“So, this is me,” Sephy says with a smile as we reach her door. “Oh, you better come in for a moment, I never gave you my cell phone number, did I? I almost forgot.”

  I follow her inside while pulling my phone out to hand it to her. She kicks off her heels with a sigh of relief and drops her hand bag on the bed before spinning around to look at me. She slips the phone from my hands, brushing her fingers against me as she does. I don’t know if she meant to do that or not, but it makes me feel all excitable, like something might actually happen.

  Stop it, I warn myself sharply. Nothing can happen, don’t forget that!

  “Right… I’ve put my number in, so I guess the ball is in your court.” Oh God, she sends me a flirty smile that makes it impossible to keep my hands to myself. “So, I guess message me or whatever.”

  Our eyes connect for a few seconds and I find my breaths coming out sharper and more ragged. I can barely hear over the racing, pounding of my heart beat. The dangerous sensation that’s been floating between us ever since we first made eye contact in the church floods to the surface and I can barely contain myself. My fingers itch with need to hold to her, to feel her, to have her.

  And then I don’t know what happens, but we’re connected. I don’t know who makes the first move but our lips have crashed together and Sephy’s hands are in my hair. I have my arms around her waist and I’m pulling her close to me. I know it’s wrong, she knows it’s wrong, but still we’re kissing…

  Oh my God, and it feels so fucking good. This certainly isn’t the first kiss that I’ve ever had, but it’s the most powerful. It knocks me off my feet. I’m drowning, I can’t get to the surface, and in the heat of the moment I really don’t want to. I want to remain here with Sephy.

  “Should I shut the door?” I gasp as we finally break apart. I know if I do then this is going to go further, but of course I totally respect her if she doesn’t want me to. This has come as a shock for both of us so if she needs a moment to process this, and even if she wants to kick me out, I get it.

  “Yes,” she pants, nodding enthusiastically. There’s a wildness in her eyes, she looks like I’ve unleashed something in her which pleases me. Sephy is someone who needs desire and passion but since I hardly know her I don’t know if she’s had it recently… or ever. “Shut it.”

  As I slam the door closed I can’t believe that I didn’t notice Sephy that night when I supposedly met her, but I don’t recall that night at all. I would think that I’d spot her instantly, she’s so striking, but clearly I didn’t. I suppose I was in a different place then, I was probably all excitable about travelling. The timing was all wrong. Of course, it isn’t much better now. Our siblings wedding day…

  I shut that thought out, I don’t want to remember all the reasons why we shouldn’t be doing this, and I turn back to look at Sephy. Her flushed cheeks, her bright smile, the way that her hands rest on her hips makes her look wonderful. This might be nuts, but the passion is so intense I want this to happen. I slide back over to her and I kiss her hard and fast, needing to get back to where we were.

  Sephy moves backwards towards the bed and as soon as she stops with her thighs against the wooden frame, I hook my hands behind her and I grapple with the zip of her dress. It isn’t easy to tug down, it seems to be completely molded into her body, but eventually I manage it. The lilac material falls away and all I’m left with is her stunning, curvy frame.

  “Wow, you’re so beautiful,” I tell her honestly as I run my eyes over her body. Her pale skin glistens in the moonlight , her dark blonde hair swings to her shoulders, the darkness of her underwear draws my attention to those wonderful round breasts of hers. “Seriously, Sephy, so beautiful.”

  “Well, you aren’t so bad yourself,” she replies with a smirk while her fingers find my shirt buttons. She tugs at them slowly, pulling them out of the holes as if it’s all part of a sexual dance.

  Her tongue runs across her top lip in such a sexy way that I almost explode. There’s a powerful stirring in my pants, a stiffening that requires satisfaction. The anticipation of what’s to come is heightening by the second, I can barely wait to be inside of her, to feel what’s it’s like to fuck her, to see her face contort in pleasure as I send her to the brink of pleasure.

