Unforeseen desires : an unexpected encount

I'm not a second choice

I take a few steps and press the call button. The doors open, and as I start to enter, Darren grabs my arm.

"Go home," he says.

He really needs to repeat that? I got it the first time. Don't worry; I'll let you empty yourself with that blonde.

"You're deaf, Kelly," he says.

The blonde immediately lets go, offended.

"My name is Kara."

"Doesn't matter, get lost," he mutters.

She mumbles something incomprehensible and clicks her high heels on the floor as she enters the elevator.

"Jerk," she mutters as the doors close.

"Let go of me right now," I say, annoyed.

He releases me and raises both arms above his head innocently, a small smirk on his lips that irritates me.

"What are you doing here?" he asks innocently.

As if I hadn't interrupted him with his blonde bimbo, as if he really cared, as if he cared about me at all.

"Nothing, I was going home. You shouldn't have let her go; you won't be able to relieve yourself now."

I call the elevator again with rage, crossing my arms over my chest like an invisible barrier to protect myself. I've embarrassed myself enough; now I need to leave.

"Are you jealous, Ava?" Darren observes.

"I'm not jealous, damn it!" I reply angrily.

Darren laughs with a deep voice that makes my whole body vibrate.

"Okay, if you say so. What are you doing here?"

"I've embarrassed myself enough for the evening," I mutter to myself.

"You're not ridiculous, Ava."

The doors open in front of me, and I need to get in, leave this place, and go home. However, my feet are firmly planted, and they refuse to move.

"I was going to accept... I did the right thing since you can't keep it in your pants."

Even I don't know where I found the courage to stand up to him like this.

"We didn't promise anything, let alone exclusivity... you were going to accept?"

One point for Darren.

"Forget it; it's too early for you. With a bit of luck, you'll find a replacement."

"I already found one."

The doors close, and I'm still standing on the threshold, my back to him. I feel movement behind me, but I remain still. Darren positions himself right behind me; I feel his breath on my hair. He slides a hand under my hair, pulling it to one side of my face. He intentionally or unintentionally grazes my neck and sends shivers down my skin. I should move, break free, but I can't. I'm rooted in place.

His breath caresses my nape and the hollow of my neck. The tip of his fingers sensually traces a line from my neck, down my shoulder, to end on my bare arm. He swiftly turns me around and presses me against the closed doors, a habit of his in this place. I avoid meeting his gaze because I know that if I do, I'll get lost in it.

"She's right in front of me," he says.

I push him away, placing my palms flat on his chest. I can feel the rapid beats of his heart beneath one of my hands, almost as fast as mine. Understanding what I'm about to do, Darren immobilizes my hands on him by grabbing my wrists.

"Stay."

"I'm not a second choice, Carter."

Using his "real" name allows me to create distance between us, both physically and in this conversation.

"I won't replace anyone, Carter."

That last sentence, please don't respond to it; I don't really want to know.

"Tonight? So, you're still considering going through with it."

He doesn't give me time to formulate any response; he pushes my arms aside and presses his body against mine. I'm unable to move even a centimeter. The heat he generates penetrates my dress and spreads through every part of my body. His breath caresses my face as his eyes search mine. I struggle but eventually surrender. I lock my green eyes onto his blue ones and dive deep inside.

Desire is the dominant emotion I see, but there's also a hint of well-concealed regret. The tips of his fingers sensually caress my cheek, jawline, neck, until they disappear into my neckline. A part of me wants to move, to escape, to feel used, but it's outweighed by the desire for the pleasure he can provide. My intimacy awakens and throbs, waiting for relief, for him to relieve it with his hands, his mouth, his entire body.

He remains silent, but his eyes say it all. They express his desire to relieve both of us, to find pleasure. He sensually runs his tongue over his lips-those lips, I want them everywhere on me. How did I go from anger and sadness to desire with just a look? He has power; there's no other explanation.

I won't be his consolation prize tonight or any other night. I repeat this to myself like a mantra, giving me the strength to push him away. I don't know where this courage came from, but I'm thankful. I push him away, placing both palms on his chest. I can feel the beats of his heart under one of them; they're fast, almost as fast as mine. Realizing what I'm about to do, Darren immobilizes my hands on him by grabbing my wrists.

"Stay."

"I'm not a second choice, Carter."

"You've never been a second choice."

"Give me a break," I reply.

"It's late, Ava. We'll talk about it tomorrow if you want."

He releases my hands and steps back a pace. I glance around, searching for my purse that I must have dropped at some point. I crouch down to retrieve it next to my foot and then stand up.

"Let me at least call No..."

"Stay. I'll sleep in the living room. It's late, and it's chilly. Stay, Ava, please."

