Tethered (8 page)

He pulled out and l
ay on the bed next to me, his sweaty body making the room seem almost humid. He pulled the condom off and tossed it into a trash can next to his bed before getting closer to me.

I guess I c
ouldn’t be mad at him for being horrible with sex. After all, he was only my third time, and I was positive I wasn’t anything special, either. If anything, we could learn together and make it better. We could always practice, practice, practice! His sex might have been vanilla, but with a couple more sessions, we could definitely add some sprinkles and chocolate syrup.

“I’m getting kind of tired,” he said.

“I should get going then,” I replied.

“No, stay the night
. I don’t mind, honest. In fact, I’d kind of like to cuddle all night,” he said.

I contemplated it, and thought maybe it would be a good idea to stay
. Cuddling with somebody, especially after having sex with him, sounded amazing. This was something Kurt would never want to do,
especially
after sex, and maybe this was showing that even though Tom was no Kurt in the sack, he was able to give me things that every girl craved.

“Okay, I’ll stay, but I have to get home early tomorrow morning so I can shower and change and get my things for class,” I said, laying out the terms of the agreement.

“That’s fine. I’ll get you there ahead of schedule,” he said.

“Good,” I said as I curled up next to him and rested my head on his shoulder.

We were still naked, our warm and bare bodies pressed up against each other’s, as the thick covers kept the view obscured. He wrapped his arm around me, holding me close, as we both began to drift off to sleep.

•••

“Babe, you better wake up before it gets too late,” Tom said as I opened my squinted eyes and saw him standing in front of me with my clothes in his hand.

“What time is it?” I asked as I sat up holding the covers against my still bare breasts.

“It’s seven thirty,” he said.

“Shit, I have to get going
. I have class at nine,” I said as I grabbed my clothes and began to hastily put them on.

“I’ll be waiting in the living room,” he said before leaving the room to give me privacy
.

I didn’t mind him being in here, considering he just saw me naked last night, but I was just glad he didn’t try and cop a feel like other guys would
. He was something else.

I walked out of the bedroom, to the front door, and slipped on my shoes before grabbing my bag, and slinging it over my shoulder.

“Are you ready?” I asked.

“Yup, let’s go,” he said as he opened the door and held Chop back.

•••

We were at my apartment within twelve minutes, as we had walked
quickly and made every single light and crosswalk.

“When will I see you again?” he asked as we stood at the base of my front steps.

“Soon, I’m not sure when right now. I’ll text you or something though, but I really have to go get ready so I’m not late. I can’t be late for this class,” I said.

“Okay
, babe. I’ll talk to you soon,” he said as he hugged and gave me a sweet kiss on the lips.

“See you soon,” I said before grabbing my keys out of my purse and walking up the steps.

I opened up the door and shut it behind me, tossed my purse on the couch, and went to get a fresh set of clothes from my closet. I hadn’t done laundry, since I usually did it on Sunday nights, and grabbed an old shirt and ripped jeans that I only wore in emergencies. They were very comfortable, but not all that flattering.

I ran into the bathroom, set my clothes on the floor
, and went to turn on the faucet for my shower when I heard a knock at the front door.

“What does Tom want now?” I mumbled out
loud as I pushed myself up and walked to the front door.

I opened the door, a look of annoyance on my face, and quickly turned my face to shock as I saw the person just one foot away.

“What are you doing here?” I asked in shock.

“I need to talk to you,” Kurt said.

Chapter Eight

As I stood there looking at Kurt, his faded leather jacket accented by his strong aviator glasses, I felt myself feeling…conflicted. I thought I had gotten over him. I had Tom, we were likely close to dating, and I shouldn’t even be thinking of other guys. Kurt and I had one night together accompanied by one failed attempt to meet up a second time. I knew nothing about him, and other than knowing the size of his dick, he was a complete mystery. Even though I thought I was over him, when I saw him standing in front of me, I knew there was still something there. If anything, I needed to see why he was even here and what he wanted. Maybe I left something at the lot or at his house and he was just trying to return it.

“This is a shock
. I was just about to get ready for class,” I said as I kind of pointed toward the bathroom in a half-assed way.

“That can wait,” he said
with a serious expression on his face.

I hadn’t seen
him, even in his movies, appear this troubled. Stubble shadowed his face and dark circles were under his eyes, as if he went the entire night without any sleep.

“Do you want to come in then?” I asked as I saw a photographer in the distance snapping pictures.

“Yes, that sounds great,” he said as I opened the door f
arther and let him in.

“Do you want to sit down?” I asked as I shut the door and
flipped the top lock, hoping I could keep away those nosy paparazzi that were forming across the street.

I had feared that they would find us together one day
. I was surprised it hadn’t happened after I went home with him that one night, but I guess I couldn’t stay lucky forever. Would my face, my unkempt face, pop up on all of the gossip and tabloid magazines? I could see the headlines now. “Kurt Simmons in Romantic Relationship with Dirty College Girl.” It was my worst nightmare, and there was a high chance it would now come true.

