The Lawyer and The Stripper

07 | Off-Limits

Soft hands slide down my neck and chest and run up my back before I feel the delicious sting of nails digging into my flesh. I am overwhelmed by the pleasurable caresses and the feel of my skin on hers, and her tongue dancing with mine.

Her skin is like a cooling balm to my burning body. I need more of it, want all of it, otherwise, I'm going to combust.

"Aiden," she whispers between our kisses and I move down to her neck and get further intoxicated with her scent.

Lilacs.

"Aiden," she calls out again but it sounds like she's moaning, her back arching from the mattress and pressing further into my naked chest. My name never sounded so good from anyone's lips. Her toned thighs feel so good against the side of my hips, making me yearn for more, for them to be over my shoulders instead.

A gasp. She trembles underneath my touch.

"Aiden, s-stop. Please," she whimpers, tugging my hair, sending more delightful shivers down my spine. I leave one more kiss on the skin in front of me before conceding when I feel a stronger tug.

"W-what?" With bleary eyes, I focus on the thing sparkling in front of me.

When my vision clears, I see it: a belly button and a silver ring with a clear jewel staring back at me. My confusion doubles when I realize my thumb is stroking the garter of a pair of black underwear that has slipped down her hipbone.

"Holy s**t!"

My senses return, making me jump off the bed as if I had touched a live wire. With my legs entangled in the duvet, scramble further from the bed, tripping a few times, sending objects on the desk and a chair toppling over. I don't stop until my back hits the cold wall beside the door.

Camille.

She is on the bed hugging a pillow to cover her half-nakedness, face flushed, lips swollen, and... is she crying? I blink a few times and she wipes her eyes with one hand.

Holy f**k, what have I done?

"Camille, I am so sorry. f**k, I am so, so sorry," I repeat over and over, asking her to forgive me, hoping she would, begging the earth to open up and swallow me whole. She speaks but I do not hear it. I am overcome with guilt; I could not look her in the eye.

How could that have happened? How did I lose control?

I make a mental note of the number of beers and alcoholic drinks I've had: nine. I think I have better tolerance than that. Besides, I would have started vomiting if I were drunk. And if I were, I would have ended up sleeping on one of the couches.

The mint.

What did Vince mean when he asked about taking candy from a stranger? The story is so simple and stupid that I want to bang my head against the dresser. I accepted candy from a f*****g stranger. It's a damn kindergarten warning about stranger danger and yet, here I am, seventeen – almost eighteen – and I took a damn 'candy' from a f*****g stranger.

Groaning, I rub my hands over my face and realize my glasses are missing. Did I wear glasses or contacts tonight? I don't even remember.

"There you are, you little shit." I jump out of my skin when Seb shouts, standing a few feet away from me beside the open door. The relief in his wide eyes is gradually replaced with delight when he sees the clothes and blanket on the floor, and ultimately morphs into shock when he sees Camille. "What the... f**k, I am so f*****g sorry! I didn't see anything! I'm leaving. Don't mind me, I was never here!"

He quickly turns around but bumps into another person trying to enter the room.

Great. Just great!

"Camille, are you all... oh my God, what did you do to her? You asshole!" I feel her shoe against my rib before her face registers in my brain.

"Audrey, stop! He didn't do anything!" Camille jumps out of bed in all her half-naked glory – white top and a pair of dark, low cut underwear – garter lower on one side, bed hair, swollen lips, toned tan legs that go on for days.

Help me, Jesus, I groan and cover my eyes. Now, I will never forget her.

"He didn't do anything? What the hell, dude?" Seb exclaims before he gets whacked by the short and violent Audrey, and I internally cheer.

"Your friend took advantage of a girl and you're condoning it? You son of a b***h!" Audrey launches Seb again but he deflects all attempted blows. Despite myself, I chuckle.

"Hey, watch it! Who're you supposed to be? Frodo's girlfriend?" Seb catches both of Audrey's wrists and holds her at an arm's length to avoid her blows, which is effective. Audrey is almost a foot shorter than my best friend and could not reach Seb even with her kicks.

