Chapter Eight
O’Shea
“Fuck!” I growled, stroking my hard cock quickly. I didn’t know what to expect when I called her, but I damn sure didn’t expect what just happened. The moment she accepted the bet, I knew I’d have her in the palm of my hand like horny putty within a matter of days. I was confident, but I didn’t expect her to fall for the bait that fast. Then again, I didn’t expect to lose the bit of self control I had by kissing her first.
I’d jokingly told her she could come watch me, not thinking she’d actually do it. I didn’t have my door open on purpose either. I’d called her on a whim, already comfortable on my bed, but not expecting her to come out anytime soon since she was working. But when I heard her voice in the hallway and hearing her tell me not to stop stroking my cock, fuck, that turned me on even more.
Gazing into her wide eyes as she looked at me made me lose all sense of control I thought I had, unable to stop myself when she didn’t pull away or hesitate. I could’ve taken advantage of the situation and just fucked her against the wall, but something deep inside told me not to. There was something in her eyes that peeked through the lust and desire that blazed within her irises, a sliver of fear that hinted at so many things. The fear of rejection, being hurt, of being vulnerable to another person again. Knowing that we’d been talking to each other was already bound to complicate things; having sex would do nothing but bring an additional problem to the table, one neither of us was probably ready for. Despite that, it didn’t stop me from wanting her or wanting to feel her tight pussy gripping my cock as I fucked her.
Her taste was imprinted in my memory, my mouth watering for more of her. Watching her come had nearly made me come apart, her face flushed as she jerked against me, gripping my shirt to anchor herself through her orgasm. Her body told me she wanted more, but her eyes were unsure, which was the only reason I forced myself to walk away.
And why I was now stroking my cock in my bedroom like a madman.
I thought about how she watched me, her breaths quick as I quickly fingered her. Gripping my cock tighter, I imagined her tight wetness squeezing me as she bounced on it, her head thrown back as she moved herself closer to her orgasm. Maybe it was from the earlier phone calls we had, but knowing that she was the sexy Natasha I’d been thinking a lot about lately made me want her even more. Her moans were even sexier in person, a mixture of whimpers and groans until she finally screamed in pleasure. That brief session was enough to send my imagination into overdrive, so many scenarios swarming my mind as I pumped my cock, the familiar tingling creeping its way through my body.
“Ashton,” I whispered, closing my eyes as my breath quickened. Her flowery perfume, the scent of her arousal, her warmth, how wet and tight she was, and even down to her heated gaze all came to the forefront, ushering me into my release. “Shit!”
I pumped out everything I had onto the towel on my lap, feeling my erection throbbing in my hand. I had no fucking idea what would happen with us after tonight. Now that the sexual tension was slowly dissolving, worry started to set in. Sure, she enjoyed it in the moment, but who was to say she wasn’t in her room right now regretting what we’d done? Even at the beginning of our call, she couldn’t initially bring herself to talk to me as she used to before finding out who I was. On the plus side, I at least had two months’ worth of protection after paying rent in advance, but anything could happen in the meantime. With a sigh, I slowly got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to clean up. I paused in the hallway, glancing toward her closed room door. Everything seemed quiet, as if she wasn’t even taking any more calls. I smirked to myself, knowing that it was only a matter of time before she finally decided to cave.
∞∞∞
When I got up the next morning, she sat at the kitchen island with a bowl of yogurt and fresh fruit.
“Morning,” I said as I passed her and headed to the refrigerator.
“Hey,” she said, never lifting her eyes from her bowl. The atmosphere felt a bit awkward, kind of like when you had a one-night stand the night before and you wake up to still find them there. Unfortunately, it didn’t help when your so-called one-night stand was your roommate that you probably shouldn’t have touched in the first place.
I grabbed the orange juice and a glass, leaning against the counter next to the fridge and looked at her. A purple satin robe covered her body, her long tanned legs exposed when she crossed them. With all the skin she had exposed, it made me curious to know what she wore underneath it.
“So…” I started, pouring myself some juice. “Last night was a little crazy, wasn’t it?”
She turned and looked at me. “I hope you don’t think that’s going to be a normal thing,” she said, her voice flat. I took a sip of orange juice and then grinned.
