His Promise by Eddie Cleveland (43)

Erik puffs out his chest and looks at me from the corner of his eye, “You know, I don’t know if you’re trying for some kind of specific look with those scars or what, but if you ever want to look more Don Quixote than Quasimodo, I’ve got a plastics guy that can work wonders,” he smiles as I grit my teeth together. Satisfied that he poked the bear, he turns on his heel, walking away.

I crush my hand into a fist and his latte explodes like a geyser out from my palm and drips over my skin down to the floor. Axle whines, but I don’t flinch at the hot liquid spilling over my skin. In my mind, I can easily see me squeezing his pencil neck in my hand until his blood pops out of his head the same way his fancy coffee just did.

“Don’t let him get to you,” Vanessa leans into me and whispers. “Look, there’s nothing for you to do on the set anyway, why don’t you and Axle chill in my trailer. You can just relax for a bit and I will join you between runs,” she rubs her hand down the length of my arm reassuringly. It’s the first time she’s touched me since last night and it soothes the fire burning in my soul.

I look deep into her eyes and want to grab her. I want to kiss her. I want to throw her over my shoulder and find other ways to “spend time” in her trailer and talk afterward until the day slips away into night and then back into day.

Instead, I hold out my hand and let her drop the key down into my palm. “Okay,” I answer, watching her silently as she walks away.

I walk back to my trailer, twisting my head from side to side to stretch out my neck. After being on set with Erik all day, my muscles are tied up in knots and I feel like I need to take a hot shower to scrub his grimy aura off me. My phone buzzes with a text and I groan out loud when I see it’s from him.

Erik: Change ur mind?

Me: ???

Erik: COCKtails

Me: Um no.

Erik: Sure? Ur missing out

Me: Thx I’ll live

The picture of his dick that pops up on my phone makes me yell like I just got spooked in a haunted house at Halloween. I almost drop my phone, but somehow manage to catch it as it spins in the air like a fish jumping out of a lake.

“Fuck!”

I only briefly glance at the picture, instantly remembering in precise detail how little I’m actually missing out on. Literally. Somehow his tattoo of the scrawling words Blood Sugar Sex Magik makes his dwarfed dick look even smaller. What the hell is he thinking sending me shit like this? I open my emojis and send him back a little green face that’s puking and shove my phone back in my purse.

The confidence of some people is absolutely amazing. And by “people” I mean men. How is it, that women who look like models go around thinking they’re ugly or fat, and then men like Erik with cocks the size of a Keebler Elf’s, strut around like they’ve got a two-foot dong swinging in their shorts?

It makes no sense.

The world is stupid.

I’m tired.

I reach my trailer and open the door, stepping inside to see Axle lift his head only long enough to check out who is standing in the doorway before he slumps it back down on the floor. In a big, overstuffed recliner, Gabe is snoring lightly with his feet propped out on the leg support. Looks like I’m not the only one who’s worn out.

I shut the door behind me and cross the floor of the luxurious recreational vehicle. The slides on each side really make it feel quite spacious inside. I know the first apartment I had on my own in this city wasn’t nearly this big.

I flop down on Gabe’s leg, snuggling back into him and grab the remote he left on the arm of the chair, flicking on the flat screen television absentmindedly. At this hour, it’s mostly entertainment shows on, which is fine, because I’m not really in the mood to watch anything heavy after such an exhausting day.

Gabe startles and jolts upright, making the remote clatter to the floor, as I jump from his sudden movement.

“You scared me!” I accuse him. His blue eyes blink a couple times, like he’s bringing them into focus on my face and his muscles relax as he realizes what’s going on.

“You sneak in here when I’m sleeping, sit on my lap and I scared you?” He shakes his head.

I shrug, “I didn’t really think about it,” I admit.

“Seriously, you shouldn’t do that. It’s hard for me to wake up somewhere strange and not be in fight mode. You, sneaking up into my lap is dangerous,” he warns me.

“Well, lucky for me danger is my middle name,” I tease him and turn over, straddling his legs between mine and lightly grind against him. “Do you forgive me?” I rock my hips back and forth, lowering my pussy down onto him. Through our pants I can feel his cock twitch with life.

“What’s going on with you?” His voice is rough but his hands slide down my back and over my ass smoothly.

“What do you mean?” I swirl my hips and sit down flat against him. I can feel the heat of his cock between my legs and it makes me flash back to last night.

“I mean, last night we fucked, you came and then you cried. You have been avoiding me since then and now you’re doing this,” he circles his hands around my hips and pulls me back sharply so his thighs are between my legs. “What kind of game are you playing?” he growls.

I can see the emotions battle it out on his face. The skin around his scars turns deep red as he flips between lust and anger.

“I’m not trying to play games,” I stop teasing him and just sit still on his lap. I tuck the shorter hair, that I’m still not entirely used to, behind my ears and sigh.

“Then what was the crying about?” he presses me.

“I was just overwhelmed,” I admit, looking up at him from under my lashes. “Last night was the first orgasm I’ve ever had in my entire life,” I whisper, “and it was amazing!” I put my hands on his chest and notice how small they look against his broad frame.

“But?” He watches me closely, not letting me off the hook so easily.

“But, as soon as it was over, I just felt so exposed. Not just because I was in the club, but it was like, all my vulnerabilities and fears and insecurities just seemed to come on at once. It sounds so stupid to try to explain it, but it was like they all bubbled to the surface and then just washed away. Only for a moment, trust me, but it was so beautiful and confusing and I just couldn’t stop crying.”

My cheeks blaze as I spill my confession. I don’t expect Gabe to understand what I mean. I don’t think he will really get it, I probably just sound crazy to him. He looks over my face and the anger I saw behind his eyes disappears. His hand laces up through my hair and he pulls me into him, kissing me deeply. Our tongues dance against each other as I sigh into his mouth.

“Well then, I guess if that’s what it takes to make you realize how gorgeous you really are, I’m gonna need to start making you cum a whole lot more,” his hands circle my ass and he drags me across his lap until I’m back on his cock.

“Is Erik Fisher back together with his ex? Only we’ve got the exclusive story coming up for you next!” The television blares behind me and I whirl my head around like an owl to see the screen.

Um, what?

“What’s wrong?” Gabe asks, but I just wave my hand at him, unable to speak as I lean over the chair and fumble on the floor for the remote. Once I clutch it in my hand, I crank the volume just as my face appears on the screen in a split shot next to Erik’s.

“No,” I whisper the word.

“Well it looks like Erik Fisher and his ex-girlfriend Vanessa Parker might be a lot more than just hot lovers in their upcoming movie together. We have it on good authority that the two are spending a lot of time heating things up on and off the set,” the aging plastic Barbie entertainment anchor reports.

“That’s just great, Mary,” the dark haired man standing next to her flashes his ultra-white teeth. “There’s nothing we enjoy more than a good love story,” he chuckles.

“No!” I yell at the screen and stand up from Gabe’s lap. “What the fuck kind of authority do they have that on? Are they just pulling stories out of their ass now?” Suddenly I remember the invitation for drinks and the dick pic that Erik sent me and it dawns on me. He probably called in that hot little tidbit himself. “That fucking douche,” I mumble.

“I don’t understand, so what’s the big deal? Just call Fiona and tell her to set them straight,” Gabe stands up behind me and runs his hands down over my arms.

“I can’t,” I sigh.

“Why not?” He steps back and I turn and face him, feeling older and more tired than ever.

“Because with stupid crap like this, it’s best not to say anything. If you go out with guns blazing, it just feeds the story. If you leave it alone, it goes away quicker,” I shake my head.

“Oh, well, just ignore it then. Who cares what they think?”

I know I shouldn’t, but I do. I hate anyone thinking that Erik and I are back together. I hate anyone, but especially Erik thinking there’s any hope in hell of that happening. “You ready to go home?” I’m feeling deflated, like a balloon that all the air leaked out of.

“If that’s what you want to do,” Gabe sets his jaw and looks down at me.

“It is.”

“I’m starving!” Vanessa announces as she plops her keys into a decorative dish on a small table by the door. She kicks off her shoes and beelines for the fridge.

“I think we all are.” I look over at Axle, “Are you, hungry boy? You wanna eat?”

He tilts his head and opens his mouth slightly as he listens for the magic word. “Axle do you want some food?”

That does it, he’s prancing around at my feet, his nub twitching with excitement and he starts to pant happily. “Alright, give me a sec and I’ll get your supper,” I lean over and pet him, patting my hand on his back a couple times before following Vanessa into the kitchen. I grab a small can of wet food from under the counter and a can opener, while she holds the door open and frowns into the fridge stuffed full of pre-made meals in clear plastic containers. Opening his can of beefy food, I look over at Vanessa.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ugh,” she groans and slumps against the open fridge door, defeated. “I don’t want to eat any of that crap, it all tastes like cardboard. I mean, it’s bad enough that on set, I have to watch everyone else stuff their faces with donuts and snacks, while I drink smoothies. At the end of the day you just want a real meal, you know? Something satisfying,” she looks over at me. Am I imagining things, or did her eyes just drift down? Maybe she’s looking for other ways to find satisfaction too.

“I don’t know what to tell ya. You know what I think of your diet,” I dump out Axle’s food into his dish and grab a scoop of dry dog food from the bag under the sink, mixing it in. I know he’s spoiled, but he’s a great dog, so he deserves it. Even now, he just sits patiently waiting for me to put his meal together. If I plopped the food right under his nose, he wouldn’t move a muscle until I told him to.

I take his dish to the entry and lay it down beside his water bowl, “Go ahead Axle, go eat,” he races over to my feet and begins to chow down. When I walk back into the kitchen Vanessa is smiling broadly and pulling out flour and eggs and a bunch of other ingredients.

“What are you doing?” I can see she’s on a mission, grabbing bowls and pans from all around the kitchen.

“Did I ever tell you that I’m an amazing cook?” she smiles over her shoulder at me.

“No, you’ve never mentioned it,” I walk up behind her and wrap my arms around her. She turns around and faces me, her eyes sparkling.

“Well I am. I don’t mean a mediocre cook either, I mean I’m a whip-up-a-masterpiece kinda cook, and I’m about to blow your mind,” she smiles.

When she looks at me like that, my mind isn’t exactly what’s aching to be blown. But I can see she’s really revved up about making this mystery meal, so I’m going to keep my dirty thoughts to myself.

For now.

I mean, there’s always room for dessert, right?

“My mom always says you can’t trust a skinny chef,” she laughs as she cracks her eggs into the bowl and beats it together with a fork. “So, I guess that means you can trust me,” she measures out some flour and sprinkles it in on top of the whisked eggs.

“Don’t do that,” anger twists up inside me.

“What?” She turns around to face me, her brown eyes wide and studying my expression.

“I don’t know what asshole told you that you were fat or whatever, but it’s bullshit,” I answer her through gritted teeth. “You’re the most natural beauty I’ve ever seen, you blow all these other Hollywood types out of the water, and your curves are part of that. There’s no guy in the world who would look at you and think you are fat. None. They might think a lot of other things, mostly what they’d want to do to you, but that’s it. Stop buying into the bullshit,” I step into her and wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her as tight to me as our clothes will allow. “You’re fucking stunning,” my anger slides away as desire flares up inside me.

“Thank you,” she looks up at me shyly, like she’s not used to hearing these words. I’m not sure how that can even be possible. It kills me to think that she’s locked up in a career that seems to delight in tearing her down. It destroys me even more to see that it’s working.

“Don’t thank me,” I slide my hand slowly down her back, enjoying the softness of her skin against mine. I love how her ass bubbles out, full and firm, it’s perfect. I give it a sharp slap and she yelps. “Now what are you whipping up here?”

She steps back and rubs her hand over her tender bottom pretending to sulk. “I’m making us chicken alfredo, all fresh. No boxes or cans or anything like that. From scratch,” she beams at me proudly.

“Sounds incredible, where did you learn to make all this stuff?” I watch as she goes back to mixing up the dough that she’s formed up in the bowl.

“Mostly my mom, she’s practically a chef. Not professionally, but she’s just so good.” She rolls the dough into a ball and puts it in the bowl.

“Nice, I can’t wait to meet her sometime,” as soon as I say the words I clamp my jaw shut. I don’t mean for her to introduce me to her parents. Why did I say that?

Vanessa looks at me and raises an eyebrow wordlessly. She squints like she’s trying to read some tiny text off the wall behind me and then wipes off her hands and starts walking out of the room. “I will be right back,” she calls over her shoulder, leaving me to marinate in my own awkward small talk gone bad.

I look over at Axle and even he seems to be giving me a knowing look that says, “What are you doing?”

“I don’t know, it just kinda slipped out,” I sigh and shrug. “Maybe I’m more exhausted than I thought,” I give my excuses to my German Shepherd like he’s grilling me on the stand.

“Who are you talking to?” I turn back to the kitchen door and my jaw flops open like a cartoon. Standing in a flattering, lace and silk teddy is Vanessa. My eyes travel across her beautiful face and down her neck. Her tits are pushed up, threatening to spill over the top of the black lingerie. It’s formfitting across her belly and then ruffles out into a tiny, peek-a-boo skirt that only barely covers her ass. I gaze at the bright red ribbon that threads through the front and stops in a perfectly tied bow right at her hip. I know if I tug that ribbon free, the teddy will fall open like expensive wrapping paper on the most tantalizing gift a man could imagine.

Suddenly my mouth is watering and it’s not for dinner. I walk across the floor to her, each step slow and deliberate, but just as I reach her she scurries back over the counter, grabbing an apron and puts it on over top, tying it up quickly.

“Would you be a doll and grab a bottle of Riesling from the wine fridge,” she nods over to the glass fronted fridge under her counter.

