Hard Rock Love Box Set, page 8
“Are you on birth control?” he asked.
She nodded, still not trusting her tongue to form the words.
“Are you healthy?”
Another nod.
“Can I fuck you without using a condom?”
Another nod.
“Can I fuck you?”
“Is that even a question? You bastard just do it already,” she said, pulling him down on top of her and kissing him hard. He groaned in appreciation, moving his leg away so that he might have access to her.
The tip of him brushed against her opening, and Lillian thrust her hips forward, arching up into Sebastian as he crushed his lips against hers.
And then he was inside her.
Lillian wasn’t a virgin. She had done this before, but this wasn’t like anything else she had ever experienced. The anticipation of it, the emotional attachment from years long past, his sheer skill at pleasuring her, at making her want him, all of it turned the experience into something Lillian knew she’d never have again.
So, she cherished every second of it, taking all of him as the pressure built inside of her, gasping as he kissed her neck, spread her legs farther with his knees, went hard, and went fast.
She came first, the orgasm spreading through her in an intense wave, and then she felt him do the same, slowing as the energy they had created was released.
He eased himself out of her, pressing his leg against her instead again, kissing her gently in the hollows of her neck before leading back up to her lips.
“Fuck, Lillian. I don’t know how I’m going to manage to think of anything else tomorrow,” he said in between kisses, and she laughed against him.
“A big case?”
He nodded. “It was maybe not the best decision to fuck you right before I have to go into court. I need at least a day or two to cool off from that, more if we do anything else today.”
“I guess we better be done for the night then,” Lillian said, feeling disappointed.
“For now, yes. But believe me, we’re far from done. There are still many more ways that I can make you cum, Lillian, and I plan on exploring every one with you.”
And then he kissed her again.
Nine
Lillian didn’t have any work that Monday, but Sebastian had a very important case. He had sent her a text as soon as he dropped her off at home that Sunday night, lamenting the fact that he wasn’t able to take her out the next day, not even for dinner as he had files and the like to go through that evening.
I’m sending something by for you though, he had texted, and then refused to tell Lillian what it was when she inquired, saying that it was a surprise, and she would see.
So, when the doorbell rang on Monday morning, she scrambled to get the door, not wanting to wait a second longer in anticipation of whatever it was Sebastian was sending her.
She opened the door to see the driver from yesterday, holding several pristine shopping bags with tissue paper peeking out over the top.
“Good day Miss Jade,” he said, handing her the bags. “Mr. Léon sent these over for you, along with his regards.” He turned around and strode back to the car before Lillian could reply, and so she shut the door and took the bags to the living room, eager to see what it was that he had gotten for her.
Coby came mewling in to investigate, clearly intrigued by the tissue paper. Lillian laughed, grabbing a sheet and tossing it in the air, watching as he jumped to bat at it. As she unearthed the contents of the first bag, Coby played with the tissue paper, batting it around the room.
Lillian’s hands closed on something soft, expensive. Of course, it was silk again.
She lifted a fitted, burgundy silk dress out of the bag. It was long enough to just go to her knees, and the style was work-appropriate, but Lillian knew that Sebastian had chosen it because she would look good in it.
In the second bag there was a pair of white closed-toed heels that glimmered in the light with just the hint of an opalescent sparkle to them.
In the third bag there were several small boxes. The first contained an opal necklace that looked to Lillian like the moon strung on a chain. In the second there was a pair of matching opal earrings. They gleamed in the light with all the colors of fire and flowers, and though Lillian didn’t know much about precious stones, she knew enough to know that these were expensive. The clearness of the opal, the shards of color within them, the perfect smoothness of the cut, it all added up to a large price tag.
How successful of a lawyer was Sebastian?
She had known he was rich, just from his apartment and the past two outfits he had bought her, but to buy her a third, along with this jewelry? She wondered at the money he must have to spend this much on her without a second thought.
Of course, there was no choice but to wear the outfit to work tomorrow. It was one of the nicest sets of work attire she had ever owned, and she felt powerful in it, a different sort of beauty than the flowing dress from Sunday, but beautiful, nonetheless.
Her confidence infected every part of her. She found herself smiling more, walking with purpose in her stride, and an expression that generally communicated Don’t mess with me, I know what I’m doing on her face.
She felt as if nothing could bring her down. Not today, not ever, especially not while she knew that Sebastian wanted her in ways that made her wet just thinking about it. She had resisted the urge to pleasure herself again, wanting to wait until he could do it properly, knowing that the anticipation would only make the pleasure even more potent.
Like aging wine, wasn’t that what he had said?
When the time for lunch approached, Ana came up to where Lillian was working, a twinkle in her eye. “So, how was your weekend?” she asked, a suggestive tone to her voice.
“My weekend?”
“Yeah, you went home with Ash Bennett, right? I saw him pull up on his motorcycle.”
“Ana!” Lillian punched her gently in the shoulder. “You were watching?!”
