I took a long sip of my drink, gripping the cold glass tightly. Memories of Aiden buried deep inside of me pulsed in snapshots to the beat of the music, his voice demanding I remember how it felt to be thoroughly used by him.
Motherfuck me.
Aiden sang every note perfectly, seducing me to the point of frenzy. I slowly took my hand off the table and slipped it into my panties, pausing only to make sure he saw it. He raised a brow but gave nothing else away as he continued to sing, letting his eyes dart to the crowd and then slowly back to me. If anyone took a good look at me in the dimly lit bar, they would clearly see what I was doing.
Fuck it. I was, after all, naughty Nina.
No matter how hard I was trying to do better, this part of me remained dominant. If Aiden wanted to play, I was up for the challenge. I feathered my clit with my fingertips, completely drenched with need. My body responded with a small jerk and the heave of my chest. Aiden licked the lyrics with precision as I did the same with the flick of my finger. With a small nod of his head, I opened my legs further and began to massage myself slowly under the table. Feeling the thrum of the music pulsing through me, I quickened my pace and kept his attention, my vision tunneled on him. I tilted my head back slightly, lips parted as the pressure built below. I was close.
Aiden gripped his microphone, his eyes lit to a new level of heat, need covering his features. He gripped his t-shirt at his chest and twisted it, flashing a small amount of abs. His presence on stage was animalistic as he brought the song to such a static level that hunger filled the air. Every woman in the room was fixated on him, at his mercy, and I was no exception. With one more flick of my wrist, I came hard, our eyes locked. He owned my orgasm. I gave it all to him willingly. Appreciative breath left me as I straightened myself, grabbed my purse, blew him a kiss, and made my way to the door. I looked back before exiting to see his eyes still fixed on me, his lips twisted into a sinister grin as the song came to a close, and the bar blew up in applause.
Maybe the fat lady hadn’t sung on my time with Aiden just yet.
The truth was, I didn’t need Aiden. I wanted him, and that wasn’t going to change.
I’d left the door open for him in invitation, but I walked through it alone.
“Nobody can hurt me without my permission.”
? Mahatma Gandhi
§§
The next morning, I woke up determined that no matter the case with any man in my life, I’d find a little piece of me by repeating old habits. Habits I didn’t have to question at all if they were good for me.
I was exhausted after two miles on the treadmill, a personal low in all the years I’d been working out. I refused to beat myself up about it. I was in recovery. Glancing at the clock, I dreaded waking Cedric. The overwhelming need to feel the sand beneath my feet and go for a quick swim in the Atlantic before work took precedence. I braved the trip without him, submerging myself in the warming water as the sun rose. I swam, stretching my unused muscles until I was sure I wasn’t overexerting myself. Making my way back to shore, my smile faltered as I noticed Cedric standing near my towel.
“I had to do it.” His stern look told me that if he could speak freely, his words would sting. “I’ll wake you next time.”
“That’s all I ask. You know when you feel the safest is usually when they use it to their advantage and strike.”
Wrapping the towel around my body and fastening it, I huffed. “Well, you are a buzz kill.”
Another hard glance from Cedric had me cowering with a peace offering.
“Okay, okay. Let me make you breakfast?” He seemed surprised by my offer. “It’s the least I can do. You have to be bored out of your mind by now.”
He followed me inside with a huff of his own. “You don’t want me busy, Ms. Scott.”
“True.”
Opening the fridge, I gathered ingredients for omelets and used the time in an attempt to drill him on Taylor. It was wrong, but my curiosity was piqued. She had refused to reveal more than she had the day we went gun shopping, and I couldn’t force her friendship, though I knew if I were patient it would pay off. I worked with her side by side every day, and as always, she was the meticulous professional, nowhere near the outlaw she was when she had picked me up from the hospital.
“How did you and Taylor meet?”
“Middle school,” he said carefully, on to me already.
“Oh, childhood sweethearts?” Chopping chives, I tossed them into the pool of eggs as I braved a look at him.
“No.”
Great, one word answers.
“So you went to high school together?”
“No.”
Fuck.