22. Chapter 22
22
Sophie
I pull the sheets from the bed in the studio while Janey Romper gets dressed. Having just finished a scene, I want to quickly take care of this laundry so I can leave for Brody’s on time. I don’t want to feel guilty about leaving it for Natalie to deal with tomorrow.
I’m thankful Janey wanted to play the bottom for the scene. I’m not sure I could have taken on that role before seeing Brody tonight. Strap-ons are great, but toys just don’t have the same give as real dicks. I’m not sure how anyone prefers dildos over the real thing.
Janey pulls on her shorts and wiggles as she yanks them up.
“Hey, do you have any local guys you can recommend for me?” she asks. “I’m looking for new ones to work with.”
I pause, my arms full of dirty sheets. We’ve worked together several times over the last two months, but haven’t discussed other co-stars much.
“Well, I just started working with Lance Kixxx,” I offer. It shouldn’t feel weird to recommend him, but somehow it does. It pulls at something in my gut after our time together yesterday.
“Professional?” She pulls her tank top over her head.
“Yeah. Why don’t you reach out and tell him we work together? I’ll give you a glowing review.” I wink, fighting off the oddly possessive feeling.
“I’ll talk to him. Lance Kixxx,” she repeats .
“Three x’s. I think he said he’s out of town for the long weekend, but it sounded like he may be back before Monday.”
“Awesome, thanks!” Janey slips on her flipflops and follows me out of the room. I drop the sheets by the washer to take her downstairs. “Let me know if you think of anyone else. I really need some new consistent content partners,” she groans as I open the door for her.
“Am I not enough for you?” I feign shock, hand on my chest and mouth agape.
“You’re too much woman for me,” she laughs. I drop my hand and grin.
“I’ll have a think. I’ve worked with a few that I definitely wouldn’t recommend,” I add with a grimace.
“I get it. I appreciate any suggestions. See ya!”
I close the door and practically stomp up the stairs, still not completely sure why I hated suggesting Miles. It’s just work. I’m not possessive, I’m not jealous. I never have been. He’s very obviously into me. If I doubted that before, yesterday made it perfectly clear.
The memories of his skills are enough to make even me blush while I dump the sheets into the washer and add the detergent. Just as I shut the door and turn around, Natalie leaves her bedroom. Her hair is still damp from her shower as she passes me, headed to the kitchen.
“Axe throwing tomorrow?”
“Yeah, what time is the reservation?” I follow her, but I need to shower as soon as possible.
“Three, I think. I’ll double-check. That still work or will you be with one of your guys?”
“God, I hate that you just said that,” I groan.
“And I hate that you’re dating two men. We can’t always get what we want.”
“Unless you’re going to take me off the market, I’m going to have some fun with this. I’m seeing Brody tonight, but Miles is out of town this weekend.”
Natalie pulls the kettle from the stove and fills it with water before returning it to a burner. She twists the dial and the open flame sparks to life with a click.
“You talk about it so casually,” she mutters, but there’s a smile on her lips when she takes a mug from the upper cabinet.
“Is it really so bad that I’m enjoying my time with them?” I don’t know how to do this. I’m a completely different person than I was when Caleb and I started dating. I don’t know what the norm is anymore. What my norm is .
“No,” Natalie sighs. She turns to grab a tea bag from her little wooden box on the counter and drops it into the mug. “I just want you to be careful. Men can get jealous.”
“As if I don’t know that.”
Natalie shoots me a look, but then her expression softens.
“I’m sorry. I know you know what they can be like. We both do. I just worry about you.”
I step up next to her and put my arm around her waist, then lean my head on her shoulder. She’s a couple of inches taller than I am, so I don’t have to lean too far.
“I know, Nat. And I love you for it.”
Natalie gasps and spins out of my grasp to rush to the side wall enclosing the refrigerator. She picks the calendar up from its hook and grins at me.
“Time to change!” she exclaims, showing me the weird bird calendar. It’s full of colorful drawings of birds, very simply done, but with human-looking legs. They’re all ridiculous.
“What do we have for September?” I ask as she flips to the current month.
“Oh, look at this!” The drawing is of a yellow bird sitting with its human legs on the side of a bird bath.
