Second Chances

by Kitty Berry

  Pete walks over to his dresser and pulls a picture from his top draw. He hands it to me. It’s a picture of him as a boy with his grandparents. He’s standing between them, smiling. He looks happy. “I used to love to go see them with my parents. My dad and I would go fishing with my Pop and catch fish for dinner. We’d eat outside around a fire then make S’mores” he reminisces.

  “Sounds nice, but didn’t you get bored by yourself? I mean there are times when I hate my brother, but at least I always had him to keep me company.”

  Pete shrugs. “We used to go visit them about once a month during the school year. Then in the summers, we’d go away on vacation someplace with them. Todd always came so I wasn’t bored. I was never lonely growing up because I always had Todd. Having Todd was better than having a brother because with Todd, when we got sick of each other or just needed space, he’d go home.”

  “So did your mom make you promise not to throw a party and that’s why you’re asking me to sleep over?”

  “Yes, she made me promise, but that’s not why I’m asking you to sleep over. The gang’s coming over, too. The eight of us really don’t constitute a party, though. We’ll have a great time with everyone and then we’ll have an even better time alone in bed.”

  I slap his arm and blush.

  The girls come to my house to get ready for Pete’s which ends up taking way longer than we planned. Tracey insists on straightening her hair and Amanda flips out over her makeup. Sofia sits back and laughs as I join in with their misery over the outfit I’m wearing. “I hate all my clothes. They make my body look like a twelve year old boy’s.”

  “Are you going to spill and finally admit to fucking the yummy Pete Roman?” Sofia asks out of the blue.

  “Sofia!” Tracey admonishes.

  “No, Sofia nothing. This shit has gone on long enough and I want to know what the fuck she’s thinking. I mean fuck yeah, he’s hot and I hear he’s hung like a horse and incredible in bed but, come on, Raina, you must know what a dog he is. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love him and all. It’s just…you must have more dignity than that. I mean really? Look at you. You’re a beauty queen for fuck’s sake.”

  “Sofia!” This time it’s Amanda but I stop her. Sofia’s right and the way she says it like it is, says whatever is on her mind, is one of the reasons I love her so much. And in this instance, she couldn’t be more right. I should have more dignity than to let him treat me the way he does. Climbing into my bed whenever he wants but never taking me on a date, never saying he cares about me.

  “I’m in love with him,” I admit and watch as my friends look at each other. I tell them about every time we’ve been together and how I can’t stop. “Every time it happens, which is pretty much every night, I tell myself it’s the last time. That the next time, I promise myself that I’ll tell him how I feel, I’ll stand up to him and tell him I want a relationship, that I’ve changed my mind. But, once I’m with him, that all goes out the window as soon as I hear his voice and smell him. God, he smells so good. I never should have started this.”

  “Wait, what? You started this with him? Wow, you go girl!” Sofia high fives me, changing her tune.

  “I did, but now things are different, and I don’t know what to do. I hate knowing that he hooks up with other girls. I hate the way it makes me feel, but I don’t know how to change it. Every time we hook up, I think it’s going to be different. I always think it’s going to be the time that he finally says he loves me and wants more than just sex. But then we hook up and nothing changes, the cycle continues.”

  After talking it over and coming up with no immediate solution, we realize we’re long overdue at Pete’s, and head over there. By the time we finally arrive, the guys are shitfaced and laying around in a heap on the floor. Pete’s eyes are bloodshot from smoking weed and I can tell he’s drunk by the smile he has plastered on his face.

  He reaches for my legs when I try to walk past, pulling me to the ground next to him. “Mmmm, love you more, you’re soft and curvy and you smell way better than they do” he says, and I freeze for a second then compose myself enough to pull away from him. I manage to escape before the tears fall.

  Sofia comes to my rescue, and as she leads me in the direction of the kitchen, I hear Amanda say, “God, you’re such a fucking dick, Pete.”

