by K. Webster
“Andi, let me use your phone. I’m going to ask my mom if I can borrow some of her jewelry. She is forever going to fancy events, and I bet she’ll have something to go with this.”
She handed it over to me, and I smiled at my reflection as it rang. The dress went all the way to the floor, so I would need to wear high heels. I bet Andi had something I could use.
“Andi darling, how are you?” my mother breezily asked into the phone.
“Mom, it’s me, Pepper. I’m calling from Andi’s phone. Mine is being replaced.”
“Hi, sweetie. Everything okay?” she asked, concern lacing her voice.
“Yeah, everything’s fine. I was wondering if I could borrow some jewelry for the gala Thursday night. Andi and I just found the perfect dress, but it just needs a little something extra to complete the look.”
“Why of course, darling. Will you have a date?” she questioned in a hopeful tone that made me feel guilty for not ever trying to date after the Cole incident.
“Actually, I do have a date. We’re sort of casually seeing each other, but he’s a good guy. You and Daddy would like him. I think everyone likes him.” I hadn’t meant to tell her about Jordan, but I wanted to make her proud.
“Oh my God, Elizabeth! This is exciting news. You must bring him for dinner tomorrow evening. We’ll rifle through my jewelry then. Text me a picture so I can pull some pieces that might work.” She was talking excitedly, and I wasn’t about to correct her for calling me Elizabeth. If anyone could get away with calling me that, it would be Mom.
“I’ll ask him. I can’t promise that he won’t be busy, but we’ll see. See you tomorrow, Mom. Love you.”
“Love you too, hon.”
After I hung up, I handed the phone back to Andi so she could take a picture to send to Mom.
“Let’s get this bought and run by the apartment to drop it off. The margaritas at dinner were great, but I want to have some more drinks with my best friend. We need to catch up. I need to hear more about you and Jordan,” she said eagerly.
I rolled my eyes because I didn’t know how to explain how I felt about things right now. “Fine, whatever. Do you have shoes that will go with this?” I was trying to change the subject about Jordan.
“Pepper, does the desert have sand?” she laughed as she unzipped my dress. When my dress fell to the floor, her eyes skittered over me.
“You’re worse than a man, Andi,” I declared, pulling my jeans back on.
“What? A woman can appreciate another woman’s beauty. Pepper, you have a rocking body that nobody ever gets to see. I bet Jordan can’t get enough of you. You definitely were born to be a Victoria’s Secret model. Ooh, maybe Olive can get you the hookup into the industry,” she teased, wagging her eyebrows at me.
“I’d die a thousand brutal deaths before I even considered the possibility of ever doing that.”
Giggling, she slapped me on the ass and left the dressing room. God, she was such weirdo sometimes.
After our workout and dinner, I drove us over to Dempsey’s. We both wanted to catch up with our friend Ian, and I needed a drink.
“Jackson, Jordan!” Ian called from the bar as we walked inside.
“What’s up, man?” I patted him on the back when he walked up to me.
“Another slow Monday. I’m going to have to figure out a way to bring more business in otherwise I’ll have to close on Monday nights.”
“I’m sure you’ll figure something out, man.”
While Ian took off to get us some drinks, Jackson and I sat down at a corner booth.
“So what’s up with you and Pepper?” Jackson finally asked. I’d hoped he had been too preoccupied with gushing about Andi to bring light to my relationship with Pepper.
“Honestly, I don’t know what the fuck’s up with her. Ever since she woke up this morning, she’s been avoiding me. I think she’s still in shock from yesterday’s mugging. Jackie, she’s amazing in bed, but with her, it’s more than that. She’s a mystery to me, and I want to discover everything about her. Every time I take a step forward with her, I feel like she takes two steps back. All I do is fucking chase her,” I told him in frustration.
“From what Andi tells me, she’s very inexperienced. Maybe you just need to be patient with her. Is she even worth the chase? She’s been nothing but a bitch to me,” Jackson clipped out in a tone that was meant to piss me off.
