The Naughty List Ch. 02

Winter is here...and Holly is coming. Hopefully, you will, too. Enjoy!

SSW

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I was never one to deal with frustration very well. I buried my emotions...or ran from them.

That's how I'd met Chris. I'd been running from the consistent annoyance of my roommate being gaga in love at our shared apartment. Little had I known what had awaited me at the mall. In the bedroom.

We'd come so far in eleven months. I'd learned to let go with Chris. To embrace the pleasures he introduced to me. Which included a lot of time with his hand on my ass.

The irony was, as much as I'd despised the act when I'd read the online list last Christmas, I'd grown to like getting spanked by him. Palms only; not the riding crop or flogger he'd also said he liked on the list. And my hands or arms needed to be restrained in some way. Who'd have thought it?

We'd done lessons on the differences between a blow job versus face fucking. The various sex positions to get the desired internal contact, the most orgasms, and to delay the former the longest. He'd taught me there was an art to eating pussy. How to squirt. The right and wrong way to use my teeth on his cock...to avoid his balls with them. I'd learned he was extremely sensitive when I used my tongue to play with his hardware. That I liked having my hair pulled. And as much as he liked to tease me with his finger at my asshole—and I enjoyed it—I was adamant that it was the only thing inserted there.

For the past few weeks, we'd been concentrating on orgasm control. It had been hard at first because I'd gotten used to only feeling, not concentrating, when we were together like that. As a result, we'd discussed possible punishments for disobedience. He'd wanted to avoid spanking since I liked it and he wasn't into physical harm. We'd eventually settled on standing naked in the corner, bent over with my legs spread and my wrists bound to my ankles, my ass bared to the room. It was uncomfortable and somewhat humiliating, but not painful.

He always started with a quarter of an hour and increased it by five-minute intervals if I made noises—whining, heavy sighs, even giggling—or broke my position in any way. Once, I even came because I could hear him jerking off behind me and I'd let my mind wander. That had cost me another fifteen minutes. There had been many times in the corner at first. Thankfully, he was patient, and I quickly became better at stemming my impulses when our times together grew more intense.

Through it all, he said he had faith in me. I had my doubts that I was too stubborn for him...that he'd give up on me. But he never did. Instead, he continually encouraged me. Reminded me that he would be there for me. And he admitted I'd had his heart from that day in the mall...long before that first night he'd seduced me.

###

Thanksgiving had always been my favorite holiday, even before Christmas and my birthday, which was also in December. It kicked off the true holiday season for me. Feasting on turkey, dressing, and mashed potatoes with my parents. Sitting around afterwards watching a movie while we complained that we'd eaten too much but still found room for a slice of warm pecan pie with vanilla ice cream. And I'd been looking forward to having Chris join us this year for it all.

However, my parents informed me they had decided to spend the winter in Florida after last year's accident. They just didn't want to deal with the snow anymore. Knowing they'd miss the two special days next month, I at least tried to convince them to wait to leave until after Thanksgiving. But they needed to be down there before the holiday in order to secure the deal they'd been offered for the condo rental. I reluctantly gave them my blessing and watched them drive off with smiles on their faces. My mom had reassured me both her and my dad felt safe leaving me in Chris's capable hands; that we would make new traditions together.

The problem was, I didn't want new traditions. I wanted the old traditions I'd always known...with Chris added in. But I swallowed my pride and accepted that my life was changing, whether I wanted to admit it or not.

Chris surprised me with his parents' plan to fly us both out west for the week to spend the holiday with them. They had moved closer to one of his sisters last winter, and everyone was gathering in Arizona this year. I was so excited to meet them in person. Yet again, though, our plans were waylaid when my boss asked me to pick up extra shifts due to losing another coworker to early maternity leave. I really could use the money, and Chris said he really wanted to go on the trip since it had been a few years since he'd seen his two sisters. He suggested adjusting the time he'd be gone so he could return in time to celebrate the special day with me. As much as it hurt to know I couldn't go with him, I was okay with the compromise.

