by Ashley Logan
“Yeah. I’m a sucker for the classics.”
“So how does a twenty-two year old stripper, who loves to read Jane Austen come to be so behind in math?” he asks, as Charlotte captures his interest. Studying her a while, he lowers his head to look directly into her one good eye and the other, empty socket. “She knows, but she’s not telling,” he says quietly, nodding at her.
“I missed a lot of school. It’s taking a long time to catch up,” I say, coming to rescue Charlotte from Damon’s silent interrogation. Taking her with me back to the bed, I set her down by my sleeping pillow.
“Did you drop out?” Damon asks, watching my every move over the top of his tea.
“I left town and didn’t bother to transfer,” I say, dismissively.
Damon’s eyes narrow at me. “How old were you?”
“When I left school?” I ask, avoiding his eyes.
“Yes.”
I mumble an answer and point at his bag. “Can we go back to why your hooks burn and hot drinks feel sticky?” I ask, smiling as if everything is normal.
Damon’s jaw is slack and his mouth is open. “Did you just say fourteen?”
“Yes. I had a turbulent life at the time. Anyway, the hooks?” I ask, steering him away with a warning look.
Swallowing visibly, he pales a little. At first I think it’s because even the thought of the hooks makes him feel unwell, but from his frozen position, I’m starting to think it’s because his brain is making all those background connections about my history.
“Damon,” I say sharply, snapping him out of it. “The hooks. Please.”
Nodding, he rests a stump on his bag. “Sorry. Um, yeah. The hooks.” Clearing his throat, he avoids my eyes and brushes at his cheek with his other stump. “Whenever I put my stumps into them, it feels like I’m dipping my hands into acid. Which is fine as long as I get on with doing what it is I need them on for. If they’re purposeful, the burning is replaced by some other sensation. Most of the time.”
“That’s why you said you needed to go driving?” I ask, trying to understand.
Damon nods. “Driving makes them itchy.”
“Itchy doesn’t sound... good,” I say, making a face as I think about having an itch that couldn’t be scratched.
“Beats the hell out of burning in acid though, right?” he says with a laugh before his face falls again.
“What does it feel like when I touch you Damon?”
This time when he swallows visibly, the color in his cheeks rises significantly.
“When you touch me, the pain stops,” he says quietly. “But when you touch me,” he says, making my cheeks heat a little, “I hum. All over. As if I’m picking up all of those good vibrations the Beach Boys used to sing about. Your kisses make my hands sparkle like bursts of fireworks exploding into glitter and when you do... other stuff, my hands... sing. They sing, Alexa.”
Stunned, I stay exactly where I am, just looking at him. Soon, I have to close my eyes so I don’t have to see the hope that’s written all over him. “You must really like me then, huh?”
“I really do,” he agrees. A little too readily.
“Then I propose we approach this as a business deal,” I say carefully, without emotion. “Friends with benefits. You give me a safe, no-touching release to my inner turmoil and I give you medication-free pain relief.”
Frowning, his eyes search my face. Tapping his stump on my desk as one might drum their fingers, Damon chews the corner of that bottom lip again. Rubbing the same stump over his face, he comes to look at me again.
“That’s all you want?” he asks and I can see he wants more, but I can’t give it. He looks like the guys in movies when they’re falling in love, but I can’t trust that. Especially not now. The guy practically just admitted I’m the drug he’s after. If my hands were stinging with acid burns, I’d be desperately in love with the cure too. All I want is a safe sexual partner to practice on while I sort my life out. I give one firm nod.
“It just seems a little unfair, is all,” he says, his tone lighter. “I mean, if I get pain-relief and sex, I’d be getting two benefits and you’d only get one. Maybe we could even things out?”
“With what?” I ask, narrowing my eyes in suspicion.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he says defensively. “I was just going to offer you my services as a tutor again. It makes sense, if you think about it. If we’re meeting regularly anyway, we could do it then. It’s always better to study when you’re relaxed and open to receive the information.”