Kurt walked over to the couch, took off his jacket, and slung it over the armrest as he looked at me, as if waiting for me to come and sit down with him
. I walked over, sat down on the opposite cushion, and waited for him to talk. I knew he had a lot to say, and I was going to let him get it all out.

“Can you tell me, please, why you aren’t talking to me?” he asked.

“What do you mean? You haven’t asked any questions,” I replied.

“No, not now
. I mean with my messages. I sent you one last night for instance. Why don’t you reply?” he asked.

“Oh, those
. I don’t know, I just don’t think I should. If you want a booty call there are literally thousands of girls in this city that will happily sleep with you, Kurt.”

“You think that’s all I want?” he asked, a clear sense of depression in his voice.

“Well, yeah. You did it with me, and it made me believe that all of those shows and magazines are right about you. You only want sex,” I said, sticking up for myself.

Kurt got up and paced back and forth in front of my coffee table, his hand frequently coming up to his mouth and rubbing around his jaw and chin as he
glanced down at the floor, something clearly on his mind. I tried to study him and figure out why he was acting like a caged animal, and I quickly found out that something was wrong. He wasn’t acting like himself. He was being somebody else, and the other person was almost human.

Just as quickly as he had picked up speed, he stopped, st
ood in place and finally focusing his vision at me, and not at the floor. He was ready to talk.

“I don’t know why everybody thinks I only want sex, as if I’m this big playboy
. Sure, I like sex, but I don’t even sleep around that much. You only hear about it because girls either make it up, or they all jump on board when one comes out. I could sleep with five girls in a year, and they will all choose the same time to come out and say I slept with them and never talked to them again, even though I always try and keep in contact. This makes me look like a giant man slut, even though nobody knows the circumstances. I want something more, Chloe. I’m not getting any younger, and I want to think about settling down and starting a family. Do you honestly think I want to just fuck random girls for the rest of my life, never to have the touch and love of a woman who loves me?”

I sat there, stunned, as I tried to formulate an answer
. Was his question rhetorical? He seemed to be venting, as if this had all been boiling inside of him for years, and just now was able to overflow out of the top of the pot and come out, letting him finally acknowledge it.

“I don’t know what to say,” I said softly, for I had nothing else to even utter out.

“So, is that the only reason you haven’t been talking to me? Do you think I just want sex?” he asked.

I stumbled as the thoughts of Tom entered my mind
. Sure, I did think Kurt only wanted sex, but that wasn’t the only reason. I liked sex with Kurt, and even though I did want more, I would’ve considered doing it again with him if it meant I got that vibe and life that he thrust into me.

“Is there another guy?” Kurt asked, his demeanor changing to one of fear.

“Yes,” I said as my heart began to beat faster.

“Are you two dating?”

“Well, no, we’re not. We’ve been out a couple times, but nothing is official,” I said.

“So there’s a chance?” Kurt asked as he came back over and sat next to me.

“A chance for what exactly?” I asked.

“For me to win you over
. There’s something about you, Chloe, something I like. You aren’t like the other women I’ve been with. You haven’t tried to use me for my money or fame. I haven’t found that since I got into this business, and I don’t want to lose it,” he said passionately.

“I don’t know
, Kurt. He is very good to me. He treats me right, doesn’t use me, and likes me for me.”

“Have you two had sex?” Kurt asked.

“What?” I asked in hesitation.

“Have you two had sex yet
? It’s a simple yes or no question,” Kurt said, as his hands moved in time to his words.

I sat there, twiddling my thumbs, as my body language and lack of a response gave my clear answer
. If we hadn’t had sex I would’ve quickly defended it, but we did had sex last night. I know where Kurt was going to go with this, and I wasn’t quite sure I wanted to hear the lecture.

“Chloe,” he said, the desperation easily heard in his voice.

“Yes, we’ve had sex! Okay, are you happy now?” I asked.

“So, you say he respects you and doesn’t want to use you, yet you’ve only been out two times and have already had sex
. Don’t you think that if you were going to get super serious with this guy, and he was such a respectful guy who just loved treating women well, that he would’ve waited for a few more dates before trying to get you in bed?” Kurt asked.

As much as I didn’t want to admit it, he made a point
. Maybe I hadn’t looked at it from that point of view. I wasn’t doubting Tom or not interested in him any longer, but he did seem to get it in rather quickly. He couldn’t shove his dick into me fast enough. At least I sort of knew what was coming with Kurt. With Tom, it all came out of nowhere.

“Come with me this weekend
. We’ll go on a trip. We can leave Thursday and be back Sunday,” Kurt said passionately.

“A trip
? Kurt, I have school, and where would we even go?” I asked hesitantly.

“Napa Valley
. It’s beautiful this time of year, and forget about school. I’ll write you a note or whatever you need so you won’t get in trouble. Say you’ll be an extra on my new movie or something. You’re the only girl I’ve met that cares about me, and not about my other things. Just give me a chance,” Kurt said, almost pleading with me.

