The Trouble With Gravity

by K. K. Allen

  Not a moment later, Sebastian’s hard body was pressed flat against my back, and he was moving the hair from my shoulder and kissing it. “I was thinking about eating you.”

  I bit my lip and locked eyes with him in the mirror. “Well, don’t think too hard about it.”

  He slid a hand from my waist to my panties, desire flickering in his eyes as he deepened his reach. “This might be my favorite costume of yours.”

  I moaned as his thick finger rolled over my tightened bud. “I could have guessed that.”

  He bit down on my neck. “Are you calling me predictable?” His finger moved down, teasing my entrance.

  “Maybe just a little bit.”

  His gaze was burning the next time it met mine in the mirror, and he slid his hand back up, causing the ache between my legs to grow. “Well, we can’t have that.” He patted the white vanity in front of us. “Get on your knees, Kai.”

  A rush of adrenaline pushed through my veins at his raspy command. “W-what?”

  He bent over slightly, bending me with him, then patted the counter of the vanity again. “Get. On. Your. Knees.”

  My legs wobbled slightly as I picked my right one up.

  “Wait,” he said, then hooked two fingers in the top of my panties and threw them to the floor, leaving me bare except for the garter, bra, and stockings. “Okay,” he said then planted a kiss on my ass. “Up.”

  I did as he said, raising one leg then the other onto the cold countertop.

  “Hands in front.” He was standing while I practically quivered as I gave in to his instructions. “Now spread your knees.”

  He sat in my makeup chair and scooted forward until his breath was right on my core, hot and heavy, and I could feel my response in the ache I desperately needed him to quell. God, he was intense, and I loved that his intensity was aimed at pleasing me. But first he would torture me a little.

  He swiped my clit with his tongue, slowly, delicately, but I knew his intentions were neither. No, Sebastian was just warning me of what was to come. And I was right. He licked and sucked until my breathing became shallow. He could already read me so well, and he knew I was seconds away from a release. In that moment, he pulled his mouth away, stood, and unbuckled his black dress pants.

  Sebastian had had to dress the part today, too, which meant he was in a black suit that looked like it was made for him.

  “What are you doing?”

  He slid his belt out and dropped it on the counter in front of me with a clang. “You said you were hungry.” He pressed against me from behind, letting me feel all of him. “So I’m going to feed you.”

  Pleasure rushed through me as he took one of my legs and moved it to the floor, my heels raising me up a few inches. After slipping on a condom, he teased my entrance with his length, circling it and wetting it with my arousal. When he started to push inside, I braced myself for impact. Sebastian wasn’t a small guy, and he knew it. That was why he always made sure I was ready before he unleashed on me.

  I tried desperately to steady my breathing as he stretched me, filled me, but as I watched him in the mirror, I couldn’t help but get worked up. His eyebrows were bent, his mouth partly open as he watched himself enter me. The sight of us was so hot that my entire body felt on fire.

  His hands gripped my waist, and he grunted when he couldn’t go any deeper. Then he started to pump, slowly at first then picking up the tempo as he went.

  “F-fuck,” I said. Not five minutes later, I felt the coiling in my core. I held on as long as I could, but holding back was impossible when Sebastian was hitting me in just the right spot.

  “You’re a tight little thing, aren’t you?” He moved faster, deepening his thrusts. “Tell me how that feels.”

  “Oh my God, Sebastian.” The quickening in my core was too much. “I… can’t… talk.”

  “Then scream,” he growled. “I need to know you feel good when I’m inside you. Let me hear you.”

  I opened my mouth to scream but stifled it with a bite of my lip just as fast, then shook my head. Someone was bound to hear us if I gave in.

  He glared back at me in the mirror then slammed a palm over my mouth. “Don’t hold back, Kai.”

  A scream ripped past my throat as I came, muffled in his palm as he groaned.

