Hadley Harper
Half the day has gone by, and Abby is by my side, along with the other women we remained friends with after school. All of them leaving their husbands at the inside bar to watch sports games and gamble at the small casino.
"Hadley Harper?" A male voice calls name and I turn my head, looking up at the beefy frame blocking out the sun.
"Wow, you haven't aged a bit. You look the exact same." He says as I squint trying to make out the face. My eyes adjust.
"Stefan?" I try.
"Hey!" He says and then I'm pushing up out of my chair to stand, a bit fucking drunk, but managing to get to my feet.
"Oh my god" I say. Because Stefan had been one of boyfriends, AFTER Theo. We were together, my Junior year, for about six months, before he went off to college since he was a year above me. He'd been a fairly scrawny kid, played basketball, was super tall, super cute, and SUPER into finger banging. Which, no complaints here. But now he was...muscular. In my opinion, a bit TOO muscular, but hey, good for him?
I throw my arms around him and hug him, and he wraps his big arms around me with a laugh.
"Oh wow, you look so...so different!" I say as I pull back and take him in again.
"I'm a bodybuilder now." He says.
"Oh, well..yeah, makes sense, look at you...geeze...these things are rocks." I say grabbing his bicep and squeezing. Alright, it was KIND of hot to see my hand not even wrap half way around his arm. I bet he could really throw a girl around nowadays. With those muscles, he could finger bang the hell out of a woman. Inappropriate drunk throughts.
He laughs as I keep squeezing his arm. He says hello to the others and he asks us all what we've been up to. He was friendly with my friends in highschool and hung out in the same group of jocks and "popular" kids in highschool, but wasn't ever part of our immediate friendship circle I guess you could say. But he talks to them all, remembers all their names, even lets Adrienne who is a mother of four, show off her kids on her phone to him for a good five minutes. And bless his heart, he gives the perfect smiles and "Aww's" and the proper polite amount "so cute" that you should give to someone trying to show off their kids.
"What about you Hadley? You married?" He asks as everyone else gives the low down on the marriage status and whether or not they have kids.
I lift my hand and wiggle my fingers. "free bird."
He smiles. He lifts his hand and wiggles his.
"Same. Divorced. But same." He says.
I scrunch my nose.
"Oh sorry." I say.
"I'm not." He shrugs.
"Her loss right?" I ask.
"No." He smirks. HIS loss."
"Oh." I say. "Oh!"
"Congratulations. Not on the divorce, but on the , on being out? Am i supposed to congratulate you for that? I'm drunk, sorry." I say, shaking my head and he laughs.
"Sure, you can congratulate me for it." He laughs. "And thank you." He says.
You can put away your dirty jezebel notions of getting finger banged now Hadley, i tell myself. No wonder he didn't want to have sex with you, or go down on you!
"Are you gay or bi?" Abby asks him.
"Abby , you cant just ask people that!" I say and Stefan laughs.
"I dont mind" Stefan laughs. "Dont really like to label it, but bi, with a heavy lean towards men." he says and we all laughs.
"Well have some drinks, Hadley is free for a make out sesh." Abby says.
"Abby, jesus" I say and swat her leg.
"We should have a drink together." Stefan says. I turn my head.
"Dont get fresh." I say and he laughs.
"I want to catch up with you, it's been too long." He says with a smile. I smile back and nod.
"Alright, okay, but no funny stuff." I say.
"I remember you liking the funny stuff." He teases.
"Jezebel." I shake my head at him and he laughs, and I walk with him to the bar.
-------
An hour later, the hour till dinner alert comes to our phones as we sit at the bar flirting. Just because we can. We talk about highschool and talk about our brief dating stint. He flatters me with compliments and he offers to come back to my room with me while I change into a dress for dinner.
Stefan sits on my bed, while I tell him about my "boyfriend" aka, piss poor excuse of a cruise mate somewhere wandering the ship.
I pull out two dresses from the closet and hold them up.
"Blue one, or white one?" I ask holding them out.
"Are you asking me because I'm now the gay best friend?" He lifts a brow.