"Ah-ah-ah," Seb warns, shaking his head, making Audrey halt. "Bite me and I will break your wrists, mushroom princess."

Camille pulls Audrey away, shushing her, whispering something to her ear, which makes her friend dial down her feistiness, wiping off the frown on her face. Camille continues to whisper and Audrey's eyebrows shoot up as she snaps her head towards me and covers the surprised gasp that slips her mouth.

"I'd love to stay and watch all this whispering and giggling, but, bro, if you're done here, we need to go," Seb says, holding out a hand to me, the smile on his face completely wiped out and replaced with the annoyed look which he rarely uses.

"You won't have a valid excuse to miss practice since Pancho knows you partied," he adds. He must want to leave immediately. That's good because I think I've had enough of this funhouse for the night.

"Thanks for the friendly reminder," I tell him, checking my watch while picking up my discarded clothes. It takes every ounce of resistance in me to not look in Camille's way but I fail at the last minute when she hands me my shoes and my eyes immediately snap to hers.

Even though the short jean skirt is back on her hips, the image of her body without it interrupts my thoughts and I have to snatch my things from her hand and turn away quickly, or otherwise risk another useless hard-on.

"Thanks," I tell her as I grab my shirt that was missing some buttons, hoping Seb would not notice.

But of course, he does.

"What happened to that?" he asks, smirking.

"Jaxx and his rampage," I lie on the fly. The corners of his mouth dip, holding back a smirk, telling me he doesn't believe me. "Let's go."

"Aye, aye, captain," he gives a snappy salute and lets me walk out, leaving the door behind him ajar.

"Come on, I'm so hungry I can eat a horse," Seb complains, as he catches up and walks half a step ahead. I let him lead, holding my questions until we've reached the destination. If I so much ask where Ace or Jaxx is, he would lose his concentration on the task at hand and the last thing I need is Miguel Sebastian forgetting that we are supposed to find his car and go home.

"You good? Was worried you might have passed out or drowned," he says as we slide inside his Honda Civic Si.

"Yeah, think I just had a little too much. Where's everybody else?"

He chuckles and shakes his head. "Everyone was already home when we realized you weren't with us."

If the encounter earlier didn't completely clear my mind, this confession wiped out the brain and vision fog. I blinked a few times and slowly turned my head, enunciating each word clearly to avoid any confusion. "You guys left me there?"

"How was I to know you weren't with Ace? You came with him so I thought you were riding back with him. But then he tells me he was busy with Jaxx and Cara and expected you to ride with me!"

"So what you're saying is, you guys forgot about me."

"Technically, no. We remembered but there was some miscommunication—"

I groan but begin to find the events of the night amusing, more than infuriating.

"But I'm here now, aren't I? I drove all the way from Pasig to the far side of Quezon city just to rescue you. That's got to be enough to forgive me," he says defensively, his voice a little higher than usual.

"Unbelievable."

"And I reminded you about basketball practice."

"You're unbelievable, Migs!"

"Okay, I deserve that. But am I forgiven at least?"

"If you drop me off the condo without a midnight snack, then maybe. I'll think about it."

His jaw drops and turns to me a couple of times before realizing that I am serious.

"Well, that's rough. If you insist though, I'll just – oh no, what's happening? Aiden, I can't stop this damn car! Go straight you heedless thing, I didn't say make a right!" He dramatically panics and pounds on the steering wheel, as if the car were Bumblebee and could make decisions for itself, but makes a slow stop at the window.

"I tried, I did. But what can we do?"

"Good morning, sir, welcome to McDonald's. May I take your orders please?" the guy in a white shirt and brown apron asks, smiling.

While I think he is a narcissistic prick sixty percent of the time, if he utilizes the remaining forty percent, he is not a bad person. In fact, he could be a good friend.