Like I’m going to follow her gaze.

Like there’s any chance I’m going to take my eyes off her.

“Gabe?” She interrupts my dirty thoughts about how I want to bend her over this counter and rip her panties off, shoving my cock inside her so hard she would have trouble walking on set tomorrow.

“Uh, yeah, sure,” I reluctantly tear my eyes off of her and pull out a bottle of wine as she mixes some heavy cream and spices in a pot on the stove. I saddle up to her, grinding my cock against her ass as she’s pressed into the stove, she knows she’s driving me crazy and she’s loving every second of it.

“First we need to have supper, then dessert,” she murmurs. “Would you mind frying up some bacon? I’m not really dressed for it,” she presses her ass back against me and my cock throbs. I slide my hand down over her hips, holding her tight to me. “Gabe? Can you cook the bacon?”

I groan and pull myself away from her. She’s torturing me and she knows it, but I’ll play her game for now. Because I’m going to make her beg me for every inch of this cock later.

“That was incredible,” Gabe puts his fork down across his empty plate and swallows the last mouthful of wine from his glass.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” I rub my index finger over the rim of my glass, smiling. I can tell that he loved the meal, but there’s still a hunger in his eyes that isn’t satisfied. It won’t be until he devours me too.

Butterfly wings tickle my insides as worry pierces the lust-filled fog in my brain. The sex we had at the club was unlike anything I have ever experienced before. What if it was unlike anything I can ever experience again? What if my first orgasm wasn’t just from Gabe, but the whole scene? Maybe it was also the club that brought me to climax, being surrounded by people fucking and kissing and sucking while being watched by an entire loft of strangers all while he brought me to heights I’ve never known before. What if that was a one-time thing and it was just as much the sex club as it was him? I don’t want to give myself to him again and disappoint both of us if I’m back to the same problem I had before.

“Do you want some more wine?” I reach for the new bottle I just opened since we went through the first one just while we made dinner, and try to focus on something else. Sitting here worrying isn’t going to get me to relax. I have had enough problems with trying to cum without adding all this pressure to it.

“No, I only want one more thing,” a flame of desire flickers behind his bright blue eyes, “you.”

I swallow hard and abruptly stand up, awkwardly trying to do something to avoid that look. It’s not that I don’t want him, I can barely breathe when I look at him because my body is so tightly coiled in anticipation of his touch. I have never wanted anyone in my life this badly.

Ever.

I just can’t stand to disappoint him. I would be humiliated if after what we shared, I went back to sex being something that is a lot of motions that don’t do anything for me and that lead to nothing. Sure, I could fake it if I had to, but I feel like he’d take one look at me, one look in my eyes, and he would know.

“I should get these dishes cleared up,” I announce too loudly, my hands trembling as I reach for his plate.

Gabe circles his fingers around my wrist and stands up, he pushes the plates out of the way, pressing into my ass. I can feel his rigid cock ready for me. My heart whooshes in my ears and my throat goes dry. I try to push down my anxieties, but I can’t.

His hands flatten over my hips and he turns me around effortlessly to face him, “The only thing I’m hungry for is your sweet pie,” he murmurs as he sucks my earlobe in over his lips and tenderly flicks it with his tongue. A million tiny currents of electricity seem to buzz from my earlobe and spread down through my body, shooting across my nipples and making them taut under my flimsy lingerie. Even more exhilarating jolts travel through me, down across my belly and straight to my pussy. I can’t help the weak mewling sound that escapes my lips. Desire floods my core and makes my mound slick with my juices.

Gabe leans me back on the table, stepping between my legs as my back is pressed flat against the cool hardwood. He towers over me, his thick, brawny shoulders look so wide as he leans over, letting his hands explore my curves. He pushes my tits together and then slides his palms down over my belly, stopping at the red ribbon on my hip. I shimmy up onto the table a bit more and I can see the flickering flame in his eyes explode into a raging inferno of need. I raise my arms up over my head and my breasts push forward as my back arches, my fingertips reach out until they grasp onto it. I grab the dew-covered bottle of wine and roll over off the table, clutching it with a smirk.

“Not so fast,” I tease him, “first I think we could use a little swim.” I walk backwards to the patio door and open it behind me before turning around and scurrying out to the pool. I gently place the wine bottle at the side and see him walk through the door, closing it behind him. Before Gabe has a chance to reach me, I step into the pool, with my teddy still on. The water rushes up to meet me as I disappear under the surface. Bubbles pop around me and I give a little kick, coming back up for air just in time to see Gabe strip all his clothes off, his huge cock swings, completely erect, like a pendulum. I gulp as he cannonballs into the water and a big, rippling wave splashes me in the face.

I swim over to the side and grab the bottle of wine, taking a sip straight from the bottle. Gabe pops up from the water beside me and I hand it over to him, watching him closely as he takes a long gulp.

He puts it back down on the tile and wraps his broad hand around the back of my head, pulling my lips into his kiss. The tension inside me melts away as I taste the wine on his tongue and our bodies press together.

I pull back and look at him closely.

“What is it?” He tilts his head and flicks some drops of water from his neat brown hair.

“I just, I mean, I know it’s not my business or anything, but I keep wondering what got you into the lifestyle you’re in. I don't want to sound like I’m being judgy or jealous, but, why do you go to those clubs? And, well, if you and I keep doing this, are you going to stop?” I can’t look at him. I don’t want him to see how much his answer could hurt me.

“Is that what you want Vanessa? Do you want this to be more?” I can feel his eyes on me, but I still don’t look up.

“Yes,” I whisper. “I do.”

“Then if I go to another one again, it will only be because you want me to fuck you like I did last night,” he murmurs and leans in for another kiss.

I bite my lip as memories flood my mind, overwhelming my senses. “Gabe,” I look up at him finally, the question still nagging at me, “why did you start going to them in the first place?”

Clouds roll over his sky-blue eyes and he frowns. “When I went to Afghanistan, I was engaged,” he confesses and for some reason it really surprises me. I guess I never thought of him as someone who would’ve tried to settle down before. “But she was definitely the wrong girl, even before she cheated on me, even before she left me because of this,” he touches his hand to his scars and I can see the sadness in his eyes. “We didn’t really love each other, so it didn’t take much to make it all fall apart.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

“Don’t be,” he shakes his head. “After that I went on a few dates and got set up a few times but it was always the same, as soon as they saw my fucked up face the date was dead in the water. It sounds vain, but it was crushing.”

“I can understand that,” I nod.

“So, when a buddy told me about these clubs, I kept ignoring him and putting it on the back burner of my mind. I never thought I’d really go, but after a particularly shitty date where the girl left as soon as she saw my scars, I said fuck this scene and went that night. And, for the first time, no one was looking at my face. No one cared if I’d been to war or asked about my scars. It was about one thing, and it made me feel less broken. At least it did for a while.”

“I get that,” I slide my hands over his shoulders and hold him against me tightly. His body is warm against mine and so inviting. “I don’t care about those scars Gabe,” I rest my forehead against his and he closes his eyes. “I still think you’re beautiful, and not just that ‘beautiful on the inside’ crap either. I think you’re sexy as fuck. No scars can take that from you.”

Gabe lets out a deep breath, like he’s been holding it in his lungs for years, and is only now able to release it. His eyelids flicker open and I can see tears pricking in the corners.

“Thank you.”

I clear my throat, trying to force the emotions stirring inside me back down. I’m not going to let myself get sucked in. I refuse to shed another tear for that shit. I refuse.

I let go of the pool and duck under the surface, wiping the water and my hidden tears off as I pop back up for air. Before Vanessa has a chance to drag anymore of my past out of me, I plant my hands on the side and easily slice up through the water, pushing myself out and standing up on the edge, towering over her. Water slowly slides over my body, rolling over my muscles, dripping off me onto the cool pavement.

Vanessa looks up at me in a daze. She’s normally pretty sly about stealing glances of my body, but not right now. Her big brown eyes are wide and staring straight at my cock. “Get up here,” I hold out my hand and she clasps onto my fingers. I yank her from the water in one quick pull and hold her against me. My cock is pressed against her soft skin, throbbing as her heat teases me.

“Gabe, I…” her voice is raspy and her breathing is quick and shallow. I don’t let her finish her thought, smothering her thoughts with my kiss.

“You’ve been toying with me all night, Vanessa.” I let my fingers thread up through the back of her hair and bunch it up in my hand so she’s under my control. “We’ve eaten, drank and talked, now it’s time you show me what else you can do with that sexy mouth of yours.” I tug her hair and guide her down my body to her knees. She slides down me like a stripper going down a pole, never breaking eye contact with me the entire time.

I wrap my free hand around the base of my cock and she gasps as I bring it to her mouth. “Be a good girl, Vanessa. I want to see every inch disappear past your lips,” I demand and her eyes flutter open.

“I can’t, it’s too big,” she whispers. I twist my fist in her hair and she moans softly. Her nipples are clearly outlined as they grow hard and push against the wet lingerie clinging to her body. She slides her hand down over her thigh and brushes it over her pussy as she trembles before me.

“I knew you were a naughty girl,” my voice is thick with desire as I watch her press down on the lace covering her mound, “you love this don’t you?”

“Mmm-hmm,” she licks my rigid cock from my balls and slowly drags her tongue up to the tip as she watches my face the entire time. Her other hand is still pressed between her legs as she opens her lips wide, and slides them over my cock. Her mouth is warm and inviting, she pushes her head down over me, taking me deeper in past her lips, but then she stops and begins to sputter.

Vanessa swirls her tongue over my shaft, lubricating it with her spit. She works the saliva down over the rest of my cock as she jerks my cock further into her mouth. She stops touching herself, wrapping both hands around the base and plunging her mouth over until she takes me a little further.

My eyes roll back and I sigh at the sky as she struggles to find a rhythm and suck me deeper inside. Suddenly she pops off completely, leaving my balls tight and aching as I look back down at her confused.

“I can’t take it all,” she sounds defeated. Her shoulders slump a bit and I untwist my hand from her hair and smooth it over the side of her face, tracing my thumb over her lips.

“That’s fine,” I reassure her. I don’t want to push her too far. It’s not worth it.

“No, I want to,” she cups my cock and pulls it toward her lips, stretching out her tongue, she flickers the tip and I thrust my hips involuntarily, chasing the overwhelming sensation. “Gabe,” she looks up at me shyly, “I want you to help me.”

“Help you?”

“I want you to fuck my face,” her voice is quiet but certain. I knew she had a dirty side, but I’m surprised. Still, I’m not going to argue with her.

“You are a bad girl, aren’t you?” I flatten my hands on each side of her head, “You want to feel my cock in your throat Vanessa? You want to choke on it?”

She nods up at me and I groan when I see the determination and desire flickering in her eyes.

“Open your mouth,” I demand and she does what she’s told. I slide my cock in over her lips carefully as I hold her head steady. Vanessa obediently stays kneeling in front of me, her hands wrap around the back of my thighs and she breathes deep, looking straight into my eyes as I push my cock into her face. I thrust it deep inside, but she still doesn’t take every inch, yet her eyes water as I push past the point where she stopped.

“Mmm,” her lips vibrate as she hums on my shaft approvingly.

“Keep going?” I want to make sure I don’t push her too hard or too far, but she nods slightly and I pump my girth into her mouth further. Her face flushes red and I hold her head tight as I bury my cock inside her mouth and pull back out quickly to the tip. She doesn’t try to release me from her mouth, instead she teases the head, sucking on it and driving me to the brink of my sanity. “I love you on your knees,” I growl and thrust into her mouth again, driving my cock in over her tongue and down to her throat. It takes everything I have, it takes more strength and determination than it took to get through my SEAL training, but I manage to find a shred of self-control and pull out. “But I want to bury my face between yours right now,” I release my hands from her face and step back from her. Confusion clouds her eyes as I walk away from her and I plunge back into the pool.

As I emerge from the water, I see Vanessa sitting on her perfectly round ass watching me closely. “What are you doing?” she almost sounds betrayed.

“Sit on the edge of the pool and I’ll show you.” I’m not really asking and she knows it. I can see her eyes twinkle as she realizes what I want and she crawls over to the side on her hands and knees, giving me a full view of her full, perky tits as she does.

Vanessa sits up and swings her legs over the edge of the pool, letting her feet dip into the water and I reach up, wrapping my hands over her hips and pull her closer until she’s barely clinging onto the edge.

“I need to taste you again,” my voice is thick with need as I hook my finger over the lace covering her pussy and tug it to the side. Her lips are shimmering with her juices and I lick my lips, hungry to lap them up.

Holding her under my control, I bury my head between her open thighs and gently pull one of her lips into my mouth, tugging it just a tiny bit before releasing it. I lick a long swipe of her other lip and then do the same thing, tugging a littler harder this time. Vanessa leans back on her hands and opens her legs wider for me as I delve my tongue in past her lips and plunge it into her core. Her pussy clenches against my tongue and her nectar splashes over it. She’s so tight and so sweet, my cock twitches in the cool water of the pool as I ache for her to be wrapped around me.

I slip back out of her center and slowly drag my tongue up to her clit as she gasps to the sky. My hands are holding her firm against my face as I savor every second, teasing her sensitive nub with my tongue. I flicker just the tip of my tongue over her clit in a flurry and then roll it flat against her slit before circling my lips around it and thrashing against her nub feverishly.

Vanessa’s thighs tense and she arches her back, pressing her sweet pussy against my face harder as I relentlessly pursue her pleasure with my tongue. She tosses her head back and cries out to the night sky as a ripple travels her body and she presses her thighs together tight, pushing my head away with both hands.