  “Sweet Jesus.” He slipped out of me slowly and spun me around, our breaths colliding. Then he lifted one of my knees and pressed it into my chest as he inserted himself again. He moved slower this time, like he wanted to savor every second, until I could tell he was getting ready to let go. He placed his lips to my ear and let out a breath, making me shiver in his hold. “By the way,” he rasped. “I am yours.” He gripped my thigh harder as he rocked his hips. “And you are mine.” This time, he deepened his thrust. “And you will never question that again.”

  When his mouth met mine, it didn’t match the ferocious demand of his words. No, this kiss was everything I imagined Sebastian was on the inside. Sweet. Caring. Gentle. And I loved that he showed me those fragments during times like these.

  We came together, our moans muffled with our kiss as he held me tight.

  He treated me like I was precious cargo in his arms for safekeeping. Like he’d never dare to let me go. And I trusted that was the way we would stay. All I could do was hope.

  Chapter 32

  Sebastian

  Bang bang bang.

  The fist on the door pounded loudly and in rapid succession, causing me to tense. Kai stiffened, too, as I was still holding her after the best sex of my life. Every time was good with her, but layers of her fell away more and more each time we got intimate. That made me crave the next time and then the next, like some sex addict also high on caffeine.

  Kai snatched her robe off the wardrobe rack and tied it around her waist while I zipped up my trousers, ignoring the fact that my top half was still bare. Whoever was at the door would just get the confirmation the rest of the cast had already been whispering and gossiping about. Kai was my girl. Screw Dirk and whatever he tried to do about it when he found out. What I had with Kai was finally something he couldn’t steal from me.

  I jerked open the door while Kai took a seat on the bench. She grabbed a makeup brush to powder away the after-sex glow.

  Jimmy stood there, a deep frown on his face. “Thought I’d find you here, Bash.”

  I gritted my teeth at that nickname. That people still insisted on calling me that was fucking pissing me off. “If you’re here to lecture us, don’t bother. We know what we’re doing.”

  Jimmy sighed. “We have bigger problems than that. Guess who just showed up?”

  The annoyance I was feeling over Jimmy’s knocking morphed into something darker and uglier. He didn’t have to tell me who.

  “Great,” I spat. Then I looked over my shoulder to see Kai watching us in the mirror.

  “I just wanted to warn you.” His gaze floated to Kai before returning to me. “And Kai.”

  I was about to ask Jimmy what he meant by bringing Kai into it when he spoke up again.

  “Dirk didn’t come alone.”

  So much tension was in the air that I could’ve stabbed it with a blade. Jimmy’s warning could mean only one thing. Claudette was on the boat with Dirk. I could ask myself why, but the answer was painfully clear.

  “Stay here, Kai.” I needed everything in me to keep my voice calm when I felt anything but.

  “But—” She started to rise from her seat.

  A jolt of fear struck my chest. “Stay here,” I snapped. Then I followed Jimmy out the door, slamming it behind me. “I won’t put up with his shit anymore. He wasn’t supposed to get here until sail away on Thursday.”

  Jimmy sighed and shook his head as we crossed the corridor. “You know he’s only doing this to rile you. He wants your reaction, and you need to try not to give it. The show looks great, and he’ll see that this week. Claudette is just his last weapon to take you down. Do not let him win. We have a sold-out cruise series because of
you. Don’t forget that.”

  I paused in the hallway, and Jimmy allowed the moment. I took a deep breath and exhaled it, knowing that everything Jimmy just told me was one-hundred-percent true. Dirk couldn’t touch me if I didn’t let him.

  I straightened my shoulders and started walking. “Okay, let’s go.”

  The second we reached the stage, my blood started to boil. Dirk was there with Claudette, his hand on her back as they examined the opening set. They both had huge smiles on their faces, like they were part of everything the cast and I had created over the last two months. Fuck that.

  A sickness spread through me as I started to wonder what Dirk had been doing in New York City all this time. He said he’d been taking care of business, but maybe he’d been trying to schmooze Claudette to join the cast all along—which, the more I thought about it, was strange since they’d separated and Claudette filed for divorce years ago. I eyed the couple again. They sure didn’t look divorced.

  But none of that mattered—Kai already had the part, and she was brilliant at it. The cast loved her. Jimmy loved her. Hell, even the AV crew loved her. Just reminding myself of everything the cast had put into place since Dirk had been away relieved me some.

