Babydoll

Chapter One- Prom Night

"Do you want to get out of here?" He asked into her ear, sending shivers down her spine as she nodded while he pulled her away. Leading her away from their friends, Jared smiled widely, understanding the cliche promise made to each other on prom night that was now finally coming to fruition-not an ounce of nerves present within his body. Meanwhile, Cartier could not steady her hands as she had held her virtue close to her heart until now. But as she was taken up the steps of the hotel foyer, her lilac dress in hand, she could not help but feel as though this had been a horrible mistake. But with each step towards the hotel room arranged weeks prior, she chalked it up to anxiety. 

"Are you sure?" Jared asked as he removed his bowtie before removing the key card from his pocket. With a look or close uncertainty upon her face, she pushed through these reservations and followed her boyfriend into their hotel room. 

Having spoken of this moment for the entirety of their relationship, she had expressed how she had imagined it; flowers set upon the bedside, dancing to their song before slipping from their attire, and candles illuminating the space to complete the romantic ambiance. But as the door came open, all she came upon had been a room empty of all romantic intentions. Pulled inside by Jared, she was forced to try and get into the mood herself as he attempted to undress her immediately. 

"What is it?" He questioned when feeling her lips tighten in opposition to her usual soft pecks. 

"Nothing...I'm just...nervous..." she spoke honestly, wishing to redirect her truth beneath her prime worry. 

"It will be fine..." he spoke dismissively before kicking off his shoes and looking at her body, waiting for her to disrobe. 

"Could we put some music on or something?" She asked as she took her loose tendril behind her ear. 

"We just spent four hours listening to music...you really want to listen to more?" He asked with a hint of aggravation in his voice before she quickly agreed with him. 

"I can't tell you how long I have waited for this..." he spoke, picking his buttons from their designated holes before freeing his toned physique to view. A perfect caramelized torso did little to impress her as most of the boys within her school had appeared as such. But Jared was quite pleased with his own physique; believing he was God's gift to man because he was born with a quick metabolism and a gold membership to the local gym. 

"Yeah..." she commented with a lack of authenticism before slipping out of her satin dress and allowing it to gather at her feet. Witnessing her stand before him in only her underwear, Jared now moved to her, covered only by his boxers, as he brought his hands to her waist. 

"You have no idea how much this means to me..." he spoke while moving her hair away from her neck and pressing a kiss into her skin. For a moment, she had forgotten the stress of this moment. But as his fingers moved to the clasp of her bra, this worry had returned immediately. 

The warmth of his nude torso had once excited her, but now it sickened her as she was sure she did not wish for this moment to continue. But as she was brought to the bed and removed from her underwear, it had been too advanced for her to cease. Instead, she closed her eyes and attempted to ignore the lustful words leaving his lips as he explained how hard she made him and how he wanted to "give it to her". 

Cartier shut her eyes tightly before feeling his shaft enter her quite painfully. Her grunts and groans were mistaken for the sounds of pleasure, leaving Jared to find his release rather quickly. In ten thrusts or less, he was allowed the pleasure she was promised, but denied. 

"What is it?" He asked her as she pulled the covers to her chest, now feeling shameful and disappointed. "Do you regret it?" He questioned her as she hesitated before sitting up and keeping her eyes averted from him as he dressed. "I asked you half a dozen times, if not more...and you told me-"

"I know...I just thought..." her voice grew more timid as she saw his face twist to an upset. 

"What?" He asked in frustration. "Is this about the music?" 

"No..." he now moved across the room and towards the door before bringing his hand to the knob. "I thought it would be more romantic, that's all..." she finally answered as he paused.

"Car...that idea in your head doesn't exist in reality. s*x isn't romantic...it's...lustful..." She knew this had been true to a point, but was neglected in feeling this sensation as it had been too quick to find words to describe it. Instead, she was left feeling dirty, used, and disposed of. 

"Can you stay with me?" She asked, hoping to salvage some portion of her night before he let out a bothered sigh. 

"I am going to go chill with the guys...You and I  are going to spend the next four years together...This is my last night with them..." her heart broke to his words as she knew she was no longer a priority to him since she had allowed him to sleep with her. Her stomach turned as she called his name and he left the room, pausing in having heard her, but continued without speaking even an "I love you" to her. 

Feeling as if she had been punched directly in the heart, Cartier pulled herself from the hotel bed and towards the bathroom, where she ran an immediate shower. As the water poured upon her body, she attempted to wipe off the memory of this night, but found her tears to mix with the water until she felt well enough to continue her happy facade to the friends she shared with Jared. 

As she returned to her friends across the hotel foyer, she found eyes of disapproval to fall upon her. “Did you two do it in the shower?” One of them spoke as they did not approve of her damp hair and minimalistic makeup left over from her full thousand-dollar attire introduced upon the first moments of the night. The friends that surrounded her had all appeared as if they emerged from a Guess catalog while she had appeared damp, distant, and even disturbed. 

