A Brush With Obsession

by Theresa Papa

  Chapter 43

  Samantha Marconi

  My first day of classes is exactly as I expected with interesting topics in regard to pediatric family law. It’s nice to see some of the friends from previous years that have been gone over the summer. Many times in the past, I would go out socially with some of them, but this year, I’ll be lucky for just being able to spend time with Nico. He was so sweet to make me breakfast on my first day of school.

  I decide to stop at the restaurant near the firm for a light lunch before going in to work and join the long line to get my food. Tables are at a premium, and none are available at the time I enter the line. I hope it clears out a little bit before I get to the cashier to order. A small salad with a half of a turkey sandwich and an iced tea looks good for lunch. I pay the cashier and look around for a place to plant my butt when there’s a hand in the air waving at me. My eyes follow the arm down, and I recognize Giselle’s blond hair and perfectly made-up face.

  Normally, I would never even consider Giselle Gourdan a lunch partner, but due to the fact that I strategically balance my books, purse, and food all at once, I need a place to sit now. I smile awkwardly and weave my way over to her through all the other occupied tables. She has her trademark fake smile, lip liner included, on her face as I sit across from her and try to put everything down with some poise. Why I let this woman intimidate me, I’ll never know. She has a superior demeanor that imposes upon me as soon as I’m in her presence. I shouldn’t even be nice to this person in case she had anything to do with Jen’s problems. She summoned me, and I just fluttered on over here to accommodate her whim. Well, I’m here now; I’ll just make the best of it and maybe get some information.

  “How are you, Giselle? Thanks for sharing your table.” I poke my straw through the cap on my tea.

  “I am well, and it’s really no problem. I’m finished eating and just here to drink my coffee.” She takes a dainty sip from her cup as her eyes nail me to my spot.

  While there is an uncomfortable lull in the conversation, I struggle to find a way to bring up Jen and Elizabeth while I chew, so I use my full mouth as an excuse.

  “You are still working at the salon even though you started school? Won’t you be too busy to have two jobs and attend school at the same time?”

  I swallow my sandwich around a big lump in my throat and deliberate how she knows that information about me. I take a sip of iced tea to wash the chunk down more quickly, then dab my lips with my napkin.

  “Um … yes! I’ll be fine because both of my jobs are very flexible.” I sip again.

  “That’s fortunate, especially since you and Nico are so close now. I’m sure he is very understanding of your situation and is lenient when it comes to time off.” She winks at me. “Especially when he wants you to spend it with him.” Her expression holds nothing back to show me without words her contempt at the fact she just blatantly stated.

  I suck harder on the straw nervously, not knowing how to really respond to that comment. I know she would be jealous of my relationship with Nico because she’s definitely interested in him. But I didn’t even know she knew we were together since she left the salon before we actually became a couple. It’s still so new that not many people know, so how does she?

  She tilts her head to the side with a predatory grin, indicating that her next statement will come in for the kill.

  “I was wondering, Samantha, is your relationship with Nico exclusive? Because woman to woman, I should tell you, he has his Friday night regular appointment with Lisa—”

  I cut her off before she has a chance to gain any momentum from what she thinks she has over me. Woman to woman, my ass!

  “Not that it’s any of your business, Giselle, but Lisa is history.”

  Her eyebrows rise into her hairline in surprise that I know all about Lisa. She quickly adjusts her expression to indifference as she realizes she let her mask slip.

  “I feel that it’s important for women to look out for each other. That’s all.”

  I eat my salad so quickly to try to get out of there that I don’t even taste it. She sits there with her signature duck face, sips her coffee, and stares at me as if I’m some kind of science experiment for a long while. Then she tips it back as if to take the last sip and puts the mug down.

  “Well, I must be going. It was nice to see you, Samantha.”

  “Um…you too, Giselle. Goodbye.”

