The Promise

by Ford, Mia

  “Oh, you’re so fucking boring, Jamie.” She begins to pout, like a child. “Why aren’t you any fun?”

  “Sandi, you are a grown ass woman.” As I tell her off, I feel like the adult here. “Give it a rest. I asked you a simple question. I just wanted to know who that person was and you’re turning it into something dumb.”

  “I don’t know.” She throws her hands in the air in frustration. “Linda, or something boring.”

  Linda… Lydia… it has to be. It’s too much of a coincidence. I race from the room, not even caring that I’m still in my pyjamas. I just want to see her; to confirm what I already know. If Lydia is here, with my father and working with him for some strange reason, then everything changes. I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing just yet. It simply feels out of control like everything else in my life which is enough to freak me out.

  I bounce through the hallways, my heart pounding excitedly the whole time, and soon I find an area of the house I don’t usually frequent. My father’s office. I stay away from here because it doesn’t interest me. I don’t understand what he does and I don’t want to. I’m just waiting to go my own way… but today, it interests me greatly because there she is, looking more radiant than ever in an adorable pinafore dress which clings to her curves in a way that’s even sexier than before. I don’t know if it’s the absence that’s made my heart grow fonder or the fact that she’s even more taboo, so close but I can’t touch her, but I need her more than ever.

  She’s here, I think desperately, trying to decipher what that means for me now. She’s here and I want her to be mine. My mouth practically salivates with the idea of having her. I want her for everything…

  “Can I ask what it is that you’re doing?” My father’s voice booms out behind me, making me jump. “I haven’t ever seen you show any interest in my work before, so I have to assume that something else has caught your eye.”

  I don’t like his accusatory tone. It’s almost as if he thinks I’m just like him which isn’t the case at all. I strive, especially now, to be the least like him I possibly can be. I don’t want a string of pointless wives in my life.

  “Why did you hire Lydia?” I demand, my tone burning with anger. “Why her?”

  “Oh, because she’s qualified enough.” He waves his hand dismissively. “And because I like her father. He’s been a loyal employee and I assume that she will be as well. Plus, I think she needs the job.”

  “So, this is all out the kindness of your heart then?” I don’t buy it, not one bit. “There’s no ulterior motive?”

  Dad smirks, giving himself away, but then he still tries to pretend that he has good intentions. “Of course. What motive could I have? I just want to do a nice thing for the family, that’s all.”

  “No.” I shake my head fervently. “I know that isn’t the case. What is it? I need to know.”

  For a horrible moment, I wonder if he’s planning on getting wife number four. He must be bored of Sandi and her annoying ways by now, he must be getting restless and planning his next move in life. If he goes anywhere near Lydia that will absolutely kill me. I’d like to assume he wouldn’t, but who the hell knows?

  “Oh, why? Because you’re such good friends with Lydia?” The sarcasm drips off his tongue. “Or because you want her to be another notch on your bed post? Because that isn’t happening.”

  I fold my arms defiantly across my chest. “Not a notch, no. And you can’t tell me what to do.”

  “Oh my God.” He shakes his head, looking disappointed. “I cannot believe what I’m hearing. I mean, I suspected as much but to actually hear it is something else. You must be joking, right? About her.”

  He turns his nose up as he looks at Lydia through the glass, almost as if he has the right to be disgusted about her. His attitude makes me want to throw up, does he actually believe that he is better or something?

  “Why not?” I snap back. “What’s wrong with Lydia? I think she’s lovely…”

  “She’s an employee.” He stares at me intently, trying to force his message through. “Not only is she not good enough to get the Vardi name, it’s also illegal for you to go anywhere near her because she works for us.”

  I gasp, stunned. “Is that why you hired her? To keep me away from her? That’s sick. You’re sick.”

  “Am I sick, or am I just being careful? Looking out for your best interests?” Wow, he actually looks like he believes his own hype! “I saw something growing between the pair of you and I decided to put a stop to it right away. When I noticed the flirting, I hired her, so now you have to turn your attention elsewhere.”

