by Celia Crown
Jackson
Good things come to those who wait, I remind myself as I watch the awe highlighting my darling’s face.
There are sparkles in her eyes that remind me of a starry sky, I smile as I guide her up the stairs of the famous Marionette museum.
I have no interest in art galleries, but today is about Lolita. If she’s happy then I’m happy.
The owner, James Novak and I go way back. We’re close friends, he went into the army while I went to college to further my culinary skills. When I heard James wanted to build a museum, I knew something was off about that man. No one would think a man of immovable force and no-nonsense attitude would open up a museum dedicated to a young girl half his age.
I would have judged the shit out of him, but my Lolita is also way too young for me.
I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Not that we’re related, but we’re close brothers.
I have the honor of meeting the inspiration of the museum; I can understand why James is so protective of Mari the Marionette as she is extremely small with an air of vulnerability. She and Lolita are the same type, they have a specific charm about them that turns heads; I have learned to control the need to throw people across the room when they stare, but James doesn’t have that extinguisher to not bust someone’s balls if they overstep their boundaries.
“How?” Lolita gasps, speechlessly adorable.
She squeals with her silky brown hair tumbling down her small back, she’s in her little sundress and pretty heels just for me and I purr throatily at her.
“I reserved this for you.”
Lolita giddily steps onto another step, my arm is extended out behind her to catch her if she were to fall, but I don’t touch her. I’m holding myself back, I want her to enjoy today without having to be reminded of what I said.
I mentally sigh, there’s no use of dwelling in the past as I have learned.
“But, it’s so expensive though!” she inquires with a tilt of her head.
She stops on the top and gazes with an open mouth at the beautiful structures and columns, my darling couldn’t resist grinning in excitement.
Lolita had mentioned she wanted to explore the Marionette museum and maybe hope to see the real Marionette when the news broke out that the ‘doll’ is a real woman. Lolita never got the chance because she’s too young to have deep connections and even deeper pockets.
She said that as an artist, one must embark on the journey of seeing Marionette. My Lolita is young and inexperienced, she has little involvement in the real world and she knows less than a handful of people. It works in my favor, she only needs me and I would be her everything.
“Nothing is too expensive for you,” I reply, and it goes over her head as she tries to stuff her excitement back into her body, but she vibrates with eagerness.
A familiar voice calls my name, my first name and I steal a glance at Lolita. She’s too into the ashen colored foundation to pay attention to the newcomer. I turn to greet James with a smirk as he returns the gesture with his own.
“Of all days you call, it has to be when Mari is having a photoshoot,” James scolds.
I roll my eyes, “Lolita wants to see Marionette.”
“Lolita?” James shoots me a look that screams danger, “How old is she?”
I resent that question, I am not a predator in that kind of sense. I can’t fault him for thinking the worst even when he knows my character. I thought Lolita was underage when I met her, I swore I died of disappointment when her innocent eyes landed on me.
“Legal,” I simply say back.
James’ eyes move over to the awestruck girl for a moment before going back to me, “Barely.”
As if his Mari is any older.
My darling is two or three years younger than her, and he has the audacity to judge me for being in love with a girl who just turned eighteen. James had an insane attraction to Mari when she was eighteen, but he had the commitment to wait until she was just a touch more mature.
People can judge me however they want, the truth is that we are in love and that is all it matters.
“You could never plan shit anyway,” James gruffly scoffs.
This reservation had James leaving a very long and grumpy voicemail about my sudden interest in art. I told him it was a secret and to bring Mari to the museum too, friends or not he was suspicious enough to throw me out the door if I try anything to his precious doll.
I told him I was merely a customer; I paid the full price of an entire day and I have a date that loves art, he gets his money and I get Lolita’s smiles.
“Darling,” I call, the corner of my eyes catches James’ lips curling in disgust.
Lolita snaps her head to me with big eyes and then wanders to James, she freezes right next to me and a strangling sound takes over her words.
“This is James Novak, an old friend.” I introduce with a hand pointing at his direction.
Her hazel eyes did not blink once as she stares at James, I bite my tongue as I’m getting utterly jealous of the attention he’s getting. I lay a heavy hand on her hips, bringing her close to me. Lolita is too enamored by James’ presence that she simply leans to my side.
“Hello.” James nods, face void of expression.
It scares my darling as she waves awkwardly, “H-hi!”
I chuckle under my breath at her high-pitched squeak, James and I share a look of amusement as her face burns. She plops her face to the side of my chest and whines lowly at her mortification, I find it absolutely sweet.
“Come, don’t you want to see what’s inside?” I remind her that our date is only beginning and there’s a lot more to this day than standing outside.
Her expression changes from shy to joy in a split second and her body begin to quiver with anticipation again. She flies out of my arms when James gestures her to go in, I follow closely behind as her head tilts and turns in directions as I see her struggling to choose where to look first.
I have seen James’ hard work when it first opened, I must say it was a marvelous sight. It’s better now, this place feels like wealth. I can’t say I’m at all shocked to see this much change over time, James dotes on Mari. She’s his whole world and this place is designed for her protection and have her be worshipped.