“Which part?” I asked. “Me calling you or you coming on my fingers in the hallway?”
“Both,” she said with a scowl.
I sighed and shook my head. “I don’t know why you’re fighting it, sex kitten. It’s only a matter of time before you finally cave.”
“That’s what you think?”
“That’s what your body told me,” I said with a shrug.
She shook her head. “You’re full of shit, you know that?”
“And you’re in denial.” I pushed off the counter and moved to stand behind her. “How’d you feel after that orgasm, Ashton?”
She scoffed and turned back to her yogurt. “You’re awfully cocky, O’Shea. If you keep messing with me, you’re going to end up with a bad case of blue balls.”
I laughed, leaning closer to her until my lips were mere centimeters from her ear. “I seriously doubt that, sweetheart. I know how to take care of myself.”
“Yeah, well, get used to doing that,” she muttered, taking a spoonful of fruit and yogurt in her mouth.
“Apparently I should’ve gone ahead and fucked you last night. I didn’t unwind you enough with just one orgasm.”
She shook her head as she swallowed. “I wouldn’t have let you get that far.”
“Oh really? You damn sure didn’t make any efforts to move when I finished. What would you have done had I not ended it?”
“Um, ended it myself, duh,” she said, her brows furrowed as if she couldn’t believe the answer wasn’t already obvious.
“You say that now because your pussy isn’t squeezing my fingers,” I joked. She abruptly stood, forcing me back a couple of steps.
“I’m not losing this bet and don’t think your little phone calls can make me break any quicker. I can make this just as hard for you as you’re trying to make it for me,” she stated matter-of-factly. I looked at her for a moment before I burst into a fit of laughter.
“You? Giving me a hard time? Oh, that’s rich, A. You really do have a sense of humor,” I said, wagging a finger at her. She scowled at me.
“You don’t think I could?”
“Honey, you giving me a hard time is like a fish trying to walk on land. But it’s so cute that you think so,” I said. Her features softened as she folded her arms across her chest, a grin forming on her lips.
“I’ll show you better than I can tell you. It’s not like I don’t already have an effect on you. You wouldn’t be moaning my name while masturbating if you didn’t,” she said.
I drank some more orange juice, completely unmoved. “That’s the thing, baby doll. I don’t hide the fact that I want you. I told you last night and I’m admitting it now. You’re the only one so consumed in wanting to dislike me that you can’t even admit that while you may not like me all that much, you at least liked how I made you feel last night.”
Her sexy lips dropped into a frown. “Me admitting things has nothing to do with whether or not I like you. Even if I did, your cocky ass would never know about it. Just know that you don’t need to make a habit out of what you did last night. Knowing that you’ve been calling me is already weird enough for me; I don’t need sex complicating an already complicated situation.”
“Why is it complicated?” I asked, genuinely curious.
She shrugged. “Sex complicates everything. I’m not in the market for a relationship.”
“Who said anything about a relationship? That’s the furthest thing on my mind right now,” I said. Her facial expression didn’t change, but the look in her eyes did. A mixture of disappointment and rejection flashed through them at my words, which didn’t make any sense considering what she’d just said about relationships.
“Whatever. I’m not really into the whole ‘no strings attached’ thing either,” she said, sitting back down at the island to finish her breakfast.
“Eh, it’s not so bad.”
“It is when I’m a territorial person,” she mused with a smirk. “Who’s to say we start something and I get jealous that you bring another girl over?”
“That, my dear, would be a sign that you’re addicted to the D, which would be completely understandable,” I said with a grin. She scoffed. “But no, seriously, you could join us. I’ve always had a threesome on my bucket list.”
“As fucking if, you cocky bastard,” she scoffed. “See? This is why I don’t like telling you things.”
“You can keep telling yourself that,” I said with a chuckle. “I’d love to stay and chat, but I have to get to work. Your car won’t fix itself,” I said.
“Yeah, yeah,” she said, waving me off. I headed back to my room with a smile on my face. She was playing hard to get now, but that was okay. It would make my reward so much better once I finally got my hands on her.
∞∞∞
“Hey, Smith, those parts for Ashton’s car came in today,” Rocky said when I arrived to work. “I put them in the car port for ya.”