Eying my math books with disdain, I sigh. “Fine. Help me pass this last section for my HSE diploma and we’ll call it even.”
“Good,” he says with a darn sexy grin. “How long do you have before the next exam?”
“Three and a bit weeks. First week of December.”
“Great,” he says, sounding far more optimistic than I feel. “That should be plenty of time.”
“I’ve failed the mathematics section twice already,” I warn him, in case he thinks this is going to be easy.
“Third time’s a charm, I’ve heard,” he says, ignoring my lack of confidence. “We can start now if you like?”
“Do we have to?” I ask, watching his stumps and wondering what it would feel like if he ran them over my body. Would I feel repulsed and freak out as I would with hands, or would it feel good, like it’s supposed to feel when someone touches you?
“What would you rather be doing?”
“Huh?” I ask, coming back to the present.
Giving me a strange sideways look, Damon scratches his beard. “What would you rather be doing right now?”
Feeling my cheeks heat, I shrug. “Anything but?”
“I see,” he says, as if he truly does. “You know, in the interest of keeping things even, you’re still coming up short.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, getting that strange ache in my lower abdomen again that I’m beginning to associate with saucy thoughts about Damon.
“Judging by the blush in your cheeks, I think you already know what I mean,” he says with a grin. “May I make it up to you?”
My words catch in my throat and I have to clear the lust from it. “I set the pace and you can’t touch me, so I don’t think you can.”
Nodding, his smile doesn’t get any smaller. “That would be a problem for some people, but I happen to be quite good at improvising when it comes to not being able to use my hands, Alexa.”
Ignoring the shiver that travels through me, I toss my hair over my shoulder and change the subject.
“How did you do the painting?” I ask, looking to his image of the broken doll’s head hanging on my wall.
“I started it with my foot actually,” he says coming and sitting on the bed beside me. I don’t dare look at him, knowing that it will only make the feeling inside grow stronger, but just having him near me makes my body hum with anticipation. He leans in closer and I keep myself perfectly still, lest I push him back onto the bed again. “But I finished it with my mouth,” he whispers in my ear. The warmth of his breath tickles, making my heart beat even faster.
“May I touch you with my mouth Alexa?” he asks, as he had earlier. So sweet and well-behaved. He’s so different to the others, and my body knows it; wants it.
Closing my eyes, I nod. Almost immediately, his gentle lips touch my bare shoulder and he kisses along it, toward my neck. The coarse hair of his beard scuffs along my skin with the kisses, creating a delicate mix of rough and soft that makes my breathing speed up to match my pulse.
“May I remove your clothing, or would you prefer to do it yourself?” he asks thoughtfully.
“Only I do it,” I whisper, standing up. Dropping the spaghetti straps of my tank top off my shoulders, I shimmy the fabric down, collecting my pajama bottoms on the way until they both pool at my feet and I step out of them.
“You do that much better than I would anyway,” he says, removing his sweatshirt in a flash so that his eyes ca
n continue roaming my body. “Tell me the limits of what I can do, Alexa. I won’t run my... no-hands over you. Can I hold you, or lift you into different positions?”
“So long as you don’t put your no-hands on me, or pin me down in any way, we’ll be good,” I say, loving the look in his eyes as he tries to decide which part of me to devour first.
CHAPTER EIGHT
DAMON
I don’t know why, but with Alexa, everything feels better done gently. Normally if I’m with a woman, I tend to be stronger in my movements to get to the humming sensation. When I’m with Alexa, if either of us push too hard, it feels wrong. For me, the best feelings sit somewhere in the light to moderate range of pressures, and she seems to like that too. Trying not to think too hard about why that might be, I focus on giving her pleasure so she won’t be able to think of anything painful, just as she does for me.
Starting at her head, I nuzzle under her ear, breathing in the scent of her skin. Still fresh from the shower, she smells sweetly of some sort of spice combination that definitely includes cinnamon. Gently kissing the soft skin below her ear, my own heart reacts to her pulse racing beneath my lips. The effect is intoxicating, as the blood in my veins begins to buzz.
