CHAPTER FOUR
Eliana
I could feel his eyes on me as I walked down the sidewalk and it took everything inside me not to go running back and fling myself into his arms.
Sexy had an entirely new definition for me now — Kane Steele.
And I’d get to see him again.
I was ten minutes early when I rushed through the door of the grooming center, and thankfully, the pampered pup wasn’t already there. I went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face and neck. I was burning up. Not just from my semi-sprint in these stupid shoes, but from my memories of that kiss.
It had awakened something inside me I thought was dead. Or maybe had never really began to live.
It was awake now, roaring with life. I pressed my legs together to ease the ache growing there.
A Brazilian.
Did I dare?
Yes, the devil on my shoulder whispered.
I wasn’t a virgin, but I’d had very few lovers. A fumbling high school boyfriend was my first, then the selfish star quarterback in college left me with a bad taste in my mouth about men in general. He’d been a real jerk, cheating on me with the lead cheerleader. Then there had been Winston Hampton the Third. After I’d fought him off, I was done with any penis-owning human.
Until Kane.
Kane had a penis. A big one. I saw the hard outline of it through his shorts. I wanted to touch it, taste it, feel it in my mouth and… the bell over the door jingled.
I needed more water.
Drying my face and hands after splashing myself again, I stepped out to where the huge, fluffy dog waited for me. She was wearing a diamond encrusted collar that could have fed every hungry mouth in New York, but that was the owner’s fault, not sweet Princess Sophie’s.
“Hi, Sophie, how is my good girl today?” The dog’s entire body wiggled with excitement at seeing me.
“The usual, my dear.” Mrs. Tomlin’s stiff, upper crust voice always made me smile. “And please use purple polish to match her new collar.”
“Yes, ma’am. It will be my pleasure. See you in two hours.”
The time passed quickly as I washed and clipped this beauty. She was a very good girl, sitting still while I perfected her standard poodle cut. I shaped and polished her nails, and finished with a matching bow on top.
“Now, who’s the most beautiful girl in the entire world?” I baby talked her, offering her a well-deserved treat, then smiled as Sophie and Mrs. Tomlin reunited as if they’d been separated for weeks.
Accepting the extra hundred she slipped into my hand with a wink and sly smile, I thanked Mrs. T for her generosity before giving Sophie a last stroke on the head.
Bruno, the Chihuahua from hell, was next, and I nearly groaned when the bell jingled again.
“Hello, Mr. Lancaster,” I yelled over the incessant yip-yip-yip of the dog.
“The usual,” the old man yelled back and handed me the leash. Jingle, jingle, and he was gone. I didn’t blame him for bailing.
With practiced agility, I sidestepped the snapping teeth. “If only I was this graceful on the dancefloor,” I muttered to the little dog and dodged another lunge before getting the wiggling, growling canine under control.
“I promise I’m not Satan’s mistress, Bruno,” I sweet talked the still yapping dog and carried him to the grooming station. There, I tied him to the overhead loop and gave him a treat.
Like magic, the yipping stopped, and I quickly started on his bath.
“Hmm, that doesn’t look good, Bruno,” I said as I expressed his glands and the nasty smelling fluid came out a reddish brown. “You need a trip to the vet.” At the mention of the v-word, the yipping started again. I stuck another treat in his mouth and silence reigned supreme, although the sharp barks continued to ring in my head.
On it went. More dogs. More owners. Even with the Brunos of the world, I loved them all. I held Mr. Lancaster’s hand as I told him to make an appointment to see the vet and gratefully accepted the extra forty dollars he left as a tip. By the time my last appointment arrived, I’d made nearly three hundred dollars in just tips, which didn’t include a meager salary.
Better than stripping, I thought with a grin and accepted the loving licks the enormous Rottweiler, Susie, offered me. Better benefits too.
As I was bathing Susie, I glanced at the clock and realized the Beasts were playing. Flipping on the little TV, I found the channel. I’d never watched a baseball game before, but soon learned they were in the second inning and losing by one run.
Squinting at the little screen, I recognized Kane on first base. The other team hit the ball with a loud crack. Instead of going high in the air, it rolled on the ground and a Beast player dove for it. Coming to his feet, he launched the ball to first, and I held my breath. Kane stretched his arm out, his legs nearly in a split, and… caught it!
“Out!” the referee guy said, and the crowd went wild.
Jumping up and down, I cupped the excited dog by the face. “He caught it, Susie. Wasn’t that great?”
The dog seemed to agree with me, and we watched the game together until her owner came at nine.
***
“You look like you just gave a bunch of dogs a bath,” Zoe said drolly as I fell into our apartment.
Thankfully, Mom hadn’t taken all my furniture when she cut me off, and I plopped on the comfortable sofa with a long sigh. Reaching for the remote, I clicked until I found the game, but turned the audio down low so as not to interrupt Zoe’s studies. It was the sixth ending, and the Beasts were winning by two!
