by S. E. Rose
Now it’s my turn to sigh. I run a hand through my hair. “Listen, Jack is good, really good at whatever the fuck he does. He knows security and I trust him one hundred percent. If he says you should go home, then I’m sending you home, even if it kills me to do it.” I pause and pull her face up to mine. “And it’s killing me to do this.”
“Then don’t,” she whispers as her eyes search mine.
“Oh, sweetness, I wish I didn’t have to, but for now…” I trail off and kiss her. “Please don’t be mad. I’m only doing it to protect you and it’s only for a few weeks, until we can get this resolved.”
“How do you know it’s only for a few weeks?” she asks, her eyes wide.
“Jack is on this and so is Bryce. I know they will resolve it quickly. I trust them. I trust them with my life and the lives of those I love.”
She nods. “Fine. But for the record, this fucking sucks.”
I laugh and lean my forehead against hers. “Yes, it does.”
I stand and reach for her hand to pull her up and into my arms. I give her one more hug before I call Bryce and explain our situation. He tells me to not touch anything, so that he can have Dean and Pierce fingerprint the room and look for evidence of why this occurred. I told him that Jack has relayed the same. Dean and Pierce had been finishing securing the boat and doing a perimeter check, but they are now standing outside my door, clearly giving us privacy until I am ready to speak with them.
I motion them in and let them do a sweep of the room. They have spoken to everyone but us. We tell them what happened. I stand by as they look around and dust for fingerprints. There, of course, aren’t any, so Vanessa and I clean up the room and get ready for dinner. Somehow, we manage to get ourselves ready in time.
“Let’s try to have fun tonight,” I say to her as I walk up behind her in the bathroom. She’s putting on lipstick while wearing only a corset and matching panties. She looks like a pinup girl from the 1950s with her hair in loose waves and her red lipstick. She doesn’t seem nearly as thin as when we first met. She looks healthier. I wrap my hands around her waist and pull her back against me, so she can feel exactly what I think of her.
“And then we can have some more fun later,” I whisper in her ear. Her eyes meet mine in the mirror, and I can see the lust as they travel down the line of my body. I’m wearing a suit, but with no tie. My top button is undone, and I haven’t shaved, since time didn’t allow it.
She swivels in my grasp so she’s facing me. Her hand comes up tentatively and touches my chin, her finger feeling the coarse hairs that are emerging through my pores.
“I like this,” she says softly, and she leans up and kisses me. I’m surprised that I have no lipstick on my lips when I pull back. She must see me looking because she gives a small laugh.
“It’s a stain, not a lipstick,” she explains as she runs a finger over it and onto her skin, showing me that it doesn’t rub off. I stare at her face. She’s so gorgeous, she doesn’t really need to put on all this stuff, but I can’t deny that those red lips are going to be the death of me tonight.
I hand her a dress that she has laid out, and she lets me slip it over her head and then zip the side up for her. It’s a beautiful dress made of satin and the yellow color brings out the blue in her eyes.
“You look stunning,” I tell her as I spin her around and claim her lips once more.
“Let’s have fun,” she says. I nod. It’s our last night together for a while and even though we are on edge from the event today, I want to spend these next twenty-four hours enjoying my family before I need to stay away from them for a few weeks, or maybe longer.
Chapter 18
Jesse’s Playlist: “Amsterdam” by Imagine Dragons
The party is perfect. My sister rented a room at the local yacht club. The room overlooks the Bay and the sailboats that are lined up in the water. It’s picturesque and couldn’t be more “Maryland” if she had tried. I smile a bit as I look around. No matter how long I’m gone from here, this is home. Memories of learning to sail with Dad come flooding back to me as I gaze out at the water. I feel Vanessa come up behind me and her small hand slowly comes to rest on my arm.
“You alright?” she asks, peering up at me through her long lashes that seem even longer this evening.
“Yeah, just memories is all,” I say vaguely on purpose. I don’t want to get into them now. I put my arm around her, and we stand looking out at the sailboats that go by as we wait for the others to arrive.
