Masked Encounters (Intoxicating Passion #1) (2 page)

     
She
lay beneath me, panting and writhing from pleasure. I couldn’t remember her
name only that her breasts were double D’s, her hips large enough to grab, and
her body willing and able to take mine. I buried my face in her shoulder, not
wanting to see hers. Seeing their faces made it real. I didn’t want to think of
the feelings or the person, just the body and relief I desperately sought.

I grew closer to release, finally lifting my
face and pressing my lips to hers. They always liked it when I kissed them
right before we finished. It was the least I could do. I thrust until I
exploded, her enthusiastic cries and loud in my ears as I brought her to the
brink again. I jerked my head away, not wanting her to see my lack of emotion.

     
“Dane,”
she sighed breathlessly, pulling me to her by the base of my hair and
assaulting my mouth with her tongue.

     
I
let her, not wanting to be a complete jackass about it all. Did I care about
her? No. Did she know this? Yes…but that didn’t mean I couldn’t pretend, at
least for the duration of our romp. She pulled away, tracing my lips with her
tongue, giving me her sexiest look. She was attractive, I’d give her that, but
blondes were never my preference. This chick, whatever her name, was short,
round, and more than willing. She’d been eyeing me at our local bar for the
past two weeks, and I finally, selfishly, gave in to her advances. I knew she’d
want to go again, but I didn’t. I made it clear when we left the bar, sex and
nothing else. I hoped she wasn’t one who would beg for more.

     
I
slid out, seeing disappointment cross her face as I climbed out of her bed. I
slipped into the bathroom, closing the door and dousing myself in the face with
water. The women, the sex, the drinking was all a part of daily life for me. A
junior in college, a brother of Alpha Kappa
Pi ,
and a
Bio major, I epitomized the college playboy.
Classes by day,
drinking and ladies by night.
I enjoyed the no strings sex, knowing I
wouldn’t have to see the girl again. There were times, naturally, I’d run into
a woman later. Embarrassment generally held their tongue; rarely did they say
anything, but if they did, they cried or screamed at me. One slapped me, and
while it stung, it didn’t affect me.

     
Nothing really did.
                                                                                    

     
I
stepped out, in my naked glory, to see the chick propped on her bed, legs open
and waiting for me. “Dane, I’m ready,” she invited, while sliding a hand up and
down her body.

     
“I’ve
got class,” I offered with less-than-sincere-regret, grabbing my clothing and
pulling it on as quickly as possible. I guessed where her hand was headed and I
needed to escape.
Fast.

     
She
didn’t stop, however, or take the hint. Double D Blonde continued, adding what
I knew she thought were sexy sounds to her display. She threw her head back,
shaking her hair around her.
The image not unlike a dog after
a bath.

 
I
cringed, looking away, as she explored her body, desperately trying to entice
me back to her. Unable to stand it any longer, I moved forward grasping her
hand, pulling it away from her, and made eye contact. “I have to go. I had a
good time,” the lie a practiced
, parting
gift. In
reality, she was neither good nor bad, it was what it was.

She captured my mouth with hers, darting her
tongue in and out while pressing her breasts into me. I broke free, desperately
wanting to wipe the saliva she left on my face, but I couldn’t be rude to her.

Her gaze fell, the realization striking her
hard. Dropping her hands from my shoulders, she accused, “I won’t see you
again, will I?”

Straightening, I stuck my hands in my pockets
as I backed away. “I don’t know. I told you I wasn’t looking for anything,” my
tone, intentionally, a chiding reminder.

“Do you even know my name?” she demanded,
jumping from the bed. Her breasts bounced attractively, momentarily distracting
me from her tantrum.

Quickly tiring of her games, I looked her
square in the eye. “No. And I don’t care to.”

Tears formed, anger replaced with an abrupt
wash of hurt. Not my intention, but Double D Blonde left
no
other way. I really needed to screen the women better, because I was getting
more of the crazy ones lately. She scrambled to cover her body, large green eyes
looking childlike with glossy sad tears.

“Bye,” I called. I left without looking back.

###

Class let out early, so I sprinted across
campus, past the student center and registration hall, through the commuter
parking lot, and met my brothers just as they started a new game of basketball.
Slightly out of breath, but pumped nonetheless, I slung my backpack to the side
of the court and ripped my shirt off.

It was October, and most of the days were
spent with fifty and sixty-degree weather. I didn’t complain, but I missed the
hotter Georgia months. The short skirts, shorter shorts, and long, long legs.
The girls on campus didn’t bother to cover themselves often, and I appreciated
it very much. Today wasn’t a particularly warm day, but my mad dash across
campus left me sleek with sweat. I knew the basketball game wouldn’t allow any
cooling down.

