Chapter Fifteen
fifteen
Selena
There’s a specific time of night, after the city has choked out its last gasp of commerce and even the ocean seems to be holding its breath.
Sleep evades me once again, but this time it’s not because of a story I’m chasing.
No, the voice of a man who terrifies and intrigues me haunts me. I crave to hear that deep voice again, even though I know that in doing so, I’m giving in to a dangerous game that I’m not sure I can afford to play.
Warren is dangerous. He’s made that very clear, but he also has another side of him that I’m dying to figure out.
I’ve never felt such a high during an orgasm as I did when Warren was inside of me the other night. His hands explored every inch of my body, and it made me go crazy. I’ve yearned for his touch, even though I barely know this masked stranger.
Closing my eyes, I force myself to relax, but the only thing that can tame my need is thoughts of Warren.
My phone chimes next to me, and it’s a message from Shadows.
Not from Warren himself, but the club. It's strange to me that he would message me from the club and not his phone after he already did once before.
I shake it off because there is no point trying to understand why this man does anything he does.
He's infuriating and complicated. Nothing about him makes sense.
Shadows: Meet me at the Boardwalk in twenty minutes. Come alone. I will be waiting at the entrance to the pier.
Chicka92: Ok.
I know it’s Warren, so I jump out of bed. Forgetting to sleep, I rush to grab a sundress hanging on my closet door. Pulling my hair back into a ponytail, I race out of my door and to the parking lot where my car is parked.
Maybe I should be cautious that a man whose face I have never seen and who has openly told me that he’s dangerous, just asked me to meet him alone in the middle of the night, but I’m not.
Adrenaline soars through me as I drive toward the boardwalk.
The streets are empty, and there’s a spark in the air.
When I arrive at the boardwalk, I spot a truck with bright yellow headlights parked near the back of the lot, which is in shadow.
My heart is beating wildly at the thought of meeting up with Warren again.
I’m full of nerves and curiosity as I park.
Walking over to the truck, I spot Warren sitting on the hood, shirtless, and his neon pink mask glowing against the blackness of the night. A chill races down my spine.
“Most people like to meet during the day,” I say, as I approach him.
He slides off the hood and saunters over to me. I can see his tattoos snaking up his arms and chest as he walks under the bright lights.
“Well, I’m not most people,” he responds.
“What do you want?” I ask.
He doesn’t answer at first, but starts walking toward the beach. I follow him, even though I can hear Madison’s voice warning me to be careful.
Once my feet hit the sand, a light breeze from the ocean wraps around me like a hug. The silver glow of the moon reflects off the ocean, casting tiny lights all around us. It’s beautiful and haunting all at once.
“I promised you more of a story. You gave me something I wanted so that I will give you more,” he states.
He stops and turns to face me. Waves crash against the shoreline as I hug my arms to myself.
“You gave me information while we were um… having fun,” I say shyly.
My mind instantly goes back to how it felt having Warren eat me out and licking the wine off of my clit. How his fingers filled me and gave me one of the best damn orgasms of my life.
He chuckles darkly, and it causes goosebumps to dance along my skin. He closes the space between us and runs a finger down my arm. There’s something magnetic about him and the connection we seem to have. It’s intoxicating and hits me like a bolt of lightning.
“Yes, but you let me taste you, and that was something I really fucking wanted,” he roars out.
I look away, suddenly feeling bashful, which is crazy after what we did at Shadows.
“Eyes on me,” he orders, placing his thumb under my chin and forcing my eyes up to his.
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. ”
The command is bossy and hot as hell.
“What are you going to give me now?” I ask nervously, my voice quivering.
“What do you want?” he questions.
“An audio of you answering some questions for me,” I reply.
Warren shakes his head. “You’re going to be the death of me.” He runs his hand through his hair and then says, “Fine, but we do this now.”
“Wait, I don’t have anything prepared right now,” I argue.
“Sorry, now or never,” he states.
Frustrated, I realize that if I want a clip of an interview, now is my only chance.
He knew that asking me out here tonight would place me in a vulnerable position, and I wouldn’t be able to prepare.
Even though he’s asking like I’m in control here, it’s clear that he’s still the one with the power.
I pull out my phone to record. “You are an asshole, you know that?” I sigh.
He chuckles. “Didn’t you already know that?”
I roll my eyes even though he can’t see me. “Ok, I am going to have to do this quickly and then edit later. Why do you own Shadows?” I ask.
He gave me an answer earlier, but I need it for this clip. This could be huge if he gives me what I need to make my story go viral.
“Remember, be careful what you ask me,” he warns. “We started Shadows as a way to make money while allowing people the freedom to explore their sexual desires in a safe space.”
“Why do you wear the masks?” I ask him.
I can hear him huff, and he tenses. I’ve hit a nerve again, but I don’t care. This is what everyone will want to know.
