Revenge: A Novella - Book 1 (The Belmont University Series) Read online

  When the bar closed, Art rolled up his sleeves, revealing his sexy forearms. He walked over to the jukebox and picked some slow songs. Everyone had left because it was our turn to close up.

  “I work better with fast songs,” I called over.

  He walked back to where I was and gently pulled me close. “I work better with slow songs.”

  My heart skipped a beat at his touch. “Um…we have work to do,” I said.

  He smiled, picked me up, and spun me around. “Yes we do.”

  I laughed. “C’mon. Put me down.”

  “It was a hell of a night,” he said, gently setting me back on the floor.

  I sighed. “Yep. One of the busiest nights ever.”

  My skin tingled from his gaze. His five-o’clock shadow was so damn sexy; that light scruff got me every single time. What made me think my silly little revenge plan would ever work? I mocked myself. One look in those endless pools of chocolate, and I was ready to throw it all out the window. Things would have been so much easier if Art would just have hated me for being so mean, if he would have quit his job and gone on his way instead of sticking around and making me fall for him all over again.

  He held out his hand, staring at me with those penetrating eyes. “Do you even know what kind of an effect you have on me, Alexis?” he asked.

  “I’d say we’ve got the attraction and chemistry part down pat,” I said. “All we need is a little—”

  “Love dust, to pull the rest all together.”

  “Love dust? What are you, Tinker Bell?” I laughed.

  “Sorry. I just wanted to see you smile again.”

  “Well, instead of love dust, I meant a little more time to know each other,” I said.

  “I love the way you laugh,” he said.

  “Then keep using your great sense of humor.”

  “I’m just glad you’re not so…grumpy anymore. You’ve got a beautiful smile, Alexis.”

  My lips brushed against his. “I assure you, I’m not grumpy.”

  He left soft, gentle pecks on my forehead, eyes, cheeks, and lips. “I can definitely tell.”

  I touched his face, cupping it in my hands. “I can’t stop thinking about you. I tried to fight it. I really did, but I just…can’t.”

  He wrapped his arms around me. “All I know is that the world seems perfect when you’re in my arms,” he said.

  “Art, you’re not like any guy I’ve ever met.”

  “How about one dance before we clean this place up?” he asked in a low, deep voice.

  My breathing grew faster, and my palms began to moisten. I couldn’t believe I was feeling this way about the man who hurt me, who jilted me. I wanted to forget about Art, to get my revenge and move on with my life, but I couldn’t forget him, even if I wanted to. I couldn’t resist the dance. What’s one song?

  I held out my hand, and he gripped it and led me out into the middle of the room. My heartbeat sped as he held me close for a slow dance. Art was the kind of guy every girl would dream of holding. I felt weak at the knees, and adrenaline surged through me. My heart raced with excitement, and I had never felt so alive.

  His eyes were so pretty, his smile so bright. His lips lowered on mine, slowly, softly, and ever so gently. A surge of electricity flooded through me. I couldn’t deny what was going on between us. He cupped my face and stared into my eyes. I just got lost in those eyes as he lowered his lips on mine once more. I hadn’t lost control yet, but I knew if he didn’t stop looking at me that way, I’d be gone, a prisoner of his every whim. Damn!

  He was guiding the situation delicately yet firmly, and he was in complete control. He slid his strong hand up and down my back, giving me shivers.

  “What’s going on between us?” I asked.

  He shot me a beautiful smile. “You can’t tell?”

  “Let’s figure it out,” I coaxed.

  His mouth lowered on mine, and our tongues tangled in a beautiful dance that left me breathless. I ran my hands through his thick hair as the kiss deepened. His hands caressed my curves, and my body was literally on fire for him. I moaned as his lips glided down my neck.

  “Let’s go back to my place,” he whispered in the sexiest voice I’d ever heard, a plea I was helpless to deny.

  “No dorms. Besides, I can’t wait.” I moaned with primordial need. “I need you right now.”