“Cool, thanks,” I responded, looking over at the large boxes stacked up against the wall on the side of Ashton’s car when I walked in. I quickly got to work, unpacking the parts and putting them on the cart next to me. The next few hours flew by without incident. I was so engrossed in what I was doing that I didn’t even notice Rocky standing next to me.
“I wish Chris had your work ethic,” he suddenly said. I damn near hit my head on the raised hood of the car when I jumped.
“How long have you been standing there?” I asked, my heart racing in my chest. Rocky shrugged.
“Long enough. But go get yourself some lunch. It’s almost one,” he said, clapping me on the shoulder. No sooner than he said that, my stomach growled. Rocky let out a tired laugh. “Looks like your stomach agrees with me.”
“I guess so,” I said with a chuckle. I straightened my workspace up and wiped my hands on a towel, following Rocky inside. After washing my hands, I headed to the break room, seeing Chris lounging against the couch.
“Sup,” he said when he saw me.
“What’s up, man?” I asked, grabbing my lunch bag from the fridge.
“The usual. Dad busting my balls for one reason or another.”
“Why am I not surprised?” I asked with a smirk. Chris sat up and slid to the edge of the couch.
“So how is it rooming with Ashton?” he asked, a mischievous grin on his lips. I gave him a nonchalant shrug. There was no need to divulge in all the details, especially when I already knew what he wanted to know.
“It’s cool, I guess,” I finally said, taking out a turkey and cheese sandwich.
“Just cool? So you haven’t seen her in anything sexy yet?” Chris asked with a slight pout. I’ve seen her in the midst of an orgasm if that’s what you mean.
“Why would I? She’s just my roommate, not my girlfriend.”
“You’re way too much of a gentleman. There’s no way I could live with a woman that sexy and not try to bang her,” Chris stated, shaking his head in what looked like pity.
I rolled my eyes, but didn’t say anything. Of course he was right in a sense, but I couldn’t agree with him without telling him the whole story. Sure, when I first saw her, I was instantly attracted to her, but learning that she’d been the phone sex operator I’d been talking to sparked something else inside of me. I hadn’t really pinpointed what it was exactly, but it was hard to ignore, even more so now that the truth was out in the open.
My mind flashed back to the events of last night. I thought she and Natasha invaded my thoughts before, but now I almost thought about her nonstop. I could still vividly picture the look in her eyes when I first slipped my fingers inside of her and could still hear the needy moan that fell from her lips. My fingertips tingle as I thought of how tight her walls gripped my fingers, as if begging me to never remove them from her. I blew out a breath. If I didn’t get my thoughts together, I was going to have to find another conquest for tonight. A simple hand job wouldn’t do with all the sexual frustration building up inside of me.
“Anyway, you doing anything tonight? Was thinking about going to the bar for some drinks or something,” Chris asked, breaking into my thoughts.
“I’ll have to check, but I don’t think so. I’ll let you know,” I said, taking a bite out of my sandwich. He nodded as he stood.
“Sounds legit. Just let me know,” he said and left the break room. My phone vibrated on the table, displaying the number I wish I could forget. I hit ignore and continued chewing, cringing when a text message notification sounded. This whole situation with Kayla was infuriating and confusing. The last thing she'd said to me before I left was that we were pretty much in denial that our relationship would permanently work despite years of her telling me otherwise. I’d expressed to her many times how I’d felt inadequate when it came to being with her. She was the woman with the successful career and all the money; what the hell would she want with a blue-collar average Joe like me? She’d always reassure me that she loved me for how I made her feel, not for what I could do for her since she could “do for herself.”
I sighed and pushed thoughts of the past out of my mind. My phone chimed with another text message, this time from Ashton.
A: Since you think you’re the only person around here who can cook, I wanted to know what you’d like for dinner tonight.
Snickering to myself, I typed a quick reply.
O: Surprise me. As long as it’s not one of your many TV dinners you have in the freezer, I’ll be fine.
Her reply was swift.
A: If you keep talking trash, you’ll come home to a completely burnt Hot Pocket and overcooked broccoli.
O: Then I guess I’d just have to have you for dinner then.