  I can’t take it anymore, I’m too desperate for words. While Sephy tugs the jacket and shirt from my body, I unhook her bra and watch it flutter to the ground. I’m left staring at the most incredible set of breasts ever. They’re round and pert, much bigger than a handful. I touch one lightly, groaning at the sensation of her rock hard nipple between my fingers. Sephy moans and tosses her head back.

  I travel my free hand down her body to the outline of her underwear. She’s pulsing needily for me, I can sense it, which means she wants this just as much as I do. The thought of her wet heat has my fingers sliding further down until I find what I’m hunting for.

  “Oh fuck, you’re so wet,” I gasp while resting my head on her shoulder. “So hot.”

  “All for you,” she gushes back while nudging her legs apart. “You’ve done this to me.”

  I love knowing how much I’ve turned Sephy on and I want to show her the same, so I grab her delicate hand and I press it to my thick cock. Her eyes widen in happy shock and she smiles gleefully.

  “Oh my,” she gasps. “What are you trying to do to me? You have no idea how sexy you are.”

  I life her up, kissing her hard while she wraps her legs around me, then we crash onto the bed together with our limbs intertwined with one another. My hands are all over Sephy’s body and her hands are all over me. The remaining scraps of material that are in our way shed until we’re both completely and utterly naked. Only a sheen of sweat is between us.

  “Do you have a condom?” Sephy begs me while I plunge my fingers in and out of her. Her delicious expression is too much, I want more, I want everything. “I want you to fuck me.”

  I don’t need to be asked twice. I whip my hand away and reach into my trouser pocket. Maybe it’s a bit presumptuous to bring protection with me, but I’ve learned in life that sex can surprise me anywhere. I find it better to always have something with me just in case. The last thing I want is to get cock blocked by my own idiocy. I can’t have sex without protection, that’s too dumb for words, especially when it isn’t with a girlfriend, so it’s better to always have something.

  “Pass it here.” Sephy props herself up into a sitting position and she snatches the condom from me. I watch in sheer awe as she tears the packet open with her teeth and she rolls it down over my steel rod. Her chest rises and falls as pleasure gets the better of her. “There we go.”

  I grab her thighs and yank her down to the edge of the bed where I stand between her legs and I edge my way into her. My knees sag a little, but it hardly matters because this incredible girl fits me like a glove and feels incredible to fuck. Her walls clamp down around me and Sephy clings to me desperately. As she holds onto me, her head flings backwards and the soft skin of her neck is exposed.

  I can’t resist, I lean down and I kiss and suck that gorgeous bit of flesh.

  “Oh shit,” Sephy cries out as I thrust in and out of her. “That feels so good, Alex.”

  The way my name rolls off her tongue sounds so sexy that I need to give her more. I slide my hand between our bodies and I head straight for her clit which I can tease with my fingers while still thrusting as hard and fast as she commands with her legs that are wrapped around me. This causes her to dig her nails into me and scream loudly. I can’t help but wonder if we’re waking the whole hotel up… not that I care. This feels so amazing that I wouldn’t stop even if everyone walked in the room.

  Sephy buckles and shudders, yelling as the orgasm crashes through her body. I hold her tight, wanting to feel every millisecond of her writhing. There’s something so intense about this moment that I want to commit it to my mind forever more. Sephy is different, special.

  “Oh fuck.” Finally the pleasure claims me too and it explodes from my body. “Oh Sephy.”

  The orgasm is intense and powerful, it racks through my entire body and leaves me a deflated, exhausted mess. I collapse onto the bed next to Sephy and we lie there in a hot post coital moment of sheer bliss.

  At least that’s what it is until Sephy speaks again. “That shouldn’t have happened,” she laughs breathlessly. “It was a bit nuts, wasn’t it? Maybe we should keep this just between us so it doesn’t get complicated… and definitely not do it again!”

  My chest deflates, even though her words are right they destroy me a little bit. I think I might like her more than she likes me which isn’t a position I’ve ever found myself in before.

