Page 17

Seventeen

My fingers hovered over the buttons of my dress, a slight tremor running through them. I wasn’t sure why. It was just dinner, a normal date with a normal guy.

…Right?

The fabric was soft against my skin, but the warmth that had been lingering inside me all day was softer. It was still there. Not pressing, not demanding. Just waiting.

A reminder.

I exhaled sharply, shaking my head as I fastened the last button.

It’s fine. It’s just dinner. I could do this.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand.

Caleb: Outside whenever you’re ready.

I smoothed my hands down the dress, forcing myself to move. Shoes. Purse. A last glance in the mirror. The reflection was fine this time. No flicker. No delay. But still, my stomach twisted.

I wasn’t sure if I was nervous about the date.

Or something else.

The restaurant was cozy, the kind of place with warm lighting and exposed brick walls that made everything feel intimate even when it wasn’t. Caleb smiled when I slid into the booth across from him, his gaze warm, friendly.

“You look beautiful,” he said easily, like it was second nature.

I managed a smile. “Thanks.”

The warmth inside me shifted, just slightly.

Caleb started talking—about his day, about a ridiculous customer at work, about the new coffee shop that had opened up near his apartment. I listened, nodding at the right moments, even laughing once or twice.

But I wasn’t fully there.

I felt watched.

My fingers twitched against the napkin in my lap. The warmth hadn’t left. If anything, it had deepened.

But why?

It didn’t make sense. I had been feeling off all day, but I had chalked it up to stress. Now, sitting across from Caleb, it wasn’t just stress. It was anticipation.

Like I was waiting for something.

Like I already knew something was about to happen.

A ripple of unease curled in my stomach, but I pushed it down. I was fine. This was normal. I was normal.

Then the whisper came.

Of course I am, Sunshine.

The words weren’t mine.

A slow chill crawled up my spine. My breath caught in my throat.

I wasn’t supposed to hear things. I wasn’t supposed to expect this. But the voice wasn’t unfamiliar. It wasn’t strange or new.

It felt known.

I forced myself to focus on Caleb, to nod, to smile, to pretend everything was normal.

But it wasn’t.

My thighs pressed together beneath the table. Too warm. Too aware.

Caleb tilted his head slightly. “You okay?”

My smile was too tight. “Yeah. Just a little tired.”

The warmth hummed inside me, a slow, deliberate purr.

Liar.

My breath hitched. I reached for my water, bringing the glass to my lips, but the second my fingers curled around it, my hand tightened.

Not by choice.

The glass hovered at my lips. I blinked, trying to pull away, but my body didn’t listen. A sip. Then another. Drink.

My pulse hammered. My body obeyed before I even processed the command, swallowing until the warmth allowed me to stop.

The glass clinked too hard against the table when I set it down, my fingers twitching slightly.

Caleb frowned. “Dawn?—”

A warmth brushed against my inner thigh.

Not Caleb.

My breath stuttered. My spine went rigid. The touch was featherlight, too familiar, a teasing heat pressing just beneath the hem of my dress.

Caleb was still talking. Oblivious.

The warmth stroked up my thigh. Slow. Gentle. Too much.

My fingers dug into the napkin, my body locking up as my legs tried to part.

No. No. Not here. Not in public.

But I didn’t move away.

I couldn’t.

And worse—somewhere deep inside me, I didn’t want to.

Shhh, Sunshine. Be good.

The touch retreated, only to return seconds later—higher this time. More insistent. Testing.

My lips parted, a quiet gasp nearly slipping free before I bit it back.

Caleb blinked. “What was that?”

I forced a cough, shaking my head quickly. “Nothing—sorry, I just?—”

The warmth curled against my underwear.

My vision blurred.

Not here. Not here. Not here.

My body didn’t care.

My thighs trembled beneath the table, my breath quick and shallow as the teasing heat pressed against the soaked fabric clinging between my legs. Firm. Knowing. Waiting.

My mind went static.

The restaurant, Caleb’s voice, the dim lighting—all of it faded beneath the pressure building inside me, the need coiling hot and tight in my stomach.

I shouldn’t. I couldn’t.

But the warmth owned me.

The whisper unfurled through my bones, rich with amusement. I could let you finish your date, Sunshine. But wouldn’t you rather come first?

I was trying to focus on what Caleb was saying, something about a new coding project he was excited about, but it was hard to concentrate with the insistent pressure building between my legs. My right hand, seemingly with a mind of its own, slipped down under the table and slipped under my dress. It pushed my panties to the side and immediately started to make maddening circles over my clit. I couldn't stop it. It was like watching a horror movie, my own hand the terrifying protagonist I had no control over.

"Dawn? Are you okay?" Caleb's voice pierced through the haze, and I realized I had missed part of the conversation again. The warmth inside me, the one that felt like the sun's rays on a hot summer day, whispered a response before I could formulate one.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just... absorbed in your story." My voice came out a little breathier than I intended, but Caleb seemed to buy it, his nervous chatter resuming.

The waitress appeared then, and I had to think fast. My hand was still trapped in an intimate dance, and I needed to order something that required only one hand to manage. "I'll have the pasta," I blurted out, a dish I could manage with a fork, my traitorous right hand hidden beneath the table.

The warmth pulsed, and I heard a giggle in my ear, soft and seductive.

Clever girl.

The compliment should have sounded condescending, but instead, it felt like a caress, warm and approving.

Caleb continued to talk, his words tumbling out faster now, as if he could patch the awkward silences with the sheer volume of his voice. I nodded along, adding the occasional "mmhmm" or "that's interesting," but my attention was split. My body was no longer just my own, and it was terrifying... and exhilarating.

The food arrived, and I struggled to maintain some semblance of normalcy. With my left hand, I brought a forkful of pasta to my lips, chewing mechanically. Meanwhile, my right hand continued its relentless ministrations, each stroke sending jolts of pleasure through me.

I could feel myself slipping, the battle for control draining the last of my resistance. The warmth enveloped me, its presence reassuring despite the bizarre situation. It was easier to let go, to surrender to the sensation.

That's it, Sunshine, let me take care of you.

The voice was soft, coaxing, and I found myself nodding slightly, acquiescing. My body relaxed, and I let the warmth guide my movements. It fed me with delicate precision, my left hand lifting each bite to my mouth. It drank deeply from my water glass, the cool liquid a sharp contrast to the heat that suffused my body.

Caleb's words faded into a dull background hum. I was only half-aware of his rambling, my responses now automatic, guided by the warmth that had taken possession of my senses.

As dessert arrived, the tension within me reached a fever pitch. My breath hitched, my chest rising and falling rapidly as my body spiraled towards an inevitable release. The warmth was relentless, pushing me closer and closer to the edge.

And then, it happened. A wave of pleasure crashed over me, so intense it was all I could do not to cry out. My body shuddered silently, the sensation overwhelming as I came, hard and fast, under the table in a crowded restaurant.

The warmth receded, leaving a sense of utter satisfaction in its wake. My hand finally stilled, coming to rest on my thigh. I took a deep, steadying breath, trying to ground myself in the moment.

Caleb was looking at me, a hopeful smile on his face. "Dessert's good, huh?"

I managed a small, secretive smile. "Yeah, it's... incredible."