Lover's Roulette (14 page)

“It looks good,” Cortland said. “Let’s go.”

I looked at Janice. “Are they for real?”

“Yep,” she said. “It’s pretty cheap too.”

Sean took my hand and guided me down the strip and across the street. It was really hot outside so I was glad I wore a dress instead of the pants and boots. I was aware of a few people glancing at my chest but I didn’t think about it. Since Sean was with me I knew no one would bother me. And my fiancé loved staring at my chest every second he got.

When we walked inside, I looked around. “Where’s Mike?”

Ryan looked at me. “He hooked up with some chick. He said he’ll meet up with us later.”

“I think she was a stripper,” Cortland said.

“Either way, I’m glad he’s not here,” I said with a sigh. “It’s nice not to be teased about kissing Monnique.”

“What makes you think you won’t be teased?” Cortland said with a smile.

“I’ll help you,” Sean said.

I glared at him. “Don’t you dare gain up on me!”

Sean smiled. “Too late.”

I looked at Cortland. “Why don’t you tease Monnique?”

“She gives me sex—duh. I’m not ruining that.”

Monnique had a triumphant grin on her face.

I looked at Sean. “Then the same goes for you.”

He laughed loudly. “You aren’t fooling anyone, Scarlet. You need it more than I do.”

“I
’d like to try to see you keep your legs closed,” Cortland said.

Sean laughed again. “You’re the queen of whores.”

I glanced between Cortland and Sean, waiting for a fight to break out. They were just joking about their shared experience fucking me, but neither one of them seemed to care. It was odd—really odd. I almost thought I hallucinated the whole thing. “Where did this nickname come from?”

“You,” Sean said.

“I prefer garbage disposal.”

“Well, I don’t,” Sean said. “That’s not a turn on.”

“And being a whore is?”

“Definitely,” he said with a smile.

I shook my head and ignored them both. I looked at the menu. “I’m going to get a number two with two chicken tacos on the side.”

Sean smiled. “Hungry?”

“That’s like two separate meals,” Cortland said. “Are the tacos for Sean?”

Ryan rolled his eyes. “That’s nothing. Scarlet is the biggest fatass that I know.”

“Seriously, this is my bachelorette party. There must be some kind of rule that stops you from teasing me.”

“Nope,” Ryan said. “I’m sure there’s a loophole in there.”

Sean kissed my forehead. “Well, I like it that you eat so much.”

“Wait until that metabolism slows down,” Cortland said.

I glared at him. “Sean would still love me if I was fat.”

Sean looked uncomfortable, like I just said the wrong thing.

I hit him lightly on the shoulder. “Don’t be a jerk.”

He laughed. “Baby, you know I’m kidding. But you could never be fat. You’ve always been thin even though you eat more calories than any man would every need in a
single day.”

“Then order my food and stop teasing me.”

“Okay. Do you want anything else?”

“Do they have milkshakes here?”

Ryan laughed. “My god, woman. You really are a garbage disposal.”

I stuck my tongue out at him.

“The horchata is good,” Monnique said.

“The horseshit? What?” Cortland asked.

She rolled her eyes. “It’s a sweet drink made of rice. It’s good. It’s nothing like a milkshake, but it’s sweet.”

I looked
at Sean. “I want one of those too.”

“Yes, m’lady.”

“Do you need me to loan you some money?” Ryan asked. “You must be broke from feeding her all the time.”

“I hate you all,
” I said.

Ryan laughed then ordered for him and Janice before he sat down.

Cortland opened his wallet. “I have a five thousand maximum on my credit card. You can use it, Sean.”

“Go to hell,” I said as I turn
ed around and walked away. I sat down in the booth across from Ryan.

“You’re going to make Sean carry all of that?” Ryan asked.

“I’m this close to telling Janice all your embarrassing childhood stories.”

Janice smiled. “Ooh. I wanna know.”

Ryan crossed his arms over his chest. “Fine. You win.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“You’ll still tell me, right?” Janice asked hopefully.

“No. My brother’s secrets are safe—for now.”

