Chapter 14
Chapter
Fourteen
SIMONA
T ime passes surprisingly fast. Admittedly, I’m getting pretty good at burying my head in the sand and pretending the world is an okay place when it’s burning down around me. It helps that the girls are back and are obnoxious as always, but equally distracting is the pressure of exams.
I focus only on those two things, everything else, categorically being ignored. Until the girls and I celebrate the end of the semester with an afternoon at Roda’s, our favourite restaurant.
After giving back everything to Hendrix, I’m back to being on a budget. Brody refuses to increase my allowance, although I haven’t asked because it’s better to let sleeping dogs lie. I’d rather go without than have to talk with him about anything. The girls have asked about my financial situation before, and I’ve told them what I could, which is Brody is an asshole. Never once have the girls excluded me because I don’t have as much money as they do, but I most certainly have kept a tally of expenses in the back of my journal. One day I’ll find a way to pay them back. At the same time, our friendship isn’t just about who has what.
Raney sits back, rubbing her stomach, scenting like trouble. “Now that we’ve eaten, the rest of the day is drinking cocktails. Am I right?”
Tristan is out of her seat before Raney finishes speaking. She power struts through the crowd, her focus on the bar. If she wasn’t so impatient, she would have seen our favourite waiter already heading our way with a tray of mimosas.
All the staff here are good but somehow we always seem to get Ralph, so he’s used to us being… us.
Heidi clears the table so he can set down the drinks. Even before he’s finished, she’s dropping her credit card onto his tray, earning a sassy look from him. “Don’t let Tristan pay today, Ralph. And keep them coming.”
“That’ll cost you,” he teases with a roll of his eyes.
She matches the gesture with her sass coming on stronger. “It always does. Honestly, if you let Tristan bribe you with sample bags from Galliano’s, we will not vote for you as employee of the month.”
“Do you ever vote for me?” he throws over his shoulder as he waves her card in the air.
“He has a point,” I say quietly.
“Shhh,” Heidi hisses before taking a gulp from her glass. “We only give Marlena our votes, and extra tips because she’s got about a hundred mouths to feed.”
“It’s two children, Ho. That hardly classifies as a hundred mouths,” Raney says, impatiently waiting for me to raise my glass. “At least you have manners, Sim. Cheers.”
Heidi reaches her glass across the table, and we wait, already knowing Tristan will whip around to glare at us as soon as Ralph steps behind the bar. It’s like clockwork. The three of us silently mouth a cheers , tap her glass, and take a sip .
“You’re jealous,” Raney adds belatedly. I have to think back to what we were just talking about. I was distracted by someone, and even though he’s sitting in the corner with his back to our tableit’s eerie how similar this stranger is to Hendrix.
Heidi snarks louder, crossing a leg and pulling her lips into one of her judgey smirks. “And what exactly is it you think I’m jealous of? You and I both know, motherhood isn’t always amazing.”
While they both have vastly different experiences with their own mothers, they share the loss of having a maternal figure around. In comparison, I still physically have Wren in my life, but she’s never been available on any level as such. Her style of parenting isn’t how I would do things, but I also know I do not want children. I refuse to subject them to the same life I was born into.
“Don’t get snappy because I’m speaking the truth.” Heidi’s lips flatten as she finishes speaking.
“What truth?” Tris asks as she slides back in the booth with another tray of mimosas.
Heidi smirks as she speaks. “Raney having children.”
Tristan looks horrified and starts rubbing her chest. “I’m too young to be a grandmother.”
Tris giving Raney shit about her dad, King, is a constant thing since we met him. He’s a good-looking Alpha, a lot rough around the edges considering he’s the President of a MC. He’s definitely not my cup of tea, but by the way Tristan keeps talking about him, he might be hers. Except, Tristan is such an open book there’s no way she’d be able to hide something as big as her falling for King. Thinking of keeping secrets, my mind immediately jumps to my very recent and candid discussion with Hendrix. I feel a wave of regret, and guilt, for putting Hendrix on the spot like that. But I had to ask, on the off chance he agreed .
Tristan and Raney keep arguing about King. I can feel Heidi’s stare from across the table. She tips her head in question when I finally look her way. Smiling in her general direction, I excuse myself, needing fresh air and the chance to put my game face back on.
Dodging around tables and waiters on my way to the bathroom, I get a sense of Heidi following , but it’s not her hand that pushes the door open for me, it’s a man’s.
My heart is in my throat, shock mixed with panic that burnt away to excitement and confusion when his scent became more apparent. Thunderstorms, rain, and lightning follow me inside the bathroom.