“Anyway…” the girls resumed the conversation between them, disregarding Cartier as she was able to slip away from their inability to find compassion for her circumstances. Wishing to erase every memory from this night, she swiped a bottle of champagne from behind the bar and made her way to the garden behind the hotel, hoping she would remain unseen until she was numb from the night’s events. While sitting upon a park bench looking onto the beautiful plethora of roses and calla lilies, her eyes came to the sight of Jared arm and arm with his friends, leaving her and their disappointing first time behind. Taking one sip after another, Cartier found a different focus to the light citrus flavor of the beverage before a set of steps approached her from behind. 

“Are you alright?” A voice asked as she ignored it at first, unaware that they had spoken to her. When asked once more, the figure now rounded himself to her, forcing her to cough upon her drink as he had stood before her with an unexpected allure from his dark features and piercing eyes. She was at a loss for words as he was everything she longed for, seemingly coming to her on a wish to improve this night. 

“I’m fine…” She spoke after feeling his hand make contact to her back in an attempt to assist her. “Thank you…” She showed her appreciation to him before he took note of her ensemble, seemingly humored by her ability to exist with little to no effort of what others thought of her. 

“You seem like you need to talk to someone…” He commented to her before taking a seat beside her, caring little for her own personal bubble as he then turned to face her. 

“I don’t know you…” She reminded him as he nodded, a devilish smirk interrupting his stoic expression hidden within a mid-September shadow. 

“Sometimes it is best to talk to a stranger…” Looking down to the half-empty champagne in her grasp, Cartier looked back to the man looking at her with curiosity. “Clearly, a woman as beautiful as yourself sitting here with wet hair and drinking a bottle of champagne, is not ‘fine’...” Her heart skipped a beat upon witnessing his eyes observe her; unable to understand if this had been out of desire or disgust. 

“What the hell…” She spoke beneath her breath before turning to face him. “My boyfriend of two years and I just had s*x for the first time and he left in record time to be with his friends..But it isn’t even the s*x because it isn’t meant to be perfect...but it was our first times and there was NO attempt to make it romantic. He just went off with his friends and I spent over an hour crying in the shower…” She paused after speaking the entirety of her problem in a single breath. 

“I see…” He seemed unable to formulate an intelligent response and instead took the champagne from her grasp and brought it to his lips. Her eyes followed him until he finally delivered a furthered opinion. “It seems to me as though you two are quite different to find happiness and fulfillment in a relationship...but that is just a stranger speaking to a stranger…” His words made her validate the worry in her heart that perhaps her and Jared were not meant to be. 

“I feel that too…” She spoke while bringing her hand over her heart. “But...we have been together for two years and I am all he really has...His parents died when he was little and he has one older brother who is a complete pariah to the family and another who is...well an ass..” She spoke honestly as he nodded, a light chuckle leaving his full lips. 

“I can understand that...But it sounds to me as though he doesn’t know the good thing he has right in front of him…” Cartier paused as she lifted her eyes to the man beside her, noting how he was already looking at her. It seemed as though time stood still between them as silence filled the air and the only sight had been the person in front of them. “I do hope you can salvage tonight somehow…And maybe he will realize how valuable you are to him before it is too late…” She nodded before watching the man leave her eyesight. 

“Where are you going?” She asked before turning behind her, finding him surprised to be addressed once more. If not for the bubbles of the champagne making her coquettish, she would have allowed him to part indefinitely...but with the alcohol, she was brave, and arguably stupid.

“I was going for a ride…” He removed a set of motorcycle keys from his jacket before exposing them to her. “Care to join me?” This question increased her pulse immediately to his words. She knew she was idiotic for accepting his offer but without the metal stability she needed to see the negative of this, she nodded before following him to the back of the hotel before ceasing his steps to a beautiful motorcycle. Primely black and accented with silver accents, the motorcycle awaited their presence, shining beneath the moonlight. 

“Are you sure about this? After all...you do not know me very well…” He spoke while handing his helmet to her in protecting against any perilous dangers upon the road. 

“You seem better than the guys I DO know…” Accepting his helmet, she struggled with the straps, as she had never encountered anything similar to them before. Chuckling at this, he turned to face her before assisting with the nylon bands that secured the helmet to her head. His fingers tracing the skin of her neck, she released a roused sigh before covering this sound with a clearing of her throat. “Here..” He spoke while helping her upon the motorcycle, lifting her effortlessly as she pulled her dress between her legs to keep herself modest. 

“You will need to hold on tightly…” He reminded her as she stalled for a second before wrapping her arms behind his own and taking hold of his jacket. “No, here…” He led her hands to his waist before revving up his motorcycle. Her body reacted immediately to this connection as she was able to feel his muscles beneath the pads of her fingers, tensing as he bent forward to adjust the details of his bike. “Anywhere in mind?” He questioned over the sound of the motor as she shrugged before he nodded, using his heel to remove his kickstand, and bringing her towards the main highway. 

The sudden air forcing her dress to ride along with the wind and the excitement the danger of a motorcycle brought before her had excited her in a way she had never felt alongside Jared. But she knew quite quickly that this excitement was not from the motorcycle, but from the man in charge of it. He had managed to aid her breaking heart and raise her self esteem in the matter of a brief conversation and dominating personality. Along with this thought had come a sobering that made her feel foolish when holding onto this man-he could have been anyone; a killer, a kidnapper, or a genuinely kind guy-but this detail would not be verified for some time as she had not even known his name. 

