Determination

by S. E. Rose

  She shrugs and her stomach growls on cue. She giggles. “Maybe a little.”

  I help her stand and then lean down and kiss her again. I can’t seem to get enough of those lips. “I’ll order us some food while you finish.”

  “Alright,” she says as she continues stuffing items into her bag.

  Chapter 14

  Jesse’s Playlist: “Count on Me” by Bruno Mars

  The next morning Bryce arrives at 8:00 a.m. sharp. He’s dressed in a suit, sans the tie. I enjoy watching Vanessa’s reaction to meeting this man who looms over us like a giant. Her eyes widen, and I can see her swallow before she pulls herself together and invites him inside. He proceeds to go over his security suggestions for Vanessa. I interject here and there with suggestions of my own since I’ve been out here a few days and have a better feel for the lay of the land. Bryce agrees, and by 9:00 a.m., Vanessa is signing a contract. By 9:30 a.m., Bryce has Dean Logan assigned to Vanessa and several other folks to attend to various security responsibilities both at her house and when she is out in public.

  “Thanks for coming here on such short notice,” I say to him as we walk him out.

  “Not a problem. We’re still working on your situation, Jesse. To be honest, I have been working with Jack to take a look at some things. He may be able to fill you in more since you’re seeing him this week.” Bryce gives me a hard look, and I know he knows about my sudden change in scheduling.

  “Vanessa will be with me through the weekend. We’re stopping in Ohio tonight.”

  “I know,” he says and looks back at us. “Please be careful.” He gives me a hard look that probably would scare some people, but I just nod as I shut the door.

  Vanessa leans against the wall. “Wow,” she says as she looks up at me. “He’s…well…he’s intense.”

  I chuckle. “That’s one way of putting it. Come on, let’s get moving.”

  She nods. On the way to the airport, she makes some phone calls, and by the time we’re closing the doors on the aircraft, she has spoken to two potential publicists and a potential agent.

  Irma walks over to us and introduces herself to Vanessa. “Is there anything I can get you before we take off?” she asks, and she gives me a wink. I roll my eyes.

  “Two glasses of champagne, please,” I say to her, and she nods and quickly sets about getting us a drink.

  Adam finishes his pre-flight check and turns back to us. “We’re about to wrap up here, and we are cleared for takeoff. My co-captain, Scott, and I are going to stay with you for both the Ohio and Maryland legs of your trip this week.”

  “Great, thanks, Adam,” I say, and he nods to us and closes the cockpit door.

  A few moments later, Irma hands us champagne glasses and heads back to the galley to prepare what I suppose will be a late lunch.

  “Cheers,” I say to Vanessa as I clink glasses with hers. “To a successful day for you. You’ve clearly made progress in assembling a new team.”

  She smiles. “I have. Thanks for all your help.”

  “My pleasure.”

  “So, who exactly am I meeting later today?”

  She giggles and takes a sip of her champagne. “Well, my younger brother, Jackson, and my parents.”

  “Alright, sounds fun.”

  She rolls her eyes but gives me a giant grin. “It will be. Thank you. I really am looking forward to seeing them. I’ve missed them all so much. It’s hard having them there and me being here and all.”

  “Do they come visit often?”

  “Sure, but my parents still work, and Jackson just graduated from grad school, so they’re busy.”

  “What does he do?”

  “He just got his MBA. He’s doing marketing for a bank.”

  Irma pops her head into the cabin. “Can I grab your glasses? We’re about to take off.”

  “Sure thing, Irma,” I say as I take Vanessa’s and my glasses and hand them to her. I can tell she’s waiting to see if we need anything else.

  “We’re good, Irma. I think we’ll rest for a while. It’s been a long few days.”

  “Very good, sir. I’ll be prepping lunch. It should be ready in about an hour.”

  “Thank you.”

  I turn to Vanessa who is looking at her phone. “Why don’t you get some rest?” I tell her.

  She looks up at me. “I’m alright. I’m too excited to sleep.”

  I raise my eyebrows. “Oh really.”

