by J. Lea
“Happy birthday, babe,” I say. She stares at me in astonishment, then looks at the jewelry box, and back up at me.
“What is this?”
“Open it,” I tell her. When she does, her hand rises to her mouth.
“Jake, it’s beautiful,” she whispers. She presses her sexy lips against mine. She kisses me passionately, which makes me crave her touches even more. I take the bracelet out of the box, and wrap it around her wrist. “You shouldn’t have.” Next, I take a VIP pass on a lanyard out of my pocket.
“I want you to come to my races. This pass allows you to access everywhere. My team will take care of you while I’m on the track. I want you to come to these things with me.”
“Jake, I don’t know what to say…” she exclaims in surprise.
“Just say yes, simple as that.”
“Even though I want to, I can’t do this. Jake, I have my life, my job, expenses that need to get paid. I can’t just pack my bags, and follow you around the world for a few months. Besides, we’ve only been together for a couple of weeks. Don’t you think this is going a little too fast?”
“No,” I say honestly. I really don’t think it is. “If you are worried about your job, I’ll tell Meredith I want to hire you as my personal masseuse. She won’t turn down my offer when I tell her how much I’m willing to pay. Then you’ll have a job and she’ll make an even bigger profit. Win-win.”
Ella
“Jake…” I take a deep breath. “Thank you for your offer, but I’m going to have to refuse. I barely got my life back together. I know it’ll be difficult not seeing you for longer periods of time, but that’s life, and I’ll have to get used to it. It won’t be easy to watch you race. There’ll be so many beautiful girls around you all the time, but there is nothing else to be done except to trust you. And you have to trust me.”
“I’ve never felt like this for any other girl than you. You can trust me. And if this is what you want, I’ll respect your wishes.” I nod, and we kiss gently.
“Did you pick the bracelet yourself?” I change the subject to raise the mood. He grins at me.
“Sophie helped me.”
Sophie? When? She’s so busy organizing her wedding I hardly ever see her myself. “When? She has such a full schedule.”
“I have my ways,” he says, cockily. “Come on, I want to show you something else before we leave.” He takes me down to the track.
“Thanks, Cody,” Jake says to the man who steps off the bike, and pats his shoulder. Jake sits on the motorcycle, gesturing with his finger to join him. I shake my head no. “Just sit behind me. We’re not going anywhere, at least not without the helmets and everything.” I waver, and then shake my head no again. I really don’t want to do this. Disappointment flashes in Jake’s eyes for a second, but is instantly replaced with understanding. He extends his hand to me and I grab it. He’s still sitting on the bike, and I’m standing beside him, wrapped in his arms. His head in the crook of my neck. “I completely understand why you don’t want to sit on it. I won’t force you into doing something you don’t want to do yourself, babe.”
We head back to the car, our fingers intertwined, and smiles on our faces. As we reach the parking lot, a group of his fans run toward us. Jake looks at me, and I nod. I let him say hi to them, step to the side, and let him do his thing. I watch how confidently he handles them, how nicely he smiles at them, and answers their questions. One by one, he signs whatever they shove under his nose—notebooks, hands, and shirts.
“He’s something else, huh?” I hear a man’s voice behind me, and I turn around. I watch the man approaching me with suspicion, and he offers his hand. “I’m sorry if I scared you. My name’s Kevin. I work with Jake.” I return the smile, and shake his hand.
“I’m Ella. Ella Vaughn, nice to meet you. And yes, he’s special,” I respond, but my eyes don’t leave Jake.
“Have you two been together long?” he asks, and I look at him. I scrunch my forehead in confusion. How the hell does he know we’re together? “Jake talks about you nonstop. It seems like I’ve known you forever,” he jumps in before I can say anything. Nodding, I smile. He asks me a few more questions, and we chat casually for a while as I’m waiting for Jake to finish. I suddenly hear his sexy deep voice nearing me, and I turn to him. Smiling, he runs to me. He gives me a peck on the lips.
“I’m so sorry, babe. I hope you weren’t too bored.” I put my hands on his firm chest and shake my head.
