Chapter 2 (Matthew's POV)
I was glued to my seat. I can't believe she ran again, I thought to myself. Oh, wait, yes I can. This girl had done nothing but run from me since I'd met her; and I just couldn't help but chase her. This time I stayed. She obviously wanted nothing to do with me. I just couldn't figure out why. What could I have possibly said or done to send her running for the hills? I get that she didn't want for things between us to interfere with work, but there was this strange connection between us. I didn't understand how it was so easy for her to deny it. I just kept hoping that eventually she'd come around, but my patience was wearing thin.
The next day, I arrived on set with a mission. I had questions, and Monica was going to answer them whether she liked it or not. I was sick of keeping up these false pretenses with her. I planned to set things straight between us. I planned on marching up to her and demanding she tell me the truth about why she keeps running away from me. However, shortly after my arrival, I found that she wasn't there. "Hey, Shemar," I was trying hard to be as casual as possible. "What happened to the new girl? She get fired already?"
"Who?" he said with a smirk. "The intern? The hot one? You tappin' that, Bro?"
"Shhh!" I tried to quiet him. "No, I'm not 'tappin' that'! It's complicated. Look, have you seen her?"
"Naw, man. I think Kristen said she was out sick today." He paused and stared at me.
"What?" I asked. The scrutiny of his gaze was making me more and more uncomfortable.
"Nothing. Just can't believe you're hittin' the hot intern."
"Look, stop." I argued. "No one's 'tappin' or 'hittin' or gettin with' anyone. Just leave it alone, okay?"
"Fine, fine," he said, raising his hands in surrender.
"Sorry, it's just a long story," I said.
"It's cool, man," Shemar reassured.
"Alright, places everyone!" the director shouted. "Quiet on the set and… Action!"
After an exceptionally grueling work day, Shemar and I decided to head to the bar for a beer while I poured my guts out to him. "I don't know what it is about her, man," I gushed. "I've never felt more relaxed and on edge at the same time."
"So have you talked to her since she left you hanging?" Shemar asked.
"No, I've tried calling her, she won't answer," I said, contemplating the situation. "I was gonna talk to her on set today, but she wasn't there."
"I don't know what to tell you, man," he sympathized.
"It's cool, man," I assured him. "I'll just talk to her tomorrow. Listen, I'm gonna head out. See you tomorrow." I left a few bills on the bar for the check and walked out the door. I didn't live far from the bar, so I decided to walk home and pick my car up in the morning. The cool air on my face renewed me as I reflected on the events that have happened over the course of the week. I turned the corner that led to my apartment complex and climbed the stairs to my floor. Once inside my apartment, I was relieved to be alone to think. There was no point in trying to sleep. I couldn't do anything but think of her. Yet, somehow, I drifted off.
I awoke the next morning feeling surprisingly energetic. I showered and shaved in impeccable timing and headed off to the bar to retrieve my car. I arrived on set after only a few minutes. Once inside, I was relieved to find that Monica was there with no signs of illness. In fact, she looked more beautiful than I remembered. She was positively glowing. I spent the entire day rehearsing what I would say to her when I finally caught her alone. I was distracted by her the entire day. I messed up my lines, my cinematic timing was completely off, and I couldn't even manage to stand on the marks that corresponded to the camera angles. The director had wrapped and I finally had my chance. Monica was standing alone retrieving her things. I approached her cautiously. "Hey," I said, shoving my hands in my pockets.
"Hi," she replied, sweetly.
"I, uh, heard you were sick yesterday," after replaying the scenario in my head all day, I was completely stumped on how to approach the situation. "How ya feelin'?"
"Much better, thank you," she said, seeming a little standoff-ish. "Did I miss anything?"
"No just the usual stuff," I could feel time running out. "Listen, I wanted to talk to you about the other night."
"Oh, boy," she muttered. "Look, I'm sorry I left so abruptly. I just- It's just—"
"God, just say it," I interjected, my voice rising with impatience. "If you don't want anything to do with me, then just say it."
"What? I—" she seemed stunned. I could instantly tell that what I thought was not the case. "It's not that. God, not at all! It's just that, well, you make me nervous."
"Wait, what?" I said in disbelief.
"I am trying so hard to take this job seriously. And then I meet you and everything gets all hazy, and…"
"Yeah, I know what you mean," I said, daring to meet her eyes. "Well, listen, I promise to not let this….heat get in the way of your job." She chuckled at the joke. "Is—is that a smile?"
"Okay," she brushed off my sarcasm. She turned and began to walk away, stopping after a few steps. She turned and hurried back to where she stood. "I almost forgot. I'm having a little get together tomorrow night. The roof of my apartment has this really pretty garden. So my friend Rachelle and I are having a few people over. Do you wanna come?"