  “Right yeah…” I lean from the bed to grab my clothes. “Maybe I should go then…”

  5

  Persephone

  “So, Molly want this to be statement room,” Jessica comments with a discrete eye roll as she takes me into the living room. I’ve worked with Jessica for long enough now to know what she means just by her facial expressions. This means ‘Molly is a high maintenance woman with too much money and time, and not enough sense’. I have to say, I agree. “That means lots of animal prints.”

  “Are we going subtle or not?” We have to be polite even if we don’t feel like acting that way, just in case someone over hears us. “Like full on animal print, or just hints of it?”

  “I think we should make up some mood boards for both and see what feels right.”

  I nod seriously and scribble down some notes. I sort of fell into this job really, Jessica needed someone just as I got made redundant from a flagging call center company, so the time was perfect. I felt dubious about working with a friend but as it turns out it’s worked out well. We get on brilliantly and I’m very content to do what I’m told. As long as I remember this is Jessica’s business and not mine, it’s fine. I will share my opinion, but mostly I’m on the pay roll and that’s it. Is it something I want to do forever? I don’t think so, but for the time being all is good. I’m content.

  At the opportune moment, I tug my cell phone out of my pocket and I glance at the message that’s been begging for my attention for the last ten minutes. I smile as I read over the words.

  ‘Just sitting in my father’s office, hating life, remembering the night of the wedding xxx’

  “Who is that?” Jessica demands with her hands firmly planted on her hips. “You’ve been messaging someone all day long and whoever it is keeps making you grin like a mad woman.”

  A hot blush fills my cheeks as I realize I haven’t been quite as discrete and I would’ve liked. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Jessica. I know I shouldn’t be using my phone while working…”

  She holds up her hands to stop me in my tracks. “No, you aren’t in trouble.” She flicks her long auburn pony tail over her shoulder. “I just want to know who has got you so happy.”

  I bite down on my bottom lip, knowing I should keep all of this inside. It’s complicated enough without me revealing any of the details about me and Alex to anyone else. We promised to keep it to ourselves, but I’m pretty sure that we aren’t supposed to be messaging either. When he walked out the hotel room after we’d done the deed, I didn’t expect to hear from him again. I certainly didn’t expect to wake up to a few messages from him telling me how awesome I am.

  I like him. I like him way too much. I know I shouldn’t, I keep telling myself not to, but I do.

  “It’s a guy, actually.” Jessica grabs onto my arm and she gives me a very excitable look. She knows what happened with Bobby and Erica, she’s probably aware why I keep a bit of a distance between us now, but she looks happy. Clearly she’s hoping this is something. “Someone from the wedding.”

  “Someone you hooked up with?” I don’t answer but my shy smile seems to give me away. “Oh my goodness, it’s been far too long since you’ve had some gossip. Tell me everything.”

  I pause for a moment, wondering if this is a good idea. I really want to tell someone about this, and Jessica is a good bet. I know for a fact that she’s had some dubious flings of her own, so she shouldn’t really judge me, and also she doesn’t have much connection to my family. There isn’t really any reason that she should have anything to say about the situation. I hope she just listens.

  “He was the best man,” I say quietly, as if someone might overhear my gossip. “Marcus’s brother.”

  Jessica is silent for a beat too long. “Are you serious?” she gasps eventually. Her hands clutch to her chest as if she can barely breathe now. “You slept with your brother in law?”

  “No, urgh!” My entire body recoils in disgust. “He isn’t my brother in law, is he? Marcus is. I guess Alex is the brother in law to Liza, but he isn’t anything to do with me. Not like that.” I don’t like the way that Jessica’s words make me feel. I don’t think she’s right but it’s not nice to think of. “He’s just… well that night he was just a guy. It isn’t like anything is going to become of it.”

  “But you’re texting.” Jessica points to my phone in confusion. “Isn’t that complicated?”

  The whole mess is complicated, I know that. I knew it the day of the wedding which is why I tried my hardest to keep away. It’s not my fault that there’s such a chemistry between us, I couldn’t help it. I wanted to avoid him but the emotions there were just too intense. And now, even with a distance between us, I can’t stop. He’s like an addiction that I just can’t shake.

