The Price of Freedom

Chapter 3: The Slip

DINAH

I found myself back in the Bennett house wandering around aimlessly. There was no way I wanted to go back in and chat with people I didn’t even know about how happy they were for me.

“Where the hell were you?” Jacob gritted through a smile when he found me.

Letting out a calming breath, I turned to him. His eyes were flashing angrily, there was a wrinkle in his forehead and the neck in his vein was throbbing. “I was taking a breather out on the balcony, relax” I replied.

I’ve known Jacob since college and he had never acted like this with me. In fact he was always overly flirty and persistent. Yes, he was arrogant and full of himself, but he was never aggressive. Now here he was a complete 180 flip, he was going to give me whiplash.

“Why are you acting like this?” I asked him, trying to figure out if maybe he was just in a bad mood today, perhaps he just lost his puppy or something. Deep down, I knew that wouldn’t be the case.

Jacob looked at me, and cupped my face before he spoke squishing my cheeks to where it hurt. I could feel my teeth biting into the soft skin of my mouth making me taste blood. “You played hard to get all those years only for your mother to sell you like a common w***e. You could have been treated like a queen,” he spat.

I would admit that his words did sting, my mom’s intentions were very clear, and she was in fact planning on selling me off. Now I was going to have to put up with this asshole for the rest of my miserable existence, if I didn’t put a stop to it somehow.

“Take your hands off me, I might be marrying you, but you will respect me or I will call this wedding off, my mother be damned.” I whisper screamed at him. Having agreed to this arrangement didn’t give him the right to treat me like an abused pet, yanking and dragging me around. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m going home, away from you. Enjoy your engagement party,” I said to him as I left him standing in the middle of the party.

I left in an attempt to find Serena so she could just drive me home, or shoot me out back like old yeller. I hadn’t decided which one I preferred.

******

I was wandering around the Bennett house looking for Serena hoping I didn’t have to look long so I could go home and get out of this dress. Somehow, I managed to end up going down a set of some god forsaken stairs, going towards the garden. As I was trying my best to walk down without falling, I tripped down a step causing me to step on my dress pulling on the flimsy rhinestone strap.

Fuck

Like this night couldn’t possibly get any worse the top of my dress fell forward leaving me completely exposed to the spring breeze. I quickly held up the length of the dress and tried to recover some semblance of dignity by covering myself with the upper portion of it. All I wanted was to go home abs cry into a bowl of ice cream.

Before reaching the bottom step, I heard someone clear their throat. I close my eyes hoping against hope that I just imagined it, but when I open one eye the last person, I expected was standing there in all their gloriousness.

“You need some help?” Liam asked looking down at the ground avoiding eye contact.

If I wasn’t embarrassed before, I sure as hell was now. I didn’t think anyone saw that fiasco but here I was standing in front of the most gorgeous man I had ever laid my eyes on. “Did you see that?” I chuckled nervously. I thought I looked like a high-class escort earlier, but I had a feeling I appeared to be a $20 hooker after one of their John’s got a little overly aggressive.

“Just a bit, yeah,” he responded scratching the stubble at his jaw.

“There is no just a bit, either you saw my t**s or not.”

He finally managed to look at my face, with a cocky smile. “I don’t think any answer I give you will make you happy doll.”

Ugh f**k his charming ass accent. He had me melting in his arms already. It didn’t even matter what he was saying, I would hang on to every word. “Well you’re welcome for the show, now if you’ll excuse me, I have someone to find,” I said trying to side step him.

“Let me help you, with your dress I mean, I can try and tie it,” he sweetly asked.

There was no way he was doing this out of the kindness of his own heart, men like him just jumped from woman to woman. But damn I wouldn’t mind being one of those women. Just a quick f**k would have been nice, but I had to be rational, I was engaged now. “I’m not sleeping with you, if that’s what you’re trying to get at,” I warned, but there was no charge to my words.

Liam grabbed my free hand and pulled me down the last step turning me around to face away from him, “Wasn’t expecting you to, genuinely just want to help.”

He picked up the torn straps grazing my skin with his fingers sending small shivers of pleasure through my body. I could feel his breathing getting heavy, his face was just inches from my neck. There was so much going on, my mind went blank. He moved my hair to the side, his fingers reaching gently over the curves of my shoulders.

I couldn’t help but enjoy his touch. I deserved this. I deserved to be treated with respect and admiration. At least one last time.

Quickly turning around to face him, I attacked his soft lips with my mouth. He wasn’t surprised, it’s like he was expecting it, expecting me to fall for his charms. And I fell, hard. The kiss became more heated and persistent making me want more as he sucked in my bottom lip. Liam pulled away making me whimper from the loss of his mouth.

The realization of knowing we were out in the open finally hit me so I pushed him towards the only building in sight, the pool house.

I opened the door and pushed him inside while I checked to make sure no one had spotted us come in here.I dropped the front off my dress exposing my breasts to him, then allowed the rest to pool around my feet on the floor leaving me with only my panties. His eyes burned across my skin as I stood almost bare in front of him. I enjoyed watching his reaction when I pushed him onto a chair and straddled him without warning. He grabbed onto my hips pulling me closer to him, his lips skimming over my neck, just barely a touch, but just enough to leave me wanting more. I could feel him underneath me. The ridges of his dress pants rubbed against my lips causing a sweet friction.

“f**k” I heard him groan under his breath.

Liam’s hands ran up my back, suddenly jerking me forward. His mouth latching onto my breast. He took small nibbling bites before taking my n****e into his mouth and teasing me with his tongue, swirling it around, laving up the hardened bud. I arched my back to get closer to him causing him to let out a breathy chuckle. He was enjoying seeing me fall apart in his arms.