“We wear the masks to keep our lives private. There’s no fun if there isn’t any mystery,” he responds.
The response is generic and nothing like the one he told me in private, but I don’t push him. I’m lucky to get what he’s telling me now.
“Why is Shadows only open randomly? Wouldn’t it make more financial sense for it to open every weekend?” I question him.
“We aren’t worried about the money; we have plenty of that.
What makes Shadows unique is the air of mystery.
You never know when we will host another night.
It keeps people guessing and always wanting more.
People want what they can’t have, and they can’t have Shadows whenever they want,” he explains this as though he’s talking about a relationship.
As if Shadows were a woman that every man wanted, but couldn’t have.
He holds up a finger. “You get one more question, beautiful.”
I stand there staring at him, wanting to ask so much more, but knowing that this is my last chance. “Why are you opening up to me?”
He cocks his head to the side and doesn’t answer for a moment. “Because you are the first person who has ever intrigued me. You want to delve into this world, knowing that you shouldn’t.” He stops talking and holds up his hand. “That’s it. No more questions.”
And just like that, the interview is over. I’m grateful for the clips he gave me, even though I will have to add in more from my own takes. I tuck my phone into the pocket of my dress.
Warren takes my hand and pulls me closer to him.
“Do you know that you’re so responsive when I get close to you?
” he asks, his warm breath against my cheek.
I’m too stunned and turned on to speak. “You like it when I scare you.” He takes his hand and slides underneath my dress, trailing his fingers along my inner thigh.
I gasp as I feel tingling race throughout my body.
My pussy aches for his touch again. As if it were beckoning to him, Warren glides one finger over my panties.
He inhales as he feels how hot and wet I am.
“I’m not scared of you,” I mutter. My hips move forward, begging his fingers to inch further inside of me.
“You’re dripping for me.” He licks his lips.
All I can do is nod. My legs are shaking, and I feel as though I’m going to combust if he doesn’t stop teasing me.
“I want to fuck you so bad,” he growls. “Do you want that?” he asks.
“Yes,” I moan.
“On your knees,” he orders.
I don’t even think twice. I drop down onto the cool sand, my knees and hands digging into the ground.
Warren moves behind me, kissing the back of my neck as he lifts my dress.
I can hear him unbuttoning his jeans and pulling them down.
This is beyond insane right now. I’m not the type of woman who fucks a random man in public.
But Warren does something to me that makes me lose all sight of logic.
I feel the desire inside of me twisting and building.
I couldn’t fight this urge even if I wanted to. It’s too strong.
He grips my hips, and then I feel him rip my panties off. I yell out from the sudden movement, but he clamps a hand over my mouth. “Shh, we don’t want to wake up the dead.”
His kisses a trail down my shoulder, and then, I feel him at my entrance. In one swift movement, he’s inside of me, filling me. I moan in pleasure as he pumps in and out of me from behind.
“You like that?” he grunts, gripping my hips so tight I know that I will have a bruise in the morning. “Tell me what you want, and I’ll give it to you.”
“Yes. Go harder,” I demand.
He lets out a dark laugh. “You’re going to take every inch I give you.”
I feel my orgasm building, and when he goes deeper, I explode as colors and lights flash through my eyes.
“Fuck, you take me so good,” he says, kissing my shoulder.
I’m lost in the moment, forgetting where we are.
I hear him roar out my name as he pulls out of me and releases on the sand.
I’m breathless and panting as I struggle to regain my composure.
That was so hot and rough. I’ve never experienced anything like that before.
Warren stands and offers a hand to help me get up. We brush the sand off our bodies, and then we are left standing in silence again.
“Are you ok?” he asks after a beat. The tenderness in his voice causes my heart to flutter.
“Yes. That was intense,” I say, lightly laughing.
“It was fucking incredible. Fuck Selena, you make me lose my damn mind when you are around,” he takes my ripped panties and stuffs them in his pocket.
“What does that mean for us?” I ask him.
He shakes his head. “I have no fucking idea. All I know is that you’re safe with me. I won’t hurt you, but I also can’t give you more than this,” he says, motioning to his mask.
My heart feels heavy. It’s crazy even to feel anything at all for him, because Warren is a stranger who is off-limits. He warned me to stay away from him. I am the one who keeps giving in. This can’t go anywhere, and we both know it, but it still hurts because I feel a strong connection to him.
“I understand.”
He stands close to me, his chest heaving. “This might sound selfish or crazy, but I don’t want you to see anyone else. No one else gets you but me.”
He’s right. It is unfair for him to ask me not to be with anyone else, especially after he just told me we can’t be more than a hook-up. But still, I find myself agreeing. After being with Warren, I fear he may have ruined me for anyone else. Ever.
We walk back to our vehicles, and once I’m alone and driving back to my house, I let the tears flow down my cheeks as all of my emotions finally release.