  She smirks at me and looks back toward the bedroom on my plane. “Well, maybe I should lie down for a while. But only if you join me.”

  I smirk at her. “I suppose that can be arranged.”

  Once we reach cruising altitude, we head back to the bedroom. It’s small but has a queen-sized bed and two small side tables. There’s a bathroom off the bedroom in addition to the one off the main cabin. It’s not bad as airplane bedrooms go.

  Chapter 15

  Jesse’s Playlist: “This Town” by Niall Horan

  Vanessa looks around and I watch her carefully. I know she’s been on private jets before, so this shouldn’t be anything she hasn’t seen in the past.

  “Make yourself at home,” I say with a wave of my hand. She nods and thanks me before sitting on the edge of the bed.

  “Your jet is very nice,” she says, giving me a shy smile.

  “Thank you.”

  I saunter over to her and stand with my legs grazing her knees. “What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?” I ask her as she gazes up at me.

  I see her swallow before she answers me, but she doesn’t look away. “Jesse…I…” She trails off and looks around the room and it hits me all of a sudden. She’s never done this on a plane before and that makes me very happy. I fall to my knees and kneel in between her legs. My face is now almost at the same level as hers. I cup her face and run my fingers over her cheek and jaw. Her eyes are wide and focused on me. And very slowly I lean in until our lips touch ever so slightly. She trembles slightly as I pull her against me.

  My hands stroke her hair, and I run my tongue along the seam of her lips until she grants me entry. I make love to her mouth, slowly and deliberately, showing her exactly what I want to do to her with my cock. I feel the goose bumps on her arms as I run my hands down them. Then I carefully push her back onto the bed and crawl over her, pulling her up until we reach the pillows. I take my time undressing her, one button and zipper at a time. I want to savor this, like opening a birthday present I’ve coveted or the package that’s been sitting under the Christmas tree for weeks. I take off my clothes, and I lay myself down next to her, skimming her breast, stomach, and thigh with my fingers.

  “God, you’re beautiful,” I murmur with appreciation.

  “Jesse, please,” she begs, squirming under my light caress.

  I place a finger over her lips. “We have hours, mon étoile,” I whisper as I bend over and kiss her again. Her lips are soft and smooth. I slowly trail kisses down her neck. Then I direct my attention to her breasts and nipples. They are so perfect, and I tell her that before continuing my leisurely path down her stomach until I reach my final destination. I spread her legs apart and gaze at her sex. I can see the rising and falling of her belly increase under my intense stare. I run a finger between her folds, spreading her apart so I can see more of her, and she whimpers.

  “You’re perfect,” I say as I bring my mouth to her clit and begin to suck and lick until I hear her breath coming hard and fast and then I plunge two fingers into her and she cries out almost immediately, her muscles clenching around my fingers so hard I can’t move them for a moment.

  I don’t stop until her spasms subside, and I can feel her body relax into the mattress. Then I slowly make my way back up to her face.

  Our eyes are locked on one another as I slip inside her, one inch at a time, pulling back and pushing in until my cock is fully planted inside her heat. She feels so good, like home, and I push aside that notion as I let myself lose all frame of reference. I pump i
nside of her over and over like a piston in a Porsche. She claws at the bed and down my back, and I feel a tweak of pain, but I keep going, pushing her higher until I feel her on the edge again, and then I slam into her as deep as I can. She clenches like a vise around me, and I lose all control. I cry out her name, and she screams mine before we both collapse onto the bed in a tangled pile of limbs.

  I lie partially covering her for a few moments until I recover, and I turn my head to gaze at her. I can see the admiration in her eyes, and I smile. “Welcome to the mile-high club,” I murmur as I press a quick kiss to her lips. She smirks.

  “You are so damn cocky,” she says.

  I laugh and shrug. “Let’s grab a shower and then we should get some sleep.” I let her shower first. I want nothing more than to accompany her, but the shower is way too small in the airplane for the both of us, and quite frankly, I’d just want to fuck her again if I followed her in there.

  Afterwards, Vanessa curls against me, and we both fall fast asleep.

