8 comments/ 58935 views/ 17 favorites Unrequited Lust By: saintlymaya "So what do you want to do?" Lena looked over at her ex, Myer. "Nothing. I don't care." "Ok, let's walk around campus, then, I need some exercise." They walked and she felt herself slowly enjoying their gait, and the way they accidentally brushed into each other, sometimes. She discreetly looked at him and took in his tailored coat, his messy black hair, his piercing blue eyes, and his uneffacing arrogance. He was too adorable. She wished that things had been different with them, that she'd been more open, that he'd been more open. She'd taken his good-heartedness for granted, and since she'd been so scared over her first real relationship, she'd treated him badly. She'd never let him into her emotions, complained when he'd opened doors. She'd wanted to be treated like everyone else. But now, a year since he broke up with her, she missed him. **** "So, how was dinner with Myer?" "It was good." She looked at Ahren. He was an asshole, but he was easy to talk to and kept her secrets. And she wouldn't let him know it, but damn was she attracted to him. He had these long, shoulder length, heavy black curls streaked with glints of red. Of course, he'd done the red part himself. He did it because he was upset with his Jewish heritage, but she didn't mind it at all. She also didn't mind that he had a wicked lip piercing. It looked like a soul patch like that, but it was so sexy. She almost sighed. He would be perfect if he didn't have those black black eyes that made every woman feel special. That was the problem. She'd succumbed to those eyes before and had been briefly heartbroken. She remembered walking in happily to tell Karen about the possibility of dating Ahren, but had found her crying. Karen told her that she had cheated on her boyfriend with Ahren the night before. That's when she realized that she'd been mistaken. Ahren only wanted sex. She'd thought there might be something more in him, even though she'd been warned and knew that it was almost impossible. That was her fault. She'd had always had hope. She would never make that mistake again, sex was just sex to her now unless stated otherwise. "Len?" Ahren touched her arm, and she had to stamp down the sharp thrill that went through to her. None of that, she thought. "What, sorry?" "I said, do you want to come over later and watch The Daily Show?" He smiled at her in that way that made her heat up all desire and then feel ashamed. "Sure. Have nothing better to do." She smiled, one of her arrogant smiles, the ones she liked to hide herself under best. **** She walked up to Myer's dorm room. There was a party there. She didn't know why she always went to these parties. Maybe just to see him. She honestly didn't think that Myer was attractive enough for her in a way; he had a silly style and was weird and although he had a roman statue body, he also had a hawk nose. But in some way he was endearing and she was still in love with him. Myer lifted his bushy eyebrows in greeting when she came in. "Welcome to the party!" She could tell he was already drunk by the way he graciously poured everyone in the room rum and cokes. "One for you and you and you." Scratch that, she thought. Totally smashed. She wondered if he would maybe sleep with her tonight. They had a habit of that, even though it was hell on her heartstrings. She was a little plain and skinny for anyone else to like, she supposed. Even her hair was an undistinguishing shade of brown. She wasn't pessimistic, though. Her best features were her full lips (which she tried to accent as often as possible with shiny cranberry gloss) and her sage green eyes. Her nose was okay; it was straight and normal sized at least. She sat down on the dorm bunk and Ahren sat next to her. She noticed he pressed his knee as close to her as possible. She covertly watched to see if Myer noticed. He was pouring another drink for Vanessa, a blond with dumb highlights and an attitude. She sighed. "I wish people would be less shallow." "You and me both, babe." She started, looking at Ahren. She hadn't even noticed she'd spoken. His dark crystal eyes seemed to access everything about her. But that's silly, she thought. He would never think twice about her. He's just a player and a mean one at that. As the evening progressed, she just sat on the bed drinking scotch, watching Myer flirt with Vanessa. She hoped he was happy, but she didn't want to think of anyone with Myer, lying like they had, his hands caressing her thighs in the morning. "Vanessa's such a bitch. Even I wouldn't sleep with her." Ahren saluted Vanessa the bird from across the room. She was