Masked Encounters (Intoxicating Passion #1) Read online

  Masked Encounters

  Intoxicating Passion #1

  By Felicia Tatum

  Publisher: Felicia Tatum

  Editor: Shaner Media Creations

  Cover Image: Rene Folsom

  This work is not to be reproduced, shared, or copied without my permission.

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, and events are made up in my head.

  Copyright 2013 Felicia Tatum

  All rights reserved.

  Writing Acknowledge

  I want to give Kyle Collins a HUGE thank you! Writing a male’s POV isn’t always easy, especially a male like Dane. Kyle stepped up, reading the roughest of rough words I put down, and guided me in developing him into a legit character. I thank you, Kyle!

  Kyle Collins: www.collinsreflexology.com

  Contents

  Writing Acknowledge

  Chapter One-Korah Daniels

  Chapter Two-Dane Davidson

  Chapter Three-Korah

  Chapter Four-Dane

  Chapter Five-Korah

  Chapter Six-Dane

  About the Author

  More titles from Felicia Tatum

  Chapter One-Korah Daniels

  He slurped his drink entirely too loudly, making me want to rip the glass from his hands and throw the ice cold Coke in his face. I didn’t, of course, but I imagined. A few times, actually. The liquid spraying as it impacted his small, weasel-like expression. His eyes bulging as he realized what happened. Yeah…I’d thought about it. Tonight was the worst date of my life. I glanced at the clock, once again, hopeful enough time had passed for it to be acceptable to leave.

  This is why I hated being set up on blind-dates, especially from the neighboring frat house. I got creepy men who obviously never spoke to a girl before, or slimy losers who saw me as another lay. It got old. My friend, Leela, insisted on setting me up, and who could resist her adorable pout? Not me, obviously. So here I sat, poking the food around on my plate, head sunk in hand not caring it squished my cheek in an unflattering manner, while this weirdo droned on and on about who knows what. I quit listening at least fifteen minutes ago.

  The sudden silence from Mr. Talker caught my attention, only to be skewered by his eager eyes. “I’m sorry, what?” I asked, hoping I sounded as bored as I was. In all honesty, I didn’t even remember his name. John? Josh? Or maybe it was Jacob. It was a J name. I think.

  He leaned closer, giving my slight cleavage a hungry gaze. “I said, The way you look in that dress makes me want to do things to you only Prince would sing about,” he repeated, in what I supposed was his seductive voice. It sounded more like a snake hissing, or a balloon deflating…as I hoped his ego would be doing soon.

  The urge to vomit was fairly strong at this point. I pushed my plate away, took a pointed look at the clock, and pulled my purse from the chair back. “Thank you, for that, I think. It’s time for me to go. I have a bedtime, you know. I assume you’ll be paying?” I asked rhetorically, not really interested in his answer. I stood, straightened my dress, and sauntered out. The weight of his beady eyes followed me, no doubt imagining my body beneath his, but I didn’t care. Perverse fantasy would be as far as he ever got with me.

  ###

  Slipping quietly into the apartment I shared with Leela and Windi, I slid my shoes off hoping they wouldn’t hear me enter. I turned the knob, closing the door silently, before tiptoeing across the living area to my bedroom. I was almost there, seconds from being free of interrogation, when I heard my name.

  “Korah!” Leela exclaimed sharply. She reminded me of a stern school teacher in 1950.

  I turned, seeing her with hands on hips, staring me down. Her long blond locks fell in curls around her shoulders, while deep blue eyes quietly assessed me. She was in her last year, while I was only in my second, so she embraced the big sister role with fervor. Holding my hair while I threw up, helping me treat hangovers, giving me boy advice, etc. I loved her immensely, but the jerk she set me up with tonight was not her best choice. Judging from her stance and, blazing eyes, she’d already heard how I left. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first bad blind-date I’d gone on, and they always seemed to call her before I got home. It was pathetically annoying how immature some boys were.

  “Well?” she challenged.

  I shrugged, smiling at her. “Well?” I mocked back.