Reluctantly, we parted at the airport after a myriad of kisses when he had to board. I spent the weekend sulking and the first part of the week trying not to spend too much time texting him when I was supposed to be manning the front desk at the gym. It amazed me how often people came to work out leading up to the day synonymous with overeating. One would think they'd be gung-ho in December with all the cookies and sweets they were consuming. Or maybe just wait it out another few weeks when they would kick in their New Year's resolutions to lose weight. That was obviously our busiest time of the year. Then it always tapered off by the end of January only to pick back up in May and June to get those bodies ready for summer. Ah, the circle of gym life.

Despite the changes in my expected plans, I still anticipated Thanksgiving Day. Chris would be back. I'd have my favorite meal. This weekend, we'd go get a tree and decorate my apartment. All in keeping the rest of the traditions alive.

Jolie had expressed an interest last week in having dinner with Chris and I. Somehow in the conversation, Dirk got invited, too. She said he was bringing the meat so I didn't have to worry about picking it up. What could I say? Even the smallest bird I'd gotten last year was too much for three of us. If Dirk wanted to go through the trouble of fighting the crowds at the grocery store, so be it. I tried not to imagine the awkward atmosphere at dinner where none of us talked. At all. I reasoned that I'd get over it.

But this morning when I asked her if Dirk was defrosting the turkey at his place because I'd not seen it, she dropped the bomb that he was on a no-poultry diet and had bought a ham for us to bake instead tomorrow. Lots of people had ham instead of turkey. I liked ham, didn't I? Then she rationalized, since there was no bird, there was no need for stuffing. And as neither her nor Dirk were big on mashed potatoes, they would make scalloped potatoes to go with the meat.

Before I could even ask about the pie I always made, she mentioned that as she had cut back on sweets, she hoped I wasn't too upset if we just skipped dessert altogether. I held my tongue when I really wanted to lay into her that with all the sex she was having, she would surely burn off any new calories within minutes.

I wanted to be mad at Jolie, but I knew she was just going along with what her boyfriend wanted. Once again, Dirk was to blame for my sour mood. I'd not yet confronted him about the incident from last Halloween. Each time I psyched myself up, something happened that made me lose my nerve. Maybe I hoped in the back of my mind that Jolie would move out to be with him...or break up, either option solving the problem.

But a year later, here we still were. Him silently rubbing it in my face with his mere presence that he'd gotten one up on me, coming and going as he pleased. Me letting him. And Jolie none the wiser.

I didn't sleep well that night due to the usual, boisterous theatrics of the oblivious couple in the next room. Add to that the absence of my parents, boyfriend, and favorite holiday dinner. All of it culminated in me being a little on the cranky side when I crawled out of bed Thursday morning.

To add insult to injury, I found the kitchen a mess and Jolie and Dirk making out—possibly more—on the couch. My couch. Which had been delivered just two weeks ago. The one I'd gone without spending beyond bills and minimal groceries for six months so I could afford it. And now, their half-naked bodies were rolling all over the plush, suede cushions, the pillows discarded over the back of the couch and scattered on the floor.

There were no words that seemed to satisfy what needed to be said. I was standing in an alternate reality. A dream world. That's what it was. It had to be. Because I felt...nothing.

I grabbed my coat and keys then went outside. Sitting on the stoop to the apartment complex, I wrapped my arms around my knees to fend off the chill that set in the moment my butt hit the concrete. The waterworks came on as a trickle then escalated to full force while my mind continued to process everything. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't come up with a solution. At least not a rational one that didn't involve wrapping my hands around the throats of the two people inside...and I wasn't talking the kinky way.

Over an hour later, I was still rocking back-and-forth when Chris pulled into the lot. I'd been half-wishing I had a cigarette because something I'd read recently said smoking helped you relax. My tears had dried up by then, but they threatened to return at just the sight of my boyfriend. And as much as I wanted to run to him, I couldn't move from my spot. Primarily because my butt was numb and my feet were tingly.

"Holly?" He squatted in front of me, pressing the back one hand to my cheeks before gently taking my hands in his, lightly rubbing back and forth. "Honey, you're freezing. What are you doing out here?"

I just blinked at him. How did I tell him that the chaos inside my apartment was of my own doing because I'd failed to stand up for myself the very first time I was confronted with my past? That once more, instead of handling the situation, I'd tucked my tail like a coward and tried to disappear?