  We fumbled around, desperately trying to rip off our clothes.

  My mother had taught me never to sleep with a guy on the first date, even after an amazing kiss or after I’d been dreaming of that guy for the longest time. Now, I was about to break my mother’s rule. She had warned me that giving up the goods so easily would just kill a relationship. I wasn’t sure I was ready for a relationship, even with Art, but I wanted him to see me as more than an easy hookup. I didn’t want him to just think he was shacking up with his boss. “Is this a one-night stand?” I asked between gasps, staring into his eyes.

  “It doesn’t have to be. I sure as hell don’t want it to be.”

  I craved his heated touch, and in spite of my mother’s warnings, I needed him inside me that very minute. I couldn’t hold back any longer. Clutching his broad shoulders, I kissed him with everything I had. Animalistic desire overwhelmed me, and there wasn’t a thing I could do to stop it. Our kiss grew urgent and passionate, consuming me.

  Art pulled out my bun, and my hair cascaded down my back. He unbuttoned my shirt as I slid his off. I ran my hands down his chiseled chest and ribbed abs. His kisses trailed down my neck, to my breasts. He cupped them slowly, and I moaned in pleasure.

  I rubbed his balls ever so softly and delicately. His cock thickened, letting me know just how turned on he was. He was so hard, so hot, and so huge. He groaned as I rubbed my hand up and down the length of his shaft. He loved the way I stroked him, and I loved pleasuring him. I enjoyed that power I had over him, and it was quite a turn-on.

  I stroked harder and harder, twisting with one hand. Then I knelt down and began sucking on his head, curling my tongue around it, twisting it in circles. I slowly began to lick his massive girth, gazing upward every once in a while to watch his reaction. I was pleased to see that he was enjoying it as much as I was. “Mmm… I love it,” I said, smiling. Then I stroked and sucked harder and used my hand to lightly toy with his balls.

  He ran a hand through my hair. “Oh, baby.”

  I stroked harder, and he groaned. Before I could finish him off, he pulled me up and began kissing me deeply, paying no mind to where my mouth had just been. He wanted us to climax together, and that made it all the more exciting. His tongue trailed down my body, and he peppered my tummy with soft kisses. He kissed my inner thighs softly and smoothly transitioned to my most intimate part. He kissed it passionately, the way he’d kissed my mouth, caressing every fold with his lips and tongue.

  Next, Art slipped two fingers into my channel. When he slid his fingers deeper, I began to squirm with ecstasy and delight. The more I moaned, the more he worked to keep the rhythm going. He pressed my clitoris harder and rubbed it from side to side, over and over, faster and faster, and I thrashed about in flashes of absolute pleasure.

  He began to move a little more roughly, slamming his fingers in and out, increasing the force but maintaining the perfect rhythm. It felt so damn good that it had me gasping for breath. I moaned as he brought me to writhing pleasure.

  I couldn’t believe all the sensations I was feeling. They escalated quickly, and I felt the pressure building. When he found my G-spot, my world exploded in fireworks of pleasure. I let out a bloodcurdling yell as I climaxed in a body-quivering, mind-blowing, unbelievable orgasm. It was absolute, pure bliss, like none I’d ever felt before.

  I knew at this rate, I was going to have a second, third, or fourth orgasm. He reached for his pants, pulled his wallet from his pocket, and pulled out a condom. He opened the foil and quickly rolled it down his length, then again feathered my body with passionate kisses and nibbles.

  “I nee
d you so bad,” I said. “I need you inside me right now.”

  We locked in a passionate kiss as I guided his huge cock into me. My inner muscles clamped down hard around his erection. I adjusted to his length as he pressed against the walls of my womanhood, plunging deeper and deeper into me.

  “How does that feel?” he asked.

  “So good, Art,” I said with a moan. “So fucking good. Don’t stop. Don’t ever stop.”

