Chapter 25
Ross
My week couldn’t have been any better, and I was so excited that with the weekend, I’d get to see Tori. I’d started my new job the day before and so far, things were going great. Claire had started me out at a higher rate of pay than most of the other workers, and I knew it was her way of asking me to be discreet. I’d take it. I wasn’t ever planning to talk. Discretion was key with the type of work I’d done before, and I surely didn’t want the things I’d done getting back to anyone I loved or cared about.
I’d always made sure that there were no pictures and no cell phones with the bigger crowds, and knowing most of the clients I had weren’t new to the game, I had faith that they understood the way it was played.
Melanie had taken the news of my early retirement well and was proud of me for landing the job, but she wasn’t as understanding about me ending our sessions. I sat with her on the phone during my lunch commute trying to explain to her why I didn’t want to have a secret affair.
“I didn’t mind the play when I was single, but it’s not fair to Tori or to myself while trying to start an honest relationship to see you, or anyone else for that matter, on the sly. Tori deserves better and now that we were together, and I’ve promised her commitment, I have to honor that.”
“I understand.” Her voice broke. “I’m going to miss you.”
“You’re a great friend, Mel. That’s not going to change.” She’d be fine. I had no doubt and she probably already had someone lined up to take my place. I just hope he’d treat her right.
“Everything changes, Ross. And if it ever changes for you again, I’d love to see you.”
“If you ever need me, you know how to reach me. If any of those men get out of line you know I’ll come straighten them out.” She giggled, and it was quiet enough that I had a feeling it was mixed with tears.
“I will. It’s bittersweet, but I’ll be okay. I’ll catch you later, Ross.” And with that, she hung up the phone. I exited the freeway but still had a way to go. I had one more call to make before I called Tori to nail down our evening plans.
Mia answered the phone with a growl. “What? I’m sleeping.”
“And I’m on my way to work, which means one of us is a slacker.”
“Funny. What do you want?” I could hear the rustling of covers on the other end of the phone.
“I’d like for you to watch Katie tonight—overnight if possible.” I waited for her to ask why and I was going to have to explain to her that I needed an entire night with my girl. I wanted to hold her all night and wake up next to her.
“Let me guess; you’re going out with Tori?”
“Yes, the girlfriend you pushed into the kiddie pool and nearly ruined my daughter’s birthday party, that Tori.”
“I didn’t ruin it.” By the tone of her voice, she was biting back laughter.
“Those kids weren’t happy seeing their favorite teacher fall down and you’re lucky she played it off so they wouldn’t be upset.” It was quiet a moment, and I could tell by her huffing through the phone that she was about to protest. “You owe me, Mia. Though all of your stunts, I’ve kept you employed, even when I could barely afford you.”
“That’s because you don’t pay me shit. If I do this, I want a raise. Besides, you’re working now, so you can afford to pay me more, right?” She had me cornered.
“Fine. We’ll work out the rates later when I see what I can swing.”
“A dollar more an hour.”
“Mia, don’t push it. Just tell me you’ll do this for me, I’ve got to go back to work.” I turned into the parking lot of Richard and Associates and knew I was wasting the time I had to talk to Tori bargaining.
“Fine. But you can’t take up half my day tomorrow spooning her at her place. I want you home early because I’m going to the beach.”
“Sounds perfect. I’m planning on us coming to get Katie and taking her out for the day.”
She made a horrible sound, and I knew she was mocking me, but she hung up before I could respond. She was a brat, but she was all I had that would put up with me.
I found a parking space and sat there a minute to call Tori. As the phone rang, I thought about the night before and how I’d spent the evening in, counting up the money I’d saved from all of those hook ups, and I still couldn’t believe that in that short of time, I’d replenished my savings back to what they’d been when Sarah was alive, and still managed to pay my bills and feed my daughter.
It was a good run, but I’d known that I couldn’t do that sort of thing forever.
Tori wasn’t picking up, and I waited as long as I could. I had to return to work, and that meant I’d have to keep off my cell phone. I turned down my phone’s volume and stuck it in my pocket as I got out to go inside. When I hit the door, Claire walked up and gave me a knowing grin, and I said hello and continued on my way. As gorgeous as she was, she had nothing like my Tori.
On my second break of the day, I decided to try and call Tori again. I stepped outside and dialed, and it rang forever before voicemail picked it up. “Hey, baby. I wanted to talk to you about tonight. I’ve lined up a sitter till morning. Call me.” I could have texted, but I always thought it wasn’t personal enough. Besides, I wanted her to hear how excited I was and hoped she would be too.
