She hit me with a pillow. “Don’t talk about SpongeBob that way. He’s sweet, funny, and innocent. And has a big heart. He always sees the good in people despite their faults. He’s a virgin, holding out for the right woman. His Sandy. That’s what makes him appealing. Give him a chance, Mr. Burns.”
Thirty laugh-out-loud minutes later, I was a SpongeBob convert. Call me gay. I loved the goofy little guy. But I loved my little tiger now even more as if more was possible. Had I not been afraid of her parents bursting through the front door, I would have fucked her senseless on the couch and smothered her with kisses.
After watching the cartoon, Jennifer had an idea. She wanted to give me a mini-tour of Boise. Taking my Jeep, we passed by Boise State where her dad had taught and then headed downtown. After enthusiastically pointing out various sites, Jen grew pensive.
I lowered the sound of the radio and asked, “What are you thinking about, tiger?”
She twitched a half-smile. “You.”
I smiled back and tugged at her adorable knit cap. “That’s always a good thing.”
“I’m not sure.”
“What do you mean?” My voice was edgy. Fuck. Was she having doubts about our relationship?
“I’m worried about how we’re going to handle things. We work together. You’re my boss. And there’s no way I can keep it a secret from my roommate Libby, who has the biggest mouth in the world.”
I chewed my lip. To be honest, I hadn’t give much thought to the future. Except she was in it. She had a point. We needed to figure out how to handle the situation at work. I’d never had an office affair. And this was beyond an affair.
After much deliberation, I responded. “I’m going to talk to my father. He’ll know what to do.”
Jennifer nodded. “That’s a good idea. I guess I’ll tell Libby.”
I wasn’t too crazy about her tell-Libby-tell-the-world friend. She was such a know-it-all. “How do you think she’ll react?”
To my utter surprise, Jen burst out laughing. “Not too well. She thinks you’re a self-centered, arrogant asshole.”
“Screw her.” My blood was boiling. “She doesn’t know me the way you do.”
Her laughter deepened. “For your information, Mr. Burns, you actually can be a self-centered, arrogant asshole but—”
Before she could finish her sentence, I pulled off the road with a screech.
“You’re pissing me off.”
She was not the least bit intimidated. “You didn’t let me finish my sentence.”
My forehead creased as her face softened.
“I was going to say: but I love you so much anyway. Now get over here.” Grabbing the edges of my scarf, she yanked me toward her. Her lips went down on mine with a wild, spontaneous kiss that she deepened with her tongue. She tasted like warm sugar. So, so good. We moaned into each other’s mouths. The little tease rubbed my cock. It stirred beneath the denim of my jeans and grew rigid. Fuck. I needed her to give me head. Desperately.
Just as I reached for my fly, there was a loud rapping on my passenger door window. I abruptly pulled away from Jen. Able to see who was outside the door, she pressed her lips together as if she was stifling laughter. I swiveled my head and could feel my face turn candy-cane red. Balls. It was a cop. I thought they didn’t work on Christmas. I quickly lowered my window.
“Hello, officer,” I said with as much coolness as I could muster.
He furrowed his brows. “Is there a problem here?”
“N-no,” I stuttered. Bullshit. There was a problem. A biggie. My cock and balls were fucking killing me.
He flashed a crooked smile. “Good. Then, I’ll be on my way. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas, officer.” Asswipe.
The cop sped off in his patrol car and I turned to face Jennifer. She had her hand clasped over her mouth and then burst into another clap of laughter. She was laughing so hard she was crying.
“That wasn’t funny,” I grumbled.
“It was!” She could barely get the words out.
Fuming, I drew her close to me by her scarf. “You owe me a blow job.”
Still laughing, her watering eyes lit up like lanterns. “I’ll think about it.”
Man, she was pissing me off more. I was quickly learning my tiger was a feisty one. I might have to tame her. Well, at least, I had something to look forward to.
She held my gaze in hers. That little dimpled smile curled on her upturned lips. Fuck, she was beautiful. Unable to resist, I smacked my lips one more time against hers and took off.