  “We’re only friends now.” I back track with a shrug. “He’s just cool to talk to, that’s all.”

  “I’m warning you, men and women can never just be friends.” Jessica shakes her head. “Especially if they’ve hooked up before. Trust me, I know. This might be fun, but it’s complex.”

  I shove my phone away while vowing never to speak of it again. I knew I should’ve kept me and Alex between just us. If Jessica has reacted in such a strange way then there’s no telling how my family would take the news. I doubt Liza would like it, or Marcus. Then there’s his parents… no, the idea makes me want to shudder with sickness. It’s better to keep it a secret.

  “Anyway, let’s get these mood boards created, try and work out what Molly wants.”

  * * *

  I lie on my bed staring up at the crack in my ceiling while my mind whirs. My apartment is tiny and a little bit grotty, it certainly needs a whole bunch of renovations, but I don’t mind that. I’ve had to make a lot of sacrifices to live alone, especially on my budget, but I always knew that living by myself was something that I wanted to do at least once in my life time. I set the goal and achieved it however I could. After living with Bobby and it all going wrong, I need my space, especially tonight. I need to be alone and just think. There’s so much racing through my mind that I have to process by myself.

  My cell phone is filled with messages from Alex, the only guy I’ve liked in a very long time and the one I cannot be with. It’s hard because I think he might like me too. If he didn’t, I could step back and never think of him in that way again, but if he does then my emotions will only grow.

  Maybe I should call him, I decide. Tell him we need to stop the flirty, risky texts. Even if I like them.

  I push myself into a sitting position and I make the call before I can give myself the chance to change my mind. I’ve been battling back and forth all day long and I cannot keep torturing myself. I need to set the record straight so it isn’t on my mind anymore. I don’t want my whole life to be consumed by an ill-advised one night stand. If we’re going to text, I need to clear the air.

  “Oh boy, am I glad to hear from you.” As soon as I hear Alex’s words my heart skips a beat. Does he have to have such a lovely voice? “Your messages have been the only thing to get me through my first day in the corporate world. If it wasn’t for you, I would be on a plane already.”

  I laugh as the tight knot of anxiety loosens in my chest. All the words I planned to say only moments ago vanish from my mind while I clutch the phone tighter to my ear in an attempt to feel him.

  “It can have been that bad?” I ask him with a bemused voice. “I mean, you look good in a suit.”

  “For a wedding, yes, but for everyday life I’m much more comfortable in board shorts.”

  An image of that thick muscular body of his in more casual clothing while he struts up and down a beach somewhere in Asia fills my mind. Board shorts showing off his strong legs, a tank top giving me a good view of his muscles, a sheen of sweat covering his tanned skin…

  Stop it, I curse myself. This phone call isn’t for me to create a fantasy in my mind.

  “So, you aren’t enjoying working for your dad then?” I return to a neutral topic to calm down my thoughts. “You don’t feel like you are living the dream working in… what is it again?”

  “Finance,” he groans. “The stock market. All terribly dull stuff, not me at all. I’m finding it really hard, but what else am I supposed to do? This is what my dad wants for me.”

  If it were me, I’d kick off and refuse, but I guess I see Alex’s problem. His dad is a terrifying man. I don’t know if I’d be able to take him. I’d probably find myself doing what was demanded of me too.

  “Well that sucks. Maybe we should hang out some time so you can bitch about it.”

  I cringe as those words fall out my mouth, did I really just ask Alex out? I can’t remember exactly what I was supposed to be saying, but this definitely wasn’t it. What the hell is wrong with me?

  “I think I might need to pull a few late nights while I get into the swing of things,” Alex answers cautiously, only making me feel a million times worse about everything. “But after that, sure. I would love that. I’m gagging for a night out on the town. It’s been so long I can’t remember any of the cool places to go.” I giggle, feeling exactly the same way. “Hey, maybe we should head out to that wine bar, see if we can remember the first time we met one another. Maybe it’ll all come screaming back.”