too busy squeezing Myer's arm to notice. "Yeah, I guess so. As long as Myer's happy though," she said amicably. She didn't want Myer to overhear her bashing that bitch. Ahren fixed a good long stare at her. One she was uncomfortable with. It seemed to look right at her and read her mind. I need to get a grip, she thought. He knows nothing about how I think. Or how I feel, she thought as she gazed at Myer, who was touching the underside of Vanessa. Suddenly she wanted to get out. "God. This party is so boring." She whispered conspiratorially to Ahren, a faint flashy smile on her lips. He returned a knowing smile. "I know, just a bunch of random hook-ups," he quipped. "And you know there will be the unnecessary drama in the morning." "Yeah," she said. "I'm sick of drama. No more drama for me." "Well in that case," Ahren said, looking into her, burning into her with his eyes, "Why don't you come to my room and watch the The Office with me? No drama, no pressure. A way to get away from this bullshit." "You're on," Lena said. Thank God someone understood, even if they were an asshole. **** She felt weird as she climbed the steps to Ahren's room. Why did I agree to do this? We don't even hang out all that much. She saw Ahren's ass in his tight green wash jeans. Oh yeah, that's why, she thought. I need to get laid more often; I can't just hang out with every cute male that comes in my presence. Ahren looked back at her and she quickly averted her gaze. She looked up and he was laughing at her with his eyes. Was it maliciously or was she seeing something else? "You coming?" he said, raising an infuriating eyebrow. "Of course." She wouldn't break. She flashed him a smile bright as her cranberry lip-gloss. **** They were in Ahren's room. She'd fallen asleep after the umpteenth episode of The Office. She must have shifted in her sleep, because she woke up curled against his waist, her mouth dangerously close to that dangerous part of his jeans. No more, she thought. She heard Ahren stir and quickly pretended to be asleep. She didn't want to be bothered. "Lena?" He muttered groggily into his pillow. She kept her eyes prized shut. He groaned a little and she felt his pelvis area uncomfortably close to her mouth. "Lena?" He said a little more softly. She could feel his eyes on her. She was tingling and she wanted, she wanted, something. She wanted him. She hated to admit it, even to herself, but she was wet already and wanted him. Even if he was an asshole player, the sex she'd had with him was the most erotic and satisfying of her life. Her eyes still glazed over whenever she thought about the one time they were together. "Lena?" His voice was a little harder now. "Lena, are you awake?" She felt him move. He paused for a tense moment. Then, she felt his hands slowly tangling themselves in her hair. They traveled almost frantically lower, feeling her breasts over the soft cotton of her white tee. He traced the outline of her bra through it, then quickly lifted her shirt. She could feel his arms wrap under her and in a second, her bra and shirt were pushed up over her neck and she was topless. "Lena?" He must have thought she was still drunk. They'd been drinking before and she was known to completely pass out. Then he was on her, unsnapping the button on her jeans. He slowly lowered the zipper. She wanted to cry out then, but she wanted to know what happened next. He gave a little sigh of approval at her lacey red boyshorts, but he soon shifted them down. His eyes touched her, all over her body, she could feel him drinking her in. He placed a light touch and she felt his fingers in the curly scratch of her pubic hair. His thumb massaged her clit and he stuck a hard finger inside her. She moaned a little, squirming her hips under his attention. She hoped it sounded unconscious. He suddenly moved from her. She almost moaned again, but she heard rustling and realized he must be taking off his clothes. She heard the crinkling of a condom wrapper. She felt him, hard and large, against her thigh. "Lena." His voice was like a scattered restless sigh. She felt him enter into her and suddenly felt scared at what she was doing. She opened her eyes. "Ahren? Ahren?" She felt her worried voice and realized that she was more worried about the excitement and what it meant, than him. "Lena." He cocked his head up at her. "Stop, Ahren, what are you doing, stop." She struggled against him, frightened, trying to move him out of her. "Ahren. Stop." She pushed against his chest and implored pleadingly into his unresponsive black eyes. She was trying to distance herself. She felt so ashamed of her body's reactions. She was wet. She wanted