Chapter 25
Calvin
The feeling of Nikita’s lips against my skin lingers, and there is no ignoring the pulse in my groin at the unexpected contact.
When Violet stops next to me barely a second later, Nikita’s actions make sense. Something that doesn’t make sense to me is the way my attention continuously shifts to where she sits. Everyone has found a spot along the long table, settling in with their food while the music from the current act on the main stage plays throughout the area. I end up sitting with Violet on one side of me and an empty bench to the other side of me. Nikita is sitting across from me. Conversations float across the table, but Nikita doesn’t engage. She watches everyone interact while she eats. The idea of someone eating sardines of all things is probably the least sexy food anyone can eat, but I’d be lying if I said my eyes don’t linger a moment too long at the way her long fingers pull the pieces of meat off, bringing them up to her lips which wrap around them. A brief flash of what else she can wrap those lips around has my cock pulsing and I’m thrown right back into the curiosity of Nikita and what she’s capable of.
“You want to try?” Nikita asks, extending her hand with meat between her fingers.
I shake my head. I’m not interested in trying the food, but I am enticed by the idea of eating something off her fingers. Actually, I’m more interested in eating her out…
Whoa, there.
“Fine, more for me.” She returned to enjoying her meal, I can see she is still annoyed with me for interrupting her little chat with the bartender. I don’t care though. I avert my eyes from her in an attempt to clear my mind from the unexpected bombardment of thoughts I’m being subjected to.
How in the world do I find her eating fish sexy? I must be losing my mind.
For the first time I’m thankful for Paul’s ridiculous stories. He is sitting across from Violet, forcing the three of us to listen to a story about the time he got stuck in the ocean during a storm while he was surfing. One thing about Paul - he’s the biggest shit talker I have ever come across. It’s clear he suffers from an inferiority complex when it comes to living in the shadow of his older brother, but even so Kenneth’s biggest achievement is his choice of partner.
He dives into great detail about how a lifeguard tried to save him. “You should have seen this guy!” Paul shakes his head, “He was weak. I had to be the one to hold him up as we swam back to shore. I mean, c’mon, you’re a lifeguard bro.”
Nikita stands up. Her movement catches my eye as she collects her, now empty, polystyrene plate and moves to toss it in the nearest trash can. I expect her to come back to the table but instead, she takes off in the direction of the stage. I drop my napkin on my own plate along with the remnants of my salad and bring myself to my feet, completely disregarding whatever is being said. “Excuse me.”
I step over the long shared bench that acts as the seats for the tables and take off after Nikita as she turns a corner, out of view of where we are sitting. As I catch up to her I reach for her arm, “Hey, where are you going?”
She turns to me, freeing her arm from my grip, “The bathroom. Is that allowed?”
“How am I supposed to know that if you didn’t tell me?”
“Am I supposed to tell you everything?” Her tone is dry.
“No, but you could tell me when you’re going to go running off like that. I told you, your brother would-”
“Kill you if something happens to me, yes, I got that. You can go back to the table, I’ll find you there.”
She doesn’t wait for my reply before she takes off again.
I contemplate going back, but I am actually thankful for the break from having to engage with anyone right now. Truthfully, I would have much rather have stayed at the hotel - especially with the way the skin on my stomach still burns and the exhaustion from the day weighing over me. I am in no way excited to have to sleep on that shitty couch again, but I can do with some rest.
A few moments later Nikita returns, eyeing me curiously, “You waited for me.”
“Actually, I saved myself from having to listen to another ridiculous story from Paul.”
“Are you telling me you weren’t intrigued by his story of how he saved a lifeguard?” she gasps, the sarcasm rife in her voice.
“I’ve heard enough stories from that guy, thank you very much.”
A celebration from the crowd catches our attention as a new act is introduced on stage. I don’t recognize any of the names, still the hundreds of people in front of the stage are clearly familiar with them. Their excitement is evident through the excited cheers that echo around us.
A fresh kizomba beat booms through the speakers. It’s a genre of music I wasn’t familiar with until Jay introduced me to it years ago. I can tell that it’s one that his sister enjoys too. She stands next to me, glancing towards the stage, her body moving to the music.