“He looks sad.”
“That bird is thinking about Shakespeare.”
“Ok, but one of the sad Shakespeare plays.” I snort.
“I mean, even the comedies were…” Natalie trails off with a look of disgust.
“The comedies are funny,” I argue. “I was in a couple in high school.” Thinking back, it’s rather surprising that an Oklahoma school was allowed to do a play with crossdressing like The Taming of the Shrew.
“Oh,” Natalie mocks, “I’m so smart, I read Shakespeare.”
“I was in them in high school,” I repeat, but Natalie ignores me.
“Look at me, I read Shakespeare for fun.”
“I’ve never read Shakespeare for fun.”
“Oh, lah-dee-dah.”
I roll my eyes, giving up as Natalie hangs the calendar in its place and rejoins me at the stove.
“Seriously, if one of those boys even looks at you the wrong way, I’m throwing an axe at him instead of a wooden target.”
I giggle and press a kiss to her cheek .
“Throw one of your crystals at him. That’ll do some damage.”
“Maybe I’ll do a reading for you while you’re out tonight. Figure out if either of them even deserve you.”
“Sounds perfect.” I dash away to hop in the shower, shouting behind me. “Love you!”
“Fuck off!”
I’m frozen to the spot. I’ve turned to stone. I can’t fucking move. My hand is still on the handle of the front door, halfway to pulling it shut, but my eyes are fixed on my windshield. The note isn’t from Janey. I watched her walk past my car, her hands full with her things. It wasn’t there when she left, which means it was put there in broad fucking daylight and our doorbell camera didn’t catch it.
Again.
Attempting to swallow the fear in my throat, I finish closing the door and lock it behind me. It’s been over a week and like an idiot, I let myself start to think that maybe it was just a prank. Something a random teenager had left to scare someone they didn’t even know.
With a trembling hand, I reach out to pick up the folded note. When I open it, I see one word scrawled in all caps. It’s poorly written as if someone–Caleb–used his left hand. His non-dominant hand.
“I’m not his,” I whisper to myself, trying to will the tears pricking my eyes not to gather. “I’m not his,” I repeat.
I’m not his.
I’m not moving again.
I won’t uproot my life again .
Not again.
Scrunching the note tight into a ball, I take it to the trash and drop it in, brushing my hands off when I’m done. They’re still trembling when I slide into the driver’s seat and start the car, ready to leave for Brody’s.
By the time I reach his house, I’m a little calmer. My breathing has returned to normal, my face has regained its color. I’m not sure what Caleb’s endgame is. Is he just trying to scare me? Make me come running back to him for some unknown reason? Does he think that will work? He can’t possibly still want me after all the things he said to me. Can he?
Brody answers the door with a warm smile and my heart lifts. Wow . The bar isn’t just low, it’s embedded in the fucking ground. He’s happy to see me and that excites me? Not to mention that I haven’t even seen this man naked, but I can already feel that burning in my core because I know what he can do with his tongue and his fingers.
“I hope you’re hungry,” he says, allowing me inside.
Yeah, for something other than dinner.
“Of course. I like food,” I giggle before his arms slide around my waist.
I let my head fall to one side as Brody’s lips connect with the tender skin at the base of my neck. At first, his touch is light, almost tickling, but as his lips trail further up, the pressure grows. I hum in response before turning my head and he captures my lips in a kiss filled with need and desperation–a combination I’ve come to expect when his mouth is on mine.
Reluctantly breaking contact, Brody pulls me by the waist into the kitchen. He laughs when I shoot a disappointed look toward the bedroom.
“I’m determined to actually feed you this time.”
“If you insist,” I mutter, a smile playing on my lips.
Brody nods, his hands still on my waist.
“I do. Pizza ok?”
I barely register the two slices I devour or the movie that Brody puts on while we sit on the couch to eat. I can’t keep my thoughts focused on anything other than him. Natalie would be so disappointed in me, but what she doesn’t know won’t hurt me.
When I stand to take my plate to the kitchen, Brody doesn’t hesitate to follow. He rinses our plates and dries his hands on the towel beside the sink before turning to me.