  I compose myself by hammering back a few drinks. By the time the guys start calling out to us, begging for us to come back, I’ve dulled the pain. I stumble back into the room and push Todd away from Pete.

  Instead of telling Pete that I’m in love with him, that I want us to be a real couple, I succumb once again to his charms and we end up ravaging each other on the way to his room. It gives me a sense of power to do this in front of our friends. I might not be able to get Pete Roman to admit his feelings for me, but I can at least be sure our closest friends know all about our true relationship.

  Once in his room, round one turns into two and I get my first taste of the aggressive, dominant Pete Roman when I find myself over his lap, ass in the air.

  I’ve heard of people getting aroused and even getting off on pain, masochists, but I never thought it was for me. Not until Pete’s hands come down on my bare ass that is, then everything changes. My brain goes fuzzy at first then it’s as if everything clears from my mind. Everything that is except Pete and the magic he’s doing to my body.

  My sense of smell heightens, and his scent fills my nostrils, pure male power, desire, and lust. My hearing focuses on the sounds of his hand meeting my flesh. Slap, slap, slap, slap. And his moans, crazed like a caged animal. My vision is reduced to stars and flashes of color behind my closed eyes. It’s the sensations of touch though that brings me over the edge. In this moment, I know sex with any other guy will never be possible. Because sex like this requires a level of trust I can only ever imagine having with Pete.

  December 2013

  Pete

  The days pass by, some are better than others for Todd. At this point, most of his days are only half spent here in the present. His brain is beginning to betray him more and more. He continues to have headaches and even with the meds he began after his seizure, he’s still had two more. The tumor is growing and the increased pressure on his brain is beginning to make him uncomfortable.

  The weather is changing, the nights are cold now. We don’t venture into the ocean or the pool but we do continue to spend time outside on the beach under blankets looking up at the stars, enjoying wine and beer. Raina and I cuddle together as do the others, even Willie and Sofia. It might be for Todd’s sake or a reunion in the making, only time will tell.

  The holidays are quickly approaching but our plan is to stay here until it’s time for me to bring Todd back home to his parent’s house where I’ll stay until it’s over. I’m still not prepared for what that will entail, I’m not sure that I have the strength to endure watching my best friend, my brother, die. As a sexual Dominant, I’m always in control. I possess the power and strength to carry out the scenes, bring my subs to worlds of ecstasy then provide them with the much needed after care. But this thing with Todd, this is different. I’m not in control, his cancer is, and I don’t know how to handle that.

  Things with Raina are out of my control as well. She’s become her old self, perfectly submissive to me in bed, pliant and obedient but the power in our relationship is all hers this time around. She just doesn’t realize it yet. I hope I can gain some control back before she figures it out. If I’m being honest with myself, it was the same in the past too, she just never realized it back then either and look how that turned out.

  I haven’t checked in back home in a while so I decide to call Sebastian and see how things are going in New York. Maybe I can draw the strength I need from him.

  The phone only rings twice before he picks up and I hear his familiar voice. “What up, man? You good?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. What’s happening there? Has Mac resurfaced?”

  Sebastian tells me about the
recent abduction and rescue of the women. That’s when the guilt sets in. If I had been there, I would have been one more pair of hands to keep them safe. I feel as if I let Sydney and Damian down even though I know I had to leave.

  “Mac was trapped on the roof when the building exploded. He somehow managed to dive into the water below and swim to the dock. He had a bunch of broken bones and some internal injuries but the best part is that he proposed to Drea.”

  “Holy fucking shit, Bash! Jesus! Is everyone okay?” I ask.

  “Yeah, Mac’s on bed rest. Do I need to tell you how well that’s going over?”

  “No, I can only imagine.”

  “Yeah, he’s driving us all bat-shit crazy and Drea’s trying to plan a wedding so the girls are all nuts over that. She wants to get married as soon as possible, she’s thinking sometime in January.”

  “Tell Mac I’ll call him in a few days. Things here are not good, but I’ll try my best to be there for his wedding.”

