Chapter 24: Twenty Four

"Hey, June."

"Thank God! I was worried sick about you. You were so out of it when that bastard showed up, and I was worried he might've hurt you or taken advantage of you and it would've been my fault. He didn't, right? I don't know what the hell he was thinking taking you like that. I know Danny said you two were good friends or whatever, but seriously? He's a fucking professor. He can't-"

"June." It must've been the tone of my voice that stopped his rambling, but I couldn't stand hearing him bash on Joel anymore. He was mine, now. Regardless of my friendship with June, I needed to defend him.

"Jen, why do I feel like you're about to tell me something terrible?" I grimaced at his phrasing.

"June," I couldn't believe I was doing this. It was so unbelievably reckless.

"Jen. Did he touch you? Because if he did, I'll make damn sure my dad fires his ass." My breath caught in my throat, and suddenly, all of my courage and valor went out the fucking window.

"Your dad?"

"Yea. Chancellor Lawson." Oh my God. "One word from me and he'll be gone. My dad has zero tolerance for that shit." I couldn't breathe. The Chancellor. The fucking Chancellor. "Hell, I tried calling him last night, but he was already asleep. The only reason I haven't tried again is because your friend promised me that he was just a friend of yours." Oh no. Joel was wrong. Joel was so, so wrong.

I scrubbed my hand down my leg, clearing the trembling palm of the sweat it had accumulated in the few short minutes of the phone call.

"Jen?"

"Uh, yea?"

"He hasn't... touched you inappropriately, right?" I did my damndest to swallow the lump in my throat, but it was too big. This was his job. His career. And it was teetering in June's palm. So, with as much strength as I could muster, I laughed. Actually laughed.

"No. Of course not."

I heard an audible sigh of relief from the other end of the line, but unfortunately, felt none of it.

"Thank God. I mean, how did you even end up friends with Professor Becker, anyway? He's like ten years older than you."

"Um, through friends." I saved his job. I did it. So why did I feel like absolute shit?

"Oh. Well, I'm glad you called. I've been meaning to talk to you more, but to be honest, I'm kind of a coward when it comes to that stuff." He was back to being lighthearted, flirty June again, and I was exhausted. I just wanted to take a shower and rid myself of the guilt I had coated myself in.

"Ah. No need, I'm harmless." I tried to sound as casual as he did. He chuckled smoothly.

"I wouldn't call you that. You seemed to wound Evan Sanders pretty good last night with words alone. I'm assuming you used to date?"

"Yea. Freshman year. But it's ancient history. He's just an ass."

"I can't argue with that. The way he was talking to you was fucked up, but you seemed to handle it well. You're one strong woman." I snorted. Yea, that's me. Strong. Not at all a pathetic coward who is pretending my boyfriend doesn't even exist right now.

But of course, he did exist. And my five minutes were up. The doorknob wobbled, and I thanked the heavens that I instinctively locked it.

"Hey, I'm sorry for the quick retreat, but I gotta go. I have an appointment I have to make, but it was great talking to you, June."

"Oh, yea. Yea, of course. Thanks again for calling. I'll, uh, text you." Good Lord, boy. Get off the phone.

"Sounds great. Bye, June."

"Bye, Jen. Have a wonderful day." I had never hung up so fast in my life, and in seconds, I was at my front door, where Joel had already started knocking. I threw it open, but he didn't bother waiting for permission to enter. He strolled in proudly, taking his box of gum from the back pocket of his jeans.

"How'd he take it?" He asked, leaning against the counter. He was already tense.

"Fine." I shrugged. Please, let that acting class I took in high school pay off. Joel had said before that I was an open book, but this one time, I really needed to sell it. Joel wasn't thinking clearly. He was so desperate to get June to back off that I had no doubt he would call him himself if I told him the truth. Shit, he'd probably even tell him all the ways he's already fucked me just to rub it in. I needed to be the voice of reason here, even if it meant telling a little lie.

"Fine?" He arched a brow, popping the white square in his mouth. God, I couldn't look at him and lie. I turned towards the hall, slipping out of my heels on the way.

"Yea. He's not as bad as you make him out to be, you know." Maybe turning it back on him would distract him.

It worked.

"Excuse me, Miss attitude, but I have every right to dislike him. That pretentious prick would've never stopped trying to get in your pants if you didn't tell him." I was glad my back was to him, so he couldn't see me flinch. Still, his footsteps padded behind me.