“I was thinking about dessert.” His voice isn’t as light and casual as it was when I arrived .
“Oh?” I squint, studying him while one corner of my mouth lifts in amusement. “What did you have in mind?”
“I’ll give you three guesses.” He steps forward and, with the towel still in his hands, he brings them up and over my head, then uses it to pull me toward him.
“I’m only going to need one, aren’t I?” I giggle, allowing my body to press entirely against his.
In answer, Brody lowers his lips to mine, softly dragging them back and forth with just a hint of contact.
“You just taste so fucking good,” he growls. It sends a shiver down my spine, heat already coiling in my center.
“I think that’s the pizza,” I hear myself murmur against his mouth and feel his lips spread into a smile against mine.
“I didn’t mean your mouth.”
Before I have a chance to process what is a particularly smooth line, Brody backs me up, dropping the towel that was still holding me to him. His hands slide down my sides, heat exploding at every point of contact. He glances up at me when his fingers hook into the waist of my skirt, silently asking for my consent, and I nod. The fabric is pulled to the floor and I step out of it, hearing Brody groan. I didn’t bother with underwear.
“God damn.” He leans in, pressing a kiss against the flesh between my thighs.
Readjusting, he lifts his hands to the backs of my legs just above my knees. He hoists me onto the counter in one fluid motion and I gasp. I have to grab his shoulders to keep myself from falling backward onto the raised half of the counter behind me.
“Brody!” I’m not a squeaker, but I have never been lifted onto a counter–and so easily, too. He chuckles, the sound rumbling deep within his chest, as he cages me in. His hands on either side of my thighs, Brody leans forward to place a gentle kiss on my forehead. If I wasn’t wet before, I certainly am now. The man is still taller than me by a head while I’m seated on the counter.
“Isn’t this a little counterproductive?”
“You think so?” Brody steps between my thighs and I spread them as wide as possible, my skin catching on the smooth granite. He doesn’t look down, instead reaching around to grab my ass, massaging the cheeks.
“I do.”
Brody hums, sounding satisfied with himself, before slowly dropping to his knees. He presses his hands against the insides of my legs, keeping me open for him. His eyes are zeroed in on the spot where my thighs meet. With the extra weight on my body, my pussy still isn’t visible, but I’m sitting just on the edge. All I have to do is-
“Lean back, Sophie,” he breathes. When I hesitate, Brody stares up at me, the green of his eyes almost covered by his very dilated pupils. “Please.”
That tone, the desperation–I can’t react fast enough. The counter is cool beneath my hands as I lean back until I have to rest my elbows on the raised counter behind me. Brody doesn’t follow me down, those green eyes staring, studying my body while it’s bared before him.
“I know this is the most beautiful sight you’ve ever laid eyes on, but I need you to touch me.”
He crouches and doesn’t hesitate to act, his warm breath on my now bare pussy. I can’t see if it’s his lips or his tongue, but his touch is so light that I whimper, wanting more.
“Patience.” Brody’s muffled voice floats to my ears and I try to keep still. “We have all night. All weekend if we want.”
Another shiver runs down my spine when Brody latches onto my clit. The sensation forces a curse from my lips and he keeps my legs apart while he feasts. He laps at my center like he’s starving and I’m his first meal in months. He uses his teeth to rake across the most sensitive areas and I whimper and whine. His grip, tight on my legs, keeps me from moving, despite my efforts to follow his mouth with my hips.
“Brody, please,” I beg again. The orgasm is building, but he’s purposely keeping it at bay, not giving me what he knows I need to tumble over the edge.
“I could stay here forever,” he moans, the vibrations causing that tight sensation in my lower belly to intensify.
He slides a finger inside and I whine, begging once more, but he just laughs, his mouth against me. His tongue slides along my center, drawing a gasp from my throat. It’s still not enough. He’s teasing me and I groan in protest.
“Keep begging,” Brody chuckles. “Beg louder.”
“Please.” I raise my voice, reaching up to play with one of my breasts. “I n-need,” I gasp, “more.”
Then his mouth is gone and he’s standing over me. He leans forward, his body covering mine. Brushing a hand through my hair, he stares down at me, those green eyes so penetrating. He rolls his hips, his pants and the erection inside them rubbing against my pussy.
