THE AFFAIR II: The Morning After
1586 Words
|CIRCE|
The door clicked shut, and the tension snapped.
His hands were on me instantly, mouth claiming mine in a fierce, bruising kiss. My fingers tangled in his hair as he pressed me against the wall.
“Damn, you’re wet.” His hands slid under my dress, finding the slick heat between my thighs. He pushed one finger inside slowly, teasingly.
“So tight.” His voice was gravel against my ear. “You like that, huh?”
“Yes.” My head fell back. “Please—”
“Spread your legs wider.”
I obeyed. He added a second finger, moving in that taunting rhythm, his thumb pressing exactly where it drove me mad. I teetered on the edge—
He pulled away.
I trembled from the sudden emptiness and whimpered. The crinkle of foil answered my unspoken question. Then the heavy jingle of his belt buckle hitting the floor.
He drove me back against the wall, hands anchoring my hips. No gentleness as he pushed inside me, just slow, and searing invasion. A grunt ripped from his chest as he lifted me, my back scraping cheap plaster.
“Feel that?” His voice was rough. “Feel how good you are?”
“Yes.” I could barely breathe. “Move. Please.”
His dark chuckle vibrated through me as he thrust harder, and deeper. He carried me to the bed, flipped me onto all fours, fingers bruising my hips as he pounded into me from behind.
He grabbed a fistful of my hair, pulling my head back. A cry tore from my lips.
“You’re going to walk bow-legged tomorrow.”
“f**k!” I screamed as my world shattered.
He didn’t stop. Relentless, he drove me over the edge again and again until I lost count. When he finally found his own release with a guttural roar, I collapsed beneath him—both of us trembling, spent.
“You’ll be sore in the morning.” A hint of mischief glinted in his eyes. “But I’m not apologizing for it.”
I let out a breathless laugh, limbs still shaking. I kind of loved the sensation thrumming through my flesh.
“I wasn’t expecting you to.”
My lids fluttered shut and then everything went dark.
Sometime later, I surfaced just enough to feel the bed shift. Footsteps floated in the haze with the bathroom door clicking shut.
I pried my eyes open, watching the thin line of light beneath the door. Listening to the shower run.
You could leave now, a voice suggested. That’s what this is supposed to be.
But I didn’t move. I lay there, imagining him under the water, all that controlled power stripped bare.
When the bathroom door opened, I feigned sleep. I felt him pause beside the bed, felt his gaze heavy on me. Then the mattress dipped, his arm draped over my waist, pulling me back against his chest.
I didn’t resist.
And in the darkness, with his breath warm against my shoulder, I pretended—just for a few stolen hours—that this meant something more.
In the Morning.
Light dragged me back, a stubborn beam forcing through the faded curtains, landing squarely on my face.
I groaned, rolling over. My body ached in strange, delicious ways.
My arm reached for the other side of the bed and pause.
Empty, and cold.
Of course.
I lay there, staring at the ceiling, waiting for the disappointment to pass.
This was the assignment. Get laid, then move on.
Then why did my chest feel hollow?
I sat up, holding the sheet to my chest. The room looked worse in daylight. Stained carpet, cracked ceiling, and the faint smell of him lingering.
On the bedside table sat a neatly folded piece of motel stationery.
My heart fluttered stupidly.
I reached for it, unfolded the paper. Aggressive, sharp handwriting:
Thanks for last night. — D
That was it. No number. No last name. Just an initial.
I read it three times, as if the words might rearrange themselves.
What was his name? Dax. Right. Just Dax.
Relief. That’s what I should feel. Anonymous, reckless, and disposable.
But another part—a treacherous part of me—felt the hollow space widen.
I folded the note carefully and slipped it into my purse.
Evidence, I told myself. Proof it happened. That’s all.
My phone buzzed with Elvena’s name showing on the screen.
“Where are you?” I rasped.
“Oh my God, Circe, you’re alive!” Her shriek drilled through my skull. “I was so worried! You didn’t answer my texts!”
I squinted at dozens of unread messages.
