Private Affairs (2 page)

I took a breath and turned around.

He had a bottle and three shot glasses in his hands. “Long time, Kevin. Will you two have a drink with me?”

“What are you doing here?” Kevin turned his nose up at my ex’s attempt at cordiality. I just stood there.

“The groom works for me. He’s one of my most trusted employees, and we’ve become friends over the years. When he asked me to be in his wedding, I agreed. I didn’t know you were friends with Ashley, Key.”

I was thankful Kevin answered for me, because I was still stuck. “She’s not. She’s just doing her a favor. I thought you were still in Texas? How did you meet the groom at work?”

“I have a chain of gyms, and the groom is a franchisee of mine. I’m helping him open his gyms on the east coast.” He turned back to me, nodding. “You look really good, Key. So… drink?”

Wes’s eyes darkened as he gazed over every inch of my body. For the first time that evening, I felt exposed in my strapless beaded gown. I may have been the same dress size as Laura, but I was sure my boobs were much larger than hers. Mine almost felt like they were going to fall out of the dress. I cleared my throat and crossed my arms in front of my chest, trying to act natural.

I didn’t say it out loud, but he looked good too. Real good. Shit, he looked better than I remembered. Although I clearly didn’t remember what he looked like, I
did
remember what he did to me.

My eyes narrowed; he didn’t deserve my cordiality, and I was no longer going to give it to him.

“Why would I want to have a drink with you? We have no catching up to do.”

He could go have a drink with the girl he was flirting with earlier.

“Call it a peace offering. It’s Delamain cognac. Good stuff.”

Wes offered me a glass, waiting for me to take it. Knowing he wasn’t going to leave, I sighed and reached for the cup, our fingers touching as I took it. Kevin followed my lead and took a glass from him, too. My mind was racing; I definitely needed the drink.

Wes gripped my hand to steady the glass as he poured my shot. Just a few old friends, reconnecting at a wedding. We stood there and watched him pour as if that was the normal thing to do. In actuality, nothing about the scene was normal.

I didn’t like the way he touched me. He was too familiar. He held onto me for too long, and he wasn’t slick with his fingers caressing my skin. He was up to no good. Unfortunately, my body didn’t mind at all as I felt a flush of heat between my thighs.

Whatever he was trying to accomplish, I wanted no part of it. He stood there, staring at me, talking to me, touching me like he hadn’t destroyed my life. I knocked back my shot, glaring at his ice blue eyes, which hadn’t left mine.

“Damn, that’s good!”

Our eyes shot over to Kevin. He didn’t need to be excited about a shot right now.

“Want another?” Wes asked.

I scoffed when Kevin nodded and got topped off. We were supposed to excuse ourselves, not shoot the shit with Wesley. I looked down and saw my glass being refilled as well. I think it was just a move to touch me again. I blame the heat rising in my cheeks on the alcohol, and not Wes’s skin on mine.

Wes smiled as I continued allowing contact. “I don’t remember you being a drinker.”

“I’m not. This is my last one, and then we’re going.”

I cringed at the shot; I wasn’t used to drinking liquor straight. On the rare occasion I did drink, it was usually a wine cooler.

“So, did you ever manage to start the daycare center?”

I didn’t want to talk to him anymore, but I felt compelled to answer that question. “I did. We’re trying to get federal funding now. So far, it’s all been small grants and donations.”

“I’m sure you’ll do even more amazing things when you get the extra money. Say, I’m going to a fundraiser in a few weeks; you should come. There are always people with too much money willing to cut checks for charity.”

His lips curled into a small smile as his eyes drifted away. The daycare center was always my plan. And he was supposed to be right there with me. But that didn’t happen. I bit back a stinging tear.

“Sure; I’ll go.” I didn’t necessarily want to make plans with him, but I could never turn down help for the center. My pride could be put to the side if it meant giving us some much-needed money.

“Great; I’ll get your contact information before we leave to give you the details.”

The men stiffly chatted over two rounds of shots as I stood there awkwardly, knocking back a couple on my own. I didn’t want to cause a scene at the wedding, but Kevin was taking things to an entirely new level with his politeness.

Kevin set the glass down before saying the worst thing imaginable:

“I’m going to the bathroom and then we can go mingle.”

No! Don’t leave us together!

And left we were. Alone.

My wide eyes gave away my thoughts.

He spoke as soon as Kevin was out of sight. “How have you been? Really?”

His question should’ve annoyed me. I should’ve told him to fuck off. Instead, his low voice purred in the air surrounding my ears. I quickly glanced in his eyes, and regretted it just as quickly. I looked away, but my eyes were drawn to his pillowy lips, which he licked as he not-so-subtly inspected my chest. I squeezed my legs together, as if that would stop the thumping down below.

