Nick stood there, completely taken aback by what Kelly had just said.
"You'd rather be with me, huh?" he said finally. Kelly nodded, still smiling slightly.
"Yes. I'd rather be with you," she said softly. She ran her finger absentmindedly down the center of her chest.
Nick let out a half-laugh, half snort and shook his head in disbelief. He walked to her and wrapped his arms around her naked waist, pulling her close to him. She stared up into his blue eyes longingly.
"You know what, Kel?" Nick said, his voice a low, sexy growl.
"What, baby?"
"I'd rather put my dick on the counter and have you smack it with a hammer," he said, his eyes filled with malice.
Kelly blinked a few times, then swallowed hard. His words hit her like a sledgehammer in the chest. Nick's eyes narrowed, and he pushed her back roughly. Kelly stumbled slightly, but was able to regain her balance. She walked numbly to the couch and pulled on her silk robe, which she had left earlier.
"You don't care about him at all, do you?" Nick questioned, as he followed her into the living room.
"No," she said honestly. "I don't. But he knows that. He said he was ok with it."
"And you believed him?" Nick laughed. "You seriously believed that he was going to be ok just paying you to live with him and to fuck him. You honest to God believed that he doesn't care if you give a rat's ass about him or not?"
Kelly paused for a moment, looking down at the floor. "Well he said..."
"You're much dumber than you look," Nick spat. "Kelly, he loves you. In a twisted, sick way, he loves you. I have no idea why, because it's obvious that you're only after his money. I mean, anybody with half a brain can see that. I guess AJ knows it, too, but he's too caught up in this little fantasy to admit it."
Kelly sat down on the couch, trying not to hear Nick's words. She ran her fingers nervously through her hair. She knew he was telling the truth.
"One of these days, I'll get through to him," Nick said. "I'll make him understand that you're not good enough for him. You're a leach, Kelly. A blood-sucking leach. A parasite. You're going to suck the life out of him, then move on. And believe me, I'll be damned if you'll ever get your claws into me. I'm not that fucking stupid."
"You love him, don't you?" Kelly whispered, looking up at Nick.
Nick stopped his pacing for a moment and looked down at her.
"Of course I love him. He's like a brother to me. No, that's not exactly right. I love him more than that. He's my best friend, my..." Nick stopped. He couldn't think of the right word to describe what AJ meant to him.
Kelly nodded. She understood how Nick felt. She knew that feeling all too well. She looked up at him, her eyes glistening with tears.
"Please don't hate me," she said softly.
"Too late," Nick replied, as he headed toward the door.
"Nick!" she called after him, trying to catch him before he left.
"What?" he said irritably, turning to her. She approached him carefully, almost afraid of what he might do to her. The look on his face was stoic. Kelly rested her hands on his shoulders and slowly stood on her toes to kiss his cheek.
"Why did you do that?" Nick asked, grasping her shoulders and pushing her back.
"Because... I..." Kelly started. But she couldn't tell him she loved him. Not after what he had said to her. Those horrible, hurtful things.
"Because you what? You want me to like you? Well guess what? It ain't gonna happen," Nick hissed, then turned and walked out, slamming the door behind him.
Kelly leaned against the door covered her face with her hands. Nick hated her. He honest to God hated her. She would have to try to change his mind. She couldn't stand the thought of Nick despising her. She walked to the couch and flopped down on her back. As she stared up at the slowly spinning blades of the ceiling fan, a plan began to form in her head. A plan she hoped would work...
************************************
"Wake up, baby," AJ whispered, as he kissed Kelly's forehead. Kelly opened her eyes and saw AJ smiling down at her in the early morning sunlight. She looked around and realized she had fallen asleep on the couch.
"If you didn't want to sleep with me, you just should have said so," AJ said, laughing a little.
"No, I... I mean, I just came down here because I heard something, but it was Nick leaving, then I fell asleep, and..."
"You're babbling," AJ chuckled. "What do you want for breakfast?"
"You're going to cook?" Kelly laughed.
"Hell no," AJ snorted. "That's what the housekeeper is for."
"Housekeeper?"
"Yeah. Nell. She's my housekeeper. She just got back from vacation this morning. What do you want? I'll have her cook it for you."
"Oh. Uh, maybe just some wheat toast, no butter, and a glass of orange juice," Kelly answered, sitting up.
"Sure," AJ said, kneeling between her knees. "You're so beautiful."
"Thanks," Kelly said, looking away. AJ turned her chin towards him.
"I mean it, Kelly. You're the most beautiful woman in the world to me."
"Ok."
AJ smiled again. He ran his fingers through her tangled auburn hair, then kissed her lips softly. When the kiss broke, Kelly opened her eyes. AJ had a peculiar expression on his face. An expression that Kelly couldn't read.
"You need some new clothes, don't you?" AJ asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
"Um, yes," Kelly answered, relieved that he had brought up the subject. Even though he had promised her, she was having a hard time bringing up the subject of money to him.