Well. My bad.
“Yeah, I was a little busy.” I rubbed my temples. “Are you okay? Did you make it home?”
“Home? Honey, I’m still with Alex! He’s divine. Circe, I think I’m in love!”
No, she’s not. I rolled my eyes, then regretted it as my head pounded.
“You met him six hours ago, El. You’re not in love. You’re hungover.”
She ignored me. “What about you? Did you go home and cry into your wine?”
I glanced at my purse. “Not exactly.”
“Oh my God! You didn’t!”
“I did.” A grin tugged at my lips despite myself.
Her gasp turned to a squeal. “You little slut! Details later. Love you!”
The line went dead.
I sighed, dropping the phone onto the bed. At least she was safe. One less thing to worry about. Now I just had to figure out how to escape this motel without a car and with my dignity only slightly bruised.
I called a ride-share. While waiting, I did a final sweep of the room.
That’s when I saw it, glinting at the foot of the bed.
I bent down and picked it up. A polished black onyx cufflink, heavy for its size, set in silver. A carved wolf’s head wrapped in a wreath. Too elegant for a man who’d left me in a budget motel.
He must have dropped it.
I should leave it.
My fingers closed around it anyway. Warm from the sunlight, or maybe my imagination.
What do you want it for?
I didn’t have an answer.
I slipped it into my purse, next to the note, and told myself it didn’t mean anything.
At the Campus Café.
Elvena and I sat at our usual table, eleven a.m. sun spilling through the glass. She was still glowing, sipping her iced latte.
“So?” She dragged the word out. “You gonna tell me why you ghosted me, or should I guess?”
“I met someone.”
“And?” She leaned forward eagerly.
“It was… great.”
Elvena scoffed. “Great? Just that?”
“Yes… No.” I stirred my cold coffee.
“Circe, come on.” Her voice softened. “You have that look. Half-satisfied and half-miserable.”
I sighed, giving in. “Alright, fine. Yes, I got laid last night. And it was every bit as good as you’re imagining.”
It definitely was.
“See!” She pointed at me triumphantly. “Then why the long face?”
I hesitated. The note burned in my purse.
“He was gone when I woke up.” I pulled it out and handed it over.
Elvena scanned the words. “This was it? What’s ‘D’ for? Damn good lay?”
A laugh escaped me. “Maybe. But it should be D for d**k in, d**k out.”
“You didn’t give him your number?”
“Of course not. I’m not that desperate.”
“Good.” She tapped my shoulder. “His loss.”
I nodded. But a small part wondered if maybe it was mine.
She paused for a moment. “You know what next week is?”
My stomach tightened. “Yeah. Mom’s engagement party.”
Elvena’s eyes softened with sympathy.
I looked away, watching students play frisbee across the lawn.
“Your mom isn’t going to abandon you, Circe. She loves Delson. He’s good. Successful and stable. Not to mention, he’s damn loaded.”
“I don’t know.” The words came out small. “Dad’s new wife just had a baby. Now Mom’s getting married. Soon they’ll want kids too. I’ve been an only child for twenty years, and now I’m just… the leftover piece in everyone’s fresh start.”
Leftover. The word hung between us.
Elvena clasped my hand. “Circe. Your mom’s not replacing you. She’s just happy again.”
“I am.” I swallowed. “It just feels like everyone’s moving on except me.”
“Then we’ll move on together.” Her grin turned mischievous. “And if she has another kid, we’ll corrupt it early.”
I snorted. “Terrible idea.”
“Fantastic idea.”
Her grin widened, and for the first time all morning, my chest loosened.
But later, walking back to my apartment alone, my hand drifted to my purse. My fingers found the cufflink and I pulled it out.
The wolf’s head caught the sunlight, making it more elegant and dangerous.
Who are you, Dax?
I didn’t have an answer. I don’t even want an answer. However, standing there on the sidewalk, with the cufflink warm in my palm, I realized I wanted one.
Shaking my head, I shoved it back in my purse and kept walking.
- Writer
