Someone is trying to pry my skull open with a crowbar. That’s the only way to describe the throbbing pain at my temples. I peel my eyes open. My vision is a bit hazy but the figures in front of me finally move into focus.
There are four things I notice.
The waiter is still here.
His knuckles are bruised.
Edwin has a cut on his lips.
There’s a small crowd watching us.
“Hey,” Edwin says and scurries to sit beside me. He takes both of my hands when I try to touch the side of my head. “Don’t do that, babe. The waiter hit you by mistake.” I look up to him and nod. Liar. Fucking liar. There is no way the waiter would have reached me. “I’m going to get him fired. But first, let’s get you to a clinic.” His lips descend over mine in a brief kiss I don’t respond to. “What’s wrong?”
The crowds have resumed their business, even the waiter is missing. I swipe my hand across my nose. “Nothing’s wrong. I want to go home.” Edwin chuckles. “I’m
It has been a week since I left the hospital and I think I’m perfectly fine. The concussion did give me grounds to request for two weeks leave which was approved immediately. And that was a big mistake. Why? I was so bored and so single I called Edwin. And he apologised. And my stupid self—for a minute—contemplated accepting his apology. My gaze falls to the ringing device on the vanity. It’s him. Edwin. I hit the reject button and place the phone face down. Unravelling my twists, I comb through it to let my bouncy curls fall down my shoulders. Maintaining kinky hair can be tough but once you figure out what works for your hair, life is easier. It takes another thirty minutes for me to finish dressing up. Never mind that I’m only going to Palace Gardens to search for my non-asshole waiter frenemy. I have to look good. When I finally make it out of the house, I have a dozen missed calls from Edwin. Throughout the ride, I rehearse my lines over
Left? As in, he walked out of the restaurant without letting me know? My head rounds up to Idem. He’s waiting for further questions. “What do you mean left?” “Today was his last day. He resigned. So he has gone.” I blink back the shock. My mouth drops open and I swallow hard. “Anything?” “No. Nothing at all. It’s fine. Thanks.” I pick up my handbag and almost break out in a run in my haste to leave this place. How did: in five minutes turn to: he already left? Scum. Men are scum. Paul. Edwin. Scum of the earth. I don’t remember much of the drive back home or the events after but the next day, I’m awake earlier than I should and ready for work though my leave hasn’t ended. If I had work, I wouldn’t have been at the restaurant. If I hadn’t been there, Paul wouldn’t have embarrassed me. He couldn’t have told me that he had to leave? My car slows as I near the path leading to my office. I’m still pissed. Our convers
Paul’s lips touch mine. He’s gentle, testing the waters. My lips part in a protest and his tongue slides into my mouth. His fingers find their way into my hair, tugging gently on my kinky curls from the root. I rotate my front against his slight bulge. His palm crawls up the side of my breast and the voice of reasoning leaves me. I want him. I need him. Our kiss deepens as we continue the lips tango. His hands move to my face, leaving me with a deep want for his touch on other parts of my body, on my core. To touch me in the ways Edwin never did. I moan against his lips, touching, feeling every part of him that my hands can reach until a phone rings. A phone that’s not mine. We separate to catch our breaths. My hand goes over my tingling lips, then moves to my cheeks. I can still feel the sparks, the tingles from his touch. I want more of it. I need more of it. The thought scares me and I try to itch away from him but he is not having it. His gr
Paul didn’t ask for my number. I didn’t ask for his. But we have a date. Today. This evening. How do we communicate? I have no idea. Two days since he fingered me in my car and my body hasn’t stopped playing images of that scene. I have orgasmed multiple times from the image alone. Did I ever come that fast with Edwin? I can’t remember. Our sex life was mostly dormant due to his hectic schedule. I tap on my keyboard and the laptop screen comes alive. One hour until my meeting with potential investors. My eyes soak in all the necessary details required to win a proposal, I pen down a few things and continue skimming. A knock on the door forces my head up. The next thing I do is survey my office. Everything is intact. Table, couch, mini fridge. Intact. “Come in,” I say, tucking the pen into its holder. The door opens but no one steps in. I stand. Might be the investors. One glance at my outfit—chiffon top tuck
Paul is on his way. He’s five minutes away. Why am I nervous? He called me babe and I did the same. He ate me out. We fucked on my office’s couch. So why am I shaking? I pace the length of my living room. A song is playing from the speakers positioned under my television but the lyrics are lost on me. My phone rings. I jump. Geez. This is fine. It’s just a date. What if he doesn’t ask me to be his girlfriend? He has to be the one to do the asking. I snatch the phone from the sofa. “Hey,” I greet. “I’m here,” comes his voice. Another wave of dread rolls through me. I clear my throat. “Cool. It’s apartment two.” The call ends. I tighten the robe around me and wait. Minutes later, there’s a knock on my door. I stalk to the door and open it. It’s him. It’s Paul in a tux. My breath ceases. My gaze trails him from head to t
“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned,” the feminine voice whispered. “It has been a week since my last confession.” The priest grunted for her to continue. “I’ve been a bad girl, Father.” She purred and hooked her finger under the strap of her bra, letting it down her shoulder slowly to reveal the swell of her breast. Her voice lowered to a throaty whisper. “A verryy bad girl and I’d like to be punished.” She put her hands together saying, “Please punish me as the Lord wills it.” “Our Lord Jesus is always willing to forgive our sins. His infinite mercy lasts forever.” Freya nodded. She needed more than words, she needed actions. Spanking. “Confess your sins, child.” Freya propped her elbows on the kneeler. The opening that separated her from the priest hid his face but his voice was familiar. Her nipples hardened to pebbles. She pressed her legs together. “I touched myself, Father.” Freya shivered from the memory. She could feel herself growing wet from the
“Baby?” Disappointment heavily coated that word, creeping into the air. Freya slapped her hands over her mouth and swallowed the rest of her words. She was not allowed to slip up during confession. “No. I meant Father.” A grunt came from the confessional. Freya’s eyes watered at the thought of getting an extra punishment in addition to this. Her husband wouldn’t fuck her if confession time didn’t go so well. The dim-lit room was silent for a long moment. She widened her legs for him, showed off the pussy she wouldn’t touch unless he permitted. “I’m sorry, Father. I accept my punishment.” “Take off your bra.” She undid her bra and her breasts bounced free. They hung low on her chest and she shivered. The AC made her nipples erect, she itched to fondle them but she wouldn’t. “Show me how you touched yourself. Please. . .” Freya’s hand moved to her taut nipple, she kneaded it between her fingers and breathed out a moan. “Don’t forget the ice.” She nodded. “Child
Our wedding is a small one, held in the backyard of my new home with my handsome husband. He is white, British to be exact. Brandon is his name. He’s a beautiful man to look at and I don’t mind spending the rest of our reception staring at him. His lips are not as thin as you will expect from a British man, they are full and pouty. Speaking of the devil, Brandon walks up to us with a glass containing similar content as the other guests. Our skin colour clashes. The white of his skin pales in comparison to the black of mine. I hope my parents were right about this marriage. I’m only doing this because of my love for them. He whispers into my ear, “You make a beautiful bride, El.” His words take a few seconds to settle in. When they do, my heart gallops and my nipples harden behind my sleeveless gown. He dumps his glass into the tray of a passing server. Wrapping his arms around my waist from behind, he tucks his head into the space between my neck and shoulder