by Jillian Dodd
He kisses my neck, which makes it difficult for me to concentrate on the road.
And it becomes even harder when he slides my thong over and roughly shoves his finger inside of me.
"Oh!" I say, startled by the suddenness of it.
"Do you want me to stop?"
"No," I moan. His long fingers have always felt like they were made just for me.
And they have become even more masterful. I'm groaning with pleasure and am close to orgasm when the navigation tells me we've reached our destination.
A valet opens my door.
Riley is already next to me, his arm wrapped around me, his lips on my neck, leading me through a pair of massive glass doors.
"Looks like it's going to be a good evening, Mr. Johnson," the doorman says.
Riley ignores him, pulling me down a hall, and then sliding a key into an elevator set off to the side.
He pulls me inside, kissing me and shoving me hard against the wall.
"I can't wait to fuck you, kitty," he says, calling me by the nickname he gave me in high school.
I melt into his arms and kiss him with voracity.
"I want the same thing," I say as his tongue forces its way into my mouth.
One hand moves to cup and squeeze my breast, the other slides under my ass, and I know exactly what he wants. I jump up and wrap my legs around his torso.
"I want you right here," he says, pushing my dress up and ripping off my thong while I'm unzipping his pants.
The elevator dings.
"Don't move," he says, putting his arms under me and carrying me through the door while we're still hooked together and ravenously kissing.
He lays me down on the closest surface. A couch, I think.
I'm shoving my hand down his pants, eager to free him and have him inside me, when I hear a loud squeaky voice yell, "Riley!"
We stop and turn toward the noise.
I see a pretty blonde with huge boobs, barely held in place by a couple skimpy pieces of leather.
"Shelby, what the hell are you doing here?" Riley asks, quickly standing up. "How did you get in?"
I pull my dress down over my exposed crotch as she pouts, "I'm surprising you."
Riley narrows his eyes and stalks toward her. "I asked how did you get in?"
"The doorman let me up. He's seen me here, a lot," she stresses, looking directly at me.
"Um, I'm just gonna go," I say, defeatedly. "I'll let you two figure this out."
"Don't you go anywhere," Riley says to me in a tone that sounds a lot like Collin's.
"I don't mind," the blond coos. "She can join in our fun too."
I'm horrified by her words.
I could never share Riley.
He grabs her by the arm and escorts her to the elevator.
"I have to get my stuff!" she protests. "I can't drive home like this!"
When he takes her into the bedroom, I see my chance. I hit the button on the elevator and get the hell out of here.
I run out of the elevator in tears and slam into the doorman.
"Oh, my," he says. "You no like three people?"
"No, I don't," I say, pushing past him and out the front door.
It's at that moment I realize I don't have a car.
So I take my heels off and run down the sidewalk. Far away from the boy who still holds my heart captive.
Monday, September 29th Riley's Penthouse - L.A.
RILEY
I hear the elevator ding, meaning Ariela left.
I hold my head in my hands wondering what the fuck just happened.
Shelby tries to make it better by kissing me. But as soon as she gets close, I back away, touching my lips. The lips Ariela's mouth was just on.
I don't say anything, just glance at the floor. I'm so pissed and so full of adrenaline, I'm worried I might accidentally kill this girl.
I'm shocked when she immediately drops to her knees and takes my cock into her eager little mouth.
And, yeah, I let her.
So what?
I'm drunk.
When she's done, I politely take her down the elevator, tip the valet when he brings her car, and as I'm closing her door, I say sternly, "Don't you ever fucking come back."
Then I march into the lobby and grab the doorman by his shirt. "Don't you EVER fucking let ANYONE in my home without my permission. I could have you fired for this and, quite frankly, I should."
"Please, no, Mr. Johnson. I see the girl with you before and she said she was going to surprise you. I was trying to help."
"Don't EVER LET ANYONE IN MY HOME AGAIN. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir. Yes, sir."
I go back to my apartment, strip off my clothes, stagger to the shower, and try to wash off the slimy way I feel.
I lie down in my bed and consider calling Ariela.
I remember all those nights we would talk from curfew until we knew it was safe to sneak out and be in each other's arms again.
What the fuck do I have to lose?
I pull up her contact, which I may have stolen from Keatyn's phone earlier.
So sue me.
I'm surprised when she answers with a pissed off sounding, "Hello?"
"Did you get home okay?" I ask her, worried about her taking off in the middle of the night.
"Yeah, I got a cab, Riley."
"You left. Why did you leave?" I know I'm sounding drunk and whiny, but I don't care. I have to know. Not about tonight, but me back then.
"Because there was a girl in your bed."
"She wasn't in my bed. And I don't want her."
"Never mind, Riley," she says in her pissy tone. It's sad that I still remember every pitch of her voice. "You're single and you clearly love it."
This pisses me off.
"I'm single, Ariela, because you didn't marry me. And, once again, you just left with no fucking explanation. So why don't you go the fuck back to wherever you came from and go fuck your husband. I don't want you in my life. Do you understand me? Stay the fuck away from me and my friends."
I hang up the phone and cry in a way I haven't done since my senior graduation.
