Karaoke Afterglow

The tequila burns its way down my throat, and I wince. Still, the adrenaline coursing through me more than makes up for it, and I grin, mouthing, "Thank you!" to the manager. He gives me a thumbs up and another mimed round of applause before I head back to our table as the next person begins their song.

"Let's go, Alicia!" Amy beams, jumping up and hugging me before I can even sit down. I giggle and hug her back.

Freddie nods, impressed. "That was really good. Ten times better than us." He smirks as he nudges Elijah.

"Don't know what you're talking about, we nailed it," Elijah says sardonically. Then he slaps me on the back. "Seriously, Alicia, that was epic." Dani gives me a smile that shows she agrees with him.

"Thanks, guys," I smile, a little self-conscious at all the attention. Then again, I'll take it - I actually did sound pretty good. I glance at Jack, who's still wearing that small, genuine smile. "And, uh ... thanks for talking me into it, Jack."

His smile widens almost imperceptibly. "No problem. Hey, now that no one's waiting for their song, shall we head back?"

Everyone agrees, and I can't blame them - there are certainly a few people making fools of themselves onstage - so we finish our drinks and wander back to the cabin. Whether from **** or adrenaline, I'm still buzzing as we all end up in the main room, but after a few rounds of cards it becomes clear that Elijah, Dani, and Amy are exhausted from the hike earlier. After making their excuses, they head to bed, leaving me in the main room with Jack and Freddie.

"So, since we've got no plans tomorrow, you up for gym in the morning?" Freddie asks, nudging Jack's shoulder.

Jack's eyes linger on me for a split second before he turns back to Freddie. "Yeah, alright. I've been slacking off this week, so it's a good plan."

"You went on the first day," I point out.

He shrugs. "True, but ... I wasn't there very long." He avoids my gaze a little, and I frown slightly. I remember him being out of the cabin for a while, but maybe it was my imagination. He quickly turns back to Freddie. "Oh, hey, didn't you say you wanted to call Piper tonight?"

The colour drains from Freddie's face. "Shit. Yes. Yes, I did." He checks his phone and somehow goes even paler. "Yep, she's pissed. Alright, goodnight guys," he says, before dashing away to their room.

I make a whip-crack sound and giggle, watching him down the hall, then turn back to Jack. To my surprise, he's getting to his feet, seemingly also ready to head to bed. Not going to lie, I thought he was using that to get us alone. Part of me doesn't know what to make of that.

"Hey, um, thanks," I say, standing up and blushing slightly. "Like, most of this whole hypnosis thing is ... well, let's go with 'self-serving', but that was actually kinda nice."

Jack pauses, not meeting my eyes. "No problem. And sorry about ..."

I roll my eyes. "It's okay. Sorry, I need to stop rubbing it in, don't I? Like, don't get me wrong, you were definitely out of line, but you're acting like you've learned that lesson. You have learned that lesson, right?"

He nods. Then he meets my gaze and quirks his lips. "Well, probably not."

I find myself laughing. Then I'm suddenly very aware of how he's less than a foot away from me, of how I can smell the barest hint of his musk. Memories of last night bubble to the surface, and I glance at his lips, remembering how they taste. I take a small step forward.

His hands grasp my hips as our mouths meet, and then we're stumbling back to the couch and toppling onto it. I sprawl onto my back with him on top, and I just have time to gasp before his lips are on mine again. Wrapping my arms around him, I pull him closer. I crave his touch, even if it's still a little on the clumsy side.

I don't know how long we lay there, making out, but eventually one of my hands sneaks under his shirt. His muscles ripple and flex as we kiss, and the sensation has me gagging for more. Slowly, I pull his shirt up, and he sits back to allow me to lift it over his head.

God, he's hot. Toned pecs, a clear six-pack, and those soft brown eyes that pull me in. A slightly confused smile, like he still doesn't quite know how we ended up here but isn't complaining any time soon. Same here, bucko.

Biting my lip, I straddle his lap. Something twitches beneath me, and I grin, looking into his wishing-well eyes. We're so close I can feel his breath brush my lips. Slowly, I lean in and kiss him again, while my hands wander down his stomach and deftly undo his belt. I tease his fly down, waiting for him to snap his fingers and command me to stop.

He doesn't. Instead, his fingers reach behind me and pull at the knot for my bikini top. I giggle into his mouth as it comes undone and his hands slip under the fabric to cup my boobs. Then he starts kneading them, and I suck in a breath as pleasure begins to worm its way through my body.

To give myself room, I shift back on his lap slightly, breaking the kiss as I try to work his pants down his legs. He lifts himself up, and they come free along with his boxers and end up around his ankles. His ten-inch cock points at the ceiling, throbbing desperately.

I wrap my hand around him and stroke gently as I lean in and whisper into his ear. "So ... What now, Jack?"

His eyelids flutter and his cock twitches in my grip. I giggle and shift a little closer again, grinding my bikini bottoms against the heat of his shaft, and he sighs with barely-contained pleasure. Pressing his lips to mine in a hungry kiss, he grips my ass and pulls me closer still, until my breasts squish against his chest.