There wasn’t much to do in downtown Boise. Being Christmas Day, virtually everything was closed. The one thing we could do was go to the movies. I wanted to see the latest Marvel action movie; she wanted to see a revival of Frozen. A fucking Disney cartoon. Guess who won? Wrong. She did. I was giving into her every need and whim. I was seriously in love with her.
The theater was packed with parents and kids. Holding hands, we scanned the dozens of rows for two seats together. I took in the crowd and wondered—would this be us in a few years? A married couple taking their kids to a movie on Christmas Day. A passing woman holding a toddler made me think of the day Jennifer and I had lunch with my pal Jaime and his twins. She was great with those babies. I turned to look at her. Yeah. She was going to make one damn good mother, and our babies were going to be fucking perfect.
We finally found two seats in the very back of the theater bordering the aisle. I told Jennifer to save my seat while I went to the concession stand to get some popcorn and Cokes. It’d been a long time since I’d been on a movie date with a girl. That’s not what I did with hook-ups, who only escorted me to glamorous premiers.
The concession lines were long, filled with irritated parents and whiny kids. As I impatiently waited my turn, a funny thought crossed my mind. I bet cheapskate Dickwick made her buy her own popcorn and soda. And probably her movie ticket too. I snickered silently. Those days were over. Ancient history.
When I got back inside the theater, the movie had just started. The lights were down and the opening title sequence was playing. I lowered myself to the seat on the aisle and handed Jennifer a Coke. “Thanks,” she whispered, her eyes glued to the big screen.
I held the big tub of popcorn in my lap and nibbled on some kernels. My mind was distracted. What the fuck did you do with a girl at the movies? Vague recollections of my junior high school days came back. You held her hand. And at some point, you made out with her. And if you were really lucky, you got a hand job and came home with some pussy on your pinky.
Okay. So, I held her hand. It was soft and warm. She didn’t resist. So far, so good. She reached into the bucket of popcorn and grabbed a handful. I watched as she popped one kernel at a time into her mouth. She reached for another handful. And then another. Balls. It was going to be hard to make out with her if she was going to be eating popcorn the whole time.
Despite myself, I actually found myself getting into the movie. It was about this feisty, fearless princess who reminded me a lot of Jennifer and featured this hilarious snowman named Olaf that made me think of the one we’d built earlier in the day. And the CGI animation was pretty amazing. Cartoons had come a long way since Mickey Mouse.
In the middle of the movie, I heard Jennifer sniffling. I turned to look at her and tears were streaming down her cheeks. The song “Let It Go” was playing. Sung by the heroine’s conflicted sister, it was about her adventurous journey of finding herself and letting go of the past.
“What’s the matter, baby?” I whispered in Jen’s ear.
She squeezed my hand and met my gaze. It was the first time her eyes had left the screen.
“Blake, would you tell me you love me again and kiss me?”
My heart melted like chocolate. I cradled her face in my hands and gave her the kind of kiss you only saw in movies. A lingering mixture of hard and soft. Sensuous and rough. Our cheeks touched and her hot tears heated my face. Our lips fit perfectly toget
her. The lyrics of the song sounded in my head. There was no going back for my tiger. And there was no going back for me. The past was in the past.
The movie ended and the lights came back on. The theater emptied. But neither Jennifer nor I moved. Our mouths were locked. I was still kissing my brave, complicated tiger.
An usher’s voice asking us to leave finally forced me to pull away. I gazed at Jen’s beautiful tear-streaked face, and though I had a serious boner, she was all that mattered to me.
Still cupping her face in my hands, I said the words she needed to hear. “I love you, Jennifer McCoy.”
She smiled.
When we got back to Jennifer’s house, her parents were back from their afternoon visit with the Joneses. It was a little after four. Jen’s father was in his favorite chair, reading the Shakespeare anthology Jennifer had given him for Christmas. I was pleased to see the cashmere blanket I’d bought draped over his legs.
The fireplace was crackling, and the air smelled sweet and delicious. Mrs. McCoy must be baking something. She was one hell of a cook.
