Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Scout
Steam rolls out of the bathroom as I tighten the towel around me. I’d hoped a hot shower might wash away the tension, but the knot of anxiety lodged in my gut remains—heavy and immovable as ever.
I barely slept a wink last night, thinking about everything I needed to do this morning while replaying my last interaction with Luka.
I swear, I never know what is going to come out of his mouth.
The man is a walking contradiction, and just when I think I’ve got him figured out, he throws me a curveball, leaving my jaw on the floor.
At this point, I don’t know why I’m even surprised. I know the only reason he keeps doing it is because he enjoys getting a rise out of me.
I shake my head. It’s barely six in the morning; I can’t go down that rabbit hole right now. I need to focus on the task at hand. The mural.
Today’s the big day, and I wanted to get an early start before it gets too hot. Which is why I’m up so early and running on only a few hours of sleep.
I pull open the drawer, and my eyes land on the untouched, bright pink vibrator that’s practically mocking me from beneath a pile of my cotton panties.
I wanted to throw it away, or better yet, throw it at Luka for buying it for me, but I guess there’s no sense in being wasteful.
I think back to the way he commanded me to touch myself. How exhilarating it felt to finally let my guard down and surrender all my control. If he can make me come that hard without even touching me, there’s no telling what it’d be like to have sex with him.
He’d eat me alive. And I’d enjoy every second of it. That much is certain.
Luka seems to be so experienced when it comes to sex.
It makes me wonder if there’s something he’s keeping from me, though I don’t know what.
Sometimes, it’s in the way he talks to me, or the way he seems to watch me so intently to get a response.
It is almost as if he is testing me. Whatever it is, I must not be passing.
At this point, he probably finds me more pathetic than anything else.
Highly sexual people like Luka want partners who match their energy, and by now, I think I’ve proven that the two of us couldn’t be any more different.
You can say that again. I can practically hear the vibrator’s sultry, Marilyn Monroe-sounding voice taunting me as I realize I’m still staring in my underwear drawer. Fantastic. As if I needed someone else to remind me of how pathetic I am.
“I don’t have time for this,” I mutter to myself as I snatch the pair of panties from underneath her, causing her to roll on her side. I pause, getting a better look at her slight curvature as I trace the velvety smooth silicon with my fingers.
Oh, come on. Don’t you want to see what all the fuss is about? I can practically hear her taunt.
Tightening my grip on the towel wrapped around my chest, I toss a glance over my shoulder, making sure my bedroom door is closed. I check the time on my phone and do a quick mental calculation.
I’ve got thirty minutes before we leave, and I still have to dry my hair. Luka insisted on giving me a ride this morning even though I told him not to worry about it.
My nerves buzz like hornets in my stomach. I think back to how relaxed I felt the other night, and I wonder if maybe it wouldn’t be the worst idea? Luka is the most laid-back person I know, and if his theory is right, then maybe orgasms really are the secret to a stress-free life.
As if my body is deciding for me, my hand releases its grip on the towel, and I lift the vibrator from the drawer.
My still-damp skin buzzes with electricity as I sit on the edge of the bed, completely naked, apart from the towel on my head, and spread my legs open.
I’m sitting across from the door, and even though I know it’s locked, somehow the thought of Luka accidentally walking in here, seeing me like this, already has me writhing.
I don’t have the energy to dissect how messed up that thought is, nor do I want to, for that matter. Right now, it’s just me and Marilyn—apparently that is her name now—this can be our little secret.
I prop my feet on the small bench at the foot of the bed as I press the center button.
A couple of seconds pass, and the small light flashes red as the vibrator buzzes to life.
There seems to be a couple of different pulsing options, but after going through each one, I decide to stick with the basic constant buzz and turn up the power just a little.
My back arches the second the cool, velvety smooth toy touches my clit, and I can’t help the gasp of surprise that rips from my throat.
Holy hell, it feels good. The soft vibrations move through me, tickling and teasing me in a way I’ve never experienced as I wiggle and squirm, while trying to find the best angle.
Another involuntary moan escapes me, and I slap my free hand over my mouth as I forgo sitting up and fall flat on my back. The last thing I need is for Luka to hear me using the vibrator. I’d never hear the end of that teasing, and yet, right now, that doesn’t seem like a bad thing somehow.
