Chapter 4

The motel door clicked shut behind me, but Carlos’s presence clung to me like a second skin. His scent—that potent, musky aroma of his sweat and cologne—was now a brand on my senses. I could still feel the wet heat of his tongue tracing the shell of my ear, the shocking, brief pressure of his lips on mine, and the coarse hair of his pit against my face. That’s what a man smells like. The words echoed in my head, a command that had rewired something fundamental inside me.

I drove home in a daze, my head swimming. The night air pouring through the car window did nothing to clear it; it only made the scent on my skin and on my clothes feel more intimate, more secret. Every time you smell that, you’ll think of me. He was right. I was already thinking of him. I was hard again, the memory of his dominance a relentless aphrodisiac.

The house was still and dark when I slipped back inside. I moved like a ghost, past my parents’ closed bedroom door, and into the sanctum of my bathroom. I stripped off the hoodie and t-shirt, bringing the fabric to my nose. His scent. It was all over me. I didn’t want to wash it off. I stood under the shower’s spray, the hot water stinging my skin, and replayed every shocking second in that motel room. My hand found my cock, stroking in time with the memories—Carlos’s voice, his own hand moving on himself, his eyes watching me unravel.

I came again, violently, my release swirling down the drain, but the ache, the need, remained. It was a deeper hunger now. It wasn’t just for my mother anymore. It was for the power Carlos possessed, for the freedom he promised. It was for him.

Sleep was impossible. I lay in bed, my body buzzing, until the first grey light of dawn filtered through the blinds. I heard my father leave early, the grumble of his car engine fading down the street. The house settled back into its familiar silence. And then, a soft knock on my door.

It opened before I could answer. Karen stood there, backlit by the hall light, wearing a pale peach silk robe. It was tied loosely, and the deep V of the neckline offered a breathtaking view of the smooth, creamy slope of her breasts. Her hair was tousled, her face soft with sleep.