“Oh my God! Oh Gabe, oh fuck!” She loses control and vibrates against me as I smile smugly. “That was incredible,” she takes effort to talk, like each word is a breathless sentence. I let go of her hips and move back in the water.

“I’m glad, but I’m not done with you yet. Get your sweet ass in here,” I tug her ankles and she giggles, pushing herself off the edge of the pool and into the water. Her smile evaporates as she sees the burning lust in my eyes. I reach down under the water, “This has to go,” I tug the red ribbon that’s been taunting me all night, yanking it free and watching as her teddy falls open. I slide the fabric free from her silky shoulders and let the lace float away from us in the pool as I gaze over her sensual curves. “Fuck you’re sexy,” my voice is hoarse as my body pulses with need for her. “I have to have you again, Vanessa,” I confess. “I need to fuck you.” I flip her around so she’s facing the edge that I just ate her out on, and press up against her. I grind my cock into her perfect ass and she gasps with surprise.

“Not there!” She sounds alarmed. Of course, I wouldn’t fuck her ass without warning or lubrication.

I grind into her harder though and whisper in her ear, “Not tonight.” I wrap my hand around the base of my cock and press it against her pussy, the tip lined up at the entrance. “Tonight, I’ve got everything I want right here.” I thrust inside her, pushing into her, stretching her out and filling her until I’m completely buried inside.

“Ohhh!” Vanessa thrusts her ass out and flattens her head on the pool tile, holding on to the side so hard I can see her knuckles turn white.

“You’re so tight, I fucking love being inside you. This pussy is mine Vanessa, you understand? You’re mine,” I growl and thrust into her again hard.

“I’m yours,” she pants and I cover her own hands with mine as I pump into her hard and fast. She squeezes down against me and mewls as I fully sink into her, as deep as possible. I can’t hold back anymore, I bury my cock inside her, over and over again and each time harder than the last until my shaft twitches and my orgasm tears through me.

“Fuck!” I growl, as my cum spills into her, filling her up as my seed empties.

“Oh, oh, oh!” She quakes back against me, her pussy clenching tight as her muscles twist up and she throws her head back again.

For a moment we’re locked together, both panting, both breathing hard as we are intertwined in the water. I kiss the back of her neck and pull out, releasing her hands from my grasp. Vanessa turns around to face me, her eyes are bright and her lips swollen.

“It happened again,” she sounds completely amazed as she looks at me curiously. “What is it about you? She shakes her head in awe.

“It’s how I feel about you, it’s how you feel about me,” I explain and pull her in tight, “we are meant for each other.”

“I think you’re right, she murmurs and I let go of the side of the pool, leaning back in the water until I’m floating. I wrap one arm around her to keep her close and she floats next to me, both of us looking up at the sky, both of us lost souls who finally found the person that makes us whole in this universe.

“Alright everyone quiet on the set, we’re ready to shoot the rain sequence in five, four,” Bobby Bambino, our Director silently holds up three stubby fingers, then two and one. The cameras are all pointing just below the gushing sprinklers that are supposed to simulate a downpour in Manhattan.

“Nessa,” Erik silently creeps up on me and whispers in my ear. “I know you’re not really down with partying now that you’ve got your new fuck buddy over there.” He jerks his head to the seats where Gabe is sitting with Axle at his feet, “But I think we need to make some time off set to go over our scenes.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I hiss, “and besides, it’s none of your business.”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s a big mystery. He’s living at your house, hanging out in your trailer and you look at him after every scene like a lost puppy looking for its master,” his voice is hot and sticky in my ear. “But you go ahead and stick with your clueless act, it’s real cute,” he whispers.

“What’s the problem, Erik? Are you suddenly jealous? Did you think I was going to sit around crying about losing you? Get over yourself,” my own hushed tone gets a bit louder and the director gives us a look.

“But you did cry over me, didn’t you?” His smug smile makes me want to dig my fingernails into the sides of his eyes and drag them until he’s screaming and bleeding everywhere.

“Go fuck yourself Erik, I’m guessing that’s your favorite lay anyway,” I twist away from him but he grabs my arm and yanks me back. “Hey!” I don’t whisper this time.

“Better than fucking someone who lays there like a starfish,” he sneers.

Woof-woof! Grrr!

Axle races across the floor to my side and flashes his teeth at Erik. He immediately drops my arm and I rub my fingers over where he grabbed me tight.

“What the fuck man? Call off your gimped-up mutt,” Erik’s voice goes up a few octaves as he turns to the side and puts his hands out in Axle’s face.

Gabe rushes over to us, “Axle, down!” he commands and his dog instantly lays down and stops growling, but he doesn’t take his eyes off Erik.

“What the hell is going on over here? You’ve all ruined this shot, do you hear me? What the fuck is your problem?” Our Director Bobby angrily stomps over waving his hands in the air theatrically. His round face is growing redder by the minute. Even the massive sea of skin on his bald head is changing color.

“I was just talking to Nessa about our lines,” Erik whines like a little kid tattling to his mommy.

“Vanessa,” I correct him through gritted teeth.

“Whatever,” he ignores me, “and this dog made a run at me.” He points in Axle’s face.

“No, you grabbed me and the dog came over to protect me,” I argue.

Gabe stands up straighter and glares at Erik while Bobby shakes his head violently and starts yelling, “I don’t care! Okay? He said, she said, blah, blah, blah. All I care about is that my scene is ruined because of you two and this stupid dog! Now listen to what I’m saying right now because if you don’t, you guys might need to find another movie, got it?” He doesn’t wait for anyone to answer, his face is bordering on purple now and with his diet of mostly soda and salty snacks I’m a little concerned he might be having a stroke. “When I say quiet on the set, you two shut the fuck up! No whispering, don’t even look at each other! And that dog needs to go, right fucking now. Get him outta here and don’t bring him back anymore!” He stamps his feet like a three-year-old having a meltdown in a supermarket.

“Did you hear that, Quasi? You need to get your ugly-ass pooch out of here,” Erik looks so happy with himself, all puffed up like he just won a trophy.

“I heard,” Gabe sneers at him.

“Are you growling at me too? What are you gonna do, hit me?” Erik steps forward, and Gabe balls his fists tight, still not blinking his narrowed eyes.

I jump between them, “Don’t do it, please. Just let it go,” I plead into Gabe’s eyes and his rage begins to settle back down.  “Can you just take him back to my place, please?” I try to diffuse the situation, but I can see the pain in Gabe’s eyes as he realizes I’m asking him to leave too. “I’ll see you at the end of the day, okay?” I cup my hand on his jaw and he looks away, betrayal clouding his face.

Gabe turns away and whistles, “C’mon Axle, let’s go.” His dog obediently follows him.

“That’s right, do as your little lady tells ya,” Erik yells out.

“You’re not worth it man. You’re not worth a fucking thing,” Gabe calls back and nonchalantly walks to the door as Erik’s shoulders slump forward.

“Whatever,” Erik pouts and storms off the set leaving me in the sights of Bobby’s anger.

“I’m gonna go to my trailer too,” I awkwardly tell him, like he gives a shit.

He doesn’t.

As I make my way to the trailer, tears spring to my eyes. Fuck Erik and his petty bullshit. I hated seeing that pain in Gabe’s eyes, but what was I supposed to do? A knot ties up in my stomach as I curl up in my recliner. Is he, mad at me? Or just Erik? I’m second-guessing everything and the knot in my gut ties tighter. Great, now I just have about eight more hours on set to wait until I can go smooth things over with Gabe.

Fuck.

“I wish I would’ve smashed his smarmy fucking face,” I growl and wipe up the beads of water sliding down my body with a towel. Axle listens to me intently and I get the feeling he understands. He wanted to take a piece out of that guy as much as I did.

Once I’m dried down, I wrap the towel around my waist and walk from the pool to the house. I thought that a dip in the refreshing water would cool me off, but no such luck. I’m still fuming about what happened on the set. Axle walks in through the door behind me and I shut it, looking around the vacant house blankly.

Now what am I supposed to do?

“I’m supposed to be her fucking bodyguard, not some kind of potted plant just sitting in her empty house looking pretty. This is stupid,” I shake my head and walk down to my room like a kid who got grounded for staying out too late.

The tags on Axle’s collar jingle as he loyally follows me. Everywhere I go, he’s on my heel. He’s the best trained dog in this town, I’d even bet he’s better trained than those stupid Hollywood mutts. He’s got a rank in the United States military for God’s sake, he specialized in bomb sniffing but also knew how to watch for suspicious behavior and take down a perp. If he went after Erik, it’s because that douche deserved it. No question.

“And now what are we supposed to do?” I look into his soulful brown eyes and sigh. “Are we supposed to hang out here everyday? Or am I supposed to drop you off at doggy daycare so I can go hang out in Vanessa’s trailer for hours on end? This whole thing is stupid. I’m going to have to talk to her, I’m not sure we can keep doing this,” I run my hand through my damp hair and drop my towel to the floor. Since I took a dip in her pool naked, I don’t have a soggy swimsuit to worry about. Instead I flick on the television hoping there’s something on to distract me as I rustle through my clothes to find some clean underwear and pants to put on.

I need to do laundry. Or maybe I should buy a few more clothes. I only wear a couple of pairs of jeans and a rotation of about five shirts, day after day. I squat down and rummage through my duffle bag, finally grabbing what are probably my last pair of clean underwear and put them on.

Br-ring!

I glance over at my cell, that’s probably Vanessa. I imagine she wants to apologize for that shit show on the set. I mean, I know it’s not her fault, but it would still cool the embers of anger burning in my gut to talk to her about what a twatwaffle her co-star is.

Br-ring!

I swipe my thumb across the phone and hop into my bed, “Hello?”

“Hey man! I got ya, awesome!” I was expecting Vanessa, so it takes me a second to place the voice.

Ryan.

“Hey bud, what’s happening?” I lean back against the pillows and remember that he said he’d be heading to Los Angeles to visit me soon. I completely forgot with all the distractions around here. Until today, they were welcome distractions too.

“I’m gonna be in your neck of the woods tomorrow. I was hoping we could meet up for a bit, maybe hang for a night? Are you still cool with that?”

I look around the guest bedroom I’m staying in and sigh. The problem with this job, with this whole situation is, I have no idea what’s going on. I don’t know if Vanessa needs me around here at night. I don’t know if I’m even going to the set with her anymore… I just don’t know.

“Yeah man, I’m sure we can figure out something,” I try not to commit to anything.

“Cool, so are you still good with me crashing at your place for a couple of nights while I’m there?”

I forgot I told him he could stay in my rental. Not that it’s a big deal, I just need to meet up with him and give him the key, “Sure Ryan, you can stay there as long as you like man,” I look up at the television and my eyes slide open wide with surprise as I see Vanessa on the screen being followed by some TMZ camera guy.

“Hey, I’m gonna need to call you back, okay? I’ve gotta go,” I don’t wait for his answer, instead I end the call and reach for the remote cranking the volume up.

Vanessa is looking down at the ground like she’s trying to hide from the camera behind her hair as she makes her way out of, some kind of cafe. Behind her is Erik, mugging at the camera like he can’t get enough of it.

“Is it true that you two are back together? Has your on-screen romance rekindled something?” The faceless man behind the camera asks.

Vanessa looks like she’s grinding down her teeth as she tries to walk away from them.

“Us?” Erik answers, “Nah, Vanessa is off the market right now, aren’t you Nessa?”

She shoots him a look and he smiles broadly.

“Who’s the lucky guy, Vanessa?” The man recording them shouts.

“It’s her bodyguard. Right?” Erik stays on her heels like Axle does to me.

“Really? That guy?” the guy conducting the ‘interview’ says.

“It’s not true,” Vanessa answers flatly, glaring at Erik. “I’m not seeing anyone, just enjoying the single life,” Vanessa forces a thin-lipped smile at the camera. “Anyway, we’ve got to go guys, nice seeing you,” she practically runs up to the car and hops in.

My blood boils at the whole scene. I’m not sure what part has me angrier, the fact that Erik takes so much joy from making her miserable and putting her on the spot, or the fact that she denied our relationship.

Her words from the other night ring in my ears. About how it’s best not to respond to tabloids when they speculate on romantic connections because it just fuels them.

I guess there’s always exceptions to the rule when the speculation is about someone who looks like me.

I slurp another mouthful from my cup of noodles and cringe. After eating Vanessa’s cooking, these cheap noodles taste like flakes of burnt rubber floating in salt water. This, is why you shouldn’t get used to the finer things in life, because eventually it all comes to an end. It’s a lot harder to go back to discount bins and coupons when you’ve been living all your champagne wishes and caviar dreams.

The same goes for women.

Just as my head gets muddled with thoughts of Vanessa, the door opens and she walks into the house like a zombie. She’s gotta be exhausted, the way she’s moving makes me feel sore and I’ve been sitting around the house all day.

“Hey,” she gives me an uncertain smile that I don’t return. “Don’t eat that Gabe, let me make you something,” she offers.

“I’m good. Besides it’s not your job to cook for me,” my voice is like a steel rod, cold and hard.

“I know it’s not my job,” she frowns a little and looks into my eyes, but I’ve already put up my defences. Around my heart is a cage of barbed wire. I refuse to act like a fool, running around with my heart on my sleeve for a woman that’s ashamed of me.

“Speaking of jobs,” my words slice through the air as I lean back on the kitchen counter and level her with my glare. “What’s the plan here, Vanessa? Am I supposed to sit around your house now while you go to work? It doesn’t seem like you need me if that’s the case.”

“No, I don’t think so,” she rubs her hands over her temples and looks down, “listen I know you’re upset about what happened this morning, but it’s not like I kicked you off the set, why are you mad at me?” She tilts her head and searches my face, but I’m made of stone. I don’t move a muscle or give anything away with my expression.