Moments later I had a message. I glanced down and read the words I’m sick, and my mood switched to genuine concern for her.
Call me, I responded.
I waited, and she didn’t message me back, and I figured it must be bad. I would have to go by and see her. I waited until my time was up and returned to work. Being training I couldn’t call, and I was distracted by my worry for her.
As soon as I got off work, I got in the car and called. Still no answer. Damn kids today wanting to text instead of calling. I typed out a message asking if she felt any better and if she’d been home all day.
Minutes later I got another response, but I was already halfway to her house. I didn’t want to bother her, but I wanted to make sure she had everything she needed. If I had to go to the store, I’d have time, and maybe I could fix her something light to eat.
I pulled up into her driveway and stopped to read the message. I’m fine, going to get some rest.
I thought she might be sleeping, so I was about to back out of the drive when I saw her living room curtain pull back and changed my mind. I threw it in park and headed to the door. I stood there knocking a while, and grew more concerned when she didn’t answer. It didn’t make sense.
I took out my phone and texted: I’m at the door, checking on you.
When she didn’t respond right away, I grew concerned that maybe Kevin had shown back up. I wasn’t sure that asshole wouldn’t try and hurt her to get back at me for pounding his face.
I banged on the door and looked through the window. I could see Tori pacing the room, holding her stomach. She didn’t look sick, but rather sick over something. She might have had bad news about her aunt or something. Something that had upset her and she didn’t want to share. It still didn’t put me at ease. I needed to know she was safe and I didn’t understand why she wasn’t reaching out to me.
“Tori, what’s going on?” I yelled through the door, keeping my voice just loud enough for her to hear and not the neighbors. “Are you all right? Let me in.”
I waited, and my pulse raced, but she didn’t say anything. I looked in the window, and she was still there, pacing. She glanced up and saw me and shook her head and wiped her eyes. She was crying.
“Tori, open the door, baby. What’s the matter?” All I could think of was that asshole had come and hurt her. “I’m not leaving until you talk to me, Tori.”
After a minute of trying to figure out if I should break the door down, she opened it. “I can’t see you anymore.” Her eyes were puffy and wet with tears, and though that her sniffling, she didn’t seem sick.
The words were so out of left field that I couldn’t understand if she was serious or not. “What’s going on?” I stepped forward, but she backed away.
“Don’t, Ross. Don’t come in and don’t touch me.” Her hands were wrapped around her waist as if she were holding herself together.
I stopped in my tracks, but I wasn’t going to leave without an explanation. “Will you at least tell me what’s happened?” She could at least offer me some reason. Had she changed her mind about being in a serious relationship, or had she decided that my age was suddenly a factor?
“I know about you.” The words were delivered with so much venom that I stepped back. I wondered what she knew and exactly what she’d heard. Was this something that had filtered down about Mia? Maybe Kevin had told her something— a lie, maybe that I saw Mia behind her back.
My anger grew, and it wasn’t that I was angry at Tori, but I was upset that someone had tried to hurt her with lies and that they’d tried to break us up. I wasn’t going to let that happen.
“We need to sit down and talk about this. I’m not leaving until it’s settled and I want to know what you think you know and who told you.” I walked away from the door, shutting it behind me as she widened the distance between us. Had someone told her I’d hurt her? “Why are you backing away, Tori? I’m not going to hurt you. I don’t understand what’s going on.”
“You already have hurt me, you liar. You weren’t working security; you were whoring yourself out like some kind of deviant. You used me.”
I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath as the anger and shame boiled together inside me. I held my tongue knowing whatever would come from my mouth could be toxic to our future and I’d have to proceed with caution.
“What exactly have you heard?” My eyes bore into her as a thousand questions burned through me.
“I know about your stupid parties. The way you hire yourself out and play toy roomfuls of women!”
I couldn’t deny anything she was saying, and I understood that while I had done things that were less than moral, I had done it for honorable reasons. “I think you should let me explain before you jump to any conclusions about who I am.”
“You’re a pervert, and you saw the chance to fuck a young virgin, and you took it. You never cared about me.” She glared at me with glassy eyes; her lip curled back in disgust.
“I do care about you, and that’s not why I wanted to be with you. You’re not like the others, Tori. You are special.”
