Chapter 12
Zach
I stretched hard in the bed before even allowing any light to seep through my eyelids. I hadn’t slept that well in a long time, and I realized it was probably because it had been a while, at least for me, since I had gotten my dick sucked.
I knew Madison had a naughty streak in her, and just thinking about her sexy face as I smeared my seed across her pouty lips made me want to stroke myself right now. But even beyond that, I found myself missing her sweet little laugh and that smile she gave me every time I walked into the room. It was like I was the only guy that existed, and it actually kind of felt nice for once.
I should have given into instinct and asked her to stay the night. The thought of curling up next to her warm body and sleeping in sounded absolutely amazing. I could have even woken her up with a little play session. Who knows where it could have led? But I was a chicken shit and hadn’t had a girl stay over in a very long time.
I pulled myself out of bed and got to my feet, shuffling into the bathroom to take a piss. As I walked back toward the kitchen for my normal coffee routine, I looked up at the large paintings on the wall and smiled. Madison had been impressed that I purchased my art mostly from private artists, not through galleries. I knew how much work went into trying to make your passion and creation a reality, and I felt like the gallery business took advantage of that, throwing artists out into the streets and ruining their dreams. Apparently, that was a key factor for Madison, and I could see her eyes glaze over with infatuation as I talked about it.
When the coffee was done, I walked out onto my porch, taking in a deep breath and looking out over the city. It seemed like ever since I met Madison, I had slowed down a bit, allowing myself to enjoy things again instead of just beating through the days working, drinking, and sleeping.
At first, I had my mind set on Madison just like every other girl. I would chase her down until I ticked her off my list. But now, it was just getting confusing. I was thinking about her when she wasn’t with me, and I was finding that I missed her, even after she just left. This was starting to get a bit insane, and I really needed to start separating myself from the emotional side of things.
As I sipped my coffee, I could hear my phone going off in the house. I almost just let it go to voicemail, but since we had so much going on at the office all week, I figured I should probably see who it was. Not surprising at all, when I picked it up, Hudson’s face came up on the screen. I shook my head, knowing that whatever it was, it was going to have to do with alcohol and women. I answered the call and held the phone to my ear.
“I thought you might be dead,” Hudson said. “You have disappeared from my life.”
“Bro.” I chuckled. “I saw you yesterday.”
“I know,” he whined. “But I have no one to fist bump after banging a chick in the bathroom, now that you're married.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I said, gasping. “Don’t curse me with the M word. I’m working on Madison, that’s all. It takes time.”
“Yeah,” he scoffed. “And in the meantime, you are missing some seriously exquisite pussy.”
“It will be there tomorrow,” I replied. “So, what’s up, buddy?”
“Let’s go out to a club tonight,” he said. “I want to change things up. The bar is getting boring, and I keep running into the same chicks. I need to let it circulate a bit.”
“You mind if Madison goes?” I didn’t even think about it before I said it. It was like word vomit.
“Sure,” Hudson said with a mopey voice. “But she better not be a cockblock.”
“Bro, I am pretty sure you cockblock just fine on your own.” I laughed.
“I’m not the one all snuggly and holed up away from the world with some innocent little thing,” he mocked.
“Trust me, dude, she may be a virgin, but she is far from innocent,” I said with heat in my voice.
“Uh oh,” Hudson said in a playful tone. “Getting some blowjob action. I like it.”
“She’s damn good at it, too,” I replied, thinking about her looking up at me from her knees.
“All right, dude. So, let’s meet at eight at Trap’s. I’ll get us a table.”
“You got it,” I replied, shaking my head at the amount of alcohol that was about to get consumed.
I hung up the phone and laughed to myself at how butt hurt Hudson was that I wasn’t spending as much time with him. The situation with Madison and me was delicate, and it took a special kind of caressing to get it to go where I wanted it to. Part of the problem with Hudson was that he has no patience. He wouldn’t last more than one date with Madison, and I was glad I was the one chasing her down.
Hudson had a way of ruining a woman. He’d make her feel like the only one in the world, and then, he’d treat her like trash afterward. And he acted that way with the women he actually liked. Not that I had room to talk, with my list of taken virginities, but for some reason, I just felt like Madison was different. I flipped through my contacts and pressed call when I hit Madison. I hoped she was down for this tonight because it sounded like a hell of a time.
“Hello?” She had such a sweet voice.
“Hey there, beautiful,” I replied with a smile.
“Miss me already?”