“You didn’t go out of your way to try to keep me there though did you? It was my understanding that I was hired on to be a bodyguard, not a house-sitter,” I force the bitter words from my mouth.

“What was I supposed to do? Argue with the director? Get fired because of Axle? Come on, give me a break here,” she seems to be wilting as she pleads her case, her exhaustion spreading over her face in weary lines.

“Because of Axle? No. He didn’t do anything other than try to protect you. Erik is the problem here, not my dog,” I puff up indignantly.

“Ok, yeah, you’re right. My bad. It is definitely Erik’s fault. Listen, it’s been a long day, can we just agree he’s a piece of shit and move on already?” She crosses the floor with her hands upturned, trying to cuddle up to me but I don’t slide my arms around her. I don’t breathe in the soft scent of her hair or run my thumb over her jaw. I don’t move at all.

“I saw you on TV,” I can feel her body stiffen and she steps back. “You were on TMZ today,” my voice is low and emotionless.

“Oh, you saw that,” she looks up at me nervously.

“I didn’t realize I embarrassed you,” I stare her down and she knows exactly what I’m talking about. Red rushes over her cheeks as she looks down to the kitchen floor.

“You don’t embarrass me, that’s ridiculous,” she frowns.

“Really? So why is it when those stupid shows say that you and Erik are back together you don’t respond but when they ask about me you deny it? Maybe it’s because people thinking you’re Erik’s fuck toy makes you more popular in Hollywood? Or maybe it’s because of these,” I wave my hand over the side of my face covered in scars. “Probably both,” I know I’m being an asshole, but I want her to hurt like she hurt me.

“How can you say that? You know I hate him!” She meets my eyes and I can see anger flash behind them.

“Then why did you say that?”

“Because I’m trying to protect you!” She tries to hold my hands but I cross my arms.

Her words are a slap in the face. Protect me?

“Well, if you think I’m so fucking fragile that I need your protection then I don’t think I’ve done a very good job here. You should probably find someone else to be your bodyguard, or sit in your trailer or look after your house, or whatever the fuck this stupid job really is. I’m done.”

“Gabe!”

I storm out of the kitchen and don’t turn back when she calls me. It only takes a few seconds to stuff my belongings back in my duffle bags. I throw them over my shoulders and whistle to Axle who is immediately at my side.

“Where are you going? This is stupid. I didn’t mean protect you like that. Come on, just talk to me,” she follows me to the door as I put my shoes on.

“I know exactly what you meant. I’m not some frail little flower that you need to keep in a glass dome, Vanessa. And I’m not buying that you were looking out for my feelings anyway because if you really gave a shit about my feelings you wouldn’t have pretended that I’m no one to you. But then again, maybe you were on to something there,” I open the door and look back at her. I refuse to let the tears slowly sliding over her cheeks affect me. I’m done with the melodrama, I’m done with this whole thing.

“Gabe, please come inside and talk to me! You’re blowing this whole thing out of proportion,” she cries.

Am I? Because it seems to me she’s perfectly happy to have me as her behind the scenes love interest, but the second it’s brought out into the light, just like my scars, the ugly truth comes out.

She’s ashamed of me.

“You take care of yourself,” I walk down the path to her driveway and jump in my Jeep. My eyes only flicker to Vanessa for a second. She’s backlit by the lights in the house as she stands in her doorway watching me leave. For a second I feel my anger slip away into sadness, but I push it back down. I throw it in reverse and turn my head to look behind me as I back out onto the road. I don’t look in the rearview mirror as I drive away. There’s no point in looking behind.

Instead I take a few deep breaths and grab my cell out of my pocket. I need to get out of here and forget all of this. I swipe my thumb across the screen and hit call. It rings in my ear a couple of times but he picks up.

“Hey Ryan? I’m glad you answered. Listen bud, forget about slumming it at my place while you’re here. There’s been a slight change of plans, okay?”

“Sure Gabe, what’s up?” I can hear air rushing over his phone as he talks to me, he must be outside.

“Make sure you get a good night’s sleep and you get good and hydrated ‘cause you and I, we’re going to Vegas.”

The set is quiet and down to only the essential crew. It still feels like a lot of people who will see me naked. Today we’re shooting a teaser scene where my character is trying to seduce Erik’s character by leaving her door open when she gets changed. On screen, my body will be silhouetted, but in the shadow, you will still be able to make out every curve, even my hard nipples.

I’m nervous, I shiver in my robe and instinctively look out past the almost blinding lights and search for Gabe. My heart squeezes in my chest and my lungs collapse all the air from them when I remember, again, that he’s gone.

I still haven’t told the studio about him walking off the job and walking out on me. I spent all night hoping he’d come back, calling him and leaving voice messages that he never answered. I honestly never meant to hurt him, but I did. And now I don’t think I’ll ever see him again.

My eyes line with tears and I quickly wipe them away before they have a chance to ruin my makeup. I already had to spend longer than usual in the chair with my makeup artist scolding me for my puffy eyes from hours of crying.

“Alright, Vanessa, you ready hon? We’re gonna try to get this in as few takes as possible. I know it’s a little cold in here and I don’t want you to be too uncomfortable,” Bobby’s gruff voice calls out from behind the viewing screen.

I take a deep breath, it’s time to take off the robe. Of all the people here, the only one I really don’t want to see me naked is Erik. It doesn’t even make sense since he’s seen me naked plenty of times when we dated. However, now I feel like I should be shielded from his eyes. Like my body isn’t something he gets to soak in anymore. I feel like only Gabe should get that privilege.

You’ve gotta concentrate, I chide myself silently. “Ready,” my voice sounds anything but, as I slide my robe slowly down my shoulders and avoid Erik’s stares.

The cold instantly makes my nipples taut and my body covers in gooseflesh. Standing tall, I force myself to throw my shoulders back and lift my eyes from the floor.

“Quiet on the set! We’re gonna record in five…”

“Whew,” Erik gives a low whistle.

“Four!”

“If your body looked like that when I was fucking you, maybe I wouldn’t have shopped around,” Erik’s eyes flicker over me like he’s admiring an expensive watch at a jewelry shop.

“Fuck you Erik!”

“What? It’s a compliment!” he smiles.

I walk off the set, snatch my robe from my assistant’s hands and quickly wrap it back around me. My head is buzzing like a hornet’s nest as the set explodes with the panicked crew freaking out about me ruining their shot. The loudest voice of all is Bobby’s.

I don’t care. Fuck Erik and fuck this movie. I’m done with this shit.

Tears blind my sight as I walk off in a huff. In nothing but a housecoat, I walk out of the studio and into the lot where the drivers are killing time on their phones, while they wait on standby in their cars.

I grab the car door handle and whip the door open, sliding inside and slamming it shut behind me. The driver turns in his seat and doesn’t say a word about how I’m dressed or my tears. He’s probably seen worse. This is Hollywood.

“Where can I take you, ma’am?” He looks at me, but I don’t know. I have nothing waiting for me at home. I feel like I have nothing for me here either.

“I need a minute,” I answer and he nods, turning back around.

I slide my hand into the pocket of my robe and pull out my cell, pressing Fiona’s number as I pull a trembly breath into my lungs.

“Hey, hey, if it isn’t my shining star. How’s it going?” Fiona answers cheerily.

“Not good,” I swallow the lump in my throat and try to stop the tears from falling down my cheeks.

“Why? What’s wrong?” Her tone immediately changes as she listens intently.

“I don’t think I can do this Fiona! I can’t work with Erik, I fucking hate him. He’s impossible to work with and nothing about this movie is working out the way it was supposed to,” I wail. “This was supposed to be for me, you know? I was supposed to find my sexuality in this role, but I didn’t.”

I see the driver raise his eyebrows in the rearview mirror, but I ignore him. “You know where I found it? With Gabe, but now he’s walked out on me and I don’t have a bodyguard and I don’t have him and I don’t want this stupid fucking job anymore,” I sniffle as my nose runs and my mascara blots under my eyes.

“Whoa, slow down,” Fiona takes a deep breath, “so you are hooked up with that guy? Isn’t he the one with the monster cock that was watching us drive away from that club?”

“He was, we were together, but I told a reporter that we weren’t together and he said I was embarrassed by him and he left.”

“Ugh, you lost out on that huge dong? That is a shame,” I hear her lighter flick as she pulls her first puff of smoke into her lungs. “Wait, did he make you cum? Oh, let a girl dream!” She sounds so happy I want to smack her. Hasn’t she heard a single word I said?

“Yes,” I admit and wipe my tears away.

“Oh my God! And you didn’t call me? Are you fucking kidding right now?” She loses her mind and I have to pull the phone away from my ear because she’s shrieking so loud.

“Fiona, can you just focus for one minute,” I sigh.

“Ok, fine,” I can almost see her downturned lips. She loves nothing more than to dish dirt and I know she’s not happy with me that I’ve been leaving her out of the loop. “Listen, this is what you’re going to do,” her voice is matter-of-fact. “You’re gonna finish crying, wipe your face and go back on that set and do your job!”

“But!” I begin to protest.

“No, you called me for advice right? So, listen. Men are a dime a dozen in this town. This role is a once in a lifetime opportunity. So, you hate Erik. So, what? You think you’re the first actress to hate their co-star?”

“No, but…”

“No ‘buts’! Listen, you’ve already lost the man, let it go and move on. Do you really want to lose the only other thing you’ve got happening for you right now? Do you want to flush it all down the toilet? Because that’s what you’re talking about doing right now,” she lectures me sternly.

“No,” I whisper. “I don’t want to lose everything,” I admit.

“Then pull up your big girl panties and march your ass on set and show them how a professional does this shit. Worry about the man later. If it’s meant to be, it’ll work out. If not, then you dodged a bullet. At least you got something good out of the whole thing,” she muses.

“Ok,” I take a huge lungful of air and nod my head, “you’re right. I’m going to shoot the scene and get through this stupid day.”

“Good girl,” she breathes out a puff of smoke onto the receiver. “Oh and Vanessa?”

“Yeah?”

“You better call me when you get home and catch me up on this shit,” she warns.

“I will,” I can’t help but smile as I hang up. Fiona and her one-track mind.

Wiping my hands over my face I get myself pumped up and grab the car handle, “I won’t be needing to go anywhere, but thank you for waiting,” I tell the driver.

“It’s what I do,” he shrugs.

I open the door and step back outside. Okay, I look up at the studio door, let’s do this.

Ryan’s got us bellied up to the side of the stage in perv alley, sipping drinks and shooting the shit as girl after girl gets up and shakes her ass. It’s funny how guys talk at strip clubs, sitting side by side, eyes on the stage, never looking at each other. The only other place I’ve carried on conversations the same way has been at confession. Now, instead of pouring out my sins to a priest, I’m indulging in the exact sort of thing I’d be confessing about.

I sip my drink and push the thought from my head. You know you’re having a rip-roaring great time in Vegas when you’re thinking stupid shit like this. Instead I try to focus on what Ryan’s going on about. Anything to keep my thoughts from straying back to her.

Vanessa.

“Yeah, Connor has a pretty sweet setup. He’s renovated this huge ass cabin outside the city. He seems pretty happy,” he doesn’t look away from the curvy dancer up on stage, she’s doing a handstand and making her ass clap to the beat of the music. It’s impressive, but the big T and A show doesn’t do much for me. Not when I had pure perfection at my fingertips only a day ago.

“That’s great, he deserves a good life,” I answer earnestly. Our old SEAL Lieutenant is a great guy, I should really give him a call sometime. All of us were there the day the IED hit. We all went through it, but Ryan is the only one of us who has gone out of his way to keep in contact. The rest of us all preferred to bury the horrors of war deep inside, and unfortunately, that meant burying friendships with some of the best men I’ve ever known too.

“Yeah man, we all do, right? We did our duty, now it’s time to reap the fucking rewards,” Ryan tosses back another mouthful of his drink, finishing it up. He plops the empty glass down hard and looks around for the server.

“Woah bud, you can slow your roll a bit,” I nod to what must be his seventh empty glass in a little more than two hours, “we’ve got all night.”

“Okay mom,” Ryan laughs, “are you going to tell me I’ve got a fucking curfew too? Huh?” He punches me in the shoulder playfully. “We’re in fucking Vegas! Cut loose, live a little.”

“I am,” I lie. It’s hard to get excited about any of the flashy women or the booze. It’s like going to an all-you-can-eat buffet after eating nothing but exquisite meals from an award- winning chef who cooks just for you. Sure, you’ll get stuffed at the buffet, there might even be a dish or two that aren’t too bad, but it’s all just greasy, cheap food. Nothing compared to the masterpieces you’re used to eating.

Thinking about good food just puts my mind right back on Vanessa. That meal she made the other night was something else. And the dessert, well, that’s something I hope my old age and fading memory never take from me.

“Gabe, you couldn’t be less enthusiastic if you tried. Why are you such a wet blanket man? Is it that girl you were working for?”

“You could say that,” the music changes and a new woman comes out onto the stage just as a server brings Ryan another drink.

“Thanks babe,” he smiles at her, “keep ‘em coming.”

“Sure thing,” she winks at him and checks on me, “you want another?”

“Naw, I’m good thanks,” I wave my hand. Ryan throws a twenty on her tray and she grins.

“Keep the change,” he waves her off.

“Thanks hun.”

Ryan takes a long gulp of his fresh drink and a third of it disappears down his throat.

“Bro, you’re gonna regret drinking like that later,” I warn him.

“Man, don’t worry so much about me, okay? I’ve got it fucking covered,” he snaps at me and actually breaks his endless staring at the girl on stage to give me a pointed look.