Twisting around, Hendrix’s mouth is on mine before I can blink. In the next heartbeat, my legs are wrapped around his waist and he’s pinning me against the bathroom door.
His lips don’t leave mine when he talks a mile a minute. “I am so sorry. God, Simona, I heard what you were saying, but I was a complete asshole and was focusing on all the wrong things. I promise I will never make you feel so unheard again. Please forgive me. And for the love of all this crazy chaos we’re navigating, please don’t you ever call me Mr. Torres. Or leave me.”
Each word is laden with emotion and sincerity. He is both dominant but gentle as he talks, and his eyes are full of pleading and hope. He’s right, what we share is crazy chaos. But he is here, and he is being earnest. I have to add the smallest of space between us to get enough air in my lungs. And even then, it is his scent breathing life back inside the bleak void I was drowning in.
“I’ll give you whatever you want, sweetheart. And I’m sorry it took me this long to come get you, but I needed to speak with my pack. They gave me their full blessing for us to be together however you want. We’re having an illicit affair. ”
I laugh quietly, pressing my forehead to his and letting the magic of his scent and presence quell the storm that has been consuming me even as I tried so hard to pretend it didn’t.
“You told them about me?”
“They know everything about you: where we met, what I was feeling when I first scented your perfume, how devastated I was when you walked away. I will do everything in my power to hide us from the rest of the world but not from them.”
Nothing inside me is strong enough to hold back the tears of happy relief as they fall. He catches each one with the softest of kisses while his scent shifts, subtly confirming we share the same feelings.
“Go finish your lunch with your girlfriends. Text me as soon as you’re free and I’ll send a car.”
“I have an exam tomorrow.”
“And?” Hendrix buries his hands in my hair before he slowly presses his lips to mine. The smallest touch has the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. With the barest of effort, I feel myself coming back to life.
Heat blossoms, and my scent thickens, he stops kissing and starts thinking. By the look in his eye, he’s coming up with lots of ideas, but I really do have a big exam coming up. “I need to study.”
“I need to be with you,” he pleads, his voice dropping lower. His presence curls around me so viscerally, I’m not sure where he actually starts and where he finishes. “I think you should stay with me tonight. I’ll help you study with quizzes, hot chocolates, and naked back rubs. Once you’ve crammed enough, I’ll let you sleep then before dawn I’ll sneak you back into Unity.”
I blush under his attention, but I don’t feel self-conscious. Hendrix isn’t finished explaining how he sees the next few hours passing. “Once exams finish there’s a small function where all the faculty and the girls will be attending. I’ll meet you inside the photo lab as soon as speeches finish and before the light refreshments are served.”
“As much as I want to, I can’t stay with you tonight.” I shake my head, more so to stop myself from going back to kissing as opposed to explaining. “I most definitely can sneak away and meet you at the lab tomorrow though.”
“Why not tonight?” His hand grips my hair, stopping me from evading his kisses.
Not that I was trying too hard at all. His eyes drop to my lips but before I fall willingly to them, my explanation tumbles out. “You don’t know my girlfriends, they won’t let me go and tonight is the last night we’ll be spending together for a while.”
“Why?”
“I’m going away.”
“Okay, maybe that works better. Can I arrange a getaway for us even for a few hours?" The more he talks, the calmer he becomes. His entire presence and focus is on me, and making sure I am okay. My insides flutter like butterflies taking flight.
It’s weird feeling this unguarded around an Alpha. I already accepted his apology, and I also know I want more of the confidence he makes me feel. But knowing the girls are probably wondering where I am, I sit up higher in his arms and kiss him like I’ve always wanted to be kissed. Of course, Hendrix ups me in the kissing stakes. His nips against my lips and growls are sublime, and I feel myself responding. And then I scent my desire. I have to stop kissing him. If it’s that obvious to me, I may as well wear a neon sign back to the table because those girls don’t miss a thing.
Instead of letting me go, Hendrix flicks his eyebrows up high, locks the door to the bathroom, then sets me on the edge of the vanity .
“Will you let me look after your heady scent?”
“How?” I ask. My thoughts are racing, a hundred different possible outcomes flitting in my mind. All of them are way too salacious for the small amount of time we have.
“That wasn’t the question, sweetheart. I need a yes or no. I realise I’m asking a lot but at the same time if we’re having an affair, all of this,” he runs his hands from the tops of my head, right down to my bare calves before he continues, “is mine.”
It’s like being on a roller coaster with him, but clearly, I’m chasing the thrill which is why I went to him first. I feel a deep sense of trust in myself with Hendrix, and before I give him permission or ask him to stop, I take the time out to ask myself if this is what I want.