My eyes follow her movements, enjoying the way the yellow dress falls over her curves, the light color a perfect contrast against her skin. One thing I’ve noticed about Nikita, wherever she is, color follows. Her curly hair that reaches halfway down her back is swaying from side to side along with her movements.
“I’m going to dance.” She glances back at me, her eyes catching mine, “Are you going to join me?”
“I don’t dance.”
“Because you don’t know how or-?”
“I know how to dance.”
She shrugs, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
Without waiting for my response she disappears towards the stage. I contemplate joining her for a second, except for the fact that I’m not the kind of person who enjoys crowds. In fact, most social situations are difficult for me and my social anxiety. Crowded areas mean there is less I can control and that isn’t something I particularly enjoy. Over the years I have learned to combat my anxiety, but I’m never truly free from it.
I can’t even remember the last time I went to a music festival. Violet and I had never gone to one together - we weren’t the kind of couple that frequented social gatherings such as this one. It isn’t that I don’t enjoy them, because truthfully, I love the music part of it but she never did.
And we always did what she did.
I make my way back to the table, careful to keep tabs on Nikita. I swing my leg over, taking a seat as Violet turns to me.
“Are you having a good time?” she asks, resting her chin in her hand.
“Are you?” I eye her, “You hate music festivals.”
She snickers, “True, but Britney played her bride card earlier so none of us had a choice in the matter.”
“Right.” My attention turns back to where Nikita is dancing. It’s easy to spot her - the bright spot in the dark crowd. She has fully immersed herself in the show, not a care in the world as she moves to the music. I find it oddly refreshing to be around someone like her. Someone who doesn’t care what others think and consistently does what she wants to do, rather than what everyone else wants or expects. She is rooted in her self-confidence and assertiveness with her choices.
It’s pretty admirable.
Violet says something, but I am far too intrigued by Nikita that I don’t even respond.
“Calvin?” Violet lifts her hand, snapping her fingers in front of my eyeline. A flicker of annoyance breaths life inside of me as I turn back to her.
“Sorry, what did you say?”
“I asked if you wanted to go get something to drink?”
Movement out of the corner of my eye catches my attention and I watch as some guy extends his hand to Nikita. She laughs before slipping her hand in his, the two of them now dancing together.
Seriously? Another one?
She laughs again at whatever he is saying, her bright smile available for everyone to be drawn to. A flicker of something ignites inside of me. Something that has me bringing myself to my feet.
“No thanks,” I say to Violet and take off towards Nikita without a glance back.
I’m not sure what is fueling my movements, but something has me needing to pull Nikita from this man. And any other man for that matter. I hadn’t realized how many of them she attracts, but I also can’t blame them. It’s difficult not to find yourself drawn to her.
They spin together and her eyes land on me as I reach them, “Calvin, meet Nicholas.”
This Nicholas character turns to me, his arms still around Nikita, “Hey, man.”
“Thanks for keeping my girlfriend company,” I say with a smile - it isn’t a particularly friendly one. I’m not usually this petty, but there is something about seeing Nikita blatantly making herself available to other men that irks me, “Do you mind if I cut in here?”
“Not at all.” Nicholas shakes his head and takes a step back, “You’ve got yourself a beautiful woman, Calvin. Careful someone here doesn’t try to steal her.”
It is intended as a playful joke, but his comment only annoys me more, “They can try.”
I take her hand and pull her close to me as Nicholas disappears into the crowd behind us. While she flashes a smile at Nicholas, all I get is a glare, “Why don’t you just piss a circle around me, Calvin? That would have been less subtle.”
I roll my eyes as I grab her hands and wrap them around my neck, pulling her closer to me until her body is pressing up against mine. The smell of fresh mint mixes with her sweet perfume surrounding me, “Nicholas, Blake, how many others are you going to add to the list?”
“And what list is this? Because all I was doing with both of them was having polite conversations.”
With her body folding up against mine we move to the music together, allowing the rhythm to fuel our movements. I can feel the heat radiating off her body, seeping between the material of our clothes that separate the two of us.
“I thought you weren’t the jealous type, Rhodes.”
“I’m not.”
At least that’s what I thought. Still there is something about seeing Nikita with someone else that bothers me. She is here to be my girlfriend - not make herself available to others.
Her eyes narrow, “I don’t believe you.”
