Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 71765 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71765 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Opening the door wide, I tell them to come on in as Damon’s coming up the stairway.
“Damn, nice place,” Thomas comments before he’s even fully in. Glancing around the place, I think it’s nice in some ways, yet cold in others.
“I’ve got boxes to unpack still, but the game is set up downstairs and there’s plenty of beer.
Alex, Thomas, and Ethan file in one by one, shouting and greeting us with slaps on the back. I’ve known these guys since high school. Damon had a front-row seat to when I lost my shit over Quincy, but they were there too, in a way. Not so much in my apartment, or guiding me through healthy ways to deal with loss. Just in the way they always have been. They checked in on me, invited me out even when I kept declining. They were simply there and that made all the difference.
We’ve always been there for each other.
“My girl practically kicked me out,” says Thomas when all of us are in the kitchen, choosing our first-round picks for beer. “Begged me to spend a night with you assholes.”
Thomas and his girlfriend have been together at least six months now.
“When you popping the question?” Ethan jokes, “She sounds like a smart one.”
Thomas just smiles wider, not reacting to the taunt. The way he talks about her, always bringing her up, always smiling when we ask about her … it’s telling. He really cares about her.
“Mine was excited too,” says Alex. “She said she wanted to binge-watch this romance show on Netflix. I said I’d watch it with her, but she said she wanted to experience it the way it was meant to be experienced, whatever that means.”
“Means it’s going to be hot,” says Ethan. “So hot she won’t want you there to see it.”
Alex frowns. “Why wouldn’t she want me to see it?”
Ethan comments dryly as we make our way down the stairs to the table. “’Cause if it’s one of those historical shows, then you’ll have to witness how horny she is for a guy in a tricorn hat.” The laughter ricochets in the stairwell and the guys keep it moving, finding their place at the table and twisting off the caps to the beers.
“It’s about time we had a poker night,” says Damon. “How long has it been since the last one?” Damon was the last one to join this group. When he took me in, I took him in. Now he’s one of the crew.
“Too long,” I say. Months, at least. I used to love cards. We used to play once a week, and I looked forward to it even when I was with Quincy. It’s one of those things you walk away from feeling good. Like the world is right.
At that thought, I check my phone, searching for a message from Ella but find nothing.
As the guys chat and catch up, I open up the security app to find the living room empty. There’s a nagging twist in my chest, and I’m quick to search before finding her in her bedroom.
It’s too early for her to be in bed.
There’s the crack of the deck being shuffled as I tell them I’m headed up to get another beer. The guys are passing around pretzels and making a fucking mess of my table, and only Ethan is in need of another beer.
“I’ll get you one.”
Taking the steps two at a time, I text Ella.
Zander: Spread your legs for me.
Watching on my phone, I see her get the message and then peer up at the camera before doing as she’s told. Each heel digging into the mattress and her legs bent and spread wide as she lays back on the bed.
Just as she’s texting me, I test her.
Ella: Like this?
Zander: Fucking beautiful.
The fridge opens, delivering a cool sensation and the two bottles clink in my left hand as I text with my right.
Zander: Pet your pussy for me, I want to watch you come undone for me.
The quality of the camera and the app make it impossible for me to see with enough detail to fully enjoy this. Which is for the best, considering my current company.
I don’t have to have an up-close view to know my little bird is being greedy.
Zander: Not just your clit … I want to see you squirm.
I’m slower in my descent downstairs, satisfied that at the very least, my little bird is focused on pleasure now. She’s thinking about coming and obeying, about pleasing me and what rewards I’ll give her for being a good girl.
Zander: Good girl.
The sound is off, but as I retake my seat, her back arches on the bed.
Zander: Come for me, but be still.
My text goes unread for a second and then another.
Just as I’m ready to admonish her, she sees and stills, getting back into position after stripping off her nightgown.