TinderElla:

by Eddie Cleveland

  He looks down at the short message, then back up at me.

  “How do you know he sent it to you?” Dad asks.

  “I know. He’s dangerous, Dad. He’s killed people before,” I look down at the tile floor as both my parents watch me in horror.

  “Then, we’ll just call the police,” Dad cuts the silence. “You don’t have to go to,” he looks at Jake, “where do you live?”

  “Virginia Beach, sir.” Jake answers.

  “You don’t have to go, what, fourteen hours away from us to be safe. We’ll call the cops and that will be that.”

  “Dad, you don’t understand. He’s one of the biggest drug smugglers on the entire East Coast. He’s got connections, on the street and in the force. The cops won’t help.”

  “Sir, Ma’am, if I may,” Jake interrupts. “I know you don’t know me from Adam, but I am a Navy SEAL, I live in a gated community where a lot of my neighbors are also SEALs. Holly will be safe with me. I won’t let anything bad happen to her, I promise you that.”

  “Oh, god, this is rich.” Mom groans, “Sounds like a bunch of bullshit to me. You’re gonna go run off to Virginia Beach with some supposed Navy SEAL bad boy instead of coming home. Doesn’t this sound familiar, Don? How many times is she going to do this to us? How many times are we going to keep letting her walk in and out of our lives?” Mom turns around and walks over to my window, staring out of it, motionless.

  “Sir, I don’t expect that you’d just take me at my word, especially when you’re meeting me in here. That’s why I’ve written down this list of contacts. You can confirm with them that I’m who I say I am. Also, here’s my military ID,” Jake pulls a card from his wallet and thrusts it out to my Dad along with a sheet of names and numbers he pulled from his pocket.

  “Trust me, if Holly goes home with you today, her ex will kill her. I will give her a secure home and I’ll take care of her. I swear on my life.”

  “I will call these numbers,” Dad looks down at the sheet and then to me. The tears building up in his eyes break my heart.

  “I wouldn’t expect anything less,” Jake answers softly.

  “I just have one question before I do,” Dad peers into Jake’s face, “you say that if she comes home with us, he’ll murder her.”

  “Yes.” Jake answers.

  “But, what about if she comes home with you? Won’t he still track her down?”

  “Sir, if he comes for her at my place he won’t have the chance to get to her.”

  “Why is that?” Dad presses him.

  “Because I’ll kill him.”

  22|Jake

  “Hey, are you sure you’re ok?” I tuck Holly’s hair behind her ear as she looks out the plane window to the snow-peaked Rocky Mountains below.

  “Hmmm,” she pulls her gaze over to my face like she’s awaking from a trance.

  “You want to talk about what’s on your mind?” I wrap my arm around her and pull her toward me, giving the top of her head a kiss.

  “I just… I guess I wish things had gone better with my parents, you know? Well, Dad took it about as good as you could expect really, but Mom…” she trails off and her eyes slide back over to the tiny plane window.

  “You’re doing the right thing,” I reassure her. “I can promise you that.” I let my arm drop from her shoulders and grab her hand, giving it a squeeze. “What were you going to do when he tracked you down to your parents’ place? You guys would’ve been sitting ducks. Your mother will come around, she’s just worried about you.”

  “She hates me,” Holly whispers, but the pain in her voice screams louder than a delicate newborn, desperate for a mother’s love.

  “No, she doesn’t,” my voice is firm. “I can read people pretty well, and I could see that she loves you, deeply.” With my finger and thumb, I guide her chin around so she’s facing me. “She loves you, Holly.”

  “Do you think so,” her chin quivers as she utters her doubt.

  “I know so.” I look straight into her bright blue eyes and run my thumb over her rosy cheek. “This is the right call, this keeps your parents safe and it keeps you safe. Once your folks come up to visit us and they have a chance to scope out my neighborhood and my place, they’ll see that too, ok?” I kiss the tip of her nose and a smile finally spreads over her full lips.

  “Ok,” she rests her forehead against mine and runs her delicate hand over my grisly beard.