“You’re here to be my girlfriend, Nikita.” My voice is low, careful to keep her close to me, “Not bat your eyes at every cute British guy that looks your way.”
Her jaw tightens, an eyebrow raising, “I think your first mistake is thinking you can tell me what I can and can’t do.”
“All I’m asking is that you do your part.”
“What about your part?” She tosses back at me. Without warning she rests her one hand on my chest, her other cupping the back of my neck. Leaning closer to me she is tilting her head to meet my eyes and have her lips hovering closer to mine, “I’ve been doing my part, Calvin. Wherever Violet is, you are. Look, if you want to run back to her, be my guest. Either way, I still get this holiday, but if you want to keep whatever shred of dignity you have left, then I suggest you take advantage of the fact you have a fake girlfriend here to keep you from her.” My eyes drop to her lips, her vixen ways drawing me in and revealing that my self-control is not as strong as I thought. “Surely you’re getting some satisfaction from knowing that she’s jealous?”
I flick my gaze to meet her eyes, “I told you, Violet’s not jealous.”
“And I told you that she is.”
“She broke up with me. She can’t be jealous.”
“Don’t be an idiot, Calvin.” I feel her nails scratch the back of my neck, disappearing into my hair and threatening to make my eyes roll back at her touch. That feels good. “You like that?” Her voice is thick with seduction.
I lean closer to her, continuing to close the gap between us. “What are you doing, Nikita?”
“Exactly what a girlfriend would do. Isn’t this what you wanted?”
Never in a million years would I have expected to be this sexually attracted to Nikita, however with the memory of her hands on my body, the way her body looks in that thing she called a bikini and the feeling of her against me right now, I am desperately fighting against the waistband of my shorts.
Her hand travels up my chest, meeting her other one to wrap around my neck as she presses herself up against me, making sure there is no space between us, and all I can hope and pray for is that she will not notice the growing bulge in my pants.
Nikita is fucking sexy and this’s not something that I was prepared for. I can’t - no, I will not - give in to this little minx. She continues to push me, begging for a reaction. I know what her game plan is, because I have the same one as her.
“Correct, this is exactly what I wanted,” I murmur, “Good to know you’re capable of being obedient.”
She laughs, but there is no humor in it, “You truly are the worst.” From the outside, she looks like someone who is having a great time, flashing her smile to the world, but her words and the way her eyes are sending daggers in my direction tells me that she is far from enjoying herself. “Once our arrangement for this week is over, no one could pay me enough money to be within five feet of you.”
I slide a finger under her chin, tilting her eyes up to meet mine, “Everyone has a price, princess.”
Nikita is riled up and I get great satisfaction from being someone who consistently has the ability to get under her skin. The heat is radiating off her and I know it isn’t just from the sunburn she got earlier.
My hand slides down the small of her back, resting just above her ass as I pull her closer to me. The thick tension floats around us and as annoyed as Nikita is with me, there is something else in her eyes too.
“Soak this up while you can, Rhodes.” Her one hand comes around her back, resting over mine as she guides it further down, making sure I now have my hand over her ass. “Who knows when you’ll get to feel a woman like this again, especially since you have no game.”
I swallow, my mouth turning dry at how she feels in my hand. It’s incredible how she manages to piss me off and turn me on in equal measure. Her hand returns to its place around my neck, leaving my hand on her ass. I take the opportunity to rub it over her before squeezing it.
“I have game.”
“Anyone with game doesn’t have to tell people they have game, they show it.”
“Careful what you wish for.” I pull her closer to me barely leaving any space between us, my lips brushing lightly up against hers, “I wouldn’t want you falling in love with me.”
An incredulous laugh fell from her lips, “Never going to happen.”
“You keep telling yourself that.”
Her gaze turns into a full-on glare, but there is no denying the thick tension that wraps itself around us, threatening to turn my brain into nothing but a hazy fog incapable of making smart decisions.
This is all pretend, Calvin.
Nikita is pressing up against me, allowing her hands to roam over me and hover close to my lips as part of the show we are putting on. With her ass still in my hand, my mind is fighting the thought of what it will be like to grip onto her as she bounces on my cock.
It feels good to touch her.
And that is a problem. A big fucking problem.