“Who are you and why do you look like Eliana?”
I laughed. “What’s the problem? I’m just watching baseball.”
“That is the problem,” she said with a perfectly arched brow. “The Eliana I know only watches Animal Planet. Get out, or I’m calling the police.”
I hugged a pillow. “Well, I’m officially not watching a baseball game.” I pointed to the television as Kane stepped up to the plate, swinging his bat from side to side with impressive strength. “I’m watching him.”
Zoe squinted at the screen then reached for her glasses. “Kane Steele?” She sat her book down. “Well, in that case, I’ll watch too.”
Holding my breath as the pitcher threw the ball at him, I was mystified when Kane just stood there and did nothing.
“Why didn’t he hit the ball?”
She shot me a look. “Because it’s a ball.”
I rolled my eyes at her. “I know it’s a ball. Why didn’t he hit it?”
Zoe snorted. “Because it wasn’t in the strike zone, so he let it go.”
“Let it go where?”
Zoe moved over to the couch and sat beside me. “Oh dear heavens, you’ve got a lot to learn. Good thing my older brothers both played in college. I, my dear baseball virgin, will be your wizard.”
It actually helped a great deal to have her spell everything out to me. When Kane hit the next one, she explained that it was a foul ball and why.
Crack!
She didn’t have to explain that that sound was a good thing. The screaming crowd said it all. “Why is he just jogging around the bases?”
Zoe grinned at me. “Because he hit a home run. See the other two guys running in too?” I nodded. I had wondered about that but had been too embarrassed to ask. “Because Kane hit a homer and they were already on bases, they get to score too. That gives the Beasts three runs off Kane’s hit, so now they are ahead nine to four.”
My heart pounded when the camera zoomed in on Kane’s face as he made it home. He looked so happy. So handsome. And I so remembered kissing that lush mouth. The camera stayed on him even when he entered the dugout, high-fiving his teammates as he went.
“He really is hot,” Zoe said and turned to me. “Why all the sudden interest?”
I sighed and pulled the pillow to my chest before telling her of the day’s events.
By the time I was finished, and she’d asked a million questions, the game was over, and the Beasts had won, breaking their losing streak.
When I crawled into bed, my phone pinged. I giggled like a young girl when Kane’s name appeared on the screen.
Kane: Ur officially my good luck charm.
Me: I don’t think you need luck, that hit was awesome!
Kane: U watched the game?
Me: Yep. First one ever. My roomie had to explain things to me, so you’ll have to be patient with my learning curve.
Kane: I have tons of patience.
My stomach twisted, deep and low.
Me: You do? It seems to me that you’re a bit impetuous.
Kane: Sometimes. There is a time to take things slow and a time to speed things up.
Oh dear heavens. I pressed my thighs together and felt the dampness there. Rolling over, I stuffed a small pillow under my pelvis and ground down into it, releasing some of the pressure. The strategy backfired immediately, and I groaned, grinding again.
Me: How do you know which speed to go?
Kane: Instinct and feeling. Connection.
Me: I’m glad we connected. Thank you again.
Kane: Stop thanking me. I’m glad too. When can I see you again?
I rolled onto my back, disappointed by what I had to type next.
Me: Not until the gala ☹ You’ll be on the road, then I’m booked every evening when you get back. There is some local dog show that weekend, so it’s busier than usual. But I’ll watch the game.
Kane: You will? All of them? You know we play every day, right?
I actually didn’t know that but decided I didn’t care.
Me: Yes, all of them.
Kane: Promise? I need my good luck charm, you know.
Me: I promise. It was actually fun.
Kane: I’m glad you didn’t suffer for me. And speaking of suffering…
I waited, but nothing else came through.
Me: Yes?
Kane: For informational purposes only, did you know that you can’t have sex with anyone for twenty-four hours after a wax?
Me: I was not aware of such restrictions, but I appreciate the warning. Should that be a concern?
I stared at the message for a long moment before getting up the nerve to send it. I held my breath and watched the three dots moving at the bottom of my screen.
Kane: I hope so.
Me: I’ll call the spa tomorrow and see if they can change my appointment. Just in case.
Kane: Beautiful and wise.
Another text from Kane popped up immediately.
Kane: No pressure. Seriously. But dammit if it’s not fun wondering ‘will she or won’t she?’
Me: You’ll get your answer Saturday night.
Kane: I look forward to it. Sleep well, FGF.
Me: ???
Kane: Fake girlfriend.
I smiled at my screen.
Me: You sleep well too, FBF.
Still smiling like a fool, I tossed my phone onto the bed beside me, my body still singing with anticipation. My nipples were tight, and I shivered when I touched them.
