Only for You by Marquita Valentine

something came up.
    That’s how I ended up on
Jaxon’s couch, losing my virginity. Moral of the story—never leave
a horny teenage girl and her boyfriend to their own
devices.
    “ This is so pretty,” Bliss
says, holding out a short, sequined dress that I’m to where for the
show tonight in Houston. “It matches the pink in your
hair.”
    “ God, Vi. When will you
wash that shit out and get some extensions?” Callie asks as we sit
to wait for hair and makeup. “You… wardrobe girl. Fetch me
something to drink, like wine.”
    “ Don’t do it,
Bliss. She ’s not
old enough to drink,” I say. “You would get fired for serving a
minor.”
    Callie rolls her eyes.
“What’s the use of people working for us, if they don’t actually, I
don’t know—work?”
    Bliss doesn’t say a word,
just hangs up our outfits, places the shoes that go with them
underneath, and leaves the room.
    “ Come find me after the
show, Bliss. We’ll get something to eat,” I yell, hoping she heard
me. If not, I’ll go find her.
    “ You were always a strange
one.”
    “ And you were always a
snob.”
    Callie smirks at me. “Good
times, Vi. Good times.”
    As the makeup and hair
artists arrive, I text Cole.
     
    Me: Miss you. Houston is
stinking hot.
    Cole: Miss you too. It’s
cold here.
    Me: Lots of homework
tonight?
    Cole: No.
    Me: ?
    Cole: I’m not taking
classes this semester.
     
    I want to call him right
then, and fuss at him for dropping out. He’s working all the time
now, barely doing anything other than raising Kelly and hanging out
with his boys.
    Cole needs to do something
for him, but the last time I tried to bring up the subject, he
jumped all down my throat. I don’t want to fight, especially not
when we’re a twenty-four hour drive away from each
other.
     
    Me: Okay. Love
you.
    Cole: Love you
too
    ***
     
     
    Two days later, I finally
get Cole on the phone. “Guess what!”
    “ What?” There’s lots of
background noise, and I can barely hear myself think.
    “ Can you go outside or
something?”
    “ Sure.” The noise drops
away, or he’s clicked off the television.
    “ So, guess
what!”
    “ You get to come home for
a couple of days.”
    “ Who told you?”
    “ You did, right before you
went on tour, you showed me your schedule and told me to mark down
the days we would be able to see each other.”
    Determined not to let his
less-than-enthusiastic tone get me down, I continue on, “My flight
gets in at ten AM. I worked it around your schedule, and Kelly’s
too. We can wait for her bus on the front porch, just like we used
to.”
    “ Today?”
    “ Yes, today. I’m in the
Raleigh airport right now, walking to my gate.”
    A stewardess passes me, her
blue scarf flowing behind her.
    “ Oh.”
    Oh? That’s the best I get
from him? “You should see what I’m wearing, Cole.”
    “ Really?” Now he sounds
interested.
    “ Mmm-hmm. Trench coat,
high heels, and nothing else.”
    “ Holy f—Rae, did you just
fly across the country like that?”
    I glance down at my yoga
pants and yellow t-shirt, grinning. “I made sure to sit very
lady-like.”
    “ Baby, when I get a hold
of you—”
    “ Keep that thought. I’ll
meet you out front. I’ll be the one wearing red high heels.” Then I
press the End Call button.
     
    ***
     
    True to his word, Cole
pounces on me as soon as he spots my outfit. I changed in the
restroom, right after I disembarked.
    “ I’m so spanking that
ass,” he growls. He practically throws me into the passenger side
of his Jeep. Instead of driving home, we drive to a hotel near the
airport.
    Shielding my eyes from the
morning sun, I glance up at the sign. “I thought we were going
home?”
    “ Thank Parker,” Cole says
by way of explanation. Then he grabs my hand and my carry-on. We
run to our room, not caring about all the looks we’re
getting.
    As soon as the door shuts,
he’s stripping me out of my clothes and smacking my ass, just like
he promised. Then he’s