All the Wrong Places

by Jerilee Kaye

  She leaned her head back further, as she raised her arm over her, putting her hand over his neck, completely surrendering to him.

  “Jin…” she breathed, feeling the wave of pleasure taking over her.

  He was merciless. He was pounding her hard and fast. He was rubbing her button tirelessly. He was sucking on her skin with complete abandon. She was moaning loudly, calling his name over and over.

  Finally, she felt it. The rush of ecstasy took over her in waves she couldn’t control. It was the most powerful one she had all night, when she thought the last one was more than enough for her to handle.

  “Oh God damn it, Jin!” she screamed. “Oh God!”

  She felt a rush of liquid burst from inside her, intensifying her pleasure even more. She could feel her juices dripping down her thighs. She leaned back mindlessly against his body. He pulled her closer, catching her but never stopped pumping.

  “Fuck!” he cursed. He held her by the hips and kept pounding on her unrelentingly. “I’m coming, baby!”

  He came inside her. He wrapped his arms around her as she lay her head against his shoulder and held his neck towards her.

  When it was over, she opened her eyes, he was staring back lazily. He leaned his head against hers as he drew heavy breaths.

  It was intense. For both of them.

  He leaned forward and gave her one firm kiss.

  “That was incredible!” he breathed.

  “I know,” she whispered, still catching her breath.

  He kissed her shoulder and then he gently pulled out of her. A pool of liquid flowed down her thighs.

  “Damn!” he whispered. “That’s hot!”

  She stood up and stared back at the sofa in horror. “God, I think I made a wet mess,” she said. Her cheeks burned in embarrassment.

  Jin chuckled. “Oh, ma belle!” He stood up beside her and he pulled her to him, hugging her. “We made a wet mess.”

  “I think your sofa is ruined.”

  He laughed. “And it was all worth it!” He kissed her cheek. “You’re amazing!”

  “Do you have a restroom here?”

  “Yeah. Beside the bar,” he replied. “Come. I’ll guide you. It’s dark there.”

  He held her hand and guided her towards the bar. He lit another lamp and opened the door on the right corner of the room. He placed the lamp on top of a cabinet.

  The bathroom was completely tiled, completely private. And it was all white and immaculately clean.

  “This toilet is not for the use of the guests. Just me, when I was staying here long hours to paint. It’s clean. There are some towels on the cabinet. Feel free to use it.”

  She nodded. “Thanks.”

  As soon as she was alone, she looked at her face in the mirror. The light from the lamp was not bright enough but she could clearly see her flushed face and the marks on the base of her neck and shoulders.

  There was no doubt, she looked like a woman who’s been thoroughly… sexually satisfied.

  She took a moment to wash her face and clean herself. Then she realized that Jin came in her twice. She wasn’t on the pill. She had been too caught up in the moment to tell him that.

  Her mind raced through the dates. She had always been regular, so her fertile days were always set. She knew she just had her period a week ago. She breathed in relief. She should still be safe.

  She stared back at her reflection in the mirror.

  What just happened?

  She completely surrendered to the man she first gave her body to. There was just something about his touches and his kisses that made her mind go blank. He charged her sexually. And this time was so much better than the first time they were in bed together.

  We were two consenting adults. We both wanted it.

  She was mature enough to recognize that she’s a woman with needs too. And tonight, Jin Starck just filled that void she’d had for years. There was nothing to be embarrassed about. The sex was great! And she would not ask him for anything in return.

  Well, maybe just for his silence!

  Her family cannot know about this. This is far too complicated! As if him being Jared’s biological father wasn’t perplexing enough.

  We both know this was just a one-night thing.

  Beyond this… would be civility. We won’t be friends. We won’t be lovers. And someday, when Jared is old enough, I will tell him the truth. And he can be part of his son’s life if he wanted to.

  Tonight would not change anything. He was still going to marry that heiress to gain business advantage.