“I’m going to go wait for Kevin.”

I turned to leave, but he jumped in front of me, causing me to bump into his chest.

“Talk to me,” he whispered, his warm breath echoing down my cleavage.

Backing away, I rubbed away the goose bumps that formed.

“I don’t want to do this, Wes. I-I have a… girlfriend.”

His brows shot up in amusement. I could tell he didn’t believe me, but it was worth a shot if it meant he would leave me alone.

“Batting for the other team now, huh?”

I chewed on the inside of my cheek. “Mmm hmm.”

His lips were pursed together as he tried to keep a straight face. “How long has this been going on?”

I gulped loudly. “About a year.”

He took a step closer, too close. “Well… have you been with a man recently? I mean, how do you know for sure you’re a lesbian?”

The air between us heated up, the scent of his cologne swirling around us. Familiar, but still exciting. His wide chest heaved slowly under his shirt. Too slowly, as if he were trying to control himself.

I should have been insulted, should have rolled my eyes at his brashness. He was speaking to me as if nothing was wrong, when quite the opposite was true. Even knowing that, I still savored his presence.

Where the hell was Kevin? Since Wes blocked me from leaving, I snatched the bottle from his hand and drank from it as my body continued to flush under his overbearing charisma. Not a good idea, as my head was already swimming, but I needed a distraction.

“Ready?”

Kevin’s voice startled me, but Wes barely acknowledged it. I slid out of my ex’s alluring orbit and into the arms of my best friend, pulling him towards the closest body that wasn’t my old lover’s. We introduced ourselves to the first man we approached, and he and Kevin hit it off immediately.

Wes’s line of vision never strayed from me. As I turned to find something to snack on, I crashed into a man.

“I’m so sorry,” I said with a giggle. I smoothed my palm over the man’s chest. “I didn’t spill anything on you, did I?”

“Neither one of us are holding anything for you to spill on me.”

I looked at my empty hands and burst out laughing in his face. I needed to find a piece of bread or something as soon as possible; I’d had too much cognac. Then again, Kevin did tell me to have fun. After seeing Wes, I definitely needed to have a little. In fact, I made it my mission for the evening to have
more
fun than Wes.

“So, are you here alone?”

His eyebrows lifted and I smiled. I tried to take a seductive step closer to him, but ended up tripping over my foot. Thankfully, he caught me.

Kevin gripped my arm and pulled me away.

“Sorry, man. She’s a little drunk.”

“Pshh! What? No, I’m not!” I said as he carried me away.

I jerked away from him and towards the girls who were on the dance floor, joining in. Once I realized I was enjoying the country music blasting through the speakers, I realized I was indeed drunk. I giggled with the girls as we grinded together. I glanced by the tables and Wes was still there, staring at me.

That just made me dance harder. I had to show him what he lost.

Once I bent over to show those girls what a twerk was really supposed took like, Kevin yanked me away.

“I know you’re acting like this because of him. Stay away from him.”

“I have no intention of looking at him for the rest of my evening.” I was just having fun; the fact that I was taunting Wes was just an added bonus.

“Good, make sure it stays that way. I’m serious; this guy ruined everything for you. He doesn’t get to do that again.”

We walked away from the dance floor and joined a large group talking by a huge gushing fountain. Kevin seemed to be enjoying himself, laughing with the group and opening beer after beer as more people joined the circle- including Wes.

Wes drank his beer and chatted amongst the group, seemingly unbothered by my presence. The redhead he was flirting with earlier walked up to him and whispered something in his ear. I scowled in his direction, envious he was playing it so cool when all I could do was envision his hard, naked body on top of mine.

I knew it was wrong, but I didn’t care. I’d spent the last few years working to get him out of my mind, but I could never forget our time together. Different parts of my body stirred as they remembered the feelings of Wes’s tongue, fingers, and cock. Kevin had his arm around my waist the entire time, stabling my wavering stance, so he noticed when I started shifting uncomfortably.

“I’m going to pee,” I said, just to get away from him.

I stumbled back inside of the castle, pausing once my heels touched the stone floor. Did castles even have bathrooms?

I flagged down one of the caterers. “Excuse me. Where is the closest bathroom?”

He gave me directions. I thought I followed them exactly, but I ended up at a tower connected to the main building. I peered up the dark spiral staircase that led up to the top of the castle.

I shrugged and started walking up it to see where it would lead. The lights from the wedding reception outside shined through the cut-out windows, the only protection from falling a few metal bars.

The bit of exercise was much needed. It helped me sober up, and helped me get my mind off Wes. My body was on fire; where was Alejandro when I needed him? The night was almost over; I just needed to keep my cool for a bit longer.

