The Fraternity

King pumps the dumbbells for the fifteenth or maybe sixteenth rep. He doesn’t know anymore. All he knows is that he’s got so much pent-up frustration, and the only way to find relief is at the gym.

It’s been a week since Harley slept with Henry, and they’ve heard nothing since. Kai and Trey joke that Henry did such a shit job so she ran for the hills, but King knows better.

Harley ran because she regretted it—not because of the performance, but because of what it all meant. The uncertainty is suffocating. What does this mean for him? Maybe he has a chance after all.

“What crawled up your ass?” His gym buddy, Alfie, asks. King ignores him. “Ah, a girl, got it. Or should I say, Harley?”

King stops and returns the weights to the stand. “What do you know about it?”

“I know you’ve got it bad for her. It’s in your eyes.” Alfie laughs. “Nah, just fucking with ya. But you do have a habit of staring at her…a lot.”

“Can’t do much about that anymore,” he grunts.

“She move?” Alfie asks as he wipes down his station.

King shakes his head. “Not yet. Man, I don’t even know anymore. We…I did her wrong, and now we’re paying for it.”

“Cheer up, man. There’s always time to make up for whatever you did.”

“Not this time.”

Alfie pushes his chin above King’s shoulder. “Don’t be so sure. Lock up after you leave, okay? Oh, and one more thing.” He winks. “Don’t fuck it up.”

He walks off, and King looks up, almost sure he’s seeing an illusion. But it’s not.

It’s her, his sweet Harley, in the reflection of the wall mirrors. Yoga pants and a sports bra never looked so good. A towel is slung over her shoulder, water bottle in hand, and two earbuds stick out slightly.

“H-Harley,” he stammers. It’s suddenly feeling a lot hotter.

Harley takes the earbuds out. “Hey, King.”

She gives him a neutral smile. She knows she heard Henry right. He said he loves her. But she doesn’t know if that was just because of the heat of the moment, or if he really meant it.

And if he did, it just begs the question: how do the others feel?

King shifts in front of her. “Hitting the gym?” he asks awkwardly.

“Yeah, I figured it would be good stress relief.” Harley shrugs and bends over to put her water down. Straightening up, she grabs a twenty-five-pound plate.

“Anything I can help you with?” He wipes his forehead. He’s missed checking out her ass when she bends over their projects, and the little wiggles she does when she tries to get the part in just right.

“Spot me?” She lies down and grabs the bench press bar.

“Er…” King stands above her, well aware that she won’t be able to lift it off the safety bar.

Harley grunts and pushes, then quickly gives up with a laugh. “Actually, there is something else you could help me with.” Her ponytail whips across her back as she sits up.

King’s member beats with anticipation. There’s a special type of stress relief that he would love to try out on her. She only has to say the word.

“I’ve been trying to fix the rotator cuff in Glitch, but the software isn’t matching up with the hardware,” Harley says with a pout. “Could you take a look before I lose my mind and chuck it?”

His dick deflates at the mention of their robot, which they’d been working on separately ever since the boys’ disastrous attempt to get with her. Idiot, he scowls. What else was he expecting?

“Yeah, of course,” he says, forcing a smile as he wipes down his station. Turning around, he heads to the showers, disappointment weighing heavy on his shoulders.

“King?” Harley calls after him. “Will we be okay?”

King stops and almost hits himself in the head at his stupidity. She’s holding out an olive branch, and all he’s worried about is her rejecting him again.

He turns around again and smiles. “We’re already okay, Harley. I can’t say I’m not disappointed that you picked Henry and not me, but I’d rather live with that disappointment than lose you as a friend.”

“I appreciate that.” Harley looks away, embarrassed and disarmed at his openness. When he heads for the showers again, she suddenly finds herself at a loss.

Was that a game too? Were his sweet words really nothing? She needs to find out what he feels, if anything.

She follows him, grateful for the late time and otherwise empty locker room. He’s already shirtless. Both hands are poised at his hips, thumbs tucked into the waistband of his boxers.

A sudden urge seizes Harley, and she hurries forward, wrapping her arms around his muscular abdomen. His tanned skin presses into her cheek. Warmth spreads between them.

Oh, she gasps to herself. The touch reminds her of long winter nights snuggled against him as movies played in the frat house. He was the perfect radiator.

“King, I…I…”

King stills, afraid to move and ruin whatever it is that’s happening.

Neither one speaks. Harley feels wetness in her eyes. A ragged sniffle escapes.

“Harley, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, nothing’s wrong.” She sniffs again.

“Harley…” King turns around. When she doesn’t respond, he lifts her chin with his finger and gazes into her green, tear-filled eyes. Her mouth opens, and King captures her lips with his.

At first, it isn’t what he imagined. It’s wet, slimy with mucus and tears, but as she pulls him in, all complaints vanish within a thunderclap of pleasure.

The kiss grows desperate. Harley’s tears dry up, her emotions overpowered by her need to feel him, all of him. She pushes her breasts against him, wondering at her hunger. Him and Henry?

King pulls her up by her thighs and slams her up against a row of lockers. Harley gasps at the shock of cold metal, which fades to heat from his kisses. He never stops kissing her, never stops pressing his body against her.

“Harley,” he moans as his erection presses against her core.