“Hey, got room for one more?” I called,
stretching my arms above my head before slugging a quick drink of stale water
from the bottle on my pack.

“Don’t you have some chick’s pants to be
getting into?” Jack mocked, giving me a few suggestive hand movements for good
measure. He was the biggest
asshat
I knew.

“He left with someone last night,”
Cale
reasoned, throwing the ball at my chest.

I caught it, carelessly dropping the bottle
on my pack then dribbling a few times, before passing it to Jack. “So, can I,
or not?” Jack and I didn’t get along. He was a ladies man wannabe, and I, well,
I wasn’t a wannabe. Several times a girl Jack was interested
in,
ended up leaving with me. He held it against me or something.

Jack threw it back my way with more force
than necessary, nodding grimly. We spread out, dividing into teams, and began
the game. Jack wasn’t overly aggressive, but it was obvious he was
intentionally trying to press his luck with the fouls. We didn’t play
basketball by the regular
rules,
we played Alpha Kappa
Pi style. We were men, strong men, and a few fouls here and there weren’t a
problem. Jack took advantage.

I was happy to oblige.

By the time the score was 15-14, my body felt
bruised and beaten. Jack had gotten in a few good elbows, landing hits to my
back and head, though I managed to dodge a cheap shot at my groin. My anger
rose with each unnecessary assault until my blood was near boiling. I was done,
but I wasn’t leaving before giving Jack a nice taste of his own medicine.

I dribbled the ball lazily, appearing tired.
Jack watched me closely. I waited, continuing to casually dribble even though
others were calling for me to pass and finish the game. I ignored the confusion
and frustration they threw at me, patient. Finally, Jack looked away. I threw
all my strength into the ball, passing it harshly and quickly.

The ball made a satisfying crunch as it
impacted with his face. I was unable to hide the smirk as blood began to pour
from his nose. I didn’t think it was broken, but I was sure it wouldn’t look
pretty tomorrow for the Halloween bash our frat house was throwing.

“Dammit, Dane!” he screamed, using his palms in
a desperate attempt to catch the pooling blood.

“I thought we were playing. Why did you turn
away?” I questioned innocently. His pride wouldn’t allow him to call me out in
front of all the guys. He’d look like a wimp.

Jack’s eyes narrowed. “We’re done,” he
growled. He turned and grabbed his shirt, using it to cover his nose, before
stomping off.

I shrugged, allowing the snicker I’d been
holding to escape. He deserved that and more. I was glad I had been the one to
put him in his place. Bending to get my shirt, I used it to wipe the sweat from
my face then threw it over my shoulder. Resting my backpack on top of the
sweaty
garmet
, I turned and ran right into
Cale
. “You scared me, Buddy.”

“We need you to help decorate tomorrow
morning,” he grinned, knowingly.
Cale
was sure the
throw was intentional; I could see it in his eyes.

“Ok. I need to get a costume. What are you
going to be?” I asked, starting my walk back to the house.

“I
dunno
yet.
You going now?
I’ll go with.”

“Sounds good,” I stated. I walked at a steady
pace, returning back to the house in record time. Jack was nowhere to be seen,
which wasn’t surprising, but I guessed he’d already been through and told
everyone. I got a few stares, a few high fives, and a few glares. Most of the
dudes wouldn’t mess with me; I was older, I’d been here longer, and I could
make their life hell if I needed to. Turning to
Cale
,
I said, “I’m
gonna
shower, be back down in ten.”

###

Going shopping was a pain in the ass.
Especially this close to the holiday, but I’d forgotten about our party. I
needed a costume with a mask. We searched several stores, but I couldn’t find one
I wanted. I’d gotten two phone numbers, however. The last one, a feisty
brunette with amazingly tight pants, would probably be getting a call from me
tonight. Last night’s release was only temporary. I wanted to sink myself deep
into every nook and cranny she possessed.

I leaned against the counter, contentedly
waiting for
Cale
. Two girls walked by, one blonde and
petite, the other a gorgeous brunette with the most amazing body I’d ever seen.
She wasn’t too skinny, not too big.
Curvaceous and stunning.
Her hair fell to mid-back, her eyes as rich as the near black strands. She was
the sexiest woman I’d ever laid eyes on. I couldn’t stop myself from staring.

She glanced at me, furrowing her brows,
before moving to the other side of her friend.
Odd,
I thought. Women don’t react that way to
me
. I stepped forward, eager to speak to her, but
Cale’s
timing stunk. I turned, responding to his calling my
name; he was standing impatiently, holding two large bags. I held up a finger,
signaling him to wait, but when I looked back around, she was gone.

