The yacht set sail on the Hudson River shortly after Riven gave us a mini-tour of its "facilities". We all made our special orders to the chef, who kindly memorized every little crazy detail of Rita's order. As for my dinner of choice, I was debating between a messy plate of spaghetti with some seafood or a seasar salad. Riven interrupted me, helping me to choose the dish, saying, "Chef, make it a generous amount! Charlotte deserves the best seafood in the entire NY!".
So pasta it is, as he doesn't like it when I make "poorer" food choices; in his opinion, I should eat more filling, hearty meals. Riven requested a steak for himself, hinting to me that I can take a bite if I want to, even if I won't- he will feed me with it.
As we were cruising slowly along the river, Riven turned on the sound system and my favourite playlist started playing, but in an acoustic, more chill version. I sat on the cozy leather couch on the deck with an overview of the iconic landmarks of my city. I couldn't believe my eyes that I was born here and had never experienced this city from such a perspective, as now it felt like I owned NY. This evening, I have everything: a private yacht sailing by my man who makes my heart skip a beat, my best friend who is finishing down one more non-alcoholic mojito wishing it had some gin in it, mood-setting music, a great, clear night sky that allows me to see the stars, and most importantly, I have my true self with me.
My phone was on "do not disturb" intentionally, since Alexander got what he wanted last night, and I had asked him in advance for my day off. We both know there is no reason to play pretend and celebrate my birthday with a sugar daddy.
While I was enjoying the view of the slowly changing city landscape, Rita sat near me, almost spilling her cocktail on both of us. She was as happy as I am, as this was her first private boat experience.
"I think you won this life..." said Rita as she balanced her mojito so it wouldn't spill.
"I really hope so! Riven planned everything up to a single detail! Do you think he planned it all by himself?"
"It doesn't matter! He did it all for you, and this requires a lot of money, a shit ton of money if to be exact. Your Riven is a wealthy boy!" she said as her cocktail glass became less and less filled.
"He is not self-made entirely, as I understood from his story. He did mention his father, who is paid for his business start-up..." I replied and joined Rita's mojito consumption marathon.
"If things go bad between me and Phil, I hope he can introduce me to his papa!" Rita blinked at me and turned her head to the captain's room.
"You are extremely lucky, Charlotte. Just don't fuck it up..."
"I know..." and I looked over to Riven, who was concentrated on sailing this yacht for us, making sure we glance every single skyline of New York before going under the bridge. He noticed my eyes presence on him, and within a second, his stare linked with mine. We both smiled at each other, and without saying a single word through the thick glass and decent distance from the deck to his control wheel, I could feel our mental speech passing to each other's minds. Even though they say that women love with their ears, Riven was the only one who could speak to me just by looking into my eyes.
As our yacht approached the bridge, suddenly, this big, luxurious transport felt small as we went under it. It was an unforgettable experience: I was having a fun yet meaningful conversation with my best friend, eating canapes and drinking cocktails, while my boyfriend was at the helm of our one-of-a-kind yacht. This felt like a movie, a movie that I didn't want to end.
Eventually, after an hour and a half of cruising along the river, Riven parked the yacht in a permitted area to enjoy the dinner that was finally ready to serve. We all walked down to the first-level deck, which was the dining area, where our private chef had already prepared everything, including the medium-sized box with a silk ribbon in the corner of the table.
Riven gently grabbed my waist and whispered, "That little box is for you...I would love you to open it now."
I walked toward the box, not knowing what it could be inside. As I was opening the gift, Rita came to Riven.
She said with a smile while keeping her eyes on me, "You don't need to earn my approval, you have been approved since the moment you stood with white roses in front of our apartment. Good job."
Both of them stood still, waiting for my reaction as I opened the box. At the same time, the chef started singing "Happy Birthday!" to me, making Riven and Rita join in.
I removed the box top and saw a book. It was not just a glossy printed book but a hand-stitched, human-crafted book. I looked up and saw Riven's cheeks flush with blood as he blushed intensely.
"Riven...! Is that a book made by you?!" I asked while trying to process what exactly he had gifted me.
"Yes, it is a collection of letters and somewhat ugly poems that I wrote after each date I spent with you..." he replied, showing signs of shyness when I opened it in front of Rita and the chef.
