Two weeks after our fight and my subsequent gut spilling, Dex and I had barely broached the subject again. He tried countless times to prompt me into carrying on the discussion, but I always refused. Instead choosing to change the subject and push it from my mind.

Dex took my countless deflections gracefully, giving me constant reassurance that he was there to support me, telling me definitively that everything would be alright. I appreciated the sentiments but they did very little to comfort me.

I knew there would come a time when I would have to confront my past head on. When I would have to stop running and stand up to my father once and for all. There was no way I could continue on with my life, with or without Dex, in a constant state of worry. Something needed to be done, and soon. I wasn’t entirely sure what the outcome would be, whether I would fold to my father’s demands as I always had or come out stronger. Either way, it would have to wait. I wanted to hold on to my life here for as long as possible.

I wasn’t sure how long I had until the chaos bubbling under our blissful facade finally came to a head. I wasn’t sure how long I had until reality came back around to knock me on my ass. All I knew was that whatever amount of time I had left would be spent with Dex Quinn.

“I still can’t believe I let you talk me into this.” My boyfriend’s deep voice prompted me out of my thoughts as we moved around his large dining room table, setting up an arrangement of plates and utensils.

I walked around the table towards him, lightly slapping his hands away from his sloppily done setting, and moving the forks to the left side of the plate. “It’s a good idea and you know it!”  

“No the hell I don’t.” Dex took a step back from the table, crossing his strong, tattooed arms across his chest as he watched me finish setting the table. “This is going to be a fucking disaster. I can feel it.”

“Well, I think they’re going to love each other.” I smiled up at him cheekily. “First sight, head over heels. All that shit. I’m counting on it.”

Dex shook his head. “Hell no. They’re going to hate each other. From what you tell me about Nora, they’re way too much alike. There’s no way Cam can put up with someone who’s as obnoxious as he is.”

“Yet somehow he’s friends with you…”

He growled, reaching out to send a sharp smack against my denim covered ass. “There you go looking for trouble again.”

I reached up, wrapping my arms around his neck and standing up on my toes for a deep kiss before the doorbell rang.

“You’d better behave, Dex.” I poked my finger in the center of his chest. “No funny business.”

“No promises.”

Before I could reply, the bell rang again, followed by a series of knocks, causing the two of us to rush toward the front door, eager to greet our dinner guests.

After brief, but pleasant introductions and a bit of good-natured ribbing, the four of us sat down to a beautiful dinner of Italian takeout. The air around us was thick with an awkward silence. Cam and Nora sat picking at their meals and almost entirely ignoring one another. Across the table, Dex stared down at his plate of food with a small smirk on his face. I refused to give him the satisfaction of being right.

I turned to the handsome man sitting to my left. “So Cam, Dex was telling me earlier that you went to a Toro Y Moi concert last weekend, how was it? I know Nora really loves him.”

Cam looked over at me. “Oh.” His bright blue eyes seemed to light up with childish excitement. “Yeah it was a pretty sweet show. There were a lot of cool people there.” He smiled over at Nora. “Have you ever seen him live?”

“Nope. But I hear his shows are always full of douchebags.” Nora gave him a saccharine smile before taking a slow sip of her wine.

I watched as Cam’s eyes narrowed at my friend, his top lip curling up into a slight sneer. “You shouldn’t believe everything you hear, honey.” He mimicked her dry tone perfectly, causing the woman across from him to sit up in her chair a little straighter.

“Well, by the looks of the man sitting across from me, the assumption definitely doesn’t seem wrong.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Nora swiped her tongue over her lips then let out a snort. “Oh come on, look at you.” She motioned over the length of his body.

Cam looked down at himself, the expression on his face confused and more than a little annoyed. “What the fuck is wrong with the way I look?”

“You showed up to a dinner party in a tank top and flip flops.” Nora took another large sip of wine. “And by the looks of it, you couldn’t even be bothered to shower before you got here.”

The man crossed his bare arms across his chest. “This is my best friend’s house, I’ll show up bare ass naked if I want to.”

“I sure wouldn’t put it past you.” Nora’s nose turned up in disgust.

I sat silently, not entirely sure what transpired to cause this ridiculous argument in the first place. Nora wasn’t typically so confrontational, and while I didn’t know Cam well, I definitely got the feeling he was a pretty laid back guy. Seeing Nora be so rude to a guy due to his apparent wardrobe choices was odd to me, and I sure as hell didn’t like it.

