Eros: The Obsession

Chapter Twelve

Caroline is putty in his arms. She clings to his side, teasing fingers winding around his waist and into his shirt as they walk back to his apartment. The apples of her cheeks burn pink with pleasure, eyes glazed over and hooded as she gazes up at him. Every other sound out of her mouth is a shy giggle or a whispered plea to get closer.

And Jun relishes in it.

He pulls her into his side with a firm, confident hand, his palms sneakily teasing the cleft of her ass as they walk. People shoot them dirty, disapproving looks as they go past but Jun couldn't care less, and it seems Caroline doesn't mind either, what with the way she lets him openly grope her in public.

"You know," she begins in a coy tone, "I always thought you had a thing for Tara."

"Really?" Jun asks, trying not to react to the mention of the reporter.

Caroline hums in affirmation. "I didn't think I stood a chance, honestly," she chuckles in embarrassment, "Not with the way you two seem to gravitate towards each other."

It's strange hearing that from her, given that he's only been working there for a few weeks. To have everyone so obviously call out his infatuation with Tara makes him feel a little on edge, but he tries to ignore the anxiety that washes over him in favor of the warm smile Caroline sends his way.

"Yet, here we are," Jun replies, pulling her closer to emphasize his point.

She giggles into his chest, soft locks of red brushing against the juncture of his neck as she lifts her head to place a delicate kiss to the side of his throat. Jun shivers at the gentle press of her lips against his skin, arousal pooling heavily within his gut.

If he closes his eyes, he can almost imagine that Caroline's dainty fingers are Tara's more slender, bonier ones. He imagines that her giggle is just an octave lower, reminisce of the breathy chuckles Tara makes when she's especially embarrassed or shy about something. But then a gentle breeze hits them, ruffling Caroline's hair as the scent of her perfume wafts up to his nose.

It's heavy, thick and laced with the too sweet scent of candy and manufactured strawberry. She smells exactly like he expects someone like Caroline to smell – but the scent is so different to Tara's more subtle blossom scented perfumes, that it puts him off completely, ruining the little fantasy he'd had in his head.

He should feel guilty, he knows, but a part of him doesn't care that he's using this eager, needy woman to meet his own needs because she's not Tara – and he doesn't care about hurting someone that isn't the feisty but gentle-hearted reporter he'd first fallen for. Only, now she's ignoring him and Jun's s****l frustration has reached an all-time high, unable to be suppressed any longer.

So he returns Caroline's heated glances with equally heated ones of his own, even though he might be picturing someone else when she whispers about all the things she wants to do to him.

When they finally arrive at his apartment complex, he sees the way her smile falters just a little and the already diminishing guilt he'd felt is snuffed out entirely. He sees the way she takes in the rusted gates, the paint chipped walls, yellowed with age; he sees the way she eyes the security guard that lets them in with a look of distrust; sees the way her nose crinkles in distaste when she nears the stairwell, reeking of stale urine because their stairs never get cleaned – and he knows that he's picked the right kind of woman for what he needs tonight.

"There's no elevator?" she asks when he leads her to the staircase.

Jun shakes his head, "No, sorry." He gives her a sheepish smile even though what he really wants to do is roll his eyes at her sudden entitlement. Of course his building doesn't have an elevator – most of the apartment complexes outside the city don't. But, Jun surmises, he expects someone as spoiled as Caroline to not know that.

He drums his fingers along the edges of her spine, voice dipping into something low and sultry as he asks, "Will that be a problem?"

The way she melts into his touch, immediately growing docile again, makes his chest burn with vicious pleasure. "No," she shakes her head, taking his hand and winding her fingers through his as she leads him up the steps.

He smirks in approval, waiting for her to take a few steps up before he swoops down to drop a kiss to her neck. "Good," he murmurs, relishing in the way she shivers at his touch.

Her reactions renew the arousal that had previously dissipated and Jun finds himself looking forward to their little rendezvous, despite having reservations about her during their dinner. Now, as she preens under his attention, looking to please him with her reactions, he finds anticipation bubbling within his stomach.

When they reach his apartment floor, Jun's gaze looks out ahead with eagerness. When he sees that Tara's lights are still on, he leads Caroline down the hallway, planting kisses against her face and neck as they go. Just as they near Tara's door, Jun spins Caroline around to face him before pushing her against the rusted balcony railings.

The dim light from the outside bulb glows around her, creating a backlight that accentuates the red of her hair. She giggles as his hips press into hers with a teasing flush. His teeth drag along the column of her neck, tongue mapping out the sweet spots he unearths by the sounds of her little whimpers. When he finds a particularly sensitive spot, Jun bites down, his tongue laving against her skin with intention. She mewls loudly and Jun grins into her neck as he continues his minstrations.

He's rewarded for his efforts when he hears the door behind him swing upon. Both he and Caroline are assaulted by a bright light that pours out from the open hallway. She gasps in shock, pushing him off of her as she moves to quickly straighten out her clothes.

