by Rebel Hart
“Really?” she said.
“Yeah, come on. You know I’m not in any place to judge anyone. You just have to know, when it comes to you, it’s a little more serious for me,” I said.
She smiled and nodded. “Yeah. I know. Thanks.” She shifted so that she was facing me directly and pulled the blanket a little tighter around her body. “Honestly, I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
A little chuckle escaped her lips. “I mean, this all happened so…suddenly. My dad got promoted not long after you left, and by Christmas, I was introduced to The Royal Court. They asked me to join them, and I didn’t really have anyone else, so I did.”
“That makes sense,” I replied.
Cherri pulled her knees up and set her head on top of them. “That’s all the last four years of my life have been, just doing what seems to make the most sense, even if I’m not entirely sure it’s what I want.”
“Have you ever really thought about it?” I asked.
Before she could answer, Cherri shivered and attempted to pull the blanket closer, but it was pretty much maxed out. I scooted a little closer to Cherri, perching my legs on either side of her so that I could settle my arms at her side and hold her close. I rubbed my arms along her arms a little bit to spread some body heat around.
“Is this okay?” I asked.
Cherri’s eyes sparkled as she looked up at me. “Yeah. This is wonderful.”
I grinned back at her. “Good.”
Cherri cleared her throat as a gentle blush rose to her cheeks. “Um, what was your question?”
“Have you ever really thought about it? About what you really want?” I asked again.
Cherri was quiet for a long while. Her expression was calculating like she was really trying to figure it out. Finally, she looked up at me. “I want you.”
That wasn’t the answer I was expecting, but it covered my body with chills. “I want you too.”
The way Cherri eyed me in the wake of that confession left me powerless to resist her. Even though I had no intention of being a guy on the side or letting anyone, Cherri included, use me, I was still just a human. I’d waited four years—hell, longer—to kiss Cherri. We’d been interrupted the night before, but with the evening air whipping around us in our secluded spot, there was nothing to hold me back. I brought my hand up to settle against Cherri’s cheek, and she didn’t pull away as I leaned in and placed my lips on hers. She took a soft breath in as we met and held it while we melded against one another, releasing it only as we pulled away.
I took a deep breath. It felt like years of weight had been lifted off my shoulders. “I have wanted to do that for a very long time.”
Cherri grinned. “Me too.”
Nothing in me wanted to ruin the moment. Cherri was looking at me with that gaze that told me we could go further, but I wasn’t about to fight with Nathan for Cherri’s affection. “I don’t like sharing,” I admitted.
She nodded, looking disappointed. “I know. That’s fair.”
I ran a hand through her hair as I said, “But when you’re ready.”
She leaned into my hand and smiled at me. “Yeah. You’ll be my first call.”
15
Cherri
It was a good thing my parents volunteered to chaperone at one of Gus’s out of town school trips because my best effort to keep my voice stifled was failing. My phone chimed in my ear, and I lifted it to find the latest in a string of lewd descriptions Deon had sent me of what awaited me when I was ready to leave Nathan and start a relationship with him.
I’d tie your hands so that you’d have no choice but to do exactly what I want.
With the hand that wasn’t already fastened between my legs to rub, I sent a reply.
Yes, sir. Do whatever you want to me.
Shit, Cherri, I’m close.
Me too. Don’t stop, baby!
The heat in my body swelled higher and higher until I felt like I was going to be engulfed in flames in the best way. My legs shook and shuddered as I brought myself to climax with the thoughts of giving myself over to Deon filling my brain. A scream I couldn’t control escaped my lips, and then I collapsed against my bed, taking deep breaths in and out.
We are definitely going to be late to school now.
That’s your fault for sending pre-shower dick pics.
Guilty. See you soon.
See you.
I didn’t want to go to school. I barely wanted to move. If I had three wishes at my disposal, I’d use one to bring Deon to me, one to poof everyone else out of existence, and the last one to give us an endless amount of time to soak in one another. I only had myself to blame. Ending things with Nathan seemed like the ideal choice, but in the three weeks since he’d put his hands on me, he’d been an absolute angel. I arrived at school every day to a fresh bouquet of flowers, tiger lilies, my actual favorites this time, and I’d gotten a collection of other gifts and trinkets as well. He asked me out on a date every night, and when I said I didn’t want to go, he was completely respectful of that decision and backed off.
No, I wasn’t dumb enough to think that Nathan was totally reformed, but I also couldn’t just write him off. Regardless of how stressful our relationship had been in the past, and regardless of the fact that he completely snapped, we had been together for nearly four years. I could convince myself that I could do it all I wanted, but the truth of the matter was that when it came time to pull the trigger, I simply couldn’t do it.
Still, a single morning sexting with Deon had resulted in more arousal and more orgasms than I typically had with Nathan, and he wasn’t even physically involved. All it took was a look from Deon to have my heart bouncing around like a loose superball, and it wasn’t just a physical attraction. All of our history was there, keeping me emotionally and mentally invested in him in a way I’d never been with Nathan.