I stood up from the table, smoothing out my white blouse. “Hey Nora, you want to help me bring out another bottle of wine.” We didn’t need another bottle of wine at the table, nor would I have needed help getting it if we had.

Nora silently followed me into Dex’s kitchen, a kind smile replacing the sneer on her pretty, tawny brown face.

“Nora Romero!”

She looked at me innocently as she fiddled with a wine cork on the counter. “What?”

“What the hell was that in there?”

“What was what?”

Hands on my hips I narrowed my eyes at her, saying nothing as I pursed my lips.

She sighed. “I don’t know, Rosaline.” A small, petulant whine escaped her throat. “I just don’t like him.”

“What do you mean you don’t like him? You don’t even know him.” My head was spinning at the ridiculousness.

“I just don’t like his vibe is all.”

“His vibe?” What the hell was she talking about?

She spoke resolutely, as if she was tired of having to explain herself. “Yeah, his vibe, you know. He’s an asshole, I can feel it.”

I conceded, of course I thought it was ridiculous but I wasn’t her mother and it wasn’t like Nora was hurting for the affection of adoring males. She could have anyone she wanted, and if Cam wasn’t what she wanted, then so be it.

Even still, I seriously didn’t want to admit defeat to Dex.

“Fine…”

Nora walked up to me and wrapped her thin arms around my middle, hugging me close. “I’m sorry, Rosaline. It was nice of you to do this, though.”

I laughed. “Yeah, yeah.”

“I’m serious! Even if I hate the guy you chose, I still appreciate the effort.”

I pushed her away jokingly, grabbing a new bottle of wine from the wine rack. “Alright. But you have to be nice when we go back in there. I don’t need you making an enemy of my boyfriend’s best friend.”

Nora reached out and linked her pinkie with mine, giving me a little wink before leading the way back into the dining room, me trailing helplessly behind her.

Even after Nora promised to behave herself, the duo’s light bickering continued throughout dinner and dessert, leaving me almost relieved when the two left for the evening. Both of them making snappy comments at each other even as they made their way to their respective cars.

As we straightened up for the night, Dex’s handsome face remained in a constant state of smugness, the non-verbal, “I told you so,” became too much for me to bear silently.

I threw a damp dishrag at his head. “Cut it out!”

Dex cracked up, loud, full-bodied laughs that almost seemed to make his legs weaken. As unimpressed as I was, I still had to bite back a smile at the sight of his glee.

Almost a full minute of his gloating passed before he approached me, making little smacking sounds with his lips. I backed away, both of my hands on his chest, using all of my strength to keep him at bay.

“No! Stay away from me.”

“Aw, c’mon, baby. Just give me a little victory kiss.”

“What for? You didn’t win anything.”

“No, but I was right.”

I conceded, letting him take me in his arms. “Maybe this time, but don’t get used to it.”

“Of course not.” Dex’s hands drifted down to my ass, squeezing and groping my bottom through my jeans. “Still want my reward though.”

He bent down, his mouth nibbling at the skin of my neck, causing me to stifle a moan. “What reward? We didn’t discuss any terms.”

“Hmmm…”

Dex continued his soft ministrations on the bare skin of my neck and shoulders, his soft, wet tongue quickly following the nips of his perfect teeth. My heart beat fast, just as it always seemed to when we were this close. This wasn’t anywhere close to the first time we had done this, but my belly still filled with butterflies. Knocking and fluttering against every part of my stomach. The excitement and anticipation I felt every time he touched me didn’t feel as if it would ever fade.

We said nothing as we worked to slowly rid one another of our clothes. Shoes, pants, shirts, everything laid in a pile on the dark wooden floors at our feet as we stood devouring one another.

Dex pulled back, his pupils blown wide and his voice a snarl as he murmured into my ear. “You know what I want as my reward, Rosie?”

I shook my head.

“As my reward.” Dex’s hands drifted from my sides, back down to my ass. “I want to use you any way I want.”

I panted into his neck as he dipped his hands into my lace panties, his finger running over the swollen lips of my dewy pussy from behind.

“I want to take your mouth, your pretty pussy, that gorgeous fucking ass of yours. I want it all.” He slid one thick finger into my cunt, fucking in and out a few times before adding a second one, making me clench tightly against the invading digits. “I want you to take everything I give you.”

His thumb made its way between my cheeks, gently rubbing over my asshole, making me gasp and grip Dex’s upper arms.