“Get the hell out.” She stepped forward, but I was not leaving. Not until she knew exactly who she was dealing with.
Chapter 26
Tori
Something gleamed in Ross’ eye as I told him to get out and even though I’d stepped forward, and tried to let him know that I meant it, he didn’t back down.
He crossed the room and grabbed my shoulders and held me at arm’s length. “I’m not fucking going anywhere. I care about you, and I want you and I’m not letting you push me away that easily.” He looked me up and down and then leaned close to my face, his stubble scratching against me. “You want to know what I’ve been doing? I’ve been putting food in my kid’s mouth, I’ve been paying my fucking bills, and yes, I’ve done it all with this right here.” He cupped himself, and I jerked away.
“You’re vulgar.”
“Vulgar? You didn’t think I was so vulgar when I fucked you.” He gave me a challenging look, and I hated him for being right. “And though I’ve had many clients, most were individuals. I fell on hard times, Tori. I didn’t have some rich fucking aunt to set me up. My wife’s illness depleted my savings, and I was about to lose my fucking house. I’m not proud of it, but I don’t have to explain myself to you. I did all of it on my own time before I committed to you!”
I was so confused. I understood what it meant to be desperate. I’d not always had money, and my aunt had only been able to help me because she’d remarried and sold her house, but to sell yourself? “Why not get a loan or something?”
He raked his fingers through his hair and shook his head. “Who would have given me a loan without a job?”
I wiped my eyes and lifted my chin, giving him a defiant look. “What were you doing with them?”
“I’ll tell you everything if you want to hear it. I never wanted you to know or to think bad of me, and that’s why I wouldn’t commit to you off the bat. I had to make enough money to survive until I got a job. I quit the minute I got hired, I even told my friend not to set me up with any more appointments. I’m done!”
I felt like an idiot, but I believed him. Even more than that I was intrigued in a strange way, and curious. “I want to know.”
He stepped closer and pulled me into his arms, his mouth pecking at mine until finally he deepened the kiss and hitched my leg up at his hip. He ground against me, his thick length stroking me through his clothes and he pulled away, whispering into my ear. “Do you feel that, Tori?” I nodded and reached for my hand, placing it over his cock. “You want that, don’t you?”
I nodded again; I did want him. The fact that all of those other women had him hurt, but strangely it excited me that despite them all wanting him, he wanted me.
“Tell me.” His hard tone was softer than the look in his eyes.
“I do,” I whispered.
He lifted me up and carried me into my room, and pushed aside the messy covers where I’d wallowed in self-pity and cried for hours on end. Then he pulled down my shorts and stepped back.
“Take it off.” He gestured to my tank top and snapped his fingers, and I wasted no time doing what I was told. I lay there naked expecting him to fuck me, but he looked around the room and went to get my silk scarf that hung on my dresser. He came back, and my chest pounded, not knowing if I should let him. When he took my hands, I pulled them away.
“You wanted to see what they paid me for; I’m going to show you.” He grabbed my hands tighter and pulled them together behind me holding them tight with one hand while he tied me up. He wasn’t taking no for an answer, and I was all done fighting.
He looked around again as I lay there on my bed, my legs rubbing together as I watched him. He walked over to a picture board beside my dresser and took the small wooden clothespins from it which had at one time held pictures of Kevin and tested them on his thumb. My eyes widened wondering what he was going to do with them.
He returned to me and leaned over to lick my nipples, and I moaned out as he slapped my breasts. I struggled against my bindings, but they only got tighter.
“Don’t struggle, baby. It makes it tighten. That’s why you’ll be a good girl, now, right?” I shook my head and then screamed out as he clamped the clothespin onto my tight nipple. It hurt like hell and then a moment later, it was only a tingle between my legs, like the kind that made me want his big cock shoved in me.
This is what he would do with the women? It wasn’t so bad. Then he stood at the foot of my bed and unbuckled his pants and took down his zipper. His cock was bigger than I remembered and I knew it was only because I felt a hundred times more vulnerable. “Get on your knees.”
I rolled over and got up on my knees, and he tugged my bindings forcing me to the edge of the bed in front of him. I looked up into his eyes and waited for instruction, wishing there was a trace of a smile on his gorgeous face. There had been once for me, and I wasn’t sure I’d ever see it again.
“Suck it.” He crossed his arms and stuck his hips out, and since my hands were tied, all I could do was lean over and take it with my mouth. I hesitated, thinking about all of those women. Jackie had said there was about twenty of them, and each one had had their turn licking and sucking his cock. He’d even fucked the bride, and been her prize.