"That's bull. Besides, that's no reason to be an ass to him. He didn't know better." I could practically hear his blood boiling at my avid defense of June.

"But you did. And you were sitting right on his dick." What now? I turned with a glare, my fingers fisting tightly.

"What?" I narrowed my eyes further, but he was undeterred, crossing his arms over his puffed chest. He was challenging me, in that fucking annoying way he did.

"Are you going to deny it? Because I fucking saw it, Jennifer." I laughed incredulously.

"You still haven't dropped that?" After everything that had happened since then, he was still upset about me sitting on June's lap? "You're insane." I huffed, turning back around so I could head to the bathroom. My fingers fumbled for the zipper of the dress, but they wouldn't fucking grip.

"Insane? Are you fucking kidding?"

"I was drunk and high, Joel! I didn't know what I was doing!" I growled, finally saying fuck it to the damn dress and trying to tug it down by force. The fabric strained, until finally releasing. But not from me breaking the seams. Joel had stepped forward to unzip it for me. I tried to push away from him, and towards the shower, but he trapped me between his arms, leaning forward onto the bathroom counter.

"And if I did that? Got high and drunk and had some attractive half-dressed woman sitting on my lap? Would you accept that excuse?" He was seething, one tick away from detonation and I didn't want to be there when it happened. I knew he was right. It wasn't fair for me to make that excuse, when I would lose my shit if the tables were turned. But I wasn't about to admit that. I had enough searing my conscience, and there was no room for more.

I pushed back on his shoulders with a grunt, but he didn't budge.

"Joel, move!" I shouted, but his storming eyes stayed zeroed in on mine. His chest was rising and falling at a dangerous pace, and I was worried I might have finally broken him. But alas, I was the kerosene to his fire, and I had to feed the flames. "I already apologized! What do you want me to do? Beg your forgiveness, you cocky fucking-"

His lips came crashing down on mine, and the room melted around us. The heat, it was almost unbearable as his body pressed flush against mine. His fingers made their way into my tangled hair, tugging hard at the roots, and I didn't know if I should scream or moan. It felt incredible, exhilarating, and oh so wrong. We were angry, so why was I enjoying this?

I knew what it was. He was offering me a mutual release. He got to punish, and I got to relinquish control. It was sick, and far from a healthy way to manage conflict, but it wasn't the first time we managed this way, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

My hands moved to tug up his shirt, but he caught them in one of his, using my hair to break our kiss.

"No." He growled, low and between his teeth. "Turn around." What? But he didn't give me time to protest before using his painful grip to rotate me by force.

Oh God.

The mirror that covered the wall behind the vanity showed me everything. The way he held my balled up waves like a rein, the way my strapless black bra pushed up and accentuated my small amount of cleavage, and the way our faces were contorted in a mix of lust and rage. It was so sensual, so fucking hot. I could already feel the come trickling down my trembling folds.

He watched me intently through the mirror, the hand that was on my hip moving to his jeans. With a pop, the button was undone and the zipper lowered. I pulled against his grasp, but he wasn't having it. His hand came down like a searing branding iron on my ass, and he pushed my head down to where I had to grip the counter for support.

His message was clear. He was in control.

His foot kicked my legs apart and he retrieved the small foil wrapper from his front pocket, ripping it open with his teeth and slipping it on effortlessly. God, he was sexy. I was panting, but I could no longer tell if it was the anger boiling over or the craving to have his hard cock inside of me.

I had no warning, no teasing at my opening before his cock filled me, his hips brutally connecting with my ass. I cried out at the excruciating pleasure. It was so sudden, and if I hadn't already been so damn wet, I knew he would've torn me open.

His hand shot around to my chest, gripping my breast in his hand as he lifted me off the counter, effectively bowing my back so his lips could brush my ear.

"You're fucking mine now, Jennifer." He whispered between heavy breaths, his half-drawn eyes never straying from mine in the mirror. A shiver of delight ran down my spine. "Say it." He gave my hair another tug, and I whimpered.

"I'm yours, Joel." I choked out.

"Tell me you want me to fuck you." Oh God. Please.

"I w-want you-"

"Louder!" He shouted, making me jump.