“Hi, Dad,” Jennifer said brightly as we headed into the living room. We’d left our outerwear and snowy boots in the entryway.
Harold looked up from his book. He lifted his reading glasses onto his head, and a warm smile spread on his face. “You kids have a fun this afternoon?”
Twinkly-eyed Jennifer told him she’d taken me on a tour of Boise and to see a movie.
“Which one?”
Before either of us could answer, Mrs. McCoy waltzed into the living room. She was wearing a floral apron and holding a tray with a platter of cookies and two mugs on it. The delicious aroma wafted in the air.
“I baked chocolate chip cookies and made some hot chocolate,” she said with a big smile, setting the tray down on the large coffee table in front of the couch.
“Oh, Blake. You must have one of my mother’s cookies. They’re the best in the world.” Jennifer led me to the couch where we both sat down. She lifted one of the big cookies to my lips. “Try it.”
I bit into it and thought I’d gone to heaven. It was warm and chocolaty and just the right chewy consistency. The perfect chocolate chip cookie. I moaned and finished it off.
“Mmm. Unbelievable… can I please have another?”
Mrs. McCoy was beaming. Obviously, the way to her heart was through flattery. “Of course, dear. Have as many as you wish.”
For the next fifteen minutes, Jen and I feasted on the scrumptious melt-in-your-mouth cookies and hot chocolate while the McCoys recounted their afternoon with the Joneses. I flicked a crumb off Jennifer’s lips—a small, endearing action that was not missed by her father. He shot me an approving look.
When we had consumed everything, Mrs. McCoy cleared the table. “Blake, dear, I hope you’ll be staying for dinner. I’m making something from the cookbook Jennifer bought me. Chicken fajitas.”
Jen looked at me beseechingly. The truth: I didn’t want to leave her, but I hadn’t really thought much about the rest of my stay. I didn’t think it was a good idea to spend the night here again and overextend it. Plus, staying at a hotel in town might prove to be very sexy. I could fuck Jennifer’s brains out in a big king-sized bed without the worry of her parents invading our privacy. There was also the Jacuzzi tub. Hmm.
“Stay, Blake,” Jen begged. Lust danced in her green eyes.
“Okay,” I conceded. I thanked Mrs. McCoy for her generosity, but told her I would be heading to The Grove Hotel after dinner.
“Are you sure, Blake?” asked Mrs. McCoy. “We’d love to have you stay another night.”
“Yeah. I have a reservation there.” Stick to the plan.
Disappointment fell over Jen’s face. The truth: I was going to miss her tonight as much as she was going to miss me. Maybe we could figure out a way to have a discreet quickie before I left. Or I could invite her to the hotel for an après dinner drink and then some.
As I stood up to head to my room and freshen up for dinner, my cell phone rang. I slid it out of my jeans pocket and looked at the screen. It was my Las Vegas affiliate manager, Vera Nichols. She was probably calling just to wish me a Merry Christmas.
“Excuse me. I’ve got take this.”
The call was not what I was expecting. I could feel the blood drain from my body as Vera’s voice faded. Jesus fucking Christ!
“I’ll get there as fast as I can,” I said and ended the call.
“Blake, is everything okay?” asked Jennifer. Her eyes flickered with concern.
“I’m sorry, everyone. I can’t stay. I’ve got to fly to Vegas to handle a crisis.”
“What’s going on?” Jen’s rosebud lips curved into a frown.
“Nothing you need to know about.” She looked hurt.
There was no way I was going to tell her Don Springer had beaten up SIN-TV producer Eddie Falcon to within an inch of his life. Springer. That fucking bastard who’d almost raped her.
Two hours later, I was on the six o’clock United flight heading to Vegas.
Chapter 9
Blake
The plane touched down at McCarran airport at nine thirty, a few minutes before our scheduled arrival time. I immediately found a cab and headed to Sunrise Hospital where Eddie had been taken. After dropping my bags and skis off with reception, I met Vera in the waiting room outside the intensive care unit. She leapt up from her chair and gave me a hug.
“Oh, Blake. Thank you for coming.”