He stands in front of me, but there’s no impatient push of his designation and he doesn’t smell frustrated at me for not answering straight away. If anything, I see a small flame of pride in his eyes.
It’s easy to say yes with a nod of my head, but he wants my consent so the both of us hear and understand the ramifications of it.
“Yes. You get all my yesses too.”
His hand cups the side of my face, his thumb trails across my lip and as he leans in for a kiss, his hand buries under my dress before he cups my pussy.
“Such a good girl. So wet.”
Hendrix presses the palm of one hand against the ache between my legs, and it feels glorious. I gasp as he raises his other hand to push his thumb past my lips.
“Suck.”
This time there’s a bite of command in his word but it was unnecessary, I already had an inkling of what he was going to do. Eagerness has me wrapping both my hands around his fist as I suck on his thumb .
“I remember every word you spoke that day. You were being so fucking sweet, and I threw it back in your face. I promise you I won’t betray you like that again, and I wish I had that time back because I wouldn’t have screwed up. I’m sorry. I want you to know that, and I want you to understand I will take the chance on being with you even if we only have a day. You are the one in command here. Well maybe not right now, but I know you understand what I’m saying.”
With his hand on my hip, he pulls me to the vanity to the very edge of it, and then he squats. With the grind of his palm over my panties, I flood the bathroom with my scent.
Which is incredibly liberating, considering my harrowing past. Maybe my dreams are coming true.
Hendrix waits until he has my full attention, and as soon as he has it, he ruins me some more. “Now, if it’s okay with you, my mouth is going on your pussy and hopefully soon, your come will gloss my lips.”
I agree before he finishes speaking. Hendrix is tender in the way he pushes my dress up, rolling it so it sits on my waist, giving us both a clear view of the wet spot on my pale pink panties.
He takes a deep inhale of my scent. It’s so heated it’s like a batch of cookies straight from the oven. And his reaction, the deep hum rushing past his parted lips, makes me feel as good as his touch does.
Leaning up for a quick exchange, he slides his thumb from my mouth, replacing it with his tongue as he helps me pull my panties down. With a swift motion, they vanish into his pocket. Before I can process the shift, he moves—from standing in front of me to kneeling at my feet.
“It is a privilege to be on my knees for you, baby. A fitting way for us to start our infidelity.”
I don’t get the chance to answer because he robs me of any coherent thought when he kisses my inner thighs in a torturously slow path to my swollen pussy.
His eyes are on mine, and they are so vibrant green they’re sparkling like emeralds in the sun as he wraps his lips around my aching clit, pulling it into his mouth hard enough to make me see stars. Big, gold, glittering stars.
Hendrix doesn’t stop until I see a whole cosmos of stars.
He ruins me with soft licks before swirling his tongue around my clit. I nearly come, but he climbs to his feet and presses his mouth to mine, and I’m half embarrassed but also incredibly turned on by the fact his face is wet from my pleasure.
“Will you let me taste your come,” he whispers, his fingers spreading my pussy apart. I’m horrified at how open I am, and Hendrix stops kissing me, looking for answers.
I forbid you.
“You know, I’ve never tasted better pussy,” Hendrix says. The way he says it though, with such conviction, and with his unvetted desire burning bright in his eyes, it’s like he talks over the top of a ghostly memory of Brody. “And every chance I get, I will be tasting it, because it’s a part of you. A rather tasty part, but you’re all mine. When we’re together, Simona, it’s only us. No one else, do you understand me?”
He spreads my legs further apart before he glides his fingers soft like fluttering butterflies over the outside of my pussy. His fingers tease around my clit, and I tremble for more.
“Tell me all of you is mine.”
I forbid you.
I slam my eyes shut at the intrusion, hating how Brody found me here, but when they shut all I see is him, so they fly back open. I don’t come face to face with a ghost, instead Hendrix is there—his dark hair pushed off his face, his green eyes so vibrant and full of life, and he waits looking ready to take on the world.
I can only see, scent, and feel him, there’s no awful memories holding me back. Hendrix’s strength and dominance shimmers in the space we share, and he sees me properly. He notices my hesitation, but he doesn’t become pushy in his designation, instead all I feel is a warming tenderness, his form of encouragement,as he waits for me to answer. The answer was always there. I just needed the confidence to say the words out loud. “It’s yours.”
“What is?” He pushes, his fingers gliding through the slippery mess while his eyes stare into mine in full Alpha challenge.
“Every part of me.” I exhale.
“I know. It makes me very happy you know that,” he whispers against my mouth before he lowers to his knees and uses his hands to push my thighs as wide as they will go. I lean forward and watch him eat me out again. It is so damn dirty, but I’ve never seen anything more beautiful.
