Never Be the Same

by A. Aubry

  “I see things went well with Jameson,” she teased.

  “Yeah, they went great,” I smiled and blushed, looking down at the steps as we slowly climbed.

  “Well, I hate to burst your great date bubble, but Gavin has been blowing up all of our phones because apparently you haven’t answered any of his texts or phone calls. We all covered for you, but he sounds really pissed.”

  My eyebrows furrowed as I pulled my phone out of my purse. I had put it on silent after Ashley had texted me a few times asking how my time with Jameson was going. She was right, I had at least thirty texts from Gavin along with more then ten missed calls. Each one with its own voicemail. Gavin tended to get really upset and leave hateful voicemails if I didn’t answer the call or didn’t respond to his first two calls in a timely manner. I sighed and shook my head, scrolling through the texts that started out nice but got angrier each text that came through. The last one he had sent threatened to end things between us. At the rate we were going, that wouldn’t have been a bad thing.

  “I’ll call him back. What was the last excuse that you guys gave him?” I asked stepping into the house.

  “I believe Melanie told him that you and Jazz went down to a farmer’s market and the reception out here has been spotty,” Ashley replied.

  I bit my lip, “Okay, I’m going to go out on the back porch and call him. If we already haven’t made plans tonight, Jameson said we should come down to the club and that he will put us down on the VIP list.”

  Ashley nodded excitedly before disappearing down towards the living room. I walked through the house to the back porch, taking a seat on the swing as the waves crashed against the shore. Taking a deep breath, I found Gavin’s contact in my phone and pressed call. He answered within the first two rings.

  “What the fuck, Bri? I have been calling and texting you all day and you haven’t answered anything,” he said in a loud angry voice.

  “I’m sorry, I haven’t been getting many texts or calls lately because of how off and on the reception is out here by the beach. You know I would have answered if I would have received the messages.”

  “But yet your friends got through on their phones?”

  “You know we all have different cellphone providers. Mine obviously isn’t the best out here, is that an issue? Would you like me to switch cellphone providers while I am out here to benefit you?”

  Sure, that was really sassy. But he was beginning to piss me off.

  “You just got there yesterday and you’re already turning into the bitch I knew you were with your friends.”

  “Excuse me? I have not changed one bit since I have been out here. You don’t like who I am with my friends, then you are the one with the issue…not me. This is who I am, Gavin. I’m done putting up with your bullshit and controlling issues. If this is how it is going to be, then we are done. I’m ending this engagement right here, right now.”

  “Fine, maybe I didn’t want to be engaged to you anymore anyways.”

  I rolled my eyes, “Great. Then we are through. I’ll return all your things including the ring and your house key once I am back in town. Goodbye Gavin.”

  Hitting the end call button, it took everything in me not to throw the phone out at the beach. Immediately, Gavin started calling me back. That was how it always went. We fought, said we were ending things, and then he’d call right back to beg for forgiveness and apologize. This time though, I wasn’t going to fall back down that rabbit hole. Putting his contact on do not disturb, I found myself calling Jameson before I could stop myself.

  “Miss me already?” His smooth voice answered.

  Instantly, a smile spread across my lips, “Something like that.”

  “What’s up? I just left, and you already sound like you have gone through a war.”

  Now is as good a time as ever to tell him the truth…

  “Jameson…I haven’t really been honest with you…”

  “Bri, what are you talking about?”

  I took a deep breath, “When we met yesterday, and actually even when we were out today…I was engaged. Not happily by the way. I had been trying to find a way to end it with my fiancé because I just didn’t feel attracted to him anymore…I didn’t feel happy. When I went out with my friends last night, I chose not to wear my ring because I didn’t think that anybody would hit on me. It’s usually my friends who get hit on, not me. Then I met you and it was all so different, today was the best day I have ever experienced, and I felt like I could be myself around you.”

  He sighed, “So what happened with the fiancé?”