“Don’t fuck with me, dude. Of course she’s worth the chase. She’s all I can think about. I just wish I could convince her to trust me. Pepper likes to put up walls, and it pisses me off that she puts them up for me too. I thought after we finally made love, she would have dropped them. At least with me.”
Jackson started laughing, and I glared back at him.
“What the hell, man? What’s so funny? I’m fucking pouring my heart out here and you’re laughing your ass off,” I huffed.
“Well, for one, you sound like a sissy. ‘We made love, blah, blah, blah.’ Second, she’s walking over here with Andi and she has her signature bitch face on.”
I whipped around in the booth as the girls walked up. Andi flew into the booth on Jackson’s side, practically mauling him. Those two needed to get a room.
Stepping up from the booth, I pulled Pepper into a hug. She remained tense and didn’t hug me back.
What the fuck is her deal?
“Please, sit down. How was the dress shopping? I see you got a new purse. Looks nice.”
She gave me a tight smile and reluctantly scooted into the booth. I glanced over at Ian, who nodded, letting me know that he’d bring them a drink as well.
Finally pulling her lips from Jackson, Andi spoke to me.
“Jordan, you are going to die when you see Pepper in that dress. I almost went lesbian on her because she looked so hot!” Jackson grabbed Andi’s thigh, making her squeal. He was jealous of a fucking girl. My brother had issues.
“I’m sure she will be breathtakingly beautiful,” I assured Andi.
Pepper tensed beside me, and it took everything in me not to snatch her hand into mine.
Ian set our drinks down, but a crowd of about ten people walked in at that moment so he didn’t get to hang around.
“Where’s Olive?” Jackson asked the girls.
Pepper remained silent and withdrawn so Andi answered.
“She didn’t feel like going out. Poor girl doesn’t handle social settings well. For my birthday on Wednesday, we figured we’ll do something at the apartment so Olive can be a part of it. Of course, both of you guys are invited. I’m even going to invite Bray.” Jackson grumbled something and rolled his eyes. She continued. “I’m going to invite Bray because Dr. Sweeney thinks he and Jackson could benefit from attempting to be friends or, at the very least, friendly.”
I nodded my head, agreeing with her. We were stuck with Bray for a year by contract. He already was proving himself with the few big clients he’d landed recently. It would only help our company to have a strong architect like Bray. Jackson needed to get over himself. I certainly couldn’t handle them getting into pissing matches every time I turned around. The air had been pretty thick with tension today as those two had avoided each other as much as possible for guys who had side-by-side offices. It was incredibly awkward for everyone, especially Andi.
“I didn’t realize your birthday was Wednesday, Andi. Of course I’ll be there,” I promised, garnering a huge grin from her.
Pepper sighed loudly, and I snapped my head to her. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jackson practically sucking off Andi’s face.
“Okay, what’s going on? Last night we were fine and this morning we’re not. You’ve successfully managed to avoid me all day, and I’m sitting here dumbfounded as to why. Did I do something to upset you?” My voice was a little on the pathetic side.
For the briefest of seconds, I saw it. Her telltale chin quiver. I thought she was going to bite her lip to stop it, but instead, she pressed them into a tight line.
�
�Jordan, it’s nothing. Maybe we just need to slow things down.” Her face was telling me that she was serious, but her eyes alluded to the fact that she didn’t quite believe what she was saying.
Interrupting us from our stare down, Andi spoke to us.
“Um, Jackson just texted George to come get us. We’re going to his place. He missed me. Jordan, can you take Pepper home?” she questioned, face flushed.
Jackson just smiled at us with his shit-eating grin he’d perfected.
Not caring what kind of answer Pepper was about to give, I answered Andi quickly. “Of course I don’t mind. I’ll get her back safely,” I promised.
They both waved and rushed outside, probably eager to attack each other. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy of their easy, lighthearted relationship. Everything with Pepper was difficult.
“Want another drink?” I asked her once they left.
She shook her head, sipping the one in her hand. This silent treatment and cool aloofness was getting on my nerves.