  “If you’re here to watch the dress rehearsal, the cast should be back shortly.”

  Dirk’s attention snapped to me, his big-ass smile sticking like he’d glued it on. “Great.” Then he looked over at the dark-haired woman to his right—a woman who felt like a stranger to me now—and placed an arm around her shoulders. “You remember Claudette, I presume?” Dirk couldn’t hold the smile. Instead, his eyes shot through mine like a bullet.

  Claudette practically purred her greeting. “Hello, Sebastian.”

  I nodded, barely giving her a glance as the sick feeling continued to spread through me. The two most toxic creatures in my life were standing together like a team on a devious mission. And maybe they were, but I wasn’t going to stand by without a fight. “Claudette. What brings you to the Royal Athena?”

  The two shared a look of amusement over some kind of mutual understanding. Dirk opened his mouth to speak first. “It’s no business of yours, Sebastian. We’re just looking forward to the brilliant show we’ve been promised.”

  My nerves churned at the chuckle that followed his words. The condescending prick.

  “The show has never looked better.” I couldn’t help but throw a little jab at the both of them, and by the glares I received in return, they didn’t find it as funny as I did.

  Dirk rubbed Claudette’s back with a pinched smile and a glare aimed at me. “I highly doubt that.”

  “Ahh,” Jimmy said, with a boisterous voice that broke up the tension. “And there’s our lovely lead now. Claudette, I’d like to introduce you to our new Grace, Kai Ashley.”

  I whipped my head around to see a confident Kai making her way onto the stage. But by the way she was carrying herself and the narrowed look she was giving Dirk and Claudette, I knew I’d have a lot to answer for later.

  It had all been too good to be true. I should have known Dirk would show up and manage to fuck up every inch of progress I’d made. Just when she finally trusted me. When things in my life were going well. And when Angst and Grace no longer felt like a thorn in my side.

  Kai glided forward, wearing her opening dress, which she looked far better in than Claudette ever had. But I was trying to avoid a confrontation of any kind.

  “Hello,” Kai said, her smile melting the frost I’d accrued over the last few minutes. “Good to see you again, Dirk.”

  Dirk moved forward, placed his hands on Kai’s shoulders and kissed both cheeks while she stood there, stiff. My entire body clenched to stop myself from doing something I’d regret. Jimmy’s hand gripped the back of my neck and squeezed, speaking directly to the motorcycle revving its engine in my chest. If Dirk didn’t step away from Kai, there would be a problem.

  “We,” Claudette started with a purr, “can’t wait to see you in action, darling. I hear this will be your first time performing on a theater stage. Is that right?”

  Kai never faltered. “That’s correct. I think I may have to make it a permanent thing.”

  Claudette’s pinched smile and curt nod said it all. She wasn’t here to watch our “brilliant” show. She was here to reclaim her spot as Grace. It didn’t even matter what her reasons were. She wasn’t taking Kai’s spot.

  Other dancers started shuffling out from backstage, their eyes darting to the newcomers with tangible discomfort.

  “Well,” Dirk said, scooting Claudette toward the steps at the side of the stage. “We’ll find our seats now. But Jimmy”—he called out the last part over his shoulder—“don’t be surprised if I jump in with any notes.”

  Jimmy nodded and waited for Dirk to walk away before rolling his eyes and blowing out a breath. “Great,” he whispered.

  I let my anger fizzle out, finding relief in the fact that Jimmy was of the same mind as me. “Let’s just get this over with.”

  “Come forward a few inches, Kai.” Dirk was standing just under the stage as he spat out his directions. “You want to hit your marks if you want to be seen on this stage. There’s no point to a spotlight if you’re going to stand outside of it.”

  Rage boiled in my chest. That had been the fourth critique Dirk had given Kai—every single one picking her apart. He was full of bullshit. I couldn’t see the stage, but I could see Jimmy’s frustration every time Dirk made the cast halt everything. Kai was exactly where she was supposed to be. I wanted to stand up and say something, to tell Dirk to get the hell out, because the only thing he’d been doing for the past hour was putting the cast on edge.