  Art combined kissing and caressing with slow, steady penetration. It was a perfect pleasure, and I enjoyed every minute of it. As he rocked his hips against me, he continued whispering in my ear, telling me how beautiful I was. Gasping in ecstasy, I pulled at the blankets. He gripped my hips and deeply thrust into me over and over again. He was, by far, the best lover I had ever had. I had no idea where we stood in our relationship, but at that very moment, he was all mine, and I enjoyed taking everything he had to give me.

  My back arched, and my toes curled. I moaned in Earth-shattering ecstasy as I climaxed again, and I heard his manly groans as he joined me.

  A few minutes later, we were hot, sweaty, and out of breath, but he held me close.

  “That was awesome!” I said.

  “Agreed,” he said. “You’re amazing, Boss,” he said. He cuddled next to me and held me in his strong arms for an hour.

  “Being with you tonight…” I said. “It was the last thing I expected.”

  He smiled. “It was a delightful surprise. I was sure we’d eventually find our way to making out, but I didn’t know you’d cast such a spell over me. I needed you in every way.”

  “I needed you too.”

  He grinned, then looked into my eyes. “Spend the night with me.”

  “What? We still have to go back and finish cleaning the bar.”

  “I know, but after we get done, you can go back to the dorm with me.”

  “Isn’t the guy supposed to run away as fast as he can?” I asked.

  “Not this guy. Why would I run away from the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me?”

  In that moment, I knew Art was nothing like anyone I’d ever dated. He was sexy and sweet and always treated me like someone special, like someone he really cared about.

  After we closed up the bar, we went back to my place, as I didn’t want to spend the night in a dorm; I’d had more than my fair share of frat boys at the parties and at the bar, and I wanted to stay somewhere a little more private.

  At my place, he held me tight all night, and I’d never slept so well. The whole time, he treated me like a queen.

  In the morning, he even whipped up breakfast for me. It meant a lot, because I was certainly not a culinary genius like my sister Morgan. She cooked for her family all the time and made killer casseroles out of practically nothing, like the MacGyver of food. I, on the other hand, had trouble making Pop-Tarts without burning the house down.

  After breakfast and laughs and smiles and kisses over our coffee, we both went straight to class.

  When we arrived at Belmont, he gave me one last kiss before the class bell rang. “Have a great day,” he said.

  “I don’t know how I’m gonna concentrate. I won’t be able to stop thinking about you,” I replied.

  He winked. “Don’t worry. I’m gonna have the same problem.”

  I grinned.

  “Hey, I was wondering, uh… Would you accompany me to the Diamonds and Glitz formal?”

  “That frat dance?”

  “I’d love to take you,” he said, sounding hopeful.

  “Well, I’d love to go.”

  “It’s this Saturday.”

  “Count me in.”

  He kissed my lips, and I pulled him closer. I never wanted to let go. I’d always wondered what it would be like to be with him, to be on his arm, and now I knew.

  ***

  A few days later, Juliet and I sat on a bench outside between classes. The sky was so blue, and the birds chirped happily. The world just seemed so much brighter.

  “So…are you going to the dance with Art or what?” Juliet asked, biting into her sandwich.

  “I was supposed to make him pay, and I know it would be the ultimate revenge not to show up.”

  “I’d say you two would be even if you did that.”

  “But I can’t,” I said. “There are feelings involved now.”

  She looked at me hard. “Wait. Did you sleep with Art?”

  I grinned and slowly nodded.

  “But you don’t even know him!”

  “What? I’ve known him since elementary school.”

  “As an acquaintance. I can’t believe you banged him.”

  “It just kind of happened, and I was powerless to stop it.”

  “So you forgave him, just like that?” she asked, shocked.

  I sipped my drink. “Yeah, I forgive him.”

  “So why did he do it?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. I didn’t ask him about it, and I didn’t tell him who I am. Besides, at this point, I don’t really care. What happened in the past…well, it’s over and done with.”

  “I can’t believe you, Alexis.”

  I popped a potato chip into my mouth. “Does it matter? I like things the way they are.”

  “Seriously, why don’t you just spill the beans?”