  “You just left him there! He was so embarrassed. Poor, Zane,” she sympathized, trying to guilt me.

  Zane…that was it. I was all kinds of wrong about his name. “Yeah…he said something that made me uncomfortable. So, I left.” Shifting my weight to the right, I bent my left leg up to lightly scratch the back of my calf. Finally starting to unwind from my difficult evening, I folded my arm across my chest, standing with my purse dangling from my hand.

  “Korah…I just want you to be happy. Ever since Christopher…” she started, her expression torn and sad. Leela captured her bottom lip in her teeth, clenching her hands together before she hooked them behind her back. She knew she’d gone too far.

  I didn’t want her pity, nor did I need it.. “I don’t want to talk about him,” my exasperation coming through more clearly than I intended. Catching myself and knowing her concern waswell-meant, I sighed crossing my arms. “I don’t need a man to be happy. You don’t have to keep setting me up. I’ll be fine. Now, please, can we be done? I’m going to study.” For the second time in less than an hour, I didn’t wait for an answer. Turning, I hurried to my bedroom, ignoring her calling my name. My misery didn’t like company

  Dating had never been kind to me, but recently, my disastrous love life was on a completely different level of crazy. Abusive relationships, level five stalkers, and desperate types who proposed after two dates. I refused to deal with it anymore, not even wanting to bother with romance because of all the torment which inevitably resulted. At nineteen years old, I knew it was not normal to have this much drama.

  I had friends who were married, some with children already. I wasn’t ready for either of those responsibilities, but…why couldn’t I find a decent guy? What was so wrong with me that I attracted all the whacky ones?

  I flopped on my oversized bed, sinking deep into cotton covers and feathery pillows. Darkness settled in around me, the only light a half-moon peeking through the curtains. Looking guiltily at my desk, strewn with papers for my speech assignment, I groaned inwardly. Turning to my side, I found Elle under the abundance of covers. Worn oversized ears, trunk now bent at an awkward angle, she had been a source of comfort since I was a little girl. Snuggling her to my chest, I drew my knees to my stomach. My eyelids fluttered against the pillow before I fell into a restless sleep.

  ###

  “Korah….Korah….” a sing-song voice called.

  The world shook as I bounced around. Complete dark surrounded me, the only sound a voice calling me by name. I slowly came to consciousness. Peeling one eye open, I saw Leela’s ginormous face smiling down on me. “Good grief,” I groaned, burying my head under the pillow, tucking Elle deep enough to avoid detection.

  “Wake up, Korah! I need to tell you some exciting news,” she exclaimed. The bed continued to move under her weight as she thrashed about, jostling me to and fro.

  “Go away,” I mumbled. The nightmares continued to haunt me, causing sleepless nights and the unattractive dark circles under my brown eyes. Thank goodness for make-up.

  “Korah, we need to go shopping,” she lured, teasing me with one of my favorite past-times.

  I lifted the pillow cautiously exposing the side of my face. Peering at her with one squinted eye, I raised a brow and clarified, “Shopping?”
/>   She nodded eagerly, finally standing and relieving me of her weight.“ Yep. We have lots to get.”

  I eyed her suspiciously. “Such as…?” Leela despised shopping with me. I took too long, or I tried on everything, or some other nonsense. She seemed miserable every time we went together. Which meant she was up to something. Probably something I wouldn’t like.

  “A Halloween costume,” she shrugged in feigned nonchalance before escaping out my door.

  And there it was. I propped on my elbows, staring at the spot where she had been standing. There was only one reason Leela would want me to have a Halloween costume and that would be for a party. I’m no math major, but: Me + Parties = Disaster. I propelled my body upward, still drowsy from sleep. Rubbing the crust from my eyes, I turned, putting reluctant feet on the floor. Finally, I staggered upright and shuffled into the common room. “Lee?”

  “Yes, sleepyhead?” she sounded way too chipper, her eyes twinkling in delight as she glanced up from her books strewn over the coffee table.

  “You have a party for us, don’t you?” I accused, yawning.

  “Did you not sleep enough?” She always avoided questions I desperately wanted answers for.