  I’m not going to be in the way of Jin Starck’s original plans.

  When she came out of the bathroom, she found that Jin had cleaned up the mess they made on the sofa. She saw that there was a new sheet draped on top of the sofa and he also found a new throw blanket.

  “Where do you get these sheets?”

  “Housekeeping kept them here in case I get tired of painting and would like to take a rest.”

  She looked up at him. He was smiling at her gently. Then he kissed her forehead.

  “It’s only five in the morning,” he said. “Sleep first. I will call for help later in the morning.”

  Julianne lay on the sofa while Jin went to the restroom. She felt comfortable but a little cold. Soon, he returned to the sofa and lay down beside her. He gathered her in his arms and tucked the blanket to her chin. She rested her head on his shoulder.

  “Do you have a signal already?” she asked.

  “No,” he replied. “Even if I did, I wouldn’t call for help just yet.”

  “Why?”

  She stared up to look him in the eye.

  He smiled, but that smile did not touch his eyes. “Because I want to savor this moment that you chose to stay with me.”

  She took a deep breath and shook her head. “I cannot undo the past, Jin. What’s done is done.”

  She was ruined. She was disinherited. She was unmarriageable by her father’s definition.

  She may not be rich anymore. She may have lost all her inheritance. She may be struggling to make ends meet at times.

  But she was happier. She had a wonderful son. And she had escaped a marriage to a horrible man. What could be better than that?

  “And tonight…” she sighed. “Tonight should never have happened.”

  “Ssshh…” he said. “Don’t say that. It was an incredible night.”

  “I know, Jin. But this… no one can know about this,” she said. “It’s going to complicate things.”

  “Because?”

  “We have a common family, Jin,” she said. “I don’t want to complicate this. It won’t be good for Adrienne and Justin. And Justin had always been pretty protective of me. Sometimes, worse than Gian.”

  “Why? Do you think I won’t live up to his standards?”

  She shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. You’re still Jin Starck. And you were supposed to marry some hotel heiress, remember?”

  He fell silent. And she knew he was realizing the implications of what had just happened between them.

  He was looking at the ceiling, lost in his own thoughts.

  “We had a night of indiscretion. We both wanted it. I admit that much. But it can’t happen again. And no one can know about it. Do you agree?” she asked him.

  Instead of answering, he took a deep breath and pulled her to him, kissing her gently on the forehead. “Sleep now, Arabella. I’ll wake you up when it’s time to go.”

  She sighed heavily. She knew that he realized what she meant. And she didn’t know whether to feel happy or sad about it.

  She didn’t know what’s going on in his mind. He didn’t even answer her question.

  But silence means yes.

  14.

  That morning, the signals had been restored when they woke up. After dressing up, Jin called the security to rescue them from the glass house. He escorted her back to her room. They were both quiet, each one lost in their own thoughts.

  Before she w
ent to her room, she thanked him and he just nodded at her. The look on his face was serious, somewhat dark and humorless, and she had no idea what was going on in his mind. He looked different from the man she slept with last night. He looked cold and reserved now when he had been so unguarded last night.

  As soon as she got inside her room, she checked her phone for messages or missed calls. There was none. She decided to call Adrienne.

  “Is Jared okay?”

  “Yeah. How about you? Everything okay? Is the weather better there?”

  “Yeah. I’m coming home,” she replied.

  “Okay, no worries. Everything is under control here. We’re doing fine. Jared is doing fine,” Adrienne assured her.

  “Thank you, Yen. Sometimes, I wish I didn’t have to work these long hours. But I’m a single mom and I have to work doubly hard for Jared’s future.”

  “Don’t feel guilty about it, Ian,” Adrienne said to her. “You’re a superwoman. Not many women can do what you do, being a father and a mother for your kid at the same time.”

  “I will do anything for Jared,” Julianne said firmly. “He deserves the best. I grew up having the best things in life. I want my child to lack for nothing.”