“I mean, how could I not? You’d been acting giddy all day. I wanted to know what was going on, call it a friend’s intuition.”
“Or just a friend being nosy.”
“So, what happened?”
“We…uh…” Lillian was thinking of Sebastian now; of the things she had done with him after Ash. “We just hung out and took some more pictures, nothing like what you’re thinking.”
“Oh, good, because I think most of the people in this office would want to murder you if you ended up dating Ash Bennett.”
“Is that so?” Lillian asked, laughing. “Well, we should probably go get some lunch then, before they decide they don’t care about technicalities.”
“Oooooooh, so something did happen then,” Ana teased, and Lillian just brushed her off.
They were on their way out of the building to order from the sandwich shop across the street when Lillian overheard the hushed whispers of some of the newer workers.
“Have you seen the clothes she’s been wearing recently?”
“I know, they’re so expensive. I don’t know how she could afford them on her salary.”
“Sammy says she heard that Lillian had a sugar daddy,”
“Shhhhhhh, she’s right there, you idiot.”
Lillian hid her heated face in shame as Ana told off the girls for spreading false rumors, then came back to comfort Lillian.
“Don’t pay any attention to what they just said Lillian. They’re just jealous new recruits who want your position working with Ash. I’m sure nobody believes them.”
“I…it’s fine.” Lillian did her best to push away the sick feeling in her stomach, trying not to think about whose money had bought the dress she was in, the shoes she was wearing, the jewelry that adorned her, about the other two outfits sitting in her closet at home, and how Sebastian’s motives for buying them for her may not have been what he said initially. “Let’s just go.”
Despite her best efforts, the thought stayed in her mind for the rest of the day, making her feel sick to her stomach every time she thought about it.
Was that what some people really thought of her? Could it be the way their relationship was viewed?
She didn’t know, but she didn’t want to let this stand in the way of their second chance.
She tried not to be self-conscious standing on the sidewalk that night, waiting for Sebastian to pick her up. She didn’t want those girls to see her getting into his expensive car. She didn’t want Ana seeing this new man and wondering who he was, if she had been wrong.
He pulled up right on time, opening the door with a smile on his perfect, handsome face.
“You ready for dinner?” he asked, “Or should we go back to my place first?”
“Let’s get dinner,” Lillian answered, unsure if she was ready to go back to his apartment again, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to resist him if she did.
“So, how was work today?” he asked when she got into the passenger seat and closed the door.
Immediately she thought of what those girls had said, but she pushed it away. “It was fine, there wasn’t much that had to be done today.”
“I see,” he said. “Well, the case has been going well for me. If all happens as planned, we should be wrapping up by the end of the week.”
“That’ll be wonderful.”
“Quite wonderful, because then my attention can be completely devoted to you for those two days. I was thinking a movie marathon, something nostalgic. I could cook for you too; does that sound good?”
“Haha, I don’t know if I trust your cooking skills, but that sounds fantastic.”
“I’ll have you know, I was trained by a fine French chef, and if he deemed my dishes passable, then they are godlike to the rest of civilization.”
“Oh sure, like that one time you burned pancakes. And forgot to add the sugar.”
“Those were dark years, yes, but I’ve grown since then.”
“I’ll believe it when I taste it.” Lillian laughed, feeling her worries disappear like the waves had washed away the words written in the sands of her mind. She had missed this banter when he left, and she had forgotten today how happy she was to have that back. She could deal with the rumors, she thought.
But still, a small seed of doubt remained.
Sebastian took her that night to a smaller Italian restaurant. One of those places that you would overlook if you didn’t know it was there. The inside was packed though, and it had such a warmth and a light to it. The server smiled and joked with Sebastian and led them to a small table in the corner before disappearing to find a suitable wine and some menus.
“This is nice,” Lillian said, taking in the atmosphere. She wanted to take photos here, it had that sort of feeling that would translate nicely through the lens of her camera.
“So, Lily,” Sebastian said, leaning forward, his chin on his hands, his attention on her and only her. “You never told me what magazine you work for. I’m curious to know more about what it is you do.”
“I work for Illusions, have you heard of it?”
Sebastian’s eyes immediately lit up in recognition. “Heard of it? Lillian, I know who runs it.”
“You do? That’s so cool.”
“Yeah, we’re quite good friends. You said you worked as a photographer, right?”
She nodded.
“But you wanted to be a photojournalist?”
“Yeah, I’m slowly working my way there.”
“Well I might be able to talk to my friend. I’ve seen what you can do Lily, and with a few nudges in the right direction I know she would be pleased to have you working as a photojournalist.”
“I….” the sick feeling was back in Lillian’s chest, her throat constricting at the thought of Sebastian getting her her dream position, of what other people might think of her for it, of….
“Lily, what’s wrong?”
“I—”
“Was it something I said?”
“I can’t let you do that, Sebastian.” There were tears coming to her eyes now. “I’ve worked so hard to get everywhere by what I can do, for someone to try and take that from me, you really don’t understand me at all.”
