Redemption (Iris Series) (8 page)

She started ticking off on her fingers, “Practically every conversation we’ve ever had revolves around the fact that you think I come on too strongly, that I wanna fuck the first guy I see, that I dress a certain way to get guys to notice me, that you’re not interested in me
—”   

“Stop,” he ground out, as he grabbed her fingers.  “Stop,” he said more quietly.  He took a deep breath and nailed her to her spot with his gaze.

“We need to get a couple of things straight.  And you’re going to shut up and listen.”  He took another cleansing breath, then, “Number one, you’re a physically beautiful woman.  Period.  What I meant before was you could be wearing a potato sack and men would still think you’re beautiful.”

He was still holding her fingers.  Did he really want to tear her clothes off, or had he just been speaking hypothetically? 

“Two, when I said you looked pretty tonight, I simply meant, you look pretty tonight,” he said, exasperated.  “The color of that dress, it makes your skin look nice,” he said disgruntled.

“Three.  The first time you met me, you came on like gangbusters, and you’re right.  I wasn’t interested.  Not in
that
Ayanna.  You know why?”  He paused, and moved in closer, speaking slowly.  “Because that wasn’t the real Ayanna.  I was disappointed that you didn’t know me and you wanted to give yourself so freely to me.  I knew the real Ayanna hadn’t made an appearance yet.  The real Ayanna struggles with being accepted by her parents, loves her younger brother, has worked her ass off to make it through school, to study in Europe, to follow her passions.  The real Ayanna is a fierce and loyal friend to those she loves.”  He swallowed.

Her eyes were tearing up, but she blinked them back.

“The real Ayanna is much more interesting than the one I was first introduced to.”

They both looked at each other for a moment, each allowing the other a glimpse into the other’s soul.

She cleared her throat and looked away.  “I’m sorry about that night.  If I came on too strong,” she paused.  “It wasn’t my proudest moment.”  She looked up at him again, waited a second, and then said, “You’re the first man who’s ever said no.”

His eyes were tender as he nodded.  “Yan, I think this journey you’re on is a good one.  I think you’re going to start seeing how much you’re worthy of respect from men, and maybe you’ll start loving yourself enough to realize that you deserve a whole lot more than what you’ve been giving yourself
and them.”

She waited a beat then asked quietly with a pout, “Do you really want to tear my clothes off?”

He chuckled lightly, then took a breath and avoided her eyes.  He looked back at her and said dryly, “Considering you’re only on Day 24, I think I’ll answer that question in 16 days.”

She wanted to dance and spin and clap her hands, but she refrained.  Could he possibly be interested in her?  The
real her?

She reached up her hand to cup his face and said, “You’re a good man, Jonathan White.  Will you be my friend?  My very first guy friend?”

His mouth kicked up into a lazy smile and he squeezed her fingers. “I’d be honored to be your very first guy friend.  Will you be mine?”

“Your very first guy friend?”  Her eyes were twinkling, and a smile played on her lips.

He rolled his eyes with a smirk.  “My friend.  Will you be my friend?”

She nodded, her eyes going soft.  She needed to get him out of here, especially if she was going to survive the rest of Day 24 without screwing this up.  Literally and figuratively.

She let go of a breath and said, “You got it, champ.”  And he was, she thought.  He was her champion.  She told him so.

“Hmm.  I like that.  Being your champ, I mean,” he said thoughtfully.

She playfully pushed him back and opened the fridge, retrieving the box of pizzas.  “Alright.  Well, be a champ now and get this the hell away from me, would ya?  If I’m going to abstain from sex
and pizza, I’m gonna need this,”
and you
, she thought, “far away from me.”

“What does the pizza have to do with sex, again?”

“The two go together.  Both decisions were made at the same time so pizza and fucking are forever linked in my head now.”

He cleared his throat as he took the box from her hands and took a peek inside.  “Mmm.  These look good,” he said dramatically.  “Let me just get them away from you.”

She growled and turned him toward the door.  “Don’t say I never gave you anything.  And don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.”

“Y
ou’re in an awful hurry to get rid of me,” he said over his shoulder as she pushed him to the door. 

“I’ve had a very long day and I need some time to decompress.”

He turned abruptly, his eyes glittering.  “You know,” he said huskily, stepping toward her and leaning up against the wall, “maybe since you’ve done some good focusing without sex for 24 days now, you should give up B.O.B. for the remaining 16.”

She blinked.  He must’ve read her mind because as soon as she was sure he was gone, she was thinking she might run to the store down the block to get some batteries.  That was
definitely how she needed to decompress.  And she was planning on screaming his name while she did it.

“
You must be out of your ever lovin’ mind.  Listen, champ.  I’ve given up sex, I’ve given up pizza.  There is no way in
hell
I’m giving up B.O.B.” 

He stepped closer still, licking his lips, completely ignoring her question.  “Is that how you plan on decompressing tonight?”

She gave him a sultry look and stepped closer.  “Are you going to make me wait 16 days to find out if you really want to tear my clothes off?”  And if his balls ached because he wanted to fuck her so badly, then it served him right for toying with her. 

“Yup, so tough,” he said, not caring one bit.  “Now, answer my question,” he whispered, his eyes gleaming.

“Yes, as a matter fact.”  She spoke slowly in a sexy whisper, savoring each word.  “That’s exactly how I plan on decompressing tonight, Jon.” 

Take that, Johnny Be Good. 

He didn’t even blink, but with his voice still husky, his eyes zeroed in on her mouth and he whispered.  “Can I watch?” She blinked in shock, as a rush of arousal dampened her panties. “Excuse me?”

