Futuristic Lovers

VERONICA

~“Kiss me, kiss me,”~

~Infect me with your love and fill me with your poison,”~

~Take me, take me,”~

~Wanna be your victim, ready for abduction,”~

~Boy, you’re an alien, your touch so foreign,”~

~It’s supernatural, extraterrestrial…”~

~– Katy Perry~

~***~

Hailey looked like she’d seen a ghost.

Her eyes, the color of a shiny new penny, widened as she took me in. I could feel my nerves jangling with every second of her silent scrutiny.

Finally, her gaze landed back on my face, meeting my own uneasy stare.

“You’re Veronica Tanner.”

My nerves kicked up a notch.

Instead of staying silent like I would’ve in the past, I straightened my spine and shot back, “You’re Hailey Pritchard.”

My voice was as sharp as a blade.

To my surprise, it seemed to cut her. Hailey flinched and stepped back, as if I was the one who’d tormented her in high school, not the other way around.

“I…” she stuttered, “I…d-didn’t know you were w-working here.”

~Surprise, bitch~, I thought, my frosty demeanor intensifying with my rising anxiety. I was scared and angry.

At her, at myself, at what I might do next. But I tried to keep a lid on it, so I wouldn’t look like I was coming apart at the seams.

Falling apart wasn’t an option.

When I didn’t say anything, just kept staring at her with what I hoped was a neutral expression, she started to squirm.

“I’m… I had no idea.” She lowered her gaze, radiating a ridiculous I’m-not-a-threat vibe.

Harmless? Hailey Pritchard? Those words didn’t belong together.

Hailey was every insecure teenage girl’s worst nightmare in high school. She was gorgeous, came from a wealthy family, got top grades, dated the hottest guys, and ran with the popular crowd.

She knew all this and used it to her advantage, ruling the school like a queen.

She targeted the nerds, the geeks, all the misfits. She also singled out the few overweight students we had.

And then there was me.

Unlike the other misfits, I chose to be an outsider. I wanted to be alone, to avoid everyone. For the most part, I didn’t let Hailey get to me, no matter how hard she tried to break me.

But then she discovered a secret I’d been desperate to keep hidden and used it against me, making me her favorite target.

She blackmailed me relentlessly, humiliated me in front of everyone, did everything she could to make my life a living hell. And eventually, she succeeded; she broke me.

After high school, I managed to move on. I made friends with Laura, Santana, Amy, and the others and started to put my life back together.

I thought I was free of her mental shackles… Or so I’d thought.

Apparently, burying the memories deep inside and distracting myself at every opportunity was a recipe for disaster.

But I didn’t want the past to catch up with me now. I’d held it together for over two years. I could handle this.

With that decision made, I pushed all my emotions down and locked them away before straightening up and looking directly into those hateful eyes of hers.

“You have to go,” I said, my voice flat and cold. I saw her flinch and look away, anywhere but at me. “I want to be alone, and you’re in the way. Leave.”

She trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes.

“V-Veronica…” she looked lost and confused, so damn pitiful that if I didn’t know what she was really like, I might’ve felt sorry for her. “I’m… I’m so sor–”

“Go.” I cut her off, not interested in hearing her apology.

I knew she was only saying it because she felt she had to, not because she meant it. And even if she did mean it, I don’t think I could’ve forgiven her.

What she’d done to me ensured that all I could feel for her was indifference.

Startled, Hailey finally nodded, her lips trembling, her hands clenched into fists, and walked past me to the elevator.

I could feel her eyes on my back as the doors closed behind me, but I didn’t look back. I had no reason to look at her.

Once I was finally alone, I walked stiffly over to the railing on the roof and gripped the iron bar. Then, I focused on getting my emotional turmoil under control.

***

It took me about two hours before I felt ready to go back to work.

Jo could tell something was off with me today and kept her distance. So did Lucy and Erin.

When lunchtime rolled around, I skipped it and stayed in the office, throwing myself into my translation work so I wouldn’t have to think about the memories that were trying to resurface.

When the workday was finally over, I went back to my apartment. Amy was spending the night at Nick’s, so I had the place to myself, except for Jax’s visit later.

I took a bath and started a new book on my Kindle. Afterward, I pulled on jeans and a shirt and made myself a bowl of cereal.

So far, so good. I was doing a good job of keeping my mind off what it really wanted to think about.

When the clock struck seven, the doorbell rang.

I put down my Kindle and opened the door to find Jax.

He was dressed casually in jeans tucked into boots, a shirt, and that black leather jacket he’d worn yesterday. His dark hair was tousled in that sexy way of his.

