10. Elena
Laughter fills the entire large room where Liam is so gracious to host the cast. He’s become my number-one fan and biggest supporter, and I have never felt more at home anywhere. I’ve even told my mom about him, and she approves, even though she’s never met him. He’s kind and sweet and caring, and holy hell, the sex is amazing. He comes to every show, even the ones he’s seen four times already, and he sits in his favorite spot every time. I’ve never had a boyfriend who did that.
“You okay?” he asks, pushing the hair off my shoulder. His finger trails across my shirt, and I look at him.
“I’m so good.” He leans in for a kiss, and the alcohol he’s provided for the cast, of which I’ve indulgently partaken, makes my head swim. “Thank you for offering your home for the party. I think the gang is having a lot of fun.”
Liam nips at my lip and growls quietly. “Can they leave now? I’m hungry.”
I snicker and push him away playfully, and there is a hint of fire in his eyes. I can’t tell if it’s disappointment that I’m not chasing the cast out the door or arousal. He’s a hard man to read sometimes, but I don’t let it bother me. Trixie has resting bitch face even when she’s in a good mood. Men can probably have that too.
“Did the reviews go up yet?” someone calls out, and Warren, who’s been staring at me all evening with frustration in his expression, grunts and pulls his phone out.
Warren’s thumb slides across his screen as he scrolls, and the room quiets a little. I think everyone here wants to hear what the critic may have to say about our show. We were all a little frustrated by last week’s reviews but surprised that Kershner came back again tonight to watch it for a second time. Typically, if they give negative reviews, they don’t come back. At least, that’s what Trixie and the director said.
His eyebrows rise and his lips slowly curve into a smile as his head nods. I feel myself growing lighter as I watch his reaction. He’s reading something, and I think it’s the review website. If it is, then it’s a good review. He’d never smile like that if they gave us bad reviews again. War is exactly as his name suggests—loud and angry.
“My, my, my…” He whistles, and everyone grows silent. Then he looks up at me and right into my eyes as he continues. “Remarkable!” He has to look down to read, but I get the feeling it’s a very good review. “‘All I can say is redemption! The cast of tonight’s show, Heartbreak on Main Street, has really outdone themselves. The rising star, Elena Cortez, pulls off the most amazing performance of her short career so far. She’s one to watch. The show should have starred Nina Byler, taken out of commission by a violent car accident last week. Elena steps up to play the lead and smashes it out of the park.
“‘Her performance last week, which collected only negative reviews, was performed under heavy grief, and tonight, we saw her shine!” Warren pauses his reading and lets everyone clap and whistle. Liam pecks me on the cheek and stands, walking out of the room in a very uncharacteristic move, but Warren only smiles and keeps reading.
“Other mentionable names include Trixie Novak, filling in for Ms. Cortez, Warren Granger—a phenomenal male lead, and of course, director Peter Monroe. The cast can be seen for one more performance Saturday evening before the show retires for the season.’”
Tears brim in my eyes as a few people nearby stand to give me a hug. Warren walks over to me too, wrapping his big, thick arms around me. I can’t believe we pulled it off. Compared to last week, I knew I did better, but I wasn’t positive we were going to get a good review. I didn’t make as many mistakes, but I was still nervous, still missing Nina.
“You are perfection,” Warren sings out, then he kisses me on the cheek and holds me at arm’s length. “I can’t believe the review. What did you do? Pay the man off?” He chuckles, and everyone laughs at his jibe, but my cheeks burn.
“Obviously not. Who can afford to bribe a critic on the salary Mr. Monroe pays us?” Trixie’s dry humor brings more laughs, and just as Liam returns with two more bottles of whiskey held high.
“Time to really celebrate, guys.” Liam’s beaming smile is so handsome.
A round of cheers deafens me, and I blink, letting the happy tears escape as I walk over to help Liam with the drinks. I stand by him, peeling the foil seal off one bottle as he works the other. It feels so good to receive a good review, but it feels better to be next to him hosting our guests. It almost feels like I belong here, as if this is my home and he is mine…
“I told you, baby. You’re incredible. I’m never wrong.” He winks at me as he pops the cork on his bottle and starts filling cups.
