It took almost two weeks for Ellie's injuries from the hours with Azrael to heal, though she had to give up her wardrobe of skimpy tops and short skirts, temporarily. Her breast still bore the mark he'd carved there yet she'd managed to convince the only friend to see it there was a joke behind the supposedly Henna tattoo. In addition to her healing, she'd seen little of Derek except at family dinners since he spent most of his time locked in the study to write. A trip to the basement found nothing unusual, none of the whips or chains from her last visit, only the usual junk stacked.
Deciding to put the incident behind her, Ellie made a phone call to a few of her friends from college and invited them over for a swim. Only two of them were free for the day. She slipped upstairs, ignoring the clack of keys in the study, and stripped out of her sweat pants and tank top then pulled on her skimpiest string bikini, bright pink decorated with little black stars. A glance in the mirror showed half of the tattoo visible.
Monica already knows, and Luke won't even notice it for other factors, she thought as she turned in front of the mirror to study her body. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a hasty ponytail to prevent it snarling in the water. She knew Luke's main focus would be on convincing her to hook up which didn't sound so bad in light of the last two weeks of tension at the house. And if he does ask, I can tell him the same story about a Henna tattoo.
She headed downstairs after grabbing a beach towel only to meet Derek halfway, shrinking back against the wall to give him more space. His gaze roamed over her from the top of her head down to her tattooed breast then lower to take in the tiny strings holding her bottoms together. Heat flushed her as his eyes locked onto the pink triangle between her legs, his hand lifting for the knuckles to brush against her tattooed breast.
"Planning a swim?" he asked, conversationally.
Her head bobbed in a nod. "Umm, Monica and Luke are coming over," she replied then sucked in a sharp breathe as his knuckles slid the fabric away from her breast. "W-what are you doing?"
His mouth was open to reply before the doorbell rang from downstairs. A quick jerk of his hand covered her breast again and he started back upstairs, leaving her breathing hard and clutching the towel against her chest. Taking a deep breathe, she hurried the rest of the way down then opened the door with a smile to her friends. Monica's bright smile and red curls greeted her, a see through white dress covering a barely there yellow bikini. Beside her, Luke was shirtless in a pair of white trunks covered in huge blue flowers and flip flops. His brown hair was tousled and sun-streaked as he picked her up in a hug, one hand getting overly friendly with her ass.
"I love that suit," Monica said as they started through the house toward the backyard. She linked one of her arms with Ellie's and bent her head to whisper, "Is Derek home?"
Ellie started to deny it then just nodded, unable to stop the brief rush of jealousy. Her friend's crush on the older male was well documented in a variety of ways yet the thought of them together had never felt right to her. It felt less right after the night with Azrael, though she commented, "He's been locked in the study with his laptop for the last week. Mom and John went out of town on a supposed business cruise so he's been taking advantage of the quiet the last couple days."
"What idiot would pick a computer over you two ladies?" Luke's voice piped up from behind them as he tossed his towel and sunglasses onto the table nearest the pool. His flip flops were kicked off before he dove into the water, muscles rippling in a way she couldn't help but admire.
Monica followed a moment later, though Ellie moved slower, sitting down on the edge of the pool. Her plan to slide carefully into the water was thwarted when Luke swam up to catch hold of her legs and pulled her into the water. She came up laughing and spitting out water while standing in the water. Catching Monica's smirk and wink, she kicked her feet to swim away from him and to the other side of the pool.
"Any idea when Derek's next book is coming out? His last one left me wondering," Monica said from where she floated on her back. "I can't wait to find out how it ends."
Luke swam over to them and commented, "Those books are for people who can't get laid, Monica."
Ellie splashed water at him. "I happen to like them," she informed him before she could stop herself. "They're a bit . . . uncouth, but that's what I like about them. Besides, Azrael is kind of hot."
"And fictional." One of his arms slid around her waist to pull her back against his chest. His erection pressed against her barely covered ass as one hand slid over her belly, brushing just above the pink fabric. "The problem with fictional is they're not able to really do anything. Who needs fiction when you can have reality?" he asked, lowering his head to nip her neck.
A shudder went down her spine, though Monica's cough drew her head up.
"I think I'm going to grab a drink," she said before swimming to the ladder. "Maybe I'll even ask Derek for a glimpse of his new novel. Have fun, guys." Her words were barely out before she pulled herself, gracefully from the water and started toward the house. She paused to wink to Ellie then wrapped the towel around herself, hurrying inside.
Ellie's mouth was open to object before Luke's hand slid lower to curve over the pink triangle. His lips sucked the side of her neck while his erection pressed more firmly against her ass. Moaning, quietly, she arched into the movement just as his finger slid under the side of her bottoms and between her folds. Teeth bit her neck yet it wasn't the same pleasure with Azrael, more of a playful nip than an attempt to cause true pain. Even his finger sliding in and out didn't elicit the same rush of pleasure, though she felt herself getting wet, an odd feeling starting in her stomach. His other hand slid up her stomach to cup her breast through the fabric, the other still teasing her folds as a second finger joined the first.
"What's with the tattoo?" Luke's voice had moved up to her ear as his thumb and first finger twisted her nipple. His fingers continued plunging in and out of her wet channel while he suckled her neck. "It's not what I'd expect from you."