He regarded me for a moment longer then helped me stand, walking me into the lobby before wrapping me into his coat. His lips were so warm when they brushed mine. So tender though he pressed harder on the next pass. Then I was whimpering while he plied my mouth with his, his hands alternating between warming my cheeks and holding me to him. The only thought that remained in my head was that I cared he was back.

After what seemed like a long time, he whispered, "God, I've missed you so much."

I just held him tighter, nuzzling under his chin. When I still shivered due to the common area heat not being turned on yet, he ushered me down the hall.

"Come on, honey, let's get you inside."

Chucking off my coat on one of the dining table chairs, I stumbled back with a small squeal. The kitchen had been cleaned, the couch put back to order, and Dirk and Jolie were not in the immediate vicinity. Had I imagined it all?

"Do I smell ham?" Chris asked, his own coat joining mine. "What happened to—"

"Don't ask," I mumbled.

"Is it just us two?" The sound of a scream and then raucous laughter from the back of the apartment had him shaking his head. "Nevermind."

He took my hand, leading me to my room. Behind the closed door with just one bedside lamp on, he slowly stripped me and then himself. Neither of us spoke.

We kissed. We fondled. We made love.

All of the negative stuff disappeared over the next hour or so. That alternate world I'd felt like I was in earlier? It had moved into this room. There was only Chris and I. Nothing else—no one else—existed.

###

There was a knock on the door, disrupting my post-coital bliss.

My lover pulled on his pants and opened my bedroom door to reveal Jolie wearing her coat. Her voice barely reached my ears, and her eyes darted once over Chris's shoulder. He responded curtly, but I didn't hear what he said, either. Not that it mattered at the moment. I was more concerned about the burnt smell wafting down the hallway. The distant sound of the exhaust fan from above the stove.

Chris shut the door, kicked off his jeans, and crawled back into bed with me.

"What did she want? Why do I— Mmm!"

His mouth moved sensually over mine. One hand gripped me behind the neck, holding my head to his. The other hand slid up and down my left side. Caressing my arm, breast, hip, thigh. Intentionally distracting me.

I shoved on his right shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Shh." He brought my left hand above my head and held it there with his, kissing me harder, my head pressing into the pillow now.

"Chris!" I wiggled under him, my right palm futilely pushing between us on his chest. In the distance, I heard the front door shut loudly. "What—"

"Getting mad won't change anything, honey." He dipped his head, and his tongue ran around my nipple before he gently tugged on it with his teeth. His lips closed around the tip, sucking.

I hissed and arched under him. Fighting internally now between wanting to know what was going on outside this room and getting lost in my lover's charms. His fingers and then his cock pressing between my legs made the decision. Soon, we were both moaning. Writhing. Panting. Coming together.

Afterwards, we lie in the semi-darkness, his chest pressing to my back while we spooned on our left sides. Eventually, his breathing slowed down. When I felt the tension in his arm over me lessen, I shot out from under the covers and streaked down the hall. I skidded to a stop at the kitchen island where a blackened ham sat in my mom's heirloom roasting pan—which had also turned crusty-black inside.

For thirteen months, my true feelings about Jolie and Dirk had simmered just under the surface. Fearing to even leak out. I'd compromised to the moon and back. Made excuses for why I let them get away with what they had. But seeing my Thanksgiving dinner eliminated and its replacement completely ruined, the people responsible for it intentionally MIA? That sent my emotions boiling over. They erupted in a cry that made my neck and back hurt...my throat raw. But I didn't care.

I stood there buck naked in my kitchen and screamed my head off with my hands fisted at my sides, my feet stomping.

At some point, I realized Chris was standing by the island with me, also without a stitch of clothing on. He didn't say anything. He didn't try to calm me. He was just there. For me.

Only when I had nothing left in me and was hunched on my hands and knees on the floor did he step forward. He picked me up princess-style and carried me down the hall. I expected that we were going back to bed. But he surprised me by taking me into the bathroom. Setting me on the closed toilet lid and leaning me against the vanity countertop. Then he ran a hot bath.