     
The
stores were clustered with people and some of them smelled.
The
stores, not the people.
 
Leela
was in super-happy-hyper-mode, while I was ready to
go back to the apartment and take a nap. She tried on outfit after outfit at
store after store. We were at our sixth stop of the day and it was barely noon.

     
“You
haven’t tried on anything,” she scolded, giving me her signature “I’m-disappointed-in-you”
eyebrow raise, before disappearing in the dressing room with arm load of
clothing.

     
“I
haven’t noticed anything I like,” I called sweetly. It wasn’t a lie, nothing looked
good to me. I didn’t want to be a cliché witch or princess for Halloween, and
most adult costumes were slutty. It seemed impossible to find what I
envisioned: a classy costume, with a mask.

     
Leela
stepped out of the dressing room, her long legs showing
all the way up to her butt cheeks. The outfit, a little red riding hood get up,
was just that…little. Her boobs poured out the top while the bottom left little
to the imagination. Exactly what I meant by slutty. She looked
gorgeous,
don’t get me wrong, but slutty, nonetheless.

     
“What
do you think?” she asked excitedly, spinning in front of the mirrors to check
herself
out.

     
“Honest?”
I questioned, giving my bottom lip a gentle bite. She was my best friend; I
didn’t want to make her feel bad.

     
She
gazed at me, nodding emphatically.

     
“You
look like a little red riding whore,” I admitted, letting my eyes travel her
body. “Those guys won’t have to wonder about
anything
.”

     
She
laughed loudly, jumping up and down.
“Exactly what I was
going for!”

     
Rolling
my eyes, I left
Leela
preening in the mirror while I
perused the racks. Everything showed too much skin, or in the case of the nun costume,
not enough. I wasn’t a prude by any means, but I didn’t feel comfortable
running around with a bunch of masked people nearly naked. It just wasn’t me.

     
I
wandered the store aimlessly. In my minutes of solitude, I decided I wouldn’t
go. She would be mad, and probably cry, but I couldn’t find a costume. That was
a good excuse, right? I argued internally for a bit, finally taking a deep
breath for courage, I turned on my heel heading back to the cash registers.
That’s when a piece of heaven caught my eye.

     
A
long, silk white dress with large feathered wings was hanging on the mannequin.
It looked like it would be snug, but it would cover most of my body. The
neckline was low, but not embarrassingly so, and there were small beads lining
it. A mask, also white with a feather jutting off each side hung from the mannequin’s
hand.

     
How
could I say no to this costume? A sales associate obviously saw me gaping,
because he walked up, smiling. “Want me to get it down so you can try it on? I
think you would look lovely as an angel,” he purred, eyeing me closely for a
reaction.

     
Too
in awe for words, I nodded. He got the ladder, brought the costume down, and
directed me to the dressing area.
Leela
was MIA, but
I didn’t care. I needed this dress to fit. Something about it was…special.

     
I undressed
in a hurry.
Then indulged my fingers in traveling along the
material, feeling the fabric whisper in a seductive smoothness.
It was
amazing. I slipped it over my head, keeping my back to the mirror. Setting the
mask in place, I closed my eyes for a brief moment, before spinning to see my
reflection.

     
The
dress fit me perfectly, showing off every curve I possessed. My breasts looked
larger, rounder. The mask hid most of my face, revealing only my lips and eyes.
My dark eyes appeared nearly black contrasted against all the white. My hair,
long and loose around the dress, became a rich brown hue, more chocolate than
faded milk chocolate. Even the wings were perfect, peeking just beyond my shoulders.

     
A
knock at the door shook me from my assessing.
“
Korah
?
You in there?”
Leela
called.

Still unable to speak, I opened the door,
eyes wide, and waited for her reaction.

     
Her
mouth fell, her pupils grew large. “You look amazing,
Korah
,”
she whispered reverently.

     
I
ran a hand down my side and across my hip, “Is it ok?
Too
much?”

     
“Too
much?” she quizzed, placing her hands on my arms. “You look amazing.
Beautiful.
And not slutty like I’m going
to look.
I say get it,” she smiled with all the sincere warmth I loved
her for.

     
I
nodded, going back in to take it off. Closing the door, I stared at myself for
several more minutes. My insecurities regularly brought me down, but something
about the way I looked right now…it mesmerized me. I
must
have this dress. I felt crazy, but I thought this costume was
meant to be mine. After changing back to my clothes, I stepped out to find Lee
eagerly waiting for me.

     
“You’re
getting it, right?” she questioned.
Leela
knew me too
well.

I normally would back out, but not this time.
“Yeah, I’m getting it.” A smile bloomed on my face all by itself.

