06: pleasured by hand

SCOTT

“Nothing, Dad. I was on my way to the art studio and slipped and fell,” Eliana said.

Damn, she was good at lying. Jack rushed over to check if she was hurt.

“Eliana, you need to be more careful! What if you fall and hit your head or something? You should—”

“I should stop burying my head in my phone. I know, Dad, I know.” Eliana completed Jack’s sentence with a smile.

It was obviously something he told her often. Seeing their bond, how my friend still treated Eliana like his little princess, hurt me even more.

“Come on, Scott. This way—we have to get her to her room. It looks like she hurt her head and ankle.”

Jack ushered me toward Eliana’s room. It felt strange holding her so close after everything that had happened between us. Stealing a glance at her, I caught her staring at me with a smile. She immediately looked away when she noticed me watching her.

Jack stopped at a door and opened it. It was Eliana’s room. It looked girly, just as a room belonging to a girl her age should.

I carried her over to her bed. She hurriedly hid something, but not before I caught a glimpse of it.

It was a photograph of me.

“Dad, can you help me get Aunt? I need one of those healing teas.”

“Sure. I’ll be right back.”

Jack hurried out of the room. I turned to leave as well, but she held me back.

“I got my dad to leave so it’s just the two of us,” she said with a smile.

As if I cared about being alone with her. She was trouble—and I knew better than to encourage her. Lord! Something was definitely wrong with me.

Who was I kidding? I would never look at Eli as the little girl I'd once known anymore. The memory of our night together had changed things, and a part of me still wanted her.

This wasn't right. I had to keep my distance.

“Too bad, Eliana. The last thing I want to do is spend time alone with you,” I said, pulling away from her and continuing toward the door.

“Is it because you’re afraid you wouldn't be able to stop yourself from having sex with me again?”

“No. I could never have sex with you—never.”

Although I spoke firmly, my body betrayed me. She was right about one thing: I couldn't stay close to her another minute. I might end up doing something we'd both regret.

“You already have, Mr. Scott, and you know how much you wanted me,” she said, getting off the bed and walking toward me.

“I see you're very good at what you do—lying. Have you thought of earning money from this talent of yours?”

She stopped immediately at my remark.

Good. It seemed she'd forgotten her own lie.

“Are you so scared of my dad finding out about us?” Eliana asked softly.

“Yes,” I admitted without shame.

The truth was, if I could go back in time, I would never have spoken to her, let alone become intimate with her.

She nodded as though she understood.

“What if I tell him about us?”

At those words, I rushed over to her, gripping her arms and shaking her in anger. Hopefully, I could knock some sense into her.

“You wouldn't dare! Are you trying to threaten me? Is that what this is, huh?”

“Let go of me, Scott. You're hurting me,” she said weakly.

I immediately released her.

Running my hands through my hair, I took several deep breaths to regain control of myself.

“It's Mr. Scott to you, do you hear me?”

She nodded.

I glanced at her one more time and walked out of the room.

As I left, I heard her say, “You can't run from me forever, Mr. Scott.”

Maybe not forever, but for as long as it took to get rid of these feelings.

***********

ELIANA

My newfound skill—lying—kept coming through for me. I'd managed to convince Dad and Mr. Scott that I was badly hurt. Mr. Scott had carried me to my room, and I only wished it had been for a different reason altogether.

“I see you're very good at what you do—lying. Have you thought of earning money from this talent of yours?”

Every word had been spoken with disgust. For a moment, I'd actually been happy about my ability to lie, but now I felt ashamed.

Was all of this worth it?

I couldn't give up now, not after coming this far. I couldn't force him to accept what was happening between us, but I could give him a little push.

I smiled as I watched him walk out on me.

“You can't run from me forever, Mr. Scott.”

He paused for a moment before continuing on his way.

Even if he tried, I didn't believe he could stay away from me forever. I'd make sure of it.

Being so close to Scott—Mr. Scott—had stirred up feelings I couldn't ignore. I'd been looking forward to spending more time with him, but that wasn't going to happen.

There was only one way to ease the longing: my hands and my imagination.

“Eliana, are you all right? Your dad told me—”

“I'm fine, Aunt. I just wanted Dad to stop fussing over me, so I asked him to get you. Sorry,” I assured her.

After fussing over me and making sure I was okay, she left.

I went into my bathroom and started running a bath. After taking off my clothes, I stood in front of the mirror. A soft smile spread across my lips.

I gently caressed my breasts, imagining Scott's hands in place of mine. I wondered what it would feel like to have him there with me, holding me close as we watched each other in the mirror. The thought sent a pleasant shiver through me, and a soft sigh escaped my lips.

I stepped into the bathtub, allowing the warm water to soothe my skin. The scent of the soap filled the air, but even as I relaxed, my thoughts remained fixed on Scott.

I continued caressing myself, letting my imagination take over. I pictured his face and remembered the way he'd looked at me the night we'd been together. I wished he were there with me, his arms wrapped around me, whispering the words I longed to hear.

My hand drifted lower as I continued to indulge in my fantasy. I touched myself gently, imagining it was Scott's hand instead. I closed my eyes, allowing the sensations to build as my thoughts returned to our night together.

My breathing grew uneven, and I tilted my head back against the edge of the bathtub. I could almost imagine his presence beside me, his touch and his kisses making it difficult to think about anything else.

As the pleasure intensified, I moved my hand a little faster, unable to keep the soft sounds from escaping my lips. I let myself sink into the fantasy, wishing I could replace my imagination with the real thing.

Soon, the tension I'd been feeling gave way to a rush of pleasure that left me breathless. I closed my eyes, allowing the sensation to wash over me as I whispered the only name on my mind.

“Scott.”