Page 31

thirty

Olive

I can’t remember the last time I went out for New Year’s Eve.

Well, I guess I never really have. I went to a “friend’s” house when I was sixteen and haven’t done anything since.

I’m only slightly nervous, though. I’m going to be with my friends. Real friends. Friends that, even after only knowing for such a short time, I know they’d never victim-blame me.

But most excitedly, I’m going to be there with Lane. Now that Christmas has passed, we’ve been able to spend a lot of time together.

We’ve not gone farther than kissing again, but I will say I’ve put the lesson he gave me to good use on my own.

Still batting a thousand on that one.

Yes, I’ve looked up baseball terminology now. That can’t be a surprise to anyone but myself.

“What do you think of this color, Liv?” Ella asks, reminding me that the girls and I are getting ready together right now.

I study the shade of lipstick she’s holding up. “That’s pretty. It’s basically the exact shade of my dress.”

Harlow lights up. “Oh my God, you’re going to look so good in berry, Liv!”

“If we ask Lane,” Lucia teases, “I bet he’d say she looks good in anything.”

My cheeks flush. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure he would.”

“How is everything going between you two?” Rory questions, fanning her hair out over her shoulders.

I can’t help but smile. “Really well. We still aren’t giving ourselves a label, but we’re spending a lot of time together and having fun.” I cringe when I realize what that could imply. “Wait, not that kind of fun! Just… hanging out.”

Ella looks at me with a soft, sweet smile. She knows a bit more about me than the other girls, but she still knows far from everything. “Still just kissing?”

“Yeah,” I breathe. I consider leaving it at that, but I like the idea of being able to share things with these women. They’re open with me. I think I can be open with them. “Well, kind of.”

“What do you mean ‘kind of?’” Harlow asks curiously.

“We, uh… still haven’t done more than kiss. But he might have talked me through my first orgasm last week…”

“Hell yeah!” Lucia yells.

“Wait,” Rory says in shock. “First orgasm?!”

“Yes…” I reply shyly. “It’s a long, traumatic story. I’m not ready to share it yet. But I decided I was tired of holding myself back. I’m twenty-three; I should be able to at least get myself off.”

Ella bites down a smile. “And Lane talked you through it. Does that mean you were together when this happened?”

“Yes,” I whisper. “I want to be open. With my history, I’ve never had a sexual attraction to anyone until I met Lane. But I really like him, too. I want to go slow, but I want to be open to the possibility of having him that way in the future.”

“I love that Lane is so considerate of you,” Lo smiles.

I chuckle lightly. “He asked probably a dozen times that night to make sure I was okay with actually doing it. He’s amazing.”

“I’m so glad Lane is finally finding his happiness,” Lucia says. “Now we’re all in relationships.”

“Ari is still single,” Harlow adds.

Lucia rolls her eyes. “Ari doesn’t count.”

Ella sighs. “We’re going to ignore that. Josh just texted me. The guys will be here in about ten minutes, so we gotta finish getting ready.”

We barely manage to prepare ourselves before the guys show up at Lucia’s. She slips into a strapless black leather dress that I’m surprised she doesn't need to be sewn into and completes that with black heels and bright red lipstick.

Harlow goes for a strapless deep green dress with lace across the corseted top, paired with nude strappy heels and sheer gloss on her lips.

Rory chooses a shimmery silver dress that cuts down low enough that I’m worried she’s going to have a wardrobe malfunction. She completes that with a pair of silver heels and deep red lipstick.

Ella picks the same red lipstick Lucia uses to match her red silk dress, the fabric bunching across her chest. The gold heels she’s wearing complement her skin tone perfectly.

I’m surrounded by beautiful women. And based on the amount of skin they’re showing, women with much more confidence than the traumatized early-twenties girl.

I look good, but I don’t exude confidence like they do. My dress is a long-sleeve berry-colored sequin dress that falls just above my mid-thigh. The only skin I’m really showing is my legs.

But when Lane gets here, I’m not worried at all about not being confident enough. His gaze leers over me, tracing from the rose gold strappy heels on my feet up to the berry lipstick on my lips.

“Shit, Ballerina,” he says, wrapping an arm around the small of my back and pulling me close while the rest of the guys file into the apartment. “You look fucking incredible.”

I blush. “Thanks, Hotshot. Love the pink shirt you’re wearing.”

Lane smirks at me. “Someone told me it was her favorite color. Thought this button-down would look good for tonight.”

I look at him in surprise. “You wore it for me?”

“Hell yes, I did.” His lips brush against my ear, and a shiver travels down my body. “I do a lot for you, baby. Christmas night, for example.”

I heat all over. “So, we should get going, right?”

Lane laughs as he brings me over to the crowd in the living room, and then we all head out to our destination for the night.