"Ok," AJ said, smiling again. "We'll go as soon as you get dressed."
He helped Kelly to her feet, and she made her way up the stairs to get ready.
Kelly returned to the living room an hour later, showered, made up, and ready to go out. AJ sat on the sofa, watching CNN's Money Report, and sipping a Mountain Dew. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a camel colored shirt. He was hiding behind his usual sunglasses. Kelly sat down beside him and propped her feet beside his on the coffee table.
"What are we watching?" she asked.
"Just seeing how my stocks are doing," he answered.
"You can actually read a stock ticker?" Kelly giggled.
"Sure. Can't you?"
"Well, of course. I just never expected someone like you to be interested in finance."
"It's my money. Of course I'm interested in it. As a matter of fact, I just made about 10 grand this morning. Whatdayasay we go spend it?" AJ laughed.
"I'd say that's an awesome idea," Kelly said, smiling at him. He really wasn't so bad. But she just couldn't imagine herself loving him. But, hopefully, they could have fun together anyway.
*****************************************
AJ and Kelly returned home that evening, exhausted, and completely shopped out. The entire back of AJ's car was filled with bags from Saks, Armani, Versace, and of course, Victoria's Secret. They loaded their arms up with packages and carried them into the house.
"Ok, this is fun," AJ laughed. "I have my own personal Barbie doll. Go try on something for me."
"Like what?" Kelly chuckled.
"Something from... let's see... this bag." AJ held up the Victoria's secret bag. Kelly smirked as she took it from his hand and headed upstairs.
AJ propped his feet up on the coffee table and picked up the phone. He dialed a number he knew by heart, and listened as the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hey Kev. What's up, man?" AJ said into the receiver.
"Not a damn thing," Kevin replied in his slow drawl.
"Cool. Hey, have you talked to Nick lately?"
"Yeah. He called me today. Why?"
"He's acting weird," AJ said, lighting a cigarette.
"I know. What's up with him?" Kevin questioned.
"I don't know," AJ said, shaking his head. "He's just not acting like himself. He's being all... I don't know... strange."
"Well, he was always strange, dude," Kevin laughed.
"True. But he's being stranger than normal."
"I'll see if I can find out what's bothering him," Kevin said.
"Good. So what have you been up to?" AJ said, exhaling smoke from his lungs. He removed his sunglasses an threw them onto the table.
"Nothin'," Kevin said. "It's been pretty quiet around the Richardson hacienda. I heard all hasn't been quiet at your place. Tell me about her, man."
AJ smiled. "She's awesome. She's gorgeous. She's fun. She's... ugh, I can't even describe her."
"Uh oh... sounds like Bone's in love," Kevin laughed.
"I am," AJ said, suddenly serious.
"Really? I mean, I was just joking."
"Really. I love her. I want to be with her forever," AJ said, suddenly feeling very protective of Kelly and his feelings about her.
"That's cool. Settle down, man. I was just joking."
"You wanna meet her?" AJ asked quietly.
"Yeah! Of course I do," Kevin laughed. "Just tell me when and where, and I'll be there."
"How about tomorrow night. Here at my place?" AJ asked, taking another draw off of the cigarette.
"Sounds good to me. You gonna feed me, or what?"
AJ laughed. "Yeah, I'll feed you."
"Good. I'll see ya then," Kevin said.
Kelly walked back downstairs just as AJ was finishing up his phone call. She was wearing the cream silk neglege' that AJ had picked out. She walked over to him and stood in front of him. He looked up at her, his mouth hanging open slightly.
"Uh, Kev, I've gotta go. Something just came up," AJ said, his voice cracking.
"Ok," Kevin laughed. "Go get her, Tiger."
"Yeah," AJ said, then hung up the phone. He placed his hands on Kelly's hips and pulled her closer to him. He ran his hands under her gown, and over her naked hips. He smiled when he realized she wasn't wearing any panties.
"You know you're not going to be wearing that very long, don't you?" he questioned, his eyes focused on her stomach.
"Oh really?" Kelly laughed.
"Come with me," he said, taking her hand. He led her into his bedroom and sat her down on his bed. He backed away from her and bit his bottom lip as he looked at her. She tilted her head to one side and stared up at him, leaning back on her arms.
"Don't move," he said. "I'll be right back."
Kelly smiled to herself as she watched him leave the room momentarily. When he returned, he flicked off the light switch, and the room was dark, except for the moonlight. AJ crawled onto the bed behind Kelly pulled a silk blindfold over her eyes.
"What's this?" she asked, feeling a bit nervous.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he said. "Just trust me."
Easier said than done, thought Kelly. AJ took her hand and led her to a chair he had pulled to the center of the room.
