Distractions (Chloe PoV)

Jake really knew how to piss me off sometimes. Of course I wanted to talk about what happened. Communication was important, wasn’t that what he was always telling me? It seemed pretty damn obvious we needed to talk after what happened. And what did he say? No. No!

Un.

Fucking.

Believable.

I let out a breath. Nope. Try again. In, out. In, out. Calm...

Ugh. It wasn’t even that he refused to talk, but because he was so fucking logical about it. First, he said he didn’t want to influence my thoughts, or mine his. That was... frustratingly reasonable with him saying if this was going to work, we needed to find our own reasoning. If we weren’t true to ourselves going into this, no way it was going to work out.

Fine.

Secondly, he said that at least in this matter, it should be something the three of us discussed together. Again, reasonable. But then again, it was easy for him to be reasonable. Jake didn’t have to deal with the absolute shitstorm of emotions going on right now.

Why? WHY?! Why did I ask her to stay? I knew what would happen, but seeing her there...

No, I wasn’t going to regret it. That night had been... amazing. Being with her was...

I shook my head. It wasn’t just her. Both of them. I thought I would be jealous watching her with Jake, but it wasn’t bad? Maybe it was because of her Gift. I felt what she did. Even if she was with Jake, I knew I was in her mind. I wasn’t letting her enjoy the moment, but rather enjoying it with her.

God, and the sex! I felt it. Even if I wasn’t the one with Jake, I felt it all. The pleasure he gave her was my own, but better. Then my Gift got involved and things really got dangerous. A feedback loop of euphoria, as my Gift spilled into her, only to get passed back to me, feeding my Gift to new levels. Alexis had been right. That pretty much ruined sex forever.

Guilt clawed at me. Being with Alexis brought something I couldn’t have with Jake. I loved him, and enjoyed being with him, but there were times when the distance got to me. It wasn’t his fault, and I would never blame him for being who he was. Still, it was... difficult. Not all the time, of course, but it was nice to have some emotional feedback when I really needed it. Alexis provided that. Yes, she had been a great and supportive friend, but now?

She loved me. I felt that love. Hell, I even experienced it myself. It was wonderful and intoxicating and pure. It was humbling to know someone felt that way about me. Now that I experienced it, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Wanting it, even though I knew it wasn’t fair. Not to Alexis, not to Jake, not even for myself. None of that mattered though, because I could no longer deny what I felt.

I loved Alexis.

Shit. Even admitting that tore at me. I wanted to dance for joy, knowing my feelings were returned at the same time I wanted to punch myself for being a selfish asshole. Was I really so fickle that I would abandon one love for another? If that was the case, would I abandon Alexis later if something else came along?

I pushed everything aside. Focus. Jake said we needed to figure out what we really wanted. Easy, right?

Haha...

Right.

First, I considered what I wanted. That was easy enough. I wanted Jake and Alexis.

No, no. Broader concepts here.

I wanted love; to give and to receive it. I knew how Alexis felt about me, and I knew Jake had his own version of love, even if I doubted I could ever understand his version. But that was fine, wasn’t it? I didn’t need to understand. After all, my love for Alexis was different. My love for Jake was different. Of course they were. They were different people. It would be weird if I loved Alexis the same way I loved Jake.

But it wasn’t as simple as that, was it? What I was asking for wasn’t me having a relationship with Jake and Alexis at the same time. When the three of us were together, it didn’t feel right to have Alexis’ full attention; not when Jake was there too. At the same time, I didn’t like how Jake kept focusing on me when Alexis was there.

Maybe I wasn’t completely sure what I wanted from this, but I knew what I didn’t want: to be the glue that held it all together. That was way too much to carry, and there was no way in hell I was going to put myself in that position.

They were equally a part of this, but how was that supposed to work? Alexis wasn’t the type of woman who really put much stock in relationships. Friendships were fine, but romance? No way. She cared for Jake more than most, but could it be something romantic? Did she even want that with him? When we had been together, I experienced the conflict there. Alexis wanted to be with him, but even she didn’t know if it was simply her love of physical pleasure, or the seed of something more.