I needed to stop thinking about his fingers on me, the way his velvety voice coated my ears.

“Key!”

I snapped my head behind me, although I could barely see anything. Was I hearing things?

I choked on my breath as Wes came up behind me, our bodies inches from each other in the narrow stairwell.

2

“W-what are you doing here?” With the mix of alcohol and lust in my system, it wasn’t a good idea for me to be in such a small area with him.

He didn’t speak as he kept approaching. We locked eyes in the dim light, and his gaze was just as ravenous as before. Only this time, I didn’t look away. The air in the tiny space thickened, hovering over us with nowhere to go. My heart pounded in my chest, pumping blood to places it didn’t need to go.

“Nice show out there.”

I folded my arms in front of me, as if that would be enough to keep him away. “There was no show. I was just having fun. Who’s the redhead?”

He stood in front of me, chuckling at my response, but didn’t touch. His heavy breath smoldered over every exposed part of my body.

“Jealous?”

“No,” I snapped back a little too quickly.

He rested his finger on the neckline of my dress. “Don’t worry, she’s just a friend. So… you never answered my question.”

“What question?”

“Are you sure you’re a lesbian now?”

The hand hovering over my cleavage moved to grip my waist. I smacked him away.

“You don’t get to do this! I’ve spent the last three years trying to forget about you. You can’t just show up and… and…”

He grazed his knuckles across my cheek, stopping me mid-rant. His hands always had a way of calming me, his skin on mine more intoxicating than any amount of liquor.

“I’ve spent the last three years trying to find you, trying to hold onto the memories we once shared. Trying to convince myself that one day, I’d get to experience what we had again.”

“What makes you think I want anything to do with you after all this time?”

“Because… this,” he lowered his head, his lips lightly brushing over mine. It took every ounce of me not to tilt my head forward to meet his waiting kiss.

“And because… this.” He rested his hand over my beating heart, my pulse racing under his fingertips. His skin tickling against mine made me heat up, and I couldn’t hide the shiver that ran throughout my body. He smiled.

“And of course… this.”

I gasped as he cupped my pussy, lightly rubbing me through the dress.

“We can’t do this,” I said, although I made no attempt to back away.

His lips moved to my ear. “Why? Oh, because you’re a lesbian now, right?”

“Mmm. Mmm hmm,” I moaned, nodding my head quickly as he continued massaging my sex.

My uneven breathing was just as loud as his. Even with everything we’d been through, my body was still drawn to him. Since our breakup, I’d been celibate for the most part, but it wasn’t due to lack of arousal.

I used to love the way he made my body feel, and I was in need of a huge release. He leaned into me, and my hand shot out to pull him even closer.

“You don’t seem like one to me.”

He palmed me hard, and my body arched into his hand before I could stop myself. I clutched a fistful of his hair and forced his eyes to mine.

“Like you said, maybe I need to be with a man again to find out.”

He chuckled, a smile on his lips as they met mine. Our lips re-familiarized themselves with each other as our tongues swirled in unison. He pressed my body against the cold stone wall, yanking the top of my dress down.

His head lowered, covering my already hard nipple with his warm mouth, sucking at the swollen nub.

Lifting my dress, his hands slid under my skirt, firmly massaging my ass as he moved his mouth to work my other nipple.

“Oh God, I’ve missed you so much,” he said, moving back to my lips.

A cold object pressed against my chest. I pushed him back and reached for the source, my fingers grabbing a tiny trinket that hung from a chain around his neck.

I held it up in a stream of light, gasping when I recognized it.

“My ring.”

He watched me intently as I studied the sparkling diamond. “I never take it off.”

Before my tears had a chance to ruin the moment, I went back to his lips. We continued to kiss long and hard as he moved my panties to the side and rubbed the outside of my already wet pussy. I tilted my hips towards him as he slid two fingers inside of me and began circling my clit with his thumb.

His free hand kneaded my tits as his fingers worked my throbbing cunt. I dug my hips harder into his hands, scraping my back against the gritty wall. It felt so good to moan in pleasure again, to feel my body heating up knowing it would get a full release.

With clumsy hands, I reached behind me, trying to grab the zipper of the dress. He used his free hand to help me unzip, briefly backing away to drop the dress to the floor. My bra dropped with the dress, and Wes peeled my underwear down.

His eyes widened as he studied my naked form. He reached out and traced the outline of my body, his fingers gently caressing each and every one of my curves: the heavy slopes of my breasts, the sharp indent of my tiny waist, and the rounded corners of my hips.

When he approached my mound, he cupped my sex once more.

“You may have left me, but this pussy will always be mine.”

I gasped; his words made me feel more exposed than being naked did. And the weight of us having sex bore down on me. I shook my head.

“Nothing about me can be yours anymore. We lost that. I think I need to go.”

