He leans down and captures my lips into a searing kiss. He hums husky in my ear as he pins me up roughly against his cell wall. My fingers rake the back of his orange jumpsuit, feeling the strong muscles move under the breathable fabric. He moves his lips to my neck and slowly places wet kisses in a downward motion. I pull at the front of his jumpsuit, impatiently undoing the buttons and lifting up the white muscle tank that is lying below.
Braden chuckles as he wraps my legs around his waist and grinds into me at a slow but sensual pace. I run my hands through his hair and direct his mouth toward my hard nipples that are pushing against the fabric of my tank top. Braden swiftly grabs the bottom of my top, pulls it off of me, and latches onto my pebbled nipple. I breathlessly moan as I feel my panties moisten and a knot in my stomach start to form. I tug at the bottom of his jumpsuit with need.
"Off. I need these off."
I whisper breathlessly into his ear. Braden immediately pulls me off the wall and lays me down on top of his bed. He -----
"Lucy!! Wake up! The party starts in half an hour and you aren't even dressed yet"
I moan and slowly stumble out of bed and smack the light switch on. Woah that was quite a dream. Tonight is Kenny's going away party and I have been up since six am picking up flowers, prepping food, cleaning the apartment, and trying to vacuum every piece of Rufus's hair from the couch. I got home from getting some last minute decorations at two, and I immediately fell asleep in my bed. Now I have half an hour until the party starts at seven and I am still in sweatpants.
Standing in front of my closet, I consider what outfit to go with. Michelle is wearing a blazer and Kiera is wearing a cocktail dress, so definitely something on the fancy side. Digging through my drawers, I decide to wear a sparkly navy blue mini dress that hugs my hips nicely.
As I comb through my hair and touch up my makeup, I can't help but feel bad for Braden. His visiting hours were today but I wasn't able to see him as I was crazy busy with the party. Thankfully, Cynthia was able to get him ten minutes of phone privileges tonight at eight so I can talk to him. I am very excited. I wish he could be here at the party. Maybe soon.
Knock, Knock, Knock.
It looks like the first guests are here! We decided to invite some of our neighbors, friends, and coworkers to the party. Even if all of them don't know Kenny, the people we invited will make sure the party is fun.
I fluff my hair one more time and walk into the kitchen where Kenny, and our friends Bruno, Justin, and Clint just arrived. I greet them all with hugs and serve everyone drinks. A few minutes and a few arrivals later, the apartment is packed with lots of friends. I am busy refilling the chips and dip when I feel someone place their hands on my hips and give me a hug from behind. Surprised, I flip around and take a few steps back from my ex Kyle.
"Hey, sorry you scared me."
I greet while awkwardly rubbing my arm. It felt strange to have him touch me intimately like that. We haven't been intimate for a whole year, and him touching me like that brings up memories.
"Oh sorry for scaring you, you looked busy filling up the appetizers. How are you doing Lucy?"
Kyle says as he takes a few steps into me. I take a deep breath and try not to be awkward.
"I have been doing well, just working and hanging out with friends. How is your work?"
Kyle leans back against the fridge and blatantly checks me out from head to toe. I avoid eye contact and take a sip of my wine.
"It has been going well. I've been at Facebook now for two years and I really like it. What friends?"
Kyle asks while eating some chips and dip.
"What?"
"You said you were hanging out with friends. What friends Lucy?"
"Oh well, I signed up to be a prison pen pal a while ago and I have been visiting my friend Braden who is currently in prison. He is super nice and I really enjoy visiting him."
Kyle stops eating his snack and looks up at me in a jealous manner.
"Isn't the point of a pen pal to write letters and not visit them? That's kinda weird Lucy that you visit him. What if he is dangerous?"
He says while showing worry and squeezing the hand I have sitting on the counter. I take my hand out of his and cross my arms defensively.
"Kyle, he is very nice. We got along so well in the letters that he invited me to his visiting hours. And anyways, he will be released in a week so it's not like he hasn't served his time."
Kyle chuckles and leans back against the fridge again in an arrogant manner.
"Good luck to him finding a job with that record of his."
I smirk.