him to continue, to fuck her. She must be some kind of psycho. He was still for a minute and stroked her hair. She felt relief, but when she tried to push herself against him, he took hold of her wrists and twisted them against the headboard. "No!" she cried. She struggled against him, managing to break away, and pressed her knee, hard, into where he could feel it. "Bitch!" He sucked in a breath and backhanded her. She felt the blow and fell limp against the covers; she tasted blood in her cheek. She was too lightheaded to feel him wrap his belt around her wrists to the headboard. She moaned weakly as she felt him at the tip of her entrance. Then he was huge and hard inside her, stretching and filling her out. But he was angry. He thrust into her roughly, hurting her. She cried out, begging him to stop. He just laughed and slapped her again. His face was hovering over her, darkly grinning at her. Her eyes were watering, but there was pleasure with the pain. She couldn't stop herself from thrusting up to meet him. He noticed and gripped her hair, pulling her face up an inch from him. She could see his dark laughing eyes and his spiked black lashes. He gave a short, derisive laugh. "You like that, bitch, huh?" He said it almost caressingly. She whimpered. She didn't want to be hurt. "Please." He slapped her again, hard. She could feel her ears ringing. "I said, do you like it, you fucking whore." She tried to force her head out of his grasp, but his fingers were iron and his eyes intent. "Look at me and say it." She whimpered. "Please, don't." She hated the sound of her voice, the humiliation. He glared at her, his eyes promising her all kinds of hatred, and he roughly thrust into her again, making her gasp. He gripped her chin harder, his eyes boring into hers. "You like this?" "Noooo." She moaned, as he thrust into her, again, hard, horrible. She still felt wet and she was ashamed. "Liar." He looked into her eyes and affectionately brushed a bit of hair away. She shuddered. He laughed condescendingly and kept thrusting. She felt his thrusts getting harder, harder, piercing her, like a lamb on stake. She whimpered and rose to meet him and he laughed, biting her ear as he made one final, brutal, thrust. It was over and he was limp and relaxed against her. She tried to roll away but he stayed inside her, whispering obscenities in her ear that made her flinch, telling her he could last for hours and what a good little slut she was being. She cried silent tears but he only licked them off and grinned at her. He eventually rested against her. She laid, stoic, trying to remember somewhere else she had been, anywhere. It seemed like only minutes before he roused again. He was covering her, almost suffocating her and she felt him hard against her thigh. Her head was turned away, she was numb. His mouth came close to her ear and she felt his hot breath. "Did you like that baby?" Her eyes were shut tight, but she could see him grinning. When she didn't respond, he stuck a finger into her, harsh. She whimpered at the soreness. "You're still wet. Somehow, I knew you would be, huh?" He pressed his finger up against her mouth. "Taste it. Taste your cunt." She resisted, squirming out of his grasp until he pulled her hair sharply, causing her to open her mouth in surprise. He stuck his finger down into her, and she could taste the sex and arousal and the faint iron of blood. That's when she bit down on his finger, hard. He cried out and shoved her into the headboard. She was frightened he might kill her."You're going to pay for that." His eyes were a black promise as he stalked out of the room. She tried to think of the events, to replay them in her mind, to think of escape, but her body was exhausted and she fell into sleep almost as soon as the door closed. **** She didn't know what time it was, but when she woke, he was back into the room, with his washboard abs and a perfect smile, naked but for a towel. He was seemingly in a better mood, which made her wary. "Hey baby." He said, like they were lovers. "How you doin? You looked so cute sleeping, I didn't want to wake you." She was pissed. She'd had time to completely sober up and to think a little. She was still bound and her hands ached like hell, but she thrust her head up defiantly. "You fucking asshole. You think you'll like jail, you son of a bitch, someone fucking you in the ass all the time, being their bitch? You'll soon find out, you motherfucker." He looked at her, stopping for a minute as he dried his hair. Then he smiled. "You might be right. But not just yet. Maybe I'll let you feel what it's like before I pass judgment." He slipped his hand into