Page 41 of Monster
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“I think this one might be a little stronger,” Jenna warned, her voice slightly hoarse from scream-singing half the evening. They were in their swimsuits. Eden’s a little black number with red polka dots and Jenna’s a dark blue one that displayed her cute little tanned ass. Strawberries and tequila perfumed the warm summer breeze while the intermittent sound of the blender whirred over the Third Eye Blind’s “Semi-Charmed Life” playing through the speakers that they knew by heart. It was nineties night, at least that’s what they’d dubbed it four margaritas ago as they sang rather horribly with every song they recognized, which was all of them. Drunk wasn’t exactly what one would call Eden’s current state, but she was bordering on happy, a.k.a tipsy, two levels beneath absolute inebriation. Jenna on the other hand... Eden chortled as she watched the blond haired woman stumble back from the little bar area they’d set up by the lounge chairs, the frothy, iced drinks she had in her hand spilling all over the ground.
“Here, try.” She handed Eden what was left of the coral red, strawberry scented drink before lowering herself down the pool’s ledge, plunking her feet back into the warm water.
It was icy tequila with very little strawberry. Eden sipped it. This one was going to take her a minute to finish. “You didn’t even try on this one,” Eden joked, nudging Jenna’s shoulder. “So, are you okay?” It was only right to ask considering Alex had been sentenced to three years in prison today. It wasn’t only the assault on Eden that had prompted the judge to convict him. It had been a culmination of petty thefts to drug charges and outstanding warrants for his arrest that had ultimately sealed his fate. They’d gone to court earlier this afternoon and when they’d come out, Jenna had been pale and withdrawn, barely saying a word to Eden until they’d retuned to the mansion.
Jenna shrugged. “I didn’t want to see him that way. He looked old, worn. Like the world chewed him up and spit him back out. He wasn’t the Alex I remembered, the Alex who…who looked out for me, you know?” She turned to look at her best friend with glassy eyes, hoping she would understand what she wasn’t able to say.
Eden didn’t know, because to her, Alex had always been the asshole that beat up her best friend. She hadn’t known any other side to him than the piece of shit he’d been. So no, she didn’t know exactly what Jenna was talking about. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t empathize. Nineties, margarita night was made for reasons like this. “Maybe he had good intentions when you guys first met, but he’s not that guy anymore. He’s changed and so have you, Jen. For the better. You deserve so much better than the brand of love Alex gave you.”
“And how about you?” Jenna nudged her back.
A small knit materialized between Eden’s brows. “What about me?” she asked, kicking and splashing the water with her legs and feet.
“What are you going to do about your baby daddy?”
Eden tossed her head back and laughed. “What I planned on doing from the beginning.”
“The divorce?”
Why everyone suddenly seemed surprised that she was still intent on separating from Dominic was news to Eden. Nothing had changed. This was the only end result that would benefit her in the long run. Dominic couldn’t hurt her or control her or lord over her life like he’d done so many times before in the past. Old hurts, the humiliation she’d born as his wife, along with the mental abuse had left a stain on her soul, one that could not easily be washed off. She wasn’t heartless, and on some level she knew his brutality towards her stemmed greatly from the atrocities he’d endured as a child. Even now thinking on it, knowing the constant struggle he faced made her hurt for him. Like the pain was so intense that it struck her chest like a shot put.
“Eden.”
Eden raised a hand to the site of her pain, center left side of her chest and found the muffled battering of her heart against her damp hand. “We had a deal,” she said quietly, distractedly soothing at the dull ache. “It’ll be good for both of us.” Abuse only produced more abuse, in some form or another. This was why Eden needed to leave him. She didn’t want to be the victim who later became the abuser. She would cut off both arms before she ever laid a hand on Liam, but words damaged just as deeply.
“God, fucking listen to us. Ruining our girls’ night talking about fucking men who don’t deserve us! Well fuck that and fuck them.” Jenna wobbled to her feet, gripping Eden’s shoulder when she teetered. She thrust her glass up in the air, the contents spilling on Eden, who deciding to come to her feet lest she end up covered in margarita followed in best friend’s antics. “Let’s fucking drink to us and the awesome dildos that can rightfully take their places.”
