Second to None, page 9
“Well, that doesn’t mean I can’t have any fun.”
“What do you …”
But he trailed off as I reached for his pants, unbuttoning them and sliding down the zipper.
“Josie …”
I should have waited until we got back to his place. But that look on his face that said he never in a million years would have done this made me want to do it even more. I’d dated enough guys who would have demanded road head that having one who would never even consider it as an option was … hot. Who knew that blow jobs could be hot when I wanted to give them instead of being coerced into them?
I removed his cock from his boxers. He sucked in a breath as I circled my hand around him.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
We came to a red light. He looked anxiously over at the other cars around us, but no one was paying attention. And if they were, they could look elsewhere.
I lowered my mouth onto his cock. The leather steering wheel creaked as he tightened his grip, and then the truck jerked forward as the light changed. I slicked my tongue around the head. He moved his hips upward in response. I smirked and took him fully in my mouth.
His breathing hitched as I bobbed up and down.
“Mmm,” I moaned as I worked him with my hand, paying close attention to the head.
I licked pre-come off the tip, tasting the saltiness of him on my tongue.
“Fucking hell, Josie.”
By the time he pulled into the parking lot of his apartment, I could tell he was close. He released the steering wheel, burying his hands in my hair.
He worked his hips upward as I felt him giving in to the feeling. He’d had to hold back as he drove. His mind only half on the task at hand. But now, he was all mine. And just as I deep-throated him, he made a sharp grunt and then came in my mouth.
“Oh fucking hell,” he groaned as he finished.
I swallowed him down and sat back on my seat. “Hot,” I muttered.
He blinked at me. “Me? That was the single hottest fucking thing that has ever happened to me.”
I grinned like a Cheshire cat. “You held out a long time.”
“I didn’t trust myself to have an orgasm while driving.”
I laughed. “Fair.”
He righted himself in a slight daze, and then we headed upstairs to his apartment. The apartment had been cleaned since I’d been here last weekend. His roommate, Andrew, was nowhere to be seen. Maddox must have suggested he clear out.
“Do you want a drink?” he asked after closing the door.
I shook my head. “That’s not at all what I want.”
Maddox’s arm slung around my waist. He tugged me backward and pushed me hard against the front door. “And what is that?”
My eyes were wide. “What do you think?”
“Should I return the favor?”
“I don’t think it was a favor,” I said with a smirk.
His hand slipped under my skirt and found the outline of my thong. “You want me to make you come?”
I bit my lip. “Where exactly did my introvert go?”
He arched an eyebrow. “It’s just me and you, Jos. I have no reason to hold back.”
My body softened at those words. “What did you have in mind?”
Maddox grinned devilishly and then dropped to his knees before me. I squeaked as he dragged my thong down my legs, tossing it behind him casually. Then, he lifted my leg up over his shoulder and buried his face in my pussy.
“Oh!” I gasped, dropping one hand in his hair.
He dragged his tongue up the slit of my pussy lips to the apex of my thighs, circling it roughly around my clit. I saw stars at that. I had already been wet and undeniably turned on from the road head. And his groan must have been him realizing it.
He met my gaze. “Someone liked giving head.”
I whimpered, following the track of his hand up my inner thigh. Two fingers opened me to him, and then he slipped them home. I tipped my head back. Fucking fuck. My walls were already contracting around him, begging for more, more, more.
Then, his tongue was against my clit again as he dipped those two fingers in and out, in and out. My legs trembled from the effort of holding myself up as he ate me out. I could make myself come in a matter of minutes with my fingers wet against my clit. But guys, they didn’t usually quite get the tempo.
Maddox was in another league. His tongue was perfect parts demanding and coaxing. Like I was on a runaway train that only he knew how to stop from falling off the cliff.
And then I did fall, coming against his mouth with a shout. My head hit the back of the door with a thunk. I saw stars and nearly collapsed forward over him as everything shattered inside of me.
He looked up at me with a grin, and then he slowly rose to his feet and drew me tight against him. “See how good you taste.”
Then, his lips were on mine, and I could taste my arousal. I shivered at the intimacy of it. Of how hot it was.
His hands came back to my ass, lifting me effortlessly into the air. I swung my legs around his hips and let him carry me into his bedroom. He slammed the door behind us. Together, we crashed onto the bed.
I’d slept here last weekend, never knowing that we’d end up right back in this bed for all different reasons.
Maddox stripped quickly out of his clothes, and I followed close behind. As if we couldn’t get naked fast enough. This had been building for years. I’d thought it would happen three years ago. But I couldn’t deny that this felt like the right time. Like all those other moments had been building up to this.
His lips were on mine again. His hands ran down my sides. Our bodies pressed tight together.
“I should get a condom,” he groaned.
“I’m on birth control.”
“Good,” he said and then fished in his side table.
I tugged the condom out of his hand, ripped it open, and slid it down the length of him. His eyes tracked me the whole time. No words needed to be said. We both wanted this. We’d both wanted it for a long time.
As he laid me out on the bed before him, bringing my leg up to his hip, everything slowed. The shape of his beautiful lips. The tilt of one side as he looked down at me admiringly. The intensity in his gaze that said everything neither of us had ever uttered.