“Don’t apologize, that’s part of your job. Besides, I had a nice conversation with someone from your team.” I turn around to point him out, but he’s nowhere to be seen. “Huh, he was here a second ago.” I shrug.
“Don’t worry about him. Let’s go.”
The next morning, the ringing of my phone wakes me up. At first, I try to ignore it so they’ll just leave a message, but it keeps ringing and ringing. I groggily stand up, and go to the kitchen where I left the phone. It finally stops. I check the screen to see who was so persistent. Jake. I wrinkle my forehead. Four missed calls.
“Jake?” my voice is full of concern as he answers. “Is something wrong?” His harsh voice wakes me up completely.
“Who did you talk to yesterday?” I hold the phone away from my ear, and look at it in confusion, then put it back to my ear.
“Jake, what are you talking about?”
“Fuck, Ella, you’re all over the news. On every front page of a magazine, heck, even on the radio. Who did you tell?”
“I haven’t told a living soul, I swear. How can they possibly know about me?” As I say that, I remember Kevin. He’s the only one I talked to, but I’m sure nobody on his team would talk to the press.
“Ella?” Jake asks as I’m quiet for a while.
“I only talked to Kevin. I didn’t think he would sell the story.”
“Who the hell is Kevin?” Shocked by his reaction, I swallow hard.
“I don’t know. Your mechanic, maybe? He told me he worked for you.”
“Shit,” he says, and I bet he runs his hand through his hair. “He lied to you and you bought it. How could you be so naïve?” His words sting. He’s angry with me. Hell, he’s furious. I failed him. He has every right to be furious with me.
“I’m really sorry. I didn’t know,” I say quietly, trying to hold back the tears. “I’m so sorry.” I hear knocking on my front door, and Sophie comes in with a stack of magazines in her lap. She gives me a sympathetic look, and I know she’s here because of the articles about me.
“It is what it is now. I’ll try to repair the damage, if it’s even possible at this point. Next time, do not talk to anybody if I’m not around or if you don’t know them.” He hangs up without saying goodbye and I collapse on the couch. Sophie has already made me a cup of hot tea in the meantime, and she sets it down in front of me on the coffee table.
“I fucked up,” I tell her.
“I guess you already heard then,” she says. I nod. Sophie hands me the stack of magazines and newspapers. The first thing I see is my face on every front page. There are articles with pictures of me, taken up close, and from far away. I’m smiling in all of them, watching Jake sign autographs with a dreamy expression on my face.
Ella Vaughn Warming Jake Burns’ Bed
That’s what the headlines say. I run my hands over my face and read on.
Famous Jake Burns has won the heart of Ella Vaughn. Is this just another one of his flings, or has the most desirable bachelor of the state of Indiana finally found his match?
I continue reading. It says a lot about me, my age, where I come from, what I do and so on. Even Josh got his own paragraph. When I reach the end of the article, I feel sick. I tell Sophie what happened because she couldn’t figure out how the press found such intimate details of my life. It hurts the most that they managed to bring Josh’s tragedy back to the surface.
“I messed up, Sophie. Jake is so pissed at me.” Sophie strokes my hair as I sit on the couch with my head between my k
nees, resting on my hands. I made a complete fool of myself.
“Hey, look at me,” Sophie says determinedly, and removes my hands from my face. I look up at her. “Everything is going to turn out okay; don’t beat yourself about it. Jake will take care of everything.”
“I don’t know…” I shake my head. “And the worst part is I didn’t even mention Josh. I don’t know how they managed to dig up so much personal information about us so quickly. I should be mad at Kevin for tricking me, but I’m more disappointed with myself.” Sophie comfortingly wraps her arms around me, and we spend the rest of the morning together.
Jake hasn’t stopped by yet and when I call, it keeps ringing and ringing. Sophie assured me he’s most likely busy dealing with the mess, and he’ll call me as soon as he’ll be free.
