Page 10

Chapter Ten

Elodie

H oly wow, I think I’m going to drown in my own puddle of arousal. The depth in his voice has me clenching my thighs and imagining the ways he could talk me into an orgasm. Embarrassment floods my system, and I lower my gaze to the floor. I’m not supposed to be here messing around, so I need to cut this off before it goes anywhere else. I don’t know how long I spent with that other girl, and now that I think of it I definitely didn’t catch her name. Too much time was spent talking, and I have no idea what time it is.

Peering back into his obsidian eyes, he enraptures me all over again. When he clears his throat, I’m pretty sure my juices are dripping from my forbidden spots. Something about this man is familiar, but I can’t place what it is. He sticks his hand out and practically purrs at me. “I’m Henley.”

Did I die? What did I do in my previous life to deserve this adonis of a male? Am I drooling? Wracking my brain, I try to double-check that his name is the one I need. Am I sure this is him? There’s no way that this dreamboat of a male is the one I’m supposed to meet.

He clears his throat again, and I realize I am awkwardly staring at him. Again. I slam my small hand into his large one and shake it. “Are you going to tell me your name?” That seems to finally snap me out of my stupor.

“Oh,” I gasp, the never-ending shame stacking higher and higher. “I’m Bunny.” His pupils dilate. I haven’t heard of that happening outside of the romance stories that I read, and now I’m starting to understand why some of the analogies to ‘sliding off your seat’ make sense.

“Bunny,” he rasps, his eyes staring straight into my soul. It’s not my real name, we both know I went for a pseudonym, yet the way it sounds rolling off his tongue has me wishing it were. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, angel.”

Yeah, I’m definitely not going to be staying in this thong for much longer. Wini knew that it wouldn’t stay on, and I thank the heavens above that she unknowingly prepared me for the potentially hottest night of my life.

“Nice to meet you,” I reply, my eyes dropping to the floor. Thinking on the spot, I flutter back to look up at him then purr, “Henley.”

“You’re dangerous,” he growls while stepping even closer. Heat radiates off his body and melts into me, the unneeded warmth unknowingly unraveling every piece of my being. His large hand reaches toward my face, and I do everything in my power not to flinch away from him. Either he doesn’t notice or doesn’t mention it because he grabs the front of my throat and tugs me closer. Gasping, his lips land on mine. I can’t help but melt against his large body as my eyes slide closed. His tongue grazes against my lower lip, and I grant him the entrance he seeks. Facial hair scratches against my mouth as we become a tangle of lips, teeth, and tongue. Oh, what a way to pop one of two cherries!

Pressing harder into me, his grip on my throat tightens, and my downstairs throbs with need. I don’t know what exactly I need, but something tells me this dominating male can put the pulsing to rest. He doesn’t have to fight hard to gain the upper hand, and I let him guide me. My racing thoughts are suddenly soothed with each passing second, and the tips of my fingers drag against his coarse arm hair. He is all male, with tattoos for miles, burly in size, and absolutely rugged in tone. Bringing silence to my brain isn’t easy, but as his tongue dances with mine, I can’t help but just feel .

His lips detach from mine all too soon, and a whimper of disapproval comes out of my throat before I can stop it. Knowing exactly what he has done to me, he just smirks devilishly. I want to narrow my eyes at him and call him a bunch of bad words, though that’s not who I am, so I mean mug him instead.

A laugh so contagious falls from his lips and forces me to lose the heat behind my glare.

“You’re so fucking cute, Bunny,” he says, moving his hand from my throat to take a stray strand of hair behind my ear. I may as well just turn a permanent shade of red at this rate. Each time he opens his mouth, I become a puddle of mush at his mercy. “How about we go somewhere quiet to talk, hmm?”

Barely even able to register his words, he drags his nails over my exposed skin before lacing our fingers together. Tugging on my arm, I follow behind him obediently. Shit, I suppose I signed up to do just that. Something about this man oozes power and respect, but on the other side of the token, he also seems like the type to give as much respect as he gets.

We take the stairs upward, and one of the burly guys with tattoos nods at Henley like they are acquainted. Heck, they probably are. This man is definitely older than me and seems to know his way around this place. Thinking back, I don’t remember reading his age anywhere even though I had to provide mine, but that's neither here nor there. With the checkboxes marked on his application, I already know that he is a sexual fiend. Another subject that has my head spinning. I was so sure that no one would want a virgin.