If I hadn’t suppressed my emotions earlier, I probably would’ve drooled a little at how good he looked. As it was, I was pretty much numb.

“Hey,” Jax said, flashing me a grin. “Can I come in?”

Without a word, I stepped aside to let him in, then closed the door. Jax made himself at home, taking off his jacket and draping it over one of the kitchen stools, then he turned to me.

“Where are we going to work?”

Silently, I led him to my bedroom, where my computer was.

Jax gave me a curious glance, as if he was trying to gauge my mood. But when I didn’t respond to his silent inquiry, he seemed to let it go and inserted the flash drive into the computer.

As he opened the file, I let my eyes wander.

This was Jax Cole, Oliver’s attractive best friend. The man I’d slept with, the man I’d given myself to for the first time.

This was the head of Wynntec & Co’s Illustration and Design Department. The man who didn’t believe in mixing business with pleasure, yet he’d made an exception for me.

But most importantly, this was the man Hailey Pritchard had been shamelessly flirting with for the past month I’d been working there, and probably even before that.

As far as anyone knew, he hadn’t reciprocated her advances.

Hailey had pushed me into the darkest corners of my life. She’d unearthed all the demons I’d been trying to bury and forced me to confront them in the worst possible ways.

She’d haunted my nightmares for years, even after high school ended and I no longer saw her. She always got what she wanted, except for one thing: Jax Cole.

Jax was discussing the text, emphasizing the importance of my translating it accurately for our upcoming deal with our Russian partners.

He was completely unaware of the storm of thoughts swirling in my head.

His attention was focused on the computer screen, on the file, on the English and Russian words he needed me to blend into a single, coherent text in both languages under his guidance tonight.

He didn’t notice me studying his profile; his strong, square jaw, his light stubble, his Roman nose, his sparkling midnight-blue eyes…

…his broad shoulders and perfectly sculpted body hidden beneath his heavy clothes, his golden skin stretched tightly over his muscles, his towering height that could make a woman feel both trapped and protected…

“Are you okay?”

His sudden question pulled me out of my trance. I quickly lifted my gaze to his and saw him studying me with a narrowed gaze.

“I’m fine,” I responded flatly.

He held my gaze for a moment before saying, “Alright, then let’s get to work.”

He stepped aside and I moved forward, leaning over the computer.

He stood behind me, so close that I could feel his warmth, and suddenly, the memories I’d been trying to suppress flooded my mind with such intensity, I gasped.

~“...You stupid piece of shit...”~

~“...I hereby dub you Fatty Patty...”~

~“...With your looks, Tanner, the odds of you losing your virginity are slim to none...”~

~“...Your father’s death is your fault! If you want to blame someone, blame yourself!...”~

Without thinking, I spun around, threw my arms around Jax’s neck, and planted a kiss on his lips.

He was taken aback, not responding to my eager lips, but after a few moments, my urgency seemed to reach him and, to my immense relief, he began to kiss me back.

Soon, his strong arms were around me, pulling me close to him, and he was nipping at my lip, making me gasp.

His tongue slipped past my parted lips and touched mine with such sensuality that I felt my eyes flutter shut and warmth spread throughout my body, sparking and sizzling like an electric shock to my previously numb system.

Suddenly, he broke the kiss, looking down at me with questioning eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but I felt panic rising within me.

He couldn’t say anything. I would fall apart if he did.

So, I placed a trembling finger on his lips, and found myself whispering, “Don’t. Please don’t.”

I don’t know what my eyes revealed in that moment. I don’t know if he saw the panic, the despair I was beginning to feel because of the resurfacing memories.

Whatever the reason, he chose to let it go. And when I pressed my lips to his again, he said nothing and complied.

Warmth was replacing the coldness I’d been feeling all day.

His tongue danced with mine, teasing, and licking and making me impossibly aroused.

With a few steps, he backed me up against the wall and pressed his weight onto me as he kissed me hungrily, greedily.

And despite the fact it was all meant to distract me, I felt myself growing hotter and hotter, for the third time feeling the undeniable attraction between us.

My body ached for him, and when my skin touched his, it sang.

His skilled mouth was doing things to mine that made my mind fog over, and when his hands closed around the back of my neck, I shuddered. Our kiss deepened into one that could easily earn an R-rating.

His lips left mine and I was about to protest when he began trailing kisses down my jaw and toward my neck.

“Jax…” My uneven breaths made my voice barely audible.

Without warning, his teeth grazed the skin of my neck, and I moaned at the sudden mix of pleasure and pain. My lower body clenched, my stomach tightened.

His lips were against my ear, then he whispered roughly, “I’ve been dreaming about this for weeks now…”

A sudden wave of fear cleared my mind for a moment. I didn’t want to know if Jax had been thinking about this, I didn’t want to know anything about what had led Jax to his current actions.

