by Emma Vikes
I leaned closer to her. “I’m forcing you to sing again to remind you of your first love.”
She stared at me. “Whoever said singing was my passion? What if it’s scouting artists like you?”
I shook my head and smirked at her. “Your Dad showed me a video of you singing and your eyes were sparkling when you were singing. You love it. Tell me I’m wrong and I’ll let you walk out of this place.”
Rather than waiting for her response, I began to strum the chords of the song I chose to sing with her and leaned close to whisper in her ear. “This is the time that you can do whatever you want. I hope you’ll choose your heart.”
As I continued to strum the chords, I watched as Audrey take a deep breath. The crowd waited for her, the same way I did and finally, Audrey took a step closer to the mic stand and opened her mouth, her sweet voice echoing in the room as she sang the song that I was playing.
All I could really do was watch. I thought I could sing along with her but it was in that moment that I realized that she had waited for so long for this moment to come and I knew that she had reached a point that she thought it never would. This wasn’t something that I could crash into because I wanted to sing with her. And I’d never seen her more alive than ever.
The sight of her made my heart flutter even more.
Maybe this is love!
23
Audrey
I felt as if I was on cloud-nine and I did not want to get off of the high that Julian put me in. It had been so long since I turned my back on my own music, on singing, and swore off of it in the name of the family business that needed me. After failing to become successful in that area- no matter how much love I had for it- I thought that maybe I was never meant to be a singer.
But even if I didn’t make it, Julian taught me that it didn’t mean I should let go of what kept my soul burning.
I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the front door, waiting for Julian to get out of his car. We agreed that the night didn’t have to end after the dinner we had at the café and the fun we shared there, that the night was still young and like the millennials that we were, we could Netflix and chill in my place or he could have freshly squeezed lemonade.
We both knew that neither of those suggestions were going to happen the moment he comes near me.
I was buzzing with newfound energy and I needed to put it to good use and I was growing antsy waiting for Julian to get out of his car. He was clearly talking to someone on the phone and he had signaled me to give him five minutes but the five minutes were up and I was seriously considering marching into his car and pulling him out.
I couldn’t restrain myself from doing so.
Marching to his sports car, I knocked on the driver’s side window and Julian pulled it down. He still had his phone pressed against his ear and he looked at me with wide, questioning eyes. “You’re seriously going to make me wait?”
He gestured to his phone and mouthed, “My brother’s calling.”
I huffed and then reached for the lock-in his car so I could open the door. “Well, let’s see if you won’t end the call.”
“What are you- shit!”
The moment I opened his car door, I knelt down and placed my hand on his thigh, giving him a soft squeeze and slowly pushed my hand higher until it was lingering over his crotch. Julian was breathing heavily, his eyes slightly glazed over when I successfully managed to unbuckle his jeans and without hesitation and any teasing, gripped his dick inside his boxers.
“Julian?” I could hear a deep voice calling his name through the phone as I wrapped my hand firmly on his cock and began to stroke it languidly as I stared at him. Julian gulped.
“I…I-I’m here, Ev. Look, can…can we talk later?” He was squeezing his eyes shut as I began to pump him with one hand and used the free one to massage his balls. He was glaring at me when he opened his eyes but he wasn’t telling me to stop. “Everett, please.”
I could hear his brother arguing with him that it was important but Julian growled and cursed under his breath when I squeezed him, pulled his phone from his ear, hung up and threw it in the backseat. Julian’s gaze were fixed solely on me and I suddenly stopped and he let out a small whimper as I stood up and stepped away and watched as he quickly zipped himself up, wincing a little.
“Audrey,” he whispered my name as I backed away and he got out of his car- finally.
I couldn’t help but smirk and continue to back away from him. “I was weighing whether or not I should just go inside the house and lock the door or come and get you because you seemed like you weren’t going to end that conversation anytime soon.”
Julian tilted his head to the side cockily and his own smirk lazily spread across his lips. “So you want me that bad, huh?”
I shrugged innocently. “Lemonade’s best served freshly squeeze.”