I reached a hand up to his cheek and drew his lips to mine. “Please,” I murmured against them. “Please, Maddox, I’m yours.”
He tilted his forehead against mine as he slid inside of me. We both gasped in our mingled breath. Then, he was seated fully in my pussy, and everything that had tightened in my core loosened.
“Oh,” I whispered on a sigh. “Yes.”
“Yes,” he repeated.
He slid his arms around my back, and I tugged him closer, closer, closer. Until not a millimeter of space was left. And then we moved. A build that started as a slow pace until it turned feverish. Still, we held tight to one another. I’d never had sex like this. Never felt like I was going to be thrown loose in the abyss if I let him go. But it was more passionate and irrevocable than any other moment in my entire life. This was eternity. Irreversible, binding, and utterly final.
We released together. My orgasm triggering his in a cascade that fell like a tidal wave, crashing into the distance.
We lay, panting in the dark of his bedroom. I didn’t know what had just happened. It felt like a religious experience. Like I’d found god as I hit the stars on that final note. And I wanted it over and over again.
“Well,” Maddox whispered, rolling off of me and onto his back, “how was the date?” He smirked at me. “Do I get a second?”
I tapped my lip contemplatively. “Is it really fair when you know everything about me?”
“I wasn’t here to play fair,” he said, pulling me against him again. “I was here to win.”
“I like this side of you.”
“I like every side of you.” Then, he flipped me onto my stomach. “Though I am particularly fond of this side.”
I laughed but already felt heat building in my core again. I shifted my ass backward toward him. “Perhaps you need a better view.”
He smacked my ass with a laugh. “Devious.”
“You like it.”
He drew my lips to his again. “I do. And I’m taking that second date.”
“I was thinking round two.”
“You’ve convinced me,” he said with another smirk.
We lost the entire night, and it was glorious.
14
SCAD
SEPTEMBER 29, 2010
“Happy birthday to Josie! Happy birthday to you!” the party sang as an elaborate blue-and-gold cake was set before me.
I sat on a chair in my apartment with all of my friends around me. Maddox stood at my side. His smile was effervescent. My roommate, Jamilla, flipped her box braids over her shoulder and gestured forward with her signature long red acrylics.
“Make a wish already, J-Squared,” she joked since we were both J first names. We’d become friends sophomore year at a party and never looked back.
I glanced around at the sea of admirers and then to Maddox. I didn’t feel like I needed this wish. I had everything I wanted right in front of me. The last two months had been the best of my life. Working all day on my senior thesis film and having sex all night with Maddox. The weekends with our friends on Tybee Island and house parties and River Street and weekend trips to see Lila at UGA. I’d never known that I could be this happy in a relationship. That they didn’t have to be … work.
We weren’t perfect. We still got frustrated with the fact that I would always prefer a party and he’d always prefer a night in. But we’d learned to compromise. I’d shield him from the worst of parties, and he’d take me out when I started getting too jittery, being in one place. He also never minded that I spent time in the gym or went out with my girlfriends or had spa days with Jamilla. Then, he could just be in peace. I always had to be going, but he enjoyed the silence. It was a work in progress, and I was enjoying every minute of it.
“Go for it,” Maddox said.
So, I closed my eyes and made a wish. A silent plea that things could stay this wonderful forever. Then, I blew out all the candles in one fell swoop. Everyone cheered, and then Jamilla began to cut her masterpiece. She’d been taking cake decorating classes for fun. The things that artists did.
I accepted a piece of the red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting—my favorite—and stepped away from the onlookers to Maddox’s side.
“Are you having cake?”
“It was almost too pretty to eat,” Maddox said.
“And am I too pretty to eat?” I teased, leaning forward.
His eyes sparkled. “Want to find out?”
“You know I do.”
“It is your birthday. It’s sort of my duty as your boyfriend.”
“I would not disagree.”
“This is what I’m thinking,” he said, dipping a finger in the cream cheese frosting and bringing it to my lips.
His eyes danced in challenge. And I leaned forward, tasting the frosting on my tongue. I sucked it off his finger. His eyes glazed slightly.
“Now you know exactly what you taste like.”
“I was already aware.” I took a step closer and dragged one nail over the hardened line of his cock in his pants. “But now, I can see how much I affect you.”
“As if you didn’t already know.”
“Oh, I did,” I teased.
His eyes darted around the birthday party. I could tell he already wanted to leave. Whether to fuck me or just to escape the party. “Can we go now?”
I laughed and drew back. “As tempting as that is, no. It’s my birthday.”
He sighed but didn’t argue. “I promise you a more exciting evening.”
“I bet.”
“And a birthday present.”
My eyes widened. “You got me a present?”
He shot me an exasperated look. “It’s your birthday.”
“Yeah, but …”
He suddenly looked nervous. “If you don’t like it, I can get you something else.”
“I haven’t even seen it yet, and you’re down-talking it. What is it?”
He laughed. “Oh, no. If I have to suffer through the rest of the party, you have to wait for your surprise.”
