Just Let Go

Bianca practically skipped as she pulled Joey into her apartment, her fingers curled firmly around his wrist. Excitement bubbled in her chest, a light, fizzy sensation, like the first sip of champagne. This was right.

She’d never been the kind of girl to wait, to hope a man noticed her, to wonder if she was enough. Bianca knew who she was: a confident, beautiful young woman. She was enough. She was more than enough. If there was a man that she wanted, she wouldn't wait around for him to drum up the courage.

Her apartment was nothing special—a cramped one-bedroom with secondhand furniture and a flickering kitchen light she kept meaning to fix. The faint scent of vanilla candles and cheap wine lingered in the air, mixed with the laundry detergent from the pile of clean clothes she hadn’t folded yet. But this was her space, her little slice of the world, where she got to decide how things went.

And right now, she was deciding him.

The second the door shut behind them, she turned, pressing close.

"Okay," she said, flashing a slow, satisfied smile. "What do you want me to do?"

Joey blinked. "Uh… what?"

She laughed lightly, tilting her head. God, he was adorable when he was caught off guard. "I said, what do you want me to do? This is your time, Joey. I'm yours. Whatever you want, however you want it."

His shoulders tensed under her touch. His Adam’s apple bobbed with a nervous swallow. "I, um… I don’t think you have to—"

"Shhh." She lifted a finger, pressing it gently against his lips. His breath was warm against her skin. "Don’t argue. I already told you—this is my choice. I get to decide how my body is used. And I’ve decided…" She stepped in closer, letting their bodies brush, feeling the heat radiating off him. "It’s for you."

A sharp inhale. Joey went rigid. His hands twitched like he didn’t know what to do with them. "That’s… uh, that’s not really how that works."

Bianca beamed. Oh, this is fun.

"You don’t get it," she said, tracing slow circles on his chest with a single finger. "See, my whole life, men have tried to control me. Tell me what to do, tell me how to be. My mom let them. She let them have me." The words tasted bitter, but she didn’t flinch. That was old news. It didn’t matter. "I swore I’d never be like her. Never be used. Never let a man decide what happens to me."

Joey looked vaguely horrified. "Bianca—"

"And that is why this is different." She grinned, practically glowing. "Because I am choosing this." She cupped his face, her thumbs grazing his cheekbones. "I am giving myself to you. You’re not controlling me. You’re not using me. Because I want to be used by you."

Joey opened his mouth, shut it, opened it again. "I don’t… I don’t think that’s as different as you think it is."

She giggled, shaking her head. "Oh, Joey. Sweet Joey. You just don’t understand. But that’s okay!" She patted his cheek lightly. "You don’t need to understand. You just need to enjoy it."

He wasn’t breathing. She could see it, the way he locked up, the way his chest rose in tight, shallow movements. And yet… his body betrayed him. She felt it against her thigh, the undeniable proof of his arousal, even as he tried so hard to resist.

Bianca bit her lip, her pulse fluttering with satisfaction.

He wanted this.

She knew he did.

"Relax," she murmured, running her hands up his arms, feeling the tension in his muscles. "You’re carrying so much stress. Forget about Derek tonight. Tonight, it's just you and me. You deserve this, Joey. You deserve to have someone taking care of you for once."

His breath hitched. His fingers curled slightly at his sides.

She smirked, fingers toying with the hem of her shirt. "I could take this off," she whispered, "if you want."

Joey swallowed hard. "I…"

Bianca giggled. "I know you want me, Joey. I know you do. So just say it."

She reached for his hand, guiding it to her hip. He hesitated for a moment—just a fraction of a second—but then his fingers flexed.

A spark of triumph shot through her veins.

There it is.

"Come on," she whispered, her lips just a breath away from his. "Just let go."