"Thank you, Riven. This is very romantic of you, you can't stop surprising me! I will read it when I am alone... or we read it together..." I walked to him and gave him a sensual but quick kiss.
"You two are beyond adorable! Can we all sit and start eating? These non-alcoholic cocktails made me starve!" interrupted Rita as she stopped resisting joining the dining table.
My mouth couldn't help but smile at her silly attitude, and I decided to help Rita, suggesting we all sit down and start dinner.
The dining table is a bit large for our party of three. Yet, it just reminds me how special this celebration is, as we are dining on a private yacht on the Hudson River. As soon as we started eating, Riven passed a few pieces of steak from his plate to mine, while Rita was devouring her lobster roll with French fries.
"Please try it, Charlotte," said Riven while putting a fux blanket on my shoulders, as the wind is usually more intense on the water.
"Thank you, but I am not a fan of steak..." This dish purely reminds me of a night when Mr.Montrose fed me this meat and took my virginity an hour later. Traumatising association.
"Just a bite, please! Or I will make you open your mouth..." he started tickling my body, as it would erase my memory and make me eat that steak. Instead, it made me laugh as I can't tolerate body tickles.
"So, Riven, is this your yacht?" asked Rita while chewing her fries and feeling absolutely no remorse about her question. I immediately stared at Rita, as my giggles and smile disappeared.
"Well, I don't like to mention this, but yes, it is mine. I rarely use it as I have a lot of work," replied Riven.
"If I were a guy, I would always show off my status to everyone!" interrupted Rita with her "unique" state of mind.
"I can't walk with a yacht in my hand, or with a t-shirt that states I own one. The truth is, the more you own, the more problems you have to deal with. And this "problem" was gifted to me..."
Rita's eyes went wide as she looked over to me, remembering our conversation earlier.
"Do you mind giving me a contact number of the generous yach giver?"
"She is joking. My sister has a boyfriend, and they are very serious." I almost barked at Rita for being inappropriate. Still, with her, it is hard to actually be angry, so my reaction was more of a joke than real upset.
We all laughed it off and continued enjoying food and company.
I spent the best time on Riven's yacht, and by the time we needed to park it at the marina area, it was close to midnight. Riven professionally settled that task, as I was soaking up the last minutes of this yacht sail. Rita, with her signature attitude of tonight, interrupted a private moment and told me that Phillip is waiting for her at their erotic cooking class.
"Charlotte, you are the best of the best friends in the world! I am sorry if I rushed this yacht party for you, but I think you aren't that mad at me, as you are about to have a pillow party with him!"
I gave her a friendly punch in the shoulder. "Shhh, don't let him hear it!"
"Okay dear, good luck with everything, and good luck to me!"
"Enjoy your sushi night!" I replied as we both gave each other a smooch on the cheek and went our separate ways for the rest of the night.
Usually, I would be tired by this clock time, but this night felt exceptionally young. Riven and I were about to be left alone, as he was thanking the chef and checking the yacht before we would leave it.
As I was waiting for him, I double-checked my purse for a condom that Rita insisted I bring with me. My body started to feel nervous way before this would happen.
Riven called me to go, as we were ready to leave the yacht in a slightly messy condition.
"Who is going to clean it all up?" I asked with curiosity.
"There are special people for that, you don't ned to worry about."
He grabbed his favorite part of my body- my hand, and led me to the car park, as I was carrying his gift in the other hand.
"Riven, I am truly thankful for tonight! You are the best boyfriend ever, and your gift is precious...I can't wait to read it all."
He smiled at me and added, "I never wrote anything like this before, my writing is atrocious, and I never knew I was capable of expressing my feelings through a pen. But when I met you, I started learning new things about myself. Thank you for that, Charlotte."
We both stopped near his car and started a long kiss that made both my arms weak, as I dropped his book accidentally. I was about to pause the romantic scene when Riven pulled my body closer to him and locked my waist with his arms, making our bodies as one. He kissed me so gently yet passionately, afraid to do anything wrong that would scare me. I felt the fire ignite in his body, as despite the cooling NY wind, we had our own heat reactor between ourselves.
I let Riven stop the kiss whenever he felt like it, and for me, I was so tuned in to the process that I didn't want it to end ever. He almost read my mind, as he paused shortly after and suggested we proceed with the night at the other location.