I pushed his jacket off and began unbuttoning his shirt wanting to feel more of him, all of him. His skin against mine, his mouth on me, anything. I left kisses down his chest before I licked my way back up to his mouth making him groan. He attacked my mouth, lips parted, tongue down my throat, pure unbridled ecstasy.

His hands were running up and down my thighs slowly making their way to my ass giving it a squeeze. I started grinding against him feeling his stiff c**k through his pants, my hand started rubbing causing him to moan into my mouth. And that ladies and gentlemen was one of the hottest sounds I had ever heard.

I quickly fumbled with his belt trying to get full access to all of him. I watched him spring out. It had to be the prettiest c**k I had ever seen. It was so perfect, and so mine right now.

I wanted it more than anything right now, morals be damned. Yes, I was technically engaged, but it meant nothing. I didn’t love that man. So I pulled my panties aside and slowly lowered myself onto him inch by grueling inch. A gasp escaped me at the intrusion, I leaned my head back trying to adjust to his size with soft slow strokes, just grinding on him slowly. His hands groped my breasts, pinching and flicking my n****e while his mouth sucked on the other. He brought his fingers down to my center and began to rub torturously slow circles as I started to bounce on him.

This was just a quick f**k, I tried to remind myself. Mistake, so many mistakes, but I would regret this one a little less.

My pace sped up knowing I was close to a climax as he began pumping in and out of me. He took over the movements, making the pleasure all that more intense. He kissed me allowing my moans to die out so we weren’t heard.

“Uh— please,” I begged, but for what, I had no clue. My brain had turned to mush, my words had turned into incoherent babbling, my body only more aroused.

I could feel myself clench down on him. Liam wrapped his arm around my waist controlling my every movement, with every vicious thrust he had me yelping. He was close, if the frantic grunts were any suggestion. I held onto his arms and bit down onto his shoulder to stop myself from screaming as we both reached that peak of ecstasy. And then Elysium.

Slumping over on top of him I tried to catch my breath, regain, any sense of self-respect. My head was resting on his shoulder while he still held onto my waist. Liam started running kisses down my shoulder, his hands were soothingly rubbing my back. It almost seemed like he genuinely cared.

No, of course he didn’t. We just f****d; it was a one-time thing. One last hoorah before I was forever chained to a man I didn’t love.

I quickly shook myself out of the haze.

I was just another woman on his list of conquests. If anything, he was probably doing this because he hated Jacob. I hated Jacob; I did this because I hated Jacob, I told myself.

I finally caught my breath and sat up straight, my arms instinctively crossed over my chest hoping to cover myself a little. I wasn’t sure why I cared since he already saw all of me and considering he was still inside me, him seeing my t**s again should be the least of my concerns.

First, I had to remove myself from him, then I could deal with the fall out.

He pulled my hands back down, his eyes remained glazed over as he ravaged my body. “You’re beautiful,” he said in between placing kisses across my chest.

I couldn’t do this. Maybe under different circumstances we could have been friends with benefits if anything, but this wasn’t fairytale land. “Look this was fun and all, but you do understand that this was a one-time thing, I mean I’m technically engaged,” I explained as I stood up scrambling to put on my dress and tying the torn strap.

Was it bad that I didn’t feel bad for what I just did. In fact I felt phenomenal. That was probably the best s*x I had ever had and that was just a quickie. I could only imagine what he could do if he took his time.

“I’m not worried,” he looked at me smiling. “You won’t be marrying Jacob. In fact, I promise you that by the end of the month you’ll be head over heels in love with me.”

“Well aren’t you cocky,” I replied rolling my eyes at him.

He stood up tucking his c**k back in his pants, and buttoning up his shirt. Liam’s fingers ran through his hair to fix the mess that I had left, but all I could think about was fixing it myself just to mess it up again. In my bed in, in his car, up against the wall, in a pool maybe.

“Oh, I think we both know how cocky I can get,” he winked at me.

It was admirable really; his persistence wasn’t unwanted like Jacob’s was. I wanted him to chase me. I would probably give in immediately if he offered me another lay, but I could still pretend like I was hard to get. “I guess you’ll be too late, because the wedding is in two weeks,” I joked.

Liam came to stand before me, all man and lust. He cupped my cheek in his hand, I could feel the warmth that made me want to stay like this forever. “Don’t underestimate me doll, I want you, all of you. And if I have to go up against Jacob Bennett then so be it.”

“Please stop I have my reasons for agreeing to this so stay out of it,” I said in a low tone backing away from him. It wouldn’t do anyone any good if we pretended this was more than it could be. “Look I really have to go but thank you, for you know,” I chuckled pointing to his p***s.

I left the pool house feeling emptier than when I walked in before he could answer. As I was walking towards the driveway, I heard Serena scream my name.

“Dinah!! you dirty w***e,” she yelled as she jumped up and down.

“What the hell Serena!” I scowled at her. As if I didn’t know how questionable my choices were already, it was like she wanted the entire party to know as well.

“Did you think I wouldn’t see you walking out of the pool house only to be followed by Liam Evans fixing his tie!!” I looked back and sure as hell Liam was looking just as disheveled as I was. We should have talked about an exit strategy first.

“Keep it down please, it isn’t my finest moment,” I whispered, my hand coming up to cover my face in shame.

“Are you kidding me! You are my hero Dinah I worship you,” she squealed pulling me into a hug.

“Can you just drive my car home; I had a couple of drinks and it’s probably best if you drive.”

We already saw what a few drinks did to my inhibitions. I don’t think I needed any more mistakes being made tonight. I think the one was more than enough.

“I’d do anything for you D, let’s go and you can give me all the juicy details,” she winked at me.

“Just take me home I need to wallow in my shame,” I said as I started walking towards my car.

The entire drive all I wanted to do was forget about Liam Evans, which on night one, was proving to be nearly impossible.