He’s whipped, I think.
The gasps of amazement and coos of admiration coming from Lolita is impossible to miss, I don’t need to see her to know where she is. The high ceilings and clean environment relax me, I feel safe to let my guard down as my body trails after Lolita to every photo she appreciates.
James went to check on Mari, that man can’t be too far from the young girl for too long or he would pace like a caged animal.
“Having fun?” I muse.
She grins happily, her cheeks are spread wide. “Marionette is so gorgeous!”
“You are gorgeous,” I correct her, the color on her face reveals that she likes what I said.
She’s bashful as she shuffles to cross the big opening where there are more photos in the next room. Lolita stops abruptly, my body jerks to action as I curl my hand around her arm to stop her from crashing into another young girl.
The girls both stop, frozen in their spot as they have no idea what to do in a situation like this. My Lolita wasn’t expecting someone to come through the wide opening and the other girl, Mari isn’t used to people for as long as I can remember.
James and I make another full eye contact as his arm stay firmly on Mari’s waist, mine loops around Lolita’s protectively.
“Sweetheart,” James’ voice demands attention, she doesn’t move with her signature doll stillness.
I look down at my darling, she’s mirroring Mari’s statue immobility. If I could read the thoughts going through her pretty little head, then I would be laughing too much because just her expressive eyes are already hilariously spirited.
“Mari,” James says more firmly, the girl glances at him.
Lolita gapes and chokes, “
O-oh, oh! She moved!”
Disbelief clouds her face as her wandering hands are lively in front of her, her eyes darts up to mine and whines as if I’m intended to know what message she’s trying to convey.
“She’s real!” Lolita whispers, not so inconspicuous.
My chest rumbles, my hand that is rummaging through her hair stops at the base of her neck. I notice it, I keep it there when she doesn’t pull away.
“Yes, darling. She is real. I thought you wanted to meet her?” I question gently.
She stutters, turning her head back and forth between Mari and me. “I do, but I’m not ready! I look like a bag of airy chips!”
“I’d eat you,” I comment.
Her cheeks turn red and she pouts grumpily at me.
James clears his throat, a look of exasperation written on his face. His hands are firmly on Mari’s ears to block out my remark, I raise an eyebrow at his overly protective motion.
As the girls stare at each other with subtle interest, Lolita is a little exaggerated, James and I fire off a chat.
Keeping up with a conversation is hard when Lolita’s hair is brushing my arm with her neck under my grip tilting side to side. Her smile is contagious as Mari has a smile on her face too.
“Can we be friends?” Lolita asks shyly.
Mari activates her huge innocent eyes to James and I witness the fall of his steel walls tragically. My lips quirk in humor, but it drops when Lolita gives me that puppy-dog look, and I’m wrapped around her finger in an instant.
Mari’s blonde hair glides down her thin arms before grasping Lolita’s and my darling goes where she is being pulled. The girls lace their fingers together and run down the room where James and Mari first came through.
It leaves us two bulky men in a room filled with doll pictures, we are the pieces of the puzzle that doesn’t fit in here so we leave to go after the giggling girls.
They get along just fine, it’s an instant connection between friends as they slip from one room to another. I’m glad Lolita is having fun, her youthfulness shines through her uninhibited delight.
James and I find them in one of the more secured rooms that the museum has, there’s a square setting with a fortress of pillows and silk fabrics hanging from the ceiling. Photography equipment and lightings surround the structure.
“I take it this is another photoshoot?” I cock an eyebrow at James.
He sighs, “It was, until I told Mari that the lemon girl you told me about is here.”
Lolita wails with troubled eyes, “Why does everyone know that?”
Lolita is all I talk about if James and I were to speak on the phone, if he can go on about Mari then I certainly can obsess over my darling. My darling does many weird and questionable things, I love all of them.
She rarely notices them, but I do. Her little quirks bring out the real her, she has charmed me with her cheeky smiles and naïve gazes before I got her name.
Mari giggles and drags Lolita to the pillows, and I’m torn between going after her or staying to watch my darling have fun and enjoy her new friend.
Mari coils her arms around Lolita’s waist and use her weight to make Lolita fall back and into the pillows.
Her white panties flashes and they disappear into the whiteness of the pillows.
I snap my eyes to James and narrows in possessiveness, the man stares ahead with a blank face.
“I saw nothing.”
“Good,” I growl.
Chapter Eleven
Lolita
My body buzz with excitement as Mari and I talk for hours, she’s a sweet and beautiful girl. I have always looked up to her and she is one of my inspirations of art, the messages she conveys behind her modeling is subtle yet powerful.
She became my new friend.
As an eighteen-year-old girl, I am ashamed to say that I have no friends, people at school look at me weird because apparently I have this air of individuality around me that makes it hard for people to approach me.
“I can’t ride a bike,” Mari said, she blinks at my astonished face.
My butt raises and plops back down when I move past my shock, “You can’t?”
She shakes her head, her sleek blonde hair brushes her arms, I want to ask for the secret of great hair, but I feel like that would be too weird.