I roll my eyes. "No, im asking you because you're the only one here with me, and you've had your fingers inside of me. Which one would make your fingers twitch?" I ask and he laughs.
"Hadley, anything you wear looks good. Always has. Blue . White. Doesnt matter." He says and I roll my eyes.
"That's not helping." I say and throw the dresses onto the bed.
"Why dont you try em on for me? Maybe I'll be able to decide better if I see them on you." He says. I miss the flirtatious tone at first.
"Okay yeah" I say and then reach for one.
"Waaaait a minute...are you...flirting with me?" I ask. Stefan smiles.
"Been flirting with you for the past hour Hadley." He says.
"Oh. Well...yeah...but...you're like...flirting flirting now..." I say and he smiles.
"I am." He nods.
"Well...shit." I say and he laughs.
"is that a bad thing?" He asks.
"No." I shrug. "I just... this cruise is really fuckin me up." I say and he laughs.
"Why is that?" he asks.
I sigh and shake my head.
"Because it's paid for by Theo?" He asks, knowing that Theo is my ex, and he knows how Theo did me wrong. He might not know all of it, but he knew the jist of it.
"Eh...yeah, something like that." I say and he smiles.
"Wanna talk about it?" He asks and I shake my head.
"Not really." I say.
"Wanna be my date for dinner?" He asks and I smile and nod.
"Yeah okay." I say and he smiles and holds out his hand and I reach for it, and he pulls me to stand between his legs.
"And after dinner, if you want, we should continue our date." He says and slides his hands down my thighs and drops his eyes to his hands and I my brows lift.
"You tryna finger bang me Stefan?" I ask , teasing him, but also serious and he chuckles and shrugs.
"Maybe I am. For old times sake." He says and winks. I roll my eyes and laugh.
"You looking to get finger banged, Hadley Harper?" he teases but then I suck in a breath as one hand slips between my legs.
"Je-sus" I say as I grab his shoulders.
"m-maybe" I say as he rubs my pussy through my bikini bottoms.
"I'm not looking for anything, just some fun. How about you? You want to have fun this week?" He asks with a smile. Maybe THIS is what I need to distract me from making a fucking mistake with Theo. Or maybe I need to stop throwing my vagina around to anyone who gives it attention. Jesus Hadley, have some respect for yourself. The devil inside argues that Im a twenty seven year old woman, single, who can do whatever the hell she wants. As long as it doesnt involve a certain brown eyes brown haired rockstar with a stupid fucking lip ring.
"Hmmm, you wanna have fun with me?" He asks as he keeps rubbing my pussy through my bottoms.
"Shit, okay." I exhale and he smiles and then grabs the strings and pulls them, letting my bikini bottoms fall to the floor.
"Those tan lines are fucking sexy." He says, staring at my pussy and I whimper. One finger running the swoop over the tanline over my lower stomach.
"w-wait" I say as his hands cups my bare pussy, and a finger slides between my lips.
He pauses and looks up at me.
I whimper. "I ....god damnit...I shouldnt..."
"Why not?" He asks. His finger slides between my lips and over my clit and down to my pussy and right inside of me.
"oh shit" I grip his shoulders and lift one leg to straddle him, his finger curling inside of me as he grins.
"okay, fuck, yeah" I nod. "keep going" I say as I push him back and he grins, leaning back as I lift my other leg and hover over him on all fours as he slides a seconds finger inside of me, pumping them.
"jesus christ, that feels so fucking good" I whine as I rock, fucking his fingers.
"mm, you're fuckin gorgeous Hadley" he says and I clench around his fingers as I lean down, kissing him as his fingers work my pussy. Good thing all your other highschool ex's are fucking married, I scold myself. Otherwise you'd just hop around the fucking boat, wouldnt you Hadley? My brain shames me. fuck you, I argue with myself. Im a fucking grown ass woman. If I want to get finger banged by my ex boyfriend who ISNT a shit head, I can!