  “He apparently tried to call me and text me the entire time that we were out, but I silenced my phone after those few texts from Ashley. From there, he called and harassed my friends nonstop about where I was and why I wasn’t answering. They covered for me. I just called him back and he yelled at me for not answering and when I gave a sassy response he told me that I turn into a bitch when I’m with my friends. So…I ended it.”

  “You do love your sassy remarks,” Jameson quietly teased.

  “See, you get me, Jay. I was sassy a lot today and you just took it and dished it right back. I have never laughed and smiled as much as I had with you today. I just hope that you can forgive me for not telling you.”

  “What about the kisses?”

  “What about them? I could have stopped them…heck I even instigated a few of them, remember? It felt right to kiss you and I wouldn’t take it back for anything.”

  “Is that the truth?” It almost sounded like he had gotten louder not just in the phone.

  “I am not going to lie to you anymore, so yes…that is the truth.”

  The back door opened, and I looked up to see Jameson standing there with flowers, “Good.”

  My mouth fell open as I hung up the phone and put it on my lap before Jameson sat beside me, “What in the world are you doing here?”

  “I was driving back down the coast and saw someone selling flowers. I remembered that you said that daisies were your favorite flower and I couldn’t help but buy them. I was already on my way back here when you called me,” he explained, handing me the bouquet of multicolored daisies.

  I grinned and smelled the flowers. Not even Gavin remembered that these were my favorite. Jameson put his arm along the back of the swing and watched me as I admired the flowers.

  “I probably should have asked you if you were in a relationship before just assuming that you weren’t. I also don’t want to be the reason that you and your fiancé break up—”

  “Jameson, no. You are not the reason that I ended things. Okay, actually maybe a slight reason that pushed me to do it today. But, I have been unhappy for a very, very long time. I don’t feel like I am supposed to be with him anymore and I felt that way long before I met you. You just showed me what it was like to actually feel happy and want to be with someone. And when we kissed…”

  “You felt a spark?”

  I lifted the corner of my mouth into a small smile and nodded.

  Jameson leaned forward and kissed me. That same spark was there, brighter and hotter than it was before. The daisies slipped from my hand and onto the porch floor as my arms went around his neck, pulling him closer to me. Jameson’s hand reached under me and brought me onto his lap as his arms wound around my waist. How easily he made it seem to lift me up blew my mind because Gavin never made any attempts to pick me up or let me jump into his arms. I was not a skinny girl by any means and Gavin pointed that out whenever I wanted to get lost in the moment like this.

  Jameson’s lips trailed down to my neck and my mouth fell open at the sensation. A soft moan escaped my lips as he teased the skin with his teeth. I knew that this man had to be an expert in doing things such as this, he had admitted to me before that he had a reputation of being a playboy. But for some reason, I didn’t feel like he wanted me to be just another notch on his belt. Why would he buy me my favorite flowers? Why would he take me on a day long excursion of the behind the sc
enes of Los Angeles if he just wanted me as another plaything? There was no way that this was all that this was.

  “Bri, what the hell did you—oh my bad,” Jasmine started as she began to come out on the porch.

  My eyes shot open, but Jameson refused to stop. Jasmine gave me a thumbs up and a wink before returning into the house. I rolled my eyes and smiled as Jameson’s tongue licked up to my ear.

  “Jay, didn’t you have somewhere to be?” I asked quietly, running my fingers through his hair.

  He sighed and put his forehead against my shoulder, “Damn it, yeah. I was on my way to the club when I saw the flowers and I thought of you. I didn’t know if I was going to see you tonight, so I decided to bring them back here.”

  His meaningful words made me smile, “I told my friends to decide if they wanted to go out tonight. Since the whole phone conversation with Gavin, I haven’t had time to ask. But that shouldn’t stop you from going and figuring out the alcohol crisis.”

  He lifted me back onto the seat and stood up, extending his hand out to me, “Walk me to the front door?”

  My hand instantly went into his with no hesitation, “Definitely.”