  I tell Sebastian about Todd, my friends, and Raina. He listens and offers some great advice. He might be younger than I am, but he’s got a good head on his shoulders.

  “You’re going to have to be prepared for the worst at the end. You have to be strong and be there for him, put your own feelings and fears aside to help him like you do as a Dom.”

  “I know, man, but it’s so hard. He’s like a brother to me. I don’t know how the fuck I’m supposed to stand there and just watch him die. How do I say good-bye?”

  “You just do. Just say good-bye. Tell him how you feel.”

  I sigh and run my hands through my hair.

  “You can call me anytime to talk, and when it’s over and you head back to the city, I’ll be here for you in whatever way you need” Sebastian promises.

  I know in my heart that I’ll never have friends like Chris and Willie. No one will ever be a brother to me like Todd. But Sebastian, Damian, Tate, Mac, and the rest of my friends in the city come pretty damn close. I know I’m a lucky man.

  “How are things with you and Skyler? You still living the lifestyle? I should be there to guide you” I say to change the subject.

  “Yep and things are fine. Damian has been great about offering his opinion.”

  “Yeah, not surprised. He’ll back off and leave you to me when I get back.”

  “When do you think that will be?” Bash asks with laughter in his voice.

  I tell him I’m not really sure. I promised Todd I would stay with him until the end then make sure everything is in order and his parents are okay. After that, I had planned to get out of here as soon as possible and head back to the city, however, now with Raina in the picture, I’m not sure what my future holds. I’ll be damned if she’s going back to California or if I’m going back to the city alone.

  The following day, the girls take off to go holiday shopping at the nearby mall leaving us men to our own devises which is never a good idea. We head out to breakfast at a local diner and spend the early portion of the day driving around in the Jeep with the windows down and the heat cranked up like we used to do at the first sign of spring. Then, on a spur of the moment whim, we take the trolley to the market area. We always hated when the tourists showed up and clogged up our home turf, but today we decide to act like them.

  The open-air booths at the market offer up nice “folks” selling everything from fresh produce, local honey, and gourmet cupcakes to antiques and T-shirts with graphic peace signs. We, of course, each grab a few t-shirts and cupcakes but ignore the fresh produce and antiques. I do briefly think of Sydney Stone and her keen eye for design, she’d love to rummage around this place for an antique with a modern feel to put into one of her rooms.

  After walking around for hours, Todd looks like he needs a break, so we head to the town’s culinary hot spot. Its aromas wafting out the door, call to us as we approach its pale yellow stucco-walled Sienna-style ambience. We each order their special, a bowl of pasta with the thickest, richest meat sauce this state has to offer. It’s nothing like what I get at Stone’s but it’s still amazing. Stone’s is Damian’s restaurant, and like everything he touches, it turns to gold. One can’t be expected to be upheld to his level of control freak perfectionism. He’s the only person I know who is worse than me in that department.

  We start drinking wine with our meal, and by the time the check arrives, we’re all drunk but that doesn’t stop us. We walk to the end of the street and head toward the pier. We stroll into the local hangout that has the “where everybody knows your name” vibe and ask for a table where we can enjoy the vistas of the pier, with jumping mullets and the occasional bottlenose dolphin in the glistening bay.

  Chris’ phone has chirped a bunch of times during the day and we give him shit about being on a leash. I check my phone a few times, too, and growl when I realize Raina has not answered any of my texts. I scroll through them to see how many I sent and remind my drunken self what I said.

  Hey baby…miss u

  Text me pic of u in dressing room with sexy panties on

  Buy some so I can rip them off u later

  Come find us, I want to touch u…hate not being with u…need u

  Getting pissed now that u r not responding…looking 4 a spanking? Cuz u have earned 1, so get ready

  Raina is ur phone even fucking on?

  I’m still scrolling through my texts when I sense the air in the room around me change; become charged with the sexual energy I only feel around her. I look up and there she is. Raina is beautiful beyond words and would turn the heads of every guy in any room even if she wasn’t a famous Hollywood starlet.

