Pleasure System: Reborn Among Shifters

“Cassian? You home?” I pushed the door open with my hip, the takeout bag swinging from my wrist. No answer. I kicked off my heels and tried again, louder this time. “Cass? I got the job. The senior associate one. Come celebrate with me before the food gets cold.” Still nothing. Then I heard it. A soft, wet moan. Female. Followed by the unmistakable sound of skin slapping skin. My stomach dropped. I stepped further in. Cassian had Liora, my best friend bent over the arm of our couch, pants shoved down around his thighs, one hand fisted tight in her dark hair while the other gripped her hip hard. He was f*****g her deep and steady, hips snapping forward with wet, filthy sounds. “f**k… right there,” she gasped. “Harder, Cass, please…” He gave it to her. “Christ, you’re tight. Take it. That’s it, take every f*****g inch.” I stood there long enough for the bag to slip from my fingers and hit the floor. Cassian’s head snapped up. His hips stuttered but didn’t fully stop. “Ves…” Liora’s eyes flew open. She made a strangled sound and tried to push herself up. He pulled out fast. She yanked her skirt down, face red, chest heaving. My voice came out flatter than I expected. “Don’t.” Cassian scrambled for his jeans, d**k still half-hard and wet. “Baby, listen…” “I said don’t.” I looked at Liora. “Get the f**k out.” Her mouth opened. Closed. She grabbed her purse from the floor, nearly tripping over the coffee table. At the door she hesitated, one hand on the frame, thighs pressed together like she could hide the fact that his c*m was probably already leaking down them. “Ves, I…” “If you say you’re sorry I will throw something. Get out.” She left. The door clicked shut harder than necessary. Cassian finished shoving his c**k back into his jeans and ran a hand through his hair, “It didn’t mean anything.” I laughed, “You were balls-deep in my best friend on the couch we bought with my tax refund, grunting like a f*****g animal while she begged you to go harder. Try a different line.” “It was just s*x. We’ve been stressed. The wedding stuff, the job stuff… Liora was here dropping off that book she borrowed and one thing led to…” “Stop talking.” He took a step toward me. “You’re overreacting.” “Am I?” I bent, picked up the takeout bag, and set it carefully on the counter like it still mattered. My hands were shaking. I curled them into fists. “How long have you been f*****g her?” His jaw worked. “A couple months. Maybe three. It wasn’t… look, she came onto me first, okay? After that night we all went out for your birthday and you went home early because of the migraine…” “So it’s her fault you stuck your c**k in her.” “That’s not what I said.” “It’s exactly what you said.” I stared at the couch. “Did you even use a condom?” He flushed. “Jesus, Ves…” “Answer the question.” “No. We didn’t. But she’s on the pill, and I pull out with her, it’s not like…” “You pull out with her.” My stomach turned. “You’ve been raw-dogging my best friend for months and you’re standing here telling me the logistics like I’m supposed to be grateful you didn’t finish inside her today.” “It wasn’t like that every time.” “How many times, Cassian?” He looked away. “I don’t know. Ten? Fifteen? It wasn’t a regular thing.” “Fifteen times is a regular f*****g thing.” My voice cracked, I hated that. “Was it always here? In our apartment? On our furniture? Did you bend her over the same way you just did while I was at work, making her moan like that?” “Ves… its not needed…” I pressed my palms to my eyes until I saw stars. “Get your s**t and leave.” “We need to talk about this.” “We just did. You’re a cheating piece of s**t and she’s a shitty friend and I want both of you gone from my life. Pack a bag. Sleep at your mother’s. Or go finish what you started in Liora’s bed. I don’t care.” He moved closer. “You’re not thinking straight. We’ve been together six years. You’re really going to throw that away over some stress relief?” “Stress relief.” I laughed. “You know what I did today? I got the job. The one we’ve been waiting on. Senior associate. A salary that means we can finally stop counting every dollar. I came home early to tell you.l, bought your favorite food and I walked in to find you balls-deep in my best friend, telling her to take every f*****g inch while she moaned for you.” Something shifted in his face, “Baby…” “Don’t call me that.” “Vespera. Look. I’m sorry you had to see it. That was shitty. But it doesn’t change how I feel about you. You’re the one I’m marrying. Liora’s just… convenient. Easy. Tight. You’re the real thing.” “Convenient.” I stared at him. “She was my maid of honor. She helped me pick the f*****g cake.” “She still can be. We can work through this. Therapy. Whatever you need. I’ll stop seeing her. It was just good s*x… but it wasn’t love.” “Good sex.” I laughed, and this time it scraped. “You want me to sit in a therapist’s office and listen to you explain why my best friend’s p***y was a necessary stress outlet while we planned our wedding.” “That’s not fair.” “None of this is fair.” I walked past him into the living room. My phone was still in my coat pocket. I pulled it out. “I’m calling your mother.” Cassian’s entire body went rigid. “What?” “She likes me. She’s always liked me more than she likes you, if we’re being honest. She should know what her perfect son has been doing. Maybe then you’ll feel a fraction of the humiliation I’m drowning in right now. Maybe she’ll understand when I tell her how I walked in on you f*****g Liora like a cheap w***e on our couch.” “Don’t.” I unlocked the screen. My thumb hovered over her contact. “Why not? It’s just s*x, right? It’s nothing. She’ll understand that her son couldn’t keep his c**k out of my best friend for three months.” He crossed the room in three long strides. “You’re not calling her. You’re not telling anyone. We’ll handle this between us.” “Let go of me.” His hand closed around my wrist. Not gentle. “Put the phone down.” “Cassian…” “I said put it down.” He shoved me hard. My heel caught on the edge of the rug. I went backward and hit the sharp corner of the side table. The crack of my skull against was louder than I expected. Cassian’s voice sounded far away. “Ves… s**t… Vespera…” I tried to push myself up. My arms wouldn’t work right. The room tilted and Cassian’s face was the last thing I saw. Then the world went black. A soft blue light bloomed behind my closed eyes as a calm voice spoke, “Congratulations. You have been reborn…”