  Adam’s voice wakes us. “Jesse, we’ll be landing in about thirty minutes.”

  It’s dark out as we’ve lost time traveling east. Vanessa stretches next to me and makes a cute, little groaning sound. I realize we’ve slept straight through lunch.

  “Wake up, baby. We’re almost there,” I murmur in her ear.

  “Ten more minutes,” she groans and rolls over. I laugh and grab her, pinning her to the bed and suddenly she looks very much awake.

  “I’m afraid ten more minutes isn’t possible, mon étoile,” I say as I lean down and kiss her. I roll us over and she laughs.

  “OK. OK,” she says. “I’m getting up.”

  I tickle her, and she laughs and pushes against me. I lean back down and give her a quick kiss before slapping her ass and heading toward the main cabin. She follows behind me, and we buckle our seat belts. Irma brings us both a drink and some food before we land.

  Pierce and Dean have a car pulled up outside the jet in a matter of minutes. They were so quiet on the flight, I actually forgot they were there. They grab our bags and have already put the directions to Vanessa’s parents’ home in a navigation system.

  About twenty minutes later, we pull into a quiet neighborhood. It looks very quintessential American. The streets are tree-lined, the houses all look similar. I can tell they are about fifteen years old.

  “My parents built this house when I was a kid. We used to live a few neighborhoods over,” she explains as Dean meanders through streets that are all named after trees. The houses are a decent size, on half-acre lots with plenty of trees and big lawns filled with green, neatly trimmed grass. Every driveway has lights.

  We pull up to a pleasant-looking two-story house made of brick and siding. There’s a small front porch and a two-car garage. There’s a smaller side door near the garage. The house is on a corner lot and the garage sticks out behind it, facing the one street, while the front faces another street. Vanessa walks us up to the side door and rings a doorbell. I can hear “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” being played by the doorbell. I chuckle.

  Vanessa rolls her eyes. “My parents are well…you’ll see,” she says as the door swings open.

  A tall, thin man beams as he looks down at Vanessa.

  “Daddy!” she exclaims and jumps into his arms. He grips her tightly and spins her around and I can’t help but smile at the love between them.

  “Hey, sweet pea,” he says and kisses her cheek. “I missed you.”

  A curvy, middle-aged woman with the same big blue eyes and blonde hair as Vanessa appears next to her husband. “Please come in,” she says ushering Dean, Pierce, and myself inside the small alcove. “Let me take your things,” she says reaching for the bags.

  “We got it, ma’am,” says Dean.

  “Vanessa, where’s Kev?” her dad asks.

  Vanessa opens her mouth to answer, but no sound comes out and then her eyes well. “Oh, Daddy,” she cries and buries her head against his chest.

  “Shhhh, sweet pea. Let’s go to my study,” he says and puts an arm around her. He turns quickly to me.

  “Sorry, I’m Stan. It’s a pleasure to meet you, but I think sweet pea and I have some catching up to do, if you don’t mind,” he says softly as he rubs his daughter’s arm.

  I nod. “No worries, sir. I’m Jesse. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  We shake hands, and he walks Vanessa down a hallway that takes them behind the garage.

  The woman is busy with Dean and Pierce. “There’re four guest rooms upstairs. Vanessa’s room is the first door on the right and please feel free to choose whichever rooms you’d like.”

  She is walking them down the other hallway into the kitchen area and then past it. I’m guessing she’s taking them upstairs. I can’t help the magnetic pull, and I head in the direction of Stan’s study. I can hear Vanessa weeping, and through a slit in the open door, I can see her curled up in a ball on her father’s lap. They are sitting on a dark brown leather love seat and a gas fireplace is turned on next to them. The only other light comes from one of those old antique lamps with the green glass shade that stands on a giant dark wood desk on the other side of the room. The room screams man with all the dark woods and dark greens. But the built-in shelves are lined not only with books, but also with photos, giving it a warm feeling. I watch my girl, curled up on her father’s lap and I can imagine what she was like as a child. They are speaking, but in soft whispers and I don’t know what they are saying even though I’m only fifteen feet away.