  Of all the controlling, bullshit things that my father has done, this has to be the worst. He’s actually trying to keep me away from the woman that I love now. But all he’s done is make her even more appealing. He’s made us star crossed lovers, determined to beat all the odds to be together. Well, that’s how he’s made me feel anyway.

  “I think I can decide who is ‘good enough for me’,” I snap angrily. “It’s my business. Not yours.”

  “It’s my money that you’ll be inheriting, so yes, I think you’ll find it is my business.” He stands in the way of his office door, blocking my view of Lydia. Already I miss her terribly, I wish I could wrap my arms tightly around her and drag her away from him and his terrible influence. “And now that Lydia is my employee, it’s even more of my business, so I suggest you leave well alone and do what I want. For both of your sakes.”

  With that, he slides open the door and he slips into the office, leaving me alone in a puddle of rage. The anger boils and bubbles through me, leaving me utterly speechless. Before he said those terrible things, I had a feeling it would be good to have Lydia around more often. Anything to give us more of a chance of being together. But now… now I don’t know what to think. I don’t want to get us both in the shit, but I do still want her.

  Maybe I shouldn’t let his warning stop us, I think darkly. I want to be with her, so I should.

  The thing is I do actually like Lydia so much that I would give up everything for her, even my inheritance. It would be scary to start life without it, but it would mean no more waiting around. It’s certainly something to think about anyway, a different way I can maybe live my life. And I honestly don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep away from her when she’s in my house all day every day anyway. It’s pointless to fight it.

  I surrender, I smile to myself as I walk away. I surrender to the temptations, to Lydia.

  I just hope that she feels the same way and she wants me so much she’ll defy everything too. Who knows? I suppose there’s only one way to find out. When the moment is right, of course. The moment has to be perfect. This has been coming for far too long for me to botch it up. I love Lydia, this isn’t just a hook up, I need her to see that when the moment finally comes.

  5

  Lydia

  “So, how long has it been now?” Mr. Vardi asks me with a rare smile. “Just over a week?”

  “I think so, yes.” I shuffle uncomfortably on my feet. I can’t help it. I still feel awkward around him. Dad told me he still gets that sometimes so I guess it’s just one of those things I need to get used to. “Eight days.”

  “And you think you’re enjoying the work? You find it easy enough?”

  “I certainly haven’t struggled.” I lift my eyes to him, wondering if I’m in trouble. “Have I done okay?”

  “Oh, you have been wonderful.” He claps his hands together. “Don’t you worry about that. Now, I’m done for the day, unless you have any questions?” I shake my head no. “Right, so I can leave you to finish up?”

  “You certainly can. I just have all this filing to do, I should be done at the same time as my dad.”

  It takes a while, but Mr. Vardi eventually leaves. Once he does, I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding in the entire time. He’s just so freaking intimidating! Honestly. I’m loosening up the more that I work with him but I don’t thi
nk I’ll ever fully felt comfortable. Even if I stay here forever…

  It sure as hell isn’t my plan to stay working here forever, as far as I’m concerned this is just a temporary thing to get me started in the workplace. Some experience that I can take forth with me in place of a college education, but I don’t know what I intend to do just yet. Still, it’s only been a week. I don’t think I need all the answers just yet. It’ll be fine. If I keep telling myself that it’s all going to be okay, then it has to be, right?

  I hum to myself as I organize the paper work, actually feeling pretty good about myself. I thought this job would be hard because of Jamie being in the same building as me most of the time, but actually I haven’t seen him so maybe it doesn’t matter. It’s weird that I haven’t seen him at all. It’s almost as if it’s on purpose. Maybe he regrets the time that he almost asked me on a date and now he doesn’t want to know. I don’t want to be forced to accept that my feelings are childish, but I’m trying to be more grown up now that I’m out of school.