"oh fuck" I moan on his mouth and he groans and bites my lip. Then he moves me onto my back, hovers at my side, his fingers working me as he smiles down at me, as I grip ahole of his shirt at his chest and buck my hips.
"holy shit, holy fucking shit" I cry as I look at him, he grins.
"You're fuckin sexy" he says and I whimper and reach for his neck, and he lets me pull his mouth to mine.
There's nothing there when I kiss him. There never was either. Kissing Stefan was just like kissing any other guy I dated or hooked up with after Theo. Just fun. Just a good make out. With zero real feelings behind it. Sure, it turned me on, but there wasn't anything underneath it. Maybe that's why when Stefan broke it off with me to go to college, it hadnt really upset me, or affected me. None of my breakups every did. Because Theo fucking Thorne broke me. Bastard.
I kiss Stefan deeper and gasp on his mouth as I cum on his fingers, legs shaking, trembling, moaning loudly as I squirt on his fingers. He really was GREAT at fingering a girl.
"Mmmm" he hums and kisses me.
"The white dress....no panties." He says and kisses me with a smile.
I lay there stunned, and stupified as my legs still tremble.
"y-yeah, white dress...got it." I say and he chuckles. Sliding his fingers out of me and bringing them to my mouth.
"clean them off" he says and it surprises me, but i've tasted myself plenty of times. I open my mouth and suck them clean.
"Good girl" he winks.
But the good girl, does nothing for me. While Stefan is attractive, and always was, I was never attracted to him, at least not in the way you're supposed to be with someone you're dating. Again, Theo Throne fucking broke my brain, right along with my heart, because I never thought anyone compared to the jackass as far as looks. There was no man more beautiful than the one who wrecked me at fifteen years old, by stealing my heart and stomping all over it.
I suck his fingers clean. And I wonder if all sex I have, for the rest of my life, will feel the way this does, the way it's always felt with any guy i've messed around with. Lacking. Empty. I just want to fucking fall in love again. But my head and my heart wont fucking let me.
"I should get dressed." I say when my phone chirps for the fifteen minute warning for dinner.
Stefan smiles. "Alright."
I could have all the "fun" I wanted with Stefan, no strings , and use him as a distraction without feeling guilty, since he just wanted to have a week long hook up and then go our seperate ways. But, i was also, so tired of having hook ups that meant nothing. Sure, they felt good, while they lasted. But all I could think about when Stefan's fingers were inside of me, was fucking Theo. And how god damn alive I felt for that brief moment this morning , with him ontop of me, inside of me. What the hell is wrong with me? I shouldnt be this hung up on a guy I date at fifteen. And he shouldnt have this kind of power over me, especially after what he did.
--
"Damn, that's a fuckin dress." Stefan says when I have on the white dress, thin straps, coming right above my knee, and fitting tight to my entire body, hugging every curve from my breasts down to my knees.
"Listen.." I say as we leave my room. I turn.
"I ...I don't think...I want to hook up this week." I say.
He smiles. "Okay."
"You're not mad?" I ask.
"Why would I be mad?" He says and shrugs.
I exhale with relief.
"I just thought, it'd be fun, since we were both single. No pressure. If you dont want to hook up, that's good with me." He says and I nod.
"Is it cause of him?" He asks.
My brows pinch." Who Travis?" I scofd. "God no."
"No..Theo." He says and I pause walking in the hall. HE stops with me and smiles.
"It is, isnt it? Still got the hots huh?" He teases, but I scowl.
"no, I don't." I say and he holds both palms up in surrender.
"No judgement. That's cute tho, that you still-"
"I do not STILL anything." I say cutting him off and glare at him and cross my arms.
He smiles and nods. "Alright."
"He doesnt fucking deserve you Hadley Harper." Stefan says and swings his big ass arm around my shoulder as we start walking again, he tugs me to his side and smacks a kiss on my head.
"Never has. Never will." He says. I just let out a puff of breath and mutter no actual words.
We walk into the dining hall, coming to the main entrance, that leads down, several stairs onto the lower floor.
"My table is on the lower floor." He says and points and I nod.