  “Don’t do that, Lee. Don’t tell me it’s more frat guys?” I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

  “Maybe,” she shrugged, picking up the pink highlighter and fake studying.

  I flopped down on the couch she leaned against from her seat in the floor, rubbing my face vigorously with my hand. “Come on, I told you I’m not interested in dating.” I was practically begging at this point. After six months of her nagging, enough was enough.

  “I’m not setting you up, Korah,” she stated, dropping the marker and angling her body to face me. Her shiny blue eyes implored in a loving by determined way. “You don’t get out enough. I feel like you’re stuck in this hole…I worry about you. You’re basically my little sister, and it hurts me to see you like this. You mope around, refusing to give any guys a chance…”

  I interrupted, “If they weren’t losers or assholes, I’d give them more of a chance.”

  “Korah,” she pleaded, taking my hand in hers. “You haven’t been the same since Christopher. And I get it, totally, but you can’t withhold trust forever. Some time, at some point, you have to give someone a chance.”

  “No, I don’t,” I huffed. Her words were correct, but I wasn’t ready. I couldn’t forget what he did to me, all the trauma I endured. Trusting men was too risky.

  “Then will you go for me? Be my date?” she smiled. Her lower lip twitched, and I knew she would give me the pout if I didn’t agree.

  “Fine! But I’m not going for guys. I’m not dating anyone. I’m not even dancing with anyone,” I warned.

  She squealed, a high pitched sound that stung my eardrums. “You are going to have so much fun! Go, go, go. Get ready! We are leaving after I get us some breakfast,” she instructed, snatching her keys off the table. “I’ll be back in a few!”

  I sat there, glaring at the door, for longer than I should have. She meant well, I knew, but that didn’t stop the sinking feeling in my gut. Halloween was just days away…and this was so much more than a party. Something was going down. I didn’t know if she planned it or not, but I knew more than dancing and haunted houses would be happening on Halloween.

  Chapter Two-Dane Davidson

  She lay beneath me, panting and writhing from pleasure. I couldn’t remember her name only that her breasts were double D’s, her hips large enough to grab, and her body willing and able to take mine. I buried my face in her shoulder, not wanting to see hers. Seeing their faces made it real. I didn’t want to think of the feelings or the person, just the body and relief I desperately sought.

  I grew closer to release, finally lifting my face and pressing my lips to hers. They always liked it when I kissed them right before we finished. It was the least I could do. I thrust until I exploded, her enthusiastic cries and loud in my ears as I brought her to the brink again. I jerked my head away, not wanting her to see my lack of emotion.

  “Dane,” she sighed breathlessly, pulling me to her by the base of my hair and assaulting my mouth with her tongue.

  I let her, not wanting to be a complete jackass about it all. Did I care about her? No. Did she know this? Yes…but that didn’t mean I couldn’t pretend, at least for the duration of our romp. She pulled away, tracing my lips with her tongue, giving me her sexiest look. She was attractive, I’d give her that, but blondes were never my preference. This chick, whatever her name, was short, round, and more than willing. She’d been eyeing me at our local bar for the past two weeks, and I finally, selfishly, gave in to her advances. I knew she’d want to go again, but I didn’t. I made it clear when we left the bar, sex and nothing else. I hoped she wasn’t one who would beg for more.

  I slid out, seeing disappointment cross her face as I climbed out of her bed. I slipped into the bathroom, closing the door and dousing myself in the face with water. The women, the sex, the drinking was all a part of daily life for me. A junior in college, a brother of Alpha Kappa Pi , and a Bio major, I epitomized the college playboy. Classes by day, drinking and ladies by night. I enjoyed the no strings sex, knowing I wouldn’t have to see the girl again. There were times, naturally, I’d run into a woman later. Embarrassment generally held their tongue; rarely did they say anything, but if they did, they cried or screamed at me. One slapped me, and while it stung, it didn’t affect me.

  Nothing really did.

  I stepped out, in my naked glory, to see the chick propped on her bed, legs open and waiting for me. “Dane, I’m ready,” she invited, while sliding a hand up and down her body.

