Page 13 of Dark Rules

“No!” He barked, and I pulled my hand away. “Touch yourself, but don’t touch me. Not unless you want this over in seconds.”

I didn’t, so I found the slippery knot of my clit and pushed into it gently with the pad of my finger. This was too much. I’d come too fast, I thought, but then, I didn’t care. His pace picked up to a point that was almost brutal, but I loved it. I wanted it. I wanted him wild and unleashed. When I felt a pulse within myself, familiar but different when he was inside of me, I heard him gasp. He felt that fluttering, did he? I had no idea it would feel like that, but the surprise didn’t distract me.

In fact, it felt even more spectacular than when I came without him inside of me. “Dylan…”

“Too late, baby.” And he was right.

“Fuck!” I almost said the safe word. We’d forgot a condom. But he hit something in me, and the wave that had started to subside crashed all over again.

Once wouldn’t hurt. And never again, I promised, but didn’t say it. I couldn’t, not when my mouth was open in a silent scream.

“Fuck!” he cried out behind me, and I felt a hard pulse that rolled up into me deeper, and my eyes went wide in surprise. So that’s what it felt like. No wonder women liked it so much.

But then he pulled out, and the rest of his seed jetted onto my back. He’d remembered far too late. All it took was that one drop, but I should be fine.

It wasn’t time for that, anyway. I was pretty regular, and knew that I’d missed my fertile period already. “It’s okay.”

I assured him and handed him the towel I’d dried off with earlier. He cleaned us both up, and then, he surprised me. He got under the covers with me and pulled me close.

“I don’t want to get you pregnant, Stephanie. We barely know each other.” He eased the sting of that when he pulled against my shoulder and rocked me against him. “I am not ready for that, and somehow, I have to think you aren’t ready to give up exploring this side of you yet.”

“You’re right. I don’t want a child any more than you do. It’s not part of my plan.” I smiled and pulled away. “We can’t let that happen again. Do you want some juice? I have some in the kitchen.”

“Yeah, that’d be nice.” He smiled and sank down into the pillows, a hand behind his head to watch me as I left.

The offer of a drink was more than hospitality; it gave me a minute to run through the house and hide anything that might have escaped my earlier assault on the house. I’d hidden anything with my name on it: bills, letters, diplomas, notes, anything before I’d even left for his place. I knew he could show up at my place, as he knew where it was now, and that could sink all of my plans. I didn’t want him to know who I was. I grabbed my bag, threw it in a closet, then ran into the kitchen to get two glasses of orange juice.

I took them into the bedroom with a smile and glanced at my phone on the bedside table. There wasn’t a lot he could learn from that. I didn’t have any letters or anything in table either, so the room was safe; I could relax.

If I ever decided to tell Dylan who I was, it would be on my terms, and I thought he would respect that. I handed him the glass of orange juice, confident that my identity would remain concealed for now.

“Thanks.” He sat up, gave me a kiss, and relaxed against my pillows. “So this is what your bedroom looks like?”

“Yeah, like you, I’ve only just moved in. I was living in, uh, New York, until then.” I’d actually spent more time in Charlotte over my life, than anywhere, but I didn’t want to give him that location. That was the headquarters for the family now, and I didn’t want to give him a reason to connect the two.

“You don’t sound like a northern girl,” he said with a grin.

“As if you’d know with that Midwestern accent of yours.” I laughed and snuggled close. “I was only there for a little while. I’ve lived in North Carolina most of my life.”

“That explains it then. I guess I can understand. And my accent isn’t Mid-western. I’ve just been there so long, I sound like I am. My adoptive parents took me to Kansas a long time ago, and well, I guess it wore off on me.” He looked away, and I knew it wasn’t the right time to probe. We had time, if we so chose. For now, I decided it was best to just snuggle down with the man who had just taken my virginity and try not to text Roxie like a teenager gone mad.

Dylan

It occurred to me a long time ago that each day is a new page, a new chance to live a different life. The point in life, when the thought first occurred to me, I was depressed, moody, and riddled with guilt. The James family came along, gave me a new name, and saved me. My life became an effort to repay that kindness, while at the same time, I became a business tycoon. It was like I became two different people, a son to the people I called Mom and Dad, and a threat to those who got in my way, or the way of my business.

As I took over more of the roles my father once filled, life became the same, every single day. Occasionally, there’d be a competitor to take out, or someone who wanted to sabotage my business, but I dealt with all those problems swiftly. I didn’t brood over my past anymore, or the burden of guilt that I’d hidden deep inside of me; I just lived each day.

As I woke up to the warm, soft curves of the formerly virginal Miss Stephanie, I remembered that long ago thought. She’d changed each day for me now; she’d become a reason to be curious. Curiosity was something I’d left behind, something I’d replaced with a drive to eliminate competition and to succeed. From the moment I’d laid eyes on her, she’d changed my thoughts. It was an odd realization, but it was true; I was curious. What life would I live today?

Reality came flooding back in swiftly, though. She might make me curious, amongst other things, but she was only a fling. I eased away from her and slid from her bed. For a moment, I sat on the edge of the bed while my hands scrubbed at my face. This wasn’t a good idea, I knew that, but it was too late to worry about consequences. I glanced back at her sleeping form and grimaced. Already, I wanted more time with her, and that was dangerous. I didn’t need the distraction.

My brain knew it, said it was logical to walk away and forget her, but I could not make my body obey on that front. Maybe my brain was a little rebellious too, I thought with a wry grin. Stephanie was sultry and far too delicious to give up just yet. When this contract was done, I’d walk away. I’d promised myself that as I went to find a bathroom. I showered and cleaned myself up as much as I could, brushed my teeth with a toothbrush I’d found amongst several that hadn’t been opened yet in a drawer, and dressed before the sun had even come up.

I didn’t sleep much these days, but I’d had a restful night next to Stephanie. I squashed the thought that came after and went into her kitchen. I found a pad and pen on the fridge and wrote a note. Quietly, I took it to her bedroom and left it beneath her phone. I had work to do. I headed back to my place after a stop for some drive-thru breakfast and a cup of coffee. I opened my laptop up to check my email.

My work day didn’t always start in an office, especially here in South Carolina. I didn’t have an office yet, not really. My mom had sent me an email, so I opened it. She’d tried to call but hadn’t been able to reach me. Dad was sick, not feeling too well, and she was going to take him to the doctor. That had been yesterday; how was he today?

A stroke earlier in the year had left Dad a little worse for wear, but better off than some. It had been caught quickly and treated, so he was luckier than most. He couldn’t use his right arm, and when he was tired, he slurred his words. The stroke had impacted his overall health and mental faculties. He’d forget things sometimes, and he was prone to illnesses now.