  Holly sits up straight and digs her fingers into my wild man scruff, her face lights up with a mischievous smile.

  “What?” I try to figure out what’s going on in that beautiful mind of hers.

  “Well, one thing is for sure,” she tilts her head at me.

  “What’s that?”

  “When we get to your place, I’m going to make you trim down this crazy beard,” she laughs.

  “Oh, is that a fact?” I run my hand over my jaw. “I dunno, I think I might keep it,” I tease her, “it’s got a personality now, it’s kinda like a pet,” I don’t bother to tell her that I was going to clean it up anyway.

  “I don’t know about that, but I know that this thing,” she gives my beard a playful tug, “will scratch up the inside of my thighs too much and,” she drops her voice and looks around quickly, “I don’t want whisker burn on my pussy,” she bites her lip and looks up at me with a twinkle in her eyes.

  She wins.

  I adjust in my seat so my growing erection doesn’t push painfully against the zipper of my jeans. “I don’t know,” I lower my voice, “that’s only for good girls, and right now you’re being pretty naughty. Getting me all worked up on a plane like this,” I nod down to my groin and can’t help but smile when Holly looks down with her eyes wide, “I might just have to put you over my knee for that.”

  “I’d like that,” she murmurs.

  How can she go from being so angelic she practically has her own halo, to such a sexy bad girl in the blink of an eye? Actually, I don’t give a shit how she does it, it’s hot as hell and that’s all that matters.

  I lean toward her and pull her into my kiss, exploring her mouth softly with my tongue. I twist my body so my back is a wide barricade from the aisle and let my fingers slide up under her skirt. I jolt with surprise when they brush up against her bare pussy.

  “You’re not wearing anything under your skirt,” I keep my voice low enough that only our ears can hear.

  “No, I’m not,” she smirks at me.

  I place my finger at her opening, surprised by how wet she is for me. “Maybe you are a good girl after all,” I growl, pressing my index finger deep inside her. Holly closes her eyes and breathes out loudly. She’s soaking wet. I curl my finger up inside her and apply pressure against her g-spot as Holly wriggles in the seat beside me. Pulling my hand back, I slide my finger back out of her tight little pussy and lick her juices from my hand. “You taste like heaven,” I murmur.

  Holly’s hand slowly slinks up my thigh, but I know there’s no way she can pull off slipping her hand into my pants with discretion.

  “No,” I grab her hand and she looks up at me pouting. “Not here,” I tell her firmly. “What you’re going to do, is go to that bathroom back there,” I jerk my head in the direction, “and you’re going to wait for me, cause I’m going to go in there and fuck you raw, understand?” I wait for my good girl to answer, but she can’t seem to find her words. Instead, Holly nods silently and quickly stands up, as she slides past me into the aisle, she presses her round ass against my face, toying with me.

  I force myself not to watch her head back like I instructed her. I force myself to stare straight ahead and count. Somehow, I reach the count of ninety and stand up, adjusting my cock so its thick ridge is less noticeable to the people I pass as I make my way to the rear of the plane.

  The door says “Vacant” and I swing it open too eagerly, quickly stepping inside. Holly is already propped up, her ass on the sink, leaving me just enough room in the ridiculously small space to close and lock the door
behind me.

  “I’ve been waiting too long for this,” I growl, pulling a condom from my wallet, I quickly unzip my pants and pull them and my underwear down to my upper thighs, “and I won’t wait another second.”

  Holly stares down at me, watching as I unroll the condom over every inch of my heavy dick, I can see from her wide eyes that she’s nervous and excited. I don’t blame her, she’s in for a wild ride.

  “Get that sweet ass over here,” I grab her and pull her to the edge of the sink. Holly tries to steady herself by grabbing my shoulders, but I quickly take both of her ankles and throw it over my shoulder.

  “Oh!” Her eyes meet mine and I can see she wants this as much as I do.

  “Shhh!” I scold her quietly. “You have to be quiet.”

  Holly nods her head and I grab the base of my cock and slide it along her slick entrance. My dick twitches with anticipation as I feel the heat of her pussy against me. I know I should take it slow, but all my self-restraint dissolves as I breathe in her desire.