The ride was brief before they came to a stop near a lookout point unknown to her despite the fact she had lived in this town her entire life. “I don’t believe many come here anymore…” He spoke by bringing his focus to low hanging branches and pulling them upwards before she led the way to a beautiful overview of her town. Lights of familiar homes and businesses lit overhead while the stunning stars above gave a beautiful aesthetic. While sitting in silence beside him, she realized this sight with a perfect stranger had managed to replace and remove her supposedly romantic night with her boyfriend. She felt more like herself beside this man, feeling her heart soar as he stood close beside her, his fingers close enough to brush her own and blame it on the proximity and lack of knowledge of them existing so close. But she was reminded of her duty as a girlfriend when hearing her phone ring within her purse. 

“Go ahead…” He spoke while remaining upon the lookout point, hands in his pockets and his eyes overlooking a city he seemed quite attached to despite her belief in him having been a nomad. 

“Hello?” She asked on her end of the phone before hearing a drunk Jared upon the other end of the phone. 

“Can you PLEASE tell Levi that we f****d?”” He asked her while she let out a scoff before a hand pressed upon her back. 

“Are you alright?” He questioned before bringing a look of concern over his attractively chiseled face. She nodded before Levi came upon the phone. 

“There’s no way “Saint Cartier” finally laid down….not for Jared! I mean what do I have to do to get some action?!” Cartier found herself unable to speak and instead stood in shock before feeling the stranger’s hand move to her hand and take her phone from her grasp, hanging up where she did not have the ability to do this herself. Turning to face him, she was met with a curious expression 

“I’ll admit, I did not expect him to be so charming…” He attempted to joke before watching her face twitch in striving to be kind to his aim to lighten the moment. “Come here…” He then extended his hand to her, bringing her to the railing overlooking the city before then standing beside her. His presence was increasingly intimidating to her, the smell of his cologne strong upon her nose, and the build of his body allowing her the sense of protection she had never felt prior to his presence.

“I would say that I’m sorry…” He spoke to her, the last finger upon his right hand having brushed the pinky finger upon her left hand. “But if the events of tonight hadn’t happened, I would never have met you...and for that, I’m not sorry…” The nameless stranger suddenly stood in front of her, forcing her back to press into the railing behind her. “But I am not a good guy…” Her heart stopped upon hearing him speak these words. 

“I don’t know if I can believe that…” She uttered as she had known him just over an hour and found only kindness, compassion, and selflessness expressed from his personality. 

“Well if I was a good guy...I would not have brought you up here…” Her heart continued to race against his words, understanding that his words may have sounded threatening, but the light behind his eyes had reminded her of his genuine heart-one she knew for such a little time, yet felt more connected to than that of her own boyfriend. 

“Why?” she questioned as he brushed his hand with her own, sending shivers up and down her entire body as he continued to press her towards the railing. Most women in her position may have wished to move away in fear of the railing breaking behind her, but Cartier seemed to enjoy the thrill that the danger had presented itself. 

“Because it is quite romantic and you’re emotionally vulnerable...beautiful…” Just as she believed he would take hold of her face and press his lips to her own, he pulled back, leaving on the scent of his cologne in his wake. “But also dating someone...and I am many things..but loyal is among them...no matter how badly I wish to kiss you.” Biting her bottom lip, Cartier nodded, suddenly remembering that she held a million and one reasons to turn away from him-even to run away from him. But as her eyes met with his steel blue, she could not do anything but remain in place. “Maybe if we meet again…” Bringing the helmet back to view, the stranger bestowed it into her possession. 

“We should return you to the hotel...I am sure you will be missed..” His continuously kind words had forced her to wish she could press her body to his own and relinquish all sense of promiscuity into his hands, but in fear of being rejected, she remained in place before he led the way back to the motorcycle. Without another word, he returned her to the hotel, stopping directly in front before using his foot to extend his kickstand forward and turned off his engine. Assisting her from his bike by a simple extent of his hand for her to hold on to, she wished to feel his hands remain there for as long as time would allow.

“Goodbye-” He paused, realizing he had been unaware of her name. 

“Cartier…” She spoke her name as he scoffed to himself, seemingly in disbelief before she looked to him curiously. “What?” She asked as he looked into the distance before then looking back at her. 

“It’s quite a unique name…I doubt many possess it...” Cartier smiled at these words before nodding, waiting for him to then give his name, but only finding an arrogant smile to look back at her. “Goodnight, Cartier….” He then pressed a kiss onto her cheek, allowing her to feel the fireworks she was deprived of with Jared. 

“Am I not able to know your name?” She asked as he started up his bike, teasing her with this continued smirk before finally leaning towards her, close enough to kiss her if he desired to. “Soon..” With this hint being spoken, he left her on the curb of the hotel before she turned to see her friends staring at her with confusion and jealousy, giving her the confidence she seemed to lose from Jared’s lack of care in her. But as she reentered the hotel, she looked to the road behind her one final time, wondering if she would ever see him again...