She purrs against his neck, moaning for more, but he has to speak. He has to tell her how he feels.

“Harley, I’m so, so sorry.” Sorry he may have been the reason she’d never smile again, nor laugh. Fear climbs into his heart that she might still walk away from him after this. “I never meant to hurt you.”

“King,” she growls, running a finger down his lips, “shut up and take me.”

She bites his lip. Grinning, King keeps her hoisted, carrying her through the locker room until his legs hit a bench. He sits down, her legs still straddled around his waist.

Harley hooks her thumbs in her sports bra and pulls it off in a single motion. Her shoes she kicks off, then indicates for King to do the same. He obliges before spinning her around.

Back on the bench and feet on the floor, she raises an inviting brow. Deep brown eyes narrow back at her.

King kisses her neck, slowly working his way down her stomach. His fingers find the hem of her yoga pants, his lips planting a trail of kisses up her ribs. Then it stops. His breath lingers over her honey pot.

He gently spreads her legs. “I’m going to taste you now.”

His stubble runs along her clit. A moan follows. The touch of his tongue flicking her nub moistens her thighs, and a gentle nibble elicits a deep, pleasurable scream. Her body responds to his every touch, her flesh on fire.

Harley runs her fingers through his short curls, perfect for holding on to as he eats her out. King smiles at her every scrape and tug, pleased that his ‘research’ on porn sites is finally paying off.

At the next lull, he steps it up, slipping a finger—then two—inside her tight, wet pussy. Harley arches her back, and her pussy clamps down on them.

The room echoes with her moans as she cums on his tongue. King laps up her release, not wasting any of it. “That tasted way better than I thought,” he chuckles.

Laughing, Harley pulls him up so he’s at eye level with her. He can’t help but smile. How lucky is he to have her in front of him like this?

“Take them off,” she demands. For a moment, King is confused, but she tugs on his shorts. They come off in record time. He towers over her, his broad shoulders and sturdy arms encasing her small frame.

King sits down, holding her legs over him as he studies her. The curve of her hips, the goosebumps on her soft skin from the cool air, the swell of her beautiful breasts, the way her nipples pebble when he touches her.

Everything about her mesmerizes him, down to the tiny freckle under her left breast.

A wide grin appears on his lips, followed by a low chuckle.

“What?” Harley asks, suddenly worried that he doesn’t like her body.

“I’m just in awe of you.” King chuckles again. “You’re so beautiful.”

Harley pushes herself on to her elbows. “Kiss me,” she begs, and he does. “I need you now.”

King positions himself at her entrance. Their eyes meet, and he pushes into her faster than she expects. She gasps and flings her head back.

“Don’t stop,” she cries out. The pleasure of him being longer and thicker than she expected strikes her hard. “Please don’t stop.”

King thrusts into her, groaning at the way her pussy envelops him like a warm hug, nuzzling him tightly. His body shivers from the feeling.

“Harley, you feel…fuck.” His head lowers, lips brushing her belly button. There are no words for how good he feels.

“Oh…ohh.” Harley shudders, her moans turning into gasps as King pulls her to his chest. His thrusts continue as she bounces on his lap, each movement hitting new, unimaginable depths within her. “Oh my god, King!”

“Harley!” King fucks her harder, meeting every bounce with his hips. “Are you close, please…please be close.”

“Yes, so…so close,” she whimpers, burying his face between her breasts. “So close. Keep going.”

King lowers her down, maneuvering her legs over his shoulders to push at a different angle. Harley’s mouth opens in a wide “O,” her nose scrunching as the newfound sensation overwhelms her senses.

Moments later, King explodes inside her, releasing rope after rope of cum. Harley follows seconds after, her pussy fluttering. The release spreads up her stomach, to her chest, and finally, to her fingers and toes.

Flat on her back, she opens her eyes as her breathing steadies. King pulls her up by her waist, lies back, and holds her against his chest. He can barely feel her weight.

Suddenly, her palms stiffen against his pecs. “Damn it!”

“What? What’s wrong?” King's mind jumps to panic. Did he fuck it up after all?

“We forgot a condom.”

“Shit, I’m sorry.” He palms his forehead, then looks at her sheepishly. “But if it’s any relief, I’m clean.”

“Me too,” she says, “and I’m on birth control. I just…I never go bare.”

A small grin crinkles his eyes, and he kisses her head. “So, in a way, I was your first?”

“In a way.”

He closes his eyes and holds her closer. Harley scrapes the underside of the bench with her nail. Forgetting something as essential as a condom is nothing short of stupid. She should have stopped.

Why didn’t she?

Heat rushes to her face. She got caught up in the lust-filled haze that surrounded them. She didn’t stop because she didn’t want to. She wanted him. So bad.

But now that she’s had him, she’s done. King’s muscles soften and she perks up. He’s asleep. Holding her breath, she wriggles out of his grasp and pulls on her clothes, sparing a single glance near the doorway.

He looks so innocent. So charming. But he’s not. She scolds her carelessness again. Getting pregnant in your first year of university is not ideal, nor is getting pregnant by a guy who only sees you as a piece of meat.

And yet…she bites her lower lip and almost smiles. The door opens and she slips away, leaving him alone on the bench. Yet a tiny part of her loves that he was her “first.”