“This what you want, sweetheart?” Brody asks, his voice husky with need .
I reach up to grab his shirt collar and pull him closer.
“Absolutely.”
He kisses me, hard and aggressive like before. I can hear him unbuckling his belt and unzipping his pants while his mouth devours mine the way it devoured my pussy moments ago.
“I need to get-” He mutters a curse, pulling his lips away, but leaning his forehead against mine.
“No.” I shake my head, knowing exactly what he’s about to say. “It’s fine. I have an IUD, we exchanged tests. I just need you inside me. Please.”
Brody raises his head just enough to meet my gaze. He must see what he wants to–consent, enthusiasm, hunger, desire–because he nods and allows me to reach between us to grab him. I want to moan at the size. I’ve had big, Miles included, and Brody measures up to them in length. It’s the girth that’s fucking incredible. I can’t actually wrap my fingers all the way around him. I wiggle my hips just a little, scooting closer to the edge of the counter. Brody grips my face in both hands while I line him up, rubbing his tip through my wetness before guiding him as he presses his hips forward.
“Fuck.” His whispered moan is mirrored in my throat as he takes control, pushing deeper.
My eyes flutter closed and I focus on the sensation of his touch on my face, his cock stretching me. It’s fucking incredible and I’m not entirely sure why this feels so different from almost every other man I’ve been with, but I’m not going to question it. His thighs meet the counter and he pauses. I’m having a hard time breathing through the indecently delightful full feeling.
“Thank you,” he whispers.
“We’re not done yet.”
“I know, but,” he swallows, his breathing ragged, “I need to make this last.”
I move my hips and Brody actually growls. Not a word, a primal sound that makes me clench around him.
“Don’t fucking move.”
I move my hips again, a wicked smile playing on my lips.
“Oops.” I wink when he meets my gaze.
“Brat.” He speaks through clenched teeth, but I don’t have time to respond.
Brody’s lips cover mine and he slowly pulls out before thrusting back in. His movements become furious and somewhere in the back of my mind, I wonder if the counter is going to leave bruises on his legs. He holds the back of my neck with one hand and my hip with the other, squeezing tight. At this angle and with this kind of aggression, he’s going to make me come quickly. I can feel it building again, the pressure between my legs about to burst. I don’t even need any extra stimulation, I realize, just before the waves take me.
A rush of wetness accompanies the orgasm as my pussy releases a flood around him. I moan and Brody captures it in his mouth. He makes one more hard thrust and freezes, but he’s not finished yet. His lips are still against mine when he speaks.
“I-” he chokes.
“Let me down,” I breathe just as my muscles finally begin to relax. I need to move fast. “Let me down and lean back against the counter.”
He does as I say and I bite back a whimper when he pulls out. Watching me carefully, Brody reaches backward until he finds the island and leans against it, waiting. His erection is sticking straight out, hard as a rock. I wiggle back and forth until I can hop down from the counter. I immediately sink to my knees so that his cock is right at the level of my mouth. I meet his hungry gaze from beneath my lashes and smile. Then I place one hand on his thigh for stability and use the other to gently grasp the base of his cock. He moans when I tease his tip with my tongue, flicking it out to taste myself on him. The air is filled with the scent of me.
When I wrap my lips around his head, he hisses, closing his eyes. One hand sinks into my hair, his grip tight, but not controlling. I slowly bob my head, each time taking more of him into my mouth until he hits the back of my throat. My jaw is going to be tired after this, but when I raise my eyes again, his head is thrown back. The knowledge that he’s enjoying this is all I need to keep going. I swirl my tongue as I pull him out of my mouth.
“You can control me,” I say softly. His head snaps down, eyes finding mine. I remove my hand from his thigh and place it on his where it’s still tangled in my hair. “Here.” I press on his hand and then return mine to its perch. “It’s ok,” I urge, then let my voice drop to a sultry, deep tone. “Fuck my face, Brody.”