  Stepping into her, I wrap one hand around her shoulders and hold her tight as I sink my cock deep inside her in one thrust. Holly opens her mouth to scream, but I clap my hand over her lips, catching her moans in my broad hand. Her tight pussy clenches around me, and I stay still, looking into her eyes, I let her body make room for me. To adjust to a size, she’s clearly not used to.

  “You ready,” I whisper, dropping my hand from her mouth.

  Holly nods and I pull back out a little only to sink deeper inside of her, burying the full length of my cock into her core. This time she doesn’t make a sound, instead she looks up at the ceiling, her mouth opened in a silent “O”.

  “Good girl,” I pump my hips against her, faster and harder now. My balls hit against her asshole as I fuck her relentlessly. Her shoulders are tight under my grasp, her leg feels smooth against my shoulder, but I can’t pay attention to any of that. I don’t even care that Holly is starting to pant so loudly I’m sure it can be heard outside the bathroom walls. All I care about is fucking her sweet little pussy, making up for the lost time, the close calls, the endless nights of fantasies I’ve had to deal with for the past two months. I’m sure there’s a part of her that wanted our first time to be rose petals and candles, but I can’t stop myself from holding her tight against me as I thrust my cock inside her like a jackhammer.

  I reach down between us and let my finger find her clit, swirling it rhythmically as I pound my cock into her. Holly arches her back and clamps her own mouth with both her hands as I bring her to her orgasm.

  Her already tight pussy squeezes down on my cock, driving me to the edge of reason. I can’t take anymore; my balls tighten and my cock jerks inside her as the pulsing bliss rips through me and I fill the condom with cum.

  I hold her, my cock still inside her and we pant together.

  “That was incredible,” I whisper in her ear and grab the ring of the condom, pulling out of her. I kiss her lips, gently this time and enjoy the peace that washes over me.

  “I love you,” she barely breathes the words.

  “I love you too,” I answer.

  “I should go back to the seat,” she shakes her head, like she’s just realized where she is.

  I nod and help her maneuver around me. She slips out the door and I finish cleaning up. Walking back down the aisle, I’m sure I can feel eyes on me. Knowing smiles from strangers. I ignore them. I don’t care about what they think. I don’t care if the flight attendants heard us. None of it matters.

  The only thing that I care about is her. I look at Holly’s beaming smile as I reach our seats. If I have her, I don’t need anything else in this world, and I’ll still have everything.

  23|Jake

  My fingers are laced between Holly’s as we make our way down the large stairway at Norfolk International. How many times have I flown back here? Usually after a deployment in a country so dirty, destitute and desperate that I’ve had to fight the urge to drop to my knees in this airport and kiss the ground under my feet with gratitude.

  Almost every time I’ve flown back, it’s felt like a huge homecoming, this time is no different. Sure, Canada is a nice country and rehab is definitely not comparable to deployment, but it doesn’t change the fact that it feels great to be home.

  I look down past the crowd of people in front of us and burst out into laughter.

  “What?” Holly tries to follow my gaze with a puzzled look on her face.

  Standing at the bottom, off to the side is my brother Cameron and his lady. Chelsea is holding a sign over her head that says my name, but it’s Cameron’s sign that has me laughing: “Don’t run!” It says on top, then beneath that, “I’m your ride.”

  Leave it to my big bro to bust my balls after not seeing me for months. He’s got a huge grin on his face as I guide Holly over to them.

  “I got your message,” I laugh. “You got me,” I hook my hand with my brother’s and pull him into a one-armed hug.

  “Good, I didn’t want to have to chase you down,” Cameron teases me. It’s good that we can joke about the night that the cops showed up and I ran off, leaving him with a baggie of my cocaine in his car. At the time, it was the worst night of my life. Probably his too. It feels like a lifetime ago that I was the guy who made that cowardly decision. I can’t even relate to that guy now.

  “Look at you,” I step back from my brother and glance at his fiancée’s growing baby bump. “You look radiant,” a smile spreads over her face.