“Yes!” I arched my ass back against his fingers. “I want that. I want you to use me.” The words coming out of my mouth were completely foreign to me, but that didn’t make them any less true. The thought of Dex, in all of his strength and possession, taking me, consuming me completely, had my head spinning and my pussy creaming all over his fingers.

Dex pulled his fingers out of me, quickly spinning me around before pushing my panties down my legs and snapping the front latch on my bra. “I want you on your knees, leaning over the couch. Ass up, legs spread.”

Doing as he said, I lowered my body onto the floor, my bare nipples brushing against the soft fabric of the couch. Dex leaned down behind me, gently spreading my thighs further apart until I was completely open before him. I felt the fat, soaking lips of my pussy spread as he opened me up, revealing my soaking, light pink folds. In this position, Dex could see a peek of my asshole between my plush ass cheeks. Being so open for him with the cool night air from the patio doors brushing against me felt so good. I was completely at his mercy, cunt, ass, anything he wanted at his disposal.

I jumped as I felt his cool nose run in the length of my pussy. “Your sweet cunt smells so fucking good, baby. If I didn’t love fucking it so much, I would stay here forever.” His nimble tongue joined his nose in my folds. Softly running over my lips and clit, never staying in one place long enough to make me come but perfect for drawing a steady stream of cream out of me and into his mouth. “So fuckin’ juicy…”

He abandoned his ministrations on my pussy after a few torturous minutes, turning his attention to my ass, giving me a few smacks, no doubt causing the skin to pucker and redden slightly. “Reach back and spread that ass apart for me, Rosie. Let me see all of you.”

Slightly blushing, I rested my upper body on my shoulders, leaning down further and reaching my arms back to grip my cheeks and pull them apart. Dex’s large thumb circled my asshole a few times before his tongue followed, making its way up and down between my cheeks before focusing on my hole. I moaned loudly, my voice slicing through the otherwise silent room. The feeling of his tongue, wet and strong, against my untouched asshole was almost too delectable to handle. It was unlike anything I had ever felt. Ever dreamed to feel.

I groaned disappointedly when he leaned away a few minutes later, eager to have his mouth back on me.

“Fuck,” he spat. “You like that, huh? You like it when I eat your ass?”

I blushed.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, I like it too. In fact, I want more of it.” Dex moved away for a moment. I heard him leaving the room as I panted on my knees. I was sure I looked a sight, completely spread open, wet and aching and wanting to be filled in every way possible.

He was back in a flash, wasting no time as he squirted something warm and wet between the cheeks of my ass. Making me feel almost obscenely wet and open as he slowly worked a finger into my asshole. “You’re so fucking tight here. So hot.”

I whined, “I need you to fuck me, Dex.”

I sounded desperate. Desperate and whiny and awful but I wanted his dick. I wanted to feel his thickness filling me and stretching me, fucking into me, making me cry, and I would do anything to get it. Even if it meant completely laying down my dignity and begging for it.

“Where do you want me?” Dex added another finger, slowly stretching out my hole. “In your ass or in your pretty pussy?”

“Both.”

Dex chuckled before smacking at my hands, signaling I could release the straining grip on my ass. “I’ll have both before the night is over, but I want that pussy first. I want to make you cream all over my cock before I take your ass for the first time.”

Without warning he slid his fat dick into my pussy, the girth of him aided by my juices as he stretched my walls. Dex kept his fingers in my ass as he fucked my pussy, gradually working a third finger into me as he pistoned into my cunt at an almost punishing pace.

I wasn’t sure how long he fucked me, my pussy dripping juice onto his pristine hardwood floor and the wet sounds of his perfect cock leaving and entering me becoming progressively louder.

“Oh God!” I cried out, unable to contain my moans. “I need to come so bad, baby. Please let me come.”

Dex grunted, “Reach down and touch yourself, baby. Play with it. Make that pussy come.”

I shot off like a rocket within seconds, the sensory overload of his filling my cunt and my ass along with the stimulation on my clit almost causing me to black out. My ears rang and spots appeared before my eyes with the force of my orgasm before Dex pulled out of me, his dick still completely hard and shiny with my juices.

“I want in here now,” he said, helping me widen my legs even more. I felt the tip of his wet cock on my slightly stretched asshole, slowly pushing in until I enveloped the tip. “Fuck. Your ass is taking my dick so well, baby.” Dex continued, gingerly but steadily sliding his long shaft into me.

The stretch of it was foreign, stinging and aching a little, but the feeling otherwise completely delicious. I pushed back slightly, wanting him to push faster.

