by Sandi Lynn
“I told you.” I turned my head and looked at him.
“Too bad. I’m finishing what I started.” He grabbed my hair and pulled my head back, giving me a small kiss.
A few more strokes were all it took for him to send me over the edge to oblivion and then he halted, making sure he was buried deep inside me while he moaned with pleasure. After he went to the bathroom to dispose of the condom, I slipped on my robe and opened the door, bringing the cart with the two trays on it inside. Once we were finished eating, we slipped into our clothes from last night and checked out.
“Thank you for a wonderful night and morning.” He smiled as he placed his thumb on my chin.
“You’re welcome. Thank you as well. I had a lot of fun.”
“What are your plans for today?” he asked.
“I have to go to the shop. I told Katie I’d be there by eleven, and seeing what time it is, I really have to go.”
“Me too. I have some work to do at the office. I’ll see you around.” He kissed my forehead and hailed me a cab.
Chapter 11
Emily
As I walked into the shop, Emily and Noelle looked up at me as they heard the bell on the door ring. I will admit, I was a hot mess and I didn’t have time to go home and change. Neither one of them said a word, but I could feel the glares from across the shop as I grabbed a dress and a pair of shoes and went into the fitting room to change. When I was finished and stepped out, the two of them were standing there with their arms folded.
“What?” I asked.
“Last night’s clothes,” Katie spoke.
“And no makeup,” Noelle chimed in. “Not to mention your crazy hair.”
“And? Jackson and I ended up staying at the Trump. We had breakfast and then I came straight here.”
“You slept with him?” Katie followed me to the counter.
“I did, and do you know what the best part was besides the amazing sex we had?”
“What?” She narrowed her eye.
“There was no ‘I’ll call you soon’ or ‘I’ll be in touch.’” I grinned.
“He didn’t act like he was going to call you after being with you all night and this morning?” Noelle asked.
“Nope. Isn’t life grand?”
“So does that mean you won’t be seeing him again?” Katie asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. We’ll have to see.”
“Do you want to see him again?” Noelle bit down on her bottom lip.
“Yeah. I wouldn’t mind. He’s a great guy and we have so much in common. Spending time with him was fun.”
The store was starting to get crowded, so Noelle walked around and interacted with the customers, asking if they needed any help.
“Today is Alex’s birthday,” Katie spoke.
“That’s right. I completely forgot. Tell him I said happy birthday.”
“You can tell him yourself because we want you to go out to dinner with us tonight.”
“You two don’t want to celebrate alone?”
“We can do that later. Actually, a couple of Alex’s friends are tagging along and—” She looked down as her tone became serious.
“And what? What’s wrong?”
“Elizabeth and Keith will be there.”
“Elizabeth? As in the one you think Alex has feelings for? I told you just to come out and ask him.”
“I did and he got all mad at me and asked how I could even think something like that. He said they’re just friends and that she’s his best friend’s girl. Then he told me he loved me, and we had awesome sauce sex.”
“I know you did not just say ‘awesome sauce.’” I raised my brow at her.
“Please say you’ll come. I need you there to read his body language and see if you notice him staring at her. My relationship depends on it.”
Apparently, this all started a couple of months ago after Katie overheard part of a phone conversation between Alex and Elizabeth. It was nothing incriminating and when she asked why he was talking to her, he said that she had called him for some advice about law school. Apparently, she was thinking about getting a law degree. Katie wasn’t comfortable with Alex talking to Elizabeth over the phone because it seemed like every conversation they had, Elizabeth’s name came up. He seemed to talk about her a lot.
“I’ll go. Where are you going?”
“Gramercy Tavern. Seven o’clock. It’s his favorite place.”
“Fine. I’ll meet you there. Since you guys have the shop under control, I’m going to go home and take a bath and relax for a while.”
“Thanks again for coming with us tonight.” She hugged me.
“No problem. What are best friends for?” I smiled.
After leaving the shop, I went home, stripped out of my clothes, and climbed into a nice hot bubble bath. Once I was fully relaxed, thoughts of Jackson and our night together came to my mind. I smiled as I thought about the incredible things he did to me. Not only last night, but this morning on the table. I’d never met a man who knew his way around a woman’s body like he did. Just the thought of it made me tremble.
I was fashionably late by ten minutes when I arrived at the restaurant.
“Sorry I’m late. Traffic was overkill.” I smiled as Alex stood up and I gave him a hug. “Happy birthday.”
“Thanks, Emily. It’s good to see you.”
Walking over to Katie, I gave her a hug and then placed my hand on Keith’s shoulder before taking my seat.
“Nice to see you again, Keith.”
“Same here. Emily, this is my girlfriend, Elizabeth.”
“Nice to meet you, Elizabeth.” I extended my hand.
“Nice to meet you too.” She gave a friendly smile.
As soon as I sat down, the lanky waitress, who looked like Taylor Swift, walked over and took my drink order.
“I’ll have a neat martini, two olives with a twist of lemon.”