  All eyes are on her as she saunters toward me. I think about how the men ogling her should be pissing me off big time right now, but instead, all I notice is what she’s fixated on me. Her eyes are locked on mine, she’s oblivious to every other guy in this bar and I wonder if that’s how it’s always been. Could it be possible that I was that big of a dick to never notice this?

  Raina walks to me and curls in my lap. I grab a handful of her hair and tilt her head back so I can ravish her neck. I find her mouth next and explore her with my tongue. She pulls back first and smiles at me. “You’re drunk but sexy as fucking hell, Pete Roman. And did I tell you what this goatee does to me? Makes me hot in all the right places, wet too” she whispers into my ear before licking it with the tip of her tongue, sending chills coursing through my body. Her fingers, touching my facial hair, sends tingles to my hardening cock.

  She gives me her famous shy, coy look. She’s clearly trying to get out of the spanking she knows she has coming her way for not answering my texts. Raina continues to try to escape with flattery. “Did you see how pissed those girls at the bar looked when I came over to you? They were plotting how they were going to approach you before I came in. If I didn’t ruin it by walking in here, you might have had the chance to have all four of them at once” she whispers into my ear.

  “Over-rated. Way better with just you, and the only thing I noticed was every guy fucking you with his eyes. Pisses me off, Princess” I lie, not wanting to let on that I noticed how she was looking at me and only me. And, okay, yeah, I noticed those girls she mentioned, but I could care less what it was they wanted from me.

  Raina laughs and kisses me softly. Her scent assaults me and I growl into her mouth, my erection straining to escape my pants.

  “You’ve been a very bad girl today, Raina Montgomery, and no amount of kissing my ass is going to save you. I told you what would happen if I ever tried to reach you and you didn’t respond. Do you want your punishment here or the car because I certainly cannot wait until I get you home? Your choice.”

  “Here? Where here? Right here?” she asks as she points to the table.

  “As if I’d give any of these guys the pleasure of seeing you have an orgasm. No. The bathroom, dark corner, hallway. I don’t know, I’ll figure it out, but you’re for my eyes only from now on unless…”

  “Unless?”

  “N
othing. Another time. Right now you need to make up your mind or I’ll decide for you. You’re stalling.”

  She challenges me with a raised eyebrow and that ends our conversation. I stand her on her feet, stand myself, and throw her over my shoulder. She screeches and giggles, telling our friends we’ll be right back as I smack her ass. I retort with, “It may take awhile.”

  I put my hand out to Tracey for the car keys with a smirk on my face. She reaches into her purse and hands them over with an eyeroll that I’ve told Chris numerous times he should do something about. “You’re disgusting, Pete. I mean seriously? You’re adults. You can’t wait until you get home? You’re really going to have sex in a parking lot?”

  “No, I can’t wait until I get home, and yes, sex right now with her wherever I am. Just be glad I didn’t pick the table right in front of you.” With that, I exit the bar with Raina still on my shoulder.

  The parking lot has grown dark, but the cars are still visible. I ask Raina for directions to Tracey’s car and she laughs and points it out, her excitement growing. When we reach the car, I put Raina down on her feet and back her up against it. She doesn’t expect me to quickly turn her around so her back is to me and her front is pressing into the car door, but that is exactly what I do.

  I press my hips into her, letting her feel my dick as it swells for her. My hand finds her leg and creeps up her thigh under her short flowing skirt. I hook my finger into her G-string and pull it aside.

  She moans, waiting for the feel of my finger dipping inside her. I send her a smirk and chuckle. “Not gonna happen, baby. You’re in too much trouble for a reward.”

  My kisses cover her neck, her ears, and her shoulders, hot and moist. Raina moans and lets her head fall back onto my chest. I lift her skirt and tuck it into the waistband, exposing her sweet ass. “I’m going to smack this ass pink now, baby. Brace yourself on the car and I want you to count for me this time. I texted you fifteen times and didn’t get one answer…”