Before Father shipped me off to the catholic all-girls boarding school, the boys would tease the other known virgin girls in our class. We were only in middle school at the time, but they did not care. It was like a societal thing for girls to no longer have their V-cards. Surprisingly, I was the one who made the call to keep my virginity. Of course, that’s not something I aired to Father, but I did keep the vow within myself. Giving a piece of my body to someone had to be something they deserved or worked for, but now…

Henley pushes a door open. It shrieks on its hinges as he tugs me inside with him. The room is barely lit with dimmed fluorescents and candles scattered around the room, the entire place is one giant shade of red. Looking around, it’s impossible not to ogle this set-up. A large bed sits in the middle of the room, the red sheets look far silkier than what I own, with red petals splayed across it. A single thought pops into my head, and there’s no holding back the giggle from coming out.

“What?” He asks, though his tone is light and teasing. He detaches our fingers and sits in a red plush chair in the corner. Patting his lap, I scamper over to sit.

“This must be the Red Room, huh?” I giggle as his fingers dance over my exposed skin. Goosebumps rise while he draws patterns. His laugh is dominating but not demeaning, and he simply shakes his head.

“What gave it away? Was it the lack of any other color?” Another round of laughs, and I realize even our laughter blends perfectly. The butterflies in my stomach flutter faster as his smile turns carnal. “I wanted to get to know you a bit better and figure out the best way for us to take care of your…” his eyes drop to my crotch before meeting my gaze again. Heat creeps over my chest and cheeks when he refers to the cherry in the room.

“You didn’t need to make it this romantic,” I quip and instantly realize that was not the greatest comment in the world. He doesn’t react except for a shimmer of something in his eyes. Having never been around another male in this type of situation, or really any other situation that isn’t business, I have zero idea what it could mean. It doesn’t help that it disappeared as soon as it showed up.

“Agree to disagree, then.” His gaze drops right to my chest, and as if my nipples can sense his gaze, they tighten into buds. “We have to do this the right way so you’re not scarred from coming back,” he trails off. The darn organ in my chest thumps faster at his cheesy words. When I signed up for this, I expected everything to be hard and fast. My understanding of it all was that they don’t teach you, it’s all just a learning-by-showing ordeal. Henley doesn’t seem to be meeting those ungodly expectations, and I’m happily surprised. Fingers metaphorically crossed, I hope that he can’t see just how nervous I really am. Not being able to say that is harder than anything, so instead, I stick with something I know best.

“I have no idea what I’m doing,” I whisper. All of my cards are laid out for him to see. I’m vulnerable, and he doesn’t disappoint. His large calloused hand raises to my cheek, stroking with his thumb along my lower lip.

“I know,” he whispers back, leaning forward to capture my mouth. His lips are soft, almost pillowy, against mine. His other hand reaches around my body and grabs my butt, pulling me impossibly closer. I have no idea what to do with my hands, so I place them both on his chest and hope he doesn’t see just how much I don’t know. Warmth billows through me as I slowly rock my hips against his. His…lower region is hard and unforgiving against me. Henley grunts, tilting my head how he wants me, and parts my lips with his, his tongue tangling with mine. I can taste our shared breath, and feel the erratic beating of his heart against me as I fumble with the buttons on his shirt.

He must realize that I’m unsure of what is happening because he pulls away. I don’t want him to, so I follow him backward and reconnect with him. Another groan escapes him as I fight to keep the kiss going. He obliges me for a few moments before his fingers move from my butt to my hair and yank me off.

The very first feeling that hits my chest? Rejection.

“I-I-I’m sorry, I just-”

“Shhh,” he hushes, laying a single finger over my lips. “I don’t want this to end too soon. You keep rocking away on my cock and I definitely will come in my jeans like a teenage boy.” A giggle jolts from me, and his smile widens. A quick nod is the only reaction I get after that before he stands up with ease. I squeal in fear, my body is far too heavy to be lifted like this. Henley didn’t even so much as grunt, so I know I’m taking the air out of his lungs.

“You can put me down,” I say, though it’s more like a demand. He pauses on his way to the bed, his eyes scanning mine as he takes me in.

“Fine.” He lets my legs drop but just as I’m about to touch the floor, I’m airbound.