I wished it was Kane’s hand touching me, then began to imagine that it was. His fingers would be stronger, harder, callused, and rough as they trailed down my stomach. I closed my eyes, imagining him touching me… and whimpered as I parted my flesh and slid a finger inside myself, gathering the moisture there before smoothing it over my clit. Heat spread across my skin as my — his — hands caressed me.
I shouldn’t have been doing this.
But the throbbing between my legs didn’t care about what I should or shouldn’t have been doing. The desperate arousal driving me was stronger than anything I’d felt in a long time, maybe ever.
Cupping my breast with my free hand, I rolled my nipple, wishing it was Kane’s strong and certain touch. I moaned as I could almost feel his teeth scrape my skin. His lips and tongue moving lower and lower…
My — Kane’s — fingers stroked over the wet curls, finding and circling my clit.
Need jolted through me, and my back arched as my mind fed me an image of him sinking to his knees, his hands spreading my thighs. Touching me with his mouth, his tongue firm as it stroked up my slit.
My abdomen tightened as I tried to imagine how that would feel.
I wouldn’t know. I’d never experienced it before. The fumbling boy or selfish football player had never gone down on me, but I wanted Kane to. I wanted to watch his head move between my thighs as he fed on me, drinking his fill. Worshiped me. Made me feel good.
A moan tore from my throat as I pushed two fingers deep inside me. They were Kane’s fingers scissoring, stretching me, my muscles spasming around their intrusion. I arched up, and the heel of my hand pressed against my clit, giving me the pressure I needed. Wanted. Craved.
More images flashed through my mind.
Kane crawling up my body. His muscles flexing as he rode me. His sweat under my fingertips. The taste of his skin.
The way he would fill me the first time. The words he would say. The sounds he would make. The way he would look at me as our bodies connected, and I closed around him.
His eyes. Those beautiful green eyes watching me as our bodies came together over and over again. His warm breath on my face. The groans as he came, his hips thrusting hard then stilling as he released.
The pressure building inside me exploded, and I came, pressing my lips together to muffle the cry. My blood roared in my ears as my heart thudded hard, then slowed.
When I opened my eyes, I was alone as I knew I would be, but it didn’t stop the little pang of longing that shot through me.
Suddenly restless, I got up and washed my hands and face, smoothing moisturizer on my skin. As I brushed my teeth, I stared at myself in the mirror, wondering what Kane saw when he looked at me. He said I was beautiful, but the ghostly complexion and freckles were only cute if anything.
Get some sun, Eliana. You look pale and sick.
Please do something with that hair.
I’ve found a laser service that can rid you of those dreadful freckles.
Sit up straight. Your boobs are non-existent already without hiding them under stooped shoulders.
Taking a deep breath, I turned away from the mirror and my mother’s hateful voice. Slipping beneath the covers, I thought of Kane again. Beside me, my phone pinged, and I reached for it, tapping the screen.
Kane: I’m still fake thinking of you.
I smiled.
Me: I’m still fake thinking of you too.
As I fell asleep, my phone still in my hand, I couldn’t help but wish for all of this to be real.
***
“Eliana Anderson?”
I looked from the Cosmo article I’d been consuming — Sixteen Ways To Make Your Man Wild For You In Bed — and jumped up, my nerves singing as I walked toward a petite brunette who didn’t look big enough to pull tape off the wall let alone the hair from my body.
“Thanks so much for shifting my appointment,” I told her as she herded me down a narrow hallway.
“I’m Jolie. We were super lucky to have a cancellation, so the timing is perfect. Sorry we couldn’t fit you in for the works. We’ll do that next time. You’ll love it.”
Somehow, I didn’t think love was the correct word. But I was lucky that they’d fit me in for the bikini wax. Since it was Wednesday afternoon, it gave me plenty of time, I hoped, to heal.
Will she? Won’t she?
Oh please. I was totally going to have sex with Kane Steele this weekend. Hopefully, multiple times.
I’d been texting with Kane every day, each session getting a bit hotter. Last night, he’d texted me late.
Kane: Did you watch the game?
Me: I’m so sorry. I had a doggy emergency and missed it. How did it go?
Kane: Well, that explains it. We sucked it up and lost. Now I know why, my good luck charm was missing.
Me: Oh the guilt!
Kane: I guess I’ll have to forgive you. This time. Better not let it happen again.
Me: Do I need to be punished?
Kane: Absolutely. I know exactly how. What are you wearing?
The texting turned into sexting which turned into another session of me trying to take care of myself. I was becoming a masturbation machine, practically ripping my poor pillow in two. My fingers would be forever pruney if I kept this up. But it was never enough. Nothing I did or tried could fulfill me the way I knew Kane would.
