, I decided to let her have her way and relaxed.

  I had no idea what I was doing but decided to go with the gut; it couldn’t be that hard, right? I’d kissed a few girls and even fooled around with two, so I wasn’t going into it completely blind.

  I slipped my hands under her top and felt her soft skin covered in goose bumps.

  She moaned and I took her mouth deeper. Our tongues were clashing inside and she could probably feel my hard-on under her amazing, firm ass. I grabbed her shirt, tugging it off her, which allowed me the room to breathe because she finally let go of my mouth.