We sat in his car, which soaked up the aroma of white roses while we were away, making the atmosphere even more romantic.
"Where are we going next?" I asked Riven, as we both clearly knew where he was taking us.
"I call it my swamp, but in other words, the place where I reside."
"Why would you call it like this?" I giggled, not expecting Riven to be a messy guy.
He continued as he was starting the engine, "I rarely let someone come to my place, and ultimately it is where I can be in peace in comfort, which not everyone will understand by its design...My dad called it a swamp when he saw how my home turned out, and I liked this comparison."
As he started speeding, he slowly put his arm on my leg, double-checking his action with eye contact to make sure I was okay with it. It is not the first time we have touched each other rather than hands or waists. Yet this time, we both knew we could do whatever we wanted, since we expected it to escalate into something else tonight.
Riven was especially fast tonight, as the city's streets were less packed with other cars, giving him a free way to play a NASCAR. As his car entered a curve, he would press into my thigh, giving me a slight hint of the strength and power he hadn't shown me yet. I was fighting myself not to show any signs of excitement and pure, bursting happiness coming from my chest. Both my mind and body fully trust him, so I zoned out and just enjoyed our reckless midnight drive as we both listened to the radio music and looked over at each other at every traffic light. No words, no conversations, no chit chat. Just a young couple rushing home to commit a pure, sensual sin.
As his apartment turned out to be not so far from mine, we reached his place within half an hour. Riven left the car first, as he always opens the door for me, just like John does every time I go to see Mr. Montrose at the hotel. I caught myself quickly teleporting to another life of mine, where I would do the same thing: waiting for a door to be opened to go and have sex with my sponsor. My brain knows that these two scenarios are crossing patterns, yet they are absolutely different. I experienced a full, bright, and well-detailed flashback, which made me lose the preciousness of the moment with Riven.
"Miss, please give me your hand," said Riven or John? Who is talking to me right now? I felt a panic attack building up inside my chest.
"Charlotte, is everything okay?" Riven asked, leaning closer to me as he noticed I was deep into my thoughts. My zoning out vanished, and I went back to reality.
"Yes, sorry, I just thought about something..." I replied as I gave him my hand and left the car, "...Just surprised how close we live to each other, almost neighbours."
Rived looked at me with adoration and smiled, "I have a sense of feeling that we are closer than we actually think we are."
"I wasn't expecting New York to be so small, if you know what I am trying to say..." I replied while we were taking the private elevator from the parking floor to his apartment.
"Yes, I get you...your appearance in my life made me reconsider many conservative thoughts I had about destiny."
The way he talks to me makes my ears melt like butter in the heat. Why every time he speaks, I feel a pleasant twist in the stomach, and weakness in my knees?
The elevator took us to his apartment, opening its doors directly to his hallway. His place didn't remind me of a swamp at all; instead, I saw a loft-style apartment with brick walls barely covered in wallpaper, giving his apartment a masculine touch. Floors were polished and shiny, making it look like a basketball court. Each step of my heels made a loud, crisp sound on a wood floor, announcing to his "swamp" that there is a guest. He let me walk around first, pronouncing "welcome to my home" as he was turning on the dim lights everywhere.
His place isn't dirty or clean; I could sense that he is barely spending any time here on weekdays, as some areas looked like they were never touched before. His windows overlook the New York skyline, just like mine, but on a higher floor. I walked over to the main room, which was a big, open space combining kitchen, living room, and bedroom.
My brain started picking up pieces of a puzzle, as based on his apartment design, Riven never considered getting a girlfriend or even a wife. He seems to be comfortable in his own world. Which means everything he has told me about changing his worldview about several things since meeting me is true, not just flattery.
He didn't say a single word while I was exploring his home, as I was a newly adopted kitten who needed some time to get comfortable. He turned on a sound system with a few stations in each corner of his home. As soon as the music was on, I felt like I was floating in the music's vibrations that evenly spread out in the entire living space.
"How do you find my place?" he asked me while standing near the kitchen island, where he had the messiest pile of papers and a few laptops with wires coming out of nowhere.
"Your swamp is unique, to say the least." I smiled back at him while eyeing the bed, which was placed right on the opposite side of the big room, facing the kitchen. His bed barely had any base for a mattress, as it looked like he was sleeping on the floor. Yet, despite the kitchen's mess, he made his bed tightly, as he knew I would check it out tonight.