"Sit," he commanded, his voice strong. Kelly did as he asked and sat awkwardly on the chair. She felt AJ's hands on her ankles, then some sort of straps being wrapped around them. Before she knew it, she was tethered to the chair. He carefully took her hands and placed them behind her back, behind the chair. He secured them with another strap, and she was trapped. She felt her heart begin to race. This wasn't exactly what she had bargained for. She never let herself get into situations from which she couldn't escape. She pulled slightly on the ankle restraints, but found that they were tightly attached to the legs of the chair.
"Now you're really and truly mine," AJ murmurred, running his hand down her cheek.
"You're scaring me," she whispered.
"Baby, didn't I tell you I'd never hurt you?" he replied, kneeling in front of her.
"Yes, but..."
"Shhhh..." he soothed, as his hand trailed lightly up her thighs. "This is going to be fun. Just let yourself enjoy it."
Kelly sat in the quiet darkness of her blindfold and restraints, trying to control her fear. She had no idea what he had in store for her. She felt his lips graze her inner ankle, then her calf, and a shiver of anticipation coursed through her body. She felt the warm wetness of his tongue on her inner thigh, as his hands pushed the nightgown higher and higher. Two of his fingers entered her wet cleft and she let out an involuntary moan. He spread her with his other hand and began to suck lightly on her sensitive pearl. Her head fell back and her mouth opened in a gasp at the sensation. His fingers dug deeply into her, massaging her g-spot as he sucked. Kelly found it was impossible to control the quivering of her thighs as a quick orgasm approached.
"Oh God, yes," she whispered, as the hot waves washed over her body.
AJ pulled away when he found that he had pleased her. She could hear him undressing, and she wanted to see him. She wanted to touch him. She wanted to taste him. In her present state of arousal, she was actually feeling desire for him, much to her surprise. She felt the silky tip of his hard cock against her lips and she slowly parted them, allowing him to enter her mouth. He placed his hand on top of her head, then began to thrust gently in and out of her mouth. Her tongue massaged the length of him with each in and out motion, as she took him into her throat. Suddenly, he withdrew from her, and she felt his hands untying the restraints on her ankles.
"Get up," he said, his voice not nearly as nice and soothing as it had been only a few minutes before.
Kelly stood, her hand still bound behind her back. AJ led her to the bed and pushed her down onto her stomach. His arm snaked around her waist, pulling her hips into the air. He entered her roughly, groaning with each thrust into her. Since her arms were behind her back, she couldn't support herself, and her face was buried in the comforter.
"I can't breathe," she whispered, trying to pull away from him. He grabbed her bound hands and pulled her up, using her weight as leverage for his thrusts. The penetration was incredible, and he soon found himself forced over the cliff of an orgasm that he thought would never end. When it did finally subside, he let go of Kelly's hands, and she fell back to the bed. He crawled up her body, straddling her hips, and rested his sweaty face against hers.
"Tell me you're mine," he whispered.
"No."
"Tell me you're MINE," he repeated, this time louder.
"Ok, ok. I'm yours," she conceded.
"That's right. And don't you ever forget it, either."
Later that night, Kelly lay awake in her bed, thinking about Nick. She closed her eyes, remembering the feel of his lips on hers, and the softness of his hair. She could almost smell him. She wanted him to be there with her so badly, but she knew it wasn't time yet. Soon, though.
Nick opened AJ's bedroom door silently and made his way to the bed. He stripped off his clothes and crawled between the sheets with AJ. As soon as he draped his arm over AJ, he realized AJ was naked, and he felt a stirring in his own groin. Nick was trembling as he struggled to restrain himself. He wanted AJ.
Somewhere deep in his sleep, AJ felt someone touching him. At first, he thought maybe Kelly had decided to join him. He grasped the arm that was draped over him, and ran his hand down it. Something wasn't right. That sure didn't feel like Kelly's arm. That felt like...
"Nick?" AJ said, his voice hoarse with sleep.
"Hmm?"
"What the hell are you doing here?" AJ asked, sitting up.
"I just wanted to see you," Nick replied.
"It's after midnight," AJ said, still confused by Nick's presence.
"I know. I... uh... I had too much to drink tonight, and I couldn't make it home. I figured I could just stay here," Nick said, trying to think of an excuse. AJ didn't seem nearly as excited as Nick had hoped he would be.
"Ok," AJ said, his brow furrowing. "You can stay in here. I'll go sleep in the guest room."
"AJ, please sleep with me," Nick pleaded.
"Nick..."
"AJ, please."
AJ shook his head slowly. "I can't."
"Why not?" Nick asked. But he knew the reason. AJ didn't have to answer.
AJ crawled off the bed and walked down the hall. He stopped in front of Kelly's door, and slowly opened it. He climbed into bed with her and embraced her from behind. To his surprise, she didn't tell him to leave. She rubbed his arms with her soft hands, and snuggled in closer to him. AJ kissed her shoulder, and closed his eyes.
Kelly dreamed of Nick that night. She dreamed of Nick's arms embracing her. Nick's lips on her skin. Nick telling her he loved her. Her dream felt so... real.