"I want to be inside you," Jack whispers. Those words dial my arousal up to eleven, and suddenly I'm kissing him with a desperation I didn't know I had. Hands - I don't know if they're mine or his - undo my bikini bottoms, and suddenly I'm naked, pressing my wetness against his shaft. Then I **** myself to stop.

"Got a condom?" I ask breathlessly. Nervously, he shakes his head. "Stay right where you are."

Completely nude, I get off the couch and run to mine and Amy's room. As quietly as I can, I crack the door open and tiptoe inside to my bag, where I reach into a side pocket and pull out a handful of condoms. Shrugging, I decide to take them all. With a last glance at Amy to check she's still asleep, I back out of the room.

Jack watches me return, his eyes glued to the sway of my hips. I give him a smile and drop to my knees in front of him, wrapping my lips around him as I tear open one of the condom wrappers. After a quick swirl of my tongue - which elicits a low moan from him - I pull back and gently roll the condom onto his length, then straddle him again.

"Ready?" I whisper, pressing myself against him. I'm aching for it, my entire body screaming at me for wasting time even with that one question.

Jack nods quickly. "God, yeah."

After giving him a quick, deep kiss, I lift myself up and take hold of his shaft. Then, pressing him to my entrance, I slide down onto him.

A strangled moan escapes my lips. His cock pushes my walls apart, facing resistance despite how wet I am, until finally he's completely buried inside me. I snatch a few breaths as I get used to his huge length in my pussy. It's so deep that even the slightest movement knocks the breath from my lungs. "Holy shit," I gasp, flicking my hair out of my face and grinning. Jack's thumb brushes my nipple and I bite my lip to stifle another moan. "Holy fucking shit."

He drinks in every inch of my body, his mouth slightly open like a kid in the candy store of their dreams. His soft eyes meet mine, and for a moment we just stare at each other, our bodies locked together. Then our lips collide again, and I start rocking my hips, sending pleasure rippling through me.

Our lips break apart as the pleasure builds, and I have to place my hands on his chest to steady myself as I throw my head back. I start to bounce on him, and the sound of skin on skin mingles with our heavy breathing and the occasional stifled moan. His eyes linger on my perky boobs as they jiggle and sway, and I giggle at the lust that fills his face. "Good?" I pant.

"Uh huh," he groans. "You?"

"Mhm," I moan, biting my lip and slowing down a little to readjust my knees on the couch.

He doesn't wait for me, though, an animal hunger in his eyes. Before I can react, he swivels me around so that I'm lying back against one end of the sofa, and he spreads my legs and drives into me again. I go to moan, but suddenly his hand is around my throat, **** me. I flinch backwards, but he's pinning me down. Scrabbling at his arm, I try to gasp for air. His eyes go wide as he realizes I'm trying to escape, and his grip relaxes enough for me to tear his hand away.

"Sorry," he says, pulling out but still looming over me. The hunger in his eyes has vanished and been replaced by some mixture of shame and anger.

I pant and massage my neck. My heart is racing - not from the arousal, but from a sudden dash of fear. With difficulty, I meet his gaze again. "Remember what I said about sex and porn, Jack?"

"Yeah. Sorry." He looks genuinely apologetic, but still stays where he is, hands either side of me, boxing me in. I tap his arm, and he finally realizes and sits back to allow me up.

I wipe my sweaty hair out of my face and sit up. My head spins, and frustration bubbles in my stomach. That was some fucking good sex, right up until he ruined it. "Why can't you just ask?" I mutter, hugging my arms to my chest.

"What?"

I give him a look - probably a lot sharper than I wanted it to be, judging by how he recoils slightly. I steamroll forward, though. "Why can't you just ask before you do something I might not like? Or better yet, ask before you do anything you haven't done yet? Like, is that so hard?"

Jack actually looks confused. "Doesn't that ... ruin the mood?"

Dear Lord. "No!" I actually laugh. It was that or punch him. "Asking if I want something shows me you're actually thinking about what I want, and that is hot! **** me without my consent ruins the fucking mood!"

"Don't girls like ****, though?" He catches the look in my eye and quickly adds, "I'm not talking about porn. But, like, girls are wired to be dominated, right? And **** is part of that, so girls should like it."

I put my head in my hands. On some level, this is absolutely hilarious. On another, it's just sad. "Just ... no, Jack. Just, no." I grab my bikini and start to put it back on, ignoring his pained expression. His dick is still hard for some reason, and it physically hurts to give up on it. I stare at it. Damn, it felt so good. "Don't you dare hypnotize me," I say as I tie my bikini top up and pull it back over my breasts.

"I wasn't going to," he says coldly, staring fixedly at the floor with a sour expression. He makes no effort to cover up, seemingly long past the point of caring about his dignity. "I'm sorry. I thought you'd like it."

I hesitate. Was he serious? Did he really do that to try and make me feel good, rather than because he wanted it? I glance down the hall to my room. I could just call it a night and forget this ever happened. Or I could stay. My head was sending me mixed messages, and I didn't trust my body to tell me what to do right now. I linger, trying to think.

Damn it. I'm starting to think red flags are my kryptonite.