  She walks away in her couture ensemble with shoes that cost a small fortune. I release a breath I didn’t know I was holding and abruptly feel full, unable to finish my lunch. I sit back for a bit to finish my tea and contemplate my exchange with Giselle. Something about that woman is just not right; she makes me very uncomfortable. Could it be that she makes me feel inferior? Could it be that I still am not sure of her part in Jen’s disappearance? Maybe it’s that I know she wants Nico and resents me because I’m with him. Hmm. I know, it’s because she’s a bitch.

  ~~~

  The job at the firm today consists of more research in the library up by the partner’s offices again. I’m very careful in here now; I never climb the ladder anymore. The ambiance of the room calms me, and I enjoy the time I get to spend in here. Caroline, the administrative assistant in charge up here, and I have become fast friends. She’s a great person to have as a source of information when I need questions answered on procedure and contacts. Nico’s dad and Caroline are dating. One day when I returned to work after my fall, she confided in me. I’ve found her to be very insightful about relationships in general. After letting me into the library, she brings in a bottle of water and sits down to talk.

  “How are things going with Nico? For the life of me, I will never understand how you were able to choose between Charles’ sons.” She lowers her voice a little and leans in. “I thought Jaxson was trying his best to gain your attention by his visits in the law library every time you’re in here.”

  “Jax and I are becoming good friends; it’s sort of developed into a sibling type relationship.”

  “I’ve worked for both Nico and Jaxson and love them both as if they were my own. What a dilemma. You were all in the dark at first, and then you had to choose,” she says, shaking her head.

  I sit across from her and chew on my thumbnail while I put my observations of the brothers in perspective to explain them to her.

  “Well, Caroline, since they’re almost family to you, it’s very different than a woman who’s interested in romance. Jaxson is hot in a dangerous, unattainable sort of way, and Nico is hot in a romantic, approachable way. Now that I know they’re brothers, I can look at them and pick out their common physical attributes very easily. But their features that make them different from one another depict the persona they project perfectly. Jaxson with those intense green eyes, mischievous smile, and much harder angles in his face give him an imposing, commanding presence. He’s perfect for the woman who wants to be conquered, bent to his will, and taken at his whim.” I pause, sit back, and sip my water. I could imagine Jaxson being very comfortable using the rooms at Club Beta with a submissive partner. I guess when Jaxson alluded to the fact he had devilish qualities in our conversation at the restaurant, he was right.

  When Caroline leans back and covers her smile with her hand, it tells me I got it correct. So I continue.

  “Nico, on the other hand, has dark long lashes that surround unique azure eyes that give him an ethereal quality. His full lips and gentle smile add to his softer cherubic and gentle appearance. I personally have been the recipient of Nico’s angelic qualities that come forth in not only his looks but always in his actions too.”

  “I can tell you’d be attracted to the romantic, softer brother for a long-term relationship. So would I. But something can be said for experiencing the wild ones at least once in a lifetime. You know what I mean?” she says with a wink.

  “I know exactly what you mean. But don’t take my descriptions as the absolute. Both men have show
n me many sides. To me, Nico is the whole package.”

  “Two brothers who are on extremely opposite sides of the spectrum, but both men are fiercely loyal to each other and their loved ones,” she says as she pats my hand.

  Even with my insight into Jaxson in regard to his self-proclaimed dark side, I realize that I have become one of the few he is now loyal to. I have crossed over into the realm of his special group of people that he treats with a different set of rules.

  Caroline lets me know she is right outside if I need anything. After I unpack my supplies on the carved mahogany desk, I sit in the comfortable chair and look around. The aroma of leather and books invades my senses as I take a deep breath and go to work.

  An hour later, the door is abruptly shoved open, startling me from my concentration.

  “The ladder is off-limits to you, young lady!”

  Jaxson walks in with a big smile on his face showing off dimples just like his brother’s. He picks me up off the chair into a bear hug, squeezing the air out of me. I giggle like an idiot with a surprised look on my face. I can’t deny that Jax is still very irresistible and sexy.

  “How’s our lovely Samantha? Are you sick of my brother yet and dreaming of me?”

  He still holds me with my feet dangling off the ground as I smile down at him and shake my head. My hands are on his muscular shoulders to steady myself.

  “Jaxson, put me down, silly… You know I will never be sick of Nico.”

  “You wound me, my sweet. My brother has all the luck. If I had gone to the club that night, who knows what would have happened.”

  He winks at me as he sets me back down in my chair. Then he sits up on the desk in front of me.

  “I love you like a sister, you know?”

  This confirms I was correct about how Jaxson feels about me now.

  “Thanks Jax, that’s very sweet of you to say.” I pat him on his knee and change the subject. “Listen, I want to thank you personally for helping Jen and letting her stay with you since the rescue. How is she doing? Nico told me she would call me tonight.”

  The look on his face was not one I’ve ever seen from him before. He was off in his own thoughts all of a sudden.

  “Jax?”

  He startles, and then looks me in the eye intensely while placing his palm over my hand on his knee.

  “Jennifer is going through some deep, gut-wrenching stuff right now. I have her talking to our therapist, and it seems to be helping her. She’s not eager to see anyone from her past anytime soon. I’m sorry to say that includes you and your family. She loves you guys more than anything and doesn’t want to disappoint you. Sam, I’m really getting to know Jen very well. Her and I are a great deal alike in a lot of ways. We have gotten close through our candid talks.”

  I tearfully smile up at him, turning my hand over in his, and interlock our fingers.