I eventually agreed to stay at the hotel with Darren. He wouldn't have let it go anyway, and I was starting to feel the cold of the night. The elevator doors closed behind us, and Darren turned to me, furious.

"What was that little act about?!" he roared.

I pretended not to understand and shrugged, studying his behavior closely.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Carter."

I deliberately emphasized his name and watched for his reaction. He winced visibly when he heard his name. He really doesn't like it when I call him that, apparently. All his muscles were tensed to the extreme, and he paced back and forth in the small space. Despite being taller than a traditional elevator, it was still less than ten square meters.

"That... that thing in the lobby with the receptionist? Were you flirting with him?"

Even better than I had imagined; I hadn't thought he'd get so worked up.

"I was just thanking him, nothing more," I innocently replied.

Darren laughed without really laughing and glared at me.

"You don't have to lecture me when you were about to sleep with that blonde," I retorted, unable to contain my annoyance.

A cold smile stretched across his plump lips.

"So, that's what this is about

. You didn't really want to thank him; you just wanted to annoy me because you saw me with her."

"Apparently, it's working."

The elevator ride ended, and the distinctive sound of the opening doors interrupted our verbal sparring. I exited first and rushed into the room. I tossed my bag across the bed and kicked off my heels, leaving them on the floor.

Darren entered the room and remained by the doorway, crossing his arms over his chest and sighing. As I remained silent, he turned around and closed the door behind him. Why had I agreed to stay? I should have gone home and told Noah everything; I needed his opinion on every step of my life.

I freshened up quickly in the bathroom and put on one of Darren's T-shirts that I found in a closet, which came down to mid-thigh on me.

"You can use the bathroom," I informed him by opening the doors.

Darren got up from the couch where he was sitting and circled around it before coming closer to me. His eyes seemed to sparkle when he scanned my body. He even bit his lower lip when his gaze stopped at the hem of the T-shirt, his T-shirt. His eyes remained fixed there for a while before he composed himself and passed me to freshen up as well.

I took advantage of his shower to start a new episode of Lucifer. Noah would scold me when he found out, but I wanted to know what happened next in the devil's adventures in Los Angeles, especially since the two protagonists were finally taking things to the next level.

"What are you watching?"

"Lucifer, but I can stop if you want to sleep."

"No, don't worry, go ahead and watch."

He settled down on the opposite end of the couch, wearing nothing but a sports shorts that hung low on his hips. A few water droplets still adorned his well-defined torso, and I wondered when he found the time to hit the gym between his work and conquests. I winced mentally at that word. I was one of his conquests, it seemed. One of many.

"Can you really compete with the devil, Carter?"

He got up and stood in front of me, with his back turned, and lowered his shorts to his knees. I burst out laughing and tilted my head back, then focused my attention back on the screen, right at the moment when the devil almost appeared entirely naked.

"You should've said so; if you wanted to see some ass, I would have volunteered to show mine," Darren tried to joke.

"Mmm, his are much better," I pointed at the screen, "Besides, from what I hear, he's a beast in bed."

I heard Darren choke next to me, and I couldn't help but burst into laughter at his reaction. Darren didn't make any more comments and continued watching the end of the episode beside me. He seemed so engrossed in the series that he started the next episode without asking. I didn't stop him and immersed myself in the show; I really wanted to see what happened next anyway.

After a while, Darren got up and reappeared a few seconds later with two glasses of juice, placing them in front of us. I was pleased to see that he remembered the drink I had last time, while watching a movie. I wouldn't see the end of this episode; my eyes closed on their own, and I drifted into sleep.

I blinked my eyes open to adjust to the light in the room. I realized I was in bed now, not on the couch where my last memory was. Darren was beside me, lying on his stomach. His regular breathing indicated that he was still asleep. The sheet covered him, hiding only the lower part of his body. I checked my attire and let out a sigh of relief; I was still wearing Darren's T-shirt and my panties.

"No, we didn't sleep together, Ava, at least not last night."

He turned his head, still half asleep, and placed his arm closest to me on my upper abdomen, just below my breasts.

"Good morning, my little leech," he said with a wink.

I must have blushed to the tips of my ears as I imagined gripping him with all my might so that he wouldn't let me go. I didn't understand why I was doing this; I never clung to Louis like this, even when everything was fine at the beginning of our relationship.

"Sorry," I looked away, avoiding eye contact.

"Don't be. You're good company. It's been a while since I've slept this well."

He got up and stretched his muscles just before getting out of bed. His morning erection was very present and not concealed by his shorts. He opened the bathroom door and stopped just before entering.

"The last time, you were here too."