I let the compliment soak in as I turn to offer the Jack Daniels, and soon, everyone’s cup has been topped off and we’re enjoying the fresh round of drinks. Liam stands by a portrait of what I can only assume is a summer home, or maybe it’s just a landscape painting done by someone famous. He watches me with haunting eyes, devouring my every move, and I smile at him from time to time as I chat with my new friends. I think all of these people are starting to like me, and I wish Nina were here to enjoy it too.
Then Schrader gasps and covers his mouth. His eyes are on his phone screen. Celia leans over his shoulder and her expression sours, then Warren’s phone chimes. Then my phone buzzes too. I have alerts silenced, but texts and calls still come through as vibrations. Something is wrong, and everyone is hearing about it at the same time. It makes me sick in the stomach.
I pull my phone out and look at the notification, but before I can swipe to unlock and read the message, Warren blurts it out. “She’s dead… my God.” His usually warm skin grows pale. “Nina died.”
I feel like I’ve just been launched out of a cannon. My stomach drops to my feet. I’m nauseous and dizzy. I drop my phone and listen to him read the message aloud to everyone, but I zone out, staring at the carpet in disbelief.
“Nina passed away one hour ago due to a massive stroke following the accident. A blood clot in her brain dislodged from the concussion and…”
I can’t listen. I can’t think.
I walk out of the room toward the bathroom, but someone is in there. I hear them crying. I jiggle the handle absently but walk past it. My own body begins to shake, my palms sweating and tears welling up. Nina is dead and she’s not coming back.
I find a room down the hall that isn’t locked and I just walk in. It’s dark. I can’t find the light switch, but I don’t care. I leave the door open and walk toward the only thing I can make out. A bed along the far wall becomes my refuge. I sit on the end and cover my face to sob.
The happiest news in the world isn’t enough to cushion this blow. Nina and I were friends. She probably has friends who were closer to her than me, but it hits home with me the same way. Not to mention how scary it seems that Mr. Monroe was attacked and then days later, she was hit in a bad accident. It seems surreal and I’m shaken.
“Hey, are you okay?” Liam’s voice comforts me, and I look up.
“No. I’m not okay.” My words are hardly coherent. “She’s dead, Liam. This can’t be happening. It feels like a curse. Like I brought a curse on the theater.” I cover my face again and hear the door click shut. I can tell the lights come on, but I don’t open my eyes until I feel the bed shake. He sits next to me and puts his arm around me, and I lean on him.
“It’s tough, huh? But I’m here. Let it out.”
So I do. I let it all out, the pain and fear and apprehension. I want my heart to stop feeling because lately, it seems all I feel is anxiety or worry. New York City is no different from the town where I grew up in Ohio. People have car accidents there too, but I’ve never lost someone I knew well or cared about like this. I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel or how I’m supposed to react. All I know is what I do feel, and I can’t stop the reaction.
“Hey, it’s okay… Shh,” he soothes, and I can’t believe how lucky I am to have him. His soft words are like salve on my raw heart. “Baby, it’s okay. Listen, she is on heaven’s stage now, performing for the angels. And you get to be here to carry on her legacy of terrific performances.” His hand rubs my lower back, then he pulls my body closer against his.
“I don’t want to carry on her legacy. I want her here to do it.” I can only imagine how her family feels. This is so awful. “I’m scared. My career is taking off at the expense of other people.”
He squeezes me and kisses the top of my head. “No, it’s not like that, okay? I promise you. Try to relax. Let me help you relax…” His other hand pushes up under my chin, forcing my face upward until his lips cover mine. It’s warm and welcoming, and while I’m not in the mood for his advances, I am in the mood to feel him against me, holding me.
“Liam…” I utter in gentle protest, but he clicks his tongue.
“Trust me, baby. You need this. You’re so tight, and I want to help you.” He kisses me again, parting my lips to slip his tongue into my mouth, and I go along with it.
I taste tears—mine, I think—but it doesn’t matter. Sex has become our go-to. It’s how we cope, how we grieve, how we celebrate. Tonight is no exception. His hands on my body soothe not only my bruised heart, but also my battered psyche. My eyes roll back as he nudges my thighs apart and hikes up the hem of my dress. He dips his fingers into the wet folds between my legs, and I bite down on my lip.