  “You’re doing a good job, Ian. We all think so,” Adrienne said. “Anyway, I need to go. I’m cooking. Justin is craving for some stroganoff.”

  “Don’t you have at least two cooks?” Julianne teased.

  “We do. But you know, I’m the cook that Justin liked best. So, I have to finish this before he comes home from his meeting.”

  “Okay, go. I’ll see you later.”

  After taking a long bath, Julianne dressed in a long-sleeved turtleneck sweater. She was thankful that she brought it because she needed to cover a great deal of skin around her neck and shoulder area. They were full of kiss marks—courtesy of Jin Starck!

  Then she took a concealer and foundation to cover the bruise near her lip—the one that Patrick gave her.

  A few minutes after, she heard a knock on her door. It was room service. Jin had sent breakfast for her.

  After eating, she packed all her bags, ready to go. The weather was calmer now and the storm had passed.

  The roads were clearer and she called Justin’s driver to pick her up. The sooner she got out of this place, the sooner she could clear her head. She still could not wrap her head around the fact that she had slept with Jin Starck—again.

  She decided to go down to the reception to settle her bill. She waited while they checked out her room. The lady at the reception looked confused when she looked at her screen. Then she picked up the phone to talk to her manager. After a minute she turned to her and said, “You’re clear, Miss Sanders.”

  “What? I haven’t paid yet.”

  “Well, there is no bill,” she said. “The room that you stayed in was not supposed to be rented out. So, we can’t bill it from the system.”

  “What do you mean it’s not supposed to be rented out?”

  “I’m saying that room personally belongs to Mister Starck. And you are his guest. So, we can’t bill you. You can take it up with him, if you wish.”

  “Alright,” Julianne said, shaking her head slightly.

  “We hope you enjoyed your stay with us,” she smiled at her brightly.

  She took her bag and walked to the front entrance to wait for her driver. She would find a way to thank Jin later.

  As she waited for her car, Jin suddenly appeared beside her. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a black hooded jacket. His hair still looked damp from the shower.

  Without a word, he took the bag she was carrying in her hand.

  “Wait, what are you doing?” she asked.

  A green Ferrari stopped in front of them. Instead of replying, Jin handed her bag to the valet and then he opened the car’s passenger door.

  “Get in,” he said.

  “No. I have my own ride, thank you very much.”

  “Yeah, you do. Me,” he said. “Get in.”

  “No. I’m waiting for my driver to come.”

  “And he’s not coming. I told Adrienne that since I’m here as well, and on the way to their house, I could drive you home instead. She agreed,” he explained. Then he motioned for her to get into the car. “So, will you get in by yourself or will you need me to carry you?”

  Julianne groaned as she got inside the car. When Jin started driving, she looked out the window and refused to look at him.

  Adrienne!

  She had no doubt that Adrienne was ecstatic when Jin offered to drive her home. After all, they’re like one family.

  Well, how was Adrienne to know that the nephew-in-law that she so adored was actually related to her, not just by affinity, but by blood?

  This is screwed up!

  She felt Jin touch her hand. He gave it a gentle squeeze.

  “Relax, Arabella. I don’t bite,” he said. “Well… except in bed.”

  She glared at him and to her surprise he just laughed. He pulled her hand towards his lips and gave it a gentle kiss.

  “You smell good,” he whispered. “Like last night.”

  “Jin…” She snatched her hand away from him. “Can we just…”

  “What? Forget what happened last night?” he asked, cutting her off. He raised a brow at her.

  “Yeah?”

  “You’re crazy if you think I will forget what happened between us last night, ma belle,” he said.

  “But didn’t we agree this morning that no one can know about this? And that it can’t happen again? For the sake of our families?”

  He raised a brow at her for a brief moment and then he looked straight ahead on the road.

  “Yeah, I heard you saying that. But I do not remember agreeing, ma belle,” he said.