My hands run through his hair and as he hums appreciatively, licking me enthusiastically like I’m frosting on his favourite flavoured cupcake. Physically, pleasure rumbles through me, but more memorable is the confidence, the assurance, the credibility of knowing Hendrix is someone I can trust not only with my body, but my heart.
I soak his face. Coming for the first time in a very, very long time.
But once is not enough—for either of us. Hendrix slows down the speed but dials up the intensity. Desire trickles through me and the promise of another equally poetic and star filled release has me boldly chasing the same sweeping high on his talented mouth. Deep inside my body, a part of me coils in an aching need, and the intensity of it continues growing .
All of me fills with euphoria, and my body floats light as a feather. His scent thickens, becoming my anchor, and then it becomes the only thing I can taste.
With his hands holding me spread the sparkling stars appear in my eyes but I blink them away not wanting to miss a second of the way he worships. I’m lost in pleasure, whimpering in need, and when he sucks my swollen clit between his teeth and clamps down, I come so ferociously I feel a rush of my orgasm gushing outwards. And then I watch in shock as I realise part of that sensation was me.
“Oh my god. I am so sorry,” I whisper horrified.
“You never apologise for making a waterfall, baby. Jesus, you never have to be ashamed for how fucking perfect you are.” Hendrix refuses to let me hide away, pulling my hands away from my face. “This,” he looks back down to my very wet pussy, “is your gift for your Alpha. Now be a good girl and sit there proud as fucking punch while you watch me savour every last drop.”
Hendrix’s eyes roll back in his head and he laps and licks until I become so hypersensitive I have to push him away. I expect pushback, but instead I get an Alpha intent on teaching me a lesson in heartfelt aftercare.
Standing up, he cups my face and doesn’t let me hide away. “Thank you. I was serious though, please don’t feel ashamed. Have you never done that before?”
I’ve never come because of someone else before is what I should say. Instead, I shake my head, and the smile on his face grows. “And now you’re feeding my ego.” He wets one of the clean hand towels. The cold water is soothing but not as much as his care and attention. He helps me off the vanity. My face is rosy, pink as a result of my orgasm, along with the lingering effects of my embarrassment and his attention.
Hendrix tips my head to the light then he wipes my lipstick off and cleans around my mouth before going through my bag and returning with my lip-liner and my lipstick.
“Do you know how to do it?” I ask.
“I’m about to learn.” He removes the cap, his hand hovering above my lips before he kisses me softly instead.
It’s a ‘see you very soon’ kiss, and my chest squeezes happily.
His hand doesn’t shake as he focuses, and within a couple of minutes, my lips look as if I’ve just stepped away from a makeup consultation at a high-end department store.
Gently, he turns me towards the mirror so I can fix my hair, while he runs his hands down the backs of my legs, smoothing my skirt into place.
“Hendrix,” I warn. “I’ve got no panties on; I can’t go out there like that.”
“Don’t flash anyone and you’ll be fine.” He winks before he growls softly under his breath as his hands cup and squeeze my naked butt some more. He presses his body to mine.
For a millisecond, my heart stops when I feel the press of his length. He’s hard. The last time an Alpha pressed against me was the most horrendous night of my life.
Everything about that memory and this one are worlds apart. Hendrix’s scent, and the way he touches and holds me so gently but confidently, makes me feel seen. And that is empowering.
I watch his reflection in the mirror, already knowing his eyes are going to flame with what I say. “It seems only fair that tomorrow I’ll be on my knees for you.”
He looks stunned for half a second before he laughs. I’ve seen lots of different emotions in the very short amount of time we’ve met, but seeing Hendrix laughing, and knowing I was the cause of it, makes me feel like a complete badass.
I get a hard slap on the ass before the Alpha I just started having a very illicit affair with unlocks and opens the door. At the last chance before he leaves, he turns around. “Expect me to lose my shit at you tomorrow for you returning the money, cards, and everything else back to me. I want you to have them and use them when and however you need, Simona. I don’t want you to feel trapped, but I also need you to have them. Caring for you is important to me. All that aside, and like you suggested, you’ll be on your knees for me.”
The door closes quietly behind him, and the reality of what I just did hits. I need a few seconds to bask in the fallout. But a minute is all I allow myself before I realise how much time has passed, and how much crap the girls are going to give me.
I fly out of the bathroom and sneak out the back door, grabbing my phone out of my bag and walking up and down the sidewalk a few times, purposely waving at the girls in the process. Lying through my teeth, but also knowing I’ll do it time and time again if I have to.