He reached around and gripped my hair, which had been put up in a messy bun that had only gotten messier as the day went to hell. I expected him to jerk me around, but instead, he nudged me forward and stared through me. “You want what they got, right. So, suck my fucking cock, Tori. Get your taste.” I hesitated, and he shook his head. “It’s all yours now, so take it. Claim it and own it.”
I thought of what he was saying and realized most of what had bothered me wasn’t his whoring, but that they were getting something I’d wanted. He was mine, and I was going to take what was mine. I leaned forward, putting my mouth around his cock and not quite sure what to do about the rest of his length since I couldn’t stroke it. It would only go into my mouth so far. But then he smiled and stroked my cheek.
“Fuck, yeah. That’s a good girl, baby. Suck my cock and make it yours.” I worked his meaty, bulbous head and bobbed my head up and down, only taking to the back of my mouth out of the depths that proved troublesome before. But he still had hold of my hair, and he nudged me forward until I’d taken another good inch more.
My mouth was so full, and I was about to need a breath when he pushed his cock deeper, pulling my head closer and thrusting his hips slightly. I felt it pop into my throat and then he pinched my nose. I was totally helpless, and I struggled, moaning a muffled plea against his cock which popped in out of my throat and stroked my nasal passage. My face puffed up and I thought I might explode, but he pulled off, and I was left gasping for air. Before I could complain, he was back in my mouth, still holding my head and fucking my face. I was a mess of teary eyes and spit by the time he let up, and I was ready to collapse. Being tied was not comfortable, and my nipples were turning an angry red, but my pussy was tingly and now and then I’d feel an ache of desire wash through me. I was ripe and ready.
“Stand up and turn around. You’re going to take this fucking cock hard, like a dirty little slut.” I did as I was told and he pushed me face down on the bed and tugged at my bindings. A moment later I felt his cock press against me and then he sliced into me, with force and no care for my pleasure. He pumped hard and tears stained my cheeks.
“Don’t cry, Tori. You wanted to see what I gave those women; this is a taste of it all. I didn’t make love to them as I did to you, I wasn’t gentle. They paid to use me, and I was so down on my luck that I let them. You were different. Do you see that now?”
He had always been so gentle unless I’d begged but this was not the same way we usually made love. I remembered the one word he’d told me was magic when his cock was inside me. “Please,” I begged.
“Please what?” He sped up, and my first orgasm ripped through me making me lightheaded.
“Please, be easy. Please.” My legs were collapsing beneath me, and I slid down from all fours until my tummy was against the bed. I wanted my, sweet Ross. I needed him to make love to me.
“You’re going to get just what they get; they paid me thousands to make them beg and to make them come. I’m going to make you come so hard.”
My pleasure was so intense that I felt like giving in and lying there letting him pound and fill me, but I wasn’t going to give up so easily. He expected me to tap out and I wasn’t about to. My next orgasm was so intense that I screamed out and suddenly he reached down and pulled the clothespins off in one quick movement.
A blood-curdling scream belted from me as I came so hard I soaked his balls and all down my ass. He clapped his hand over my mouth and laughed.
“That’s right, baby. I’m going to give you all my come in a minute. Fill your little hole so full you hiccup.”
“Mm. Please.” I loved the feeling of those pins being ripped away, and I hoped we could play with that another time. “Untie me. I want to touch you.”
“No. You’re going to have to stay tied until you’ve learned your lesson.”
“I’m sorry, Ross. I should never have doubted you.” He slowed his pace and leaned over me.
“I only did what I had to do, and I’d like for you to forgive me and see the real me. If you can’t, then this is going to be the last time for us, and I think that would be a terrible shame.”
“I don’t want it to end, Ross. If you said you’ve quit, and you really mean it, I want to be with you.” The words rushed from my lips like a plea, and he stopped and picked me up and spun me around. His eyes were much softer than before.
He kissed me deeply and then lay me back against the bed as he nudged himself between my legs.
“I have quit. I promise it’s only you.” He worked himself slowly into me, being much more tender than before. “No one is as special to me as you aside from my daughter, and I truly mean that, Tori.” He lifted my legs up and placed them on his shoulders as he drove deep, stroking my most tender spot. He worked me through another soaking orgasm, and as I went limp from my exertion, he buried his cock and held it as he filled me up.