Continuing down her throat, I sow dozens of soft kisses before running my nose back up her warm skin to claim her mouth. Respecting her rules, I let her control the kiss. Alexa gives me exactly what I would have given her and after a few light brushes between our lips, she opens to me, inviting me in with a light flick of her tongue. Unable to keep from following, I probe gently, keeping within the pleasant humming zone.
Soon, her whole body gives a subtle shudder and she moans so quietly that I feel it more than hear it. Loving it, my dick strains against her hip, but I ignore him. He’s had his fun. This time is about Alexa.
Backing off some, I tease us both by barely touching her lips. Hovering just above, I allow only the briefest of connections every so often, enjoying the sweet torment of the sparkle sensation turning on and off like a switch. She likes it too. Her body shifts against me with a needy tilting of her hips each time, making me hum in approval.
Whispering sweet nothings against her skin, I travel back down her neck, laying tender kisses down her centerline to her navel, where I begin planting them in circles, spiraling outward. Alexa’s body trembles beneath me, completely alive with anticipation.
Nuzzling upward, I scuff my beard lightly over one nipple and am rewarded with a soft gasp and another tremor. Rumbling my approval again, I flick her other nipple with my tongue, compelling it to grow even more taut, before blowing a gentle breeze across it. Her eyes closed, Alexa sucks her bottom lip into her mouth and keeps it there as her chest rises and falls with a certain urgency that was missing until now.
Unable to resist the gorgeous presentation of the firm buds taunting me from her beautifully rounded breasts, I take one into my mouth, sucking firmly as my tongue teases. Another gasp and shift of her hips has me wanting the same for the other breast. Giving the nipple in my mouth a tender nip, I release it to draw the other in.
To hear her, Alexa is quiet, but her body is communicating loud and clear. Restlessly pawing the bed beneath her feet, she runs her hands through her hair and then through mine. Groaning into her breast at the unbelievable feeling of her fingers combing and tugging my hair, I’m rewarded with another shudder of delight that travels through every connection between us.
Growing as impatient as she is, I leave her breasts for the promise below. Maneuvering myself onto my belly and between her thighs, I toss her legs over my shoulders and scoot right up close. Dipping my head to her slick crease, I run my tongue upward to her clit, moaning as I suck it into my mouth, because she tastes as amazing as she feels.
Her thighs clamp around my ears and her pelvis tilts upward, seeking. Her only coverage is a short crop of curls fashioned into a neat line, like a runway directing me where to land. Smiling, I tease her with my beard against her sensitive flesh before using a combination of licks, kisses, and suckling to reduce her to a panting mess. That’s when the fun begins. Alternating between pressure on her clit and diving into her hot depths with my tongue, I wind her tighter and tighter until, with just the lightest nudge, she squirms around me in her release. I meet every twitch with my eager tongue, easing my strokes as her spasms subside and tenderly luring her into a sated state of relaxation.
As she melts into the bed, I slowly kiss along her inner thighs as I gently lower them one at a time from my shoulders so as not to pull her out of her mellow daze.
“Now we’re even,” I whisper into her smooth skin. “No math lesson today.” Pulling slowly away, I fold the blankets over her blissfully limp body. I’m reluctant to leave her, but I think she’s been generous enough with me today, and it’s getting late. “You have yourself a good sleep and call me tomorrow to discuss when the best time to study will be,” I whisper, pulling my sweatshirt back on and lifting the strap of my shoulder bag over my head. Adjusting my crotch, I tuck my dick away so I don’t frighten anybody out in the hall. “Goodnight, Alexa.”
“G’night Damon,” she says, sounding half asleep already.
Pushing her door handle down, I silently thank whoever made this choice of knob and close it gently behind me. Standing in the hall, I take a moment to just wonder about the evening I’ve just had. I found my dream girl, came twice, made her come twice, managed to reveal my secrets with a surprisingly successful outcome, and did it all while remaining largely pain free. Good doesn’t even come close to describing the night’s events.