The party is actually a great distraction. Cousins, aunts, uncles, and family friends all arrive and my mother is beside herself with joy. I watch her, remembering when my dad died, wondering how she’s managed to cope for all these years. She’s such a strong person, stronger than I am. I keep my distance, enjoying being a voyeur to the entire spectacle. I introduce Vanessa to everyone as they mill around the room. Eventually, we are all seated at large circular tables for dinner, Maryland crab cakes of course or chicken for those who don’t do crab. Vanessa requests the crab cakes and I raise an eyebrow.
“You’re not going to get ‘crabbed’ out by tomorrow, are you?” I ask her.
She giggles and slaps me on the wrist. “No, when in Rome…,” she adds as she sips her wine.
My sister gets up and addresses the room first.
“I’d like to thank everyone for coming. We are so pleased to see each and every one of you and I know Mom is especially tickled that you all could be here with us to celebrate her seventieth birthday.”
“Twenty-nine!” Lily and Nick call out in unison, and there is a chuckle from everyone.
“Oh sorry, twenty-nine and forty-one years,” Laura adds before continuing. She smiles. “Mom, what can we say? You are an inspiration to us all. You finished raising us on your own. You put up with Jesse.” The room erupts in laughter once again. “You even put up with all of our crazy shenanigans as adults. You are a wonderful mother, wife, sibling, grandmother, and now great-grandmother, and we are so very glad to be here with you today.”
Laura raises her champagne glass, and everyone follows suit. “To Eleanor.” Everyone says cheers and clinks glasses with those sitting by them.
I stand up and look around and the room gets quiet once more. “I can’t top the woman who writes bestselling novels, but I do want to wish you the happiest of birthdays, Mom. You have been a rock for us throughout our lives. You are a pillar of strength in an otherwise unsteady world, and I’m not sure you’ll ever know how much that has meant to each and every person here tonight. We love you so very much. Happy birthday!” Again, everyone cheers as I raise my glass in salute to this amazing woman I call my mother.
My mom stands and smiles at everyone, tears in her eyes. “I just want to thank you all for attending tonight. I didn’t want to make such a big deal out of my birthday, but these two knuckleheads insisted.” She points to us and everyone laughs. “So, thank you. As you get older, you seem to spend less and less happy moments with your friends and family and so I guess I’m honored that you all have used this happy moment as an excuse to get together for a good time. Thank you.”
Everyone cheers again, and we settle into an amazing dinner. I watch Vanessa as she laughs and talks with my family. She’s so at ease. I was worried that with everything that had happened she wouldn’t be able to enjoy the party and, of course, I was also worried that my family would see a famous singer, instead of just a woman, an amazing, incredible woman. I love her! Oh shit, I love her. The thought hits me like a ton of bricks. I’ve fallen for this woman. It’s the first time the weight of that realization has hit me, and I’m momentarily taken aback by it.
Vanessa looks over at me, eyeing me quizzically. I try to cover my astonishment with a smile and nod. She studies me for a moment with a look that says, “we’ll talk about that later.” I raise an eyebrow, and she gives me a million-watt smile. I can’t help but give her back a shit-eating grin.
“You two are adorable,” Lily says as she leans
into me. I love my niece. She can be a royal pain in the ass, especially when she was a kid, but she’s turned into such a beautiful and caring young woman. I’m so proud of her.
“How are you, Lily pond?” I ask her as I place an arm around her shoulder.
“I’m alright,” she says, looking up at me. “Really, I am.” I nod. I know today’s craziness has to have weighed on her more than the others, except maybe her mother. Laura and Lily went through so much in the past few years. I hate that this keeps coming back to haunt our family.
“Any word yet on who’s doing this?” she asks in a hushed whisper as she bounces Rosa on her knee.
“No, not yet, but Jack and Bryce are on it, so we’ll have it sorted soon,” I say reassuringly.
“Good,” she answers before picking up her daughter to go and see her cousin Zoe who also got sucked into this nightmare. I shake my head at the misfortunes of my family and look back at Vanessa. She’s had a rough go of it lately, but her life seems like a walk in the park compared to some of the shit we’ve gone through recently.