A playful smirk pulled at my lips as I pressed send. The reply bubble popped up for a few moments, feeling like eternity before it disappeared. Radio silence. I shook my head and put my phone back down. I had to give her credit; aside from being caught up in the moment last night, she sure knew how to keep up a strong front. Maybe this wouldn’t be as easy as I originally thought.
∞∞∞
Garlic, cheese, and pepperoni smacked me in the face as soon as I entered the apartment. I smirked to myself. “Frozen pizza doesn’t count!” I called out as I kicked my work shoes off and picked them up.
“Shut up, it isn’t pizza!” she replied. “Everything should be done by the time you get out of the shower!”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said mostly to myself, walking to my bedroom. I stripped out of my greasy uniform, tossing it into the laundry basket in the corner of the room before heading to the bathroom.
The hot water felt good against my tired muscles as I lathered up with Old Spice body wash, cleaning away the grease of today’s hard work. I ended up having to take a rain check with Chris, too fatigued by the end of the workday to want to go out anymore. The only thing I wanted to do was relax tonight, and maybe mess with Ashton depending on how I felt after dinner. No sooner than the thought of her crossed my mind, a cool burst of air broke through the hot steam. A slow grin spread across my lips as I saw movement on the other side of the shower curtain.
“I thought you were supposed to be cooking,” I said over the noise of the showerhead. No one responded, instead, she pulled back the curtain and stepped in behind me, completely naked. I turned to face her, meeting her heated gaze. Her eyes traveled along my body, her fingertips tracing the muscles in my chest and stomach.
“Do you know what you’re getting yourself into by being in here?” I asked, my voice low.
“Yes,” she breathed, taking my cock into her warm hands. I bit my lip, the pad of my thumb brushing against her nipple.
“Are you positive this is what you want? Because if you say the word, it’ll be hard to turn back,” I warned her. Her eyes darkened as she nodded, proving her point when she dropped to her knees and put me in her mouth.
“Fuck,” I groaned. The water cascading off my chest soaked her hair as she sucked my cock. Seeing her full, pouty lips moving along my cock made me even harder, but she took it all with no hesitation. Her beautiful blue eyes looked up at me, her warm hand stroking up and down my shaft. I grabbed a handful of her hair and thrust into her mouth, my toes damn near curling when I hit the back of her throat. I noticed when she reached down and rubbed her clit as she continued to suck me, her moan vibrating around my cock. Disappointment flashed in her eyes when I pulled myself out of her mouth.
“Am I not doing it right?” she asked, her voice small.
“You were perfect, babe. Stand up for me,” I said. She slowly stood, uncertainty in her gaze as she watched me. I pulled her closer to me and dipped my head, taking a nipple into my mouth as my fingers caressed her slick core. She caressed the back of my head, throwing hers back as she groaned in pleasure. Goosebumps rose on her skin as I alternated between licking and sucking her nipple, continuing until both were rock hard. She watched as I brought my fingers to my mouth, licking away every trace of her sticky juices before getting on my knees before her. Securing one of her legs on my shoulder, I leaned forward and took her clit into my mouth, sucking gently.
“Yes,” she breathed, throwing her head back as her one hand tightly gripped my free shoulder and the other on top of my head. She tasted as good as I’d imagined, her exotic taste overpowering my taste buds. I ran my tongue up and down her sex, allowing her to grind her soaking core against my mouth as her moans echoed off the shower tile. Her legs trembled as I sucked her clit some more. She moved her hips quickly, blindly searching for her orgasm and attempting me to rush her into it. I looked up at her, watching her breasts rise and fall in rapid succession.
Her nails dug into my shoulder. “Oh god, I’m almost there,” she moaned. I detached my mouth from her clit and shook my head.
“Not yet,” I murmured, standing back up. She shrieked in surprise when I turned her around and bent her over. I rubbed the head of my cock up and down her slick core. “You sure this is what you want?”
She bit her lip and nodded, watching me over her shoulder. I slowly pushed inside of her, feeling her walls clamp down around me. Her throaty moan echoed inside the small space as I thrust into her, slow at first, but then settling into a good rhythm.
“Fuck, you feel so good,” I groaned, gripping her hips tight as I pumped into her. Her walls squeezed me tight as I moved inside of her, making my—
“Hey, Aquaman, save some water for the fishes. Plan on getting out of the shower anytime soon?” Ashton called out from the hallway, pounding on the door. I blinked and looked down, my hand squeezing my hard cock.