“Damn,” she said. “I’m going to head to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay, baby,” Ryan said as she walked away.

I looked out the window then met his gaze. “Does she know about Mom?”

He seem
ed surprised by the change in subject. “She knows a lot of it. I haven’t told her everything. I don’t want to depress her too much. Why?”

“I told Sean about the cigarette burn.”

“You did?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m glad you finally opened up to him.”

“I wasn’t afraid to tell him. I just didn’t want to hurt him.”

“That’s inevitable.”

“He cried. He tried to hide it, but I saw him.”

“I don’t blame him. Janice sobbed.”

“But I feel better now, like I can really move on.”

He nodded. “I felt the same way when I told Janice.”

“I guess you were right. One day, I’ll forget about everything entirely.”

“And that day is very near,” he said with a smile.

Sean placed a tray on the table. “This is tray one of two.” He placed the drink next to the plate. Cortland looked over his shoulder. “You need help?”
              “You guys are such assholes,” I said.

Janice came back and sat beside Ryan. Cortland moved into the seat next to her. When Sean returned
, he sat beside me with his tray and drink then Monnique sat beside him.

I looked at Monnique’s plate. She only had two tacos.
“That’s all you’re going to eat?”

“By the time I ordered they were almost out of food,” Cortland said.

Ryan and Sean laughed.

“Seriously, I hate all of you.” I ate my food while Sean glanced at me every few minutes, a smile on his face. I tried the horchata and it was refreshing. Not as good as a milkshake from Mega-Shake, but it was still good.

Sean finished his food then wiped his mouth with a napkin. “So, since we’re out, we don’t we get hitched?”

I swallowed my food without chewing it. “What?”

“Let’s not do the wedding at my parent’s house. Let’s just get married here. I want to marry you now. We’re practically married already.”

“Sean, we already made a commitment to your mom.”

“Who cares?” he said. “What do
you
want, baby?”

I knew what he was doing. Since I told him the truth about my mom, he didn’t want to
put me in that situation. “It’ll be fine, Sean. Don’t worry about it.”

He placed his hand on my thigh and scooted closer to me. “I want this day to be perfect for you. Please don’t do this just for me.”

“I’m not.”

“Promise me?”

“I promise.”

“Because I’ll get married at a goat ranch if you want. Seriously.”

I laughed at the insanity of the scenario. “I appreciate it, Sean, but really, it’ll be fine. I’m sure it’ll be beautiful and amazing. Plus, we’ll get tons of free gifts.”

He stared at me. “You and I both know you don’t give a shit about that.”

“Sean, I want to get married there. That’s final.”

He sighed. “Okay. But you can always change your mind.”

“I know.”

He looked across
the table at Ryan. “Are we doing the right thing?”

I knew what he was really asking. Would our mom show up and ruin the happiest day of my life?

“I think you shouldn’t live in fear of that psychopath. Do what you want.”

Sean nodded. “That’s good enough for me.”

13

Sean

We said goodbye to Mike at the airport because he was catching a different flight back to New York.
Scarlet talked to him in private for a long time. When I watched him, he seemed different. He was almost unrecognizable. I don’t know what charms Scarlet had that held sway over everyone she met, but she had it. Mike hugged her for a long time before he turned around and walked toward his terminal.

“What was that about?” I asked when she came back.

“Nothing,” she said as she reached for her bag.

I grabbed her shoulder. “Don’t even think about it.”

She rolled her eyes at me.

“If I fucked you every time you did
that, your pussy would be broken.”

She rolled her eyes again.

“Keep it up. We’re getting on the plane soon.”

She shook her head then pulled out her phone. The others were sitting in the chairs, waiting for the boarding time to arrive. She and I were standing off to the side.

“So, what was that about?”

“What?”

“You and Mike.”

“I was talking to him.”

“Well, I figured that. What were you talking about?”

She shrugged. “Nothing important.”

Her vague answers were making me nervous.

“Scarlet, what’s going on?”

“Why are you interrogating me about your brother?”

“You were just talking for a long time. It seemed like something was wrong.”

“You either trust me or you don’t,” she said as she looked at me.