“God, you’re so wet for me.” He growls, planting a kiss along the lower part of my jawline before biting down on my neck. “You like when I do this, don’t you? You like it when I take care of you.”
A low, guttural moan escapes my lips in response because words fail me at this moment. Words are meaningless when compared to the overwhelming desire and need coursing through my body. I don”t want to talk, I just want to feel. I want to feel him inside me, his body filling mine, stretching me out and breaking me apart as he brings me to new heights of pleasure. The ache in my chest intensifies with every touch, but I welcome it eagerly, knowing that only he can ease it.
He guides me back to the bed, our clothes seemingly melting off us as we make our way there. His hot, hard cock is out, and my pussy aches for him, but I know it isn’t right. I should be grieving, not fucking him. “I don’t think I can?—”
“Shh,” he says, placing a finger to my lips. “I know what you need. I’ve explored every inch of your body.”
Then he does the most unexpected thing. He pushes my legs apart and buries his head between my thighs, seeking out my core with his talented mouth. I moan, the long, drawn-out sound that tells him how good it feels to have him there, lapping at me like eating my pussy is the healing elixir for all that ails me. His tongue dips into my wet entrance, then flicks over my clit before sucking on it hard. It’s all I can do not to scream out in pleasure as a wave of ecstasy courses through me. I don’t want anyone to know what’s going on in here.
“Liam,” I whimper.
“Shh, baby, let me take care of you,” he mumbles.
I have no other option than to surrender to him, to let him love me the only way he knows how. His skilled tongue caresses my center like a delicate flower, savoring every inch of my essence. I am more than willing to give myself to his desires. As his talented tongue delves deeper inside me, my body instinctively responds, my hips undulating against him in a hypnotizing rhythm. My back arches off the bed, seeking more of his intoxicating touch. With my head thrown back and eyes closed, the pleasure washes over me in waves, consuming me whole. His fingers join in on the exploration, finding that rough patch that craves his touch and ignites a burning heat within me. I tighten around his digits, and he groans against my mound as my core pulsates in a rhythmic dance of ecstasy.
“Shit… oh, fuck. Yes. now.” I writhe against him as my body unravels, pleasure coursing through every cell. My fingers tangle in his hair, and he doesn’t let up until my panting and gasping turn to soft moaning.
He flips me onto my stomach, pinning my arms over my head, and then he’s inside me. I gasp as he fills me to the hilt in one swift motion. “Oh, God, Liam!” I cry out.
“That’s it baby, let it out,” he says, his thrusts shallow at first, but then he picks up speed. I brace myself on my elbows as he pounds into me harder, faster. I feel another orgasm building, but before it crashes over me, he slows his thrusts. I can’t stand it.
“Liam…” I moan wantonly as his cock rubs against my G-spot, and my nipples are hardened from the friction of rubbing against the sheets. He pistons in and out of me, picking up speed as his breathing becomes more labored.
“Goddamn, you feel so good,” he growls before he finds that spot inside me that makes my entire body shatter into a million pieces. The second orgasm is better than the first, and I’m spiraling, screaming into the mattress and trying to claw the sheets away. But as I come down, he slows.
His dick still fills me, but I feel his hands massaging my ass cheeks. “Liam, what are you doing?” I ask, looking over my shoulder at him, but he pulls me up to my knees then splays a hand on my back.
“Shh, trust me,” he coaxes, pushing my shoulders down until my ass is in the air.
“Fuck…” I hiss as he pulls out. The startling lack of his cock in me makes me whimper.
Sensation explodes through my body as his skilled fingers glide into my soaked pussy, swirling and teasing with expert precision. ”God, this is going to be so good. You’re so fucking tight,” Liam murmurs, his voice thick with desire. I feel the pressure of his finger against my tight ass and gasp in pleasure as he thrusts deeper until his knuckles brush against my skin. A deep, primal moan escapes him as he strokes himself, ratcheting up the intensity of our shared passion.
“Oh, God, what are you doing? Fuck, what are you doing?” I ask again and again as he slides another finger in. It burns and stings but feels good at the same time.
“This virgin ass is mine tonight, baby. I told you I’m gonna tap every hole you have with my cock.” He strokes harder as he slides a third finger into my ass, and I scream out.
