Song for Chapter: Apocalypse ~ Cigarettes After Sex
JOANNA
Thud, thud, thud.
The soft yet annoying pounding rudely interrupts the sexy dream I was under. Lifting my head from under my pillows, I blindly reach for my glasses on the nightstand, knocking items out of the way until I finally grasp them and then manage to stab myself in the eye with one of the ends.
"Ow!"
"Joanna, you better be alive in there!" Oli yells from the other side of the door. "I'm coming in!"
Rubbing at my throbbing eye, I look up when Oli walks in and looks around. "Damn. And I thought I had wild sex. What the hell happened here?"
Memories of last night play again. The sounds, gasps, grunts, moans and even quiet sexy, deep chuckling here and there. Hands, lips, tongue everywhere. And I mean everywhere. The strokes, caresses, gripping and grasping, the teasing, the pulling.
All of it has my stomach tightening all over again.
Oli claps her hands to get my attention. "JoJo? Are you okay?"
Smiling, I put my glasses on without blinding myself this time. "Estoy perfectamente bien." I tell her how perfectly content I feel. Stretching my hands over my head, legs straining in the opposite direction, I wince at the soreness in my limbs and definitely in between my legs.
"You looked like you were thoroughly fucked last night. I'm actually jealous." She laughs. "What happened to your bed sheets?" I pull the cover over my bare body and remember we had to take the sheets off after round two.
Not meeting her eyes, I hide my shy smile. "It's never happened before..."
The smirk on Oli's face makes me blush. "Daaammn. I have to give it to Coach. He left all cool as a cucumber when this is how he left you? The guys' a legend."
"You saw him?"
She nods, picking up my torn panties and throws them at me. "Yup. I was just getting home and he was leaving."
"What time?" I search for my phone and then see it on the floor. Oli picks it up and hands it to me. It's eleven a.m. Wow, I never sleep in this late.
"Around three. So...how was it?"
Hesitating, for a moment, before I tell her. "We made an agreement. One time only. And it was...good."
"Good?!" She snorts. "Girl, you need to go see yourself in the mirror. Not to mention look at the state of your room, your bed!" She laughs and then picks up something else from the floor.
She shakes her head at me. "One time, huh? Mentirosa. I'm going to leave, give you time to clean up and I'll be back for every little dirty detail, prima. Especially, regarding round two!" She tosses a small piece of paper at me and walks out. (Liar)
I reach for the paper, unfolding it and my eyes nearly pop out.
Joanna,
I don't know about you, but round two was my personal favorite. But all three will come in handy for me later.
~Sage
Falling back, I groan when I hit my head on the metal rods of my bed frame. But then the image of me holding on to them while Sage plowed into me from behind pops in my head.
I need to get out of this bed.
___________
"All I'm saying, cuz," Oli begins, trailing behind me. "If the guy awoke the sexual goddess in you, maybe you should see where it goes."
"Nah, it's like you said, I needed it, it happened—it's out of my system and now I can focus on myself again." I set down two of the serving plates I'm carrying on top of the food table.
After giving her a detailed account of last night—she was very adamant on wanting to know everything—she wants me to consider giving Sage another go.
"So, when you see him again, you're saying you're not going to want to jump his bones?"
I chuckle. "No, he's our trainer, Oli. When I see him tomorrow, it'll be business as usual."
"Right, tomorrow..." She trails off.
I watch her scurry back to the kitchen and I put my focus on rearranging the food around the table instead of the dirty thoughts that won't seem to leave my mind.
Family has been trickling in and out of the large party room in Oli's parents house to help set up tables, chairs and other seating options. Family members who brought instruments are starting to set up at the end of the room and begin playing music.
A few of my brothers are setting up the sound system so later we can give the band a break and still have music playing.
"There you are mija." My mom shuffles towards me, carrying a large pot of mole. I lift my hands to help her, but she clicks her tongue. "Ay, no quiero manchar tu vestido bonito." (Oh, I don't want to get a stain on your pretty dress)
"¿Es nuevo?" She asks if it's new, setting the large pot with a grunt.
"No, I just didn't fit into it until now," I tell her, running my hands down the floral dark pink cami dress. It's unreasonably cold to be wearing a dress like this in February, but I felt like being festive not only for Oli's birthday but also because Valentine's Day is later this week. My denim jacket keeps my bare arms somewhat warm, and I'm wearing my white keds instead of sandals which would look so much better.
"Are you not eating, mi corazón? You're moving around slow today. ¿Te sientes mal?" Her motherly instinct on high alert as her hand slaps my forehead, checking my temperature and her hands start feeling my throat and then she gasps. (My heart/ Are you feeling sick?)
