CALLUM
Things between me and Nicole were more strained than before, but she did eventually call me to her place. After we talked about things, and she explained having run into him when in North Hollywood, I had already decided to put this behind us. Any time we had together was already so precious, so I hated to waste it fighting with one another. I’d taken her to bed after our talk, and made much better use of our time.
A few hours later, I’d been lying there with her in my arms. My thoughts were on my upcoming function, and how badly I wished I could bring her. The day I was able to show up with her on my arm would set every blog, paper, and news channel in the city abuzz. It had with Gabriel and Harper, and I knew Nicole and I would be no exception. She actually had a lot in common with my friend’s girl. Both were daughters of Titans, so already considered social royalty in one city or another. There’d be no smear campaigns, or digging into her past, because she was already well known in high society.
Lucy Davis had sent me an invite for the upcoming ‘social event of the season’ as she’d dubbed it. Every one of them seemed to be listed that way, but I knew she worked tirelessly with various charities around the city, so I often attended the parties, and didn’t get upset about it. A lot of foundations, and ultimately people, were helped by money raised. It was just tiresome having to show up with different women on my arm. This time, I would have to go solo. I might arrive that way, but it didn’t have to end that way. Could we really be together, while being apart?
I’d invited Nicole to attend the city’s charity masquerade ball a few weeks earlier, so confident that the venue would afford us the privacy we needed. Admittedly, I’d been right to have reservations about it after all. She was seen, despite our best efforts. This shroud of secrecy truly sucked in more ways than one. Sometimes, even being a Titan did, too. It was a responsibility, and obligation, my entire life. My father dealt with it, and his father before him, and so on and so on. And it wasn’t just cities like New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago that had them. At almost every event in any large city, you’d find a Titan.
Things had been that way for as long as I could remember. Even as a young boy, my mother would drag me from one store to another in search of a tuxedo I’d only wear once. I’d once asked my father what the purpose was, and he’d just chuckled.
“ You can’t expect to be looked upon as king of the castle if you’re never out of the fortress, son ,” he’d tell me. It was several years later that I’d understood what he’d meant.
With our titles, there came certain responsibilities. I’d begrudgingly learned to accept why we were paraded around at every fancy event. Our titles came with power, and with it, there was also curiosity. People revered us, some might even hate us, but they always saw us. We stood tall, united, and we were looked up to. Women like Nicole were treated differently, though. Sure, the society pages would draw attention to their fashion, makeup, and hairstyles, but they too were overshadowed by the male Titans. It was a very chauvinistic society that we belonged to .
“ I bet it was tough for you growing up ?” I’d once said to Nicole when we’d been talking about the lives of Titans.
“ How so ?” she’d asked.
“ You were certainly looked over when with your father, uncle, and even brother. How did that make you feel? ”
“ Free ,” she’d told me, and it made me view my entitlement in a different way.
I’d never had a choice when it came to the limelight. I was thrust into it at such a young age and taught that it was an obligation of my privilege. When looking at some of my closest friends, Romeo had been lucky to that extent. He’d become a Titan once he’d made Chicago home. He had all the attributes of one, but affluence was the only thing missing from his childhood. He’d been able to have a normal one, unlike so many others. Between his rookie contract, and the most recent extension, that couldn’t be said any longer. Daxon, Gabriel, Noah, and I’d always accepted our lot in life, and we did the bachelor auctions and other things asked of us in the name of duty. I’d never realized how draining it all was until she uttered that single word. Free!
Since reuniting with her in Chicago, there were a lot of things I’d once thought that no longer seemed the same. My values... likes... dislikes... they all changed and mostly because of her. Or, maybe it’d been partially due to the ayahuasca ceremony, too. It was a spiritual cleanse I never knew I needed. And Nicole, she was the girl I never thought I needed, either.
But, free. I wanted to experience that so badly for myself. When in places like Costa Rica, no one knew me outside of the staff my parents employed, and those I’d met when there. In Chicago, I couldn’t sneeze without some paper or news channel questioning whether I was sick or not. I couldn’t jog down the street like others in the spring and early fall because I would be photographed. It wasn’t always a bad thing, but sometimes I just wanted to blend in with everyone else. I wanted to be free. Even in her own circle back in Los Angeles, she got to experience something I’d never known I’d wanted until now.