  Trying… I don’t know if I’m succeeding. For example, I’m still very upset that I haven’t heard from Kerry a lot since she started college. She’s been too busy moving on with her life, I get that, but it stings.

  Anyway, I’m not thinking about things that make me sad anymore, I can’t I need to keep focusing on the future and all the awesome things that I could have in it if I just let myself embrace whatever comes my way.

  “Hey…” Almost as if I conjured him up by thinking of him for the first time in a few days, Jamie peers his head around his father’s office door and he shocks me to the core. Everything I’ve just thought about moving past my feelings for Jamie fly out the window and I flutter all over again. He gets to me, every time. “You alone?”

  “Erm…” Even though I know I am, I dart my eyes around the room as if to check. “Yes, I guess I am.”

  “Good.” He slides through the door and he closes the door behind him. “I’ve been trying to see you alone all week long.” He looks at me with a giant smile on his face. My tummy does flip flops. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Since we’ve seen one another, I mean. I didn’t even realize you were working for my dad.”

  A blush fills my cheeks. “No, it came as a bit of a surprise to me as well, but I had to do something.”

  He moves closer to me, almost as if we’ve moved past the part of our relationship where we’re nervous around one another and conscious of personal space. I stiffen, almost panicking as his big strides close the gap. Something is definitely happening here, this isn’t a normal interaction. All I have to do is not panic. Maybe, because it all fell apart at the last moment last time, he isn’t risking us getting interrupted again. I’m good with that.

  All of a sudden, his face is looming above mine and my breath gets caught in my throat. His fingers slowly reach up and they loop around my cheek. The touch of his velvety skin against mine sends intoxicating electrical fizzles right through me. All of a sudden, the intense way that I’ve craved him for years floats to the surface and I can barely control myself. An involuntary whimper falls out of my mouth.

  “You’re beautiful,” Jamie whispers in a way that I can’t help believing. “So beautiful.”

  Then his mouth moves down to mine and his lips crash against me, sucking the breath from me completely. My mouth tingles, my heart sets alight, a heat pools in the pit of my stomach. It’s better to kiss Jamie than I ever thought it would be, this puts all of my fantasies to shame. The reality of him is incredible.

  I get so lost in his kiss that it doesn’t really register how this is really happening. I suppose I’ve been daydreaming about this moment for so long it’s almost normal… but it’s real. Fucking hell, it’s real.

  To confirm that to myself, I wrap my arms around his waist and I cling to him. I dig my nails in, loving the sensation of his flesh. Fuck, he’s all too real, and he’s so strong, he’s so thick…

  “Do you want to come with me?” he murmurs while linking his fingers through mine. “To my room?”

  Where is this going? I ask myself curiously. If I go to his room, what will happen?

  But that’s dumb, because I know what will happen, this is Jamie Vardi for crying out loud. What I really want to know is if he’ll stick around afterwards or not? But then again, under the intensity of his sexual gaze I don’t know if I’ll be able to resist even if he tells me it’ll be five minutes and I’ll be gone. His stare is delicious, it’s like he wants to eat me alive and I love that feeling. It’s absolutely incredible.

  “Yes,” I whisper, allowing him to pull me. This is a dream come true. “I do.”

  Luckily, everything looks tidy enough in this office, it looks like I’ve finished the work in this office even if I haven’t. I can always sort things out tomorrow anyway, it isn’t like my days are so jam packed that I can’t have some fun… with Jamie, the boy of my dreams, the best thing to ever happen to me.

  Once inside the room, I don’t even get a chance to look around to get to know Jamie a little better. He grabs me, he kisses me, and I melt against him. My body molds into his and I cave totally. I’ve wanted this for too long, I can’t get inside my own head now. For the first time in my life, I need to just feel.

  Things move quickly, much too rapidly. I want everything to slow down so I can embrace every single moment of it, but at the same time I need things to move even faster. I don’t want either of us to stop this for any reason. And the more rapidly that our clothes shed, the quicker I get to feel his sexy, thick body. Oh my God, those muscles, they’re incredible! My breaths are ragged from the second I start touching them.