“Alright man, whatever,” I back down. I haven’t seen Ryan in forever, lecturing him on drinking isn’t how I want to catch up.

“Besides, it sounds like you’ve got your own shit to worry about,” the tension seems to slide down his shoulders and out of his body as he looks back up at the fiery redhead on stage. “So, if you like this chick so much, why’d you quit?”

“It’s complicated,” I sigh and sip my rum and Coke.

“You fucked her didn’t ya?”

“Yeah, but that’s not why it’s complicated,” I shrug.

“You fall for her?”

I don’t want to answer. I refuse to let myself think about it. “She’s not into me, not in public anyway. She’s cool with me when it’s just us, but when a reporter asked her about me she denied everything. This embarrasses her,” I vaguely wave my hand over my face.

“Did she say that?”

I don’t have a chance to answer because the stripper on stage crawls over to us and points at Ryan. He sits up straight and she flips around, twerking her ass on all fours so he can see her glistening pussy full on.

I look down at my drink, I’m not interested in what she’s doing. I’ve had enough cheap food at this buffet. All I want, all I can think about, is my five-star meal.

I throw the last of my drink back and stand up, “I’ve gotta get out of here man, are you coming?”

Ryan looks at me, then back to the girl on stage, then back at me. For a second I’m pretty sure he’s staying, but he stands up and grimaces as he follows me out of the club.

“Dude, seriously?” He frowns at me.

“Sorry man, I think I’m just hungry. I need to grab some grub,” I lie.

“Gabe, enough of the sad puppy thing, okay? You’re obviously not over this chick, like, at all. Are you sure you’re not overreacting about this whole interview thing?” We stroll down the strip and avoid the people carrying margaritas and the girls wearing booty shorts and tube tops. One has a veil on her head and garter on her thigh. Women who are about to get married must be the rowdiest, dirtiest people on the planet. People always go on about bachelor parties, but the ladies are even crazier.

“I don’t know,” I admit. “I didn’t really let her explain,” it occurs to me for the first time.

“Look, why don’t you go back to the hotel and give her a call, or better yet, sober up and go talk to her. I know you’ve been through some shit, Gabe, and I know your fiancé ditching you fucked you up man, but not everything is about your scars. You’re the only one who makes it about them all the time. There’s a lot of people who still see past that shit, even if you can’t,” he claps his hand on my shoulder sloppily and I soak in his words.

They say that honesty comes out of the mouths of children and drunks. Maybe Ryan’s got a point. Do I make everything about the damage I suffered? Am I just damaged?

“I don’t know,” I answer slowly.

“I do. Look, brother, I love ya. You know that, but you and Vegas don’t mix right now. Go see her, talk it out, and hear what she has to say. If it’s about your face, then at least you know, but if it’s not, don’t you want to know that too?” He looks at me with his deep blue eyes.

“What are you gonna do if I go?”

“Have some fucking fun for once,” he laughs. “The waitress at the strip club gave me her number,” he gives me a sly smile. “When she gets off in an hour I’m gonna make sure she keeps getting off all night.”

I think it over, looking around the sidewalk of drunks and people having a great time. He’s right, I’m not enjoying myself here. I feel like a shit friend, but I know what I need to do.

I need to see her.

I slowly circle my legs on the elliptical doing the laziest, least effective workout possible as I watch television and talk to Fiona with my hands-free all at the same time. Multi-tasking doesn’t let me focus on the pain, even when I’m explaining everything that happened to my agent.

“So, what you’re saying is Erik fucked this up for you too?” Fiona asks and I nod like she can see me.

“Yup, it’s so messed up. I feel like I’m just lost without him too, like the house seems too empty now. I miss him,” my heart tugs in my chest and I pedal faster, trying to outrun the pain. I know I’m going to regret this late-night chat tomorrow, but it’s not like I can just shut off my mind and go to sleep. My body craves his arms around me now. The bed feels empty without him.

“Do you love him?” Leave it to Fiona to cut right to the quick.

“I, uh, don’t know,” I lie, my heart knows the truth. I never would’ve believed I could fall for someone as quickly as I did for Gabe, but when two souls connect like we did, time doesn’t seem to matter all that much.

Or at least it didn’t. Now every hour without him stretches on like a month. I went from not noticing the days that slid by when he was by my side to being painfully aware of every second without him. It’s so hard to go from living with someone to nothing. I haven’t heard from him since he walked out of here, and time has slowly ticked by ever since.

“You don’t sound that unsure to me,” she presses me but I ignore her.

“You know it’s crazy, but I even miss his dog. Like, right now I can almost hear him barking,” I sigh.

“No, that’s not your imagination Vanessa, I hear a dog barking too,” she laughs at me.

“Oh,” I pull my headset off my ears and tilt my head, sure enough I can hear a dog outside my house somewhere.

Thud-thud-thud!

Wait, is someone at my door? I jump off the elliptical and my heart pounds in my chest, “Fiona, someone is here, I’ve gotta go!” I hang up my cell and rush to the door, “Coming!” I don’t use my sing-songy voice this time. Instead I sound desperate as I race across the floor. I yank the door open and my heart leaps in my throat as I look at Gabe and Axle standing on my front step.

“I’m sorry, I know it’s late,” Gabe runs his hand through his brown hair and looks down at me. “Can we talk?” He looks at me like there’s a chance I might say no.

’There isn’t.

“Yeah, of course. Come in, I was up anyway,” I move out of the way and they walk in as I close the door behind them. I have a million questions that I leave unasked on my tongue. I can see he’s struggling and I don’t want to watch him storm out of here again without hearing me out, so instead of asking him why he didn’t call me or answer my texts, I lead the way to the living room and plop down on the couch.

Gabe sits beside me and Axle lies down on the floor like he’s happy to be back.

I’m happy to have him back. Both of them.

Gabe looks down at his hands and I can smell the faint scent of alcohol. “Have you been drinking?”

“What? No, well, yeah, I was, but that was hours ago. I drove here from Vegas,” he looks tired as he meets my eyes.

“From Vegas? Like Las Vegas?” I look at the time on my phone.

“Is there another one?” His eyes look bleary as he watches me. “I made good time, it only took three hours, what I have to tell you, I didn’t want to do this on the phone,” his lips turn down and I study his face.

“I’m listening,” I put down my phone and ignore the fact that I’m supposed to get up to meet my trainer in less than five hours. I don’t care.

Gabe looks down at the floor and sighs, for a moment, I don’t think he’s going to talk at all. The silence between us is roaring like an ocean breaking in my ears.

“When I was in the SEALs,” his voice is little more than a whisper, but it makes me jump in my seat, “I had a stupid fucking nickname, Gabe the Babe,” he chuckles dryly. “And you know what, I was proud of that name. I wore that shit like a badge of honor because that’s who I was,” he stresses his words. “I was my looks. Period. I was shallow and vain and I didn’t give a fuck because I looked good and everyone knew it,” he balls up his fist and hits his hand wrapping his palm around it.

I slide my fingers over his hands and he looks up at me, like I pulled him from another time. He almost looks surprised to be sitting here. “Gabe, I didn’t mean to say…”

“Let me finish,” his voice creaks, “please.”

I nod and close my mouth, but I don’t move my hand from his.

“So, when this shit happened,” he moves his hand from under mine and sweeps it across his face, “I already told you my fiancé called it quits. And that stung, but it wasn’t the end of my world. It wasn’t until I was fully patched up and I got to go home and see my folks,” his chin quivers slightly and he breathes in a shaky breath. “See, when I was growing up, my mom was always bragging about me. You know, like every mom does, but her big thing was that I was her beautiful boy. She constantly said that, even when I was a teenager and it made me cringe, even before I left for my deployment. Anyway, when I came back she never said it anymore. I wasn’t her beautiful boy, just her broken boy. And it made me realize that if my own mother couldn’t see that in me anymore then it really was gone,” his voice chokes up.

“That’s not true,” I protest, but he holds up his hand and I bite my tongue.

“I was out with a SEAL buddy I served with tonight and he told me something, he said I make everything about my scars. Not other people, but me. And I realized it was true. When I saw you on TMZ denying you and I had anything, the first thing I thought of was that you were ashamed of how I look, because if my own mother couldn’t see any beauty in me anymore, how could you?” Gabe wipes the tears he’s been holding back from the corners of his eyes and looks at the ground.

I scoot closer to him and wrap my arms around him, letting him take the time he needs. Finally, Gabe opens his arms and pulls me into him and I feel like I’m home.

“Gabe, the reason I said that wasn’t because I was ashamed. Not at all,” I find it hard to talk around the lump growing in my throat. “It was because this town has a way of ruining every good thing for me. I didn’t want us to be under that kind of pressure, you know? I didn’t want it to be about them, I wanted you to myself. Just for me. Look at me,” I tenderly cup my hand on the side of his jaw and he looks at me with his red-rimmed eyes. “You are beautiful Gabe. When I look at you, I don’t see scars, I don’t care about them at all. I see you,” tears fall down my cheeks and he swipes his thumb over them.

“Vanessa, I love you,” he leans in until our foreheads are touching.

“I love you too,” I let myself admit the truth finally.

Gabe’s hands slide around my back and he pulls me into him tight, kissing me hard. I can feel the urgency, the pain, the longing and the sorrow in his kiss. I can feel the burden he’s carried all this time and I can feel his willingness to have a fresh start. Our tongues confide our deepest secrets as they dance together, telling each other much more than what we could ever express in words.

Suddenly Gabe stands up and holds out his hand to me, I clasp it and as I rise to my feet, he lifts me up and carries me. I rest my head against his broad chest, feeling safe in his arms. “I missed you,” I murmur, “I couldn’t sleep without you.”

“Well, I think we should get to bed,” he kisses my nose as he walks me down the hall to my room, “but I don’t know if I’m going to help with that sleep problem. Not until I’ve thoroughly worn you out,” he steps into my bedroom and lays me gently on the bed.

Gabe stands at the edge of my bed, staring down at me. My cheeks flush and I squirm a little as he doesn’t move a muscle. He just gazes over me, unblinking.

“What are you doing?” I shrivel up a little against the bedspread, feeling vulnerable. As he stands there, like a towering statue, examining me, I feel more exposed than I ever did at the sex club with him. I’m not sure how that’s possible, how he can see into me like this. Why do I get the feeling he can see my secrets? Why does it feel like my truth is revealed to his eyes?

“I’m sorry,” he seems to suddenly realize how uncomfortable he’s making me and blinks like he just woke up from a long nap where you aren’t sure what time of day or night it is because everything's so blurry. “I just can’t believe I was almost stupid enough to lose this,” his voice is thin and strained, “to lose you. It just would’ve been too much.” Gabe climbs onto the bed, planting his arms on either side of me and kisses me tenderly.

“Well, you didn’t lose me,” I slide my fingers over the side of his face and get lost in his sea blue eyes. “I’m right here,” I smile.

“I know,” he lays me back on my pillow and sits between my legs, still staring at me, but now I understand why. “And now I want to see all of you,” Gabe leans over me, kissing a slow, lazy trail down my neck, the heat of his breath billowing over my sensitive skin. His lips stop at the strap of my tank top and he sits up, tugging my hands softly to help me up too.

“You’re so beautiful Vanessa,” he murmurs as he slips his hands under my shirt and I lift my hands in the air, granting him permission to take it off. “Every single part of you,” he lets my shirt dangle from his fingertips for a moment before gravity tugs it to the floor. The entire time he never stops looking at me, watching me, soaking me in like it’s not physically possible for him to look away. I reach behind and unclasp my bra, letting the lacy cups fall free from my breasts and toss it away.

Gabe guides me back to the bed, laying me down and softly cups my breasts as he licks a circle around my pink nipple. He takes his time with me, there’s no urgency in his actions. Instead, it’s as if he’s savoring every inch of my skin. He tugs my nipple in past his lips and I arch my back at the buzzing sensation that fires through me. My skin prickles with heat as he kisses over to my other breast, licking and rubbing his thumb over my nipple until it’s a diamond tip.

His mouth is soft as he kisses and nibbles a path down my belly to my pants. Gabe opens my yoga pants from my body, but doesn’t try to take them off. Instead he slides his hand in under my panties and plunges it into my wet pussy. He pulls it out, looking at his glistening fingers before he licks my juices off everyone. “You taste amazing,” he meets my eyes again and I can feel my skin heat up as a blush travels over my cheeks.

Gabe shimmies my pants down over my hips and my panties slide down with them, he tugs them free from my legs leaving me completely naked. I begin to feel a bit uncomfortable just lying here my skin bare, my soul bare, and my love exposed, while he takes his time looking me over.

How am I able to stand naked under the scrutiny of all the crew working on my set, or under the peeping eyes of complete strangers in the sex club and not feel as raw and stripped down as I do right now. What is it about him?

I sit up, trying to push away the feeling, and help take his shirt off. He pulls it free easily and it disappears with the other clothing on the floor. My fingers fumble with his belt and he grabs my hands, stopping me and pops the button, tugging the zipper down quickly. His movements are so smooth, like a cool ebb and flow of the waves. Before I know it, he’s removed his pants and his hand slides up over his stiff cock as he looks over me. That stare, those eyes, it makes me melt inside. I lay back on the bed and pull him on top of me, but he rolls over and sits me up on his hips.

“No, I want to see you Vanessa. I don’t want you hiding from me anymore. I want to see all of you, every beautiful curve, and every sexy inch. All those parts you’ve told yourself are flaws, are amazing. I want to watch you bounce on top of me, I need to see everything.

I sit up taller and straddle his huge cock, feeling braver, sexier than usual. I wish I could see myself through his eyes, but right now it’s enough to know how he sees me.