He smiled and swirled his tongue around his teeth, then smacked his lips.  He was truly enjoying himself.  “You should see your face, Yan.  It’s priceless.”

He reached for the doorknob and she stopped him with, “You’re an ass, you know that?”

He turned back to her, his hand still on the doorknob.  “You’re just pissed because you can’t have sex for 16 more days, and you’re used to men who bend at your will.”  He paused and nailed her with his look.  “You think you have me all figured out, with your cutesy little nickname and all that.  But you might just learn that I’m not the Johnny Be Good you think I am.” 

His eyes gleamed with promise and he walked into the hallway.

Before closing the door, he left with a parting shot.  “Have fun decompressing.”

“Touch your nipples,” Jon purred.

He sat on the ottoman opposite the foot of her bed while she lay sprawled out on her silk blue sheets, her legs spread wide.  She was drenched, arousal dripping its way from her core to the lips of her sex.  The sheen of sweat she felt beading on her chest only added to the musky smell of the room.  This man was killing her.

“I want to watch you touch them, Ayanna.  Do it,” he demanded softly.

She whimpered with pleasure, as her hands skated up her body to cup her breasts.  Then her finger and thumb from each hand lightly plucked at her nipples. 

“That’s it.  Pinch them a little,” he whispered, leaning forward.

She did and then started gyrating her hips a little to ease some of the tension. 

“You want me to touch that sweet smooth pussy of yours, don’t you, Ayanna?”  His voice took on a gravelly quality.  It sounded so rough, like how she knew his hands would feel on her skin if he would only touch her.  But he didn’t.  He just sat where he was and tortured her with his words.

He finally got up from the ottoman and sat on the foot of the bed, watching her, looking at her glistening sex that screamed for him to fuck her.  “Keep one hand teasing your nipple and glide your other hand down between your legs.  Nice and slow.”

Her breathing was erratic.  No man had ever ordered her in the bedroom.  She was always the one in control.  She worked hard to choose bedmates who would do what she wanted so they could scratch the itch.

Jonathan wouldn’t allow her to take control.  He demanded, and she acquiesced.  It was wonderful.  And so fucking hot.

She continued pinching at her nipple and slowly moved her hand down her body, until her fingers reached her slick throbbing sex.

“Dip your finger inside.  Get it nice and wet, baby.”  His eyes were locked on hers, burning with bridled lust.

She did as he asked, then moaned.  It felt so good.  She just needed to ease some of the pressure.  “Jon,” she breathed.  “I need more.”

“Rub your finger lightly over your clit,” he continued purring.

She pulled her finger out of the heated dewy opening and ran it lightly up her folds to the pulsing bundle of nerves at the top of her sex.  She gasped and moved her hips up to reach her hand.

“Do you know how good you smell right now?  Your musky sweet scent?  I can’t wait to fuck you raw, Ayanna.  I’m gonna make you scream.  Again and again, baby,” he growled, his voice sounding like good whiskey.  “How many days do we have left before I get to tie you to my bed and go down on you?  When can I put my tongue on you and eat you whole, suck on that little nub and drink all of that sweet essence into my mouth?  How many more days, Yan?” he whispered. 

He continued his torment by leaning his face in near her hand between her legs.  “Tell me how it feels,” he demanded softly.

“It feels so goooood,” she moaned, raising her hips up off the bed.

“Are you close, baby?  Do you want to come?” he teased, licking his lips.

“Please Jon, I need you to touch me,” she breathed.  Her hands became more insistent, one was on her sex, the other rolling her nipple.  She was nearly to the breaking point, making incoherent sounds of pleasure.

She could feel his breath on her hand between her legs, while she brought herself closer and closer to the brink.  Then, he abruptly moved up the side of the bed and leaned over her face. 

“Open your eyes, Ayanna.”

He was beeping at her.

She pried open her eyes, her slumberous gaze latching onto the phone near her head which was pinging madly as a text message came through.

She was breathing heavily as if she’d just gone through a hard workout, her body stretched like a bow on the verge of release.  She pressed her hand to her clit and ground into it trying to relieve the tension throbbing there.  A moment later she gasped as she exploded into an earth shattering climax and allowed the undulating waves of sharp pulsations to carry her to completion.

She lay there for several moments catching her breath, coming down off of her high.

It was Friday morning and that had been the third night in a row she’d had the dream.  Some variations of it were different each time, but it was always basically the same. 

Erotic dreams of Jonathan watching her, directing her, telling her what he wanted her to do to her own body to bring herself relief, all the while promising her his own sweet delights at the end of the 40 days. 

She sighed and finally reached over to look at the text.

Speak of the devil.  She hadn’t spoken to him since that night he came and took the pizzas.  And here he was now, reaching out to her.

JW: 
Hey.  Haven’t heard from u in a while.  U decompressed yet?

Not even close, champ.

AS: 
Nice and relaxed, thank u very much.

She smiled to herself.  At the moment she was
, but boy it barely took the edge off.

JW:
Day 27.  Only 13 to go.

Annoyed
, she texted back.

AS: 
Thanks for the newsflash.

She got up to use the bathroom and her phone pinged a minute later.

JW: 
Snarky start to Day 27.  Maybe ur not as relaxed as you think.

No, duh.  I need you to fuck me 10 ways ‘til Sunday
, Johnny Boy.  Then maybe I’ll be close.

AS: 
Was there a reason for ur text, or did u just want to know if I was still master of my domain?

She threw out the obscure
Seinfeld
reference, waiting to see if he was also a fan of the infamous episode where all of the characters had a contest to see who could go the longest without pleasuring themselves.  Whoever won the contest was dubbed master of their domain.

Her phone pinged.

JW: 
Which one r u?  Kramer?  I think he failed first.