“Okay, take off your bottoms completely and cover yourself with this sheet…” My head snapped up from my wayward thinking. I blushed, but Jolie didn’t notice. She was reading the consent forms I’d signed earlier. “Eliana. That’s such a pretty name.”
“Thank you.” Taking the sheet she gave me, I stepped behind the screen and stripped before wrapping the soft material around my waist and hopping up onto the table.
This wasn’t so bad. I’d been expecting a brightly lit sterile-looking procedure room, but the lighting was soft, the music pretty, and the bed super squishy. It actually felt like I was here for a massage as I laid back, forcing myself to relax.
“I’m just going to lift this up to your waist,” Jolie said, and I took a deep breath. The only other female to see me down there had been my gynecologist, so it was a jolt when her hands touched my thighs. “I’ll need them farther apart. Farther. Press the bottom of your feet together.” Slowly, I did what Jolie said, and she beamed at me. “Perfect.”
A dozen insecurities ran through my brain as I lay there and she examined my vagina, pulling over a lighted magnification glass for a closer look.
Did it smell okay?
Was it pretty? Or at least normal?
Were the lips flapping at her like a sail from where I’d touched myself so much this week?
“Are we going fully bare, or do you want a landing strip?”
“Strip. I want a strip!”
“Sure thing. How wide?”
I don’t know. Wide enough to land a dick?
“Um…” She held her fingers apart about an inch, and I nodded. “That’s perfect.”
“Okay, just relax, and we’ll be done in a jiffy.”
I closed my eyes as she spread the warm wax on one side. That actually felt really good. I was breathing calmly as she pressed something into the wax.
Riiiiip!
Holy mother of all things great and small!!!
“Shhh… we have clients in the next room.”
Jolie’s image wavered as I looked at her through watery eyes. “Huh?”
“You screamed. Try to be quieter,” she said as she applied another layer of warm wax.
“We’re not done?” There was panic in my voice. Panic in my heart. Panic in my…
Riiiiip!
Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. My lips hurt from pressing them together to muffle the scream. Sorry, baby Jesus. I shouldn’t be thinking about you right now.
“I’m sorry,” I muttered to the little bitch, “was that too loud?”
“Much better,” she chirped, and I wanted to strangle her. “Now it’s time to get the lips.”
Lips? She doesn’t mean those lips, surely.
“A-are you s-sure they need it?”
“Do. They. Ever.” Jolie grabbed a mirror and centered it between my legs. “See? You’re lucky they’re light colored, or you’d be half gorilla.”
Would a jury really find me guilty once they heard what she just said?
Riiiiip!
I growled this time, like a feral beast caught in a trap. Jolie looked at me warily as she applied wax to the other side.
Riiiiip!
This time, I could only whimper and wipe the tears from my eyes.
“You should take some pain meds before you come back again,” Jolie said in a helpy helperton voice.
Pain meds? It would have been just swell to have gotten that recommendation a couple of hours ago.
My face hurt from the effort of not screaming or swearing like a sailor. I started singing songs in my head, trying to distract myself from what was happening below my navel.
Twinkle twinkle little… Riiiip!... Son of a hell dwelling bastard.
“We’re all done…”
Oh, thank you, God. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
“… with the front.”
Front?
What’s the ba…? Oh no. No. No. No.
I sat up and squeezed my ass cheeks together hard. “I really don’t think that’s nec—”
Jolie raised an eyebrow. “Do you really want me to bring out the mirror again?” A sob escaped my lips and her gaze softened. “I’m sorry. You must really hate me now, but you knew a Brazilian included… back there, right?”
“No, I didn’t know,” I spat out. “For the last several years, I’ve been working hard in school, trying to make the best grades I could for vet school. All of my experiences with boys have totally sucked ass, so I’ve never gone online to find out about this magical waxing experience.”
I inhaled a lung full of air and Jolie laid a soft hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry. So why are you having it done today?”
I thought of Kane. His dark hair and sexy smile. Those brilliant green eyes that seemed to see right through me.
“I met this guy, and we’re going out Saturday night,” I confessed. “I…”
She smiled. “You wanted everything to be special.”
I nodded. “I had no idea it would hurt this bad.”
“The first time is always the worst. If you get it done regularly, it gets to the point where you hardly feel it.”
“I totally don’t believe you.”
She laughed. “So… is he worth it?”
Kane Steele.
For a moment, I allowed myself to imagine what it would be like with him. He didn’t seem to be a missionary only kind of guy. So, maybe standing up. Doggy style… where he’d be looking down at my hairy gorilla asshole.
I groaned.
“Okay, I’ll do it,” I told her before I ran away to be a nun. “But do it quick.”
She smiled brightly. “Great. Now just turn over and get on all fours.”
Sweat dripped from my forehead as I got into position.
Riiiiiip!
Sex with Kane had better be worth it!
TO BE CONTINUED...
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