I blew out a breath. That fucking woman was causing me to lose my mind and I haven’t even been inside her yet. “Yeah, I’ll be out in a minute,” I answered, my voice tight.
“Good. Dinner’s waiting for you in the living room,” she said.
I turned the hot water off, allowing the cold water to spray me for a few moments to shrink my erection. Why was this woman invading my thoughts? I thought about her even when she wasn’t around me, still able to smell her strawberries and cream body wash, taste her arousal on my tongue, and feel her heat around my two fingers. I closed my eyes and put my head under the cold water as an attempt to douse the steamy thoughts from my mind. Finally shutting the water off, I dried off and rushed into my bedroom to quickly get dressed before joining Ashton in the living room.
She was curled up on one end of the couch in her silk robe, casually sipping a glass of red wine. Her eyes traveled along my body, stopping at the front of my shorts. A light blush touched her cheeks as she quickly turned her eyes to her wine glass.
“I'm sorry, but I only made enough for the two of us,” she said, refusing to meet my gaze. I looked around with a raised brow, expecting to see someone else.
“Isn't it only the two of us?”
“It was.” She finally looked at me with a slight smirk as she nodded toward my shorts. “That is, until you invited your dick print.”
I looked down, sure enough seeing what she meant. I shrugged, plopping down next to her on the couch. “Eh, he’s not hungry anyway. Doesn't like this kind of food,” I replied, wiggling my eyebrows. “And sorry, not sorry for the view. Didn't have much time to air dry like usual, so I just needed them to hang loose for a bit.”
“What's the difference between shorts and boxers? They're still covering you.”
“While my cock is glorious, I told you I don't really know CPR that well. Wouldn't want you to choke on your food while marveling at me, now would I?” I asked with a wink. Though she rolled her eyes, I didn't miss the hint of a smile that pulled at her lips.
“Ugh, it's cringing to know that the thin material of your shorts is the only thing separating your balls from my couch,” she said with a shake of her head.
“Hey! I just washed them! Show a little more respect! I’m not saying anything about your sketchy robe.”
“Whatever you say. I’m just finally glad you came out the shower. I thought you drowned in there,” she muttered, the smirk on her lips betraying the irritation she tried to display in her voice. I gave her a nonchalant shrug.
“Had a lot of grease on me.”
“Then I hope you cleaned the tub. Grease rings are harder to get out.”
“I wasn't that damn dirty,” I said with a frown. She giggled, a light, yet sweet sound.
“I couldn't tell. You were in there for a long time. Either you were filthy or were in there doing filthy things,” she mused, picking her plate up from the coffee table. Oh, I was doing filthy things, all right.
“Anyway, let’s see what you made here,” I said, picking up my plate. A slice of steaming lasagna, salad, and garlic bread filled the plate, the smell of the pepperoni and melted cheese on top making my stomach rumble with anticipation.
“Does that look like pizza to you?” she asked, an I-told-you-so look on her face.
“Eh,” I responded. “It looks okay, but let's see if you know how to utilize a spice rack.”
She rolled her eyes. “Is this one of your jokes about white people not knowing how to season their food?”
“Not at all. I've met plenty who do. It's a joke about a woman who lives off of TV dinners and whether or not she really knows how to cook or if she just knows how to follow a recipe.”
She watched me in anticipation as I cut into my piece of lasagna with my fork and put it in my mouth. I chewed without a word, making sure I kept my face blank. “So?” she finally asked, her brow creased with worry.
“Hmm…” I mused, taking another piece in my mouth.
“Is it really not seasoned well enough? I thought I used enough—”
“I’m kidding,” I said, smiling at her. “It’s perfect. I’m impressed.”
Her shoulders relaxed a bit as she returned my smile. “Well…thanks,” she murmured, turning back to her own plate.
“So I have to ask,” I asked a few minutes later. “How long have you been a phone sex operator?”
She shrugged and stuffed a forkful of lasagna in her mouth. “Not long,” she said, a bit of food flying from her mouth.
“So ladylike,” I teased with a shake of my head.
“Like you have room to talk, Mr. Commando,” she tossed back.
