6. Kennedy
CHAPTER 6
Kennedy
What the hell just happened? I watch as River gives me that cocky smile, saying a quick, “Finders keepers,” and walks off toward our adjoining doors. The muscles of his back move with his stride, a result of years as a firefighter, carrying loads of equipment up and down flights of stairs. I can’t help but fight the drool that threatens to escape my mouth.
Throughout that entire interaction, he did not touch me once with any part of his body. His only touch was through my vibrator, and yet I still feel a void when he walks away from me. My body yearns for him to come back and touch me in ways that will leave marks on me physically and emotionally.
Despite keeping his hands to himself, I know he was turned on because I saw the massive tent in his boxers while I watched as he rhythmically moved my vibrator in and out of me. The word massive doesn’t even suffice, if I’m being honest. I don’t know how he walks with that beast between his legs.
I have never had a man do that to me, and I never thought it could be that hot. Even though he didn’t actually touch me with his own hands, it felt more intimate than an entire night with a man in bed.
I’m still coming off my high, feeling as if I need another shower to cool off, when I register River’s words. He took something with him on his way out. Taking in my room with a clearer mind, it dawns on me that he walked out of here with my fucking vibrator.
I also realize that I’m not upset about it. Instead of anger that he stole something that’s mine, it makes me wonder what kind of game we can play for me to get it back.
A smile spreads across my face, and I try to concoct a plan on how my vibrator can be mine again. It doesn’t take long for me to figure out how I’ll gain control back in this fucked up dynamic we are building.
The exhaustion of the day is catching up to me, and my eyes feel heavy, sleep and my bed calling out to me.
Once I’m fully ready for bed and under the covers, it takes some time to get my mind to quiet down. I think about the River of today versus the River of ten years ago. I think about how attractive he remains, even more so as the years have passed, and how I keep finding ways to avoid the obvious.
Who said I can’t have a little fun with a good-looking guy? I never said I needed to find forever with him. I just need to let off some tension here and there. What’s the harm in that?
* * *
The next morning, I arise with the sound of a cart outside. It isn’t until I pick up my phone that I realize I slept in. I was too distracted last night to remember to set an alarm. I shoot up in bed and begin getting myself ready to meet with the newlyweds downstairs for Sunday morning brunch.
Ash and Sam don’t leave for their honeymoon until tomorrow. They wanted an extra day to recover from the wedding, along with getting some time in with me and others from the wedding party.
I get myself ready in record time and finally grab my phone and text Sam that I’m headed down shortly. She replies with a winky face emoji, and I laugh. My best friend is consistent, that’s for sure.
Since we lived with one another in college, she has been the queen of emojis. I think if a language could be invented where emojis were the only things used instead of words, she would champion that new communication method.
I open my door, slowly at first, to assess the hallway. The cart I heard earlier is now stationed next door at River’s room. That means he’s no longer in his room and likely downstairs.
I’m about to make my way to the elevator when an idea strikes me. Instead of going with my original plan to win back my vibrator, I decide to deviate. I was going to wait to pay him back for his little stunt last night, but now I’ve got something new in mind.
I peek my head into River’s room, the housekeeper tending to the bed.
“Um, excuse me.” The woman startles for a second before realizing I’m in the room. “I’m sorry to do this, but I left something here last night. Do you mind if I grab it?”
I prepare myself for more resistance from this woman, but she nods and goes back to making the bed. This is too easy.
I quickly find what I’m looking for and rush back to my room. Part one of my plan is underway.
About ten minutes later, I walk into the restaurant at the hotel and find my friends sitting in the back. It seems most of the wedding party has left, probably up early to enjoy breakfast together, while I’m over here strolling in nearly forty-five minutes late.
I cringe at the sight of the table with uneaten croissants and half-drank coffees strewn about the tables.
“I’m so sorry. I crashed last night.”
Sam looks up from her phone, a genuine smile marking her features.
“Don’t worry about it. Ash and I were a little late too.” She waggles her eyebrows at that last part, and I make a motion to gag.
Samara laughs and goes back to looking at her phone.
“Sorry for the distraction. I’m just checking into our flight for tomorrow.”
“You know you could have saved yourself the trouble if you had just accepted the offer that my uncle would have let you use his jet,” I say as I put my purse down at an unoccupied area of the table.
Yes, I sound like a pretentious diva, but why not use the things we have at our disposal? Unlike my uncle, I am not as flashy as he chooses to live his life. I offered for Sam and Ash to use it as a wedding gift from me and my family, but she wouldn’t hear of it.
They’re headed to Hawaii for their honeymoon, something they’ve both dreamed of doing since they met. It’s a long flight from this side of the States, so it makes sense to make the trip for a special occasion like their wedding.
“Stop it, Kennedy. We are already staying at your uncle’s place while in Maui. We don’t need to overstep.”
I roll my eyes; this argument is becoming a bit of a repetitive game we are playing at this point.
I look around and survey the restaurant, then bring my focus back to my best friend. “Where’s Ashton?”