her vagina, stroking, fondling her. Then he slipped right past into her asshole. Oh god, she thought. Oh god. He wouldn't. But then, she found his eyes and they were dark and serious. This time he was really angry. He put another finger into her and twisted. "No!" She cried, with a moaned half animal plea. "No, please!" He chuckled into her ear, fingers thrusting still inside her. "You mean you don't want to be fucked up the ass?" "Please, no." She sobbed into her cheek. He nipped her ear lightly. "I'll think about it if you'll beg me to fuck your pussy," he said congenially. Oh god, she thought. She stared hard at the door, fervently wishing it to magically open. If this were one of her romance novels, Myer would come in. Her eyes softly implored him. "Please, not like this. Why does it have to be like this? I'll- I'll fuck you- willingly just- please." Her voice cracked into a sob. She felt relief as his face softened and he pressed a kiss to her forehead. Then she saw him reach under the bed and pull out a jar of Vaseline. He smiled down at her, his teeth flashing like pearls. Her breath caught and she felt sick. "Now some people use special lube when assfucking, but I like to rely on good old Vaseline." He put a glob on his finger. Oh god oh god oh god, she thought mindlessly. "Wait!" "Yes?" He stopped, his finger poised in mid-air, and smiled at her. He was mercilessly toying with her. She mumbled out quickly, "Fuckmeinthepussyinstead." He raised an eyebrow. "Why would I ever want to do that?" "Oh god. Oh god. Please." He smiled maliciously."Please what?" "Oh god. Fuck me. In my pussy," she sputtered out, tears forming, lashing down her face. His eyes lit up with humor. The bastard was enjoying this. "Well I'll tell you what. You give me some reasons to fuck your little twat and I will." "Reasons?" she managed to squeeze out. "Reasons. Some good, solid reasons why I should choose your twat over your asshole." She stared at him. Trust someone like him to bring in a philosophical debate. She averted her eyes. "Um it is nice because—" He grabbed a handful of her hair, forcing her head up to look at him. His eyes stared commandingly into her, sending a thrill of fear and a deep pit of arousal she was fervently trying to deny. "What is nice? Your twat?" She swallowed. "Yes. My twa-aht is nice." "What else." "It's. Ah. It's ve-ry ti-ight." Her eyes watered from the humiliation and strain. "You sure?" He feigned a look of bemused puzzlement. "I don't remember it being that tight." She tried not to sob as he reached down and stuck a finger deep in her. "Well well well," he let out a low whistle. "I'm not the only one who's excited." Her cheeks burned in shame and she tried to stop herself from reacting. You're being raped, for Christsakes, she thought. But he added another finger and then his mouth came down over her clit, swirling over it. "No. Oh god, no, please," she said in shuddering gasps. He stopped and she felt his mouth curve into a smile. He pressed a light kiss down there. And continued with another finger and harder, making her arch back against him and let out an animal moan. "No, no, no, no." It was like a mantra. She said it over and over as he plunged his fingers into her, arousing her, filling her. She gasped for breath and tried to keep herself from begging. She couldn't come, she couldn't show him how horrible she was for liking this. Suddenly he removed one his fingers and she felt it jam hard and rough into her ass. She let out a slight sob and came completely, too quickly, her body was racking on his fingers and she tightened her thighs over his face as the waves came over her. When her shuddering slowly finished, she slumped her head back on the pillow in total defeat. She felt him remove his fingers, but she kept still. He pushed them slowly into her mouth, his eyes quietly arrogant and possessive as he held them in her mouth for long moments. He finally broke the gaze and removed them, calmly wiping them on her stomach. She stared at the ceiling. Strange, I didn't even mind that. He didn't even need to have that grip on my hair, she thought. She couldn't feel anything anymore, not arousal, not disgust. Her mind and body were wooden. She didn't even notice him leaving. **** She was staring at the wall blankly when he came in. He immediately noticed her slumped body; like she didn't even mind that the position made her wrists cut into the belt. She was in that same position an hour ago, he thought. "Lena?" His voice was unsteady. "Lena?" She didn't answer him and just stared into the wall. He cupped her head, and her eyes shifted momentarily to him and then back to the