Brody swallows and nods. Maintaining eye contact, I open my mouth and he presses my head forward. I take him into my mouth again and he slowly puts more and more pressure on my head as I move. Each time he pushes me to take more of him, but then it’s my choice to stay pressed forward, gagging myself. Just for a moment. When I pull my mouth off of him, I have to gasp for air before getting back to work. It’s a delightful kind of work that I’m more than happy to do. Brody reaches up with his other hand, fully controlling my movements now. I allow him to dominate me, my eyes shut as tears form.
“Sophie,” Brody grunts when I reach up to cup his balls. “I’m-”
He tries to pull me off, but I don’t let him. Pushing my head forward, I take as much of him as I can and his hands pull my hair hard. He grunts as his cock twitches and I feel him coating my throat. He’s so far back, cutting off my air supply, that I can barely taste him. My body convulses in protest, but I don’t let up.
When his orgasm subsides, I pull my head back, gasping for air again. I sit back on my heels and lick my lips. Brody let go of my hair at some point while he was coming. I smile up at him, knowing my mascara is probably a wreck. His eyes are closed while he tries to get his breathing under control. I rub one hand gently up and down his thigh.
“You ok?” I ask, licking my lips.
Brody swallows and opens his eyes to look down at me with admiration. He grabs my hand and helps me stand, pulling me forward by my waist so that my body is pressed fully against him.
“I think ok is an understatement,” he laughs.
“Great?” I ask with a grin, wrapping my arms around his neck.
“Magnificent, stupendous, amazing, what’s another word for all of those?”
“I think you covered it.” I stand on my tiptoes to kiss him quickly. “But I mean it. Are you ok?”
“I mean it too. I’m wonderful.”
A buzzing fills the room and I realize it’s my phone vibrating on the counter. It keeps going and I have to wonder who’s calling me. No one calls me unless it’s scheduled. They always just text.
“Do you need to get that?” asks Brody, nodding toward the phone when he sees my frown.
“I’m sure it’s fine.”
“Much as I want to keep you here, it’s ok if you answer the phone.”
I sigh and step out of his embrace, walking around the counter. I’m very much aware of my nakedness and Brody’s eyes following me. I frown when I see the name flashing on the screen.
“Natalie?” I ask, holding the phone to my ear. “Are you ok? What’s wrong?” I look at Brody and hold my hand over the receiver. “She never calls me. ”
“Soph, I’m ok, but I think it’s Caleb.” She sounds shaken. “I think he tried to break in. The doorbell camera keeps cutting out and someone kicked in the front door while I was making dinner.” The fact that she’s getting the words out is impressive because I’m scared shitless. I doubt I’d be able to talk after that.
“Did he hurt you? Did you call the police? I’m coming home.”
“Nothing else happened, Soph. He didn’t come inside. I called the police and they’re sending someone over so I can file a report.” She pauses and I know what’s coming next. “Can I please tell them?”
“No.” The word is louder than I intended and I wince. “Sorry, but please don’t say anything to them.”
“Sophie, this is dangerous.”
“I’ll-I’ll deal with it.”
“If it happens again-”
“I know.” I continue to stare at Brody. The concern is clear on his face. “I’m coming home.”
“I’ll drive you,” says Brody as I hang up. He bends over to grab my skirt and toss it to me.
“No, it’s ok. You don’t have to.” I pull my skirt on and try to wipe some of the mess from my chin and cheeks.
“What happened?” He’s fastening his pants as he speaks. “Is your roommate ok?”
“She’s fine, but someone tried to break in.”
“Jesus, don’t you guys have an alarm system or something?”
“We don’t usually set it at-” I look at the time on my phone, “seven in the evening.” No need to mention the glitching doorbell cam, which I’m sure didn’t catch the intruder.
“Fair. I’m still taking you home.”
We take my car. Brody offered to order an Uber to get home when he’s satisfied that I’m safe. No amount of arguing was going to stop him from coming with me.
Natalie greets us on the driveway, arms folded around herself, and I run to hug her.
“The police already left,” she says into my hair, holding onto me tighter than she ever has. “They said there’s not much they can do without evidence.”
“Fuck, Nat, I’m so sorry,” I whisper, though I suspected that would be the case.
Tears prick the backs of my eyes and threaten to slide down my cheeks. I can’t believe my past has put her in danger. Of course Caleb would find me. How could I be so naive as to think he wouldn’t?
