Austin rushed to the door, his heart pounding against his ribs, and looked out.
Jessica was leaning against the wall opposite their room, still as naked as the day she was born, unconcerned with who might see her. It was a dare, a test, and she was waiting to see if he would fold.
"Are you just going to stand there and watch, Austin?" She called out, her voice echoing in the empty hallway. "Or are you going to do something?"
Austin looked left, then right. The corridor was empty for now, but at any moment, someone could step out of their room or come up the elevator.
"Get back inside, Jessica! What are you thinking?" he hissed, rushing towards her with quick steps.
But as he reached out to grab her arm, she pulled away with a laugh. "Uh-uh. You don't want to touch me, remember? You think I'm a slut. Sluts don't deserve a gentleman's hands on them, do they?"
Jessica's words were laced with a dangerous mix of mockery and hurt. And it was then Austin realized he had wounded her ego. He might have meant it as a declaration of his values, but to her, it sounded like a judgment.
"Jessica, I never said that! I just... I just..."
"You just what?" Jessica pressed. "You just want to 'have a meaningful relationship' with me? Is that it?"
She stepped forward, closing the distance between them until their bodies were almost touching.
"Tell me something, Austin. What if I told you... I've given my heart to someone else?"
Austin froze at the sudden confession. That question alone knocked him off balance. He'd never expected her to be in a relationship, let alone be in love. She was a free spirit, the one who enjoyed life and all it offered.
"But then why...?" Austin asked but couldn't bring himself to finish the question.
"Why what? Why am I here with you now?" Jessica finished for him, a strange expression on her face. "Because I can. And because I want to."
And before he could process her words, she leaned in, her lips brushing against his ear as she whispered, "So... what's it going to be? You going to leave a girl naked and wanting in the hallway... or are you going to be the hero and save her from herself?"
She ran a finger down his chest, her touch light as a feather but electric nonetheless. And soon, her finger came to rest on the bulge in his pants, which betrayed his inner turmoil.
Yet, her gambit failed. Unlike the Austin from earlier who was fighting his urges, this Austin, faced with her confession, was in a different state of mind.
"I can't, Jessica," Austin said, his voice soft but firm, pushing her hand away. "Not when I know your heart belongs to someone else. It wouldn't be right to either of you."
Jessica was taken aback by his reaction. She had expected him to either give in to his desire or to retreat in shame. She hadn't expected this... principled refusal. And it stung, more than she cared to admit.
"Fine," she snapped, her playful tone gone. "Have it your way." She turned and walked towards the door of another room down the hall. "Maybe the guy in here will be more appreciative of what I have to offer."
With that, Jessica inserted the key card she had in her hand and opened the door, disappearing inside without a backward glance, leaving Austin standing in the empty hallway, his emotions all in chaos.
'I am doing the right thing, aren't I? I am standing by my principles. But then why do I feel so terrible? I feel like I am just throwing away a beautiful gift, one I might never get a chance to receive again.'
This thought was quickly brushed aside as he realized the implication of her last act. She had a key card to another room. And she had a plan B.
Even as he told himself it wasn't his problem, his feet moved of their own accord, carrying him down the hallway until he stood before the door she had just entered.
Should he go in? Should he stop her? He didn't know.
But he couldn't just stand there either.
He took a deep breath and pushed the door open and stepped inside, closing it softly behind him.
The room was almost identical to the one he'd just left, but the atmosphere was entirely different. The lights were lower, and the sounds that met his ears were not the sounds of one person, but of three.
Austin followed the sounds to the main bedroom. There, his eyes fell upon Jessica, standing naked in front of the door with her back turned to him.
When she heard him enter, she turned her head and shot him a mocking smirk. "See how they are enjoying themselves? They don't give a damn whether your heart belongs to someone else or not. They don't care about having a 'meaningful relationship.' They just want to have fun. Something you seem to be incapable of."
Austin followed the line of her gaze to the bed, where Andrew was pounding into Katrina from behind, his powerful thrusts making her full breasts sway with every movement. And next to them, Eva was moaning as Katrina's mouth and hands worked on her.
It was a scene of pure, unadulterated lust.
"Do you think that woman, Katrina, is thinking about her future with Andrew right now? Or do you think Eva is worried about whether Andrew will be faithful to her after taking her virginity?" Jessica continued, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "They're not, Austin. They're just enjoying the moment."
"Jessica, but what if you feel regretful later on?" Austin, however, was still stuck in his own values.
"I'd rather regret something I did than regret something I was too afraid to do, Austin." Jessica's reply was quick and sharp. "You're too afraid. Afraid of getting your heart broken. Afraid of losing something that's not even yours to begin with."
Then, she turned around and stepped closer to him, her eyes boring into his.
"Do you want to know who has my heart, Austin? It's Andrew. The very man who is fucking that woman over there. And yet, I'm not in there crying my eyes out. Or him stopping me from having my own fun." Jessica said while placing her hand on his chest, over his heart.
"So, what's your excuse now? Still can't bring yourself to touch a girl who likes someone else? Or still hung up on your high horse of having a 'meaningful relationship'?"
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