She smiled as she wrote it down and walked away. Now it was time for me to put my detective eyes on and watch the interaction between Alex and Elizabeth. As we were eating dinner and carrying on a conversation, Katie reached under the table and grabbed my thigh.
“What?” My eyes widened at her.
“Isn’t that Jackson who just walked through the door?”
I looked straight ahead; it sure was him and he wasn’t alone. A feeling hit the pit of my stomach, a nervousness which I wasn’t sure of. Wouldn’t it figure that the hostess set down their menus at the table right next to us. Before taking his seat, Jackson glanced over and smiled when he saw me sitting there.
“Emily.” He walked over to our table with a sly grin.
“Jackson.” I graciously smiled.
“Having a night out?” he asked.
“Yes. You too?” I looked over at the black-haired woman who was looking at her phone.
“Yes.” He gave a nod.
“Jackson, you already know Katie. This is her boyfriend, Alex, our friend, Elizabeth, and this is my date, Keith.” I smiled as I placed my hand on his shoulder. Everyone, this is Jackson Caine.”
He smiled as pleasantries were exchanged and then he lightly bit down on his bottom lip as he glared at me for a moment.
“And your date’s name?” I asked as I cocked my head.
“Samantha.”
Looking over at her, I gave her a small wave. She shifted in her seat as a smile crossed her face.
“Enjoy your dinner,” Jackson spoke as he took his seat across from Samantha.
“You too.”
Turning to Keith, I noticed Elizabeth was glaring at me.
“Sorry. I had no choice. Long story.”
“Why did you do that?” Katie whispered.
“I don’t really know. It just slipped out.”
Once I finished eating, I excused myself and headed to the ladies’ room. After washing my hands, I opened the door to find Jackson standing up against the wall with his hands in his pockets.
“Waiting to use the
ladies’ room?” I asked.
“No. Come with me.” He grabbed my hand, led me down the hall and out the exit door that led to an alley.
“What are you doing?”
He pushed me up against the brick wall, but not before taking hold of my wrists and pinning my arms above my head. His mouth smashed into mine with such force it literally took my breath away. Using his free hand, he discreetly slipped it up my dress, pushed my panties to the side, and dipped in two fingers. My body reacted in the proper way as the wetness poured from me. Moans rumbled in the back of my throat as his lips pressed against mine and his fingers manipulated me until I orgasmed.
Pulling away from me, he placed his hands on my hips and smiled.
“I thought maybe you would enjoy that.”
“I did,” I spoke breathlessly as I stared into his mesmerizing eyes.
“Go back to your date and enjoy the rest of your evening.” He winked as he walked back inside the restaurant.
I waited a few minutes, so it didn’t look suspicious. Taking my seat, I couldn’t even bring myself to look over Jackson’s way.
“What took you so long?” Katie asked. “Did you fall in or something?”
“No. I’m just having some stomach issues. I think I’m going to head home.”
“Okay. We’re ready to go anyway.”
When Alex asked the waitress for the check, she told us that it had already been taken care of by an anonymous person who was just paying it forward. I knew damn well Jackson paid for our meal. Before walking out, I glanced over at him, who was engaged in a conversation with Samantha.
“It was nice to see you again,” I softly spoke as the adrenaline was still coursing through my body.
“The pleasure was all mine.” He smiled.
Taking in a deep breath, I walked outside, said goodbye to my friends, and hailed a cab home. The minute I walked through the door, I changed into my pajamas, poured myself a glass of wine, and took it over to the couch. Sitting down, I brought my knees up to my chest and let out a long sigh. I couldn’t stop thinking about Jackson and what happened earlier. It took a lot of nerve to do what he did to me while his date was waiting for him at the table. It was a total dick move on his part and maybe he really wasn’t the man I thought he was.
As I climbed into bed, my phone rang, and Katie’s picture appeared.
“Shouldn’t you be celebrating Alex’s birthday in bed instead of calling me?”
“He’s in the bathroom,” she whispered. “So, what do you think? Is he into her or not?”
“No, sweetie. He’s not. I noticed nothing out of the ordinary. If anything, he couldn’t take his eyes off you the entire night.”
“Really?” she asked with excitement.
“Yes. Now stop trying to sabotage your relationship. I’m the only one who can do that.”
“Thanks, Emily. I’ll call you tomorrow. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Chapter 12
Jackson
“Thank you for dinner, Jackson,” Samantha spoke as she climbed out of the limo. “Jules is going to be so surprised. It’s going to be a great party.”
“You’re welcome and thank you for helping me plan it.”
“No problem. Talk to you soon.” She smiled as she shut the door.
Jules was certainly going to be surprised since our birthday had already come and gone.
On my way home, I couldn’t stop thinking about Emily and how beautiful she looked at dinner. My mind raced with thoughts of her. Maybe because we had just spent the night and part of that morning together. She was an un-complicated and very strong woman. Not only did I find that attractive about her, it was also a major turn on. Her views on relationships were like mine and I had never known anyone like that before. That was probably why I found sex with her to be the best I ever had. Everything about her was incredible, and I knew there was no way she’d want anything more from me, just like I didn’t want anything more from her.