As for Jake, he was a mystery. He saw relationships differently than Alexis and I did. Probably different from anyone else on the planet. A part of me knew he would accept Alexis if I pushed for it, but was that really something I wanted? It felt... dirty. Like I had some sort of power over him. Not all that long ago, I might have liked that. Now? I didn’t want to be over him—I mean, I did, but not—

Focus.

An equal partnership. That’s what I wanted. Not just between Jake and I, but Alexis too. All three of us, together.

... Impossible, right?

What made me feel worse about the whole thing was Alexis. Connecting with her through her Gift, feeling how she felt, how could I ever ignore that? She seemed convinced that I was the only one she would ever feel this way towards. Countless men and women flashed by, all entertaining for the moment, but nothing more. Even Victoria, an impossible beauty without compare, was just a good friend. A friendship I had helped improve. Her fear had been so unbelievably strong that this was her only chance at love. That she would never, ever connect with someone like she did to me...

It terrified me to think she might be right.

Or was that just a lingering fear caused by me experiencing that from her perspective?

The door opened and I pushed everything aside.

“Hey, Sven,” I said with a smile as I stood. He had a charming smile that paired well with his classic good looks. He was stereotypically Nordic. Tall, broad shouldered, blond hair, and blue eyes. Alexis would have liked him.

... That was odd. I knew without a doubt that Alexis would definitely find Sven attractive. Not a passing thought there, but a foundational belief as firm as my own attraction towards him.

Either way, Sven was a good guy. He may have paid for my services like all the other guys, but he had a way of making it seem less business oriented. Probably because he was one of the few who made small talk and made a genuine effort to sound interested in more than just my Gift. It helped that he also greeted me in passing instead of pretending I didn’t exist like all my other clients.

“Chloe! Good to see you,” he said in his heavy accent. Another pang there. It felt like an echo in my own mind as I felt a spike of attraction that wasn’t my own. Yeah, Alexis would really like this guy. Yet despite this new sensation, I wasn’t fearful of this new development. In a weird way, it was a comfort, as if Alexis was here with me. Also, it was extremely amusing to know she had a type. Was it the classic good looks, or the accent that set her off?

Hmm. Might have to tease her about this later.

“It’s been a while.”

He nodded. “Yes. Long enough that I was shocked to hear how much you charge now!”

I shrugged. “I’m a busy woman.” I paused as I considered him. Sven had always been an infrequent client of mine. His parents were successful enough to afford sending him here, but not enough to give him a credit card with no limit like many others here. Even when I was charging only a few hundred, he had to actively save to afford it.

Which brought up a really good question... How the hell was he paying for this?

It must have shown on his face, because he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. Oh no. Please don’t tell me he was going to try to talk me down. I mean, Sven was a nice guy and all, but this wasn’t a charity. I couldn’t let personal feelings get involved here.

“Sven,” I said, keeping my voice light. “The bid was for twenty-seven hundred.”

He nodded, but made no other move.

“You have the money?” I pressed.

“Ah, well,” he shifted. Please Sven. Don’t make that face. “I’m not the one, um, paying.”

I blinked. “Huh?”

He was blushing, looking at the clock. “I’m waiting for someone.”

We awkwardly stood there for a moment. I cleared my throat. “I, uh, I’m not actually doing threesomes anymore, Sven.”

At least not with clients. Thoughts of Alexis and Jake danced through my mind, giving my chest and gut a fluttery feeling before I pushed them aside and focused.

“Oh, I know,” he said quickly, giving me that charming smile of his. I could see why he was popular around school. He had that bumbling charm about him. He wasn’t meek by any stretch, but there was a humbleness to his confidence. He knew he didn’t have to peacock and fight for attention like others did and was perfectly fine with being himself without other people’s validation. “Don’t worry, she won’t be joining us.”

She?