"¡Por Dios! Que te paso? Te quemaste?" Alarmed, she pulls me by my neck to inspect the bruising mark on my neck, she's mistaken as a burn. (Oh my God! What happened? Did you burn yourself?)
"¡Mamá, me vas a romper la cabeza!" (Mom, you're going to rip my head off)
"Is this why you were asking your Tia for medicine, por el dolor?" (for pain)
I knew I should have just stopped to pick up some Tylenol or Ibuprofen at the store before arriving. My face feels warm under my mom's hard scrutinizing eyes.
"I'm fine, mamá. I'm sore from all the training at the gym and I have...a headache." Which is true now.
"What did you burn yourself with?"
"Curling iron," Oli answers, smiling at us, but one of her eyebrows rises as she walks past me.
"¿Y qué diablos estabas haciendo, quemándote el pecho?" I step away from mom as she pulls the neckline of my dress, peeking at the other marks I have there, too." (And what the hell are you doing burning your chest?)
I walk into the kitchen to make sure all the pitchers of water, aguas de zandia, horchatas and limonadas are ready to be set out when a voice I wasn't expecting to hear today filters through the loud chatter of the room, and over the music. My heart races wondering what the hell he's doing here.
Not bothering to turn around, I pick up the first pitcher and start moving towards the doorway toward the party room when I sense someone approaching me and they take the pitcher from my hands.
"Here, let me help you."
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"Come on, Joanna. No seas asi." Manny clicks his tongue, letting out a frustrated exhale. (Don't be like that). "We've always loved coming to family get-togethers," he says, shifting the pitcher in his arms.
"Wrong. You hated coming to these. You're not related, so why are you here? We both know you and Oli only tolerated each other because of me."
He chuckles. "True, but you know my mom and Oli's mom are like sisters. You can't expect their friendship to stop just because of what happened between us."
"I would never expect that. But that doesn't mean you're still welcome."
His fingers grasp the ends of my hair. "You cut your hair. I always liked your long hair."
"Why do you think I cut it?" Taking one of the pitchers from him, I walk away.
"Stop being childish."
Whirling around I nearly spill the liquid on me, but manage to keep it under control. "Where do you get the fucking balls to think you can tell me what to do or how to act?" My nostrils flare with my heavy breathing, trying to contain my anger.
"Joanna, no hables así, mija." My mom chides me with a smile, standing next to me and takes the pitcher, placing it on the table before she turns to Manny. (Don't talk like that)
"Manuel. Your mother is the only reason you're allowed to be here. If you do anything to ruin this celebration for Oli or make Joanna upset, you will be asked to leave. Entiendes?" (understand?)
He lowers his head, giving a single nod. "Si, Señora." He walks away to set his own pitcher of drink down.
"Estoy bien, mamá." I mutter I'm fine before she starts badgering me and walk away to get some air in the courtyard of the house.
I return later, repeating the mantras in my head that I was chanting in my solitude. I don't apologize for being me. I attract wonderful people into my life.
And my personal favorite: I am working on myself, for myself, by myself.
Lost in my thoughts, I bump into Nati and my baby nephew Oscar who are coming into the kitchen. "Oh, I'm sorry Nati, I wasn't paying attention."
She smiles at me. "Don't worry, girl, I gotta go clean up." She nods down at her shirt where little Oscar spit up on her. "Do you mind holding him for me?"
My face breaks into a silly grin. "¡Claro que no! Ven pa' ca, Oscar!" Taking him into my arms, I snuggle him and tickle his neck by nibbling him. He chortles, not quite laughing. (of course not/ come here, Oscar)
"There's so many people here, I forget Oli invites the whole world to these." Nati laughs, glancing around the room.
I join with her laughing. "Seriously, anyone she meets within a week of her birthday is usually invited."
"Hey, JoJo!" A young, small voice calls out to me and my eyes widen, still facing Nati.
She smiles back at me. "Yep. He's here. too'' She wiggles her eyebrows at me. "By the way, you owe me details. And from what Oli shared, I'll need to drown myself in holy water afterward."
My face is on fire as she turns away to clean up her shirt. Oscar's cooing sounds snap me back to the present. "It's fine, right?" I look down at him. "Yeah, it's fine, there's a lot of people here. It's fine. I'm fine." I repeat like an idiot.
I steel myself to look over and Obie is enthusiastically waving at me. Sage stands behind him, looking incredibly handsome with a smile on his face that makes my pulse erupt in areas it shouldn't.
Shifting my hold on Oscar, I lift him up higher and walk toward them, hoping the shaking my body is doing is only in my mind. Oli approaches just as I come up to them and she pulls me forward more.