  “Jin Starck!” she raised her voice as she glared at him.

  He chuckled, “See? Just now, I think you’re the fiercest and most beautiful creature on earth,” he said. “No. Sorry. I can’t promise what you ask of me.”

  She sighed in frustration. “This is so screwed up.”

  “Why?”

  “You’re Adrienne’s brother! I’m Justin’s cousin! You’re a hotel magnate. I’m a nobody. You’re supposed to be engaged to some hotel heiress! I am raising a son on my own. This is very complicated,” she groaned. “And you… you’re a… monster! You have a heart of stone, if you have a heart at all! You have no regard for other people’s emotions, especially women. You don’t do relationships. Everything is temporary with you. What we did last night, was just a one-night stand. Nothing more. We have no future. I know you that much.” She paused to take a breath. Then she continued, “It’s better to stop this now… before we end up hurting each other. Before we end up hurting Justin and Adrienne.

  “Adrienne loves you very much! She’s been through a lot with her previous family. She waited so long to have a family like yours. And Justin will kill for Adrienne, you know that. But my brother and my cousins will kill for me too.” She shook her head. “You’ve decided to marry Vanessa Bernard to fulfill your promise to your parents. Choose another playmate, Jin. If you love your sister that much… if you respect Justin at all… please. Not me.” She bit her lower lip to help hold back the tears from rolling down her cheeks.

  He was quiet all throughout her monologue. He was looking ahead on the road and Julianne wasn’t even sure if he had already tuned her out, or if anything she said went through his head at all.

  “I think last night is another secret we should bury with us. Along with our past.”

  He still didn’t say anything, but she noticed his grip on the steering wheel tighten. His brows were drawn together and the look on his face was sullen.

  “Jin…” she whispered.

  He didn’t reply.

  “Jin…” she said a little louder.

  Finally, he took a deep breath. But instead of replying to her request, he said, “Rest for a while, Arabella. It’s a long drive home.”

  That’s
it? Did any of the words I say even get through to him?

  She sighed and then she leaned back on her seat. She decided to let it go. She said her piece. He was a smart man who already had his future drawn out. He knew what was best for all of them. He loved his sister very much. He knew the right thing to do—for the sake of everybody.

  To avoid further arguments, she closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. After a while, she was no longer pretending. The next thing she knew, Jin was tapping her cheek lightly. When she sat up on her seat, he was looking ahead, avoiding her eyes.

  “We’re here,” he informed her.

  They have reached the Adams’s Mansion. Jin went out of the car and opened the passenger door for her.

  “Thanks,” she murmured.

  He nodded. “Go ahead,” he said. “Obviously, we can’t walk up there side by side and look like we enjoyed that car ride together.”

  “Jin…”

  “Go, ma belle,” he said in a firm but gentle tone. “I’ll come up shortly.” He took her bag from the trunk. She held out her hand to get her bag. He shook his head. “I’ll hand this over to your maid.”

  “I can carry my own bag,” she argued.

  “I know,” he said evenly. “I just don’t want you to.”

  “Jin!”

  “Go, ma belle! I’m sure Jared missed you!”

  “Mommy!” She heard her son call out to her. She turned towards the direction of his voice.

  Jared was descending the front steps. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a black hooded shirt. He ran to Julianne and she caught him in her arms.

  “I missed you!” he said. “You said you were going to be quick! You didn’t come home for two days!”

  “I know, sweetheart. I’m sorry. I was working and then there was a horrible storm. The roads were terrible,” she explained.

  “I wish you didn’t have to work all the time,” he said, pouting. “How come Aunt Adrienne doesn’t work at all? She’s always here with us?”

  “Because…” she started but she trailed off, not quite knowing how to explain to a six-year-old the concept of single parenthood.

  “Because Uncle Justin has to work for the family, kiddo,” Jin interrupted behind them. “Your mom has to do what Uncle Justin and Aunt Adrienne do all at the same time.”