It’s now nine o’clock in the evening. I’m lying in my bed, staring at the ceiling. I pull the covers up to my chin, and just lie there. I turn to my side to check the phone again. Nothing. Not a word from him. He must be really mad at me. My lids slowly grow heavy, and I’m almost asleep when I hear banging on the door. I sit up in bed, and then I hear Jake’s voice.
“Ella, open the door. I know you’re home.” I scramble out of bed, and go to the door. As I open it, he’s leaning on the doorframe, his gaze to the floor.
“Hey, Jake,” I say quietly, and he marches past me into my living room. He’s turned away from me, and both his hands are in his hair. “I’m so sorry,” I approach him slowly. I put my hand on his shoulder, and when he turns around, I see fear and insecurity in his eyes. He doesn’t look like his usual confident and arrogant self that I know so well. “What is wrong?” He pulls me into his arms, and kisses me possessively.
“Damn it, Ella,” he says. I have to take a deep breath to come to my senses again.
“I didn’t want it to happen, Jake. I swear I didn’t want to harm you. He tricked me. He was so friendly and nice and he knew so much about you. I didn’t even suspect he might be lying.” He places his index finger on my lips.
“Ella, babe, that’s not why I’m so mad.” I give him a questioning look. How could he not be angry with me because of this? I disappointed him, and totally let him down. “I’m mad because now there will be paparazzi following your every step, everybody will want to know your every dirty secret, and I bet there’ll be some jealous wackos trying to make your life miserable. I don’t want you to have your life turned upside down. Especially now, at the beginning of the season, when I’m leaving and you won’t have me by your side to help you deal with everything.” I stare at him, my eyes the size of saucers. This is the last thing I expected him to say. He’s worried about me? After all I’ve done he’s worried about me? Tears start pooling in my eyes, and I throw myself into his arms. I kiss him fiercely, never wanting to let him go.
“Don’t worry about me, I can take care of myself. You just focus on the races ahead of you, and don’t let anything else distract you.”
“And you’re not just one of the many; you mean a lot to me, remember that.” He points to the open magazines on my coffee table. I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. I’d like to believe him. I’m going to let time show me. Jake takes me to the bedroom, and we spend the night together.
~ * ~
“I don't want you to go,” I say, as we’re lying in his bed the last day before his departure. The whole thing with the press has finally settled down, my life is slowly getting back on its tracks.
“I know,” he kisses the spot behind my ear. Being in his arms makes me feel safe and all the worries are forgotten.
“Can I go with you to the airport?” The kisses on my neck suddenly stop. “Please.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” he responds, and continues kissing the exposed skin on my neck.
“Why?” I ask, propping up on my elbows.
“The press will be there.”
“I don’t give a damn about the press. I want to be with you as long as possible.”
“Okay, but only under one condition.” He climbs on top of me.
“Oh yeah? And what’s that?” I lift my head and kiss him.
“Show me how much you’re going to miss me.” He presses his lips against mine, possessively, lovingly, gently. He trails the kisses down my neck, my chest, and my stomach. His tongue caressing my body is driving me crazy. “Babe.” His eyes are dark with desire, “I’m going to taste you, and suck you so hard you won’t be able to remember your own name.” Before I can say anything, his mouth is already on my wet center. I let out a loud moan, gripping the sheets beneath me. Arching my back, I close my eyes. I’m dizzy with the pleasure he’s giving me. Jake is gripping my hips, and by the sounds coming out of his mouth, he’s enjoying this as much as I am. “So willing,” he murmurs, and gently pulls my clit in his mouth, making me scream in ecstasy.
“Jake, I can’t… Oh, Jake, please…” I buck my hips up to his mouth because I want to climax. I need to come.