"I—sure," I said, taken aback. "I'd be delighted."
"Awesome," she said with her smile that could light up a room. She pulled a pen out of her purse and grabbed my hand. "This is my address," she said while writing. Anytime after 10 is cool, but ya know, whenever."
"I'll see you then," I said. She turned and continued on her way out the door. I went to get my coat. Then headed to my car and went home. I decided to call it a night pretty early, but when I tried to sleep, my mind was swimming with images of Monica and her breathtaking smile. I spent the majority of the night thinking of the conversation we had earlier that day. I made her nervous, I thought. Huh…
It was 10:30 and I was pacing outside of Monica's apartment building. I couldn't bring myself to go up to the roof. I was afraid to be around her in this kind of environment. Things between us had occurred in neutral environments, but this was her territory. I was completely unprepared. Eventually, I suppressed my nervousness and climbed the stairs to the terrace on the roof. When I finally reached my destination, I spotted her immediately. She was stunning, more so than usual. Her brown hair was pinned up in a neat bun, and she was wearing a grey strapless dress that stopped just above her knees and flared out like a bell. She appeared to be floating as she made her way over to me. "Hey," she said with that heartbreaking grin of hers. "You made it." She leaned in, enclosing me in a one armed embrace, and lightly kissing my cheek. Her other hand was occupied by a wine glass. I returned the hug by placing one hand on the small of her back and giving her a gentle squeeze. When she pulled away, she used the hand sans-wine glass to gently wipe away the red lipstick that had assaulted my cheek when she kissed it.
"Of course," I said with posed coolness. "I wouldn't miss this for the world."
She proceeded to introduce me to a few of her friends and tried her best to make me feel welcome among them. As the party and the night unfolded, I became more and more comfortable with her friends. The infamous Rachelle was a riot. I could definitely see why they were so close. Later on, I ventured to a secluded corner of the roof that was concealed by a rose bush. I looked behind the rose bush to find Monica leaning over the railing. I leaned beside her and looked up at the sky. The silence was killing me. I had to say something to get her talking.
"It's a beautiful night," I said, my eyes trained on the night sky. Lame, I thought. "The stars are really…WOW!" Nice one, douche wad! I inched closer to her, the warmth of her skin radiating onto my right side. She turned so that her back was leaning against the railing and looked into my eyes.
"Are you enjoying the party?" she asked, her eyes sparkling in the night.
"I always enjoy myself around you," I said. I didn't know how much longer I'd be able to keep up this façade. I knew I told her I'd keep things professional, but it was taking every ounce of restraint I had to keep from brushing the hair from her face. I froze. She was still staring up at me expectantly, but I couldn't speak. I couldn't move. Hell, I couldn't think. She had that effect on me, clouding my head.
"That's…sweet," she said hesitantly. "I'm really glad you came. After everything I've put you through these past few days, I really didn't think you'd show." She tore her eyes away, that adorable blush creeping over her face. "But, here you are."
"Listen, Monica," I heard the words before I realized I was the one saying them. "I lied to you before."
"What do you mean?"
"I can't just pretend the other night didn't happen. It's all I think about."
"Matt, I—"
"No, let me finished." I said sternly. "All I do is think about you and that night. I can't keep pretending that that kiss didn't happen when all I want is for it to happen again."
"I can't let this get in the way of my job," she said, tears welling up in her eyes.
I took her face in my hands and looked her directly in the eyes. "I won't let this affect our work," I said. "I promise. It's more distractingto think about you and not be able to hold you." With that, there was nothing more for me to say. I leaned in and pressed my lips against hers. My hands moved from her face to her shoulders, then slid down her arms to hold her wrists. I lifted her arms by her wrists and wrapped them around my neck. I felt her fingers entwine in my hair as the kiss deepened. I grazed her lips with my tongue and they parted willingly. One hand stayed secured to the railing, to keep my balance, while the other grabbed her waist firmly. I pulled her closer to me, needing her to be closer to me. I broke the kiss for just a moment. "Where's your apartment?" I asked breathlessly, between small kisses.
"It's only a few floors down," she said, turning, more than ready to lead me in the right direction. We descended to the floor of her apartment and scurried down the hall like teenagers on prom night. Before she could open the door, I grabbed her waist with both hands and kissed her passionately. I was careful not to get too wrapped up in the kiss and pulled away, letting her proceed with unlocking the door. Once inside, I could no longer contain myself. I leaned in and kissed her again. I felt her hands roam all over me, from my hair, to my arms, to my chest. I admit I was a little self conscious about having anyone touch that area, since I wasn't exactly an ideal candidate for the strongest man competition. But, I didn't seem to mind her hands there. My own hands travelled the foreign country of her body, feeling her soft, warm skin. As the kiss deepened even more, I hoisted her up and wrapped her legs around my waist.
