JUNE
June’s lips curved into a small, involuntary smile despite her best efforts to stay indifferent. God, he had a way of getting under her skin. She would be sure to completely avoid him when next she saw him. When she got near the apartment complex she lived, the moment was soon replaced by a souring mood. Of course, the universe couldn't let her have this one night. It would be too much. She walked past her mother, completely ignoring her, but then her mother followed her in staggering steps. "Those little fuckers wouldn't let me into the house." Her mother complained with think anger. June’s jaw tightened, her hand clenched into a fist as her frustration mounted. "I own the fucking house, yet they locked me out." She spat. “Those little fuckers are your children,” June shot back sharply, whirling around to face her mother. “And I own the house. I’ve been paying rent for years.” Her mother waved her off dismissively. "Common June, you are still as cranky as ever." Taking a deep breath, June fought to keep her anger in check and continued her walk. "Got any cash?" Her mother trailed closely behind her. "No." June wrinkled her nose to the alcohol in her mother's breath. "Ehhh... you always have money." She slurred. Sbe closed her eyes briefly, feeling the harsh wind bite against her skin harder as her frustration peaked. “I don’t have for you." “How about you lend me? I’ll pay you back.” Her gut recoiled in disgust. “Just like you paid the one I gave you four months ago." She didn’t understand why she had always fallen for her mother’s pitiful stories before, but she was done with it. “Don’t act like this. That was months ago.” Her mother had the guts to sound wounded. “I don’t have a dime to lend you." She snapped at her mother, but even she knew that wouldn't stop her mother. "I’m struggling, June. You know how bad things are” her mother whined in her most pitiful voice. “I’ve been living on scraps.” Shocking, so had she. She barely had enough to go by. June was scaling the small steps leading to the main entrance of her apartment complex when her mother called out. "I heard you now work at the exclusive strip club." She froze, her body tensing as she whipped around. "What about it?" "You finally took my advice." Her mother said with a twisted glimmer that disgusted her to her core. "See, nothing wrong with using your asset to get what you want." The mere words sickened her and the burger she ate threatened to make a reappearance in her mouth. She clenched her hand. "And how does that work out for you huh?" The look of hurt that flickered her mother’s face was a pang to her chest, but June didn't take it back. Instead, she turned curtly. “You think you’re better than me?” Her mother let out a bitter scoff. "I am." Her mom went off on her. “You dance naked for men, give them blowjobs. I bet you fuck them even as long as the pay is right.” Her mother snorted. "Yet you think you are better than me.” Her heart tightened with a sharp, painful sting, but she kept a neutral expression. “At least I’m not the one to abandon her children.” she spat back. Her mother was left dumbfounded, and June walked away, leaving her standing at the bottom of the stairs. She bit down hard on her lower lip, trying to push off the tears that burned behind her eyes. She refused to shed a tear for someone who had never shown her any real care. Each step toward her apartment felt heavier, burdened by the weight of her mother’s harsh words. The sting of her words stained her mood with frustration and disappointment. Once inside, she rushed to her room before the twins could catch a whiff of her. She flopped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling, blinking repeatedly to stop the tears that threatened to spill. When it kept clouding her eyes, she pinched herself so hard until the only thing she could feel was the sharp, viscera sting that throbbed through her skin. A sudden knock to the door starled her and June leaped up on instinct. "June?" Her sister's voice filtered through the room. “Come in.” She stood aimlessly by the worn out desk in her room, with her arms slung over her chest to appear composed. “Hey.” Amy peeked in before she fully stepping in. “Did I wake you up?” June asked. “I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to be loud.” She added before her sister could answer. “No, you weren’t. That woman was.” Amy blurted out. By that woman, she meant their mother. June stilled, unmoving. “I heard your argument with her. I’m sorry I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.” Amy said in a rush. If she hear, it meant she also knew... June looked at her younger sister, scared of the judgement she might catch in her eyes. There was none. "Just so you know, you are way better than her." Amy wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Why would she even compare herself to you?" She bent down, her hand almost touching the floor in demonstration. "She's like down here and you're up in the sky." She straightened, stretching her hand high. A chuckle wheezed out of her mouth before she cleared her throat. "I work at the strip club now." There was use denying it anymore, she probably heard too. "Okay." Amy shrugged. "How's working there?" "Work's work." June nodded her, feeling at ease already. “How’s school?" “School is school.” Amy said too. “Boring. Only Aiden and two other people like it." June scoffed. While Amy exceled in sport namely swimming, Aiden was a genius and dreamed of becoming a cosmetic surgeon. Her eyes fell on the pamphlet at the foot of the bed, and she remembered finding it tucked in Amy’s jeans while doing laundry earlier. She picked it up and held it out to Amy. “Want to apply?” Amy’s eyes lit up before she quickly reined in her waggling tail. “No, not exactly. It is just some stupid competition. I don’t get why it costs two thousand bucks to enter." Amy was putting up an act because she didn't want to burden June with the f*e. She knew that. Though she didn't have the money at the moment, she said. “Apply for it. I’ll cover the cost.” June passed the pamphlet to her sister. Excitement flickered in Amy's eyes. "Really? I can?" she asked, attempting to play it