I opened my mouth but was interrupted by the door opening. “Sorry, sorry! Had a few things to take care of.” The door closed as the breathless girl moved to stand beside Sven. She was comically short next to him, but then again, so were most girls. I figured she had a few inches on me too. “I didn’t make you wait long, did I?”

He smiled down at her. “Nope! Chloe and I were just catching up.”

She turned, brown eyes studying me. It wasn’t a judging look, just simple curiosity. She took a step forward, thrusting her hand out. “Holly,” she announced. “Sven’s girlfriend.” He grinned, a proud gleam in his eye as if he would never get tired of hearing that.

“Ah,” I said, giving her an awkward shake. This was... not at all what I expected today. There was an awkward silence.

“Right! Money.” She slipped her backpack off and dug around. “Twenty-seven hundred, yes?”

This whole thing had thrown me. “You know what that’s for, right?”

She paused, looking up from her bag. “Sharing your Gift with Sven.”

“You know how that happens, right?”

“I know you two are going to have sex,” she said, her tone making it clear she was unconcerned about that little detail.

“Just wanted to make sure.”

Holly smiled. “It’s weird, right? But I asked what he wanted for his birthday, and this was it.”

I almost laughed at that, but for completely separate reasons. Who knew I would become such a popular birthday gift?

“I said I was joking.”

Pulling a roll of cash from her bag, she counted out the amount and handed it to me with a few extra hundreds. “You don’t mind if I watch, do you?”

“Please don’t make this anymore awkward than it already is,” he begged, looking mortified. She raised an eyebrow, staring up at him.

“More than suggesting your girlfriend buy you a prostitute?” She cringed, giving me an apologetic look. “Sorry.”

I shrugged. “You’re not wrong.”

“No, I wouldn’t be paying you if you were. I was pissed when he suggested it, so I asked around about you. To be honest, I believed the rumors about you. I thought you were some lotto girl selling herself for cash, but that’s not what you’re offering, is it? Word is your Gift is euphoria.”

“It is.”

“Quite potent too, if my sources are correct.”

“So I’ve been told.”

“And that’s what I’m buying. It’s unfortunate that you have to have sex to trigger it, but you’re hardly the only woman he’s stuck his dick in.”

“Holly...” He groaned.

She grinned up at him. “Shut it. You know I’m teasing.” She looked at me. “So, can I watch?”

I tucked the money away. “You’re the one paying.”

Holly looked giddy as she gestured for Sven to approach. Her glee was hard to wrap my head around. This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened though. Back when I was first starting out, I frequently played third wheel to a couple. She never participated, but she enjoyed watching. It was a shame they graduated that year.

I wiggled out of my panties and set them aside before plopping down on the cot. Emotions twisted in my gut as he approached, attention more on Holly than me. Was it bad I was looking forward to his? Not so much the sex, but the bump that came with it. The previous bump I got was from when Alexis joined us and that had long since faded. With all the stress worrying about that whole situation...

Fuck, I needed this.

Which only made me feel worse. Alexis thought she was a mess of a person, but she wasn’t all that different than I was. The whole thing was made worse with Jake keeping his distance. I got it, I really did. I was a fucking black hole or something he couldn’t escape from. We needed the time away from each other to figure out what we wanted without influencing each other’s thoughts. Didn’t mean I had to like it though.

Hands pressed against the cot, I leaned back slightly. I felt a familiar rush as his eyes slid down to my legs as my skirt shifted up an inch. “So,” I said, voice automatically taking a seductive purr. “How do you want me?”

Sven opened his mouth to answer, but Holly was a beat faster. “Missionary.” We both looked at her. For her part, she didn’t look flustered at all by the situation. Maybe even excited? “What? I like that position.”

He looked at me and shrugged. “You heard her.”

I laid back, getting comfortable as he dropped his pants. The situation might have been slightly awkward with the impromptu audience, but it didn’t seem to bother him. He was already somewhat hard by the situation. Something Holly picked up immediately.

“Really?”

He shot her a charming grin, clear affection in his gaze. “Admit it, this is kinda hot.”