“ You’re so goddamn beautiful, though. I’m sure you were the talk of the town. You could probably get anything, or anyone, you wanted ,” I’d told her, but she’d shaken her head.
“ Because of the Titans, I was actually more unapproachable. When the society pages wanted to interview me, the questions always revolved around my father, grandfather, uncle, and even my brother. Oh my God, with Nicolai it was even worse. So many girls tried to befriend me in hopes that it would get them closer to Nico. I grew up most of my life questioning everyone and their motives. The few true friends I might’ve had, I’d chased away with my own insecurities. That's why I’m so glad to have found Travis .”
The mere mention of her classmate still left a sour taste in my mouth. Nicole usually held nothing back from me when I’d ask her questions about anything, so I had to know.
“ Are you sure there’s not something between you two ?”
“ What ?” she’d asked, her face a combination of confusion, and righteous indignation that I would even ask her something like that.
“ You did just mention him ,” I’d pointed out.
“ Yes, because I like hanging out with him. He likes hanging out with me, too. At least I know with him that there are no ulterior motives. He isn’t just there to try to get close to my brother. ”
I had no siblings, so I never had that problem. I doubted my life would’ve been any different though if I would have had any.
“ Are you sure there’s no ulterior motives on his part? ”
“ What are you trying to say ?” she’d asked, and I could tell how upset she’d gotten.
“ Nothing ,” I’d finally conceded, although I was pretty sure Travis liked her as more than a friend. Surprisingly enough, her father thought the same. I didn’t want to spend my time fighting with Nicole, especially since it was already so precious, so I’d pulled her into my arms and the conversation was dropped, at least for her. I was still not sure.
“At least tonight, you’ll finally be with me,” I said out loud.
While this event was highly publicized, I’d already concocted a foolproof plan. The two of us would arrive separately, and sometime after innocently running into her, she would take the key card I slipped to her, then meet me upstairs in the room I’d booked. I would wait a short amount of time before joining her. The plan was risky, but being able to fuck her outside of her place, or my office, would make it all worth it.
“ Are you sure this will work ?” she’d asked.
“ Absolutely. I might not be able to hold you in my arms while letting everyone know that you belong to me , but when you’re in my bed, I can let you know in no uncertain terms that you do. ”
Only, she didn’t belong to me because I couldn’t court her like someone else could. Like Travis could. The two of them would be spotted at local bars and restaurants, as well as various other places around campus. They could hang out at sporting events, attend campus parties together, and even go to the theater with one another. I could do the latter, but only in the privacy of her place. I wanted more, but there was nothing I could do about it. A Titan had its benefits, but it also had its downfalls and this would be one of them.
She finally agreed to my wishes, and now as I stood in front of the mirror, I had a new motivation for attending this event. While I understood the purpose of most, I’d have to hype myself up in a way. Not tonight. All I could think of was seeing Nicole up close and personal in one of those gowns she was often photographed in while back home in California, then picture myself removing it from her with a different city view in my periphery.
I’d then make the sex so good between us, not that it had ever lacked anything. In fact, my feelings toward her only made it so much better. Usually, I’d be driven by lust, and maybe curiosity, but with her, it was love. I’d fucked up and fallen for my very own princess, only it would take a hell of a lot more than me simply freeing her from her glass tower to be able to claim her.
We couldn’t be open about our relationship, but I could provide her with enough orgasms to hopefully make up for some of it. Nicole would one day publicly be mine, but until then, I’d find more events like this one where we could be together without actually being together in front of prying eyes. Maybe, I could even convince her to go back to Costa Rica with me over one of the next two holidays. School would let out a few weeks before Christmas, so there was even then which would allow her to be home when it actually mattered.
My phone chimed to alert me to a message notification, and I groaned once I pulled the text up. Nicole had sent me a picture of her in the gown. Every thought I had in my head was quickly replaced with something indecent. My dick hardened as I pictured getting her out of that dress, and into my arms. The things I planned to do to her tonight...
As I started to formulate plans, one thing kept coming up. I would never pressure her to do anything she might not want to do, but on the off chance that I could seduce her to try something new, I unzipped my suitcase and added a few more items to it before I finished getting dressed.