My mom is making the rounds and sits down next to Vanessa. I watch as they chat like long-lost friends. They are laughing about something the twins did and it is as though Vanessa has been a member of the family forever.
My attention waivers as I see Jack answer a call and walk out of the room. I know that can’t be a good sign. I shudder to think what will happen next. He doesn’t reappear until the dinner plates are being cleared.
I make eye contact with him, and he gives a subtle shake of his head. He hasn’t heard anything yet that will resolve my problem. Vanessa looks my way, and I give her leg a gentle squeeze of reassurance. She smiles at me, but the smile doesn’t reach her eyes. I know she is worried and she’s trying to cover it. She’s brave and fiercely independent and I love that about her. Unlike other women I’ve slept with in recent years, she isn’t after my money since lord knows she has plenty of that.
The rest of the party is pleasant and fun and filled with laughter and love. I try to put up a wall around the shit-storm that is brewing and focus instead on my family and enjoying the precious time I have with them.
It’s nearly midnight by the time we head back to the house. Dean and Pierce drive Vanessa and me back and the others split up between three cars driven by other security. We leave last so that our extended friends and family don’t question the added security. The house is silent when we arrive. Our security does a quick sweep and allows us entry. I give my mom a quick peck on the cheek before Vanessa and I head up to bed.
I’d been secretly eyeing her dress all night. On occasion, the fabric would slip just enough to give me a slight peek at the amazing undergarments beneath it. I watch in partial awe and partial fascination as she slips off the dress and lays it over a chair. She stands in her corset, garter and stockings and high heels. She pulls a pin out of her hair and the long, blonde tresses come tumbling down onto her shoulders. Her red lip stain is still prevalent, and all my other thoughts fly out the window as I examine her from head to foot.
“Like what you see, Mr. Ryder?” she asks with a smirk.
“Oh, baby, I more than like what I see,” I murmur as I stroll toward her until I’m standing next to her. I can see goose bumps form on her arms. I smirk at her body’s responsiveness to mine. I lightly run my hands up her arms until I’m cupping her face. “You are so beautiful,” I say. “All of you.” I lean down and gently kiss her red lips. She tries to intensify the kiss, but I pull back and start again. I do this twice more, and she huffs a cute little sigh with frustration. “We’re taking this slow tonight, mon étoile. I want to cherish every precious second we have together. I want it branded in my memory.”
She closes her eyes and gives into my pace. We stand like that kissing, slowly, sweetly for a few minutes until I know she’s ready to burst. I lift her up and she wraps her legs around my waist. I walk us backwards until I feel the chaise lounge behind me. Then I set her down, and I take a seat in front of her. She smiles knowingly. She knows what I want. She moves to a silent song as she sways her hips and turns around and begins to painstakingly slowly unhook the multiple clips that hold the corset together. She’s actually quite adept at it, and I have to wonder if she wears these often with her over-the-top Hollywood ensembles. She reaches the last hook and slowly turns her head, so she can watch me as she undoes it and lets the corset fall to the ground. I hear myself suck in a breath.
She stands before me wearing only the matching panties, garter belt, stockings, and heels. She is slightly turned so I can just make out the silhouette of her breast. She’s breathtaking. She unclips the stockings next, slowly rolling them down each leg. She turns to place her foot next to my leg, so she can remove her shoes and stockings. I assist her, placing them on the floor beside me. Then as she begins to remove her panties, I place my hands over hers and look up at her. She pauses and lets me finish the task. I drag them down her legs and hold them, so she can step out of them. She has on only the garter belt now and she looks like sex personified. I remove that offending article as well, and I sit back to admire her. Those fucking red lips still beckon me. I pull her down so she sits straddling my lap. I cup her face in my hand, kiss her, harder than before, seeking entrance with my tongue, demanding she comply to my will.