Sam looks up but is interrupted by a voice I had prepared to hear, yet it still catches me off guard.
“He was making sure I was fed before he left me behind to care for his wife.” River’s voice, usually grating my nerves, is now something that causes that uptick in my heart rate. I’m surprised by the turn of events, but I try to tame my reaction.
Ashton chuckles as he settles next to Sam and kisses her cheek. She closes her eyes, almost like she’s savoring every second they touch one another.
I swing my gaze over to River, his eyes looking me over, most likely checking to see if what happened last night is having a negative effect on me. I try to give him a calm look back, then opt for a smile, and that seems to appease him. Whatever nerves he had, fearing something would change with us, dissipates quickly off his shoulders.
“Good morning, River,” I say, trying to sound indifferent.
“Wow, not a ‘fuck you’ or ‘drop dead’ at this early hour? That’s new.” That’s from Ash, and I look at him, panic taking over my features that he can see right through me. Am I giving off River made me climax with my dildo vibes?
“It’s almost like she’s let off some steam and has no energy to throw daggers in my direction,” River answers, and I give him a glare in return.
I roll my eyes and don’t even waste my breath with a comeback. Maybe there’s more truth to what he’s saying than I’d care to admit. I excuse myself to grab a plate and serve myself some breakfast at the buffet.
When I return, Ashton is talking about the new software he’s helping build at the company he is working at.
“Yeah, the metrics are a little different, but overall, this framework is similar to platforms I’ve worked on in the past. Thank goodness because learning something new with the wedding going on at the same time, I think it would have been a nightmare.”
Ashton looks over to his new wife and kisses her nose. The love these two have for one another feels like nothing I’ve seen before. Actually, scratch that, I have seen it—in my parents long ago.
I snap myself out of my thoughts when the waiter comes by asking if I want coffee. I don’t have it in me to use words and simply nod, thanking him with a whisper. The memory of my parents is taking over my heart and leaving me uneasy as my friends tell us all about their plans for their honeymoon.
Grief is difficult like that. I’m constantly thrown into moments where my mind veers back in time to moments where I felt whole. Now, I just have little glimpses into the life I lost with them.
Ash and Sam begin to veer off into a conversation together while I’m eating some fruit quietly. I feel River’s gaze on me more than I see it. When I look to my right, sure enough, his eyes are trained on me.
“You’re awfully quiet,” he says, his brows furrowed in concentration.
“How did you sleep, River? Any tent issues that kept you up last night?” I chuckle, and an amused expression takes over his face.
He moves closer to me, his voice just above a whisper. “As a matter of fact, I handled my tent issue a few times. It seems once wasn’t enough. How about you? Were all your needs met?”
I instantly feel my panties dampen with the image of River stroking himself, but I keep my gaze on the plate in front of me.
“Oh, with my handy little stallion, my needs are always met.” I wink, hoping to show how unaffected I am by his words.
Luckily, he can’t read minds because he’d soon find out that all I want is a repeat, maybe without the silicone dildo and with the real thing instead.
An easy smile spreads across his face, his attention going back to something Ashton just asked him. My head is in the clouds, my heart racing, thinking about what I am going to do next.
River is lost in a conversation with his best friend, and Sam ran to the restroom, so I pull out my phone and decide to execute the next part of my plan.
I quickly hear the swoosh of the text being sent, and River pulls his phone out, putting his finger up for Ash to hold his thought.
He’s mid-sip of coffee as he unlocks his phone. Then he realizes his mistake because the moment the photo pops up for River to acknowledge, the coffee goes down the wrong pipe, and he’s coughing incessantly. I pat his back while Ashton worries his friend is choking.
River is waving his hands up, hoping to convey the message he’s okay, and I can’t help slapping his back but smiling at him, knowing my photo worked him up.
He finally catches his breath, and he reassures Ash he’s okay. Sam returns to the table, holding out her phone to show something to her new husband. They get lost in a conversation that seems to be an unspoken language between the two of them, and that leaves me to look over at River.
“You play dirty, Skipper.” His choked words don’t match the wicked gleam in his eyes.
“Oh, I assure you I’m squeaky clean in that photo. The only dirty thing present are my thoughts.” I excuse myself, hugging my friends goodbye and wishing them a good honeymoon. I give a little wave to River, who is simply sitting there, speechless, gawking at me.
I know he was worried I was going to freak, but little does he know I don’t back down from a fight, and I most definitely don’t back down from something that might end in orgasms.
I walk to the elevator, feeling a little lighter after my little stunt. I used the opportunity earlier with housekeeping in his room to take the dildo back. But that’s not all I did.
I had gone back to my room, stripped off my clothes except my lace panties, and grabbed my boobs with one hand, ensuring a nipple was being pinched with my thumb and index finger of that hand while the dildo sat right below my navel.
I captioned the photo with, “Looks like my vibrator continues to be the lucky one.”
A laugh slips out as I make my way into the elevator, satisfied I was able to plant a tiny seed and maybe see where this little cat-and-mouse game will lead us next.