Page 17
Story: Orders and Obsessions
“Riley, I said no.” He fought back and tried to take the blankets from me.
“Riley, you can’t be here. You have to go back.” He yelled again, and I kept my eyes shut tight.
“Are you listening to me?” The longer I kept my eyes closed, the more distant his voice became. “Rivers?” It was just a distant whisper now. “Will—”
My mouth was so dry it felt like cardboard or sandpaper. I squirmed down in the mattress. I haven’t slept this well in weeks. I slowly opened my eyes so that they could get used to the dark around me.
Then I saw his face. The angry look on his face. Two eyes that looked like wet dirt blinked at me. His nostrils flared and his jaw clenched. It was really creepy. He pulled a chair over, put it at the foot of the bed, and sat there staring at me while I slept.
“Hi?” I said quietly, and my throat sounded very rough.
I could hear him breathing, but he didn’t say anything. I thought for a second that I was dreaming.
I whispered again, “What are you doing?”
“Thinking about killing you in a lot of different ways and at a lot of different times,” he said calmly.
“Come to bed.” I reached out from under the covers and clasped my hands a couple of times. He looked at my hands and then his forehead furrowed.
“Riley, you shouldn’t even be here. You need to go back to your room, and I’m not getting in bed with you.” He leaned back in his chair and ran his finger over his stubble.
“Mason, it’s the middle of the night. Please stop being so standoffish and get in bed. The wake-up siren will be playing soon, and you need some sleep. How else are you going to have the energy to beat us on the pitch?” I pulled back the covers, and he looked at the empty space next to me. I waited for him to decide what to do.
“In bed… with you?” he asked, sounding unsure. I nodded.
I promised, “You won’t even know I’m here.” He stood up from the chair and walked to the bed after thinking about it for a few more seconds. Just as he was about to get in, I threw the blanket back down in front of him. He stopped moving. “Could you please get me some water first?” I asked with a smile.
“Ugh, Riley!” he groaned. I tried not to smile, but the good Lieutenant did what I said and got his water bottle from earlier. I took a small sip and then lay back down next to him under the covers.
“I shouldn’t be doing this.”
I snuggled up to him and held my hand over his strong chest. I could only hear him sighing loudly before I fell back asleep.
My eyes flew open when an alarm clock went off.
I yelled at Mason, who was lying next to me and staring at me, “What the f**k!” I quickly backed away, and a slow, sexy smile spread across his face.
“You look so innocent when you sleep. It’s strange,” he said.
“Who stares at someone while they sleep?” I sat up in his bed, my long dark hair falling loosely around my shoulders and his big T-shirt hugging my body.
“You know you talk in your sleep?”
He got out of bed and grabbed onto one of the wooden beams that hung from the roof. He started to pull his body weight up and down, and I couldn’t look away. I bit down on the soft flesh of my lips to keep my feelings in check as I watched his torso muscles tighten and relax.
I mumbled, “What did I say?” as if I were talking to his abs. He got off the bar and I could see his eyes again.
“We need to get you out of here before anyone finds out you spent the night.” He didn’t answer my question. He made himself a cup of coffee while I rubbed my eyes.
“I’ll have one of those,” I said, but he shook his head and only filled one cup. “Or not,” I said under my breath as he drank his black coffee with no sugar.
“Do you remember what happened last night?” He lay down on the bed and put his head on his elbow. I looked around the room with my eyes.
I was wearing one of his old blue T-shirts, but I knew I was completely naked underneath it. I could see my boots next to the bed, but I couldn’t see any other clothes.
“I went to the bar and drank too much.” I started to explain what had happened that night.
“You went back to the bar!” he yelled, sitting up and holding the cup tighter. I didn’t pay any attention to his outburst.
“We were making fun of you because you were such a tough guy and needed to get laid. So I said I’d take one for the team. I guess that’s what happened here?” I pointed to what I was wearing.
“Wait,” he said in a threatening way. “Are you saying that someone knows you came here last night?” He stood up, moving slowly and carefully. I lay down in his bed.