wall. "Hey, Lena, baby." His voice was deliberately soft and he thought distantly, frantically, that she would have ridiculed him before for calling her that. Her voice was hoarse as she spoke hollowly, mechanically, to the wall. "Go ahead. You can fuck me, if you want to. I don't care, anymore." "Lena!" His eyes widened. He quickly undid the belt, releasing her wrists; she let them fall dead beside her and didn't seem to notice. He disappeared into the bathroom and came back with warm washcloth. He carefully, gently, wiped her off, removing all the traces of semen. Then he sat back. He had to think of what to do. **** i'm looking for suggestions on where the next chapter should go, if anyone wants to comment. I think I dug myself a hole here. Unrequited Lust Ch. 02 [I have finally decided to finish up this story. This is the second chapter; if you haven't read the first, read it before this one! There is no sex in this chapter, just plot development. Let me know what you think!] * Ahren couldn't think clearly. Fuck, he thought, how did I get into this mess? It wasn't supposed to be this way. Luckily, he had his own room, so no one was going to barge in on him. But people would be upset when they realized Lena was missing. Although, he thought with a smirk, it wasn't unusual for her to spend a night on her own. His face paled when he looked at her on his bed. He'd tried to do everything for her---he'd washed her, made her drink some water, rubbed her hands and feet. She'd come out of it a bit, and had fallen asleep, a little dazed. Now she was clean and under his covers, her brown hair spayed against the pillow, her lids closed and eyelashes damp. He still wanted her. He regretted what he did, but only because he hurt her. He couldn't regret her tight pussy and her moans and the feeling of dark control, of possessing her. Even now his cock got hard just thinking of what he could do to her, what he could make her to do him. He'd never been one to force himself on anyone; he'd had plenty of bitches. They were practically throwing themselves on him after his shows, most of them high on his image and god knows what else. But Lena was different than the girls, he mused, his eyes staring darkly. She and him---they understood each other. They made fun of the crowds, she got his references. He could pass the time with her without fucking. It was fun to just bullshit. They had an understanding together. She wanted Myer, he wanted no one. They both held onto being hard and cynical; they cherished it, needed it. Maybe that's why he had to get in her, had to clash with her, to prove that the darkness was more powerful. But he didn't expect her to suddenly turn soft and vulnerable. Fuck this shit, he thought, rubbing his temple. Bitch is driving me crazy. I'll do what needs to be done, then it'll be out of my hair. **** Lena woke with a start, sweaty and frightened. She was in her own room, under her blanket, fully clothed. Her bra was digging into her skin and she felt nauseous. She got up shakily and was in the shower when it hit her, everything that happened. She stumbled and almost fell, gripping the curtain. I'm not ready for this, she thought. Then she turned up the shower and began to scrub. It was two hours before she felt clean enough to get out. She looked in the mirror, but she didn't look much different, except a bit more wide-eyed and pale. Why did he do it, she groaned. Why? It wasn't as if she had men on her every day, he couldn't have picked someone else? And a little voice of shame crept up. You liked it, you liked what he was doing. You wanted it. You wanted more of him. Stop it, she told that dark voice. You go away. Lena stalked back to her room, rummaging through her clothes. What kind of person was she? And who the hell was he? She'd been so afraid after, and then had vague foggy memories of his cleaning her, and then taking her back. How could she incorporate the gentleness with the cruelty she'd seen? And why did she feel so discarded? It was surely better now that she didn't have to see him, to face it. Yes, she thought. She didn't have to face it, no one would have to know. She was good at pretending; most people saw only what they wanted to see, and she would deliver. **** It had been weeks since what Lena thought of as "the incident". She was feeling just fine, thank you. She'd played her part well, even more so, going to parties and drinking more heavily than she was used to. She was the life of the party, and she hadn't even seen him around to remind her. Which was unusual, she thought, but okay. Even if she did, she would be fine. She firmly nodded to herself as she stepped out of the Jane Austen