"I'm so sorry-" she begins to say but cuts herself off when she properly takes in the figure standing at the door. "Tara?"

"What are you doing?" the reporter snaps, almost unkindly. "It's almost eleven."

Caroline relaxes then, a pleased smirk curling its way over her lips. "Sorry, did we wake you?" she asks coyly and Jun almost laughs at the audacity of this woman. "We just got back from a date." She says it like it's been a reoccurring thing but Jun does nothing to contradict her statement.

He knows he's made the right choice when he turns around and spots the jealousy in Tara's narrowed gaze. The reporter's eyes flit to Jun then, taking in the low cut of his shirt, the flush of his cheeks and the way his lips are parted and kiss-swollen. Her gaze stays on the swell of his mouth for a beat too long and it sends a lick of satisfaction up Jun's spine. He sees the obvious longing in her expression, the envy when he steps up next to Caroline and wraps his arm around her waist.

"I'm sorry," Jun says in a low, scratchy voice dripping with intent. "We'll try be quiet." He has no intention of doing so but the comment makes Tara bristle with anger, serving it's purpose.

Caroline snickers and hums her agreement as Jun leads her to his door. He opens his apartment with a quick flick of his fingers, pushing her into the hallway with a rough shove of his hand and she goes with a pleased huff of laughter.

When they're inside his apartment, she turns and jumps up, winding her legs around his waist. "I have no intention of being quiet," she mutters in a throaty tone, nipping at his lower lip with a playful grin.

"Neither do I," Jun replies with a salacious grin.

He grabs the globes of her ass in his palms and hoists her up, stumbling into the lounge. Jun veers to the left, ignoring his bedroom completely. Instead, he settles Caroline on the couch that leans against the wall in his lounge – the wall he shares with Tara's bedroom.

There, he undresses Caroline with deft fingers, rough palms pressing into her skin and drawing out sinful moans from her mouth every time he finds a particularly delicate spot. She's a more than willing partner, and Jun suspects that she might be playing up her pleasure for the sake of Tara.

He spends a long time simply just taking Caroline apart, over and over again until she's a begging mess. He doesn't usually spend so much effort on a casual hook-up but he imagines the angry, jealous look in Tara's eyes and it spurs him on even more.

When he finally enters Caroline – with a condom wrapped around himself – he sets a rough, unforgiving pace. The woman whines under the force of his thrusts, words almost incoherent save for the broken moan of his name, repeated over and over like a prayer.

She climaxes around him twice before Jun finally gives into his own pleasure. He lets himself imagine Tara, sees her sitting on the other side of the wall, fingers buried within herself and envious tears dripping down her face as her arousal drips onto the bed. That's the image that finally sends him over the edge, and Jun comes with a broken whisper of her name. Thankfully, Caroline is too out of it to properly register Jun's words.

She stays the night, but Jun only lets her because he relishes the look on Tara's face in the morning when she's woken up by the sounds of loud, unabashed morning s*x.

He watches as Caroline sprawls across the white of his sheets, her hair splayed out like wild flames above the pillows. Her chest rises and falls in rhythm with the drag of his fingers across her arm, the peeks of her n*****s swollen and inviting.

Jun's libido is hardly sated but he knows that she won't be up for round two that night, so with a resigned sigh, he turns over and shuffles out of bed. He pads into the hallway on bare feet, the cool press of the wood refreshing on his too hot skin. The air feels chilly against his naked body but Jun can't be bothered with clothes so he walks out the room without covering himself.

He makes his way over to the kitchen, throat sore and scratchy from overuse. Opening the cupboard, he pulls out a tumbler and walks over to the tap to fill himself a glass of water. The liquid feels good, sliding down his throat and soothing the raw ache that he had developed. He fills himself another glass, downing this one with more intent. When he pulls the tumbler away, he gasps gently, refreshed and a little out of breath.

Inhaling deeply, Jun leans against the counter and closes his eyes, trying to center his thoughts. He doesn't think about anything in particular but there's an empty feeling in his chest – growing the longer he had stared at Caroline – and as he stands there, he feels the weight of it crushing his heart.

Swallowing around the lump of emotion it had stirred up, Jun turns with the intention of getting himself another glass of water – and that's when he hears it.

Soft, muffled crying, coming from the wall behind him. The wall he shares with Tara. Not believing his ears, he pads over to the lounge and presses against the wall silently, holding his breath as his ears strain to listen.

He hears sniffling and a quiet hiccup, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of hurt, little whining cries. He's heard Tara cry enough to know that the sounds belong to her and his heart shatters at the realization.

He wants to rush over and ask who's hurt her so intensely – but he knows that the answer is himself. Jun caused the sad, pitiful little sounds that she makes and guilt settles over him, solid and resigned.

"I'm sorry," he mutters, leaning his head against the wall and grimacing in regret when he hears a particularly loud sniffle.

He stays there for as long as it takes Tara to fall asleep, and even then, he only moves to grab himself a blanket and a pillow.

Jun doesn't dream that night and for the first time, it makes him feel a little empty.