Was it just a matter of mustering up the courage? Did I have to bring someone with me like Avery or Alistair to make sure that I didn’t back out when it was time to drop the hammer? It was long past the time to end things with Nathan, so why was it so hard?
My phone rang in my ear, and for as much as I wanted it to be Deon, Avery’s face smashed next to mine in a picture we’d taken at her birthday party the year prior appeared on my phone. I pressed the green answer button and then the speaker button and dropped the phone on my bed.
“Hello?”
“Hey,” Avery replied. “Where are you?”
“I’m still at home,” I grumbled.
“What? You’re gonna be late,” Avery replied.
“I don’t care.”
“What’s wrong, babe?”
I sighed. “I just finished sexting with Deon, and now I don’t want to move.”
“If you think that’s fun, just wait until I tell you about actual sex.”
“He won’t have actual sex with me.” Images of a naked and sweating Deon skipped across my mind and slowed my body’s cooling process.
“Uh, correction. He’d happily have sex with you. He just doesn’t want to be your mistress. I don’t think that’s too much to ask,” Avery retorted. She wasn’t wrong, but it didn’t make me feel better. “I don’t get it. Why don’t you just break up with Nathan? You were all gung-ho to do it a few weeks ago. Did what happened while we were shopping freak you out?”
“Kind of, but not in the way you’re thinking.” I sat up in bed and pulled the phone up so that I could still hear it clearly. “That was so out of character for him. He’s never done anything like that before. I think something may be wrong.”
“I mean, it’s not like he’s normally great,” Avery replied. “How he’s acting now is more unbelievable than that.”
I didn’t agree, but it felt pointless arguing it. “Anyway. I think I’m gonna be a little late. Can you ask Nathan to make sure I’m covered?”
“Of course.” In the background, I could hear a bell sounding off. “Oh, there’s t
he warning bell. I gotta go.”
“I’ll see you at lunch. Bye.”
“Bye.”
With my bases covered for the morning, I took my time taking a shower and picking out a comfortable sweatshirt and pair of jeans to wear, and then I made my way out the door and to school. When I arrived, second period was already in session, so I was able to wander the halls without resistance. My plan was just to take my backpack with me to second period and lunch and then make a locker exchange before third. I held it tightly over my shoulder and started for my class, but the sounds of light moans filled my ears. I stopped and looked around for the source of the sound. My eyes landed on Miss Abrams’s closed classroom door.
As much as I didn’t want to accept it, the moans were definitely coming from behind the door, and I could have bet an entire college scholarship that I knew who the culprits were. Still, I stepped up to the door as quietly as I could and pressed up against the door. The small, vertical, rectangular window that would normally give a view of Miss Abrams’ classroom and been covered by construction paper, so the only way I’d be able to confirm what I was certain I was hearing would be to take a risk.
I placed my hand on the handle of the door and carefully and slowly twisted it. Being extra careful not to make any noise, I turned it just a bit at a time until the handle was fully turned so that I could pull the door away from the frame. I opened the door only as much as I needed to in order to peek inside, and my fears were confirmed. Nathan was sitting on Miss Abrams’ desk with his pants around his ankles, and the teacher herself was on her knees in front of him, servicing him at an expedient pace. Nathan had his head dropped back and his eyes closed, and Miss Abrams was focused entirely on the task, doing everything she could to try to bring Nathan to finish. My skin started to burn, and my heart started to beat with anger. At least the year before, I hadn’t seen it for myself.
So much for him not wanting to lose me.
I wasn’t as careful with shutting the door as I was with opening it. If it jolted them out of their torrent, I didn’t care. Strangling the strap of my backpack like it was Nathan’s neck, I turned around and rushed back toward the front door, eventually bursting through it and back out into the morning air. Tears started to roll down my face, but I had no idea if it was from heartbreak, anger, or a combination of both. There I was, staying with Nathan simply because I thought something might have been wrong with him, and he thanks me by screwing our teacher.
Again.
My parents weren’t due back until the next evening, so I was able to return to my house and rush up to my room with no questions. I dropped onto my bed and buried my face into my pillows. The more I thought about Nathan, the angrier I got. Why was he such a master at seeming sincere when he was really full of shit? Why was he so hell-bent on hurting me? If he wanted to be single so that he could sleep with whoever he wanted, why didn’t he just do that?
It wasn’t clear exactly when I’d fallen asleep, but I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. I expected it to be Avery or Colette, maybe even Nathan, but I didn’t care much and just pressed the button to answer without taking a good look at the screen. “Hello?”
“Cherri?” Deon’s voice sang into my ears, which sent my heart fluttering.
“Deon.” I sat up in bed, fixing my hair and creasing my clothes down as if he could see me. “Hey.”
“Hey, are you okay?” There was genuine panic in his voice when he asked.
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” I said.
“Well, you aren’t answering your phone. You told both Avery and me that you’d be at school, and then you weren’t there, and it’s been over six hours since anyone has spoken to you.”
“Six hours?” I looked over to peek at the alarm clock on my nightstand, and it was well after four in the afternoon. “Oh my gosh. I didn’t realize I’d been asleep that long.”
“Did you not come to school today?” he asked.