Tuesday, September 30th
Keatyn & Aiden's beach house - Malibu
KEATYN
I wake up feeling refreshed, but notice it's still dark. A glance at the clock tells me I haven't slept for all that long. It's only three o'clock.
I snuggle my chest into Aiden's back, wrap my arms around him, and try to go back to sleep.
Except, I can't.
Because in trying to put myself back to sleep, I decide to gently rub his chest.
But rubbing his chest leads to me rubbing his abs, which draws my hand across his v-line and, well, we all know where that leads.
I tell myself that I'm just being nice. Giving him a massage. But, really, I'm only massaging one part of him.
His dick springs to life before he does.
I can't believe I'm molesting him in the middle of the night. We had sex before we went to sleep.
Although that doesn't stop me. Especially when he makes a sexy little moan.
I kiss his neck and rub my boobs against his back in further effort to wake him up.
His hand slides down over mine, which is still enjoying the instant gratification of being able to make him go from limp to "beast" mode, as he calls it, in a matter of seconds.
"Are you attacking me in my sleep?" he asks groggily, teasing me, but at the same time, pressing his hand down on mine, so I'll keep rubbing.
"I am."
He rolls over and kisses me. "Good. I need you. It's been forever."
"It's been four hours."
"It feels like forever," he says, moving his mouth down my chest.
"Ouch, that hurts. Kinda." This causes him to immediately stop sucking on my nipple and look at me. "But don't stop!"
"It hurts, but don't stop?"
"Um, yeah, I think so. My boobs are sore, but it sorta feels really good."
; He puts his hand over one of my boobs and gives it a little squeeze. "They're bigger. I like."
He continues kissing me.
He's being super sweet, loving, and taking his time.
Aiden is good at foreplay.
He's kissing me, caressing me, teasing me.
Usually, I love it, but it's not what I want.
"Aiden, baby, fuck me. Now. Please."
"I love it when you say that," he says, quickly moving on top of me and doing what I asked.
And it feels so good.
Like something I just had to have at that moment.
It's perfect.
Sex with Aiden, I can honestly say, in the many years we've been doing it, is amazing, exciting, fun, spontaneous, sensual. His appetite for sex is voracious and I'm very happy about it.
Except right now, it's over.
And I'm okay with that. Because all I can think about now are waffles.
"Boots, you can wake me up like that anytime you want."
"I'm not sure I like being pregnant," I say, honestly.
He snuggles me into his arms and caresses my still flat belly. "Why's that? I'm loving it. You're super horny. Your boobs look amazing. Hell, you look amazing. I finally understand why they say pregnant women glow. You glow."
"I think it's you who's been glowing. You're quite proud of yourself for knocking me up."
I can see his smile in the dark.
He is very proud. And dying to tell the world.
"I'm thrilled to be having a baby with you."
"Does that mean you'd also be thrilled to eat waffles with me? Right now."
"You want waffles, right now?"
"Yes, and we may have to fly to St. Croix to get them. Because I don't want just any waffles. I want Inga's cinnamon waffles drizzled in her homemade pecan caramel sauce with a side of her spicy fried potatoes."
"That's going to be kind of hard to do since you have a busy day today. How about we make them ourselves?"
We get up and head to the kitchen.
I make the caramel sauce while he cuts potatoes and stirs up the batter. Thank god we actually have all the ingredients, or I may have actually hopped on a plane.
"Am I being weird because I know I'm pregnant and I think I should be craving things or does being pregnant just cause me to be weird?"
"How are you being weird?"
"Aiden, I've been napping in between taping. I never do that. I'm ravenous. I'm horny."
He pours some batter into the waffle iron, shuts the lid, and then joins me in front of the stove, putting his chin on my shoulder and sliding his hands around my waist.
"I think napping is good for you. As is eating. And I hope you stay this horny. It's fun. I mean, don't get me wrong, we have a great sex life, but the last week has been exceptional."
I stir the potatoes and add just a little more cayenne pepper as Aiden's hand slips inside my robe, coming to rest on my stomach.
"You are obsessed with touching my stomach. People are going to know before we tell them."
"I'm dying to tell our families. They were so excited about the engagement, they'll be over the moon about a baby."
"I go to the doctor today. I'll ask him when's a good time to tell them. I mean, what if it doesn't work out?"
The waffle timer dings, so he's talking as he pops it out and starts another.
"You mean like a miscarriage?"
"Yeah, like Peyton and Damian. They were so excited they told everyone the second the line turned pink. She had planned the nursery. Then they went in for their first ultrasound and found out there wasn't even a baby. What was that called again?"
"A blighted ovum," he says. "That sucked. But they had their family to support them. You took her to Paris to help cheer her up. They've had two boys since then and she's only a few months away from having their third."
"I know. I'm just . . ."
"Scared?" He pulls me in for a hug.
"Yeah, Aiden, I'm scared." I start crying. "I really want a baby. I really am excited to be pregnant. But I don't want to disappoint you. I don't want to screw it up. I don't know how to be pregnant. What if I'm not good at it?"
He kisses me and wipes my tears. "Shh, baby. I promise, no matter what happens, you won't ever disappoint me." He kisses my nose then grins at me. "If something happens, it will be my fault."
