I shoved him into the room after manhandling him in the elevator, wrapping all of me around him as he enthusiastically lifted me up. We stumbled out of the elevator, tried to enter the wrong room until a scandalized mother of two opened the door. We had to apologize and explain we were on the wrong floor. Back to the elevator and making an elderly couple quite uncomfortable as we giggled like bad little children each time, he grabbed a handful of my ass and pulled me to him.

"Stop it," I hissed.

"I can't, I've been waiting too long."

Then we rushed through the 10th-floor hallway all the way to our room but we hardly made it in because Victor was pushing me against the door, sucking the life out of me. I was attempting to open the door, twisting the handle fruitlessly when his hand finally found my boob and I forgot all about the handle to grasp his hair instead.

"Do you know how much I stared at these?" He said it almost wistfully.

"And to think you could have played with them sooner had you said something."

"The anticipation was worth it," He mumbled against my neck.

I was going to look like a leopard in the morning. I don't know how we opened the door but we did and the dance to shove clothing off our body made him trip and me fall on the bed with a stumble. We laughed uncontrollably, as we kissed, and touched. His pants couldn't come off because he hadn't removed his shoes, but I didn't care, I was so hot and desperate that I was shoving my panties down in a furry and yanking him on the bed.

I cannot be held responsible for my actions; it was pure instinct that had me moving at this pace and with this desperation. Then I accidentally elbowed him, and I had to apologize, turn on the light and shove his hands out of his face to look if I had busted his nose. I hadn't but suddenly the humor and giggles were gone, and I was straddling him. He watched me carefully, pushing my hair back.

I leaned down and kissed his nose, smiling a little. He reached up and pulled me down, languorously tasting my mouth.

It was exquisite, if not a little sloppy, for our first time but he felt incredible. I could scarcely keep my eyes open in the intense pleasure but each time my lids slid closed Victor would say 'look at me' and I would obey. For such a big guy he was surprisingly gentle and careful with me, giving me sweet kisses and murmuring things like 'I can't believe you're finally mine'.

After our first round, we lay side by side, staring at the ceiling. I still wore my dress, but it was rolled up on my waist and he still had his clothes on, but all of his buttons were missing, that might have been me. His pants were around his ankles and I dared a glance at his penis which lay happy and sated against his thigh. I was ready for a power nap to begin once again. I felt him shift and sit up, fully removing his shirt and shoving his shoes and pants off. Then he turned to me with a small smile.

"Come here," he reached for my hands and helped me sit up, kissing me with a smile. He pulled my dress over my head. "I wanted this dress off you since I saw you."

I looked at him with a shake of my head. "I can't believe any of this."

He pushed my wild hair out of my face, his eyes were glazed over. "Was it what you expected?"

I laid back down and he hovered over me. I touched his face with a smile. "Better."

"I really do love you," he whispered, lowering himself down and stretching out next to me.

"For how long, exactly?" I felt the small stubbles of hair on his chin.

"I'm not sure," he said. "I remember I used to like to watch you laugh, especially when you can't stop, and you start crying. I felt very jealous of your bartender."

"I see," I smiled. "I felt quite jealous of Crystal."

"You pushed her on me," he chuckled.

"Yes, I know, I was in complete denial."

"You were," he kissed me. "I don't think I slept two days straight after you kissed me."

"I was petrified I had lost you!"

"Little did you know," he bit his lip and his eyes twinkled in mirth.

I giggled like an idiot but I couldn't help it. Happiness was bubbling all over me and I felt I was swimming in a cloud instead of a bed. We were silent for a while, his arm draped around my waist and I caressing the soft hairs on his forearm as I had always wanted to do.

"Victor?"

He made a sleepy noise.

"I still can't believe you drove to Lakeland," I said. "Then you disappeared, and I thought I would die."

"Die?"

"Yes, die. I was sick in bed for a week, I didn't know what was wrong. I vomited and sobbed when I realized I loved you."

"Oh, that's comforting," he looked at me.

"I thought I was going to ruin our friendship, that's how upset it made me," I held tight to his hand.

"You're so dramatic," he pulled me closer and kissed my hair.

"A little." I clutched his neck. "Let's stay in this room until they find us dehydrated. A pair of carcasses."