I just wanted to forget again.

So, what I said was exactly what was needed to make him do what I wanted him to do.

“I need you, Jax,” my voice was almost whimpering with the need to forget again, “I need you so much…”

His self-control snapped.

The next few moments were a blur.

Clothes were being torn from our bodies, followed by our underwear, and then, both completely naked, I was lying on the bed with Jax on top of me, kissing me deeply and passionately.

I’d forgotten about my rules; not sleeping with the same person twice and not having sex unless I was completely drunk.

All I cared about was that Jax made me dizzy and he had the ability to make me even dizzier.

“Inside me,” I moaned, as his lips traveled down, landing on my chest. He took one of my nipples into his mouth, sucking gently.

A gasp escaped me, my back arching as the sensation of his lips on my skin sent shivers down my spine. He didn’t hold back, pinching my nipple between his teeth and tugging.

I was on the brink of losing control when he shifted his attention to my other nipple, repeating the tantalizing torture.

Just as I was teetering on the edge of climax, he stopped. He moved further down my body, closer to my most intimate area.

When his lips met mine there, I shivered.

“You’re soaked,” he murmured, his warm breath against my sensitive skin.

I was indeed soaked. I was so ready for him it was almost embarrassing.

“Jax…” I whimpered, moaning as he began to explore me with his tongue, licking and nipping at my entrance.

Electricity surged through me, sparking every time his skin brushed against mine and whenever he did something incredibly arousing with his talented tongue.

Suddenly, a shock of pleasure seized me. My abdomen tightened as an orgasm ripped through me, causing me to thrash and try to close my legs to stop his delicious torture.

But he was strong. His hands held my legs apart, squeezing my thighs in a silent, erotic warning.

“I’m not done tasting you,” he said, his voice low and raspy. It was so sexy I would’ve melted if I hadn’t already.

“Please, Jax…” I begged, but he was relentless, continuing to feast on me, drinking in my renewed arousal.

Just as I was about to climax again, he decided it was enough. He moved up my body, enveloping me with his larger frame.

I hissed with frustration at not reaching my climax again, but he made up for it by capturing my lips in a deep, wet kiss, letting me taste myself on his tongue.

His arms grabbed my thighs, pressing them down onto the mattress.

“I’m going to fuck you now,” he informed me, his shaft brushing against my inner thigh, “and you’re going to love every single minute of it so much that you’ll beg me for more.”

His blue eyes locked onto mine, and I found myself believing him.

Then, with my legs restrained and my arms clutching his broad shoulders, he thrust into me. My eyes widened and I gasped, surprised by his size.

I’d been with many men since my first time with him. None of them compared to him in size.

He filled me until I was stretched to the limit. The pleasure was so intense, my back arched off the bed and I began to thrash, wanting him deeper.

Jax seemed to enjoy my reaction. He began to move in and out in a rhythm that made me understand the phrase “fucked my brains out”.

His thrusts were fast and powerful. The sweat on his forehead glistened, making his hair shine and enhancing his attractiveness.

His bulging biceps were veined from the effort of holding my thighs down. His pecs and abs rippled under my gaze.

Pleasure washed over me, a wave of heat engulfing my body. I pulled him closer, tighter, screaming his name as an orgasm ripped through me, making my abdomen quiver and my loins tremble with relief.

But Jax wasn’t finished. He continued to thrust in and out, fast and hard. Suddenly, I felt myself tightening again, another wave of pleasure building.

“Fuck!” he growled, thrusting deep inside me one last time and releasing his seed.

I shuddered with my own climax—the third one in a row—and felt a primal satisfaction at feeling his warmth inside me.

Jax collapsed on top of me, gathering my limp body into his muscular arms.

“God fucking dammit,” he muttered into my ear, “you’re so fucking beautiful, Veronica.”

I knew I should respond. I knew I should share his obvious satisfaction. But even though I was sexually satisfied, a few things suddenly became clear.

First, I’d just had sex with Jax Cole. Again. Something I’d promised myself and everyone else I wouldn’t do.

Second, I wasn’t drunk. I was completely aware, I’d felt every moment of what we’d just shared.

Third, I’d done it because of Hailey fucking Pritchard and the stupid memories. I’d chosen the wrong distraction, and I knew it was going to backfire, if not now then later.

And the last, and most horrifying realization, was that no matter what our reasons for having sex right now, it was the best sex I’d ever had.

Despite my denial, I knew that no matter who I slept with after him, I would always compare them to Jax, and they would always fall short.

He’d ruined me. And it was all my fault.