Scratching my beard with a stump, I smile and head for the nearest bathroom. Washing any trace of Alexa from my face, I pat it dry with one of the many towels stacked on the shelf. Deeming myself presentable, I make my way back to the living room.
A few people that I don’t recognize are lounging around watching a singing competition on the TV. Bruno looks up when he sees me.
“Hey Shermansky. How’d it all go?”
“Better than expected,” I reply, giving the new, curious faces a smile and shrug of my eyebrows by way of greeting, rather than shocking them with my creepy wave.
“Everyone, this is my friend Damon. Don’t try to shake his hand. He doesn’t like it.”
The others consider me with even more curiosity and I kick Bruno in the leg. Sighing, I hold up my arms for them to see why. Nodding or shrugging, they turn back to the TV as the finalists are announced and I breathe a sigh of relief.
“Told ya,” Bruno says, shoving a handful of popcorn in his mouth. Looking me over as he chews, he looks down at Scarlett, who’s fallen asleep on him. “You’re leaving?”
“Yeah, but I’ll probably see you soon enough. I’m going to help Alexa study for her HSE math section.”
Nodding, he starts to smile. “Good one. That’ll mean you’ll be around more often?”
“Yeah. I hope so. I’d better be going,” I add, nodding towards the stairs. “I’ve got class in the morning. Um...” Passing my eyes over Scarlett, I look to the rest of the group. “Would someone mind letting me out please? I was having a lot of trouble with the doorknob earlier and if I have to dip my hands in acid too soon, I’m going to ruin the night I’ve just had. I know that sounds fucked up, but it is what it is and I could really use a hand.”
“Or two?” a tall auburn haired girl replies with a smile as she stands up from the chair closest to the stairs. “I’ll help you out.”
“Appreciate it, thanks. Ah...?”
“Kat,” she says, stepping out to the landing and waiting for me.
“Nice to meet you... everyone,” I say, using my creepy wave. Nobody seems bothered by my absent hand, as they raise their own.
“We still want to hear the end of that story,” Coop says from across the room.
“Next time,” I say with a laugh. “See ya later.” Giving Bruno’s leg another kick as a thank you gesture, I walk over to join Kat as she starts to descend.
“So y
ou’re Lexi’s Damon? With the jacket?” she asks with a grin.
Not wanting to correct her, because I love being referred to as Lexi’s Damon, I just smile and nod.
“Well I’m glad you found her. Left to her own devices she’d deprive herself of happiness forever. Make sure you take care of her,” she warns, giving me a stern look. “She’s been through enough.”
“I get it,” I say, walking through the door she’s holding open and waiting at the next one. “I wouldn’t dream of letting anything bad happen to her. She’s my new favorite person in the world.”
Smiling, Kat shakes her head. “Careful you don’t tell her that, or she’ll push you away faster than you would think possible.”
“Why?”
“I think half to protect herself, and half to protect you. Just be careful. And kind.”
Frowning as I step into the cold Buffalo air, I turn back to her. “I’ll be whatever she needs me to be.”
Smiling again, Kat nods. “Good. Nice meeting you Damon,” she says, closing the door again.
Staring at the door a moment, I wonder about everything I’ve learned tonight. Turning in the direction of my car, I rummage in my bag for the key and hit the unlock button. The lights flash at me in welcome and I get out my hooks, slipping into the harness, opening the door and pushing the start button as quickly as I can.
The engine comes to life and the soft purr eases the sting of the acid as I put on my safety belt. Bumping it into gear, I steer the car away from the curb as the itching begins. Taking my usual way home from Beyond, I drive by my new apartment building. It’s close enough to the club so that I wouldn’t even have to drive to see Alexa. And Bruno, I remind myself, slowing right down as I pass my new building.
Speeding up again, I grin at the thought of seeing Alexa all the time. Even running into her by accident on the street will be a thrill. So what if she doesn’t want more than a ‘friends with benefits’ arrangement? I’ll just make the benefits too good to resist, and the friendship unsinkable. Then one day she’ll see that we were ‘more’ all along. I know we’re more. I can feel it.