  “I don’t know about that, but I’ll take it,” Chelsea laughs.

  “Holly, this is my big brother, Cameron.” I put my arm around her and make the introductions.

  “Pleasure to meet you,” Cameron shakes her hand and cocks one eyebrow at me, loaded with silent questions.

  “And this woman, who you can see is clearly out of his league, is his fiancée, Chelsea,” I tease him.

  Cameron gently digs his elbow into my ribs, “Hey, I’m trying to keep that under wraps until the wedding is final,” he smiles.

  “It’s so great to meet you both,” Holly smiles shyly, tucking her long hair behind her ear.

  “Jake, you didn’t tell me you found someone. Where have you been hiding this beautiful woman?” My brother nods at Holly.

  “In rehab,” I answer.

  “Oh, are you from Virginia Beach too?” Chelsea asks, not knowing the weight of her question.

  “No, I’m from Miami. Well, originally I’m from Everglades City, but I spent the last five years in Miami.”

  “Really? That’s where we’re going! Cameron got drafted by the Dolphins, so we’re doing the cross-country trek right now,” Chelsea answers. She really is glowing. I mean, I know that’s a nice thing you’re supposed to say to pregnant ladies, but in her case, her caramel skin is shimmering. Pregnancy suits her. It’s crazy to think in only a few more months I’m going to be an uncle. It’s crazier still to think Cameron will be a father.

  “Yeah, Holly needed to get a clean break from Miami, so I offered up my place. Besides, I would miss her too much if she was all the way down there,” I wrap my arm around her tight.

  “We don’t need to get into all of that right now,” she squirms in my arm. “We should probably get our bags,” she changes the subject clumsily.

  “Uh, yeah, they might be out now,” Cameron agrees and we all walk over to the baggage claim.

  “How did you guys know I’d be flying in now?” I walk beside Cameron.

  “Mom told me. She wanted to go to your graduation, but Dad was being… well, you know how he gets.” Cameron rolls his eyes.

  “Yeah, I do. I mean, you’d know better than I do.”

  “True, so take it from a seasoned pro, he’ll get over himself. You’ll go back to being the golden boy in no time,” he teases me.

  “Whatever,” I try to shrug it off. I don’t want to care about what my father thinks. There’s a small, nagging voice in the back of my brain that keeps telling me differentl
y though.

  The girls are chatting behind us and giggling. It’s nice to see Holly hit it off with someone. My brother rests his hand on my shoulder and looks me straight in the eyes, “Hey, man, don’t worry about him. Ok? Besides, I know you probably didn’t really care much about the whole rehab thing, but I’m proud of you for doing it,” he claps my shoulder.

  “No, it did mean something to me. I mean, not at first. I thought the whole thing was a dumb joke, you know?” Cameron nods his head at me. He gets it, I’m sure he’s seen his fair share of people being shipped off to addiction facilities just to clear their name, and not their heads. “But, we had a Canadian soldier come in and speak about addiction and all that, and something clicked. I realize that I had a problem. I needed to be there.” I confess.

  Cameron’s eyebrows raise and he looks over my face like he’s waiting for me to throw out a punchline. He smiles brightly at me, “That’s awesome, man. I’m glad it helped ya.”

  We gather around the rotating conveyor of luggage and wait. Duffle bags and suitcases belonging to strangers whirl around and I keep my eye out for mine.

  “Oh, there’s my suitcase,” Holly tries to reach her peach bag, but it’s toward the inside and her hand can’t grasp it. I lean over and easily pluck it from the cluttered baggage claim and plop it down on its wheels.

  “Thanks,” she stands up on her tiptoes and gives me a quick peck.

  “Aww,” Chelsea smiles at us. “You two are so cute together. Aren’t they, Cameron?”

  “Oh yeah, adorable,” my brother answers, his voice dead-pan. I can’t help but crack a smile. It’s great to see him again, to know that we’re still good after everything that happened.

  “Did you ask him yet?” Chelsea looks back and forth from my face to my brother’s with her deep, brown eyes.

  “Ask me what?” I look at Cameron.