“Woah, Lily, that’s not what I meant. I won’t talk to my friend if you don’t want me to, I just thought you might appreciate the boost.”
“No, I don’t. I don’t know how to feel about you doing these favors for me Sebastian. Because, to be honest, it’s starting to feel like you’re paying me.” She was crying now, not caring who was watching, who was listening. “These clothes you’re giving me, it feels like you’re paying me for having sex with you, and that’s not the kind of relationship I want to have at all. I—” She stood up, feeling like she was going to throw up. “I can’t do this Sebastian. I’ve been feeling weird this whole time, and now I know why. I’m sorry, but I’m returning everything. I can’t do this right now.”
“Lily—” he called after her, but she was already running out, heels clicking on the pavement as she sobbed, finding her way to a main street so she could hail a cab.
She got into the first one that pulled over, quickly giving the driver her home address, and continuing to quietly cry in the back seat. Now everything made sense, why she had felt slightly uneasy about all the expensive food, the treatment, the clothing. If Sebastian couldn’t understand where she came from, everything that she worked for, the integrity that she valued, then this wasn’t going to work, past attraction or not.
Ten
At work the next day Lillian couldn’t focus. Last night, every moment she had spent with Sebastian, kept replaying in her head. She had ignored several texts and calls from him already, but she was beginning to wonder if she was doing the wrong thing, if she was overreacting, but then she remembered how she had felt in that restaurant, and the rumors those girls had been spreading, and her stomach turned once again and she decided she had made the right choice.
She was barely getting any of her work done though, and it didn’t escape her supervisor’s attention.
“Hey, Lillian.” Her supervisor was a kind, older woman named Judy. Judy was the no nonsense type, but she could be understanding when she needed to be, and in that way she reminded Lillian a bit of her grandmother. “Are you doing alright?”
“Uh, yeah, sorry. Just…stuff going on…you know….”
“It’s definitely affecting you,” Judy observed, then placed the back of her palm against Lillian’s forehead. “Well, you’re not feverish, and I’ve never known you to be like this, so it must be serious. Have you been working on that next story with Ash Bennett?”
Lillian nodded.
“Well, that takes top priority right now. If you went home, do you think you would be able to do a little bit of work on it? It’s not like there’s much else for you to do right now.”
“I—of course.” Judy’s kindness was the kind that you couldn’t refuse, that you knew didn’t come from any place other than concern. “I’ll send you an update tonight.”
“That’s fine. Just show up at work tomorrow with a little more energy, okay?”
“Okay.”
Judy left to go check on some of the other employees, and Lillian packed up her things, feeling like she was on display as she left the office. She wanted to cry again, not knowing that this would affect her this much.
It was still light out, so Lillian took public transportation back to her neighborhood, stopping at the closest liquor store on her walk back to the apartment to purchase some ice cream. She needed a good old-fashioned cry and a couple of romantic comedies to make her feel better. It had always worked before, and though this time might be different in other ways, she prayed it would not be any different in this manner.
Coby was there to greet her when she opened the door, Rebecca nowhere to be seen. Good, at least there was only a cat to witness her in this state.
“Oh Coby,” she cried, scooping up the furball into her arms. “You’re so lucky you don’t have to deal with human bullshit. The world is so weird.”
He mewed, searching her eyes with his own. “I know, I know, you don’t understand me,” she replied, setting him down. “I’m just glad you’re here to join me for bad romance. We’re going to break into the classics tonight, Coby.”
She grabbed a spoon from the kitchen, changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt—she still couldn’t bear to not care for the dress Sebastian had given her, so she hung it up carefully in the back of her closet—and flopped down on the couch with the remotes and a blanket wrapped around her.
As the first movie began to play, her phone buzzed. Assuming it was Sebastian again, she ignored it, but then her phone buzzed again.
Meaning to turn it off, she picked it up, only to see that it was Ash texting her, and not Sebastian.
Hey, what’s up?
She didn’t feel like answering, not after everything that had happened, but she reminded herself that Ash was not Sebastian, and that he might make her feel better, if just a little.
Nothing much, you? she replied, not quite ready to unload her emotional mess on him just yet.
Not much at all. You okay if I call you?
Her heart skipped a beat.
There was no way she was going to be able to conceal how she was feeling over the phone, but maybe this was just what she needed.
Yeah, sure.
It took a total of five seconds for her phone to start ringing, and she picked it up with shaking hands.
“Ash?” she said, feeling her voice tremble, like the tears were going to start coming again.
“Lillian? What’s wrong?” he asked, almost frantic, immediately picking up on the emotion in her voice.
“I—” she couldn’t hold it in anymore, just started crying, thinking of everything, of everything she might have messed up, of everything she might be missing out on, of what Sebastian had done and how it made her feel and how he didn’t understand her. He hadn’t even come after her, hadn’t done anything more than text her saying he hoped she got home safely. And here was Ash, concerned at the first hint that something was wrong.
