Swing - Episode 5

Darrell watched the other man's eyes crawl over Nikki like they already had permission. She stood by the pool in that black swimsuit, back straight, hair twisted up, pretending she didn't notice. Her ankles crossed the way they always did when she was nervous. The guy smiled like he'd paid for the view. They'd come here for this, hadn't they? To see what happened when the rules bent. The club smelled like chlorine and expensive perfume. Music low. Bodies moving between lounge chairs and open cabanas like they belonged to each other already. Darrell kept his drink in one hand and Nikki's fingers in the other. He felt her pulse against his thumb. The man stepped closer. Said something Darrell didn't catch. Nikki laughed, polite but small. Darrell's stomach tightened. He knew that laugh. Knew the way her shoulders pulled back when she felt looked at too hard. This wasn't the game they talked about in their kitchen at midnight, half-drunk on red wine and curiosity. This was someone taking more than they'd offered. Darrell moved without thinking. Placed himself between them, voice calm when everything under his skin ran hot. "She's with me." The man raised his hands, backed off, but the look stayed. Like he'd seen something he wanted to finish later. Nikki's fingers tightened around Darrell's. She didn't say anything. Didn't have to. Later, in their room, the door barely closed before she pressed against him. Her mouth found his neck. Her hands pulled at his shirt. The jealousy still sat in his chest, thick and alive, and it made every touch sharper. He lifted her onto the dresser, knocked the lamp sideways, didn't care. Her legs wrapped around him. She whispered his name like an apology and a dare at once. He pushed her swimsuit aside, found her wet already, pushed two fingers in without asking. She gasped against his ear. Bit his shoulder when he curled them just right. They fucked like people proving something. Hard, fast, the dresser scraping the wall. She came first, nails digging into his back, and he followed right after, breathing her name into her hair. When it was over they stayed like that, skin stuck together, breathing hard. Darrell knew the night wasn't done. Knew the man was still out there somewhere. But Nikki was here, legs trembling around his hips, and for now that was enough.