  “Because a small part of me is afraid he’ll leave me again if I bring it up,” I confessed.

  “Why would he do that?”

  My gaze narrowed. “I’m scared he’ll just see me as that ugly duckling he knew, the one he rejected before.”

  She took a swig of her sweet tea. “I don’t think so.”

  “I still feel like that stupid, scared high school girl with the big glasses and braces. He didn’t want me when I was ugly. Or maybe he did initially until he found a better date.”

  “That pisses me off that you had to change so much just to impress him. He didn’t see the beauty in you because he was being shallow, and part of me just wants to tell him off for that. He hurt you so bad, Alexis. You’ve been aching over him for so long.”

  “Don’t you dare say a word!”

  “I won’t. I’m not one to jump in my friends’ business. It’s just—”

  “Art’s matured so much since I last knew him. I’ve gotta give him the benefit of the doubt and just go for it. There’s something special between us, and I don’t want to lose whatever it is that we’ve got. So he didn’t show up for a high school dance. So what? Besides, he told my sister that something important came up.”

  “I don’t care! Whatever it was, you should have been more important. You need to tell him everything,” she said. “If you really want a shot with him, you have to be honest.”

  “I’m gonna tell him everything after the dance.”

  She sighed. “Just be honest.”

  “That’s the plan.”

  “Well, at least he’ll understand why you were such a condescending bitch to him at the bar when he first started.”

  “Yeah. I feel bad for that. I shouldn’t have acted that way. He probably thought I had a bad case of PMS. I’m surprised he didn’t quit and throw a box of Midol at me.”

  “In my opinion, you handled it well. I woulda been way nastier than you.”

  I laughed.

  “So, uh…did you have your famous G-spot orgasm?” she asked.

  “You know it!”

  “I’ve never had one. I can’t even have regular ones.”

  “The vaginal ones are the Holy Grail of orgasms, because they’re very hard to have. We’re lucky women can have several different types. It must be so boring for guys. Just one flavor on the menu, and all of them are fast food,” I said with a giggle.

  “At least clitoral orgasms work for me. All I have to do is rub that baby in a circular motion during penetration, and it’s on.” She sighed. “When I find my next boyfriend, I’m determined to try and have a G-spot orgasm.”

  “Well, it’s not for everyone. Some women have discomfort, others don’
t feel much, and then there are others who have multiple orgasms.”

  “Hopefully, option three is in my future.”

  ***

  Art and I talked after classes every day and flirted nonstop at the bar. By the time Saturday arrived, I was so excited that I’d be walking into that formal on the arm of the hottest guy there.

  It was mine and Debbie’s turn to clean up the theater after acting class, so I figured I’d just get dressed there, when we were done straightening the place up. It was unbelievable how much of a mess a few college students could make in a one-hour acting class, but it didn’t take us long.

  “Not too bad, I guess,” I said.

  “Yeah, just a few costumes and cleaning the mirrors. No biggie.”

  Since messy was the in thing, I didn’t do my bun to perfection. It looked great with my strapless, glittery dress because it showed off my neckline. I put on matching, shiny jewelry and truly felt like a celebrity about to walk the red carpet.

  Debbie wore a tight-fitting, curve-hugging, black dress with spaghetti straps. As for her hair, she let loose waves cascade down her back.

  “You look beautiful,” I said.

  “Thank you. You look like a million bucks too.”

  When she left to use the restroom, I fussed with my makeup. I heard footsteps in the hall and yelled for Debbie.

  No answer.

  “Debbie!” I called again.

  A chill shot down my spine as I stood. A shadow emerged from the darkness, and I stepped back.

  “Hi, Alexis. You love pranks, right? I figured you’d really enjoy this one.”

  No freakin’ way! Brad was the last person I wanted to deal with. “I thought you left with everyone else,” I said.

  I hated being in class with him, considering all the bad blood between us. I’d broken the rules about dating classmates and co-workers, and this one had come back to bite me in the butt.