I let my legs fall open on each side as I move the vibrator over my clit in small circles, adding a little more pressure rather than turning up the power. The increased sensation has my eyes rolling back in my head as I bite my hand to hold back a scream.
Suddenly, it’s not a vibrator in my hand that I’m feeling, but Luka’s tongue.
Rather than fighting it off, I give in to the fantasy in my mind as I imagine how it would feel to have Luka’s mouth on me.
He seems like the kind of guy who’d enjoy giving oral sex.
No, he probably loves it because he’d be the one fully in control.
I can almost hear his deep voice coaching me from between my thighs, telling me what to do, how to move…
“Oh God,” I cry out, the pleasure cresting so high it steals the air from my lungs. I don’t even care how loud I am; nothing matters right now but the ecstasy flooding my body. I feel like I’m walking on the edge of a cliff, bound to fall over any second.
I bite down on my hand, dragging the vibrator back to the perfect spot, desperate to tip over the edge.
But the buzzing fades.
Panic flares as I fumble with the buttons, trying to crank the intensity back up. The pulsing grows even weaker… sputters…
And then it dies completely.
“No. No. No!” My voice comes out breathless, laced with a level of desperation I don’t even recognize. I jab the button like I can shock her back to life—CPR-style, but it’s no use. The light’s gone, the hum is silent. Marilyn officially flatlined.
The pleasure that had been building had been so close that I could taste it, but it slipped through my fingers like a puff of smoke. All that’s left is a sharp, bitter ache of disappointment.
I was r ight there .
I bury my face in the pillow, trying to catch my breath, when my brain shifts into problem-solving mode.
There’s got to be a charger somewhere, right?
The next thing I know, I’m flying out of bed, completely naked, and my wet hair is clinging to my face as I tear through my underwear drawer like a woman possessed. “Aha!” I grab the vibrator box and dump it upside down.
A small instructional booklet falls to the floor. But no charger.
What kind of monster sells a vibrator without a charger?
Before I can spiral any further, a knock echoes from the door, tearing my attention away. I freeze.
“Scout? You about ready?”
I catch my reflection in the full-length mirror, and I nearly shriek.
My hair’s matted and hanging like I’ve just escaped a swamp, my eyes are wild, pupils blown like I barely survived to tell the tale.
I look exactly how you’d expect a woman to look after chasing an orgasm and being abandoned at the finish line.
A quick glance at the clock informs me that I absolutely did not have enough time for this.
That’s just great. I guess that’s what I get for trying to live in the moment.
“Yep. Be right there!” I call back as I frantically scoop up the evidence.
Maybe I’ll get lucky and the vibrations from Luka’s motorcycle will finish the job?
Sadly, at this point, I’d take it.
“Here’s fine,” I say, tapping Luka’s shoulder and barely waiting for the bike to stop before I’m climbing off.
“Whoa, what’s the rush?” He lifts the tinted glass of his helmet up so he can hear me, but I see the smile in his eyes.
I shove my helmet at him. “Was it really necessary to drive down the railroad tracks?”
He raises a brow as he says, “I was just trying to do what I could to help. I figured you could use it, considering you were interrupted this morning.”
I feel my face grow hot with annoyance and embarrassment, but I don’t bother trying to deny it. At this point, I’m so sexually frustrated and confused, I’m one pothole away from lying down right here in the middle of the street and letting Luka finish me off.
I thought I was sexually frustrated earlier, but having my orgasm so close and then having it ripped away is so much worse than feeling nervous. Why did I think trying out the vibrator was a good idea, knowing I wouldn’t have time to deal with any technical difficulties …
Rookie mistake.
I narrow my eyes, remembering why I’m in this predicament at all. “Don’t you dare act innocent right now. This is your fault.”
His smile grows wider, and he holds up his hands. “How is it my fault?”
“You took the charger out of the box, didn’t you?”
He squints like he’s trying to remember, even though we both know he’s full of shit. “Now why would I do that?”
I roll my eyes, letting out a huff. “I don’t know. Probably because you thought it’d be fun to torture me.” I hold out my arms, gesturing to my ruffled appearance. “Clearly, it worked. Are you proud of yourself?”
This earns me a laugh as he stares at me for just a moment before finally saying, “You know what? Yeah. I think I am.”