“Kole…” The moment that word leaves my mouth, I know which route I’m going to take, and I can hear my brain screaming at me in my skull. I lean up, my lips brushing against his lightly, and for a moment I fear that he won’t kiss me back. Maybe I read this whole situation wrong? Right before I can pullaway, it’s like something wakes up inside of him. His lips press against mine as he leans up and rolls me onto my back. One hand tangles in my hair while the other one grasps my hip in a tight grip. His lips and teeth attack my own with a ferocity I’ve never experienced before. I let myself get lost in the kiss because consequences be damned. Why should something that I know is so bad feelso good?Kole’s tongue grazes the seam of my lips, patiently urging me to open for him, and I grant him the access he’s so desperately asking for.
The moment his tongue touches mine, I know I’m going to do something reckless. My hands move up his chest, traveling over his neck and tangling in his soft hair. He tastes like coffee and bad intentions. He easily dominates me into submission, and I eagerly give in to him. Pulling him closer so he is lying between my legs, which are now wrapped around his waist. Kole’s hips start to grind against the apex of my thighs, making my pussy throb with desperate need. His lips pull away from my own to travel down my neck, leaving small love bites as he continues on his way. The hand in my hair leaves a trail up my side under my T-shirt, erupting goose bumps in its wake. His fingers trail the underside of my breast, and his other hand trails the edge of my shorts. A small moan leaves my lips because his touch is the best thing I’ve felt in so long. Every swipe of his finger on my skin goes straight to my throbbing clit. His hips grind against my pussy, putting pressure exactly where I need it it most, and his fingers grasp my nipple between them. Pulling and twisting in the most intoxicating way. My back arches off the bed with his movements, and I swear my brain just up and left me here to fend for myself. As soon as Kole’s fingers breach the waistband of my shorts, my brain slams back into my skull with a vengeance.
“Wait.” The one word is like a gunshot into the open space. He pulls away from my neck with a pop and leans up on hishands to tower over me. His brows are furrowed, and his hair is a tousled mess, and fuck, he looks good. “We should stop.” A blush rises up my chest to creep over my cheeks. His gaze goes from confused to annoyed in a millisecond. He leans down to brush his lips against my own, his hand rubbing up and down my side to calm my unease. “No, Kole, stop.” His kiss comes harder against my lips, his chest plastering against mine while he tries to kiss me into submission. My resolve starts to break, and I slowly give back in until my brain reminds me that it’s still here. I wrench my lips away from his, my hands pushing against his chest, legs flopping beside his hips on the bed. “I said stop!” The look he gives me scares me deep to my core, and I brace myself for the onslaught of what’s to come next, but he visibly calms himself before pushing off of me.
“You’re right, I’m sorry.” He sits on the edge of the bed, his back towards me, his hand running through his messy hair, making it stand up in odd directions. “I got carried away.” His head turns back towards me, his eyes shining with regret that softens my heart.
“It’s okay.” I whisper as I scoot back against the headboard and pull my knees to my chest.
“How are you feeling?” I’m confused at first, then I remember how sick I’ve been the last few hours.
“Honestly, I’m feeling much better, oddly enough. Um, do you mind if I have some space for a bit?” I tug my lip between my teeth, anxiously biting against it.
“Yeah, I do mind actually.” His eyes go hard while he stares me down, and I feel like a kid who just got caught with their hand in the cookie jar. “If you’re upset, then we should talk about it.”
“I’m not upset, Kole; I just need a little space right now.” I give him a reassuring smile, but it does nothing to soften his expression.
“Don’t do that shit, Sloane. You were fine one second, and the next you put that damn wall back up. What’s going on?” His words are like a razor’s edge, full of possession that I’m not sure I’m ready for.
“Kole, the kiss was amazing, but I’m not ready to go any further with you yet. I’m not sure I can fully forgive you for the things you’ve done. You went too far when you locked me up in my room.” I shake my head at the memory of my fists banging against the door, begging for him to let me back out.
“You’re joking, right? I did that for your own good!” He bursts up from the bed as he shouts at me. “I just spent the last several hours taking care of you! The least you could do is give me something back in return. You can’t seriously believe that I was holding your hair back while you puked just with the goodness of my heart?” His eyes roll in his head, and all I can do is stare up at him in shock.
“Kole, just lis—” I start out but he cuts me off.
“No, you listen, Sloane.” He says with a point of his finger. “You’ve been here for a week now and have done nothing to contribute besides paying your portion. It’s bullshit that you think that you can just live here and mooch off of my kindness. I’ve fed you, chosen your clothes for you, and left you notes every day!” His words inspire a rage to fester in my chest.
“I didn’t ask you to do any of that!” I shout back and spring to my feet, my hands pushing against his chest, knocking him back a few feet. His face contorts into a rage that I haven’t seen from him yet. “You know what? Fuck you, Kole! I don’t need you, and I definitely don’t need this damn apartment.” I rush over and grab my purse, sliding my feet into some flip-flops before storming towards the door. I tug on the handle, but the door doesn’t budge, and I see the new locking system adorning the frame. I pull my phone out to dial 911 and show it to Kole’s hulking form that storms towards me down the hall. “Open thedoor before I call the police!” My shriek is inhuman, and I’m thanking God that he actually listens and opens the door for me. I strut out into the hallway without a backward glance, hearing the door slam behind me.