  A tap on my arm has me spinning around to see Vanessa’s mom.

  “Why don’t you come with me? Vanessa and her dad will only be a few minutes. They…well, those two have a special bond. I think she needs him at the moment,” she says warmly. “I’m Elaine, by the way.” She holds out a hand, and I shake it. She really does look very much like Vanessa. She’s a little thicker around the middle, but she’s clearly still very fit. I remember Vanessa saying something about her mother being a ballerina, and I can see that. She’s not tall, but certainly not short. Her arms and legs are still slender and well-muscled. And she does that strange stance with her feet that I’ve seen other ballerinas do. She has her hair pulled back in a bun and it shows off her high cheekbones. She really does look like an older version of her daughter, only slightly taller.

  She takes my hand, like a small child, and leads me toward their kitchen. She motions for me to sit down at an old, round oak table and I do. The kitchen is very traditional with oak cabinets and granite countertops. It looks to have been redone in the past decade, but not recently. There are family pictures everywhere throughout the house. I see one of Stan and Elaine on their wedding day, and I lean closer to view it. They were quite a good-looking couple.

  “Can I get you a drink?” Elaine asks.

  “Sure,” I say, turning to look at her. She smiles, and I can’t help but feel automatically comfortable around her. She’s very motherly and kind and doesn’t strike me at all to be a ballerina. Not that there’s a stereotype, but she just isn’t what I pictured in my mind.

  “I have soda, water, wine, bourbon, and orange juice,” she says with a smile. “Oh, or coffee or tea.”

  “Water is fine, thank you,” I say to her. She hands me a glass of water and takes a seat across from me.

  “How was your flight?” she asks.

  “It was good. We caught up on some much-needed sleep.”

  Elaine looks in the direction of the study, and then back at me. “OK, spill it. I know something is up,” she says with an air of mischief in her voice. I laugh even though it’s really not funny.

  My laughter subsides quickly, and I run my finger around the rim of the glass. “Well, I’m not sure if I should tell the story.”

  “Yes, you should,” she insists.

  “You were aware that your daughter recently had a stalker?”

  “Yes, but I thought that had been addressed,” she says with a frown.

  “Well, it had b
een. However, we were followed the other day and, well, it led to my security firm investigating, and they uncovered a whole lot more than they anticipated.”

  “Such as?” Elaine asks.

  “Such as, Vanessa’s manager and bodyguard were stealing money from her and using her for their own purposes. We, of course, fired them all immediately, and I had her hire Bryce Gallagher for security, who I use. She’s working on getting a new publicist, manager, and agent. Dean is her new head of security. Pierce is mine.”

  Elaine takes a deep breath and holds back some tears. “Wow, that’s a lot. I had no idea. She’s so headstrong, even as a girl. I hate that she lives out there on her own, but she won’t have it any other way.”

  I put a hand over hers and squeeze it. “It’s OK,” I say. I nod toward the office. “She’s actually handling it better than I thought she would. She’s amazingly strong.”

  Elaine nods. “Yes, she is. She’s been through a lot.” I’m not sure what she means exactly, but I have a feeling I’ll be finding out sooner rather than later.

  “So, you’re the Jesse she met on vacation?” Elaine asks.

  “Yep, guilty,” I say with a grin.

  “What is it that you do, Jesse? Vanessa said something about business.”

  “I own a company, ma’am.”

  “Oh, don’t ma’am me. Just call me Elaine. What type of company?” she asks.

  “Mostly communications.”

  “Oh? That’s nice,” Elaine says as she stares at me. I think she’s trying to size me up, but our discussion is halted by a presence in the doorway.

  “Hey, Mom,” a young man says.

  “Oh, I didn’t hear you come in, dear,” she says as she rises to give him a quick hug and kiss on the cheek.

  “Jackson, this is Jesse. He’s…here with your sister,” she continues. I want to correct her, to say I am her boyfriend, to lay some kind of claim to her, but I decide that I should let Vanessa have that conversation with her parents.

  “Oh, hi. I’m Jackson, Vanessa’s brother,” he says as he extends a hand to me.