  “I’ve got class,” I offered with less-than-sincere-regret, grabbing my clothing and pulling it on as quickly as possible. I guessed where her hand was headed and I needed to escape. Fast.

  She didn’t stop, however, or take the hint. Double D Blonde continued, adding what I knew she thought were sexy sounds to her display. She threw her head back, shaking her hair around her. The image not unlike a dog after a bath.

  I cringed, looking away, as she explored her body, desperately trying to entice me back to her. Unable to stand it any longer, I moved forward grasping her hand, pulling it away from her, and made eye contact. “I have to go. I had a good time,” the lie a practiced, parting gift. In reality, she was neither good nor bad, it was what it was.

  She captured my mouth with hers, darting her tongue in and out while pressing her breasts into me. I broke free, desperately wanting to wipe the saliva she left on my face, but I couldn’t be rude to her.

  Her gaze fell, the realization striking her hard. Dropping her hands from my shoulders, she accused, “I won’t see you again, will I?”

  Straightening, I stuck my hands in my pockets as I backed away. “I don’t know. I told you I wasn’t looking for anything,” my tone, intentionally, a chiding reminder.

  “Do you even know my name?” she demanded, jumping from the bed. Her breasts bounced attractively, momentarily distracting me from her tantrum.

  Quickly tiring of her games, I looked her square in the eye. “No. And I don’t care to.”

  Tears formed, anger replaced with an abrupt wash of hurt. Not my intention, but Double D Blonde left no other way. I really needed to screen the women better, because I was getting more of the crazy ones lately. She scrambled to cover her body, large green eyes looking childlike with glossy sad tears.

  “Bye,” I called. I left without looking back.

  ###

  Class let out early, so I sprinted across campus, past the student center and registration hall, through the commuter parking lot, and met my brothers just as they started a new game of basketball. Slightly out of breath, but pumped nonetheless, I slung my backpack to the side of the court and ripped my shirt off.

  It was October, and most of the days were spent with fifty and sixty-degree weather. I didn’t complain, but I missed the hotter Georgia months. The short skirts, s
horter shorts, and long, long legs. The girls on campus didn’t bother to cover themselves often, and I appreciated it very much. Today wasn’t a particularly warm day, but my mad dash across campus left me sleek with sweat. I knew the basketball game wouldn’t allow any cooling down.

  “Hey, got room for one more?” I called, stretching my arms above my head before slugging a quick drink of stale water from the bottle on my pack.

  “Don’t you have some chick’s pants to be getting into?” Jack mocked, giving me a few suggestive hand movements for good measure. He was the biggest asshat I knew.

  “He left with someone last night,” Cale reasoned, throwing the ball at my chest.

  I caught it, carelessly dropping the bottle on my pack then dribbling a few times, before passing it to Jack. “So, can I, or not?” Jack and I didn’t get along. He was a ladies man wannabe, and I, well, I wasn’t a wannabe. Several times a girl Jack was interested in, ended up leaving with me. He held it against me or something.

  Jack threw it back my way with more force than necessary, nodding grimly. We spread out, dividing into teams, and began the game. Jack wasn’t overly aggressive, but it was obvious he was intentionally trying to press his luck with the fouls. We didn’t play basketball by the regular rules, we played Alpha Kappa Pi style. We were men, strong men, and a few fouls here and there weren’t a problem. Jack took advantage.

  I was happy to oblige.

  By the time the score was 15-14, my body felt bruised and beaten. Jack had gotten in a few good elbows, landing hits to my back and head, though I managed to dodge a cheap shot at my groin. My anger rose with each unnecessary assault until my blood was near boiling. I was done, but I wasn’t leaving before giving Jack a nice taste of his own medicine.

  I dribbled the ball lazily, appearing tired. Jack watched me closely. I waited, continuing to casually dribble even though others were calling for me to pass and finish the game. I ignored the confusion and frustration they threw at me, patient. Finally, Jack looked away. I threw all my strength into the ball, passing it harshly and quickly.