I laughed. “Touchè, Ms. Silk Robe,” I said.
“So…are you single?” she asked. I nodded, fighting the urge to cringe when Kayla crossed my mind. She was the last person I wanted to talk about. Ashton scoffed. “I’m not surprised.”
I met her playful eyes with a frown. “What the hell is that supposed to mean? You calling me ugly?”
“No, I’m—”
“So then you think I’m sexy?” I asked, wiggling my eyebrows. She rolled her eyes.
“There you go with that again,” she muttered and shook her head. “I was only going to say that I’d love to meet the woman that would be able to deal with an asshole as cocky as you.”
I clenched my teeth and nodded, but didn’t say anything. I could feel her eyes on me, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at her. Such a simple joke was enough to bring all my insecurities flooding to the surface. It wasn’t specifically what she said that set me off. The way I acted with Ashton wasn’t how I was with Kayla. Just the thought that I wasn’t enough for Kayla and that Ashton couldn’t even see me being in a relationship made me feel as if something was wrong with me. Ashton cleared her throat and shifted uncomfortably in her spot.
“Sorry, it was a joke,” she said.
“It’s fine,” I answered, my voice tight. The rest of the meal was cloaked in silence. I glanced over at her, noticing that she was pushing her food around her plate, but not really eating it. I touched her knee gently. “Seriously, Ashton. It’s not anything that you said. It’s cool.”
She gave me a small smile and nodded. “Bad day or something?” she asked.
I sighed and put my empty plate on the table. “More like a not-so-great breakup,” I mentioned. She cocked her head as she looked at me thoughtfully.
“Does this have anything to do with your whole starting over thing you mentioned the other night?” she asked as she put her plate on the table and grabbed her wine glass.
“Yeah, mostly,” I admitted softly.
“Do you…want to talk about it?” she murmured. I met her soft gaze and sighed inwardly.
“Nothing to talk about really.”
“Well, what was she like?” she asked, taking a sip of her wine before putting the glass back down on the coffee table. My heart skipped a beat as memories of Kayla flooded my mind. From that beautiful smile of hers that made me fall in love or the way she would come up behind me and wrap her arms around me while I cooked for her, it made me realize how much I’d missed her despite everything.
“She was perfect,” I admitted quietly. Ashton’s gaze softened as she pulled her knees to her chest. My eyes briefly fell down, noticing the bare skin on the back of her thighs. Is she even wearing anything under that? “But um…yeah, sometimes things just don’t work out no matter how bad you want it to.”
Ashton nodded. “Trust me, I know,” she mumbled. “I mean is there a way you can fix things with her? You seem like you still really care about her.”
I shook my head. “She wants to work things out, but I don’t think I want to be in that situation anymore.”
Ashton’s forehead crinkled as her face twisted in confusion. “I don’t get it. You just said she was perfect and seemed sad at the mention of her…and you don’t want to be with her?”
“Ashton, I’m not getting any younger. I’m not going to spend the rest of my life casually dating someone. One day I want a wife, to have kids and all that. Even if I were to get back with her, I wouldn’t be dumb enough to propose to her again,” I stated bitterly.
“Again?” she repeated, realization dawning on her. “Ah. I’m assuming you proposed to her and she said no.”
“You’ve solved the case, Detective Ashton,” I joked, trying to hide the negative emotions trying to bubble up within me. She didn’t crack a smile. Instead, sadness reflected in her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured. I shrugged.
“Shit happens,” I said with a sigh.
“Well, to make you feel better, my ex dumped me on accident,” she said with a sheepish grin. I cocked an eyebrow at her.
“How the hell do you accidentally break up with someone?” I asked.
She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I witnessed him proposing to my ex best friend,” she said. I stared at her, a bit confused.
“Uh…what now?” I asked.
“He’d been having an affair behind my back with one of my friends. He said he was going out of town on business for the weekend, which sucked because it was our anniversary night. I was supposed to work that night, but was taken off the schedule. Decided to get out of the house and go to Mickey’s and low and behold, he was there with my best friend. Proposed to her right in front of me and the only thing he said to me was that he’d been meaning to tell me about their relationship and that we were done.”