“How’s he doing?”
“He was badly beaten up. A couple of fractured ribs, a puncture to one of his lungs, and a concussion. He was in surgery for three hours to repair his lung.”
Fuck. “Where did the attack take place?”
“Right outside his house. Springer followed him home.”
There was only one more thing I desperately needed to know. “Did they catch him?”
“Not yet. There’s a manhunt out for him.”
“The fucker!” I growled. I wanted to find him myself and give him what he deserved.
Casually dressed in jeans and a Christmassy snowman sweater, Vera looked weary. She should be home with her family celebrating Christmas. “Are you okay?” I asked.
She ran her hand through her short blond hair and blew out a sharp breath. “Yeah. But it’s been a stressful day.” She sat back down. I lowered myself onto the armchair next to hers and joined her.
“How’s your family?”
“They’re good. I’m just sorry I couldn’t spend the rest of Christmas Day with them.”
A dark thought crossed my mind. If Springer was on the loose, Vera and her family might be in danger. “Vera, I want you and your family to have around-the-clock police protection.”
She held my gaze fierce in her toffee eyes. The thought had crossed her mind too. Springer was a sicko. There was no telling what he was capable of.
“The police aren’t willing to do that. There’s been no direct threat to me or my family.” She chewed down on her lip. She was clearly worried.
“Forget the police. I’ll set up private surveillance.”
“But, Blake, that’ll cost so much money. I can’t afford that.”
“Don’t worry about the money. The company will pay for it. I need you, Vera.” I couldn’t bear to lose her and would be devastated if anything happened to her or her family.
Vera gave me another hug. “Thanks, Blake. I really appreciate it. You’re the best.”
A warm feeling warded off the chill of knowing Springer was out there. Somewhere. From the corner of my eye, I saw a doctor heading our way. He had a smattering of salt and pepper hair and wore rimless glasses.
“I’m Dr. Walters, the lead physician looking after Eddie Falcon.”
“How’s he doing?” I asked anxiously.
The doctor lifted his glasses on top of his balding head. I’d watched enough television shows to know that wasn’t a good sign. My heart pounded with apprehension.
“He’s a lucky man. He’
s going to be all right. We’re going to keep him here a few days for observation.”
I sighed with relief. So did Vera.
“Can we see him?” she asked.
The doctor nodded. “Yes. But he’s very tired and on a morphine drip. So keep the visit short. He’s in Room 520.”
We thanked the doctor and together headed down the hall to Eddie’s room.
Nothing prepared me for the sight of Eddie. Besides being hooked up to a bunch of beeping machines and tubes, his eyes were swollen shut, a wide bandage covered his head, and he was caked with dry blood from cuts and bruises everywhere. Bile rose to the back of my throat.
Vera and I sat down in a pair of armchairs close to his bed. He cracked a small smile upon seeing us.
“Hi, boss.” His voice was a hoarse whisper. “Not such a merry Christmas.”
I didn’t know what to say. “You’re going to be okay, Eddie.”
“That’s what the doc said. Did they catch the motherfucker?”
My heart sunk to my stomach. I wanted so much to tell him yes. I bowed my head and shook it. “Not yet, but they’re going to. And when they do, I’m going to make sure that bastard burns in hell.”
Rage coursed through my blood like an angry cobra. I was going to bring that motherfucker down whatever it took, even if I had to hunt him down myself.
Vera chimed in. “The doctor said you’ll be going home in a few days.”
Eddie was going to need police protection too.
Vera continued. “I called your ex-wife. She’s going to fly in tomorrow from Miami and look after you.”
A ray of happiness glinted in Eddie’s swollen eyes. “She’s a good girl. Wish it had worked out.”
Eddie and his wife had recently divorced. She hated living in Vegas and even more so, couldn’t take Eddie’s porn career. Being in this business wasn’t easy. I had to give credit to Vera and her husband for keeping it together.
Eddie’s eyelids began to lower. It was a signal for us to leave. He needed rest.
THAT MAN: Holiday Box Set Books 1-5 Page 27