cool. "Though it doesn't matter." “Yes.” She shrugged as if she had the money stacked somewhere. Amy practically leaped at her. "Omg. You are the best. I love you so much," she exclaimed. She was going to come up with the money by whatever means.JUNEJune woke with a satisfied smile. The same smile that had rested on her lips when she’d drifted off against Ollie’s chest after he’d fucked her senseless. The soreness between her thighs and the scent of sex still clinging to the sheets were undeniably proof.Burying her face into Ollie’s sheets, she inhaled deeply, a soft hum vibrating in her throat. God, it should be illegal for someone to smell this good.Still half-dazed in the golden afterglow of sleep, she reached out, and her fingers blindly searched for the familiar heat of his body. Instead, they met cool, empty sheets.Her eyes fluttered open. Empty.A knowing sigh left her lips. There was only one place Ollie could be. She’d bet her last dime he was in his study, hunched over his laptop, completely engrossed in work.Jeez, he was a chronic workaholic. Most people worked to survive. Ollie worked because he thrived on it.Shaking her head, June slid out of bed, stretching before padding toward his sanctuary. The moment sh
OLLIEHe opened his eyes to the soft glow of the moonlight filtering through the window, and there on the couch was June. She lay curled, chest rising and falling in every breath.The soft curve of her face was bathed in silver light, and for a moment, he forgot everything else.A smile tugged at his lips as he watched her.He stared at her for a long while, just savoring the sight of her, feeling a rare sense of peace. Finally with a reluctant sigh, he slid off the bed, and moved toward her quietly. When he reached her, he bent down slowly, carefully intending to lift her into his arms and move her to the bed. But just as his fingers brushed her shoulder, she stirred.Her eyelids fluttered, and she blinked in confusion as she met his gaze in the dim light. “Sorry,” he whispered. “I woke you up.”She groggily shifted, a frown pulling at her lips. “What?” Her voice was thick with sleep, and her eyes were still hazy. She quickly reached up, pressing her hands to his forehead. “How’s yo
JUNEJune knew Ollie to an extent, and she knew that when he was hurting, he would retreat into himself like a hermit. He would never reach out. He was stubborn like that. He would isolate himself until it passed over.Today was the anniversary of his mother’s passing, and that couldn’t actually be easy for him. Not that he would admit it aloud. So, June took it upon herself to invite herself into his house, hoping her presence might help him.It wasn’t exactly an intrusion. Ollie had given her the access card himself, but that didn’t stop her from feeling nervous. Her heart pounded and her hands were clammy. Ollie’s reaction couldn’t be predicted and this could go very wrong. Maybe it was just her overthinking talking, but still. She had been waiting for over an hour now, sitting alone in his living room. Calling him wasn’t an option, she was too anxious to face his reaction over the phone. So she waited as each passing minute amplified the tension in her chest.After what felt like
OLLIEThe longer Ollie stared at his late mother’s memorial picture, the more he realized that he shared zero resemblance with her—except for his eyes.Every defining feature he possessed came from his father, man he despised with every fiber of his being. It wasn’t just unfortunate. It was a curse. A colossal, cruel curse.To be the living reflection of the man who had haunted his life? It was enough to drive anyone insane.He should’ve felt something standing here—grief, sadness, anything. But instead, all he could do was compare. His mother’s face, captured forever in a frame, and his own. No sorrow. No anger. Just an aching numbness, lodged so deep in his bones it felt like it had always been there.There was a time when he would’ve been furious. When moments like this would’ve filled him with rage. But the older he got, the more that fire cooled, replaced by grim understanding. His father had hollowed his mother out. Shattered her at the height of her success, then dragged her dow
JUNEJune didn’t protest, didn’t question him. The only thing she knew was how badly she wanted to feel him between her legs.He moved between her legs, fitting his broad frame in the space she made for him. Slowly, he bent down, and slid her legs over his shoulders.She sucked in a breath in anticipation as he traced the soft curves of her thighs. When his fingers hooked around her thong and pulled it aside, she felt a flush spread over her skin, her body tingling with raw desire.A low, throaty groan that Ollie let out vibrated through her, his breath caressed her pussy. Ollie didn’t rush as he alternated between teasing her clit and sliding deep inside of her. He dragged out her pleasure until she was a mess of frustration and needs.“Ollie, please,” she whispered “I need…” She bit her lip, unable to finish her sentence as another nibble of his teeth on her clit cut off her thoughts completely.“What do you need?” he murmured against her.He knew exactly what he was doing, and it
JUNE“Are you even listening?”June heard Lola’s voice vaguely“Of course,” she said on autopilot as her lips curved into a small smile at the text Ollie had sent her. It had been a long day filled with back-to-back shifts, and she could finally reply to his message.“What was I saying?”Lola said, and June blinked, raising her gaze to meet Lola’s. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and a frown was etched on her face.“Uhm…” June’s voice trailed off as her eyes darted away as though the answer might magically appear in the air between them.“See? You weren’t listening.” Lola’s frown deepened as she gestured toward her with a pointed look. “Ever since you got yourself a boyfriend, you’ve become insufferable.”“I haven’t,” June gasped dramatically.Lola shook her head as her eyes narrowed. “Knew there was a reason I didn’t like him,” she muttered under her breath, but it was loud enough for June to hear. “He’s here to steal my girlfriend.”June rolled her eyes at her friend’s dramatic