“Just my roommates,” I said without thinking.
His eyes got bigger, and he whistled in a strange way through his lips. Then came some fast breathing.
“Don’t worry; I’m not going to see any of them again. You’re sending me away this morning, so they’ll just think I left last night.”
He looked at me with worry in his beautiful eyes and his jaw was tight.
“Riley,” he said with a sigh, “I never asked for you to be moved.” My mouth dropped open and I sat there in silence.
“You didn’t?” He shook his head and sat on the end of the bed, taking it all in. I crawled up to him and put one hand on each of his cheeks.
“Hey, it’s okay. Stop worrying.” His amber eyes blinked back at me with concern, and I leaned down to kiss his soft lips. He pulled away from me, saying no.
“Riley,” he said with a grunt. I took a chance and smiled.
“So you can f**k me last night but not kiss me this morning?” I said in a sarcastic tone.
“Nothing happened last night,” he said, standing up and moving away. He went to the washbasin and began to brush his teeth.
“Can I use your toothbrush?” he said, and then he turned to me with a look that said, “Are you serious?”‘
“No,” he said firmly.
He looked in his drawer and found some sweatpants, which he threw at me.
“Here’s what we’re going to do.” He looked at the watch on his wrist and then back at me. “You’re going to go pretend to sleep behind the cafeteria, and I’ll send one of the generals to find you and bring you to the bootcamp field. You’ll tell your roommates you never even made it to my quarters. I’ll have to punish you to make it look real.”
I sucked in my lips and breathed through my nose. I said, “Or we could just say nothing happened.”
“You don’t know what he’s like,” Mason said quietly as he shook his head.
“Who?” My whole face twisted in confusion.
“My father,” he said in a flat voice.
“Who is your father?” I didn’t get it at all.
He raised his eyebrows and looked at me like I should already know the answer.
“The boss.”
At that moment, everything made sense. The likeness was scary. They were both tall, had sharp features, brown eyes, and bodies that were very muscular. They both looked powerful. Mason was just like his dad when he was younger.
“Riley, you can’t be here. You have to go back.” He yelled again, and I kept my eyes shut tight.
“Are you listening to me?” The longer I kept my eyes closed, the more distant his voice became. “Rivers?” It was just a distant whisper now. “Will—”
My mouth was so dry it felt like cardboard or sandpaper. I squirmed down in the mattress. I haven’t slept this well in weeks. I slowly opened my eyes so that they could get used to the dark around me.
Then I saw his face. The angry look on his face. Two eyes that looked like wet dirt blinked at me. His nostrils flared and his jaw clenched. It was really creepy. He pulled a chair over, put it at the foot of the bed, and sat there staring at me while I slept.
“Hi?” I said quietly, and my throat sounded very rough.
I could hear him breathing, but he didn’t say anything. I thought for a second that I was dreaming.
I whispered again, “What are you doing?”
“Thinking about killing you in a lot of different ways and at a lot of different times,” he said calmly.
“Come to bed.” I reached out from under the covers and clasped my hands a couple of times. He looked at my hands and then his forehead furrowed.
“Riley, you shouldn’t even be here. You need to go back to your room, and I’m not getting in bed with you.” He leaned back in his chair and ran his finger over his stubble.
“Mason, it’s the middle of the night. Please stop being so standoffish and get in bed. The wake-up siren will be playing soon, and you need some sleep. How else are you going to have the energy to beat us on the pitch?” I pulled back the covers, and he looked at the empty space next to me. I waited for him to decide what to do.
“In bed… with you?” he asked, sounding unsure. I nodded.
I promised, “You won’t even know I’m here.” He stood up from the chair and walked to the bed after thinking about it for a few more seconds. Just as he was about to get in, I threw the blanket back down in front of him. He stopped moving. “Could you please get me some water first?” I asked with a smile.
“Ugh, Riley!” he groaned. I tried not to smile, but the good Lieutenant did what I said and got his water bottle from earlier. I took a small sip and then lay back down next to him under the covers.