"Yeah, mine too, are you sure you want me to sit with you , I can-"
"There you are." His voice hits my fucking ear, tingles all the way down my fucking spine and sends a pulse of lightning to my pussy. His hand slips around my upper arm gently. I turn and look up at Theo. Oh god. No. No. For the love of god. My eyes flick down, and back up. He's in a fucking suit. I've never seen him in a suit, not even at prom. Because he'd been "too cool" to wear a suit or tux.
His normally messy brown hair, is slicked back. Theodore Thorne doesnt SLICK his fucking hair. He looks like a fucking GQ model, other than the lip ring and tattoos peeking out of the collar of his dress shirt, high on his neck, or the tattoos on his hand and fingers around my upper arm.
I'm speechless. My brain has short circuited, because I cant speak. I cant speak to even tell him to get the fuck out of my face, because I dont want to stop looking at him yet. God, he's so fucking beautiful.
"You look beautiful, baby" He says and I swear to god, his voice is warfare, those fucking eyes, are warfare. The way he calls me fucking baby, is warfare and it makes me so fucking defenseless, every single fucking time.
He looks to Stefan. "I've got it from here Stef." he says, just fucking dimissing Stefan.
"But i.." I turn to Stefan, who just smiles and winks and walks away. As if he knows I'm a god damn sucker, and can't tell Theo Thorne no. I snap out of it finally and turn back to Theo and look up at him. My brows pinched, and my lips tight.
"I told you to leave me alone." I scowl.
He smiles at me. Shaking his head.
"You know I can't do that Pinky." he says.
"Call me that again and I take a steak knife to your nuts and throw them over this boat as chum till the sharks circle and then toss you over with them!" I hiss in a whisper.
"You're so violent. I like it, baby." He smiles. He nods towards the side.
"Our table is this way." He says and starts to guide me. People are watching as I pull back.
"I'm not going anywhere with you." I whisper yell at him.
"One dinner....then i'll leave you alone, if that's what you want." He says and I can't even look at him. I cross my arms.
"I already told you that I what I want." I say.
"Look at me." He says.
"No, i hate your face, it makes me sick, and frankly, if i have to look at it through dinner, ill lose my god damn appetite." I say, Lies. Lies. Lies. I know i'm only lying to myself and he doesnt believe a god damn word of it.
"Funny, because your face just makes me really fucking hungry." He says, and he does it with a low rumbling purr, that makes me shoot my face back in his direction and I lift a finger.
"Dont even start with me. Knock it off." I shake my finger at him and then poke it into his chest. He looks down in amusement at my finger then back up at me.
"Start what baby?" he asks.
"You KNOW what, you and the way you speak to me, always all deep and rumbly, and fucking annoying." I say and he smiles.
"One dinner Pinky." he says and my nostrils falre.
"No." I say and cross my arms again and he smiles, and crosses his.
"I'll chase your hot ass all over this ship for the rest of week , then." He says.
"I'll attach you to the fucking anchor and break the chain and throw your ass off this boat." I say and he smiles.
"You cant get to the anchors, baby." He smirks.
"Then something HEAVY. God, leave me alone." I hiss and turn.
"One damn dinner Hadley. Please. I swear i'll leave it alone, one dinner. That's it. " He says and I stop, closing my eyes and sigh.
I turn my head and body slightly.
"You promise? You'll leave me alone if I eat dinner with you?" I ask.
"I mean...I'll try my best to leave you alone. It's difficult, you're a magnet." He says.
I roll my eyes and look at him.
"One dinner. And i will do my fucking best to leave you alone, but Im dont making promises to you I cant keep. So...I cant promise I wont try again tomorrow." He says, and it's so soft and sincere, and no...no. dont you fucking fall for it. THIS is what he does.
"Enjoy your dinner TheoDORE. I hope you choke on it." I say and turn and walk down the steps, and away, away, away, from the dangers of Theo Thorne in a fucking three piece suit like some kind of rockstar gangster. Jesus christ.
When I sit down next to Abby she smiling at me.
"You did it. Proud of you babe." She says and leans over and kisses my cheek and I exhale.