"Actually, he is taking Kenny's job when he leaves for college. It's a perfect fit. He gets a salary, an apartment here, and a job."
Kyle scrunches up his face in annoyance.
"Great, so I guess he will be around a lot."
"Yes! I am so excited, you have to meet him! I think you would like him, Kyle. And to be friends again, we have to be friends with people that are important to each other."
He sighs and rolls his eyes.
"Fine, I'll meet him. But only if you go try that new sushi restaurant that just opened with me."
I squeal with excitement. I think the wine is kicking in.
"Fin's Sushi? Yes! I totally want to try that!"
Kyle smiles and we continue talking about sushi until Kiera reminds me that it is 5 minutes to 8pm and I have to call Braden. Kyle looks a little angry when I walk to my room but I am used to it. When we were in a relationship, he was always very possessive. I would talk to another boy and he would threaten them, especially if he had alcohol in his system. Honestly, it started becoming scary and was one of the main reasons I was able to get over him.
Once I am in my room, I dial the name of the facility and tell the operator that I want to speak to Braden Valencia. As the phone rings, I finish my third glass of wine and set it down on the nightstand.
"Lucy. Hello."
Braden greets in his rich warm voice that sends shivers down my spine.
"Braden! So so good to hear your voice! Sorry I was not able to visit today, I was crazy busy prepping for Kenny's party."
I collapse back on my bed and fiddle with the jewelry that is hanging around my neck.
"It's ok, I am getting to talk to you now. Speaking of, how is it going? It seems rowdy from what I can hear."
Braden chuckles.
"Yes, it is very loud and it's hard to get around out there. I swear I've tripped at least four times tonight. I hope Kenny likes his party. I wish you were here."
It might have been the wine or the butterflies in my stomach but I let that last part slip out.
"Hey, I will be there on Friday."
I smile and get excited. Wow, that's so soon. I wonder what it will be like to see him here, in my world.
"I am excited. Hey I was going to ask, do you need a ride here? I work on Friday from 12 pm - 8 pm, but can I pick you up before or after?"
"No, no don't worry about it Luce, I can find a ride there. There is a bus route that goes right in front of the facility, so I'll just take that."
I get the tingles in my cheeks and I blush at his nickname for me. Ok the wine is definitely kicking in.
"I like that."
"What"
He almost whispers with a deep rasp. I swear I can hear him run his big hands through the soft locks of his hair.
"The nickname you just gave me. It's cute, just like you."
I slur the end a little bit and Braden chuckles through the phone.
"Okay, I think you have had a little to drink. I don't want to keep you from having fun. Go enjoy the party and I will see you Friday night? Or Saturday?"
He is so cute how his voice gets higher when he gets excited.
"Yes! I will be tired and possibly smelly after work but I would like to see you!"
"Sounds great Lucy. Be safe tonight and drink lots of water! I will see you in a week."
I blush and cuddle the pillow that is next to me. Ugh I wish he was this pillow.
"See you soon Braden."
Even when the line goes dead, I keep the phone pressed up against my ear, trying to grasp onto the feeling of being and talking with him. He is a rush of serotonin that makes me forget to think. I feel immersed in a feeling of being cared for, and I like it.
Sure, Kiera and Michelle have my back but when was the last time I was taken care of instead of caring for someone else? It has been a while, and even him checking in on me made me feel warm.
The rest of the night is a blur. After I lost at Kings Cup for the second time, I don't see anything except slow motion memories. I have never been this drunk, and I have been drinking since I was sixteen.
Something didn't feel right.
My head feels heavy while my body feels like a bowl of noodles. Next thing I know, I am being pulled into my bedroom by my wrist and embraced by a man. I don't catch his face as he aggressively pushes me backwards onto my unmade bed. Suddenly, I know what is happening, but it's like I can't understand the situation. Everything is fuzzy and there is a ringing in my ears. I get enough mental effort together to push the body off me and tell them to get out. I think I was loud enough because he quickly leaves the room and I collapse back on the bed. All I can remember is staring at the wall with a pit in my stomach and Kiera and Michelle shaking me. After that, my mind goes dark.