Gabe grabs the base of his shaft and I slowly slide it inside me. I can feel my walls stretching out to make room for him as I push my ass down and feel fuller than I’ve ever felt. He thrusts his hips up as I buck mine down, removing any remaining space between us. He runs his hands over the length of me and reaches up to my breasts, giving them a squeeze and I swirl my hips, riding him slowly. Just like one of those bucking bulls you see at the bars, I begin slow and start rocking as he drives his cock into me. I feel like I should be holding my cowgirl hat in the air as we go faster and harder, my tits bounce as my ass claps down on him with every thrust.

“Lean back,” his voice is raspy but demanding.

I lean back and grab his legs for support as he slides his thumb in past my lips and onto my clit. Inside me I can feel an incredible pressure building up as his cock rubs against my inner wall and makes me gasp loudly at the new sensation. Gabe fucks me harder and I hold onto his legs tightly as the powerful feeling overwhelms me. Suddenly it feels like an explosion is set off inside me that rockets my orgasm through me like fireworks cascading across a midnight sky.

“Ohhh, fuuuck,” I breathe the words as I dig my nails into Gabe’s legs and he drops his thumb from my clit and holds my hips tight. He holds me still in midair and fucks me, thrusting into me until his cock is buried inside completely, every time. His biceps flex and he closes his eyes as his cock surges into my pussy, his cum splashes against my walls and fills me. He drops his ass back down to the bed and he lets go of my hips, and I crash down on top of him. Both of us are completely exhausted and breathing hard.

“I’m glad you came back,” I whisper. “I wasn’t sure what I was going to do without you.”

Gabe kisses my forehead and wraps his arms around me, pulling me tightly. “I’m glad you’ll never need to find out,” he murmurs in my ear and a smile spreads over my lips.

I nestle in against his chest as I hear Gabe’s breathing grow deeper as sleep overtakes him. My own mind travels to the future, one with Gabe in it and Axle as our furbaby, and maybe real babies of our own. I close my eyes and let myself drift off into that world while I lie safe and happy in his arms.

I am completely and utterly exhausted. I think my makeup artist hates me. I mean, I would hate me if I was her. I don’t think I got more than an hour of sleep before my trainer was ringing the doorbell. It felt like I collapsed in Gabe’s arms, blinked, and then had to drag my weary ass back out of bed.

I smile as I remember his hands on my body last night, looking out past the camera crew to where he’s seated on the sidelines of all the action. His blue eyes lock onto mine and I feel a full body tingle that shoots from my hair straight down to my pussy. I bite my lip and wish away the hours left on set until I have him back in my bed… naked.

Everyone is doing last second touch-ups for the next scene. My character is supposed to have agreed to allow Erik’s character to introduce her to spanking. He’s going to pretend to smack my bare ass with a paddle while I’m bent over a desk. The only way I can get through this convincingly is to put Gabe in his place. That’s what we do right? Pretend. Luckily, with him only a few feet away, it won’t be too difficult to picture him.

“Okay, Vanessa I need you to really grip the sides of the desk when you’re bent over. Got it? I want white knuckles and then when Erik lines the paddle up on your ass, we’re gonna do a close-up on your face, so I need you to sell pain that becomes unexpected pleasure, got it?” Bobby barks his orders at me and I nod.

“No problem,” I answer.

As he gives Erik his notes for the scene, I set my gaze on Gabe. Just picture him. Imagine his strong, sexy hands smacking my ass as I’m laying across his lap. I might just need to rehearse some lines with him later, you know, for good measure, in case we need to reshoot this scene in the future.

Bobby settles in behind the director’s screen and calls out the countdown as my assistant takes my robe and I lie over the edge of the hard, oak desk, gripping the sides for dear life.

Erik is just behind me, but in my mind, it’s Gabe. It helps that I don’t have to actually look at Erik’s smug face.

“You’ve had your fun toying with me, and now you’re going to be punished, do you understand?” he says his line.

“Yes, Sir,” I answer breathily.

Erik raps my ass with more force than I expect and I breathe in sharply as stinging pain swells up inside me. I refuse to let my surprise show on my face, keeping my cool for the cameras. He snaps the paddle against my ass hard and this time I yelp. His hand swoops down and he hits me with his full force again and I stand up and jump out of the way before he has a chance to hit me again.

“What the fuck?” I cover my ass with both hands and move away from him, I’m a little afraid he’s lost his mind. I don’t know what he’s going to do.

“What?” He doesn’t look the least bit fazed by my outcry. “I’m trying to keep the scene real,” he answers breezily.

“Get the fuck away from her, creep!” Gabe lunges up onto the set and shoves Erik hard, knocking him over onto his ass. He grabs the paddle out of his hand and holds it above his head like he’s going to beat him with it as Erik holds up his hands cowering.

“No, don’t! Not my face!” he shrieks.

“Gabe, no! Don’t,” I scream and he looks over at me and, to my surprise, drops what was supposed to be a prop, to the floor.

“Fucker,” Gabe snarls.

“Okay, that’s it, buddy you’re fucking out of here,” Bobby starts yelling at Gabe and I jump in.

“Look at what Erik did? Are you saying this is okay?” I turn around and don’t even care that I’m flashing my bare ass at the entire crew. I can feel the red welts forming on my ass.

“I’m saying that this guy,” Bobby points at Gabe’s chest and looks up at him. Since he’s only around five feet tall it looks a lot like a chihuahua taking on a rottweiler, “is fired. That’s what I’m saying.”

“You know what? I’m done,” I hold up my hands, “you don’t have to fire him because I quit. Find some other actress to put up with this shit, I’m fucking done.” I grab Gabe’s hand and march across the set, yanking my robe from my chair and putting it on.

“If you quit you’re in breach of contract and you better bet I’ll be coming after you,” Bobby calls after me.

“Good, we’ll see which case goes to court first yours or mine,” I yell back.

“What are you gonna sue me for?” Bobby’s face is purple again as he practically foams at the mouth.

“Oh, I don’t know how about allowing and even encouraging my co-worker to sexually harass me and physically assault me? Just for starters. I’m sure my lawyer will have a full list for you soon.” I tie my robe around my waist tightly and stroll off to my trailer with Gabe’s arm around me tight.

As we leave the studio, he pulls me close, “Are you alright?”

“I am now,” I nuzzle into him.

I step inside my trailer and take less than two minutes to slip into some clothes, “You ready to get out of here?” I look over at him.

“I’ve been ready since the first day I came here,” he pulls me in tight. “Hey, I’m proud of you,” he brushes my hair from across my forehead and circles his arm around my waist. His lips are tender and sweet against mine. His kiss is soft and sensual. “Let’s go,” he pulls back and tugs my fingertips, leading me out of the trailer and across the studio lot past the drivers hired by the Hollywood bigwigs and over to the cabs waiting by the gates.

As we pass through the gates, paparazzi who just wait outside the fence all day hoping to pick up a soundbite or two, swarm us like flies.

“Vanessa! Where are you going?”

“Vanessa, who is your friend?”

They all talk over top of each other and all of them are recording everything. I stop in my tracks and look into the unblinking eyes of their cameras and then up at Gabe, smiling. “This is my Gabe, the man I love,” I step into him and he pulls me so close I can barely breathe. His lips hover over mine for a second before covering them in another sultry kiss. This one leaves me gasping and desperate to find a taxi so we can get home and do this again … naked.

Gabe leads me past the cackling crew of rag reporters and opens a cab door for me, letting me slide in before he joins me inside.

My soul feels lighter and I can’t wipe the stupid smile off my face. In this moment, everything feels like the Hollywood ending. If this were a movie, it would be time for the credits to roll.

As I walk from the car to my house, I can feel Gabe’s eyes on me. I don’t need to turn around to know his intense stare is licking my curves, the curves he’s always loved, the ones he’s made me feel beautiful for having, not ashamed of, as I lead the way to the front door.

If my feet are hitting the pavement as I walk, I can’t feel them. It’s like the cobblestone path has exploded, leaving only white, dusty clouds to carry my weightless legs inside.

I smile as I walk through the door, for the first time since I got the part in the movie, I finally feel light enough in my own skin. And it has nothing to do with eating enough lettuce or running enough miles to transform my body. The floating feeling which is lifting my soul isn’t about personal trainers or meal planning or calorie counting, it’s about love.

It’s about seeing the profound beauty in someone the world wrote off as ugly, as if scars could ever be uglier than personalities. As if true beauty is something we can preserve with flawless skin. And it’s about the beauty he made me see in myself. How he looks at me, his eyes mesmerized with desire and his heart unable to hide behind the walls he’s lived behind for years now.

Gabe briskly follows me inside and kicks the door shut quickly, wrapping his broad arm around my waist and pulling me in tight to him before I have a chance to take another step. “Come here,” he growls and tugs me backward until my ass is perfectly snug against his cock. We fit together like the broken pieces of those best friend lockets. Two torn halves of one heart that have finally been brought back together and made whole. “Where do you think you’re going?” he murmurs in my ear and I let my head fall back against his shoulder. Gabe’s lips envelope my earlobe as a sigh escapes my lips and my eyelids flutter closed.

“Nowhere, if you keep doing that,” I admit, small tingles buzz down over my neck and pulse out through my body.

My nipples pebble and my pussy clenches at just the simple pleasure his mouth kissing a trail over my neck, brings. I can’t believe I’ve become so sensitive, so responsive, to his touch. Sometimes it feels like he could bring me to orgasm with only a kiss. I smirk at the thought, especially a passionate kiss… on my lower lips.

It’s hard to comprehend that only a short while ago, I had never had a single orgasm. It was like my ability to cum had been locked in a chest that only Gabe had a key to. I sigh as he grinds his cock against my ass and his fingers travel across my waistband, inching over to my belt buckle slowly while he drags his tongue over the sensitive skin on my neck. I can feel the heat pool in my core as I grow slick with need. My pussy aches to be claimed by him, to be taken by every inch of his hard, teasing cock. I press back against him, mewling, wordlessly begging him to stop taking his time, to stop needlessly dragging this all out and to rip my clothes off right here and fuck me right now.

Gabe drops his hand from my belt and circles his thick arm around me instead, lifting my feet from the floor easily. I giggle as he carries me into the open space and over to the couch. “What are you doing?” I squeal, squirming against him playfully.

“What?” He plops down on the couch and I fall back into his lap, my ass clearly feeling the detailed ridge of his generous cock through our pants. I bite my lip and snuggle back against him, eager to feel every single ridge and vein of his member inside me.

“I figure if you’re going to grind against me, I might as well sit down and enjoy it,” his hands curl up around my knees and he tugs them open so my legs dangle on either side of his. I groan involuntarily and roll my head back as his fat dick presses against me tight.

“Is that so?” I breathe, but don’t argue. I don’t want to lose this moment or take away from this feeling building up inside me.

“It is,” he muses and flicks open my belt, his fingers quickly popping open the front of my pants before he slides them inside. I wiggle against him as he slowly but deliberately drags his fingertips over my pussy and glides them inside.

“Ohhh!” I swirl my hips, overwhelmed with the feeling of his cock filling the crack of my ass and his fingers exploring my clit.

“That’s right sweetheart, I’m gonna make you cum on my fingers and then I’m gonna watch you lick it off, you're my dirty girl, aren’t you?” His voice rumbles in my ear and I nod. I can’t seem to form words anymore, just breathy noises as I twist and writhe against him hypnotically. “That’s my good girl.” He nips my earlobe and I arch my back as my thighs tremble and my swollen clit throbs against his finger. “Then, I’m gonna fuck you so hard you’re going to be happy you don’t need to go anywhere tomorrow cause you won’t be walking for a while. I hope you’re ready for this beast, beauty,” he thrusts his cock against me and I gasp, my breathing is ragged and my pulse is racing. His fingers are driving me to the edge and I’m so close to losing myself as I fall over the cliff.

Thunk-thunk-thunk!

I jump and my eyes spring open with surprise as I look at the front door with shock. “Who the fuck…”

“Don’t move, ignore it,” he growls and never breaks the rhythm of his fingers swirling on my clit.

He’s right. Fuck whoever is at that door. Fuck the entire outside world. I have everything I care about, everything I need right here. I close my eyes again and relax back into Gabe, letting everything outside of us disappear.

Thunk-thunk-thunk!

“Ms. Parker! Open up, it’s the Los Angeles Police Department!”

Okay, so it doesn’t make everything disappear.

Gabe yanks his hand free from my open pants and I scramble to my feet, zipping up my jeans and fastening my belt as quickly as my flustered fingers can manage.

“Ma’am! We know you’re in there! Please open the door!” A demanding cop yells through my front door.

My hands shake as I try to smooth them down over my hair. I look over at Gabe nervously, and he gives me the same look I’m giving him. Confusion tinged with fear.

For a second neither of us moves. We’re locked in a silent conversation that we both understand in our hearts. The banging at my door makes me jump and I walk over, opening it with a big, fake smile pasted to my face. Standing on my doorstep are two, hulking men in police uniforms that could very well be a couple strippers who need directions to a bachelor party.

“Yes?” I tilt my head and wait for some kind of explanation about why they’re here.

“Ms. Parker is Gabriel Keenan in your home?” The cop with the mirrored sunglasses and olive skin asks.

“Umm,” I look over my shoulder at Gabe and he nods. “Yes,” I answer.

“Ma’am, we’re going to have to ask that you either bring him to the door or let us come inside,” the other cop with the hazel eyes and dark hair demands curtly.

“What is this about?” Gabe walks up behind me and comes out into the open.

“Gabriel Keenan?”

“Yes?”

