How about I’ll thank you never? I had plans. And besides, it’s hardly a surprise when you make enough noise to wake up people in Alaska.
Jade (08:41)
Drag your ass inside, party pooper. We’re throwing you a balls out party and you’re not even here.
Reluctantly, I unlatch the seating belt and open the door. I’m climb out of the car and make my way to the house on wobbly feet. I’m not dressed for the occasion, but this is not why my stomach is in knots right now. I know Graham is somewhere in there, and I know that Jade has spoken to him since she had no other way around throwing me this party without his help. Most of all, I am painfully aware to the fact he might’ve spilled the beans in my best friend’s ears. My step-dad-turned-lover is a control freak who wants to shout that shit from the mountaintop. Even though I’m excited and proud to have him as my lover, I still need to digest it all, to come to terms with what I’m doing, which is essentially messing around with my mother’s husband.
No matter that he’s not really her husband.
And no matter the fact that she is acting like anything but my mom.
“Dahl! Oh, my, Dahl! Look at you! Happy 18th birthday!” Britney from calculus is launching herself at me like a missile from the double front door, throwing her arms around my neck. I hug her back, and soon, everybody from the cheerleading squad joins her. One of them forces a princess tiara onto my head. The house looks like something out of that show on TV about the spoiled sixteen-year-old brats who always get “surprised” with a car at the end. All the boys are on one side of the room scarfing down food, while all the girls jump around and sing off key. There are bodies everywhere. I don’t even know half of these people, I’m sure. There’s a giant Tiffany Blue three-tiered cake with a silver, glittery “D” topper with gift bags surrounding it. Is it my birthday or Taylor Swift’s?
I’m a victim of a pretty aggressive group hug, and all I can feel is other people’s hands and arms on my back and ass when something, don’t ask me what, makes me raise my head up to Graham’s office window that’s overlooking the front yard. The minute my eyes land on his window, my eyes click with his. He’s standing by the glass, his chin up, his expression proud and dangerous, staring at me like a hawk ready to dive down and destroy his prey. I shiver from the intensity. Unlocking myself from my girlfriends’ hug, I smile apologetically at them.
“Who’s here?” I ask Jade.
“Who isn’t?” She snorts out a laugh. “Stepdaddy Hottest was kind enough to shell out 2k for this party. Word got out.” She opens her arms, as if to say “well what can you do?” “Long story short? Half the school’s here. You better run upstairs and wear something nice.”
I do just that. I shoulder my way through the crowd of very drunk high school kids, all seniors like me, though, pushing and laughing and dancing in my living room. Graham is a private person, so I bet giving Jade the green light to do this was a sacrifice for him. It makes me want to give him my virginity even more. Not because I care about this stupid party, but because he cares about me. And in my world…in my world it’s everything and more. I’ve never had this before.
I open the door to my bedroom and find my sexy handsome lover lying on my bed, his shoulders pressed against my pink headboard, his legs stretched out, one over the other. I gulp, closing the door after me and taking a step deeper into the room. I can merely see the shadow of him since the lights are out, but I see his brooding expression, tailored suit and his fingers entwined over his lap. There’s nothing I want more than to kick everybody out of this goddamned house and ride him rodeo-style until my whole body is aching and bruised.
“Thank you for the party,” I say. He doesn’t answer, just reaches one hand toward me. I stand still, staring at his hand confused. Should I take it? It doesn’t look like an invitation.
“The keys,” he commands simply after a beat of silence, and I release the breath I’ve been holding inside me since I walked into this room. I hand him the brown paper bag and switch on the light.
“What’s in the bag?” He raises an eyebrow at my question.
“Keys. Like I told you.”
“If It’s just keys, then why couldn’t I open it?” He holds out the bag for me to take.
“Go ahead, open it.” He smirks. Why is he being so weird? Why did I have to pick up the keys? Don’t locksmiths usually come to you for this sort of thing? My hesitance to open it is beat out by my nosiness. I rip the top open, and spill the contents out onto the bed. What the fuck?
They’re keys, all right. Plastic, baby keys, in every color of the freaking rainbow. At least Carter’s baby comment makes sense now.
“Baby toys, Graham? Really? You sent me to the Bronx for this shit?” He chuckles at my perplexed face, explaining that he had to get me out of the house to let Jade set up the surprise somehow. “You guys are ridiculous. But thank you.” It’s totally over-the-top and unnecessary, but it does feel good to have people in my life who care about me enough to celebrate my birthday.
His expression turns serious. “What’s the matter?” I ask.
He ignores me. “You know what happens when you turn eighteen?”
I lick my lips top to bottom, staring at his hands, wishing he’d move them so I can take a be
tter look at his groin. Seeing his erection, his cock saluting for me, is the hottest thing in the world. I’ll never get enough of it.
“You’re going to finally make love to me.” I bat my eyelashes.
“Wrong,” he sing-songs in his Irish accent. “Try again.”
“You’re going to screw me?” I joke, cocking one eyebrow, but he obviously cannot see this in the dark. He scoots closer to the edge, sitting down now, and his huge tall frame covers half my queen-sized bed. God, I want all his weight on top of me.
“Bzzz. Wrong. Getting warmer though.”
He gets up, saunters over to me and my heart pounds so fast there’s a ringing between my ears. I suck in a breath, my eyes scanning his broad chest, and I’ve completely forgotten about the people downstairs despite the loud music and the shouting.
“You’re going to fuck me,” I whisper. He nods, his face inches from mine.