"Look who wanted to wish me Happy Birthday, JoJo!"
"Something tells me that isn't the whole truth." I mutter under my breath with a glare at my favorite, annoying cousin.
"She's not the only reason we're here." Sage states, his dark eyes trapping me in his smoldering gaze.
"What?! I'm offended Coach!" Oli feigns shock and disappointment before she cackles, "Just kidding. Here, let me take my cute little second cousin. I haven't held him for like ten minutes." But I keep my grip on him, until Oli gives me a look that practically screams, really? You're gonna use a baby to hide behind?
"Come on, Obie, I'll help you dish up some food, bud."
They walk away leaving Sage and I standing there, awkwardly. Crap, this is why you don't mix business with pleasure. Although, we don't have any business together—
"Are you okay?" Sage asks. My head snaps up to the worried look on his face.
"What? Oh, yeah. Perfect. I'm good. Peachy. Fantastic." Stop talking, Joanna.
"Why won't you look at me then?"
Because all I picture when I do, is your adonis-like body hovering over me, moving in a slow, tantalizing rhythm.
"I am." Even though my eyes are focused over his shoulder. He dips to move in my line of sight.
"Now you are."
I lift my hand to my warm face and his mouth slowly curves in a sexy smile. He picks up my hand, kissing it. "You look absolutely gorgeous."
Swallowing. I nod. "Okay, thanks for coming." I spin away and head for the food table, even though eating is the last thing I want to be doing right now. I pick up a plate and start dishing a few different things attempting to calm my racing heart.
"What do you suggest I try?" Sage asks next to me, even though he's plating everything I've picked up.
"Whatever you feel like eating."
"Hmm, I don't think it would go well if I spread you out on one of the tables." He moves in quickly to keep me from dropping my plate in shock and then chuckles.
I mutter a quick Thank You and sit down a few seats away from the very watchful eyes of my mom and my Tias. But when I see all of the curious, or questioning looks on their faces, I know Sage is about to sit down next to me.
And because things can't get any more weird, my brothers and even Manny sit down around us. Oli and Obie are further down from us.
"I need a drink, do you want one?" I ask Sage and he smiles, nodding. He stands when I do and I sense everyone else at the table watching us as I walk away.
I down the first cup of limonada that I poured myself to cool down then, I fill the cup again and grab some Horchata for Sage. I head back and a few of my brothers are laughing with him about something, he stands when I approach, pulling my chair out. The blush on my face seems to be permanent.
"Thank you." I sit and place his drink down next to his plate.
"Sage was telling us about your first day." Nacho informs me and at this point, my mascara must be dripping down from the heat of my face.
I force a laugh. "Well, you know me. I like to make an entrance."
"No, you don't. You like to blend in when you're somewhere you haven't been before." Manny speaks up and the laughter that was rippling through everyone dies down.
"Joanna doesn't blend in," Sage responds, his dark eyes challenging Manny. I clear my throat and he tears his fierce gaze from Manny and focuses on me, his features softening.
"Here, try this." I slide the cup toward him.
"What is it?" He sniffs it. "Smells, cinnamony."
I smile. "Is cinnamony a word?"
"Yes, it's in the scrabble dictionary." He grins, confidently. I can't help laughing and his smile widens before he takes a sip of the Horchata.
"Mm. Sweet, creamy and smooth, with the right amount of spice, reminds me of you." He playfully pinches my cheek and nose while my eyes widen as my brothers and some of my Tia's and family friends all react audibly to his obvious description. There's amusement, shock and even laughter.
"Damn, that was good, man! Just gonna ignore the part about my sister though." My brother Memo, slaps his shoulder laughing. "I'm stealing it."
I avoid looking at my mom, who I know is probably about to die of shock. But another pair of eyes catch my attention across the table. Manny looks like he's eaten something sour, but his eyes reflect anger.
A large warm land rests on my knee and I look down then over at Sage who's eating and talking with Memo and Pato about the spring season of the White Sox and Cubs.
I bring my shoulder to my ear, smiling nervously, when he switches to rubbing my ear next—How the hell am I supposed to eat when he's touching me like this in front of my family and friends? But no one seems to care as I glance around the table except for Manny.
I expected the interrogation to begin with my brothers, but they all seem to have something in common with Sage in one form or another. If it's not fitness related, they talk baseball or soccer. He becomes the unofficial tie breaker between my brothers, being a White Sox fan.
The third degree shockingly comes from Manny.
"So, Sage, I hear you own a gym, how long have you been in business?"
Sage rests his arm on the back of my chair and gives my shoulder a squeeze before the caresses begin.