  “Thank you for being there for her, Jaxson. She usually never opens up to anyone. In the past, she just pulled away with no explanation and immersed herself in destructive behavior with dangerous people. I felt helpless and never had any way to stop her downward spiral. I just made sure that I was there when it was over and she needed me to help her pick up the battered pieces.” What good is it to force her to call me? “Listen, don’t make her call me tonight. She needs her space right now, and I know you will take excellent care of her.”

  He nods solemnly and rises from the desk to plant a kiss on my cheek.

  “We better get back to work before the boss sees us slacking off.”

  “You are the boss, Jax!” I laugh at his wink.

  With a smile, he walks out the door, closing it gently behind him. A good woman will someday tame that ominous side of him. She will be a lucky one, just like me.

  Chapter 44

  Samantha Marconi

  The evening at the salon is uneventful except for the fact that something has Nico preoccupied again. There are no moments of privacy when I can ask him what’s bothering him, so I decide to wait until we sit down to eat dinner. Nico grills Grecian pork chops and potatoes with lemon and oregano. I sautéed some green beans with garlic and tomato sauce. By the time we sit, the sun has almost set, and the large expanse of the lake is dark; the cars headlights along Lake Shore Drive are visible. The automatic lights in the living room and the study click on.

  We hadn’t said much to each other all day, so I begin the conversation.

  “You seem like something is bothering you. Do you want to talk about it?”

  His eyes travel from his dish slowly up to mine with a concerned stare. He clears his throat and answers. “I talked to Tony today. He got a letter from Elizabeth to inform us that she is hiding out because some psycho is offering money for her to be kidnapped and brought to him.”

  I drop my fork in shock. “What the hell? Who would do such a thing?”

  “That’s what Tony wants to find out, along with finding Elizabeth. Even though she told him not to search for her.”

  “I don’t understand why she won’t let any of you help her. Especially Tony, if she knows he loves her. She is a stubborn one. Has she ever had feelings for him?”

  “Are you kidding? If my uncle didn’t ruin her life, she would have been Mrs. Dragonetti by now with a couple of kids. I’m sure of it even though she would never admit to it.”

  “It’s a shame that they love each other but can’t be together for whatever reason.”

  Nico nods in affirmation, then picks up his wine glass and downs it. He puts his hand over mine on the table and squeezes it as he exhales loudly. Then he rises and collects our empty plates.

  After we clean the kitchen, Nico sits at the piano to play. The sight and sound make my insides melt as I sit on the bench beside him. I bask in the glow of my admiration and love for him as I appreciate each feature of this exceptionally gorgeous man. The flames from the fireplace reflect in his eyes as he looks into space while his hands glide across the keys. A tuft of wavy black hair falls haphazardly over his forehead. The strength and sinew outlined from under his shirt as he moves his arms and shoulders to play. And finally, my gaze falls to what I call his superhero fingers attached to such smooth hands. He begins a song I know the words to, so I join him. He smiles and returns my stare of admiration.

  When the song is over, his fingertips graze my temple as he claims my lips in a crushing, heart-wrenching kiss. He is so warm, loving, and sincere.

  “Let’s go take a shower,” he says.

  “Does that mean I get your awesome head massage when you shampoo my hair?”

  “Your head won’t be the only thing I’ll massage.” His dimples wink back at me as he leads me to the master bath.

  Nico turns on the shower and steams up the bathroom. Then he lights all the candles to create an ambiance that feels like an alternate universe. My mouth waters as he reaches up and lifts his shirt over his head to reveal his smooth golden torso. He pauses, and I realize it’s my turn, so I finger the hem of my top and pull it over my head as well. Then I unclasp my bra to set the girls free. My nipples peak as if to call out to him while he removes his pants and boxers. I quickly do the same with my bottom half. I don’t want to wait another second to be in his arms. The hunger and desire make chills come over me. After his pause, he gestures for me to get in the shower. I step in and look back as he turns around and grabs the fluffy towels from the cabinet behind him. His fine-looking ass is a sculpted work of art along with the rest of him, and I’m going to get to wash all of it. He catches me looking at him and throws one of the towels at me. I deflect the towel so it lands free of moisture. He grabs me under the water inside the shower in a bear hug, and both of us laugh out loud.

  “Just like in your interview, you’re checking out my ass. I caught you then, and I saw you just now,” he says with a big smile on his face.

  I grab his ass cheeks and squeeze them with an amorous growl.

  “I can’t help it if you have the sexiest on
e I’ve ever seen and I have to stop to admire it whenever I get the chance.”

  He looks down at me with burning lust and desire in his expression.

  “Don’t ever stop,” he says.

  I reach up on my tiptoes and graze my lips against his. His arms tighten once again around me as he deepens the kiss. The water from the rain shower cascades down around us to bathe our bodies in warmth and steam. I grab the liquid bath soap and squirt it in my hand. I can’t wait another second to lather up his tight, muscular body. The aroma of citrus and clean linen wafts around me. I slide my hands over his chest and abs, moving up to his shoulders, biceps, and forearms. He stays perfectly still to let me move around him wherever I want to go next. With more soap, I move to his back down to his ass and legs. As I squat to reach lower, the heat between my legs intensifies, especially when I come back around to his thighs and groin. He throws his head back as soon as I grip him. The soap is slippery as I pleasure him with my hands; so large and firm in my grasp. Swiftly, he picks me up off my haunches and wraps my legs around his waist. With a gasp, I grab onto his shoulders to steady myself.

  “I’ve got you, beautiful.” He backs me into the corner where the wall jets will still keep us warm and then slides slowly into my depths. The angle along with the soap makes my journey to the mountaintop a quick one. I moan his name as my body convulses. When I begin to descend, Nico refuses to let my euphoria wane. His stomach muscles tighten followed by the rest of him as the pace quickens. He slides his soapy fingers between us to stimulate me. This causes me to climb once again and join him in a mutual mind-blowing explosion.