"No."

"You're so pragmatic, you never let me have any fun," I pouted.

His fingers trailed under the strap of my bra and his eyes darkened.

"Oh, you want to have fun?" He looked at me and I felt him harden against my thigh.

"Yes. Immediately."

×××

I waited until Victor padded naked into the bathroom to shower, he thought I was asleep but I was not going to sleep for years. Plus, I was not going to miss my first chance to observe him prance naked in the room, his firm ass and formed thighs pale and softly covered with hairs were slightly visible. I sighed happily.

He was mine and he loved me. Butterflies erupted in my belly and I swore nothing would ever upset me again. I listened when he turned on the shower and I scrambled up, searching for my bag in the semi-darkness and found my phone. I dialed the familiar number and in two rings Yara answered.

"Becka?" She sounded concerned and I heard Mercy next to her, both of them scrambling to hear me on the phone.

"Can you hear me?" I asked.

"Yes, you OK, Becky-girl?" Mercy asked.

"I just want tell the both of you ... that I can confirm that his ass is as spectacular as we always thought it was."

The screams of delight and excitement had me pulling away from the phone and laughing along with them.

"He loves you, I knew it!" Yara said excitedly.

"He does," I couldn't keep the mad smile off my face. I glanced at the bathroom. "He always had."

"Oh my god!" Yara sounded weepy.

I hung up with them and lay in the bed while Victor finished and I recalled that girl who had stepped foot in Kissimmee for the first time, the unpolished one. He'd liked me then, he'd like me even after I had desperately remade myself to fit in or whatever do we so that we don't stand out. I recalled how I wondered if gods danced in the ashes of our lives but I wondered what they did when our lives went right, when good things happened. If no Hurricane Andrew would've come, who would I be? Where would I be? Would I have friends and someone who truly loved me?

I wish I could go back in time for a mere second, not to speed things up with Victor or anything like that but to speak to that girl. I see her now; she wore white jeans and a shirt with black circles on it. She lets her hair fall over her face because she doesn't want anyone to see her. She speaks with an accent, she's a rough, uncut gem. She's all alone, she doesn't know anyone, she doesn't know where she belongs. She wants to cry but she holds herself still and steady. She stares at the back of the boy in front of her.

"Becka," I whisper to my past. "You're going to be alright, girl. You're going to be just fine."

×××

I had seen him just two weeks ago, but it had been too long and I scanned the crowd as I pushed my way out. Most everyone had flown up to Chicago for my Law School graduation, but I had to stay behind to turn in my apartment keys and wait for the movers who were arriving in Orlando in two days.

I spotted movement ahead and my heart burst. There was Victor, his hair was so short is seemed shaved, and he had a full beard, something I was going to work on to ensure prompt removal. He was testing beard lengths and I wasn't sure exactly how I felt about it. His shirt was still too tight, and he was even bigger than before, big enough to capture me in his arms and lift me clear off the floor. His mouth was on me before I could say his name and we kissed in a manner that made most people around us completely uncomfortable.

"Welcome home," he said when he set me down, a wide smile on his face. I let out a ridiculous sigh.

"You kiss me like you missed me," I smiled looking up at him.

"I did miss you," he pulled me to the baggage claim area. I was grappling his waist.

I scratched the beard that covered his chin. "I'm not crazy about the beard."

He looked at me with a smirk and his eyes darkened. "I'll show you later its benefits."

"Oh." I arched a brow.

He glanced at the baggage claim. "How many bags do we have this time?"

"Three," I said.

"Ah."

"I had a lot of stuff!"

"How many are you taking to London?"

I let out a squeal, at that reminder. For graduation, Victor had gotten us tickets to London so we could attend the premiere of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I had screamed so loud I had startled my mom into thinking we had gotten engaged, something she was in constant fasting prayer for.

"How many do you think they'll let me take?"

He laughed, pulling me closer. "So high maintenance, this girl."

"You love me regardless," I said.

"Always."

And he had.

Thank you so much for reading my story! A lot was inspired by my own experiences growing up and I hope you enjoyed it! My first novel has officially published and can be found at Amaz*n. It is an adult feminist fantasy and it is called Queen and Conqueror by Isabelle Olmo.