"Going on nine years." He takes another sip of his Horchata.
"Must have been tough juggling a new business, with a young family."
I glare at Manny, he gives me a shrug in return.
"It wasn't easy." Sage shifts in his chair, but he keeps his arm around my shoulders. "It took a lot of sacrifice but it was all worth it."
Manny scoffs and my eyes shoot over to him again. "Including your failed marriage? Personally, I don't think I could sacrifice my family over a dream of something that could or could not work out."
"You're the last person who should judge on giving up on something." I snap, my knee is bouncing erratically under the table, trying to control my rage. "Mind your damn business on things you know nothing about."
Sage's hand squeezes my shoulder and then looks over at Obie who is talking with some of the other kids at the end of the long table. He focuses on Manny while everyone's attention is on him.
"To be honest, my ex-wife and I should never have been married. We were young, it was all rushed; it didn't last more than a year. I came home one night after work and she was gone. She never had plans to be married or be a mom."
"So, I did everything I could to provide for my son and tried to give him a good life. He would come with me while I was going to school as long as my professors allowed it and even when I worked. I was lucky to have help along the way from people who have become like family. I'm not perfect and there were times when I should have been home with him and I wasn't. And that is something I regret—lost time with him that I won't get back—but everything has been and always was for him."
All the women at the table dab at their eyes, some throw angry glares at Manny. His own mom is shaking her head in disappointment.
My mom clears her throat. "I offer my apologies, as a guest you should not be made to..." She pauses and asks around the table. "Come se dice dar explicaciones?"
"You shouldn't have to explain yourself." I translate, wishing I had the super power of making people vanish with the blink of an eye as I glare at Manny.
"Si, that's what I try to say," my mom continues. "You are an honorable man, Eh-Sage." Her mispronunciation of his name breaks the tension around the table as my brothers snicker and I roll my eyes, sighing.
"Gracias, Senora Lozano. No hay bronca." Sage surprises everyone with his response. My mom smiles warmly at him with her hand over her heart. (Thank you, Mrs. Lozano, There's no problem)
"Pepita, por favor," she tells him and he nods in return.
After a long pause, Sage looks around. "Is Senora Rosita here?"
My mom once again smiles. "Mama is not feeling well, but I will let her know you asked for her."
I excuse myself from the table and head to the kitchen with my plate. Leaving it on the counter, I turn around and run into Manny.
"Get out of my way."
"Joanna, please. Can we talk?"
I scoff and walk around him, heading towards the hallway, but he holds on to my wrist and tugs me away from the party room.
"Let go of me, Manny."
He pulls me into a secluded part of the house as I try to get out of his grip. "Unless you want to leave in an ambulance, Manny, let go now."
He turns around in a flash of quick movement and I dodge him when he tries to kiss me.
"What the hell are you doing?" I shove him away from me.
"I want you back, Joanna. I made a mistake. I never should have betrayed you the way I did."
I begin laughing. "Estas loco. You are delusional, Manny."
"Can you stop hating me, and just think about it, please? We have so much history. We can be us again."
"I don't hate you. Hate is an emotion and I feel nothing for you. So, it turns out the grass isn't always greener, huh? Too bad for you." I straighten my posture. "Our families might be friends and we may see each other at these functions, but I think it would be best if you stopped coming around if you can't respect me enough to leave me alone."
He lowers his defeated gaze and walks away. I turn and walk into the nearby bathroom, closing the door behind me. I splash some cold water on my face and grab a towel to dry off when I hear a knock.
I chuck the towel on the sink frustrated and rip the door open. "I'm serious, Manny, leave me—"
Sage walks forward and closes the door behind him, locking it. "What...what are you doing in here?"
"I was looking for you." He smiles and my heart skips a beat. "I saw Manny follow you and I wanted to make sure you were okay. But I should have known you can handle yourself. I know you don't need me to validate you, but I'm proud of how you stood up to him. You're amazing, Joanna." His fingers brush back some hair away from my face and then his thumb trails down my jaw and runs along my bottom lip, while he pulls his in between his teeth.
"Sage, we had an agreement. Only once."
"It happened more than once." His voice has grown deeper as he keeps staring at my mouth before slowly lifting his eyes to mine. "Tell me," He licks his bottom lip now. "How sore are you?"
"Who says I'm sore?" My response is shaky and breathy.
"Hm." He lifts me up on the sink so quickly, I don't have time to react other than squealing in surprise. "Let me get this straight..." He places a hand next to me on the counter and leans in. "After what happened yesterday, you and I are..."
"We're friends."