She doesn’t fight it and responds in kind. I feel her unbuttoning my shirt. I help her remove it. Her small fingers undo my belt and unzip my trousers. She stands again and pulls my pants and boxer briefs down to the floor. I kick them and my socks off and pull her back onto my lap. She sits atop me, my cock wedged between our bodies.
“I’ve been wanting to do this all evening,” I murmur against her cheek.
“Me too,” she says.
I reach down between us and run my finger between her legs. She’s soaking wet and my cock hardens further as I feel her soft folds.
“Jesse,” she breathes into my neck. I lift her slightly and slowly bring her back down on me, impaling her on my erection. She feels so silky against me, and I keep her still for a moment once I’m buried all the way inside of her. I want to remember this moment in the coming weeks. I want to remember what it feels like to be buried inside this goddess.
I slowly thrust up, and she begins to move on top of me as I lean back against the chaise. I watch my dick disappear inside her, over and over and it’s like a pocket watch dangling in front of me, I’m completely mesmerized by her body as it sucks me in again and again. I don’t think I will ever get tired of watching myself moving inside of her; it’s hypnotizing.
Vanessa arches her back, and I feel her muscles begin to tighten around me. She’s close, so very close. I can feel my cock enlarging inside of her, but I fight the urge to explode. I continue to push her further over the edge. I arch my hips and slam deeply into her, rubbing my cock deep inside her channel against that spot I know will force her to lose control. She grips my upper arms and her body spasms as she whimpers my name. A moment later, her muscle spasms pull me into my own orgasm, and I feel myself shooting jet after jet into her.
Vanessa collapses on me, and I stroke her hair and her back as we both catch our breath. After a few moments, she props herself back up and looks into my eyes.
“Promise, you’ll still meet me in Moorea,” she whispers.
“Nothing will keep me from you, I promise,” I say as I kiss her forehead and tuck her back under my chin.
We lie there for a while until I hear her breathing slow. I can tell she’s fallen asleep with my semi-soft cock still inside her. It twitches back to life, and I begin to move again. She stirs, and I know the second she wakes because she stills for a moment and begins to thrust back against me. This time our lovemaking is even slower. We kiss and suck at each other until we climax once again.
I pick her up and carry her to our bed and tuck her back against me before pulling the covers over us and calling it a night.
Chapter 19
Jesse’s Playlist: “Whatever It Takes
” by Imagine Dragons
I wake first the next morning, and I grab her cell phone. Today I’m putting on some tracking software. I want to know where she is at all the time.
She stirs as I sit loading the software on her phone. She blinks and looks up at me.
“What are you doing, Jesse?” she asks and pushes herself up on her elbows.
“I’m loading some new tracking software onto your phone, mon étoile. I want to know where you are at all the time. I need to know you are safe, even when we aren’t together,” I say, and I hold my breath because I’m wondering if she’ll think I’m overstepping my bounds.
I show her the software. “See, that blue dot is me, and the red dot is you,” I explain, pointing to a map that comes up. My software does some other stuff, but the mapping feature is a pretty basic one that many other apps have as well.
“Do I have to be a red dot?” she asks. And I let my breath out. She’s OK with my need for control. She knows I’m doing this for her.
I laugh. “What color dot would you like to be, Vanessa?”
“Purple.” She smirks.
“Purple it is,” I say as I change the color and she nods with approval.
“Can I track you too?” she asks. I sigh and put a watered-down version of the software onto her phone, so she can do some of the things with it like see me on a map.
“There,” I say. I feel better now that she has extra security both in the electronic sense and in the actual bodies that are walking the perimeter of the house as we speak.
“Let’s go get breakfast,” she says as she takes my hand and leads me to the bathroom. “But first, I’d like to—”
I pick her up, and she squeals as I carry her into the shower and drop to my knees as I turn on the spray. I lick at her clit and spread her legs further apart, as she leans against the shower wall. I use my mouth, tongue, and fingers to bring her to an intense orgasm as I lap up my first breakfast before washing her. She returns the favor, and we make love once more. After a second washing, we head downstairs to join my family for a late Sunday morning brunch.