workshop. It was the best class she'd had this semester, and fulfilled one of her creative writing requirements. "That was amazing!" Jan said, catching up with her. Lena looked at her roommate. "Yeah, I know. I don't think Prof Hendrickson likes it though. Getting together a bunch of Jane Austen enthusiasts can be dangerous." "Hmmm.... I know. All the talk of true love must make Prof Hotty really uncomfortable. I bet just about everyone wants to bang him." Jan, a busty redhead, wriggled her eyebrows and thrust her breasts forward. "Can you imagine him in bed? Oh, Mr. Daaaaaawcy!" She licked her lips and grinned. "Jan!" Lena laughed, and gave her a friendly push. "Not so loud, unless you want to get banned from class". "Hmm, well, maybe if I get banned it would be easier to, you know." Jan fluffed her curly locks and made a kissy face, her eyes hopefully darting toward the professor's classroom. "Okay, okay, I get it". Lena smirked, and shoved her friend outside onto the greens. "You know, I---." Her heart stopped and she felt her throat close. "What is it?" Then Jan followed her gaze, through to Myer on the lawn with Jessica Tolby, their tonsils obviously interacting. She glared "That slutty sorority bitch!" Lena's eyes teared up. "I just, I don't know---I thought, maybe... he and I could, but now..." Jan patted Lena on the shoulder and led her to a bench. "You know, you don't need him. He's a bastard if he couldn't see what he had with you." "But I need him! So what does it matter if he doesn't deserve me." She sent daggers toward Jessica, every man's dream, she thought, blond and tall and busty. "And look at me", gesturing to what she thought was limp hair and a skinny body. "And look at her!" Jan sighed. "You know all that stuff is just theatrics. Look at me, these tits are not half as big as I make 'em. And these jeans have built in butt lifters." She preened as Lena snorted, then giggled. "It's true! It's all knowing the ways to canvas your body" She took in Lena's simple skirt, tank, and fresh face." And baby, you've come to the right person if you want to learn how to show it off." She grinned. "What say you we go back to the dorm and I'll show you what I mean?" ***** Three hours later, Lena studied herself in the mirror. With Jan's help, she couldn't help but feel transformed. She'd done sexy before, but her sexy was nothing like Jan's. When she normally went out she would throw on some gloss, put on a skirt and tank, smear on some black liner, and relied on her tough image to get her through. But now.... Jan had her put on makeup, real make up, she thought. Her eyes were smoky and shimmery, the bronze powder enhancing her green eyes. The lipstick was a matte rose, the combo somehow making her eyes stand-out even more. The mascara finished the look, and she had never seen her lashes so long, defined.... and sultry, she decided. And the clothes.... she studied the curve hugging ebony skirt, the bright purple lacy cami that showed a good deal of her lacy black push-up, and the matching purple heels. Jan had done something to give her hair body, she mused, examining the carefully constructed messy bed hair. The result was a bit vampy, keeping with her current image, but a lot sexier. Jan came back into the room, humming to herself. She looked in the mirror, studied her own handiwork. She put her arm on Lena's and asked, "How do you feel?" Lena grinned. "I feel like one bad ass bitch". Jan squealed and threw her arms in a hug. "That's my girl! Now we better go out--- I want to show off my work and let's just see how dogboy Myer reacts to this!" Lena smiled. "Who says I even want him anymore?" **** Ahren groaned. These past few weeks had been hell. He'd carefully avoided any of Myer's parties, or even anyone in their circle. He'd avoided his friends and just gone internal. He told himself it was he was lying low to give Lena time, but he didn't even know anymore. He was more afraid now that if he went out he'd do something stupid again. He was itching to party, although these weeks had been good for practicing and writing some new music. He sighed. He should still stay away. He heard a knock at the door, swore when he saw it was Myer, holding a beer and grinning. "Man, what the hell? And why are you grinning all goofy?" Myer pushed his way in. "Tonight's the niiiiight", he sang, "that Jessica will sleep with me!" He took hold of Ahren's reluctant arms and twirled, holding him close. Ahren pushed him away. "What the hell are you doing'! God!" Ahren tried to keep himself from laughing, settling on a half-glare, which wasn't quite working. "Look, I'm happy for you, it's good you're getting laid, but... get