“You are being placed under arrest for the assault of Erik Fisher,” the officer with mirrored glasses flicks his handcuffs free from his belt and grabs Gabe by the wrist. The metal bracelet circles around him and clicks shut as he continues, “you have the right to remain silent.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? That fuckwad is pressing charges?” Gabe snarls.

“Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.” He clicks the other handcuff down over his wrist as I try to fight the instinct to yell and scream and try to somehow, stop this from happening.

“I can’t fucking believe this,” Gabe shakes his head angrily but doesn’t struggle against the police.

“You have the right to speak to an attorney…” the police officer continues as he guides Gabe from my house to the state vehicle in the driveway.

Helplessness crashes over me in waves, drowning me in panic as they take him away and tuck his head down, guiding him into the back seat of the car. I don’t know what to do or how to make this stop as they slam the door behind him, disappearing inside the car and drive away.

The lump in my throat seems to grow larger every time I swallow and tears of anger pin prick the corners of my eyes. I watch as the cops flash the lights but keep the siren silent as they pull out of my driveway.

That.Fucking.Asshole!

My hands are shaking as a quiet, steady rage builds up inside me. I wipe away the tears now streaming over my cheeks, with my trembling fingers and watch the police cruiser disappear as it turns at the end of my street and leaves my blurry vision.

I hate that I cry when I get angry. I’ve always felt like it makes me weak at a time that I should be at my strongest. Some people get upset and cyclone angrily, pulling in everything and everyone around them until they wear themselves out and leave a trail of destruction in their warpath. And then there’s me. The one who chokes up and sobs because the vibrating rage seems to get stuck in my throat and build into a boulder than I can’t swallow or ignore, and the only thing that makes it go away are the tears.

This is exactly what Erik wanted. He wanted to ruin our night, maybe even our future if the charges stick. He wanted to fester under my skin like a boil, making it impossible to forget him. Just like a child, if he couldn’t get positive attention from me, he made sure he still had my focus, even if it’s because he’s the focus of my hatred.

Well, he might think he still knows me. He might think he still controls me. But I’m not the naive girl he once dated. And I’m not his doormat.

Fuck that guy.

I turn on my heel and march inside, flicking away my tears and slamming my front door behind me with a wall shaking boom. I immediately grab my phone from the coffee table and swipe my thumb over it, pressing Fiona’s contact and listen to it ring.

“Vanessa? Okay, I just heard about the blow-out today. I was just gonna call you. Now, I don’t know if you’re wallowing in regret or popping champagne, but either way I’m here to help you. Also, and I think you’re going to like this, you’ve got another part being offered to you.”

“Fiona,” my voice is like cold, hard steel, “I do need your help.”

“Okay, tell me what you need, this is my time to shine for you doll. Want your part back on the Fifty Shades knock off? I’ll see if I can smooth it over…”

“No!” I don’t mean to yell at her. No part of this churning lava burning up my stomach is about her. “Sorry, it’s just that the police just paid us a visit at my place,” my lip quivers for a second but I take deep breath and push it back down. Crying won’t fix this. Now is the time for action.

“What? Why? What am I missing?” I can hear Fiona breathe out her puff of smoke over the receiver.

“Before I walked off the set, Erik was being a douche and Gabe punched him. He totally deserved it,” I try to explain.

“Of course,” she agrees.

“But the cops just arrested Gabe for assault. Apparently he’s pressing charges, the fucking coward,” I clutch the phone tighter in my hand wishing I could circle it around Erik’s neck.

“Okay, breathe, those charges won’t stick. It’s bullshit, right? No judge is going to throw Gabe in jail over a little scuffle,” Fiona snorts.

“This is LA, if it means hype, it can happen. I’m guessing the director is loving all the free publicity he’s getting out of this, not to mention Erik. There’s no such thing as bad coverage, right? Besides, he did it in the middle of the set. I’m sure someone has cell footage and there was a ton of witnesses. I’m not so sure it’ll be an open and shut thing,” I rub my hand over my leg like I’m trying to smooth out invisible wrinkles. “This is all my fault,” my voice creaks as my words feel like they’re getting stuck in my throat again. “I don’t know what to do. This feels like a fucking stupid dream, what am I going to do?” The tears I’d managed to swallow for this long, resurface like a pick ax hit into an underground spring. I can’t hold them back this time. They slide down my face and drip off my chin.

“Listen, Vanessa, listen to me. I’m gonna help you with this, okay? I have an idea,” Fiona coaches me through my breakdown.

“I’m listening.” I try not to sob in her ear and pay attention.

“Good, so, by any chance do you still have the stupid dick pics that Erik sent you?”

I don’t answer. I don’t say “what the fuck” out loud because I’m in stunned silence. Is this a real conversation? Am I dreaming? I stare down at the phone in my hand. How can she be asking me about dick pics at a time like this?

“Vanessa? Vanessa!” I hear Fiona’s muffled voice calling me and I bring the phone back to my ear.

“Seriously, are you fucking with me right now?” I manage to answer her through grit teeth. “Gabe just got fucking arrested Fiona, and you’re asking me that?”

“Hear me out, just calm down and listen to me,” she steamrolls over me nonchalantly, “do you have the pictures?”

“I think so, yeah,” I don’t remember deleting them, so they’re still on my phone somewhere.

“Great!”

“Are you kidding me?” I can’t tell if she’s messing with me right now.

“Listen! You told me he has a tattoo just above his cock, right?”

“Yeah, some old Red Hot Chilli Peppers thing, it says Blood Sugar Sex Magik,’” I rub my fingers over my forehead and wonder where this is going.

“Really,” she giggles.

“Fiona!”

“Alright, don’t bite my head off. Now, please, please, puh-leeze, tell me you didn’t exaggerate how small he is,” I can hear the glee in her voice.

“Trust me, I was probably being generous,” I answer flatly and try to push the image of Erik’s nub-like cock from my mind.

“Vanessa, I hope you’re ready for me to be your hero here. I mean, don’t throw me a parade or anything, but a nice bottle of wine will do just fine,” Fiona laughs.

“What are you talking about?”

“Erik is going to drop all charges, I can guarantee it. Plus, you’re gonna get the upper hand in all this. Can you taste that? It’s fucking winning Vanessa. Here’s what you’re going to do,” she continues.

I listen closely and finally the boulder in my throat shatters and disappears as a smile crawls over my lips. I’ve got to hand it to her, Fiona has a great plan. And she’s right, I’m going to enjoy playing this out.

I pace back and forth past the huge, black, stencilled number seven on the white brick wall in my holding cell. I’m trying to tell myself to stay calm. That this won’t matter. No judge in his right mind is going to keep me detained over this shit.

But I’m fucking pissed.

I want to show that cock-blocking Hollywood pretty boy what a real assault looks like. I want to smash his Botoxed face until it looks like a Sloppy Joe. I can just see his stupid smirk, the satisfaction he got from knowing he had me arrested. Anger rolls like a tidal wave just beneath the surface of my skin, splashing inside me like churning acid, burning me from the inside out.

My shoes squeal each time I turn on my heel and walk the four paces until I hit the cell wall and turn and walk again.

Scrunch, scrunch, scrunch, scrunch. Squeak!

Repeat.

Repeat again.

And again.

You’d think I would be dizzy from turning so much. Maybe the cyclone of rage swirling in my head is balancing it out somehow. I know I need to calm the fuck down, that I should sit my ass on the glorified ironing board they call a bunk and chill out, but I can’t get there yet. My fists unclench and ball back up tight, as I pace.

And pace.

Still pacing.

Suddenly I hear a buzz and stop in my tracks, staring out the glass window on my door into the hall. I can see a woman who looks like she should be playing an officer on television, not doing real cell duty in a LA jail. Her bleached hair is swept up into a bun with tiny strands that don’t look like they accidentally fell out, framing her face. Her makeup is heavy, especially around the eyes and her shirt looks like it may have been assigned to her before she grew her generous breasts.

Is she pretty? Yeah.

Do I give a fuck? Nope.

All I care about is getting out of here and getting back to the one woman whose beauty eclipses the superficial looks of every other woman I’ve ever met. I close my eyes and see Vanessa’s face, her sparkling brown eyes filled with genuine kindness that this town hasn’t taken from her. I see her full lips, swollen with desire. I see her tousled brown hair as she lies against my chest after we’ve fucked for hours.

For the first time since I was put in here, calmness washes over me. She is my escape from this anger. She is my freedom.

The officer stops in front of my door, swipes her card in the electronic keypad, and punches in a code. The door buzzes loudly and clicks as she opens it. “Alright, Mr. Keenan, you’ll be happy to know the charges have all been dropped and you are free to go,” she holds the door open for me as I stand in stunned silence.

“Wait, what?” I tilt my head, my eyes scan her name tag: Summers. My eyes quickly dart back up to her face, searching it as part of me wonders if she is fucking with me.

“I’m sorry, do you need another few hours in here to think it over? Or do you want to come with me right now and get processed out of here,” she looks at me from the side of her eyes and I snap out of my disbelief.

“No, I’m good. Sorry Officer,” I march out through the open cell door and follow her down the hall.

What kind of game is Erik playing? He goes out of his way to get me arrested just to drop the charges before the day is over? Knowing him and knowing this town it’s all probably some kind of publicity stunt. I wouldn’t put it past him.

As I follow Summers through the labyrinth of hallways out to the front a million scenarios pass through my mind and not even one of them is because he feels any kind of remorse, or wrongdoing. Finally, the blonde in blue opens the last door to the processing area and I see a sight for sore eyes.

Standing next to the window with a halo of sunlight casting in on her, Vanessa truly looks like an angel. Her smile eases the last of my nagging thoughts and releases my tension. I close the floor between us and wrap my arms around her tight, lifting her from the ground as I kiss her soft lips.

“Sir? I need you to sign some paperwork and collect your things,” Officer Summers rolls her eyes at me. I guess I can see where she’s coming from. I’ve only been locked up for six hours, not sixty years, but my heart doesn’t seem to know the difference. Time away from her, especially time shrouded in uncertainty, is painful. I gently place her feet back down on the ground and kiss the tip of her nose.

“Go on, get your stuff,” Vanessa smiles up at me, “I’ll be waiting right here,” she reassures me.

“Okay,” I reluctantly walk over to the processing desk and sit in the seat as my skin crawls with impatience. Luckily, Summers looks like she’s as eager to get rid of me as I am to go. She pushes a stack of paperwork across the table at me and a small box holding my wallet, loose change and my gum. I sign on all the dotted lines without reading a word. I could be signing away my kidneys right now with this fine print and I don’t even care. Finally, I scrawl my name across the last sheet of paper and the officer lifts them all up and tosses them in a folder.

Summers turns to her computer and begins typing, “You’re free to go,” she tells me flatly without looking away from her screen. I almost make a joke about not turning this into a long goodbye, but think better of it and bite down on my smart-ass tongue, grab my stuff and practically lunge at Vanessa.

We walk out of the air-conditioned station into the roasting oven that is LA at three in the afternoon, and make our way over to her car wordlessly. I’m waiting for her to fill me in on what happened. To explain how this all happened so fast and then, almost as quickly went away, but she’s silent.

As we sit inside her car and she turns the key in the ignition, I look over at her. She’s biting her lip and not looking at me. What the hell is going on?

“You wanna tell me what happened? How did you know the charges were dropped? Did Erik talk to you?”

Vanessa’s eyes flit over to me and just as quickly look away, she puts the car in gear and pulls out onto the road frowning, like she’s thinking of what to say.

“Vanessa?” My eyes narrow as I try to pry the truth from her.

“Okay, so, you’re probably not going to, like, love this,” she begins.

“Always a great start,” I click my seat belt in place and look at her. She’s got her eyes completely focused on the road.

“Yeah, so, the thing is, back when we first started shooting the movie, Erik sent me some, well, pictures.” She licks her lips nervously.

“Okay,” I wait for any of this to mean something because right now she’s not making much sense. “What kind of pictures?”

She looks at me and shrugs. “You know,” she blushes and it hits me like a ton of bricks.

“Ohhh.” I’m not sure how I feel about this. “You mean dick pics.”

“Yeah.”

“So? What does that have to do with all of this?” I’m sure there’s a larger picture all these puzzle pieces fit together and make, but I’m not seeing it.

“Yeah, well, the thing is, Erik’s dick is tiny. It’s embarrassingly small,” she hits her signal and turns down another street, “and I still had those pictures on my phone. Not because I ever looked at them,” she begins to overexplain and her eyes grow wide with horror as she looks over at me for my reaction, “I swear, I just forgot they were on there.”

“Fine, whatever,” I hold up my hand. I wish she’d spare me the details and just tell me what happened.

“So, I called Fiona and she suggested I barter with Erik.”

“Barter?”

“Yeah, like, I don’t leak his teeny dick pictures to the paparazzi and he drops the charges,” she breathes in sharply and glances over at me.

“Really?”

“Really,” she searches my face.

Laughter erupts up from inside me forcefully like lava exploding from a volcano. “His dick is that small? It’s so small you could use it for blackmail? Seriously?” I manage to speak through my laughing.

“Yeah, for him that little eggplant emoji is just about life-sized,” she breaks out into a giggle and turns down her street. “No, that’s not fair,” she shakes her head, “it’s much too generous,” she snorts and it makes me laugh even harder.

Vanessa pulls into her driveway and throws the car in park. I look over at her, the way her cheeks are flushed pink from laughing, they way her eyes dance with happiness, and wonder how I ever got so lucky. I practically rip off my seat belt and jump out of the car, quickly making my way to her door and opening it for her. “Get out Beauty,” I demand, my voice thick with desire.