  We walked back through the house to the front door in a comfortable silence after scooping up the flowers off the floor. I was happy that he wasn’t freaking out about the whole Gavin thing. Most guys would have been out of the picture by now, but seriously, there was something different about the man in front of me. Just as I was giving him one last kiss before he walked through the door, Ashley barreled down the stairs.

  “See you tonight, Jameson!” She said with a large innocent smile.

  If I thought he had a large smile before, it widened to a full-on grin, “See you tonight, ladies.”

  He kissed my lips tenderly and stepped out onto the front porch, “Bye, Jay.”

  I watched as he walked to his car and climbed back in. He gave me a quick wave before pulling down the driveway and out of sight. What I was feeling for him, I hadn’t felt in a very long time. But there was no way I was going to tell him that. Jameson Barnes didn’t seem like the kind of guy who did commitment. But that was all I wanted from him.

  Chapter Three

  After explaining to Jasmine, Melanie, and Ashley why Gavin was once again blowing up their phones, we made dinner and got ready to go back out to Club Roma. They all understood why I broke things off with Gavin and didn’t answer their phones like I asked them not to. It surprised me that even Jasmine and Melanie saw how poorly Gavin treated me when I was around them and how I didn’t seem all that happy in the first place. I thought I was doing a good job at hiding that from everybody but Ashley, but I thought wrong.

  We parked the car in the same lot that we had the night before and excitedly walked up to the front door. Giving my name to the bouncers, they directed us inside with no hesitation and to the VIP lounge staircase. The man from the night before gave us a polite nod and opened the red velvet rope to allow us to climb the stairs.

  My purple satin dress brushed my knees as we climbed the stairs, the clicking of my heels inaudible over the blasting music that took over the club. When we got up to the VIP lounge, more than a few women were loitering around talking amongst themselves. I think it was fair to say that Jameson and his friends invited too many girls up to the VIP lounge, but it was their club and I had no right to be jealous.

  Melanie and Jasmine said they’d go get us drinks from the bar where I met Jameson and Ashley and I were searching around for the only person that I knew up here. A strong pair of arms wrapped around my waist as hot breath hit my ear and I froze.

  “This dress looks amazing on you,” Jameson breathed against my ear.

  My face lit up as I looked back over my shoulder at him, “Thanks, Jay.”

  “You know, you’re the only girl to ever call me Jay,” he smiled.

  “Would you prefer I call you Jamie?” I giggled.

  He shook his head quickly, “No, please anything but that.”

  Turning around in his arms, my hands rested on his biceps, “I don’t know…it’s got a nice ring to it.”

  His mouth came close to mine, hovering inches away, “If you call me that, you won’t get to kiss me anymore.”

  My eyes focused on his lips, “We can’t have that, now can we?”

  I took him by surprise when I kissed his lips quickly. He narrowed his eyes as a wide smile pulled at my lips. Before I could move out of his arms, Jameson pulled me closer and crashed our lips back together. The music in the club seemed to fade as my fingers fisted in his hair, holding his lips against mine as our tongues explored each other’s mouths. It felt like all I could hear were our breaths as we kissed and the pounding of my heart in my chest. When we came up for air, it didn’t take long to notice that everyone in the VIP lounge was staring at us. Most of the unknown women that were standing around had their mouths hanging open in shock.

  My lips pursed as I buried my face in Jameson’s chest before I started laughing. We hadn’t exactly kissed out in the open like this before, besides when I got caught up in the moment at the gas station earlier, so I was a little embarrassed. Jameson led me and Ashley over to the couches where I had seen him and his friends sitting the night before. The same man I had seen giving the announcement last night along with another blonde-haired man I hadn’t seen before were already sitting on the couches.

  “Wow, Jameson, I thought you didn’t kiss the girls that we invited up here,” the man who made the announcement called over the music.

  Jameson shook his head as he took a seat, pulling me down next to him, “This isn’t a girl that we invited up here.”

  “I recognize her from last night,” he responded as he stroked the stubble on his chin.