“I shouldn’t be doing this.”
I snuggled up to him and held my hand over his strong chest. I could only hear him sighing loudly before I fell back asleep.
My eyes flew open when an alarm clock went off.
I yelled at Mason, who was lying next to me and staring at me, “What the f**k!” I quickly backed away, and a slow, sexy smile spread across his face.
“You look so innocent when you sleep. It’s strange,” he said.
“Who stares at someone while they sleep?” I sat up in his bed, my long dark hair falling loosely around my shoulders and his big T-shirt hugging my body.
“You know you talk in your sleep?”
He got out of bed and grabbed onto one of the wooden beams that hung from the roof. He started to pull his body weight up and down, and I couldn’t look away. I bit down on the soft flesh of my lips to keep my feelings in check as I watched his torso muscles tighten and relax.
I mumbled, “What did I say?” as if I were talking to his abs. He got off the bar and I could see his eyes again.
“We need to get you out of here before anyone finds out you spent the night.” He didn’t answer my question. He made himself a cup of coffee while I rubbed my eyes.
“I’ll have one of those,” I said, but he shook his head and only filled one cup. “Or not,” I said under my breath as he drank his black coffee with no sugar.
“Do you remember what happened last night?” He lay down on the bed and put his head on his elbow. I looked around the room with my eyes.
I was wearing one of his old blue T-shirts, but I knew I was completely naked underneath it. I could see my boots next to the bed, but I couldn’t see any other clothes.
“I went to the bar and drank too much.” I started to explain what had happened that night.
“You went back to the bar!” he yelled, sitting up and holding the cup tighter. I didn’t pay any attention to his outburst.
“We were making fun of you because you were such a tough guy and needed to get laid. So I said I’d take one for the team. I guess that’s what happened here?” I pointed to what I was wearing.
“Wait,” he said in a threatening way. “Are you saying that someone knows you came here last night?” He stood up, moving slowly and carefully. I lay down in his bed.
“Just my roommates,” I said without thinking.
His eyes got bigger, and he whistled in a strange way through his lips. Then came some fast breathing.
“Don’t worry; I’m not going to see any of them again. You’re sending me away this morning, so they’ll just think I left last night.”
He looked at me with worry in his beautiful eyes and his jaw was tight.
“Riley,” he said with a sigh, “I never asked for you to be moved.” My mouth dropped open and I sat there in silence.
“You didn’t?” He shook his head and sat on the end of the bed, taking it all in. I crawled up to him and put one hand on each of his cheeks.
“Hey, it’s okay. Stop worrying.” His amber eyes blinked back at me with concern, and I leaned down to kiss his soft lips. He pulled away from me, saying no.
“Riley,” he said with a grunt. I took a chance and smiled.
“So you can f**k me last night but not kiss me this morning?” I said in a sarcastic tone.
“Nothing happened last night,” he said, standing up and moving away. He went to the washbasin and began to brush his teeth.
“Can I use your toothbrush?” he said, and then he turned to me with a look that said, “Are you serious?”‘
“No,” he said firmly.
He looked in his drawer and found some sweatpants, which he threw at me.
“Here’s what we’re going to do.” He looked at the watch on his wrist and then back at me. “You’re going to go pretend to sleep behind the cafeteria, and I’ll send one of the generals to find you and bring you to the bootcamp field. You’ll tell your roommates you never even made it to my quarters. I’ll have to punish you to make it look real.”
I sucked in my lips and breathed through my nose. I said, “Or we could just say nothing happened.”
“You don’t know what he’s like,” Mason said quietly as he shook his head.
“Who?” My whole face twisted in confusion.
“My father,” he said in a flat voice.
“Who is your father?” I didn’t get it at all.
He raised his eyebrows and looked at me like I should already know the answer.
“The boss.”
At that moment, everything made sense. The likeness was scary. They were both tall, had sharp features, brown eyes, and bodies that were very muscular. They both looked powerful. Mason was just like his dad when he was younger.