The memory of Nathan snaked into my mind and threatened to make me angry all over again. “No. I skipped.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine,” I retorted, blood starting to boil. Why was I missing out on such a great guy for such a shitty one? “Can you come over?”
“T-to your house?” Deon stuttered out.
“Yeah. My parents are out of town until tomorrow night.”
There was a brief beat of silence before Deon asked, “Are you ready now?”
He wasn’t referring to the time of day, but it was the stealthy way we’d been referring to my hopeful, eventual breakup. I hadn’t the chance to do anything official yet, but it was a foregone conclusion after what I saw today. “Yeah. I’m ready.”
It was almost as if I could hear his smile. “Send me your address.”
My heart thundered in my chest. “Okay.”
The line went dead, and I wasted no time in getting my address fired off to Deon. Assuming I had about ten minutes before Deon got to me, I hopped out of bed and rushed into my bathroom to freshen up. I wished that I had time for a complete shower, but I’d taken one that morning and hadn’t done much with my day, so I applied a fresh layer of makeup and perfume, ripped off my sweater and jeans, and went into my closet. In the bottom drawer, behind a bunch of athletic wear, I kept a box full of all of my more risque clothes. I pulled it out and brought it into my bedroom, then sifted through the contents.
A pale pink, front-closing babydoll with a matching satin thong was one of my favorite sets, one that Nathan had never seen. I pulled the articles on, primped my hair so that it sat perfectly on either side of my head, and then returned the box to its place in my closet. Satisfied that I looked the part, I quickly stashed away anything that might be considered messy, set the built-in dimmer lights in my room to a romanticly low setting, and started a mood music station from my phone that projected it through my room’s speakers. When everything was set, I climbed back up on my bed and sent a quick text to Deon.
Just come in when you
get here. My room is up
the stairs and to the left.
Third door on the right.
I got no response, likely because he was driving, but that was fine. I took the time to calm my nerves and prepare myself for the impending night. I was finally going to get to be with Deon, and then tomorrow, I’d go right to Nathan and tell him that we were done. It’d be perfect.
After an additional ten or so minutes, I heard the door open and close. “Cherri?” Deon called out.
“Come on up!” I called back, and my heart rate tripled.
I took deep breaths to calm myself. I wasn’t a virgin, but it still sort of felt like it was my first time. It was my first with someone I truly liked, maybe even loved. It was going to be leagues different from anything I’d ever had before. The floor creaked as Deon made his way up the stairs and down the hallway, and eventually, he turned the corner into my room and stopped cold in his tracks. His jaw dropped, and he just stood in the doorway, staring at me. It felt like he was coating me in a blanket of lava for how I burned beneath his scrutiny. It was almost too much.
“Well?” I said finally, tilting my head to the side. “You are allowed to open the present.”
Deon smiled. “Fuck yeah.”
He stepped quickly across the bedroom and wasted no time in climbing up on my bed. I met him, leaning forward, and our lips smashed together. That alone sent my head spinning out of control. He was wearing a dark gray leather jacket over a black tank top, so I tucked my hands beneath it and guided it down over his shoulders and down his arms. As I felt the rise and fall of his muscles beneath my fingers, butterflies fluttered through my stomach. They were even more marvelous up close.
Deon’s lips left mine as he leaned back to shrug the jacket off, but he ducked against me again in no time at all, sliding along my neck and down my chest. His hot breath brushed over my excited breaths and had me letting out moans against my will. His hands smoothed along the bend in my waist
and up my stomach, and I couldn’t stop myself from bringing my hands to the button of his jeans to undo them.
With a deep, husky chuckle, Deon brought his head back up and set his forehead on mine. “You’re impatient.”
“I’ve waited a long time,” I responded.
“Me too.” He kissed me again. “I didn’t know when we did this via text this morning that I’d be getting the real thing this afternoon.”
“Funny how life works, huh?”
I craned my neck to kiss Deon, which I got with some added tongue before he pulled himself away again. “What happened? How’d you end it?”
“What?” I asked, half in a daze.
“With Nathan, how’d you end it? I was beginning to think it was never going to happen.”
I groaned. “Let’s not talk about Nathan right now.”
He snickered, his voice tickling my neck as he pressed his lips against it. “You’re right. You finally fucking did it. Let’s just take that victory for now.”
Fuck.
I pressed my hands against Deon’s chest and pushed him back a little. “Deon.”
“What?” he asked, and it was only then that I saw the total elation in his eyes that I realized I’d made a terrible mistake. “Is something wrong?”
“I…” Half my brain was telling me to shut the hell up, but I didn’t want the beginning of my relationship with Deon to be plagued with deceit. “I haven’t broken up with Nathan yet.”
“What!” He backed off of me and all the way off the bed. It was a way harsher reaction than I was expecting, but not one I didn’t deserve. “What do you mean? You said you were ready!”
“I am!” I replied. “I’m ready to end it with him.”
“Then why haven’t you?” he barked.
Well, that was a great question. One that I had no good answer too. “I just didn’t yet. I saw him cheating on me, and I just got so angry—”