We caught an embarrassing silence between us, as neither he nor I knew how to move on to the next part of the night. I decided to take the lead and dropped the purse on his couch, since I had to start leaving marks of presence here.
"Do you mind reminding me why we were taking so long before you could invite me here?" I asked him as I slowly walked towards his still body. He caught my energy straight away, as he started moving closer to me.
"Do you want an honest answer or a more likable one?" he replied while slowly putting his arm on my lower waist.
"If the truth hurts, I prefer the likable one," I said unconsciously, while fully realising that I said what I meant and swear by in my life now.
He smirked, "Then I invited you now because I wanted to see if our relationship would pass the test period. Just like a software you make, you have to test it first before officially releasing it."
I don't understand what he means by saying this, as these words sound just like the truth. What is the actual truth, then?
"And what is his honest reason?' I said with slight fear in my eyes.
He removed his hand from my waist and grabbed my hand instead, "The real answer is that I am scared to lose you. I remember how, on the first date, you seemed very locked in your head, no matter what I asked you about. I don't want to mess up your perception of men, so I didn't want to rush things until you're comfortable enough. I do come from an animal nature, but I am not the slave of my instincts. I know how important this is for you, Charlotte."
His answer shocked me. This entire time, I was playing innocent to him, while he was truthful once again. If he only knew how insane I get over his touch, his smile, his talk. He is an angel who I got by fortune roulette.
As the music kept playing and we were standing in the middle of the room, I felt it was the best moment to do it.
"Riven, everything you do for me is more than I could ever ask for...but there is one more thing I want right now."
His pupils dilated, and he slowly opened his mouth to ask, "What is that...?"
Here comes everything. I wanted our animal instincts to get out.
"I want you ..." I whispered to his ear while my breath started to increase from nervousness.
Without saying a single word, he leaned to kiss me. His kiss was filled with much more passion than before, as I gave him a clear green light.
As he was touching my waist and going slightly higher to the end of my ribcage, I was putting my hands through his thick, dark brown hair.
As much as I wanted to move on his weird bed, I wanted him to control the process, as for him, I am still a "virgin". That feeling wouldn't leave my head despite the fast buildup of excitement and pleasure.
After a prolonged French kiss, he started kissing my neck, slowly moving his hand on my dress straps, as he started taking them off.
When the white dress completely left my body, Riven interrupted our erotic warmup and grabbed me in his arms. He made it look so easy, which is probably not hard for him, as his broad shoulders told me he could lift much more than my body weight. As he was carrying me to the bed, we caught each other's eyes, and we both knew, without a word, how eager we were to feel each other physically.
He placed my body on the bedsheets softly, and within seconds, his body was on top of mine. I realised how different it is to have sex with someone who wants you and who YOU want, as you are not the only one who is doing all the work. I didn't experience any sex other than with Alexander's, and the dynamics are insanely different compared to his and Riven's. Of course, one is my job, my duty, when the other is my gift and blessing. All I have to do is enjoy how he is controlling my body, as I was already half naked, while Riven was all dressed up still.
I decided to help him and slowly put my hand down as he proceeded to kiss my neck and chest, moving back and forth between these areas. As my hand went down, I felt something hard and hot underneath his pants.
How long did he hold himself together? For all the dates we spent together, every kiss we had...it must've been hard for him to resist, too.
I touched what was intensely radiating heat and pulled my arm back to his torso, as I wasn't sure if he wanted me to touch it. He grabbed my hand and pulled it further away, putting both of my arms on top of my head. He didn't skip a single second on breathing as he kept kissing me, while quickly unbuttoning his white shirt. My view became even more exciting, as I now admired Riven's well-toned body with slightly defined abs. He isn't a gym addict; he doesn't leave a healthy lifestyle either, as he told me, but what I was looking at still looks impressive. He kept intense eye contact with me every time our bodies would pull slightly apart, as he was constantly checking how I felt.
I started taking off the bralette on my own as Riven redirected his attention to my shoulder and collarbone. Every touch of his, every kiss, every slight bite gave me a euphoric feeling I can't compare to anything else in the world. There it was, the moment I was dreaming about, as any teenage girl before her first time. This experience was taken away from me, so tonight is how it should have been done, and I want to remember it all.