"What do you mean?"
"Faulty sperm."
I stop crying and start laughing.
"You're silly. I love you."
He kisses me one more time as the waffle machine dings. "I love you too. Let's eat."
We help ourselves to the food.
I quickly demolish mine and go back for seconds.
"Is it almost as good as Inga's?"
"Yes, it tastes amazing. So, I have a board meeting first thing this morning, then my doctor's appointment, then I'm having lunch with the girls, and then we film late tonight. It's going to be another long day."
"Don't forget, I'm taking your grandparents up to the vineyard after the board meeting. You're still meeting me this weekend, right?"
"As long as we get the scenes done. We're on a tight schedule."
"Are you sure I shouldn't go to the doctor with you?"
"Yeah, they said they'll just double check that I'm pregnant, give me prenatal vitamins, and answer any questions."
"When do we get to see it?"
"The first ultrasound is usually around twelve weeks. That's when we'll hear the heartbeat, hopefully."
"And how far along are you now?"
"I did one of those calculators online. Yesterday would have been six weeks. Speaking of that, when you asked me to marry you, when did you expect to get married?"
He stops his fork mid-stride. "How about we cancel everything and do it today? I can't wait for you to be Mrs. Arrington."
"I'm thinking Keatyn Arrington sounds like a movie star name."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that I'm changing my name as soon as we're married. No maiden name. No hyphen. I can't wait to be your wife. Also, I don't want to get married with a huge baby bump. And I don't want to wait until after we have her to get married."
"Her?"
"Or him."
He places his hand gently on my belly and speaks directly to it. "So, little miss, if Mommy and Daddy get married soon, do you promise to cooperate and not make Mommy faint or throw up?"
He smiles, kisses my stomach, and says, "She says yes. And wants to know how soon we're talking."
"Three weeks. We have a ten day break in the schedule while the crew goes to set up the location. We could get married and even sneak in a honeymoon."
"So we just go away and get married?"
"Does the vineyard count as going away?"
"That's where you want to get married?"
"I can't think of a better place. And I was thinking of asking Ariela if she could coordinate it with the vineyard's event planner."
"Maggie will be thrilled. They were always so close."
"I know. I'm going to call Maggie today and make sure she's cool with it."
"No more surprising like last night?"
"Last night was a bit of a disaster."
"Yeah, no more matchmaking for you."
"Exactly. So, I asked Maggie about the vineyard's schedule yesterday and she said they're booked with weddings and events all of October. So everything we do, or most of it, will have to be at our place."
"That shouldn't be a problem. We have plenty of land. I even had your party barn built this spring."
"And we've yet to throw a party there. I feel bad," I say, covering my mouth to stifle a yawn.
He grabs my hand. "Let's finish this discussion in bed."
"But we need to clean up."
"I'll do it later," he says sweetly, pulling me toward the bedroom.
Once we're snuggled up, he says, "I get the feeling you've already been scripting out this wedding."
"A little. Mostly just tr
ying to figure it out logistically. It's not going to be easy to plan our dream wedding in three weeks. Have you thought about it?"
"Of course, obviously, the dance floor needs to be covered in twinkle lights. And I love the idea of saying our vows in the same spot where you brought the dirt."
"Me too," I say, yawning again.
I lay my head on his shoulder and am almost asleep when Aiden says, "You know Riley and Ariela kissed last night, right?"
My eyes shoot back open. "What? When? Where?"
"When you told her to go talk to him."
"They kissed then?"
"Yeah, it was crazy passionate. Her leg was wrapped around him. I thought they were gonna do it up against our bar."
"Then why was he such a dick to her?"
"I think maybe when they kissed, he told her it didn't mean anything. Because they got interrupted by Marvel and when she pulled away, she said she knew it didn't mean anything. He was pretty rattled."
I smile. "He still loves her."
"She still affects him. That's different than love. It's been a long time."
"But he hasn't fallen for anyone else. And god knows it's not from lack of dating."
Aiden chuckles. "No matchmaking. He's our friend. She hasn't been our friend for ten years. And that was her choice. I'm not sure asking her to help with the wedding is such a good idea, honestly. We don't know if we can trust her."
"Hmm. You're right. Maybe I'll get a second opinion."
"Inviting her to lunch with Vanessa?"
"Yes."
"Good plan. Vanessa reads bullshit a mile away."
Even though it's six in the morning, I grab my phone and fire off a quick text to Ariela, asking her to meet me for lunch today.
Then I lay my head back on Aiden's shoulder and close my eyes.
Captive Films - Santa Monica
RILEY
I'm sitting at my desk waiting for Keatyn. We always meet an hour before every board meeting. It's our routine. Something that originally helped smooth out our nerves when we started working at the company and helping to guide its future. The company was already successful when she took it over. It had done well buying movie futures and investing in classic film rights. Grandpa Douglas always says Don't fix what ain't broken, and we listened. With his guidance and business expertise, we kept the best of the past and followed our own vision to give it a bright future. I'll never forget how much fun we had making our first film. What a summer.
I'm lost in memories--memories of that exciting summer with Ariela, doing what I loved and being with who I loved--when Keatyn steps into my office.