The amused look on his face with his eyebrow raised at me shouldn't be creating a pulse in between my thighs, but it does.
"Friends..." He repeats like he's testing out the word, while he's staring at my mouth. And then his eyes light up as he lifts them to mine. "Friends take care of each other."
He rests his other hand next to me, too. "I can make your pussy feel better." I learned last night how filthy his mouth can be and turns out, I'm a fan. His dirty talking makes the throbbing pulse escalate to an ache, desperate for relief.
"Sage."
"Yeah?" He nibbles on my ear and then trails open mouth kisses down my neck. "You smell so good, Joanna." His teeth take over his for lips, grazing my throat. My eyes roll back, my traitorous legs spreading on their own.
"This isn't a good idea."
"You're right, it's a great idea." He cups my face and gives me a deep kiss, dragging my denim jacket off and then his lips are on my bare shoulder as he pulls the straps of my dress down, tugging enough that my breasts are exposed. He leans away taking them in appreciatively. The desire alone in his eyes is so intense, that heat pools deep in my belly.
He groans, covering one of them with his mouth, tasting, pulling, and swirling his tongue around my nipple while his other hand palms and kneads my other breast. The throbbing in between my legs intensifies and I know my arousal has already soaked through.
"Sage," I moan in a whisper. "What if someone hears us?"
He pops off my breast and captures my lips in a passionate kiss, pulling me up against him, his erection hard against my core and I moan even louder. "Just give me thirty seconds to make you come. Please."
This is crazy. He's asking me, to allow him to give me an orgasm? And thirty seconds seems a little overconfident. I just figured last night was kind of a fluke.
"There's no way," I state, disbelieving.
He leans away pecking my lips and then smiles. "Bet?"
"I'm starting to think you have some kind of weird sex game fetish."
"No, just a Joanna fetish." He kisses me again, leaving me even more breathless. "Thirty seconds." He says with one of nipples in his mouth.
"Last time," I state firmly, trying to have some control even though it's a lost cause at this point.
"If that's what you want."
I begin to shimmy my panties down my legs and he helps drag them down the rest of the way. I reach for them, but he moves quickly, gathering them up in his hand and takes a deep, long inhale. His eyes darken, watching me with a wicked smile on his face.
"How wet are you already, Joanna?"
I don't know how to answer that. Are there levels, like mild, medium, drenched? Or is it more like: moist, slow drip, freaking monsoon?
"Joanna, stay with me." He cups my face, bringing my focus back to him. He kisses me and makes his descent down the center of my body. "Do you want to time me?"
My eyes snap open. "You're serious?"
"I don't joke about something as serious as your pleasure, baby." He hands me his phone and then gives me his code. I set the timer and place it on the counter next to me. He kneels down in front of me, but with his long legs, he has to be at an awkward angle and I hide my smile when he turns me, too. He grabs my ass and pulls me forward. He rubs his stubble on my neck then nuzzles my chest.
"Ready?"
He lifts one of my legs over his shoulder and kisses my calf, my knee and then makes his way to my inner thigh, increasing the pressure of his lips with his kisses, his teeth as he nibbles and his tongue as he licks me. He groans, running his nose right up against me as my knuckles turn white, gripping the counter.
Damn, I'm already close. And then his mouth comes over my clit and two fingers slide into me slowly and deep. He sucks briefly with a moan of his own, as his fingers glide in and out until he curls them inside of me, hitting a spot that makes my vision go blurry. My hand comes over my mouth to muffle the scream of his name when the orgasm explodes within me, my toes curl inside my shoes.
Sage's phone goes off a few seconds later. But that doesn't stop him from continuing to lap at me, groaning. "I love the way you taste."
My legs and my arms feel too heavy to move as he straightens back up to clean up. He turns to me with a satisfied look on his face.
He begins fixing the straps and adjusts my breasts inside the cups of the dress, then he slips my jacket back over my shoulders. I finally snap out of my post orgasm daze when he starts cleaning me with a warm towel.
"Sage, don't do that."
His eyes shift to mine, a puzzled look on his face. "Why not?"
Saying it's too intimate feels stupid considering his face was smashed up against me.
"Because...I can do that."
"But I want to," he says, so casually, I find it adorable.
"You can't be real."
He smiles and I realize I said the words out loud. "I am as real as you, baby." He leans in to kiss me but his phone rings. B flashes on his screen on the counter.
"I should probably take this."
I nod and hop off. He hands me my panties and I turn away, slipping each of my legs through them.
"See you out there?" He asks as he opens the door.
I nod again and he starts walking out. "Sage?"
He turns back to look at me.
"Last time."
His expression is unreadable but he nods once.