I put my head down,
staring at the carpet as my mind began to get overworked and overloaded. Tom and Kurt were both clashing in my mind, each of them trying to take over and gain the upper hand. Was Kurt true in everything he just spilled to me? Was he just a misunderstood guy who was taken advantage of? It made sense, with his fame and public presence.

“Fine, I’ll go with, but this is it
, Kurt. If you screw this up, if you fuck around and show me that you aren’t the person you just laid yourself out to be, I’ll leave. I’ll call my dad, my roommate, or whoever else I have to and I will leave there and never look back. You better hope you weren’t just acting right now,” I said, almost threatening him.

“I swear I am being sincere and truthful with you
, Chloe. I’m glad you accepted,” he said as he hugged me and kissed me on the cheek. “I’ll let you get ready for class, and I’ll contact you soon with information.”

Kurt stood up, grabbed his jacket
, and walked toward the door. I got up, quickly shuffling behind him, and opened the door.

“I’ll see you soon,” he said with a smile, the happiness clearly showing through his eyes, which almost looked relieved.

“I’ll see you soon,” I said, repeating what he said.

Kurt walked out, the buckle on his leather jacket jingling as the paparazzi across the street snapped a plethora of pictures as Kurt got into his car and drove away
. I closed the door, locking it again behind me, as I walked back to the bathroom. I looked at the clock, and only had forty-five minutes before I had to be to class. Kurt ate up a lot of my precious time, but I guess it was, in a way, worth it. The only question was, how was I going to avoid Tom? I knew I couldn’t just tell him I was going on a weekend trip with some guy, especially when that random guy was Kurt Simmons, Sexiest Man Alive. That would devastate him, and I wasn’t looking to do that. We weren’t together, and while I wanted to explore my options, I had no desire to hurt him, especially after he had been so nice to me these past few days.

If I were to leave with Kurt on Thursday, I would have to miss classes on Thursday, which meant dodging Tom, which made things slightly easier
. No questions, no nervous sweats, and no deceit. I could sneak away to Napa Valley, and Morgan could tell anybody who came near, even if it were Tom, that I was away visiting my parents. She could tell them my grandpa was sick and in the hospital, and that I wouldn’t be back until Monday for school. Yeah, that was a great plan, and one that would definitely work.

I turned on the water again, this time it flowing quickly out of the faucet as it began to warm up, our pipes usually t
ook forever as the apartment was old. I got in the shower, closed the curtain, and began to wash away all of the dirt that stuck to me. This risk had better be worth it.

•••

Thursday morning had come much faster than I expected. Kurt was set to pick me up at ten, and up until this point I had done all I could to avoid Tom…for the most part.

He had texted me a few times being happy and sweet, but I put up a front that I was just so busy with a class we didn’t have together
. He understood, obviously knowing what it was like, but would still periodically contact me asking how things were going. Finally, last night I texted him before bed and told him about my grandpa and how I had to leave to go see him in case things took a bad turn, and he was more than supportive and caring about the entire situation, which just made it worse. I hated lying to him and going behind his back, but I couldn’t be honest with him. I couldn’t tell him that I wanted a little chocolate and sprinkles instead of just plain ol’ vanilla ice cream.

Ten arrived quickly, just as I had finished packing my bag, and a knock came at my door as the clock struck ten
. I was impressed that he was here on the dot, and I brushed my hair back as I stood in front of the mirror one last time to make sure I looked all right. I looked as good as I was going to, and I opened the door to see Kurt standing there in a dress shirt and slacks, the individual fibers probably costing more than my entire outfit.

“Are you ready to go
? The car is waiting, and we have a flight to catch,” Kurt said.

“Yeah, I have my bag ready and everything,” I said as I pulled it over to the door.

“Please, let me take it,” Kurt said before grabbing it and pulling it outside.

“Thank you
.” I closed and locked the door behind me.

Morgan was already at class, with clear instructions about where I was going and what I was doing
. She also knew what to tell people if they asked. She didn’t even care it was a lie, though, citing that Kurt Simmons asking me out for a weekend trip was something that never comes along, and even though she liked Tom and thought he was cool, this was cooler. I hated bringing her in on the deceit, but I was just glad she complied.

I met Kurt down at the car as he loade
d the suitcase in the trunk of the town car. There was a driver in the front seat waiting, and Kurt opened the door graciously for me to get in the back before helping me in. It was sweet the way he was being so courteous and helpful, and I was definitely taking note of it.

“Off to the airport,” he said as he got in the car and shut the door behind him.

The driver checked his mirrors, pulled out, and away we went to the airport. I had heard of Napa Valley before, but had never actually been there. Quite frankly, I had no clue where it even was. I meant to look it up online, but time just escaped me as I was too busy trying to plan getting out of class and away from this town.