Hell yeah fucking right. “Power to the Dildos.” Yes, she very damn well clinked to that. Tossing the too strong margarita down the hatch like it was a shot, she laughed as Jenna grabbed her hand and they jumped around like silly school girls to Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping”. It was fun being this uninhibited. Jenna ended up using the empty bottle of tequila as her microphone while Eden gyrated drunkenly in front of her to The Divinyls “I Touch Myself”. Eyes closed, mouth moving sensually over those provocative lyrics, Dominic was inclined to scoop her over his shoulder and play out the fantasy for them both. He exercised restraint, however, when he stepped out onto the pool deck. Though he had eyes only for Eden, Dominic’s cock noticeably stirred at the sight of the two women, and the very lurid picture they presented rubbing up against each other. It was a very strong, very male reaction that he instantly stamped down.
Her eyes fluttered open and from beneath dark lashes that curved beautifully in half-moons, she met his gaze levelly, the sultriness of the stare she pinned him with had blood rushing down the cock that instantly stood to salute her. “Look, Jen,” she called, there was an added smokiness to her voice that Dominic found sexy as hell, “it’s my baby daddy.”
“Hello,” he said in greeting, noting that his own voice seemed a bit off as he approached their private party. “I didn’t realize you were having a party.”
“Oh yeah…private party,” she looped her arm back to wrap around Jenna’s neck, her full mouth drawing up. The smile of a temptress. “But there’s room for one more. Wanna join?”
“You’re drunk.”
She caught her full lower lip between her teeth, fluttering those lashes before reaching forward for his tie, wrapping it around her hand to tug him forward. They towered over her as she stood sandwiched between them, and for a brief moment, Dominic’s gaze looked over her shoulder at an equally drunk Jenna, who looked back at him with interest, waiting to see exactly what he would do. “Come on, Dom, I know you want to…” He stood close enough to her that she could feel the prominent length of his arousal. “Should I get on my knees?” she breathed and Dominic’s imagination sparked at those words as his gaze trained on her luscious mouth, tinged pink, like forbidden fruit calling him to taste, calling for something far more indecent than a kiss. “You’re way too overdressed...”
This was a trap. Warning bells clanged, horns blared, and Dominic was wise enough to heed the warning. “Party ends now,” he delivered curtly, easing his tie out of her hold. “Jenna head inside,” he called without a second glance back as he dragged Eden behind him.
She resisted halfway up the stairs, and Dominic’s caveman etiquette kicked in as he hauled her over his shoulder and continued on his way unperturbed. A firm, well deserved smack on her plump ass stopped her flailing legs. He walked past her bedroom. And with their son sleeping peacefully with the housekeeper, Dominic headed towards the master. He dropped her unceremoniously on the bed and heard her giggles. She fought her way up to her knees, tendrils of hair framing her flushed face as it loosened from the ponytail she’d gathered it in. Her radiant smile was three parts alcohol and one part lucidity. “You could’ve had us both, you know.” She crawled to the edge of the bed, her eyes focused on him, making Dominic her prey.
“That is not what I want.”
“Liar.”
“Eden.”
She failed to take caution. “You know what bugs me about you?” she continued on heedlessly, sitting on the edge of the bed now, facing him completely. “Every time you’re near me, I feel exactly like this.” She slipped a finger into the belted loop of his pants and tugged him towards her, bracketing his strong, masculine thighs with her smooth caramel legs so that she faced nothing but groin.
“Like what?” he prompted, staring down at her with hooded eyes as she worked at the buckle of his belt.
“Like I’m naked and drunk, riding a roller coaster without the proper restraints.” She tugged down pants and briefs with surprising strength, freeing his rigid cock from its dark confines. “You have a beautiful cock, Dominic.” The sultry smokiness of her voice retuned, and he sucked in a sharp breath as she took him in a firm yet gentle hold, her fingers wrapping around it, moving indolently up and down the shaft. “It’s long, and thick, feels like steeled velvet. I love that you’re cut. I love the golden brown color, and,” she caught her lip between her teeth and thumbed the head, using his pre-come to skate over the slit, “this bulbous tip. Do you know how good it feels when it slides in between my wet lips, the way its curves slightly to the right so that it strokes and hits my G-spot so fucking right? I should mass produce it and let other women experience your beautiful cock.” She met his gaze, that kittenish smile reeling him in.
She was drunk, he reminded herself. If she were in her right mind, she wouldn’t be doing this. He needed to stop her. Now. A touch on her shoulder to push her away turned into a tight grip as she lowered her head and took him into her mouth in one swift motion, swallowing him to the balls.