Her hair was piled up on her head, so when I dipped my head down to her neck, I had easy access to her skin. Gently, I pressed my lips right along the side. A shiver, one she couldn’t control, rolled through her. She started to say something and pull away, but when my tongue gently dragged over the area, she relaxed, leaning closer to me.
Taking it as permission, I softly sucked her into my mouth. Her whimper encouraged me even more. I slid my hand to her leg and skimmed it along her upper thigh.
“Jordan,” she whispered.
My fingers rubbed along the seam of her jeans but stopped before touching her where she really wanted me. When I moved them back toward her knee, she mewled at the loss. Reaching her knee, I brought them back along the inside of her thigh, again stopping before I got to where she burned for me. Her breaths were coming hard and heavy. I repeated the motion with my fingers several more times while I suckled her neck, and I thought she was going to come without me ever even having to touch her there at all.
“Pepper, do you want to come home with me?”
She didn’t respond at first, and I felt like she was warring with herself on the matter. Finally, the side of her that wanted me won because she nodded almost imperceptibly. I rewarded her answer my dragging my thumb across her clit through her jeans. She moaned but quickly bit her lip to stifle it.
“Let’s get out of here, babe,” I told her, chuckling as I tugged her out of the booth with me, not giving her time to recover or change her mind.
I was a weak person. Jordan was like kryptonite to me. Whenever he wasn’t around, I could be the badass I was used to being. But the moment he touched me, I was useless. No matter how resolved I was to slowing things down, it all went away the moment our skin connected. Our touch was always laced with burning electricity, and I was powerless against it.
The newly awakened sexual part of me wanted to wrap her legs around him and latch on forever. My practical self was screaming at me to chill out, because without my “Pepper the Bitch” façade, I wasn’t quite sure who I was supposed to be. Jordan made a practice of putting cracks into my icy exterior, and it unnerved me. If I dropped that part of me, I would be left with the real me. The real me who was shy, nervous around people, and way too trusting. I couldn’t stand that girl, which fueled the need to keep him at arm’s length.
When we drove past my apartment, I looked at him questioningly. He brought our joined hands together and kissed the back of mine.
“I’m taking you to my place.”
I was kind of curious about his place anyway. He’d been to my apartment several times, but I’d yet to see his. In reality, I knew nothing about him besides what he did for a living and that he was a fantastic lover.
“Okay, but what about work tomorrow?” I questioned.
“We’ll get up early so I can run you home to get ready for work. I want you in my bed.”
His words made me shiver again. Damn him and his control over my body. I couldn’t argue though with the fact that I wanted to be in his bed too. My plan was failing miserably.
He turned into a parking garage and found what I assumed was an assigned spot. We got out, and he held his hand out to me when he made his way to my side of the car. Like the sucker I was, I reached out and clasped mine to his.
The elevator had to be accessed by a code, and we rode to the eight floor. When we stepped out, we went down a hallway to the end, and he unlocked his door, motioning me inside.
He found a light in the entryway and switched it on, illuminating the way into the living room. His apartment was messy, which kind of shocked me. It wasn’t gross. He just had a lot of stuff. The apartment was definitely lived in.
Books littered the room. He had stacks of them on tables, shelves, and even the coffee table. Jordan clearly loved to read. My heart swelled a little when I was reminded that he was more than just a pretty face. I walked over and picked up the first book within reach.
“The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas?” I inquired, holding it up.
“The book is better than the movie, I assure you, babe,” he teased me.
My eyes skittered to all of the photos he had in mismatched frames all over the place. There was a large one on the mantle that caught my eye. Jordan and Jackson were younger, probably late teens, and their Dad was between them with an arm draped over each of them. They were so happy, and it made my heart hurt for him.
“I’m going to get us some wine,” he told me, walking into the kitchen.
I continued checking out his apartment. He had a massive desk adorned with a really expensive Mac with a huge screen over in the corner. His apartment might have been on the unusually homey side, but his desk was one that a successful man would be expected to use. Blueprints were stacked all over the desk in an untidy way. The framed picture of him and his mom beside his monitor made me smile. Jordan adored his family, which was evident.