This entire time, Riven didn't show any sign of toxic dominance over me. As the moment got closer to the actual lovemaking, he slowly pulled my hips to him and placed one of the pillows underneath my lower back.
"What is this for..?" I asked while catching breath from a steamy makeout we had for the past twenty or thirty minutes.
"You will see...I want you to feel only good sensations there; this will help you relax more."
He put his body on top of mine and placed his arms around my head, locking me completely underneath him. He leaned his head closer to mine and whispered, "I love you, Charlotte."
Neither I nor he ever said that out loud. I was too scared to tell him, because I wasn't sure what his perspective on saying those words would be. Riven decided to say it right before we commit to ourselves physically, as he treats sex as an outcome of emotional love and connection.
I looked at him with my big eyes while I could feel his hand touching my extremely wet spot between my legs. I saw his eyes suddenly show slight shock, as I never knew I could become so soaked down there. He gave me a little smile and said, "I can feel you are ready".
He took a condom out of the bedside nightstand, which I initially thought was a decorative figure. My heart rate skyrocketed, as I was about to get close to Riven as I had never been before. He put the condom on so fast that I barely noticed he did, yet I didn't want to look down as I wanted to see his size and shape through the internal sensations.
He kissed my forehead and started slowly coming inside, where everything had been well prepared for some time. I felt how relaxed I am, as his entering process went smoothly. He almost dived in, as it felt so wet, like a waterfall. We both looked at each other, and I couldn't find any reaction other than giggling a little, as I knew what he was thinking.
"Well, I wasn't expecting you to be this ready..." he stated as he slowly started allowing himself to increase the speed as he was moving his hips closer and farther away from mine.
With him, it felt different, way better than having sex with him in my head, it felt... luminous. Sex with him felt gentle, pure, and emotionally driven, yet it didn't stop us from moaning and slightly intense movements. There was not a single thing that would make our sex dirty, and no actions from Riven were aggressive or lustful. As he was giving me pleasure in the most private area, he was sensually kissing my breasts, while all I could do was keep my eyes closed and moan.
We did it beneath the sheets and on top of them, we did it while he was on top of me, and we did it sideways while keeping eye contact with each other. Through the tsunami waves of joy, I was asking myself if he felt I was not a virgin or not, but Rita's lessons taught me that he most likely doesn't care.
At the peak, climax moment of our erotic activity, Riven whispered to me, "Please let me know when you are ready, as I want us to finish together".
His words made my insides flip upside down, as it sounded extremely caring and hot at the same time.
"I am...Now," I replied while holding myself not to scream, as the electric wave of pleasure shot me right in the pelvis area and started spreading out to every inch of my body, reaching my brain and making me on the egde of loosing consciousness.
We both had orgasm at the same time, and I felt for the first time what it is like to have it with someone. I felt the pulsating sensations coming from Riven's body as he was coming, which made me realise he did it while being inside of me.
Riven slowly pulled his body from me, and as he was catching his breath, he went straight to the bathroom, which was open and well-observed from my view. He threw the condom inside and went straight back to me.
I pulled a crinkly and messy bedsheet over my body, as I wanted to get cozy with him after what we did. He understood my desire and went under the sheets with me, and within a few moments, both of us were lying in bed with our sweaty, naked bodies covered.
"That was out of this world," I said to him, while avoiding eye contact.
Riven touched my face and gently moved it towards his direction, "Are you shy of what we did?" he said with a smile on his face, while being slightly shy himself.
I indeed was. My biggest insecurity was coming from the fact that he could sense I had sex before, and I wasn't sure if I showed it with my actions or behaviour, as sex with him was luminous but disarming. I couldn't control myself; all of my defenses and blocks were gone.
"It is just...feels unreal. We've been together for a few months, and this is the first time we are so close. I am not used to doing this with you, so yes..."
"It is unusual for me too to see you like this," he said, "But I couldn't ask for more. I enjoyed every second with you on this bed."
We started kissing again, but in a much lighter, less passionate form. Riven and I used our energy resources, and as it was way past midnight, we ended up falling asleep.
As I was falling asleep, I realised that I couldn't say "I love you" to him back. Why is that?