“Oh, shit, oh, fuck.” I touch my clit, massaging and rubbing it as he finger fucks me. I can’t take my eyes off his hand stroking himself. I could come again for a third time if he keeps this up. And he does. His fingers plunge in and out of me, driving every sensation of pleasure until I’m whimpering and begging. “Please. Oh, God, please…”
As he pulls his fingers out, his cock enters through the tight ring of muscles and I let out a raw, guttural scream. It”s intense, but in a way that sends shivers down my spine. My body stretches and adjusts to accommodate him perfectly, as if it were designed for this very act, as if his dick were meant to fit into this exact place inside me. He presses forward again, and my entire being spasms around him, overwhelmed by the sensation of being filled to the brim. It”s a sensation beyond anything I could have imagined, but also undeniably arousing.
“Oh, God, Liam,” I moan as he begins to move again, massaging my pussy with one hand while the other guides him in and out of my ass.
“God, baby, you’re so fucking tight,” he grunts. “So fucking tight I could die right now.”
My breath catches in my throat as he sets a punishing pace, each thrust slamming into me with such force that my fingers dig deeply into the soft sheets. My head arcs back, a moan escaping my lips as waves of intense pleasure-pain shoot through my body, making me tremble uncontrollably. Sweat beads on my skin, mixing with the heat radiating from him and the coolness of the room, creating an intoxicating sensation.
“Oh, fuck, that ass was made for me,” he growls as he picks up speed. “You’ve never had a man this big in you, have you? Tell me, baby. Tell Daddy how good it feels.”
“Fuck… Liam!” is all I can manage before he pounds into me so hard I see stars.
My body is spiraling out of control, pleasure coursing through every inch of me as he fucks me with wild abandon. Every thrust feels like it will split me in half, but I can”t get enough. The intensity of this moment consumes me, making everything else fade away until all that exists are him and me in this room. The air is thick with the scents of sweat and desire, our bodies moving in perfect sync. I never want this feeling to end, this raw and primal connection between us that leaves me breathless and wanting more.
“Ahh!” The second orgasm crashes over me like a tidal wave.
My body clenches around his cock, and I’m filled with his warm seed as he explodes deep inside me. He collapses on top of me, both of us panting and spent.
“Oh, my God,” I manage to say between gasps. “That was…” Words fail me. My body is Jell-O, melting into his mattress. “Holy shit…”
“I’m glad you approve,” he says, kissing my temple before sliding off the bed. Liam walks into another room, which I assume is the bathroom when I hear the water running. I lie here for a second before getting up. Everything feels weak and loose. That was incredible sex.
But now I’m dripping and I don’t want to put my panties back on feeling so wet. I look on the nightstand for some tissues to dry myself, but there are none. What is there, however, is the Rolex watch I’ve seen him wear. I know they”re very expensive, and I’ve never seen one up close before.
I pick up the watch and drape it over my wrist carefully, admiring it. Then I turn it over and see that it’s inscribed. That’s sweet. Someone gave him this watch as a gift. I squint my eyes and turn it to the light to see what it says, but I’m confused. It reads, To Dominic, with love, Mom.
“What are you doing!” Liam’s booming voice startles me, and he snatches the watch away from my grasp and scowls at me as he straps it on his wrist.
“I’m sorry, I was looking for tissues.” I feel ashamed and embarrassed, and I search for my clothes as he grumbles at me.
“You were spying on me? Snooping in my things?”
“No, Liam. I was looking for tissues to wipe myself clean. I just saw it and?—”
“Well, don’t. Don’t look through my shit.” He’s upset, and I don’t blame him. I pick up my clothes and dress silently, trying not to feel afraid. He’s never raised his voice at me before, so this is very different. When I’m fully dressed and feeling gross because my panties stick to my private parts, I head for the door.
“Wait,” he says, and I stop and turn toward him.
“I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“Dominic is my brother. He died when we were little. This is special to me, okay?” He walks over to me and pins me against his body with one arm.
“I’m sorry that happened,” I tell him, but it only reminds me that Nina is gone now and that for her, life doesn’t go on. I’m not sure how to feel anymore, but I know our guests are probably wondering where we are. “I’m gonna go out there now.”
“I’ll be out in a sec.”
I brace myself and join the others in the living room. It could be a long night now.