Revenge is Sweet

She smiled wickedly, winked lazily, and almost laughed at his frown, even though she couldn't say she blamed him. Tomorrow morning, she would have to reconcile with him, but right now, she just didn't have the energy. When Lars suddenly came to her elbow and asked her to dance, Estela let out a muffled sigh since she knew she wouldn't have time to calm down around him.Estela, expecting the reprimand she knew was coming, rose up to accept his offer, then felt a little worried at the knowledge that she was on the verge of intoxication. Even though she rarely drank and probably knew her limit, the fact was nonetheless mildly bothersome. She had no idea why she had become so drunk so quickly this evening, but she suspected it had something to do with being bored to tears by the endless praise for Michael.Estela paid Lars's expected reprimand for her misbehavior scarcely any attention. She felt lightheaded and disoriented, and it was everything she could do to keep up with his simple dan

Michael's persistent mouth assaulted her lips, stifling a gasp that sprang from her throat. To get away from him, Estel put her hands on his shoulders, but he took this as an opening to run his palms down her sides, across her thighs, and finally to her buttocks. He hoisted her into the grinding rhythm of his hips, his fingers curving over the rounded bumps of skin.In response to Michael's assault, Estel experienced a disturbing, purely bodily sensual reaction that got entangled with the nausea and headache she was feeling. She was unable to process the whirlwind of sensations bombarding her. For long stretches, she just floated along with Michael's passionate kisses and the shaping of her body against his.When Michael finally backed off, she was vaguely startled to realize that he had been breathing harshly and that his body had tightened as he tried to excite her. It appeared that he was becoming engrossed in his own game, which only heightened the already high-risk profile of the

Peter's lovemaking had been beautiful, delicate, and entirely acceptable to her in her limited experience. Still, it couldn't compare with the overwhelming force of Michael's.While lying exhausted in Michael's arms, her skin sticky with perspiration and her pulse hammering from the intensity of her exertion, Estel recognized that Michael's performance could not be described as loving. Michael had treated her like she was nothing more than a means to his own ends, and he had gotten much more pleasure out of humiliating her than from making her happy.He propped himself up on his elbows and grinned lazily down at her. Still, when he saw the cold venom in Estel's eyes, his grin twisted into sarcastic disdain."Get up!" Estel spat the words out, expressing her desire to use physical force for the first time in her life. "Get up and get out before I-" She couldn't finish her sentence, since she didn't want to talk to him anymore.Michael deliberated on it for a while. He looked at her for

His thick brown locks fell across his forehead as he shook his head, giving him an intriguingly helpless appearance. Before continuing, he said, "Sorry to get off the subject," apologizing to the interviewer, Mark. I have no plans to apologize for the quality of my work. It can stand on its own merits. People either appreciate it for what it is and pay for it, or they don't. Since it sells, many others believe it satisfies a need for amusement. Estel looked surprised by this. It was a statement of fact, but the simplicity of its reality rattled her. When she turned on the TV, the last thing she had anticipated was that Michael Jensen would make her feel better about herself. She hadn't bargained for an introduction to a worldview she'd never thought about before. But again, she had never been broken enough by her own failings to require pity. She had always met her own or anybody else's high standards. As her worldview shifted, she became temporarily bewildered and missed a few seco

Henrick shook her by the shoulders and laughed, “That will be the day,” clearly not believing her. Then he became serious again and said, “Seriously, Estel, when you first came to work here, you were a little prudish, but you weren't as tight as a clam.” Even after Estel's immediate reversion to cold hostility, he said, “You didn't grow with him, Estel. I can't help but think Peter wasn't good for you.” He said this with a cautious look in his eyes, indicating that he knew he was treading on dangerous ground. He put you in an academic bubble where the outside world was rarely allowed in, and I saw you become more and more narrow-minded as he did. “A poet is supposed to expand people's horizons, not narrow them!” he interrupted the inevitable rejoinder. “Do yourself a favor and reread Peter's poetry, Estel. I think you'll understand what I mean if you still have any sense of objectivity in this situation regarding him.” Estel shot him a cold look, trying desperately not to say something