I head straight to Alyssa’s door and start banging on it, but no answer comes back. I dial her number, but it goes straight to voicemail, which makes me panic. I rush to the elevator and head down to the lobby; looking out the window, I spot her car in the parking lot, and I know that girl doesn’t walk anywhere. An uneasiness unfurls in my stomach as I rush through the halls downstairs until I find a maintenance man walking towards me. “Hey! You’re maintenance, right? I could really use some help.” His expression is wary as he regards me, but I give him the most charming customer service smile I have.
“What can I do for you, ma’am?” He says with a soft, friendly smile.
“I’m worried about my friend across the hall. She’s not answering her phone or the door, and her car is in the parking lot. Could you do a welfare check on her? I’d rather not involve the police if I don’t have to.” I say in a sickly sweet voice, batting my lashes at him.
“Um, well, I’m really not supposed to do that, but I suppose I could do it just this once. Show me the way.” He ushers me back down the hall towards the elevator. It only takes five minutes before we’re back in front of Alyssa’s door. “This the one?” I nod at him, and he pulls out a key ring adorned with more keys than I’ve ever seen in one place. It takes him a few seconds to shuffle through the keys until he finds the right one and slips it into the lock. “You stay here and I’ll check on her.” He leaves the door open and me in the hall as he heads through the entryway. After about a minute I hear a yell, “What the fuck!” Then I hear stomping feet coming towards me. “Call the police!” His voice isurgent, so I skip the phone call and rush down the hallway where he came from.
As soon as I round the corner to the living room, the scene before me makes my stomach twist and turn. A scream erupts from my throat, piercing my ears and reaching everyone within a mile radius. “Alyssa!” I crash down onto my knees in front of her limp body, landing in a puddle of blood on the carpet. Her head is lolling to the side, her neck slashed from ear to ear. “No, no, no…” My hands reach up to check for a pulse, but there’s nothing there to find. That's when the stench finally reaches my nose and I start to gag. Another scream rips through me, followed by a deep sob as I stare at Alyssa’s decomposing body.
“What’s going on?” I vaguely hear someone say outside the door.
“Sir, you can’t go in there!” The maintenance man says in a rush, but I hear two sets of feet coming towards me.
“Sloane? Oh fuck.” Kole’s voice reaches my ears as I break down into heart-wrenching sobs for my new friend.
“She’s gone!” Sloane’s sobs rack her body as she screams and pounds at the floor. I’ve tried to move her for the last ten minutes, but she hasn’t budged. I finally gave up until the police arrived. If I knew Sloane would react this way to finding Alyssa, then I would’ve killed her somewhere else. I knew they had gotten close, but not close enough for her to care if she had lived or died. “Why… I just don’t understand.” Her pitiful words are followed by sniffles as tears cascade down her face.
“Sloane, we have to get you off of the floor; you’re covered in blood.” I shake her shoulders a bit and try to pull her up to her feet, but she’s cemented to the ground. Her hands tremble in front of her, stained in the life essence of her friend. She tries to brush the crusty blood from her hands onto her pants, but it just spreads around even more. Sloane’s breathing becomes erratic in her panic, and the most gut-wrenching sob rips from her. I lean down and pick her up bridal style, not wanting to wait any longer for the police to show up. She goes limp in my arms while tears stream down her cheeks, one bloody arm dangling from her side. On my way out the door we pass the police that are questioning the maintenance man. One officer pulls me to a stop, and I direct a glare towards his hand on my arm.
“Sir, we need to ask you both a few questions.” His voice is deep and full of authority, but his eyes shine with pity.
“Later.” I give him a nod with the finality of my word and walk away without a backward glance. I shoulder my way through my front door that I left open on my rush out and kick it closed with my foot. Sloane is still staring out into space, dissociating from what she just experienced. I carry her into my own bathroom for the use of my jacuzzi tub. I settle her on the edge of the tub and start to strip her of her clothes that are spotted in blood. Sloane doesn’t even put up a fight when she’s fully naked for my viewing pleasure. Her nipples tighten in the cool air of the bathroom, and goose bumps rise across her skin when I lean over to turn the tap on. Once the temperature is perfect, I lower her into the tub before putting the stopper in. She stares at the running water, her expression blank. I strip out of my clothes quickly and hop into the tub behind her, settling her between my legs. She goes stiff in my arms, and I don’t blame her if I'm being honest. I wrap one arm around her waist, and with the other I brush her hair from her face.
She’s silent while I grab a loofah from the side of the tub and lather it up with lavender soap. I smooth it over her skin, scrubbing the drying blood off flake by flake. Sloane watches my hands glide over her slick skin, and a shiver runs down her spine as I continue to cleanse her skin of my bad deeds.
“Kole? What are you doing here?” Alyssa says after she opens the front door, her gaze skeptical.
“I just wanted to stop by to thank you for befriending my new roommate. Sloane has had a hard time adjusting.” My smile is one of gratitude, but I can tell she sees through my bullshit.