I’ve been to a club exactly once before tonight. Chelle, Vi, and Lu talked me into going out for my birthday in June. This is the first time I’ve been in the VIP section, though.

The regular part of the club is crowded to the point of not being able to walk through, but the VIP section has a lot more room.

We’re all making good use of the space by dancing our asses off with the other people back here with us.

Well, most of us are dancing. And by most, I mean it’s really just the girls, Lane, and Ari.

Cole, Josh, and Knox are sitting in the booth.

When the current song ends, Lane gets my attention. “I’m heading over to the bar. Want another drink, Liv?”

“Yes, please,” I smile. One more drink will still leave me sober enough for my plans for later on. “Can you grab me an amaretto sour?”

He kisses my temple. “You got it, baby. I’ll be right back.”

Lane walks off toward the bar, and I turn back around to see Ari standing behind me. “You’ve got that man wrapped around your finger, Liv,” he laughs.

“What? No,” I say shyly. “He’s just being nice.”

Lucia is apparently nearby because she scoffs loudly. “Lane’s nice, but not that nice, babe. Man seriously likes you.”

“Don’t you have a boyfriend to go bother?” Ari chides.

Lucia rolls her eyes. “Matt isn’t here tonight.”

Ari stares at her in disbelief. “It’s New Year’s Eve. Your boyfriend seriously isn’t here with you?”

“No.” She crosses her arms defiantly. “He has to work in the morning.”

He scoffs. “Stock market’s closed tomorrow, Lucia. There’s no way he’s working.”

“Watch it, Ari,” she huffs. “I’m not listening to this shit again.”

“That’s fine,” he shrugs. “You’re only hurting yourself.” Ari turns to face me again. “Good to see you tonight, Liv. I need another fucking drink, though.”

He stalks off, and I try to keep things from feeling awkward right now. “Sorry Matt didn’t make it tonight,” I say to Lucia.

“It’s… fine,” she sighs. “It’s just New Year’s.”

“Maybe, but he’s missing out. You’re a bombshell tonight, Luc.”

She smiles softly now. “Thanks, Liv. Always good to have a reminder.”

When Lane comes back, Lucia walks over to the booth and sits down, shooting off a fiery text to who I assume is Matt. It’s impossible to miss the way she tenses when he’s brought up. She doesn’t seem happy, and I hate that for her.

“Ballerina,” Lane whispers, his lips brushing my ear and his breath sparking electricity between my legs. “Goddamn, I’m obsessed with the way you look right now.”

I lean back against him, feeling myself loosen up a bit from the several drinks I’ve had through the night. “You’re very sweet, Lane.” I reach out and take my drink from his hand before taking a sip.

“How is that?” he asks, gesturing to the cup in my hand.

“Delicious,” I smile as I take another sip.

Lane’s face turns mischievous now. “Let me have a taste then.” Instead of grabbing my glass, he crashes his mouth against mine, using his tongue to part my lips open. I sigh into him, enjoying the feel of his tongue sweeping over mine. When we pull apart, he licks his lips. “So fucking good.”

My heart is hammering in my chest. “You could’ve just taken my glass, you know.”

“Yeah, but I wanted an excuse to kiss you,” he smirks, letting his hand rest low on my hip, just above the hemline of my dress. He’s dangerously close to touching my bare skin, and part of me wishes he would.

We spend the next hour enjoying ourselves. Dancing, drinking, having fun. Lane even has me grind against him at one point, and based on how much of him I can feel, he sure seems to enjoy it.

Before we realize it, it’s only one minute until midnight. We all stop what we’re doing and watch the countdown.

Lane holds me tightly with my back to his chest, and I rest my head on his shoulder. We count with the rest of the patrons as we creep closer and closer to midnight.

“Ten… nine… eight… seven… six… five… four… three… two… one… Happy New Year!”

Lane rests his hand on my cheek and inches his lips closer to mine. “Happy New Year, Livvy.”

“Happy New Year, Lane,” I breathe.

I barely have the words out before our mouths connect. The kiss starts soft before becoming more demanding. Instead of shying away, I lean into it, stroking my tongue against his with my hand tangled in his hair.

I’ve never done this before, but something about Lane makes me want to go after my desires. And right now, my desires aren’t entirely innocent.

I nip Lane’s lip, and he groans before pulling away and pressing his forehead to mine. “Fuck, baby.”

“When do you want to get out of here, Lane?” I ask, breathing heavily.

He looks at me in surprise. “Whenever you want. Are you still coming back with me?”

“Yes,” I reply. “Definitely, yes.”

Heat flashes across his eyes, but he tries to tamper it down just as quickly. It’s clear that he wants me, but he’s still making sure everything moves forward when I say it does.

“Alright, Liv. Let’s get out of here.”