"I almost had to send up a fucking flare, for an S.O.S...did you fucking SEE him?" I whisper to her. She smiles
"I did." She nods.
"What the fuck?" I mouth and then look up to the second floor, Theo still standing at the top of the stairs, talking to a few people , his eyes keep moving to me though, even from all the way across the room and up those stairs, they find me. I glower once, and then demand my eyes to stay the hell away from his direction.
"What are YOU doing here ? You're lucky you're not shark bait." Abby hisses as Travis sits down. Geeze, I almost forgot he existed.
"Im just here to eat." He grumbles.
"Hadley , can we talk after dinner? I fucked up babe, and I-"
"I thought I told you stay the hell away from her?" Theo's voice booms.
"Oh jesus christ" I say and then lift my hand my forehead and sigh as I dip my face down.
Who the fuck is Theo? Edward from Twilight? How the hell did he get over here that fast? He mustve seen him approaching before we did.
"Theo, STOP IT" I hiss when he tells Travis to get up.
I look around people are watching, and the last thing he needs is all these people selling a story of him losing his shit on his highschool, ex girlfriends, cruise date.
"I don't want him bothering you." Theo says through his teeth.
"YOU are bothering me. Fucking GO." I hiss in a whisper at him. His brows pinch and he looks, hurt. But im too angry to care if I hurt his feelings.
"You heard her , GO" Travis says and before Theo can fucking respond and toss his dick around in a pissing match. I whip my head to Trave and lift my hand.
"YOU" I point at Travis. "shut the fuck up, you stay quiet, dont talk. You eat. That's it. Or i'll let him throw your ass in the jail. GOT IT?" I glare at him, letting him know I mean it.
"I'm sorry, I just want to talk to you about last night, and how i acted, and i shouldnt have-"
"ZIP IT." I hiss. "I wont tell you again."
"Hadley, I'm in love with you." He says and just look around. Like this has to be a joke.
"Good for you. Shut up. Because i dont even LIKE you." I hiss at him. Knowing he does NOT love me, he just thinks Im dumb enough to fall for something like that, that he can love bomb me back into bed for sub par sex. Jokes on him, only Theo Throne has that fucking power over me to make me that stupid.
"Baby, you need me to me move him from the table?" Theo asks.
"BABY?" Travis balks.
"Is there a plank on this ship? Because im about to walk off it." I say , lifting both hands to my head and looking between Travis and Theo.
"Yeah. She's my fuckin baby." Theo says.
Travis glares at me.
"You said you werent fuckin him." He says.
"Jesus christ, Im not!" I yell at Travis and then glare at Theo. "And im NOT your baby, you're being a fucking psycho."
"Pretty sure we were doing something close to it , this morning." Theo says and my jaw drops.
Travis lights up. Slams a fist on the table and turns to me. But before he can go off, two security guards are there, carting him off, by his arms.
"Are you out of your fucking mind?" I hiss at Theo as he sits down taking Travis's seat as if nothing just happened, as if he didnt just tell the whole table and surrounding tables that we fucked this morning.
"Relax baby" Theo says and leans back and throws his arms over the back of my chair.
"I told you i dont want to eat dinner with you." I hiss.
Theo leans in, bringing his mouth to my ear, I tilt away, but his arm around my chair moves and his hand grabs the side of my face as he pushes his soft mouth against my ear as he speaks.
"I'm doing all I can to keep myself from throwing your hot body down on this table and licking you deep in your pretty pink cunt in front of our entire graduating class, so please , just let me have this dinner, i'm doing the best I can at controlling how much I fuckin want you. Let me fucking eat dinner with you. Let me just be near you, and i'll leave you alone tonight."
I cant even breathe. My head turns to his, his face near mine.
It still hurts. It still fucking hurts. Even just to look at him. My eyes water, he frowns slightly. I say nothing, and roll my eyes, willing the tears to stop before they fall. I force a smile as the rest of our table just watches. I let him stay. Let him have his fucking dinner. And I dont say a god damn word to him the entire time.