  “Oh, you feel so good,” Jamie groans while he pushes me backwards. I hit the cool wall behind me, but even that doesn’t dampen the heat flushing over my skin. “I have wanted this for far too long.”

  You have? I want to ask, but I can’t find the words. My mouth doesn’t know how to form words anymore, and the more that Jamie’s lips trace over my neck and down towards my breasts, the worse that becomes. My eyes fall closed, my head lolls to one side, desire fills me up completely. He feels so good, even more so as he drops to his knees between my legs and he nudges my thighs apart. They fall willingly, my core pulsing for him.

  “Oh fuck,” I moan needingly as I can feel his breath upon me. He moves closer, darting his tongue out, and soon he’s soaking my clit in a way that makes me grasp at the much too smooth way behind me. I need something to grip onto, something to connect me to the earth so I know for sure this is real, but there’s nothing there.

  In the end, I reach forward and I knot my fingers up in Jamie’s hair as he massages me, tracing the most incredible feeling sensations over me. He grabs onto my thigh with one hand to fix me in place while he slides the fingers of his other hand into me, exploring just how hot and wet I am for him.

  This is real. I still cannot wrap my head around that concept. I’m not just touching myself.

  “I… I need you,” I gasp out, unable to keep my feelings inside. “I want you.”

  I didn’t think I would ever be this straight forward, but I really do want everything from him. If this is a one-time moment, never to happen again, then I want it all. It’ll be hard to recover from my heart break, but having plenty of memories to go off will help. He’s already sent my body to a heavenly place with his hands and mouth, I can’t stop myself from wondering how it’ll feel to have him plunging deep inside of me…

  Luckily, I don’t need to wait long to find out. Upon my command, Jamie shoots up into a standing position and he hooks his hand underneath my leg to position me for him. Then he teases my entrance with his throbbing erection for just a moment before pushing himself into me and absolutely filling me up.

  My butt hits the wall hard as he thrusts, shock getting the better of me. I knew he’d feel good but this is something else. I can already see stars, it’s crazy. I gasp and grab onto him, kneading his skin as the orgasm gnaws in my stomach. It’s hot, burning, an
intense pleasure that’s already starting to build. Not only was his mouth foreplay, but so were all the years leading up to this moment, which makes everything that much more intense. It’s already phenomenal and Jamie has only been inside of me for a couple of minutes.

  “Oh, Jamie,” I groan as the pressure builds and he rests his forehead against mine. “Oh, God.”

  I shudder, I buck violently, Jamie’s powerful thrusts have already set me alight. My head spins, I don’t even know what I’m doing anymore, it’s insane. I might be screaming, I’m probably alerting the whole house to what we’re doing, who the hell knows? I must be making some noise because Jamie crashes his mouth up to swallow up my yells as the orgasm crashes over me, consuming me, washing over me and rolling through me like waves. Like a damn tsunami. My knees turn to jelly, my whole body sets on fire. I have no idea what’s going to happen next but right now, in the middle of this sheer bliss, all I know is I never want to let him go.

  This has only confirmed it. Jamie Vardi is one hundred percent the man for me.

  6

  Jamie

  I shoot Lydia a flirty look as she walks through the hallway of my house to my father’s office, past the kitchen. Unfortunately, I don’t get to see her as much as I’d like to throughout the day because she has to work and I want to keep my distance so nothing gives us away, but as soon as she’s done, we share secret trysts which are just amazing. Being with Lydia is even better than I thought it would be, my heart truly swells with love. I fall for her more every single day. The only problem that we share is we can’t tell anyone; it has to be just between us.

  That’s okay, I remind myself as she strolls on past, giving me a wonderful whiff of her perfume. That will get me through the day. I don’t mind how I have to be with her, as long as I get her.