The next morning, the elevator came up and Jules stepped out.
“Good morning.” She smiled as she walked over and kissed my cheek.
“Good morning. Coffee?” I asked.
“I’d love some. I just got off a twenty-four-hour shift.”
Taking a mug down from the cabinet, I poured some strong coffee into it and handed it to her as she took a seat at the island.
“Was the ER busy?”
She laughed. “When isn’t it busy? It was one accident after another, and I lost a patient.”
“Aw, Jules, I’m sorry.” I took a seat and hooked my arm around her.
“It’s part of the job.”
“So what brings you by?” I asked.
“Nothing. I just felt like some brother bonding time. I talked to Mom yesterday in between patients. Apparently, she and Stuart haven’t been getting along lately.”
“And you’re surprised?” I smirked. “I mean, come on, she’s not an easy woman to live with, and it has been five years since their marriage. It’s about that time.”
“I have something to tell you.” She laid her head on my shoulder.
“What’s wrong?”
“Carter asked me to marry him last night.”
“Wow. At the hospital? In between shifts?” I laughed.
A light giggle escaped her as she lifted her head and looked at me.
“Up on the rooftop while we were having dinner.”
“How romantic.” I smirked.
“It was and he totally caught me off guard.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I said I had to think about it.”
“That must have been a blow to his ego.”
“He understood. He knows how we grew up and he said that he doesn’t need an answer now.”
“He’s a good man, Jules.”
“I know he is, but marriage changes people and I don’t want him or us to change.”
“True. If you really don’t want to get married, then don’t. If he can’t understand that, then maybe he isn’t the guy for you.”
“I love him, Jackson, but marriage scares the hell out of me.”
“I know it does and it should.” I kissed the side of her head. “Can’t the two of you just continue living together without the piece of paper? He knows everything about you, and he knows how you feel about marriage. Listen, do whatever your heart tells you. Don’t listen to what’s going on inside your head. If you love him that much, which I know you do, then marry the guy.”
“Coming from a man who refuses to get into a relationship.” She smirked.
“True.” I grinned. “Marriage and relationships aren’t for me, but for you, it seems to work. So just follow your heart.”
“Thanks, Jackson.” She kissed my cheek. “I’m going to go home and get some sleep. Carter has another couple of hours until his shift ends.”
I wasn’t surprised that Carter asked Jules to marry him. He was so in love with her and it was something you could see every time they were together. I decided to stay in and do some work from home. As I was sitting in my office, looking up some properties, I received a text message from Carter asking if I was home.
“Hey, man. Are you by any chance home?”
“Yeah. I’m just doing some work. What’s up?”
“I need to talk to you. Would you mind if I stopped by?”
“Not at all. Come on over. Just take the elevator up.”
About thirty minutes later, I heard the elevator ding, so I got up from my chair and headed to the kitchen.
“I brought us a pizza.” Carter smiled as he set it on the counter.
“Great. I’ll grab a couple of beers.”
After handing him a beer, I took down a couple of plates and brought the pizza to the table where we both sat down and grabbed a slice.
“What did you want to talk about?” I asked, even though I was certain it was about his proposal to Jules.
“I asked Jules to marry me last night.�
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“Oh?” I pretended that I didn’t know. “What did she say?”
“She said she’d have to get back to me.”
“Are you really surprised by that?”
“Not really. It just seemed like the perfect moment. Maybe I should have waited. I’m just so worried that she’s going to say no.” He took a sip of his beer.
“Don’t give up on her just yet. I know she loves you and if she can push aside all the shit we grew up seeing, then I’m sure she’ll say yes.”
“I really do not like your parents at the moment.” He grinned.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “I can understand that. They certainly have their issues, which were passed down to me and Jules.”
“You know, Jackson, not every relationship is like that. My parents have been happily married for thirty years. People can get married and stay together.”
“I’m sure some can.”
“You don’t believe that if Jules and I got married, we’d be together forever?”
“I don’t know, Carter. You and Jules have an amazing relationship. Do you really need a piece of paper to solidify that?”
“Yes. Actually, I do. I want to make her my wife. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life introducing her as my girlfriend.”
“I really wish I could understand where you’re coming from, but I can’t. My parents didn’t paint this amazing picture of how wonderful and fulfilling marriage is. They only showed us that if things get bad or tough, you get out.”
“I understand that, but see, my parents did paint the perfect picture of how it can be when two people are deeply in love, and that’s what I want with Jules.”
“And you think having a grand party with a ton of people and declaring your love in front of them is going to make any difference?”
“I do.” He finished off a second slice of pizza.
I felt bad for the guy because he wholeheartedly believed that he and Jules would be together forever. Who the hell knew; maybe they would be. I just didn’t want him to pressure my sister into something she was unsure of.
“What do I do, Jackson?”
“Do you love my sister?” I asked with seriousness.