She rolled her eyes. “Pig.”

“Love you.”

She waved him off, trying not to look interested. Yet her eyes were locked on him as he got on the bed, positioning himself between me. Her face twisted into a frown as his hand ran along his shaft, growing hard. Like the rest of him, he was fairly big. Not quite Jake’s size, but close. I let out a breath, anticipation swelling as he focused, positioning himself against me. He had a condom in hand, already working at the wrapper.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Holly said. We both looked over at her in confusion. “You’re just going to shove it in her?”

He looked lost, swinging his gaze down at me. Don’t look at me! She’s your girlfriend.

“Here I thought you were a gentlemen.” She was standing now, arms crossed as she stared him down. Her expression softened as she looked at me. “Sorry. He can be an idiot sometimes.”

“It’s fine,” I said, starting to regret letting her stay. The sooner we started, the sooner we’d get what we were after and could go our separate ways.

“Would it be okay if he ate you out? He’s quite good with his tongue.”

“Really, it’s fine,” I said, feeling my face heat. “Once we get started, my Gift—”

“I’m not going to let him shove that big thing in you without doing anything first.” She leveled a look at him. “If you are so keen on this, do it right.”

And that was how I found myself lying on the cot, gaze locked on the ceiling with Sven’s head under my skirt. This was not what I signed up for. It didn’t help that Holly was right, Sven was good with his tongue. I bit at my lip, doing my best not to moan as the pleasure roused my Gift. It was a teasing sort, nothing to activate it fully, but enough that I got small trickles of euphoria at a drip-feed rate.

A whimper escaped me, cheeks heating as I did my best to channel my inner Jake. Stoic. Stoic. Don’t moan, Chloe. Please don’t—

“Mmm.”

Fuck.

Holly was caught up in the moment, eyes never leaving Sven. She was doing a good job keeping a neutral expression, but her breathing had changed and this was the third time she’d licked her lips since I glanced over.

“I-I t-t-think I’m ready,” I mumbled, a gasp leaving me as my leg quivered. Blinking herself out of a trance, Holly looked down at me.

“R-right.”

I let out a relieved sigh as he pulled away. I purposefully looked away as Sven wiped at his lips. I laid still as he once more positioned himself between my legs. My heart thudded against my chest, excitement building as I heard him unwrapping the condom. The excitement wasn’t because I was going to have sex with him, but because I knew what the sex would bring. The euphoria bump would help me think, that’s all.

A rush of air left me as he filled me. Bliss.

I was as bad as Alexis.

Thought was smothered in a rush of euphoria as my Gift roared to life. My hips bucked against his. Neither of us were quiet, vocalizing the pleasure as we were lifted on clouds of euphoric pleasure. Nothing mattered but the euphoria. Every thrust caused a burst of my Gift, adding more to the potent mix swirling inside me.

More pleasure.

More euphoria.

Release.

My chest heaved as my lungs desperately clawed the air. My throat was raw, head spinning as I grinned stupidly at the lingering stupor. My body was still quivering from the orgasm as he pulled away. I groaned as I felt him leave me, a small part of me saddened by the loss.

“Okay, I’m a bit jealous...” I rolled my head to the side, watching as Holly stood by the bed. She had no interest in me, smiling at her boyfriend. Like me, he had a stupid grin on his face, a glassy look to his eye. “Babe, you okay?”

“Yeah,” he breathed, turning his head to her as he ran his hand against her cheek. “More than okay.”

I looked away as they kissed. That sobered me up faster than normal. I blinked, focusing on the nugget of discomfort the sight brought. It grounded me enough to slide away from Sven, their kissing growing more passionate.

Yeah, I didn’t want to stick around for this.

Panties back in place, I couldn’t shake the smile as I headed to the door. As I closed the door behind me, I caught a flash of Holly pushing Sven to the cot.

I took a deep breath, the air sweeter than it had been a moment ago. God, I needed that. I felt like I could think again without the crushing weight the unknown brought.

Pep in my step, I headed to the library.