Page 5 of Sweet Venom

Her shoulders relax as she presses herself into the wall. "I get that," seemingly content with waiting until Sebastian is out of sight. We both silently watch as a blonde crosses the street to meet him. I can't help but study her from head to toe. She looks super young. She can't be more than nineteen, twenty max. The girl is wearing light-faded boyfriend jeans, a white tank, and a plaid shacket paired with those big-soled tennis shoes gen z is wearing these days. I watch as he smiles in greeting before holding his arm out for her to walk in front of him and they walk the short distance off the corner and into Roasters Coffee. My chest tightens at the thought that she might be his girlfriend. The one he had at the house last night.

I knew I heard voices, and when I entered the hallway, I smelled perfume. But young and vanilla aren't what I expected from Sebastian. Not when I've heard and seen exactly what he likes. Sebastian Lykos fucks, and he fucks hard.

The day I left San Jose, I came home and found him plowing into some girl whose hands were secured by his belt and wrapped around the table legs while he pounded into her, bottoming out with every thrust. Her screams seemed like a mix of both pleasure and pain. They were so deafening that they didn't hear me enter the room until the front door was closed.

Then Sebastian's eyes locked on mine and didn't stray as he kept his relentless pace for seconds too long before I finally broke our stare off and hurried to my room. I was utterly appalled with myself for the desire I felt low in my belly. I wanted to be that woman so damn bad. I wanted it to be me he was pounding into.

Once the door was closed behind me, I could still hear the woman’s moans and whimpers with each thrust. I couldn’t help but imagine what his cock must have felt like. While I didn’t see it, I knew it had to be thick, long, and hard, stretching her in the best of ways. With my back to the door, I heard the slap of his hand and the legs of the coffee table scratch against the floor as his thrusts grew harder and deeper. I clenched my thighs tight, trying to will away the desire and ache I felt, but when I heard him grunt out his release, I knew I had to leave. I was dating his brother, and until him, I had thought Ellis was it for me.

"How are you and Ellis? I feel like an ass that I haven't even asked yet." Charlie asks, pulling me out of my walk down memory lane.

The answer to her question should be, ‘We are great.’ After all, I am back and living at his place, which would signal we are officially back together, but that's not technically the case. I blow out an unsteady breath as I find my words and decide on this. I won't lie. "We haven't talked yet. I just got in yesterday, and he's still in Seattle. Technically, we haven't spoken since I left two months ago."

Her eyes widen as she rolls her lips, and I know she has thoughts. Ellis and Charlie had a somewhat complex relationship before she and Mason reconnected. Hell, I wouldn't know Ellis were it not for Charlie. While they didn't technically date, they lived together for six months and had feelings for each other. If anyone knows Ellis better than me, it's Charlie.

"Please tell me,” I say, “You're not going to hurt my feelings."

"What do you want me to tell you, Vivi?" Her response catches me off guard. Isn't it clear what I want her to tell me?

"I want you to tell me what you're thinking. What's going through that pretty little brain of yours? Tell me how he's moved on and seeing someone else. Tell me how I messed everything up for leaving. Tell me I'm an asshole, but don't give me nothing."

She shakes her head. "Vivi, I feel like we've been over this once before at the club when I called you out." Her eyes search mine, and I can tell she's hoping I recall the memory—and I do, vividly, because it was the first night Ellis and I fucked.

It was the night of her and Mason's joint bachelor/bachelorette party at Covet. Looking back on that night, I know she set us up. It's not like we have a huge friend group. When Ellis and I weren't stealing glances, we were glaring daggers at each other or throwing passive-aggressive quips to counter our shared annoyance. The sexual tension between us was palpable, and apparently, Charlie picked up on it.

The thing about Ellis is, you can't be too sure where you stand. He's a man of few words, and I know Charlie has told me that, but after two months of officially dating, I didn't feel like I knew the man better than Charlie, and I was the one fucking him. Don't get me wrong; I'm not jealous. What bothers me is that I feel like I'm broken. Why couldn't I connect with a man I finally wanted more than anything?

The night at the club, Charlie showed me back to the voyeur room where she gave Mason her truth in front of an audience, and looking back, I know there was more to it. She knew I liked to share, and I was hesitant to act on anything with Ellis. Not only for fear of long-term rejection, i.e., those types of relationships don't last, but for the first time, I saw a partner I didn't want to share.

Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I was considering monogamy for him, and I didn't understand where that was coming from. That night we watched a woman taking two men at once, and I confided in Charlie that I didn't want to share him. Charlie asked me, "Does sharing always require sharing partners?"

In the room, the woman was taking two men, but neither of them ever interacted with the other. It was all about her. However, I knew it was only a scene, a moment of pure bliss. What they were sharing wasn't everlasting. Before I could give Charlie any real-life arguments about how what we were witnessing could never be a reality, Ellis was there, and everything changed. I was powerless against his pursuits. I'd ignored my desires for too long, and I'd be damned if I didn't want everything Charlie suggested. It was too much, and I caved seconds later when Ellis's lips found my neck. The next thing I knew, I was laid out on his desk as he pounded into me. Fuck, it was the best damn sex of my life.

Clearing her throat, Charlie pulls me back to the present and says, "You haven't ever discussed that night, have you?"

"No, we haven't, but you don't understand. It's hard to explain because I've never felt these types of feelings before. Ellis makes me want to be monogamous. He deserves it."

She nods in understanding before saying, "There are more layers to Ellis than I think you or I understand. I don't believe he would want or expect you to change for him. Vivi, I feel like I can tell you anything and speak candidly."

Her fingers twist, and I can tell she's a little nervous. So, I lighten the mood and say, "Out with it, wench." It's meant as a joke since, technically, she and Ellis semi-hooked up. She gave him a hand job, and he ate her out. None of that bothers me. I know that would be a huge deal for most women, but not me. Fuck, Charlie is hot as hell. I'd probably try to get her to join in if she wasn't married to my best friend.

"Shortly after Mason came back into the picture, Ellis once told me, 'If you want a quick fuck, I'm down for that. If you want to lay on the couch and watch Netflix and chill, I'm down for that too, and when you have to leave me for him, I'll be here when you get home.' Vivi, those words broke me. I felt the same damn way you do. He deserved everything, not just my pieces, but I don't know. I think there is more to it than just that with him. That's why I asked if you’d talked to him about it."

Her phone rings, startling both of us. Digging it out of her purse, she says, "It's Mason. I have to take this." She walks back into the vacant space while I stay rooted at the window, waiting to catch another glimpse of Sebastian and his much younger date. While part of me is jealous, a more significant part is relieved he's seeing someone. That is more reason to stay the fuck away.

"Hey, sorry," Charlie says as she steps up behind me. "Do you think the coast is clear? I need to get back to the office."

"I thought you said Mason called?"

She pulls in a deep breath, stuffing her hands into her pockets before saying, "He did. That's why I have to go."

"Did something change? I thought you were still working for your dad."

"I am, but I've been thinking about the future a lot lately. Nico is grooming me to take over Serra Tech one day, which I'm excited to do. But in my eyes, it doesn't make sense for Mason and me to operate two separate companies that virtually do the same thing, so I've been working on a merger pitch. The problem is, Mason is beyond nosey and found it. Now I need to get to the office because I have no doubt he will go to my dad and start World War III."

I can't help but chuckle and add, "Now I know why you wanted the pole dancing classes."

"Let's go." She mumbles out, perturbed as we head out the doors.

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