I stuck out my bottom lip. “But I’m the birthday girl.”
He drew me into a kiss, dragging that bottom lip into his mouth. “Incentive for us to leave early.”
“I guess I’ll just have to wait.” I pouted half-heartedly.
“I guess you will.”
I wrapped my arms around his waist. “I’m glad you’re here. I know how much you hate this.”
“If you can get me to help you with your film, then you can get me to do anything.”
My film. My stomach dropped. That was something I didn’t want to think about on my birthday. I loved directing. I’d spent months on my senior thesis film. We were still a month away from it being screened, and there was something wrong. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it wasn’t quite right.
Maddox felt me stiffen. “It’ll come together, Jos.”
“I know,” I lied. “It’ll be brilliant.”
He gave me a disbelieving look and opened his mouth, as if he was going to talk about it more, which was the last thing I wanted tonight, when Jamilla jumped to my side.
“Okay, okay!” Jamilla said. “Break it up, y’all. We have dancing to do.”
She winked at Maddox and then hauled me away into the heart of the dance floor. He’d never join me out here unless he was drunk, and since he didn’t enjoy being drunk, I would never encourage him to get to that point. I liked him completely sober, slightly judgmental, and always a bit grumpy.
Our friends didn’t get it. But I wasn’t here for their opinions. I knew it worked, and that was all that mattered.
Still, it was my birthday, and I loved parties. So, I wasn’t leaving a second earlier than I had to. The alcohol was flowing, the music was blaring, and I was dancing my ass off with my girls. It wasn’t until the wee hours of the morning when the last person finally trickled out of my apartment, and I shut the door. Jamilla kissed my cheek, winked at Maddox, and then disappeared into her room.
I was just past tipsy and threw my arms around his neck. He drew me in close, pressing a kiss into my neck.
“Can I have my present now?” I asked with a giggle.
“Why does it sound like you’re not talking about an actual present?”
“Because I’m not.”
He shook his head at me. “You might be too drunk for your present.”
“Nooo,” I groaned. “I’m not that bad. I’ve had an amazing night.” I twirled in place. “I don’t ever want this feeling to end.”
“All right. Come with me.”
We went into my bedroom, and Maddox closed the door behind him. As much as I wanted sex, I was curious as to what someone like Maddox would get me for my birthday. I’d begged Dad not to get me anything. He was struggling so much with work that I knew he couldn’t afford it, but he swore he had to get something for his best girl. So, I’d gotten a brand-new camera. As much as I loved and appreciated it, I regretted that he’d spent the money on me. Marley and Lila had sent presents in the mail. Mom had just given me cash, of course.
But Maddox knew me like no one else, and I couldn’t help the anticipation.
He had me sit on my bed, and then he went into my closet and removed a large gift. It was roughly a two-by-two-foot square but only a few inches wide and wrapped in brown packing paper. My name was carefully written on a tag at the top. He set it into my grip, but my gaze was still locked on him.
“What is this?”
He gestured self-consciously to the gift. “Open it.”
I bit my lip and did as he’d suggested, ripping the paper and revealing the gift hidden within. When the paper fluttered to the ground, I stared down at myself. A gasp escaped my lips. It was a portrait drawn in charcoal. My features carefully put on paper. My chin tilted up. My gaze shifted slightly to the left, as if looking out toward the stars. The sharp line of my jaw, strong neck, cut collarbones. My hair as dark as pitch and cascading down one shoulder.
My throat closed as I looked down at the picture that was of me and yet not of me at all. This woman was strong. She was powerful. She was on top of the world. The world was her kingdom, and no one could come near to topple her. But it certainly wasn’t me. It was the person I wanted to be.
My eyes locked on the small signature at the bottom of the wood-framed portrait—M. Nelson.
“You drew this?” I gasped.
He shot me a worried half-smile. “Yeah. But … you know … if you don’t like it …”
“Like it? Maddox, it’s incredible. You drew this for me?”
“I mean, yeah. I didn’t know what to get you. So, I decided to draw you. The way I see you. The way you talk about your dreams.”
Tears glistened in my eyes as I stared up at this incredible man and then down at the portrait. “My dreams?”
“When you talk about what you want to do with your life. You always say that you want to be this big, bold, serious female director. You want to make important films. Films full of the joy and grief of womanhood. That you refuse to be kept out of the conversation just because it has always been a man’s world, a man’s business. I took those dreams and drew them on the woman that I love.”
I gasped softly. “Love?”
His hand came to my jaw, and he pressed a kiss on my lips. “Josie, I love you. I think I’ve always loved you, but the last couple months have been incredible. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted. And you don’t have to say it back,” he said quickly, as if he were scaring me off. “But I couldn’t hold back how I felt. I want to be there to see you achieve all your big dreams. I want to stand at your side while we take over the world together.”
“Shh,” I said, pressing a finger to his lips to stop his frantic ramble. “I love you too.”
I’d never said those words to anyone before. Not even my parents. We weren’t exactly a friendly family like that. Of course, I’d said it to my girlfriends, but that was different. This meant something. And it meant as much to me as it did to Maddox.