  Kai, being the true professional she was, took everything with an emphatic nod and said she’d try to do it better the next time. But better didn’t exist, and I worried she was pushing herself too hard, which was probably exactly what Dirk had intended.

  Jimmy gestured for me to cue up the next song, and I did with a growl low in my throat. When Dirk hopped onto the stage a minute into the song to direct Kai to hit her moves “harder, faster, sharper, steady,” I couldn’t take it anymore.

  I stood from my piano, the band following suit once they realized the main melody had stopped, and I flew down the stairs and headed straight for Dirk. I would take him by the collar and give him the threat I should have given a long time before.

  “Sebastian,” Kai warned.

  Hadn’t she just warned me about this very thing? Screwing things up for her? I didn’t want that. But someone had to do something about this guy.

  I paused just before I got to Dirk and nodded for him to follow me. Then I pointed at Jimmy and waved him over too. We were going to settle this once and for all.

  “Why don’t you all take a five-minute breather,” Jimmy called over his shoulder, then he turned to the woman standing center stage—my woman. “Kai, you’re released for today.”

  A sigh of relief rushed through me, and I nodded at Jimmy in thanks. Kai would be pissed, but that was better than her getting verbally slaughtered by the devil himself. And I was right. Kai seemed furious, and she was looking directly at me. Shit.

  “I can’t believe you released her,” Dirk scoffed when Jimmy got near. “She needs the most work out of all of them.”

  Jimmy shook his head. “Kai is amazing. You haven’t given her a chance.”

  “A chance?” Dirk’s eyes widened. “A chance to what? Ruin my show? I’m going to say it again. She’s not right for the part. I’ve given you time to get her comfortable, but I’m telling you I was watching her up there, and I just couldn’t get the idea of Claudette off my mind.”

  “I’m sure,” I murmured under my breath.

  Apparently, it wasn’t low enough because Dirk shot me a look.

  “Just think about the press if we can get a real Broadway star up there on that stage,” Dirk said.

  “We have one.” I took a step forward and pointed at my chest. “Me. And what pre
ss are you referring to? The cruise is already sold out, you twi—”

  Jimmy slapped a hand to my chest to cut me off. “You may not notice the changes we’ve made, but I assure you, they’re significant. It would take at least two weeks to train another Grace. And why should we? Kai is perfect for the role.”

  How Jimmy managed to stay so calm, when all I wanted to do was strangle the dick in front of me, was unbelievable.

  Dirk scoffed. “I think you’ve been working with amateur talent so long you’ve forgotten what a professional Tony-award-winning talent can achieve in very little time.” He rolled his eyes. “Claudette wouldn’t even need any of the practice.”

  I looked away, afraid of what I would say next if I opened my mouth again. This was Dirk’s game—hit ’em low when they’re high. My chest puffed out, and I stepped forward again. This time I was so close that my toes jammed against his. “So what’s the deal, Dirk? You came here with Claudette to replace Kai? Was that the goal? Because it’s not happening. We sail away in four days. Like it or not, Kai is our lead.”

  Dirk narrowed his eyes, all pseudo confidence gone. “What if Claudette were to understudy the role of Grace in the very likely chance that you two idiots are wrong? Then if Kai fucks up, Claudette gets the role.”

  “Kai won’t fuck up,” I seethed.

  Dirk cocked a brow and extended his hand. “Then we have a deal?”

  “No deal. I want Claudette off this ship tonight. Kai’s our lead. Madeline’s our understudy. Everything’s great. Do us all a favor and go fuck yourself, Dick.”

  Dirk grinned. “So much animosity over someone you could never have.” He gave me a mock pout. “And so little confidence over a tiny dancer who seems to have your dick in a knot.” He tilted his head with a grin. “Why is that, Bash? Is Kai your new Grace in more ways than one?”

  I could feel my insides shaking, my palms sweating, my face heating. But I was so revved up that I couldn’t even respond. Why did I get the feeling he already knew the answer to that question?