Understanding

"This is your home?" Callista asked while strolling around my loft.

"Yes," I confirmed.

"It's nice, open, and your view is beautiful," she observed.

As she made her way over to the landscape window, veering out to the night, I brought her a glass of champagne.

"Thank you," she accepted, "How long have you been here?"

I made my way over to the couch and motioned for her to join me. When she sat down, I could still see her body tense.

"About four years now," I answered, "I bought it when I turned twenty-one."

"Bought it? It would help if you did well as a bartender," she responded.

"I make decent money," I sighed before getting myself comfortable.

"How did you get the money to buy this place? If you don't mind me asking."

"It's not that, and I don't talk about it much."

"Before I met Dimitri, I was alone. I never knew my parents. Bouncing around from foster home to foster home, and I was too wild of a child for anyone to hold me down."

"I never would have guessed."

"When I turned eighteen, I started escorting. I went to the rich bars wearing a tight black cocktail dress. The first night I cried, then I never cried again."

I froze. The strong, beautiful woman before me was more like myself than I had thought. Callista took off her heels and finally began to relax next to me. Her hand started caressing my arm, giving me a tender smile.

"One night, Dimitri came into the same lounge I was in. He was so young and handsome and rich. He told me that he could make me his wife instead of taking me home for one night. Without hesitation, I said yes. I went from a young nothing to a rich woman within a night."

"Do you love him?" I asked.

She sipped her champagne, "Yes, but not like a lover. Like someone I admire for helping me."

"Are you happy?" I softly asked.

Her eyes met mine, "I'm not sure sometimes."

She began to relax more and adjusted her legs upon mine. Her bare, warm thigh warmed my chilled skin. Since she opened up to me, I knew it was my turn to share something intimate about myself.

"I lost my parents when I was young," I started, "They left me a generous trust fund that I could access at twenty-one since they had passed on. This was the first place I saw that made me feel relief like I could escape from the world and be left alone."

"That must have been hard," she remarked, "Losing someone so close to your heart."

"I was young, and I lost the only family I had. I was laughing on the outside and breaking silently on the inside. A part of me is still missing, but I learned to live with it after time," I exhaled.

"You have no other family?" she asked.

"No," I answered, "I have a very close friend, Eric. He's amazing. Every time I needed someone, he was always there. He defends me even when I'm wrong, and I feel he protects me."

"Is that the young man I saw you kissing earlier?" she questioned.

I choked on my champagne, "You saw that?"

"Yes," she nodded. I looked at her with fear, but she only smiled, "I told you, you can't touch another woman. I never said anything about men."

A rush of relief consumed me, "Well, I didn't know him as I had thought. For our entire time of knowing one another, I thought he was gay."

Calista's eyes widened in surprise, "He doesn't look it."

"He's only ever brought men around me and talked about fucking them. How was I supposed to think?"

"There's always more than meets the eye."

I sat there quietly, confused.

"A little bit of mystery isn't so bad, and it leaves you guessing and eager for more."

"I always thought I knew him," I sighed.

"Give him a chance, talk to him," she encouraged.

I replied with a quizzical brow.

"You just experienced sex for the first time yesterday, and I expect you to be curious and eager to explore your boundaries," she explained.

I took a deep breath and placed my glass on the coffee table. I leaned over Callista's body without thinking, planting my lips firmly on hers. Her eyes widened briefly before melting into mine.

"Take it easy," she purred, pulling away slightly.

I felt the electricity from her lips and leaned in again, but she rejected me. "What's wrong?"

"I wanted to be there," she growled.

My face flushed bright red. She knew.

"Uh-"

"I wanted to watch as he took it from you," she interrupted, "How come you waited until I left?"

"I didn't expect it to happen," I confessed, "I went upstairs to shower, and he was there before I knew what was happening. If I hurt you, I'm sorry."

"Do you like him?" she asked. There was a hint of sadness in her tone.

"I don't know him," I stated, "I haven't mentioned him because I'm thinking of Eric."

"The young man you were kissing earlier?" she asked.

"Yes," I confirmed.

She looked into my eyes and gave me a light peck on my lips, "Thank you."

I gave her a soft smile in reply. Her phone began to vibrate, breaking our connection. Her face was stone, and I could not see if it was good or bad.

"Sorry, Ivy,' she apologized, "I have to go."

"Go? I thought you wanted to spend the night," I questioned.

"I did as well," she concurred, "Dimitri wants me to come home. More than likely to apologize."

"Did he do something wrong?" I asked, giving her my undivided attention.

"Maybe," she smirked before pressing her lips to mine, "He did fuck you."

I looked down at my lap, "I didn't plan it, nor do I want you to think I like him."

"I don't," she smirked, "You've been talking about Eric this entire time."

She stood up, and I followed suit until we reached the front door. Before leaving, she turned back and kissed me. Her tongue rubbed roughly over mine as she slammed me into the door frame.

"Uh!" I moaned.

Her greedy hands caressed my body vigorously with a sense of intention. One arm pinned my shoulder to the frame, and the other pressed into my hip with the same strength. Her thumb began tugging at the tip of my shorts, and her tongue rubbed against mine eagerly. Very slowly, she teased me, pulling them down bit by bit. Our kiss broke, and my heavy-lidded eyes revealed Callista was just as frustrated as I was.

"I have to go," she released her hold on me before disappearing.

I stood there confused, bitter, and frustrated.

It's late, and I'm wide awake. Burning up, bored. This burning, aching desire throbbed throughout my entire body. My damp flesh stuck to the bedsheets as my restless body tossed and turned. I needed something, someone. It was all their faults. All three of them for making me feel this way. This frustration can only be destined to bring out the devilish hellcat within me. The only question is, who is going to experience it first?