“Shit, Rosie. You really want it, huh?”

I groaned, jiggling my ass a bit to prompt him to start fucking me. “Fuck my ass, Dex. Please.”

Dex didn’t fuck my ass as hard as he fucked my pussy, but the steady pace of his cock sliding in and out of me was enough to rev me up again, causing me to fuck back at him continuously.

“Oh, hell yeah. Ride it, baby. Ride that dick.”

He moved his hands to spread my ass wide again, looking down to watch his cock move in and out of my stretched hole. “You look so fucking good like this.”  His hips rocked into me faster, a little more erratically. “Should have broken out the fucking video camera.”

I threw my ass back at him harder, my pussy clenching around nothing but still so close to coming again. “I need you to come, baby. Come for me.”

“Where do you want it, Rosie?”

“In my ass! Come in my ass.”

Dex stuttered through a few more thrusts before he came. His strong hands held onto my hips in a bruising hold as he filled my ass with his hot cum, resting inside me for a few moments as he slowly softened.

I felt his cum run out of my asshole and quickly down between my still-swollen pussy lips as soon as he pulled out of me. The feeling of its wet warmth making me swallow harshly as I caught my breath.

“Fuck that’s hot…” Dex groaned as he rested his head on my right ass cheek, watching his handy work, gently kissing the warm skin there.

I laughed. “That was…”

“Unbelievable?” Dex finished.

“I’m not sure that word is strong enough, but I guess it’ll have to do for now.” I turned to sit on my butt next to him, momentarily not caring about the mess I would inevitably make on the floor. “I’m guessing your reward was satisfactory?”

Dex bit my shoulder gently before taking my mouth. His sweet kisses completely different from the way he just fucked me. “Eh, they were alright,” he answered, causing me to reach out and twist his still hardened nipple.

* * *

The next morning, I drove Dex to the warehouse before taking the Porsche to my apartment to pick up some more clothes and check my mail. As much I appreciated my little apartment, nothing felt better than being able to sleep in Dex’s arms at night, not even the feeling of sleeping in a bed I paid for with my own, hard earned money.

My packing was brief, mostly consisting of me shoving some work clothes and a few changes of underwear into my old duffle bag. On my way out I stopped by Nora’s to see about a pair of shoes I loaned her earlier in the week.

A loud shuffling inside the apartment quickly alerted me before the door swung open, revealing Nora, clad in an oversized t-shirt and with a head full of artfully messy hair.

She smiled at me, slightly forced and way too wide. “Hey, Rosie Posie. What’s up?”

I raised an eyebrow as she scooted closer to the other side of the doorframe, effectively keeping me from seeing inside the apartment. “Rosie Posie?”

She shrugged.

I rolled my eyes. “I actually just came by to grab those sandals you borrowed the other day. I want to take them to Dex’s with me.”

The shuffling noise was back behind the door. “But um... I can come back if you’re busy?” Nora didn’t entertain many men but those she did, typically weren’t invited back to her place. Her “sanctuary,” as she often referred to it, was a sacred space where she could escape her well-meaning but nosy parents and the leering gaze of annoying men. Whoever she had in there with her, she must have liked a lot.

She smiled at me, giving me a flash of her perfectly straight teeth before turning to peer into the room behind her for a second. “No uh... It’s alright. Just wait a minute. Wait right there.”

“You might as well tell her!” a familiar voice exclaimed from inside, causing me to look up at my friend in shock.

Nora let out a sharp curse before kicking the front door all the way open, revealing a shirtless Cam lounging comfortably on the couch, the jeans he wore the night before opened sloppily.

I looked to her, a sly smile slowly taking over my face.

“Do not look at me like that!” she whined, lightly stomping her bare foot.

“What happened to not liking him?”

She looked behind her at Cameron as he lifted an arm up to covertly sniff one of his armpits. She turned her nose up a bit and groaned.

“He grew on me, okay? We ended up flirting a little in Dex’s driveway and decided to get a nightcap. One thing led to another and…” She shrugged.

I grinned.

“Hey!” She snapped a finger in my face before poking me in the middle of the forehead. “It’s not true love, Rosie. It was a night of scotch-fueled fucking, nothing more.”

“Okay, if you say so.” I nodded in faux agreement.

“Ugh!” She let out a shriek of displeasure before slamming the door in my face, causing me to laugh.

“I’ll come back for the shoes later then,” I yelled before making my way downstairs, whistling the entire way to the Porsche.