“You can?” Mari asks back, supporting her weight with her hands pressing down on the cushion with millions of pillows.
I laugh sheepishly, “No.”
Her lips quiver in concealed laughter, her green eyes twinkle brilliantly.
I ashamedly beam, “I took a head-dive the last time I tried.”
A hand comes to the top of my head, faintly brushing my forehead. I glance over and Jackson is standing there with a concerned face, he kneels down on the cushion to inspect my head.
“It was a long time ago,” I reassure him, my body tilts to him with the uneven weight distribution.
Mari crawls over and I am surrounded by so many pleasant smells; Jackson’s dark scent with underlining sweetness, Mari’s floral fragrance mingling with Mr. Novak’s strong masculine odor as he hooks his arm around Mari’s waist to haul her back to his side.
The possessiveness in his eyes when he meets mine is frightening, I see a manifestation of an animal prancing around and ready to sink his claws in me if I take Mari away. I stay unnaturally still as Jackson chuckles deeply in my ear, soothing my heightened nerves with his hand through my hair.
“You’re scaring her, James.” Jackson cocks an eyebrow at the older man.
“Don’t scare away my friend.” Mari frowns at him, her face is still unfairly pretty, “I like her.”
My face brightens with a grin, “I like you too!”
Mari returns my enthusiasm and extends her hand out to me, I take it and stumble out the mass of pillows. Jackson holds my hips to steady me and keeps one hand there while he lets the other fall to his side.
James clears his throat loudly, staring down at me as if I’m his rival or something. He needs to know that I’m a five-foot girl with arms weaker than a stick of butter, though a frozen block of butter can do damage if I throw hard enough.
Point being, I’m no match for someone who looks like they lift cars for training. His biceps are bigger than my ego, I would like to keep what dignity I have left and run the other way if he challenges me.
Honestly speaking, he looks like an amazing canvas for my work. The width of his chest and broadness of his shoulders makes my hands itch to sketch out a design, I can foresee the full image I have in my head on the plane of his back.
I can see the ink on his arms, they are the works of another artist I have heard of. I admire the rigid lines of his skin; the art pulls me into a dark place where I am ogling at the precise marks and strict curves.
“Lolita.”
I snap out of my admiration, blinking rapidly with Mari’s eyes twinkling in pride that her man is very delicious.
My brain had an odd way of describing James, but he is a fine specimen.
“Eyes,” Jackson barks.
My cheeks puff up, I furrow my brows up at him. “I’m admiring.”
“I don’t care.” he frowns, gripping me tighter by the hip. “Eyes on me.”
The possessiveness in him sends tingles down my toes, I debate in my head and sighs in defeat.
“Fine.” I make sure he knows the sulking is for him, but he gladly takes my attention.
My goodness, this man is too obsessed with me. I’m secretly happy about it, I want that intensity to be focused on me. I am important to him, he puts me on his top priority and whatever I say, he would do them without hesitation.
I come first in his world, he cuts the danger away from the path I want to go down in and he would guide me to a world of safety and love.
I really love him.
The cheekiness in me wants to make him think I’m still sulking from our misunderstanding, I want him to work for the forgiveness that I have already given it to him, t
hough he doesn’t know that.
With Mari’s hand still in mine, we beam brightly at each other, our men have no say in what we want to do. James wants what’s the best for Mari because she’s his sweetheart and beloved doll while Jackson cherishes me like I’m a delicate little girl untainted by the world.
Jackson and James indulge in on our plan.
“Lunch?” I cock my head with a smile.
Mari nods quickly, a radiant smile forming on her plump pink lips. I don’t have to be a man to understand why James would want to shield Mari from the world; she’s a compassionate soul and the friendliest girl anyone can have the honor of meeting. One look and I’m trapped in her ethereal beauty, I could be drooling at her exquisiteness and I’d wipe them away to stare at her more.
“It’s a date.” she agrees.
Her man disgruntledly grumbles, his dark glare sets the hair on my neck into a frenzy while Jackson glowers at the stone thrown into his plan. I feel bad that he might have this whole day planned out perfectly and we just abandoned it, but Mari is my friend and I want to spend time with her.
I bat my lashes up at him and begs him with a forlorn gaze, I see his chest stops moving with a puff of air stuck in his lungs. He grasps both of my cheeks, forcing me to see the storm in his eyes as he leans to my ears and whispers to me.
“You are mine for dinner.”
My clit pulses at the obvious innuendo, shame colors my cheeks at how my white panties are going to turn dark from my leaking cunt.
My throat closes with wobbling lips, the sinister smirk on his face lures me to kiss him. I stop just in time as he leans in, our breaths mingle heatedly as my mind flash warnings in my head that there are eyes on us.
I peer to the side and squeals at Mari’s big interested eyes and James’ nonchalant face, I struggle to take Jackson’s hands off me, but he holds firmly.
“No need to be embarrassed, darling,” he says coolly.
I look at him as if he grew another head, “They’re staring!”
“You are enchanting,” he smoothly replies back.
I splutter with a complain, “Am not!”
He throws back, “My enticing darling, makes me want to eat you.”