“Ha,” I said without an answer. “I was wondering if you wanted to join me at Trap’s tonight with Hudson. And whoever he happens to pick out of the crowd.”
“Oh, Lord, that should be fun to watch.” She laughed. “I was actually just talking to Charlotte about going on a double date with the guy she hooked up with recently. I think she really likes this one.”
“Yes, that sounds perfect,” I said, relieved that it would be more than us two and Hudson. I was afraid with Hudson’s lack of filter and his constant hunt for his next victim, things might get a little awkward. “I’ll pick the three of you up at your place at eight. Sound good?”
“Sounds perfect,” she said cheerily. “See you then.”
I hung up and shook my head, thinking about the interesting evening I was about to have. Hopefully, the mystery guy was cool, and we could just deal with Hudson until he wandered off with some random chick.
I loved Hudson, and he was my best friend, but he wasn’t the guy you brought along on a date. When he felt like the third wheel, he made everyone uncomfortable, and his cousin Charlotte would know exactly what I meant. Since I had hours before I had to get ready, I figured I’d grab some breakfast and then head over to the gym and squeeze in a workout. I had been so focused on Madison that most days, I didn’t even get to the gym. I couldn’t lie. Part of me hoped to run into her again, even though I would see her in just a few hours.
I took a deep breath and stood from the couch, walking into my room and changing into gym clothes. I really needed to get my head out of the clouds and stop myself from feeling this way about this girl. She was a conquest that I had happily taken on, and getting emotionally attached to anyone was not a good idea at this point in my life. Work was booming, and it was just getting started. Before long, I would be back to twelve-hour days and seven-day work weeks. Then what? I tell Madison, “Oh sorry, I don’t have time for you anymore.”
No, it was better to cut the feelings off before that point, to save myself the misery and the distraction. I needed to remember the reason I started dating this girl in the first place. I sighed as I grabbed my keys and headed out of the apartment. That may be easier said than done. I shrugged my shoulders and pushed the thought out of my mind, ready to get a good workout in.
By the time the evening rolled around, I was more than ready to be around some people, spend some time with Madison, who I never actually got off my mind, and just relax. I took a shower, got dressed, and headed over to Madison’s, hoping they would be ready when I got there. I knocked on the door and waited, hearing Charlotte chattering inside. She opened the door and smiled big, inviting me in.
“Come in, come in,” she said happily. “This is Avery. Avery this is Madison’s date, Zach.”
“Hey, man,” he said, leaning in and shaking my hand.
“Nice to meet you,” I replied, looking at his button up shirt with a superhero t-shirt underneath. He had big, black rimmed glasses, dress pants, and Chuck Taylors. He seemed a little nerdy for my taste, but I figured he was probably perfect for Charlotte, someone to listen to her babble on about her life. I turned toward the hallway as Madison walked out, wearing a tiny, black, form-fitting dress and strappy heels. Her hair was curled into ringlets and fell over her shoulders. My mouth almost dropped open, and I was stunned at how beautiful she looked. She blushed from my reaction and walked over to me, kissing me on the cheek.
“You guys ready to go?” I asked.
Everyone nodded, and we headed out of the apartment and down the stairs to the limo. The chauffeur was standing outside of the doors, waiting for us to climb in. Avery looked impressed, and Charlotte looked excited.
“Do you ever go anywhere without this thing?” Madison laughed.
“Nope,” I replied. “Makes it so much easier to get around in the city.”
“I’m not complaining.” Charlotte laughed, climbing into the car.
“Me neither,” Madison whispered, kissing me on the cheek.
My heart fluttered at the feeling of her lips against my skin. I kept her close to me, happy to finally be around her after spending the entire day trying to get her off my mind. I swore I would go back to my original mindset eventually, but having her near me and hearing her laugh made that more difficult than I anticipated. She scooted over in the seat, and I sat next to her, our legs touching. As the car pulled off, I looked up at Avery who looked a bit nervous.
“Avery, what do you do for a living?” I asked, trying to start a conversation.
“I am a computer programmer but also a freelance illustrator for Dark Horse,” he said, smiling.
“Nice, what is Dark Horse?”
“It’s a major comic book publisher, probably third next to DC and Marvel,” he explained, taking Charlotte’s hand.
“It started as a hobby, but they loved my work,” he replied.
I smiled at him with sincerity and reached over, taking Madison’s hand in mine. I looked down at our intertwined fingers, realizing I did that without thought, almost like it was natural. I took in a deep breath, wondering what the hell had happened to me.