She squealed loudly, causing everyone to turn
and look at us. I made my purchase, ignoring the flirtatious comments from the
guy who helped me earlier, and led Lee out the door.
“Lunch?”
I asked, nodding toward the small café we liked to eat at during our trips.

She nodded, linking us at the elbows, and
bouncing down the street.
Leela
chatted about nothing
in particular, in an animated way that allowed my mind to drift and overanalyze
our day. The bad date last night caused the Christopher nightmares to
resurface.
Leela
startled me awake, demanding I go with
her to a party, knowing how much I despise them. Why was I going? Good
intentions aside, she always set me up with men who were totally wrong for me.

But…were all of them wrong? I was broken,
damaged goods, unable to love or be loved. Every guy had some sort of issue; a
reason I was not interested. He wore too much cologne, or his toenails were too
long. Sometimes they did have serious issues, such as being unable to commit.
No matter who it was, I found a problem. A deal breaker that completely turned
off any and all emotions I may have been considering.

I’d been this way since breaking up with
Christopher eight months ago. I couldn’t stop it; well, more accurately, I
didn’t know how to.

“
Korah
?”
Leela
prompted. We
stood outside the café, her giant blue eyes filled with concern, clearly
waiting for an answer to the question I hadn’t heard.

“I’m sorry, what?” I refocused my attention,
feeling bad for ignoring her.

“I asked you what exactly happened with Zane
last night. I know you don’t want to talk about it, but he gave me some crazy
story and I want the truth.”

I told her everything, including the creepy
crawly feeling I got when he leered at me. Her face showed disgust, while her
eyes lit with fury.
Leela
was overprotective, a
mother hen, and even though she set us up, she wasn’t going to let some punk treat
me badly. She kept quiet, as we walked into the restaurant and requested our usual
table.

“Are you mad I left?” I was not sure how to
approach her after confessing.

“No. I’m mad at him. He promised he wouldn’t
be a douche and he treated you that way. These guys need to stop thinking with
their pants,” she ranted, picking up her menu, then slamming it back to the
table. “I don’t understand why guys are so awful around here. Are there none
that have any decency?
Manners?
How hard is it to take
a girl out a few times before trying to get her back to your apartment?!” she
exclaimed. Throwing her arms up in frustration, she once again gained attention
from onlookers.

“I just have bad luck,” I shrugged, and
resumed perusing the menu.

“Maybe I should quit setting you up,” she
thought aloud, tapping her finger to her chin.

I giggled at her seriousness, while nodding
my head in solemn agreement. She
should
stop setting me up. It never went well. “So, this party…you don’t have some
connection planned?” I asked wearily.

She shook her head, “I told you, you’re
my
date.”

“But you try to set me up so often, I wasn’t
sure,” I mused, affectionately.

“This is true,” she agreed with a laugh.
“I’ll stop….
if
you promise to be
open-minded and not shut someone out if you have feelings for him.”

The server came, bringing our water and
taking our orders. After she walked away, I thought about what
Leela
said. I shouldn’t be so opposed to love and romance.
Not all guys were
Christophers
. “Lee, I’ll try, but
no promises. I can’t stop the insecurity that comes with dating. And I know all
people have it, but I still have nightmares about him and everything he did. If
someone decent comes along, I promise I will
try
,” I paused. She knew this but saying it out loud was difficult.
“I’m broken.”

Leela’s
eyes
brimmed with tears as she reached across the table, taking my hand gently in
hers. “You aren’t broken,” she reassured softly. “Maybe a little torn and
tattered, but definitely not broken. You’re one of the most amazing women I
know,
Korah
. I wish you could see that,” she gave me
a watery half smile.

I smiled back, my heart swelling with love.
Leela
meant well, and always had my back. She was the
sister I never had and always wanted. I squeezed her hand, happy to be having
this talk with her. “Thank you,” I said. “
Sooo
…the
costume, is it really ok?”

Her expression brightened. “Girl, you are
going to turn every head in the place! You won’t know what to do with all the
attention,” she giggled in happy anticipation.

I had to agree with her last prediction. I
wouldn’t know what to do. I’d be nervous, for sure, but I hoped I could keep my
cool. Having a mask would help. Before I could contemplate and worry myself more,
our plates arrived. We talked about the party between bites. My excitement grew
with each word, and every quick peek at the beautiful promise in the bag next
to me. It was time to step out of my shell, to be a new
Korah
.
The shy, timid
Korah
wasn’t much fun. She was too
scared of life and feelings. If nothing more, for one night, I would be someone
else.
Someone confident.
Someone
fearless.
Maybe even someone sexy.