to relax. After our brief moment of awkwardness earlier, I worry this may not be possible with Michael there, but soon we are eating potato chips, laughing, and drinking together. We’re like that for ages, quizzing each other about our knowledge of the Friends sitcom and coming out with lines from famous movies. We speak about when we were little and the tricks we used to get up to like replacing the salt container with sugar and vice versa. It’s nice to be able to be with a friend and forget about all the troubles that seem to surround me for just a little while. In fact, I am having such fun, I don’t even realize it’s close to midnight until I spot the clock on the wall.
“Wow, would you look at the time. We’ve been talking for ages. I must go to bed and get my beauty sleep.”
Michael smiles up at me as I walk to the closet to fetch him some blankets and a couple of pillows. I spy what looks like a big enough T-shirt for him and grab that also, thinking he would appreciate getting into something a little more comfortable. I make sure he’s okay before saying goodnight and making my way to the bedroom to get ready for some sleep. I set my alarm and get snuggled under my sheets, sparing a thought for Jake and the beautiful flowers he sent me. Laying down, I reminisce about the way he used to trail his fingers up and down my spine and how that used to make me shiver all over. After a few sexually frustrating memories, I finally doze off.
12
I can smell it again.
The same smell that turns my stomach any time I get a whiff of it. I try to stop myself from breathing it in, but it’s no use. The whiskey aroma is filling my nostrils and stinging the back of my throat.
Please … not this again.
I can’t see him, but maybe that’s because I don’t want to see him. I feel him, though, and I can hear his disgusting, heavy breathing along with the heat of his mouth against my skin. The panic is rising again steadily, and I can’t seem to move or will my eyes to open.
“You like it like this, don’t you, Ana?”
My blood is pumping in my veins at the sound of his voice. “No, please just get off me,” I beg. His breathing is becoming more erratic as I feel his hardness digging into me again. I sob like a baby. I can’t believe how weak and feeble I became the moment this man climbed on top of me. It’s like I’ve reverted back to being a child again.
“I’ve come to collect. You know you owe me after my missed opportunity.” He breathes the words into my ear, the heat of his putrid breath making me scream.
“No, get off me! Get off me!” I’m kicking and screaming when suddenly I have Jake’s arms around me.
“Shh, it’s okay. It was just a bad dream. I’m here.”
Jake is here!
His words immediately soothe my trembling body, making me instantly relax into his arms. The feeling of having him so close overwhelms me so much that my body reacts automatically. I pull Jake hungrily to my mouth, and I whimper when his warm lips touch my own. The sounds of his growls prick my ears, and it makes my body hum with need. I moan, gripping at his T-shirt and pulling him into me. He complies, immediately positioning himself snugly between my legs.
I spread them wide, longing to feel his hardness on my crotch. I don’t care if he dry humps me, I just want to feel him near me, on me … anything just to satiate my need for him. I want his lips on mine, relishing the way he touches me just so, always in the right spots that he knows will render me completely his.
Trailing my hands down around his hips, I immediately notice a difference in him. He’s lost weight. Maybe the stress of being away from me has gotten to him too. Ever since I left, I have been dreaming of these moments with him. I wrap my legs around his waist so I can feel the true force of his body pressed against mine. With both feet pressed to his back, I pull him into me again, and again I hear those sweet sounds of pleasure that make me dizzy with need. He wants