"Bedroom?" I asked between light kisses.
"Down the hall and to the left," she replied, and then returned her mouth to mine. I followed the directions she gave and laid her down on the bed. I carefully climbed on top of her and continued the kiss. I felt her hands move from my neck as she began frantically working at the buttons on my shirt. Consumed by impatience I gently moved her hands away and pulled the shirt over my head. I leaned back in to kiss her and turned both of us in one motion so that she was straddling me as I lie on my back. My hands roamed her smooth back until I reached the zipper of her dress. I inched it down slowly, loosening the fabric from her body. I sat up and kissed her neck, nipping and biting gently. I explored her now bare back with my fingertips. She reached for my belt buckle and I assisted her with undoing it. Once released from the bounds of my belt buckle, I unbuttoned my pants and slid them down to my ankles. I rolled us both over again so that I was on top of her again. My hips settled between her legs and buried my face in her neck, planting soft kisses. I reached my hand below her waist, under her panties and felt the wetness between her folds, gently massaging her clit. She let out a whimper in my ear. "God, you're so wet," I said, still playing with her. She dug her nails into my shoulder and I slipped one finger inside her, testing the waters. She moved her hips into my hand and I slipped a second finger into her, developing a slow rhythm, in and out, in and out. I was panting as I continued kissing and sucking her neck. Her gripped tightened on my shoulder even more, and I continued pumping my fingers inside of her, curling them up when I pulled them out. I released contact with her and she slipped out of her panties. She then tugged on my own, and I shrugged out of them eagerly. She grabbed the shaft of my member and began gently stroking. I elicited a deep groan and moved into the strokes of her hand. I returned my hand to her clit and pressed my thumb down onto it firmly. She moaned loudly. The strokes of her hand grew rough, and I basked in the pleasure of it. As I moved my fingers around inside of her, she tightened her legs around my waist. I could barely stand the intensity. I moved my hand to the one she had gripped around my length and guided it to her folds, preparing to enter her. I thrust inside her in a swift, rough motion, and she let out a loud moan. She tilted her head back, exposing her neck. I took it as an invitation and began kissing and softly biting it. While steadying myself above her with one hand, I moved the other to her clit and played with it as I continued pumping inside her, growing harder with every full thrusting motion. Her moans fell from her lips freely, growing louder in my ear. She moved into me with each time I entered her. My pace quickened, and I could feel the end approaching. I couldn't let this end without knowing that I'd pleased her first, so I slowed my rhythm.
She pushed me off of her, and I landed on my back. She climbed on top of me, grabbing my hard on and led it back inside her. I squeezed her hips as she rocked them back and forth. She moaned as I squeezed her tighter. "Oh, God, Matty, I'm so close," she whispered breathlessly, still moving roughly on top of me.
"Good," I said leaning forward to whisper in her ear. "I want to hear it."
"What?" she breathed.
"When you climax," I groaned into her hair. "I want to hear you. Don't hold back." Then, she locked her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck. I stood and lifted her with me. I pressed her back against the wall, and continued my steady pace inside her sweet wetness. She moaned into my neck and tightened her legs around my waist. She whimpered as I pumped in and out of her, and I squeezed her thighs, welcoming the sounds coming from her.
"Oh, shit," she moaned, breathlessly. "I'm so close now." My pace quickened, and I started to feel her insides throbbing around my length. The sounds of her climax enticed me, and I lost all control. I disregarded my gentleness, and moved around inside her roughly. Now that she'd reached her pleasure point, I could no longer hold back. The sound of groans lingered in my throat as I relinquished my composure. I could feel myself unraveling inside her. With one final thrust, I let go and reached the breaking point. I groaned loudly as I released inside her.
I stood completely still as my breathing returned to normal. I was still inside her, and I could feel her rabid heartbeat begin to slow to its usual steady beat. I pulled out of her and her legs dropped to the floor. I held onto her waist, and her arms remained around my neck. I kissed her deeply and sweetly. She broke the kiss and pushed me gently backwards until I stumbled back onto the bed. We got under the blankets and I held her in my arms and stroked her hair as she drifted off to sleep. I'd been waiting for this night since the moment I laid eyes on her, and it was more than I could ever imagine. Her head rested on my shoulder, and I planted a kiss on her temple. Shortly after, I dozed off as well, tightening my grasp on her frame.