She looked at me with glistening eyes and gave me a small smile. “And while he’s preparing to get married to his now pregnant fiancée, I’m forced to move on with my life and piece together my broken puzzle. He sued me for $10,000 for the damages I did to his stuff, I’m drowning in bills and was forced to get a roommate, now I’m stuck with being a phone sex operator right now because no one around here wants to hire me after what happened.” My heart broke for her as a few tears slid down her face. She quickly brushed them away and shrugged. “But whatever. Like you said, shit happens.
“Damn,” I said. Here I was thinking that my rejected proposal was the worst thing in the world, but I couldn’t even begin to imagine what that was like for her. Having someone you were supposed to be in a relationship with not only break up with you publicly, but to also propose to someone else in public? I took her hand in mine and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry that happened to you.”
She shyly pulled away, giving me a small smile. “Heartbreak is a part of life, it seems. All we can do is just roll with it,” she said, sadness lacing her voice.
“Maybe we’re more alike than we thought,” I said.
She slightly cocked her head to the side. “How so?”
“I proposed to my ex at her birthday party. She was a rich girl with a ton of equally rich, stuck up friends and family. Got on stage and proposed to her in front of everybody, but she said no. I'd never been so embarrassed in my entire life.”
“Man,” she said softly. “Did she ever tell you why at least?”
“Unfortunately,” I muttered, bitterness seeping into my heart. “Long story short, I wasn’t who she wanted me to be. Her dad owned this accounting firm or some shit and I didn’t want to do that kind of work. She claimed we had to accept that we were just pretending to ourselves to think our relationship would work when we came from two different income classes.”
“Wow, she sounds like a cunt,” Ashton said disapprovingly. “Maybe you’re better without her.”
I smirked at her. “Hell, you just said you’d want to meet the woman who could deal with my asshole self.”
“Well, I was kidding. But even you don’t deserve to go through that,” she said.
“Like I said, things happen and here I am. Now you have the coolest roommate on the planet,” I joked. She giggled and waved me off.
“Whatever. Looks like we’ve both had exes from hell then,” she noted.
I nodded. “If I were you, though, I would’ve slashed all his tires,” I joked, trying to lighten the mood. She looked at me, a small grin forming on her lips.
“Oh, I did much worse than that,” she said as she sat up a little taller.
“You did? What did you do, Wonder Woman?”
“So there was this construction site next to the bar, right? Someone left a few tools there, so I took a sledgehammer and smash the windows and the sides really good. Then I took a can of spray paint from Jared’s truck—”
“Who’s Jared?” I asked, glancing down at her legs again. My eyes widened when they slightly parted, exposing what I was sure was her bare pussy.
“Ava’s brother. You remember Ava, right? My friend? The blonde?” Ashton stated, breaking into my thoughts.
“Yeah,” I idly said.
“Anyway, took a can of spray paint and painted all kinds of bad words on it,” she said, proud of herself. “And then I went back to the house we shared, threw the mattress in the pool and burned the new sod we had put down in the lawn.”
“Why the mattress?”
“Because he probably slept with that slut on it,” she muttered, picking up her wine glass and taking a big gulp.
I swallowed hard. “Ashton, are you wearing panties?” I asked her slowly, bringing my eyes up to meet hers.
“W-what?” she stammered. I nodded toward her legs, which were still drawn to her chest.
“Either I’m hallucinating, or your pretty little pussy is trying to get my attention,” I murmured. She swallowed hard, lust clouding her gaze as she blushed.
“I, um…” she trailed.
I slid a tiny bit closer to her. “Are you or are you not wearing any?” I asked again.
“I’m…not,” she finally admitted.
“And here you were making such a big deal that I wasn’t wearing boxers. Is there a reason you aren’t?” I asked. She looked at me without a word, her entire face turning red. “Hmm…” I inched a little closer to her, my thumb brushing against her ankle. “Is it because you want me to touch you again?” I held her gaze as I ran my fingertip up the side of her lower leg. “Like I did in the hallway last night?”
“Maybe,” she whispered. Her eyes never left mine, nor did she resist when I parted her legs. I took my cellphone from my pocket and opened my clock app to the timer, setting it for five minutes.
A sly grin formed on my lips. “Then let’s give you another preview,” I murmured, starting the timer and moving down between her legs. Game on, baby doll.