“Shhh,” he says, his tongue no longer in the one place I need it the most. He instead rises up, kissing me on the mouth. I can taste myself on his lips. “Patience, babe.” He grins naughtily. He focuses on my chest next; caressing, sucking, nibbling and kissing. His touches nearly push me over the edge. Expertly massaging my center with his fingers, his lips join them, and as I feel his tongue on me, I am right on the edge. “Now,” he commands. “I want you to explode on my tongue as I’m eating you out. Come for me, babe.” I don’t wait, intense waves of pleasure rocking my body, and my hands fisting the sheets even more as I scream Jake’s name. I need a few minutes to come back down to earth again, but Jake doesn’t wait. He’s standing in front of me with his lust-filled gaze, watching me, and holding his hard cock in his hand, stroking it. “Damn, that was one of the sexiest things I’ve ever seen.” Still in my post-orgasm haze, I’m not able to form words. “Turn on your hip. I’m going to take you from the side.” Still stroking his erection, he joins me from behind as soon as I do what he says. He pushes my legs apart so he has better access and then I feel him inside me. Every time, I’m more impressed by how hard and big his cock is. He pumps into me a few times, and I moan from the pain and pleasure. “I’m sorry, babe, but you’re driving me crazy.” He grabs my breast and fondles it as he’s thrusting into me hard. “Ride me, baby, I want to have your gorgeous ass in my hands. I quickly turn over and sit on him, slowly circling my hips. “Oh, yes, just like that. Wiggle your sexy ass.” He’s alternating between rubbing my nipples with his fingers, and playing with my ass, making me so hot I can barely breathe. It doesn’t take long for us to call out each other’s name as we climax at the same time. I collapse on top of him, and we lie there for several minutes, until his deep authoritative voice breaks the silence. “You’re mine, remember that. Mine and nobody else’s.” I smile at his demanding voice, and bury my head deeper into his neck.
“I’m yours,” I agree, and he kisses my forehead.
As we still lie in the same position a while later, I slide my fingers over his tattoo on his ribs. I can’t help myself but to ask him about it.
“What does that mean? Citius, altius, fortius usque ad finem—did I pronounce it correctly?” He laughs at my butchering the Latin language, but I don’t blame him. I have no idea how to pronounce a single Latin word.
“It means Faster, higher, stronger, to the very end. It’s my motto, my motivation never to stop, no matter how difficult the obstacles.” I nod, still caressing the tattoo.
“Can I ask you something else?” Biting my lip, I wait for his answer.
“Of course, you can ask me anything.” He kisses my temple.
“The scar you covered with the tattoo... Is it from a motorcycle accident? What happened?” He takes a deep breath, and strokes my hair for some time, as if he were thinking about how to tell me.
“Almost three years ago, I was involved in the first more serious accident in this sport. I was too cocky, and not very careful, so I skidded off the track. I don�
��t exactly remember what was going on, and it all happened so fast.” He runs his fingers across his scar that is now barely visible, healed, and covered with a tattoo. “I was unconscious for three days, and the season was over for me. It took some time to sit on the bike again, but it was a good lesson for me. I learned never to underestimate my opponents, and to always use my head during the race, leaving cockiness behind. Even though I might still appear as an arrogant asshole on the track, this is just my mask. Yes, I’m confident, but just enough to perform well. And I respect the engine underneath me. That accident really opened my eyes, and showed me new possibilities.”
“Aren’t you afraid something like that might happen again? I’m so scared for you.”
“Every day. But I don’t think about it; I can’t let the fear win.” He lovingly caresses my shoulder.
“Ugh, sounds so easy coming from your mouth.”
Chapter Eleven
Jake
My team and I arrive at the airport. I’m holding Ella’s hand the whole time because we’re surrounded by the press the minute we step out of the car. They’re persistently posing questions, shoving their mics under Ella’s nose. I tighten my grip on her hand. We’re both wearing baseball caps, so we can protect ourselves from the annoying cameras at least a little. As soon as we enter the airport complex, the commotion dies down. We walk toward the terminal, and I turn to her so we’re looking each other in the eyes. Everything is ready for the takeoff. The private plane for the whole team is already here, and Mike, his wife, and part of my team have already boarded. I take Ella’s hands into mine, and raise them to my lips. I kiss her every knuckle and smile at her.
“I’ll miss you,” I tell her. I see tears starting to form in her eyes, and I wipe at the first tear that slides down her cheek with my thumb.
“I’ll miss you, too. So, so much.” She sniffs, and gives me the sweetest, softest kiss of my life. “Take care.”