“That has nothing to do with this.”

“Then let it go.”

I sighed. “Why won’t you tell me what you were talking about?”

She put her phone back in her purse, clearly annoyed with me. “Your brother and I are friends, we’re family. I don’t have to tell you everything he tells me. It’s his privacy.”

“So he asked you not to tell me?”

“Yes.”

“Is he okay?”

“He’s fine, Sean. He just likes to tell me things—personal things. He says he doesn’t have anyone else.”

“He has me.”

“It’s not the same.”

“What do you mean?”

“Guys don’t tell each other everything, even if they are family. I think he feels more comfortable talking to me because I’m a girl. We’re just more sensitive.”

That kinda had me worried. “Scarlet, if there was something seriously wrong with my brother, you would tell me, right?”

“Of course. It’s nothing for you to worry about.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay.”

“I’m sorry I scared you. I thought you were just being a jealous asshole.”

“I never act like that.”

“I have a feeling you will.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re just different.”

“Different how?”

She shrugged. “You just seem like you’re more in love with me.”

I looked her in the eye
. “Well, because that’s true.”

She stared at me, waiting for me to elaborate.

“I’ve fallen more in love with you the longer we’ve been together. I suspect that will happen for the rest of our lives. You’re so perfect all the time. Do you expect me to be immune to that?” I recognized the uncertainty on her face. “And that doesn’t mean I wasn’t in love with you before—not at all.”

“I’ve fallen more in love with you
too,” she said quietly.

“I like what I’m hearing,” I said with a smile.

“I just figured you would start getting jealous all the time.”

“If I did that I would go crazy. Everywhere you go, guys stare at you.” I scanned the people around us. “There are at least five guys staring at your rack as we speak.”

“Eww,” she said.

“And I’m not flipping out about it. It’s inevitable.”

“Well, I’m glad you aren’t being annoying about it even though you wouldn’t let us go to the bar alone.”

“Totally different situation. I’m always worried for your safety—especially after everything
with Carl. I hope you don’t expect me to change because I never will. I’ll always protect you and our family. Since Cortland and Ryan are so close to me, I feel obligated to look after their girls too. It’s like a guy code.”

“I guess I understand.”

The clerk announced that our plane was boarding on the intercom. I grabbed our bags then snatched one out of Scarlet’s hand when she tried to pick it up before we walked onto the plane. We took our seats to the right and I put our carry-ons away.

After half an hour, all the passengers were on the plane and we took off for Seattle.

I placed my hand on her thigh. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

“No.”

“Yes you are.”

“You have a sickness.”

“What sickness is that?”

“You have to do it on a plane
type of sickness.”

“Come on. Don’t be prude.”

“Prude?”

“Yeah.”

“I let you tit fuck me a few hours ago. I’m definitely not a prude. Besides, I feel a little bloated from lunch.”

“Well, you ate everything in the restaurant,” I teased.

She glared at me.

“But you definitely don’t look bloated. You look sexy.”

“Sean, this tradition needs to end.”

“Come on. It’ll be a story we can tell our kids.”

She gave me an incredulous look. “I’m not telling our kids that.”

“When they are adults, obviously.”

“Not even then. It would scar them.”

“My dad tells me about his youth and the girls he’s been with.”

“But he doesn’t tell you about your mom.”

“I’m tired of arguing. Let’s just do it.”

“Sean, we’re going to get in trouble. They can ban us from the airlines.”

“Then we’ll just travel through a different airline.”

“But our points won’t transfer.”

“I don’t give a shit about points. So this is what’s going to happen. We’re going to head into the stall. You’re going to stand in front of the mirror where I can see you
r tits and I’m going to fuck you from behind. You’re going to take it and be quiet.”

I could tell that my words got to he
r because she wasn’t argumentative about it. She just looked at me and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. I knew I had her because she was nervous. I leaned closer to her then kissed her ear gently, whispering how much I wanted her. My hand slipped under her dress and started to rub her clit. When she gripped my forearm, I knew she was ready.

“Ladies first,” I said.

“I hate you.”

“I love you too.”