All of a sudden, I was afraid. The soft glow shining through the windows seemed ominous, and being alone with Wes scared me. I was in a panic because I feared he was right.

The reason I hadn’t been in a serious relationship since him, the reason I didn’t have sex with other men, was because I was still his. And I just couldn’t allow that.

I picked my bra off the step and he smacked it away, capturing my hands and pinning them against the wall above my head.

Unbuckling his pants and dropping them to the floor, he murmured in my ear. “You’re mine. Always have been, always will be. And I’m yours. So yes, your pussy belongs to me.”

“Wes-”

His rough kiss knocked the breath out of me. A tear streamed down my face as his kiss consumed me, possessed me. His kiss explored a part of my soul that only he knew how to reach. No matter how badly I wanted to push him away, I needed his comfort even more. I kissed him back until I had to force myself away for air.

With one hand still pressing my hands above me, the other reached around my waist to hoist my lower body up. I wrapped my legs around him, our eyes never leaving each other. As he lowered me back down, I felt his cock start penetrating my opening.

He dove into me with a dangerously slow rhythm, burying into me as far as he could go. My head spun with every thrust, a small grunt escaping his lips as he used a brute force to pound into me, his cock on a mission to prove my pussy belonged to him.

“Tell me,” he hissed through clenched teeth.

Tears streamed down my face as I breathed out my response. “I can’t; I can’t go through this again with you.”

He released my wrists, holding onto my ass with both hands to fuck me harder. My loud moans echoed in the narrow passage and I swung my arms around him to keep my balance.

He planted a kiss on my lips before moving down to bite my neck. I yelped as his teeth sank into my skin, the delicious pain causing me to clench tighter around him. As climax approached, I could tell it was going to be bigger than anything I’d been able to do with my vibrator over the past few years.

My body tensed in preparation. On the brink, he pulled back, giving me only his tip in small mini-thrusts.

I dug my nails into him. “Please.”

He pulled himself out completely, the head of his dick pressed against my opening.

“Tell me.”

“Wes, stop it,” I whined. “Just give it to me. Please!”

He gave my pussy a hard, sharp thrust with his cock. “Tell me, Key.”

A chill shook my entire body as I squirmed in discomfort. The tip of his dick played in my wetness, but he wouldn’t budge.

He gripped my chin and held my face still, our eyes locked in a fiery embrace.

I opened my mouth, the truth spilling out before I could stop myself.

“It-it’s yours. My pussy is yours. And I’m yours.”

He moaned. “That’s my girl.”

I gripped him tightly as he penetrated me completely with his next thrust, my head bouncing against the wall as my withheld orgasm quickly erupted.

He bit down on my neck once more, gentler this time, as I exploded around his thick shaft.

He let out a long grunt, coming immediately after. We remained in position for a long time, Wes breathing into my neck until his breaths steadied. When he finally put me down, my legs gave out. He caught me before I went tumbling down the stairs.

With my body taken care of, my thoughts were clear. And the first thing I needed to do was to get away from him.

He snatched my hand after I slipped back into my panties.

“Just wait a minute; talk to me.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” I said with a shaky voice.

“I never thought I would see you again.”

I shrugged, snapping my bra back into place. “Yeah well, it was a one-time deal.”

He picked up the boutonniere that fell off his suit jacket, tucking it behind my ear. “I know you meant what you said. You know you’re mine.”

I quickly stepped back into my dress, cursing under my breath as I fingered the zipper. He reached behind me to zip me up.

“Thanks,” I said, pushing him away. “I have to go.”

“Key-”

I ignored him and ran back downstairs to the main level, shaking the dirt off my wrinkled dress. Eventually, I ended up finding the bathroom. My makeup was smeared all over my face. I wiped the running mascara off my cheeks and finger combed back my hair. I reached for the flower he placed on my ear, intending to remove it. Instead, I secured it in place and headed back to the reception.

I tugged at Kevin’s arm when I found him talking to a group of people at a table. “Ready?”

“If you are.” He turned to me and slammed his beer on the table. “Jesus Christ; are you serious, Keisha?”

“Wh-what?”

“You dummy; what did I tell you? You’re a mess. Jesus, I let you go to the bathroom by yourself and you fuck Wes?”

I glanced down; I didn’t look that bad, did I? I thought I did a decent job at cleaning up. I avoided Kevin’s gaze; his disappointment was actually upsetting.

“It’s not what it looks like,” I said, although it was exactly what it looked like.

He shook his head. “He’s only going to be here for a few months to help open his gyms, and then he’s heading back to Texas. You couldn’t avoid him temporarily?”

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t want to hear it. But when he fucks you over again, you’d better not come crying to me. Let’s go.”