“Here, babe,” he said, handing me a glass. His made-to-look-messy hair and panty-dropping grin had my insides trembling.
Looking away, I drained half my glass. Jordan was so good-looking it hurt. This was exactly why I couldn’t figure out who I was supposed to be anymore. Around him, I turned into a giggly, boy-crazy girl. It was rather annoying.
“Pepper, come sit down with me. Let’s talk about what’s going on with you.” He guided me to the sofa and we sat down beside each other. His arm slipped behind me, gripping my hip, and held me close to him.
“Jordan, it’s nothing,” I replied, hoping to deter his inquiries.
“Babe, don’t lie to me. Just tell me what’s going on inside that head of yours. I know you want me by the way you respond to my touch,” he declared as he proved his point by rubbing my hip through my clothes. When a finger slipped under my sweater and gently stroked the skin above my jeans, I started to breathe heavily.
He continued his observations. “But the moment I step away from you, I feel you withdrawing from me. I don’t understand it, Pepper.” His finger continued to trace a line back and forth along the top of my pants.
“Jordan, I’ll tell you the truth. I don’t like the person I am with you. I’m weak and vulnerable. Today I came to the realization that I may have been mugged by Cole, the ass that almost raped me in high school. It made me think that I need to keep my guard up because of his threats to hurt me. When I’m around you, I get fucking giddy, and last night just proved that it opens me up for harm from him.”
“Dammit, Pepper! Why didn’t you tell me that you thought it was him? And what threats are you talking about? We should call the police about this. I’m sure they could do something about it. You can’t let him dictate your life.”
I frowned. “It isn’t that easy. My daddy kind of went out of his way to ruin Cole’s life and now he’s got a vendetta. Saturday night, Daddy told me Cole had sent a threatening letter. That’s why I freaked when you grabbed me that night.”
He jumped from the couch and ran his fingers through hi
s thick hair. Immediately, he started pacing the room.
“Pepper, we have to do something. That prick had a gun if that was him. Fuck! That’s why he took your purse and not my wallet. Tomorrow, you have to call the police.”
I furiously sprang to my feet.
“And tell them what, Jordan? We have no proof. He didn’t succeed in fucking me. He didn’t sign the letter. He didn’t show his face last night. I have nothing.”
He stormed over to me and took my face into his hands, scowling at me.
“I don’t fucking know, Pepper, but I won’t let you push me away. You’re mine and I’m not letting you drive me away!”
“Yours? I don’t belong to anybody!” I screeched at him, jerking away.
Lightning fast, his arms enveloped me and pulled me in for a hard kiss. Still angry, I went to push him away, but when his tongue entered my mouth, the fire of the fight died in me.
I hungrily met the thrusts of his tongue with my own, wrapping my arms around his neck. He guided me backwards towards what I assumed was his room as he greedily sucked on my lips. After fumbling our way through the dark room, my calves touched the side of his bed, stopping us. He pulled away from me to switch on the lamp.
His shirt was hastily ripped away and my eyes regarded his perfect form. Reaching for my sweater, he swept it off over my head and growled at the view of my breasts through my bra. Leaning over, he gently bit down on a nipple through the lace of it. I moaned and gripped his hair, needing him closer. He nipped at me again, causing me to groan in pleasure.
Standing upright again, he looked down at me with hooded eyes that were full of lust and longing. I was sure my own gaze matched his. We both started undoing our jeans, wrenching them off as quickly as we could. He’d pulled off his boxer briefs as well, but I still stood in my bra and panties. My eyes dropped to his erect cock, which pulsated with need.
“I’m going to fuck you now, Pepper,” he told me smugly, and I wanted nothing more than for that to happen. I expected him to tell me to lie down, but he spun me around instead. “Lie down face-first but keep that sexy little ass pointed up. I want to see it while I fuck your pussy from behind.”