"A quarter pounder meal, regular fries, medium Sprite," I tell Seb, shaking my head yet looking forward to anything that would fill my growling stomach. I was thinking of making myself a sandwich when I got back to the condo, but, at this point in my insane evening, instant food is better.

He grins and rattles his list of food to the staff before turning to me, "Sundae?"

"Sundae." I nod, chuckling. He reaches behind the passenger seat, then hands me a cold bottle of water, making me laugh despite suspicion bubbling inside. My best friend is never extra nice for nothing, and I know that all this is not just for my forgiveness.

A few minutes later, we drive away from the golden arches, food occupying the cup holders, the console, and my lap.

"Jesus, dude, did you order half of the menu?"

"Ace and Jaxx are still up. Do you want to join us in El Valle?"

"I have practice at eight and my car is in the condo."

"Ace can talk to Pancho if you like," he offers, not taking his eyes off the road.

"You're crazy. And why would he listen to Ace?"

"Just offering, you know? You might want to hang out with us."

"You made me hang out with you, that's why I was at the party but you guys were nowhere around." I turn my head in time to see the familiar stores and shops across our university and realize that I will be home in the next few blocks. However, instead of making a left, Seb drives past the street and continues straight.

"Seb, I'm giving you the last warning. Turn around and take me home, now."

"Ooh, that would have been exciting if Nicole said those words to me," he smirks.

"Miguel." The complete first name delivered in a cold, stern voice does the trick.

"All right, all right. Such a party pooper. The U-turn slot is over there, so could you please stay in your seat and take that Sprite away from my head?"

I do as he says, intently watching him drive in case he pulls another trick. A few moments later, he makes the turn and I begin to settle back down, feeling satisfied. He enters the nearby gas station and slows down, but ultimately parks on the side, engaging the handbrake before turning to me and taking his large French fries from the bag on the console.

As soon as a mischievous smirk blooms amidst the freckles on his perpetually annoying face, I know what this stop is about.

"So, Camille."

"How do you even know her name?"

"How could I not? Everybody knows her," he scoffs and bites into several fries at once. I feel a pit in my stomach when he says those words and I don't know if it's because I feel like I've been fooled, or used, or that I am about to hear something awful about her.

"What do you mean 'everybody knows her'?" I ask, trying not to sound so interested or betrayed. But of course, she'd be popular. She is beautiful. It took one look and thirteen words for me to fall for her charm.

"Camille Salvador, Political Science student from UP. Gawks and gossip follow her everywhere. And so does trouble." His eyes drop to the cup in his hand, stabbing his sundae with a few fries and using them to scoop some ice cream before dunking the entire creation into his mouth.

Curiosity abounds in me as he gives me answers that only result in more questions in my head. Is it the guy who was pounding and shouting, shaking the house, looking for her?

"What trouble?"

"She's your responsibility, you f*****g useless tool! You had one job!" My grip on the innocent sandwich tightens as the words echo in my head.

Perhaps the guy is abusive – his angry shouts and the breaking objects could attest to that – and I was willing to help her out of her dilemma. But why does helping her now sound like a bad idea, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth?

He thoughtfully chews, brows furrowed, analyzing me from my head to the undressed burger I am slowly packing away before he tilts his head and confirms my suspicions.

"You know she's off-limits, right?"

I shake my head.

"Hate to break it to you, but she is," he says, making me raise a questioning eyebrow, determined to hear more even though I start to feel sick thinking about the worst possibilities.

"Something to do with the aggravating Witherstein brothers. I think she's a cousin, or sister, an ex, or maybe even their current girl. With those guys, you'll never know," Seb enumerates and the pit in my stomach grows bigger. "Maybe a drug mule or a pimp. I don't know. She's hot, but really not worth the trouble."

Fuck, she's with someone else and she had used me to avoid him!

I hum and nod, agreeing with his reason, but the unreasonable, nonsensical bit inside of me feels the exact opposite. I just hope I will still be strong enough to ignore this mounting feeling of curiosity and attraction toward the forbidden fruit.

⚖️ ⛓ ?