RECKLESS - Part 1 by Alice Ward

tattooed arms were braced over me as he pounded into me, his abs flexing with each thrust as he owned every inch of me, fulfilled my every desire.
    My moans became frantic, hungry, and needy. The fire burning inside me demanded to be quenched. It seared me, all the way into my throat and all the way down to my toes. My fingers began to move with a ferocity and quickness they’d never possessed.
    Grunts and groans from the other end of the line came heavier and quicker, but I didn’t register them as Sean’s as my moans and whimpers morphed into full out screams. My entire body stiffened, finding release that was both blissful and blinding, all at once. It felt as though I were having the most erotic out-of-body experience.
    A roar came through the phone and the peak of my orgasm soared higher, sending my body into quaking convulsions. Our shared ecstasy transported us to a world where only the two of us existed. Time and space were irrelevant as we floated away into beautiful oblivion.
    But there was just one little problem.
    The man of my desire and the man pleasing himself on the other end of the line were two completely different people. And as my body floated back to earth, back into the water, guilt settled in and burned a hole in my aching heart. What had I just done?
    Dear God, what is wrong with me?

CHAPTER TEN
    No sooner than I’d hung up with Sean, I threw my clothes on, tossed my hair up in a ponytail and set out for the pub where Becca worked. If there was anyone that knew what to do in a time such as this, it would be her… at least, I hoped that would be the case.
    After making my way through a crowd of rowdy college boys hanging out by the door, I maneuvered through the tables and chairs up to the bar. Becca looked about dead on her feet, but as always, she had a grin plastered on her face as she served yet another party-hard-study-little young twenties group of guys and girls.
    Thankfully, it was only Wednesday, so the crowd wasn’t too bad. A group over by the dart board, a couple of girls at the juke box, a few tables full of jocks whooping over the game on the television, and a small group over by the pool tables were her only patrons. My chances of stealing Becca away were definitely good. Thank God for little miracles.
    Shock registered on Becca’s face the second she caught sight of me. “Andy?”
    “Hey, girl,” I said, taking a stool at the bar.
    “What the hell are you doing here?” she asked, concern evident in her tight-lipped frown and creased forehead. “Everything okay?”
    I bit at the inside of my cheek, unsure of how to respond to her question. I wasn’t in any danger. Sean was alive and well. My entire world hadn’t come crashing down… yet. But I still had this horrible sense of dread tugging at my insides. Something was happening to me. Something I’d never thought possible.
    “I fantasized about Jace,” I finally blurted out after deciding blunt and honest was probably the only way to go.
    Becca threw her head back, her laughter ringing out above the noise of the bar. “Honey, join the crowd.”
    I shook my head furiously. “No, you don’t understand,” I said. “I—I fantasized about him while I was with Sean.”
    Becca blinked a few times, confusion painting her scrunched features. “Wait? He’s still here?”
    “No, no,” I said, shaking my head. “Over the phone.”
    Shoulders lifting, head tilting to the side, Becca narrowed her eyes at me. “Okay… and this is a problem because…?”
    I let out a heavy sigh. “Can I have some water, please?”
    Becca filled a glass and then slid it across the bar to me. I lifted it to my lips and took a drink. The cold liquid burned on the way down. My eyes watered and my lips puckered as I slammed the glass back down on the bar.
    “What the hell did you just give me?” I asked, the fire straining my voice.
    “Vodka,” she said with a shrug.
    I narrowed my eyes at her, my lips bunched in a tight