  I looked between Jameson and this man who was apparently telling me that Jameson was not the type of guy who made out with girls he invited up here. Then again…you didn’t need to kiss in order to have sex and Jameson had admitted to being a playboy. Oh boy, what did I get myself into?

  Before I could stop myself, I extended my hand to the man on the couch across from us, “Briella Roberts.”

  Mystery man’s eyebrows shot up before reaching over and shaking my hand, “Zander Green.”

  “Nice to meet you, Zander. And who is this quiet guy over here?” I pointed to the man on the third couch in our U and looked at Jameson.

  “That’s Peter Donoghue. He’s a partner with the club as well. He was at one of our branches in Vegas last night but he’s back again tonight,” Jameson replied, putting his arm around me.

  Peter gave me a quick wave before pulling his phone out of his pocket. When Jasmine and Melanie returned with our drinks, I introduced all my friends to Jameson’s friends. I could tell that Zander was eyeing Ashley, but I had a bad feeling about him. I was soon proven right about that feeling when a girl wearing a dress with the shortest skirt known to man threw herself onto Zander’s lap and he was whispering into her ear. I had a feeling if Jameson was a playboy, his friends were as well.

  “Is that Zander’s girlfriend?” I asked quietly into Jameson’s ear.

  “No, Zander doesn’t do the whole girlfriend thing.”

  “Just like you?” It slipped out before I could stop it.

  Jameson looked at me and pulled me closer to him, “I think that’s changing with me.”

  My cheeks flushed as I took a sip of my drink. Ashley, Melanie, and Jasmine were off dancing on the VIP dance floor with some of the other women up in the lounge and some men. I didn’t want to leave Jameson’s side for some reason, so I refused to go dance. When my drink was empty, Jameson, Peter, and Zander were discussing club business and I went to go get a glass of water. As I sat at the bar and waited for my water, I overheard two girls talking at the other end of the bar. By the looks of it, one was the red-haired girl that had thrown herself at Jameson the night before.

  “You think he’s slept with that girl yet?” The red head whined into her drink.

  “W
ho?” Her blonde friend asked.

  “Jameson. He practically pounced on that girl the second she got up here. He’s never kissed me or any other girl he has met up here. It’s usually just a fuck and leave thing. I’ve been trying to get him back in bed since the first time but yesterday he was too caught up in that girl and today he’s all over that one.”

  Fuck and leave? Damn, he really was a playboy.

  “I’m sure once he has his way with her tonight, she’ll be tossed aside like the rest of them. Then you can have a shot at it tomorrow,” her friend encouraged as she patted her back.

  The bartender handed me my drink and I walked back to the couches to where the men sat. They all talked loudly where I could hear the conversation before I even got close.

  “How is she in the sack?” Zander asked loudly to Jameson.

  “Are you fucking serious, Zander?” Jameson ran his hand through his hair.

  He held up his hands in surrender, “What? You always talk about the girls you fuck.”

  “I haven’t slept with her, Z. She’s different and I’m not going to do what I have always done in the past.”

  I pursed my lips and I took my spot next to Jameson who jumped. When he saw it was me, he visibly relaxed and put his arm around me. His eyes questioned where I was because I hadn’t told him that I was going to the bar. Holding up my drink, I offered him the straw which he happily caught between his lips and took a sip. When he realized it was water he chuckled and shook his head, releasing the straw and kissing my forehead. I smiled and took my own drink before looking up to see Peter and Zander watching us in awe.

  “Jameson, I need to talk to you,” I said to him as he watched me.

  “What’s going on?” He asked, letting his arm drop and his hand traced along my back.

  “This isn’t a fuck and leave…is it?” I looked up at him with wide eyes, hoping that the tears that were threatening to be released weren’t showing.

  Jameson’s free hand took my glass and put it on the table in the center of the U-shape that our couches made. His large hand covered my cheek and I found myself leaning into his touch, “Bri, that is not what this is at all. How did you even hear that term?”