Like a slut that she was, she got up and walked into the stall.

When I looked across the aisle, I saw Cortland give me the eye. He knew what we were doing. I nodded to him and gave him a wink. He laughed quietly then returned to the magazine he was reading. After a minute, I walked into the stall she was waiting in. She was already naked.

“Let’s get down to business,” I said as I pulled my pants down. I came up behind her and pushed her against the sink.

“Take off your shirt,” she whispered.

I did as she asked and pulled it off. I pressed my chest against her warm back and felt the heat of her body. Her shoulders were so thin and she was so small. My width was easily twice the size of hers.

She lifted her foot to the sink, still wearing her heels.

“You gotta be quiet, baby,” I whispered in her ear.
              “Yeah.”

I grabbed myself and direct
ed my tip inside her. Since we weren’t making love, I didn’t bother with a slow beginning. I pounded into her immediately and stared at her tits in the mirror. As soon as I felt her wet pussy, the feel of her flesh, I wanted to come. If I was a piece of shit boyfriend, I would just come whenever I wanted with no regard to her pleasure, but I loved Scarlet more than I loved myself, and I wanted her to experience exactly what I felt. It always made it a challenge. I had to make her come as quickly as possible.

I left one hand
on her hip then placed the other on her breast, massaging it and pinching the nipple. My hand guided her hip back, pulling her onto my cock repeatedly. She was doing a great job being quiet. I was proud of her. She usually struggled with that.

I pressed my lips against her ear and described what I was feeling to her, giving her raunchy descriptions of how good her pussy felt to me. That seemed to get her heart racing. When she tightened around my cock, I knew I accomplished my mission. I came inside her as she met her bliss, both being absolutely silent. I loved saying her name when I came, but I held it back. I kissed her neck so my mouth would have something to do while the heat still rocked through me. When I was finished, I rest
ed my head on her shoulder for a moment before I pulled out.

“Always a pleasure,” I said as I dressed myself.

She didn’t say anything as she pulled on her dress and fixed her hair. Judging by her silence and exhaustion, I knew I rocked her world. I gave myself a quick pat on the back for pleasing her. If I kept this up for the rest of our lives, she wouldn’t even look at another man. That was my goal. To make her fall in love with me as much as I had fallen in love with her.

“You go first, baby.”

She walked out without saying anything, shutting the door behind her. I waited for a minute before I left the bathroom and walked down the aisle. When I saw the flight attendant standing next to Scarlet, scowling at me, my heart fell.

Trying to be calm, I walked back to the seat like n
othing was amiss.

The stewardess glared at both of us. “This is your only warning. If this happens again, you will be banned from the airlines for a lifetime.”

I was surprised we had been caught. We were so quiet. I doubted anyone heard us.

“Apparently this behavior is common for the two of you. We were asked to keep a close eye on your actions.”

“On behalf of me and my fiancé, I apologize,” I said.

Scarlet looked too nervous to speak.

“Don’t let it happen again.” The lady walked away.

Scarlet covered her face, mortified.

I glanced at Cortland and Ryan. They were laughing quietly, their fists in their mouths. I started to chuckle because I thought it was funny too.

Scarlet glared at me. “This isn’t funny.”

“Yes it is. I guess our tradition is over.”

She shook her head. “I’m so embarrassed right now.”

“At least we weren’t kicked off.”

“Or written up for having sex in a public place.”

“See, it could have been worse.”

She looked like she was going to slap me.

“Come on, babe. Loosen up. It was funny. That was one of the coolest experiences of my life, and I’m glad I got to share it with you.”

She sighed. “How can you take such a crime and turn it into something so sweet?”

I shrugged. “I’m romantic.”

“No, you’re a pervert. Don’t ever get those confused.”

“But if I’m only a pervert for one person, then doesn’t that make me romantic?”

“Damn,” she said. “You did it again.”

I kissed her forehead. “Now let it go.”

She leaned against me and closed her eyes. “Despite your craziness, I love you so much.”

“I love you too, baby.”

“But you better not tell our kids about this.”

I laughed. “I’ll think about it.”