out!" Myer was grinning the goofy grin again, telling Ahren this wasn't his first beer. "Come on, man" he said, propping his shoulder on steaming Ahren. "I'm telling you let's celebrate! I'm getting laid, let's go to a party to celebraaaaate." "Okay, okay. But only because I know you're just going to keep singing, idiot". "You got that riiiiiiight!" Ahren barely managed to shove Myers out, yelling through the door "Come back in ten! And no more singing!". He sighed, and reached into his closet. Guess he was going out after all. **** The party was off-campus, nothing like Myer's half-hidden dorm events, where inevitably they'd all had a rushed silence as an RA came on patrol. This was one of Gregory's parties and part of the music fraternity; that meant it was a draw for both sexes---the women went moon eyed over musicians and the men were happy to embellish tales of successful performances and drop names. To add to it, Gregory's parents were loaded--- they'd bought the large apartment complex and, if the stories were to be believed, had said "Go wild, this is the best time of your life". So naturally, Greg had the whole place to himself---which he had decked out with a jacuzzi, pool, full bar, top of the line entertainment center, and (strangely) a library. When Ahren and Myers arrived, a very high Greg had greeted them, shaken their hands, and had tried to give them a tour of the house. He'd stopped when he realized there was hardly room to move. Giving up, he now sat in a corner smoking a bowl. Myer had then ditched Ahren for Jessica, taking her arm and going god knows where. Shit, Ahren smirked, they were probably doing it in the bathroom. What a slut. He took another slug of whiskey. There were rumors of a poker game downstairs, and he was almost sober. He grinned, taking his whiskey as he headed down, let's see how many suckers are here tonight. **** Lena finally felt whole again, dancing in the crowd. Her body had a fine sheen of sweat, and her cami was sticking to her body. Her head was rolled back and she swished her new hair to the rock music, letting the beats take her over. Jan had been beside her for the first hour, but inevitably had found her Mr. Right Now, gave her a wink, and said she'd find her later. Or not, Lena grinned, thinking that Jan really needed it. She felt like a new person. When she'd walked in Gregory almost hadn't recognized her (although she couldn't quite be sure since he wasn't necessarily in the best state of mind), then gave a long low whistle. The reactions from others had been that much more potent---with one of her Bio classmates almost dropping his drink. She knew know how Jan felt, and wondered why she had waited so long to release this side of herself. Now Lena couldn't be happier, grinding against a clarinetist with a sweet face and demeanor. Ethan was a bit shy at first, telling her it was his first party. She'd had to show him how to dance---which was pretty fun, especially his expression when she encouraged him to grind her hips against his. Now he was looking up at her with a breathless expression that sent a welcome shot of power straight through her. Maybe the perfect guy to break the spell, she thought. Easy and painless--- best of all, she would be in control. She sighed, letting Ethan take hold of her--- this was turning out to be a great night. **** Ahren was livid as he watched Lena grind into some nameless pretty boy. He'd thought, hell, after the way she'd acted---he'd wanted to take care of her and protect her. But now, he realized that while he'd been shutting himself in, she'd been out this whole time. His eyes narrowed as he took in her short skirt, all but exposing her ass, and her shirt with her tits all but popping out. God, he wanted to take her, to slam her into the wall, to show her who was boss. He wanted to dominate her, to own her. It was all he could do to stop himself from dragging her to one of those rooms---but he remembered those hurt eyes and the guilt hit him. He grimaced and stalked out of the room. It was time to leave the party. **** Lena had noticed Ahren the moment he walked into the room and determined to keep on her front. She felt him stare at her coldly and inwardly shivered. Once, she thought, she would've given hell for him to look at her that way. And now it was ruined. She was scared of him, she realized. Not of only what he could do to her, but what he could make her feel. She'd never had anyone who could go with her into that dark place, no one who understood what it did to her. Ethan brought her back to her senses, tightening his arms against her. She didn't have to go back to there. She was a new person.