“Hey, I’m Brody.” His voice snaps me out of my thoughts.
I step back and let Natalie get a good look at the man I definitely didn’t plan on bringing over. She smiles weakly and steps forward to hold out a hand. Natalie takes it, shaking briefly.
“Natalie.”
“Lovely to meet you.”
“Right back at you.” She looks at me. “Let’s go inside.”
Natalie sits on the sectional, a couple of cushions away from Brody, but I set to work making her favorite calming tea, filling the kettle, and setting it over the lit burner.
“Not to intrude,” says Brody slowly, “but you said your doorbell cam isn’t working?”
“It’s been on the fritz,” Natalie says with a nod.
I stay in the kitchen, waiting to hear the kettle whistle. After I grab a mug and the tea bag, I lean against the kitchen counter, in front of the sink, so I can see the two of them.
“Does it just work some of the time?” Brody continues.
Natalie raises an eyebrow at me.
“He’s a tech nerd,” I say with a shrug.
“To put it simply,” Brody chuckles.
“Yeah, we’ve only noticed a couple times where it cuts out,” Natalie says, facing him again. “Do you think it’s just the connection or something?”
“Could be,” he says slowly, rubbing his chin. “I can take a look if you’re both ok with it. I don’t want to intrude.”
“I think that’s a good idea.” It’s Natalie who responds. I’m a little surprised that she’s so comfortable with this, given her evening. Trusting a total stranger with our security after getting our front door kicked in doesn’t feel like a Natalie move.
“If one of you can pull up the account on a laptop, I’ll head downstairs to take a look at the camera itself first.”
When Brody is gone, Natalie turns to me.
“Ok, I know I’ve had a shit night, but that man looks better than his picture.”
I snort. The kettle begins to whistle, so I turn off the burner and pour the hot water into her mug, over the teabag. I add a squirt of honey and then walk the mug over to her.
“You smell like sex,” she says before taking the tea. “Slut.”
“You caught me,” I giggle.
“I will be wanting details.”
“How can you think about that at a time like this?” I shake my head with a smile .
“Because I’m a slut too.” She grins a little too wide and squints. “Think we should reschedule our date tomorrow?”
“Fuck.” I completely forgot about axe throwing. “Yeah, I’ll call them in the morning. Send me your schedule for next week and I’ll get it taken care of.”
“Well, I don’t see anything wrong on the device,” Brody calls up before closing the door and rejoining us upstairs.
“I’ve got my laptop right here,” says Natalie, pulling it from the coffee table and logging in. She opens the website and pulls up the device before handing the laptop to Brody.
He takes it and resumes his seat on the couch.
“If the actual camera is ok, then what do you think the problem is?” I ask.
“Could just be a bug. Maybe an issue with the last update. I haven’t heard about any problems with this specific service, but you never know.”
He types and clicks around as if he knows exactly what he’s doing. I remind myself that I don’t really know much about his job. Hell, I barely know him .
He frowns and his clicking and tapping slows.
“I don’t really see anything wrong here.” He licks his lips and looks between Natalie and me. “I can do some digging at home. I have some programs that may give me a better idea of what happened.” He clenches his jaw before speaking again. “Would you two want to stay with me for a couple days? Just until the lock can be fixed.”
“I don’t know,” says Natalie.
“I’m sure it feels weird to leave when you can’t even lock up your things, but you might be safer.”
“I’ll be ok, but Sophie, maybe?” She looks at me. “I’ll be fine. I’ll sleep in the office downstairs if I have to.” That room has a separate lock on the door leading to the patio and the one leading into the garage. If we can’t lock the front door, that’s the only other secure place in the townhouse.
“Nat, I-”
“It’s fine. I have my tea, I have Netflix. I’m all good now.”
My lips form a tight line as I study her. Either she’s a better actress than I gave her credit for or she really is ok. Must be all that feminine rage she channels for her domination sessions. She knows Caleb doesn’t care about her. If it was Caleb tonight. I find myself hoping so. Otherwise, we might have even bigger problems than an obsessive, abusive ex.
“Yeah.” I sigh and turn back to Brody. “Yeah, that might be a good idea.”