With the lights off and the door closed, he helped me into the tub and sat behind me. His arms wrapped around my waist under the water before he pulled me back when he reclined. Then they moved up, enveloping my upper body in his wet crisscrossed hug while his fingers stroked my hair.

I rolled my head on his shoulder, blinking through the teardrops that lingered on my eyelashes. My hands folded over his arms, lightly holding him while the water level rose and fell over my breasts like the tide ebbing and flowing from my uneven breathing.

Occasionally, he pressed his lips to my head. But he still remained quiet. Patiently waiting, as always.

Another deep shudder passed through me, making my breath hitch. My voice was scratchy when I finally felt I could speak. I spilled what had happened last year at the Halloween party. The week after. Every day since. Feeling his arms contract and expand around me as I unloaded.

"I'm a coward," I finished, trying to turn onto my side without sloshing too much water onto the floor.

Chris just hummed against my hair, his arms adjusting to hold me in my new position.

"Is that an agreement? Dissention? Because if you fucking say you're Switzerland..." I felt more than heard the soft chuckle beneath me. Then there was a deep sigh. "Out with it."

His hand pressed my head back to his shoulder. "Hear me out, okay? Yes, he was a dick for what he did to you. Specifically for not saying anything to you when he realized who you were. And if Jolie knew all this time... Well, let's assume she hasn't and just leave it at Dirk is a dick."

"I hear a but," I mumbled, closing my eyes.

"Because there is. A big one." He kissed my head again. "Dirk didn't say anything, and neither did you. So you're both at fault. He has apparently brushed it off. You've allowed him to get under your skin and fester. I will say I'm glad you ran out of the house that day to hang out at the mall. But enough is enough. You not only are letting Dirk walk all over you, he's now pulling Jolie's strings so that she's manipulating you, too."

I shivered as the water started to get cooler, but I didn't want to get out. Not yet. "What did Jolie say to you earlier?"

Chris was quiet for a few minutes, lightly dragging his fingers up and down my arm which shivered even more from the trickles of water he left behind. Eventually, he sighed. "They had gone to Dirk's place to get the potatoes he'd left in his fridge. He wanted to run another errand, and then they lost track of time. When they'd returned, the ham had dried out and burnt. Probably not enough water and/or they'd glazed it too early. Anyway, it was too late to save it. They were leaving to find something to eat, and did we want them to bring something for us. I told her not to bother coming back until at least tomorrow. I knew you would need time to cool off once you learned what had happened."

"You should have let me at her right then and there. Him, too. They wouldn't be having any sex for quite a while, if you catch my drift."

"Shh. This is exactly why I told them to stay away." Chris sat up and helped me to my feet. "Let's dry off and see if we can get some food. Will is gone until Sunday, so I'm taking you to my place just in case your roommate doesn't heed my warning."

I nodded, remembering his temporary roommate he'd acquired this summer: his cousin. Will had gotten out of rehab and was staying with Chris while he studied for his GED. It was only a one-bedroom apartment, but there was a large alcove in the living room that Chris had set up divider screens around to hide a futon and a small chest of drawers for Will's privacy. I'd not stayed there very often ever since to give Will the space to concentrate. Plus, he slept during the day due to his night job stocking shelves at a warehouse.

Chris took charge of packing me a bag and getting us out of my place. But I hesitated when I spied the ruined ham and damaged roaster on our way through the kitchen.

"Let Jolie deal with it," he said, taking my hand and steering me on toward the front door. "I know it was your mom's, but it's just a pan. We can try to salvage it tomorrow."

Fifteen minutes later, I was surprised when he pulled into a church parking lot that was half full. I just raised my eyebrows at him when he came around and opened my door. He waited patiently until I held out my hand. Then we walked up to a long, one-story building next to the taller sanctuary, and he paused, turning to me.

"I know it's not exactly what you wanted...but it has to be better than none at all." He stepped to the side, revealing a sign on the door stating that the normal soup kitchen was serving a free, three-course meal with all the fixings until seven o'clock today.

His face was suddenly blurry when I reached up to kiss him. "Thank you."

"Shh, don't cry." He gave me a second kiss, wiped his thumb over each of my lower lids, and then threaded his fingers through mine before opening the door.