She doesn’t argue, she slips out of her car and as soon as her feet hit the pavement I grab the keys from her hand, scoop her up and slam her car door shut with my foot as she squeals. “I’ve got plans for this ass,” I give her plump booty a firm slap and her squeal turns to a mewl as I walk her to the front door, “and this time, nothing is gonna interrupt us,” I promise her.

“If I’m your Beauty, then you’re my sexy Beast,” she giggles. “Now, open the door,” her breath is raspy with need, “we’re wasting entirely too much time wearing clothes. I want you to fuck me until I can’t walk straight,” she teases me, purring in my ear.

“Now that’s something we can both agree on,” I practically break down her door and walk with her over my shoulder inside.

As soon as I step inside the house, Axle races over to me, his three legs scurrying beneath him with a happy hello.

“Hey buddy, I’m glad to see ya,” I smile at him and walk Vanessa over to the kitchen, plopping her bubble butt down on the counter. “Later, okay Axle? I need some privacy.”

He perks up his furry ears and then rushes back out of the area, racing down the hall out of sight.

“I don’t know how I feel about your dog understanding that command,” Vanessa’s lips tug down at the corners and she pouts.

“Yeah? Well, you’re gonna be grateful he does in about two seconds,” I slip my fingers under the edge of her tank top and tug it off her body, revealing her shiny blue bra underneath.

“Really?” She arches an eyebrow and shimmies forward on the counter so her pussy is flush against me. I can feel the heat of her desire blooming between her legs.

“Well, I am a man who just got out of jail you know,” I run my hands up her back and tug her bra strap open. “All that time on the inside made me crazy,” I tease her. “I don’t want to be too rough on ya, but after serving hard time I just can’t restrain myself,” I yank her bra off and drop it to the floor. It only takes seconds for me to peel off my own shirt and drop my pants to the ground. I step out of the pool of denim, my cock ready for her.

Vanessa’s brown eyes sparkle as she pushes her tits into my face. I can’t help but surround my lips over them. Grabbing her breasts, I push them together and kiss her nipples, flicking my tongue over them as she grinds against me shamelessly.

“Well, maybe I want you to be rough with me,” she purrs and it’s all I need to hear. I pinch her nipple between my thumb and forefinger hard enough that she cries out and then kiss it better as her pouting turns to excitement. I lick a trail down over her ribs, across her belly and bite the waistband of her shorts as I unbutton them.

Vanessa lifts her hips from the counter as I peel them and her panties off of her together, and she kicks them both free from her leg, down onto the floor.

“Roll over onto your belly and put your knees up on the counter,” I demand, grabbing her hips and helping her get in the position I want, face down, ass up. I glide my flattened palm up over the back of her thigh and over her ample ass, just swaying in my face and give it a stinging slap.

“Mmm,” she moans, her head flat against the granite.

“There’s my bad girl,” I smack her other cheek and rub my hand over the red mark I leave behind.

“Bad for you,” she murmurs.

“Look at you,” I slide my finger over her soaking pussy, “you love this don’t you?”

“I do,” she whispers her confession and I grab her ass and give it a nibble. Just a love bite, nothing too painful. Vanessa lifts her head from the counter with surprise but I run my hand up her back and grab a fistful of her hair and guide it back down flat.

I hover over her, admiring her sexy ass and her slick juices coating her pussy for a second before I lean in and plunge my face into her mound. Vanessa cries out first with surprise and then with need as I press my face in and lick her clit, just teasing her, before dragging my tongue up her pussy and across her ass until I reach her tight asshole. I flicker the tip there for a moment while she squirms against me before pushing my tongue back down and inside her pussy. Vanessa’s cries grow louder, she bucks her hips against my face and I push it inside as far as it will go as she squeezes down against me.

I let my tight grip on her hair go and clamp my hands down on her hips, licking a trail back up to her clit. I dig my fingers into her flesh as I circle my lips around her clit and batter it with my tongue.

Vanessa writhes against me, trying to chase her pleasure with her hips, but I’ve got her held down tight. I flatten my tongue and drag it over the length of her again until I’m back at her asshole and I suck on my thumb for a second before pushing it inside her to the knuckle. Vanessa tenses up around me, like every muscle inside her is pressing down on me, but as I explore her clit again, she begins to relax and gasp at the new sensation. I can feel her trembling on the countertop as I squeeze her ass with my free hand and swirl my tongue on her clit faster and faster. She quivers as I flicker and suck on her nub, dragging out her pleasure, controlling her orgasm. I relentlessly lap at her and press my thumb inside her ass until I can feel her body go rigid and she screams my name.

“Gabe! Ohhh!” Her body quakes with little tremors as her muscles grow slack and her legs slide off the edge of the counter.

I tug her hair back, and she lifts her head as I stuff every inch of my thick cock inside her. I push my thumb inside her asshole, filling her completely as I hold her under my control and fuck her hard against the counter.

“That’s my good girl,” I manage to breathe out the raspy words as I thrust into her faster. I step out, making her legs spread further open and bury myself as deep as possible inside her core as she bears down on my cock, milking me for my cum. I can’t take it, I fuck her until she’s just uttering a steady stream of noises, her tits bounce beautifully as I pump into her furiously.

The orgasm blinds me, overwhelming my senses as intense bliss rips through me and my cum fills her in spurts. Vanessa cries out as she clenches down around my cock, taking every last drop of my seed.

I collapse on top of her, breathing hard and kissing her back softly as I pull out and step away, helping her up onto her shaky legs. I hold Vanessa into my chest tight and kiss her on the forehead.

“That was amazing! I’m going to need to get you arrested more often,” she teases.

“No chance of that,” I answer, my breathing jagged and my lungs burning for air. “You’re gonna have a hard time getting rid of me now,” I tease.

“Good,” she purrs, running her hand over my chest, “because I’d like you to stay here with me from now on. I don’t want any more time away from you.” She kisses my chin and looks up to me for my reaction.

“I was wondering when you were gonna say that,” I smile. Lifting her up in my arms, she smiles at me as I carry her down the hall to her room. To our room.

“I love you, Gabe,” she snuggles into my chest and I hold her close.

“I love you too, Vanessa,” I kiss her swollen lips and then the tip of her nose. “Forever.”

“That meal was amazing,” Vanessa tosses her hair over her shoulder. It’s grown back to her old style now, it took almost a year, but it erased the last of the evidence that she ever briefly worked on that movie. The one that just had it’s opening weekend in the theatres and is already being called Fifty Shades of Awful in the reviews. I guess she dodged a bullet there.

“It was pretty good,” I agree and slip my arm around her waist, walking down the Vegas strip in the cool autumn night.

I guess there is still one shred of existing proof that she was supposed to be the lead actress in that show.

Me.

I smile at how destiny or fate or whatever brought us together. They say you find love in unlikely places, but a sex club has got to top the list of the most unlikely.

“So now what? The night is young,” she wraps her delicate hand around my side and leans into me as we make our way up the bustling sidewalk full of drunk tourists. The flashing and shimmering lights cry out for our attention from every angle, begging us to look at whatever building or attraction they’re selling, but we can’t stop staring at each other.

“We can have an early night,” I shrug as a smirk slides over my lips. An early night in Vegas means a late night in the hotel room, I let my fingers travel down the small of her back and over the curve of her ass until they find their home in her back pocket.

“No way! What are you, ninety? You can’t call it a night at eight-thirty,” she protests as the flickering lights around us dance in her beautiful eyes. “Do you, I dunno, want to go to a strip club or a cabaret show?” She raises an eyebrow at me mischievously.

It’s tempting, but the idea of going to a room full of people to stare at women that have nothing on Vanessa feels like a waste of a night.

"Why would I go watch some stranger peel off her clothes when I’ve got fucking perfection waiting for me under these ones?” I squeeze her ass hard and she swats at me playfully, laughing. How is it that she still blushes like that? How is she still so innocent even when I know she’s so sinfully dirty just under the surface?

Suddenly a loud outburst of whooping and hollering forces us to look across the street to a wedding party who are clearly hammered and stumbling down the strip in some kind of rhythm less conga line. Leading the pack is the bride, with the skimpiest wedding dress I’ve ever seen and a crazy, elaborate veil barely clinging to her head along with the groom dressed in shorts and a blazer. I don’t know about his fashion choices, but he definitely looks happy. And drunk. But mostly happy.

“Maybe that’s what we should do,” Vanessa smiles up at me, “you know the saying, ‘what happens in Vegas,’” she laughs.

“Yeah, except marriage,” I shake my head, “that doesn’t just stay in Vegas,” I shake my head. I silently watch the wedding party, well, party down the street without a care in the world and glance down at the woman I love. "I think we should do that,” I don’t really think about what I’m saying, the words just rise up from my heart and spill out my mouth before my brain has a chance to ruin them.

“What?”

“Seriously, I’d love to elope with you. Here. Now. But really get married,” I realize I’m rambling and possibly giving the worst marriage proposal ever. My heart hammers in my chest and my mouth begins to dry out as I realize just how serious I am about this. “I already know I don’t want to live in a world without you in it. I already know I want to wake up to you every single day, I love you," I swallow hard and hold her shoulders tight as I watch her eyes open wide with surprise. “Vanessa? Will you let me marry you at some cheesy chapel in Vegas, maybe by Elvis or something? Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?”

It feels like my heart is thudding right inside my neck as I wait for what feels like an eternity for her to process my words. The teasing glint that was in her eyes has faded and now she looks up at me earnestly, searching my face, “Yes,” she nods. “I would love to,” a huge smile spreads over her plump lips and I pick her up in my arms and swirl her around as I kiss her.

“I love you,” I whisper in her ear.

“I love you too,” she giggles and I place her gently back on her feet.

“So, do you really want to do this? I don’t want this to be some Hollywood marriage that ends in two days,” I tilt my head at her sternly but I know she feels the same way I do. I’ve known for over a year now.

“Yes! Let’s go to the chapel,” she tucks her brown hair behind her ear and grins.

“Alright, I feel something inside me that I haven’t felt since I was in the SEALs. Excitement. Like I’m getting ready to take an epic adventure or parachute into some unknown land. Like my adrenaline is buzzing through my veins and making every sensation stronger.

I flag down a cab and Vanessa and I hop in the back.

“Where to?” The burly man behind the wheel asks us in his rearview mirror.

“We want to get married,” Vanessa gushes, her smile couldn’t be wider.

“By Elvis,” I add in and she giggles next to me.

“Yeah, by Elvis,” she agrees.

“Congratulations,” the man turns around and glances at us, “I know just the place.”

I can’t believe I’m doing this. It’s so cheesy but it’s so fun. It just feels perfect. The Elvis impersonator with a shiny, gold jacket holds my arm and leads me down the short red carpet to the front of the chapel to Gabe.

My Mom is going to kill me.

I mean, we’ll have another wedding for friends and family later, but right now, this moment is just for us.

God, he looks so sexy.

Every step I take, I watch Gabe closely. I can’t take my eyes off him. How did I get so lucky to find a man like him? One that can make me feel sexy with a look, one that can make me feel safe with a hug, one that can make me cum every single time we fuck.

He’s perfect.

The chapel photographer and official witness for our marriage snaps photos as Elvis brings me next to Gabe and then releases my arm, jumping up onto the white pillars decorated in lush roses.

“I love you,” Gabe whispers to me as I clutch his broad hands and feel suddenly overwhelmed in the best possible way by all of this. I can’t wait to be his wife. To make that commitment to him forever. He’s my everything. I’m guessing even our Elvis impersonator can see that and he’s probably seen it all.

“I love you too,” I whisper back.

“Alright, tonight we have the absolute honour of marrying this lovely couple, Vanessa Parker and Gabriel Keenan,” Elvis speaks into a microphone despite it being an empty room. “Join those hands together, because today you join hands and join hearts to come together and celebrate one of the truly great moments of your lives, today, your wedding day,” Elvis announces as Gabe smiles down at me.

It feels so appropriate that it’s just us here because every time he gives me that look, the world dissolves into oblivion and all I can see is him anyway. We could have a thousand-people sitting in this chapel, but all I would ever see is him.

“Gabriel would you please repeat after me,” Elvis nods at the man that is moments away from becoming my husband, “I Gabriel.”

“I Gabriel,” he repeats, never taking his intense blue eyes off of mine.

“Take thee, Vanessa to be my wedded wife, ma, ma, my best friend,” Elvis swings his hips and the photographer snaps some pictures, “and my soulmate.”

Gabe repeats the words, but without any theatrics. It’s like he’s finally saying something he’s kept buried in his soul for too long. With every word of our wedding vows, I can see the truth in them, in his love, in his eyes, in us.

Elvis turns his attention to me and I can’t help but giggle at how silly this whole thing is. I feel like it’s a perfect way for two people who met under ridiculous circumstances to take these vows. I love that Gabe and I don’t take ourselves too seriously. The only thing we take seriously is our love.

He guides me through the vows and I repeat each and every word, feeling it tattoo across my heart, and knowing that we are committing to each other for the rest of our lives. Tears line my eyes, I’ve never felt so happy before. And the crazy part is, I know that for as long as Gabriel is my husband I’ll always be blessed.

“You may now kiss the bride,” Elvis instructs us.

Gabe leans into me and sweeps me into his arms, wrapping them completely around me. I melt into him as our lips collide and our marriage becomes official with a slow and sensual kiss.

“Now I can’t wait to get you back to the hotel,” Gabe murmurs in my ear, “this is going to be a crazy honeymoon, Mrs. Keenan,” his voice is laced with desire and it makes a shiver lick my spine as I realize that tonight I’m going to have mind-blowing sex with my husband. I can’t help but smile. My cheeks actually hurt from smiling I am so happy.

“Then we better get back and get started,” I kiss him again and close my eyes, getting lost in our world of two and knowing that as long as we have each other we can face anything … together.