"F-fuck me!" He groaned, so deep and sweet, setting my body alight. He watched me as his lips came down on my shoulder, kissing softly and making goosebumps erupt across my chest and neck. Then, he bared his teeth, sinking them into my tender flesh slowly, deliberately, as I squirmed beneath him. It stung like a bitch, and when it became too much to handle, I bucked him off. But he was back in an instant, this time with suction instead of biting. God, he was paying me back for earlier.

He was throbbing inside of me while he left his mark, and I had never been more eager for him to move. The position was new, and I had a feeling it would become my favorite. The way his cock subtly rubbed against my walls was already delightful, and like a fucking glutton, I wanted more. I attempted to rock my hips, but his brows creased and he detached from me with a pop. Another pop followed as his hand came down on my other cheek.

"Fuck!"

"Bad girl." He cooed, releasing my hair with a small shove so my hands were back to supporting me. I growled my frustration, meanwhile watching the way the ink across his chest flexed and rolled over his delicious muscles as he stood taller. He was towering over me, and I felt small. I was weak compared to him, not strong like June had claimed. He dominated me any way he damn well pleased and I fucking loved it.

"Joel." I begged, my fingers attempting to dig into the solid counter. He shifted his hips teasingly.

"Apologize again. Beg my forgiveness." He commanded with a straight face. I gasped, unable to contain my initial shock at his demands. I wasn't being serious. He actually wanted me to beg?

"Go to hell." I snapped back at him, shoving my ass back onto his cock with enough force to catch him off guard. He gritted his teeth, his hands shooting out to grip both of my breasts roughly. He pulled himself out, almost completely, before ramming his hips back into mine and making me scream.

"Bad girl." He said again, and he was right. He was so fucking right. I wanted to be his bad girl. I wanted him to punish me. "Say you're sorry for letting him touch you." I wanted his punishment, but I knew we were walking a fine line. If I continued to refuse, he would get genuinely pissed at me, and would probably walk out of here. So I had to cave.

"I'm sorry for letting him touch me." I rushed through my aching breaths.

"Good girl." He breathed, awarding me with another, less aggressive fucking. The pressure was still there, but not overwhelming pain. It was just right. I moaned in appreciation, my eyes fluttering closed. "No, watch." He commanded softly, gyrating his hips again.

"Oh God, Joel." I mewled. My fight was diminishing fast. I forced my eyes open, taking in the erotic sight of Joel taking me over the counter in full detail.

"I'm going to fuck you now, Jennifer. In the way only I can. Only me. Do you understand?" His voice was strained and raspy, but he was determined to see this through. He was establishing his authority, and he wanted it heeded.

"Yes, only you." I nodded, reaching one of my hands from the counter to squeeze over his.

Then, he started to thrust. It was gradual, but powerful, and before he even got to half his max tempo, I was crying out my pleasure.

I was right. This felt so incredible it was beyond words. It was perfect.

"Yes, baby. Take my cock. Take me." He groaned, and I wasn't sure if it was his naughty words, or all of the passionate lead up, but my core was tightening quickly. The counter was digging into my stomach, but I honestly didn't care. All I felt was pleasure. Pure, unadulterated pleasure. His hips slapping my ass was loud, deafening, and wet from my arousal. The sound itself was enough to get me off, but the sight was something else entirely.

His mouth was clamped tightly, with his bottom lip pulled in to stifle his grunts and groans. Through the raging storm in his blue eyes, there was his emotion, his affection and his fear, and I wanted so badly to reassure him. So through rattling teeth, I let my heart flow from my lips.

"I'm yours. Oh God, I'm yours. I'm so close, love, I'm going to-" He let out a noise, somewhere between a groan and gasp, as he buried himself deep inside of me. And I came. So fucking hard, I thought I would pass out. My vision went completely white, fading on the look of shock and pleasure on Joel's face as I collapsed against the counter, my pussy launching it's assault on Joel's cock.

"God damn, Jennifer…" His torso came down on my damp back as he clung to me, his dick swelling inside of me in that slightly painful but entirely addicting way. I shuddered along with him, basking in the feel of his climax. I gave him that pleasure. He called my name. It was fucking invigorating.

After it receded, he pulled out almost immediately, catching me before I could slide further down and hit the floor. Instead, he lowered me gently, pulling me back into his chest. But when I looked up at him, he didn't have his normal postcotial expression.

He looked confused.

"What?" Did I do something wrong? His gaze trailed down my mostly naked body, then back to my eyes. "Joel?"

"You… you called me 'love'."