I quickly headed to the front door and tapped in the code but Julian got to me quickly and wrapped his hands around my waist just as I opened the door and we tumbled inside. His lips were near my ear and I shivered in delight when he whispered, “I’d rather squeeze something else and you know I didn’t come here for the lemonade.”
“What did you come here for?” I whispered back, looking into his different shaded eyes.
Rather than answering my question, he deflected it by crashing his lips against mine and pushing me onto the front door. I gasped in delight and quickly shrugged off the jacket I was wearing as Julian tore off my blouse and threw it on the side, my bra following the pile in a second and his mouth latched on my right breast while his hand squeezed the other.
“Julian,” I whimpered, my fingers curling into his hair and gave it a tug. Julian growled when I tugged a little too hard and he pulled me to him and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he began to carry me to the stairs, pausing from time to time to push me against the wall and kiss my bare upper body.
When we reached the landing, Julian knelt down and quickly pulled off the pants that I was wearing, along with my underwear and then spread my legs apart. I only had the railing to hold onto when his mouth attacked my pussy. “Oh god! Julian!”
My legs felt like jelly when he pushed two fingers inside of me and I even felt him spread his two fingers a little bit and his mouth was sucking on my clit. I could feel my eyes rolling to the back of my head in pleasure as Julian continued his pursuit to my climax and when he stopped, I felt his own frustration when I stopped the hand-job earlier.
But then I heard the sound of his zipper being pulled down and in one swift motion, Julian thrust himself inside of me before I could even register what was happening. He had one arm wrapped around me firmly and another gripping the railing as he continued to thrust himself hard into me. My hands snaked around his neck as I clung to him, my breasts pressed firmly against his still-clothed chest.
And then for a moment, Julian stopped and pulled his dick out of me and I wanted to complain. “Turn around and bend.”
He seemed different in that moment as he began to rid himself of his clothes. I never thought that I would ever find dominance sexy but Julian seemed to be on another level. I turned around and bent, my hands gripping the railing tight and without warning or preamble, Julian gripped my waist and thrusted himself in me again and the change in position made me feel his entirety.
“You like that don’t you,” Julian said in a low voice as he pulled at my hair, pulling my head up and I growled as he tugged slightly. “Tell me, you like it, Audrey.”
The demand was clear in his tone and the dominance that he exuded turned me on even more. “Yes, yes, I do!”
Julian chuckled darkly to himself and pushed himself further, making me gasp because I didn’t think there was any more length of him that my body could take but I held on. He continued to ram himself inside of me, his balls slapping against my ass until I finally reached my climax and he quickly followed suit. I could feel his cum drip down on my legs that felt like jelly and I couldn’t hold myself much lon
g. I crumbled to the ground and Julian was quick enough to pull himself out.
He laughed softly and then picked me up, kissing me on the top of my head and bringing me to the bedroom. He laid me on the bed, placing soft kisses all over my body that seemed to cocoon me with love, much different from how he handled me just a few moments ago. Whatever dominance that he showed earlier seemed to disappear in a snap and he was back into the caring version of himself as he snuggled next to me in bed.
“I’m going to Irving on Friday,” he whispered to me and I looked at him, surprised at the sudden statement. Julian looked sheepish with his announcement.
I blinked as I pulled away from his hug. “Tomorrow’s Friday, Julian.”
He nodded his head, the sheepish smile still on his face. “I know. I had the flight booked for a while. I think I booked it before you became my assistant.”
“When are you coming back?”
Julian smirked and nudged me with his shoulder. “Don’t tell me that you already miss me when I haven’t even left yet, Audrey.”
I rolled my eyes and then smoothened my features into a serious expression. “I think you’ve forgotten that I’m boss, Julian. These are the kind of things that I need to know about.”
“Well, look at how the tables turned, huh? A while ago you were my assistant and now you’re the producer we signed up with,” Julian teased as he buried his face on my shoulder and I could feel his hot breath when he spoke, “but technically, our manager’s the one who’s supposed to know our whereabouts and you just ask him.”
I narrowed my eyes at his answer and Julian laughed, pulling me closer to him and then closing his eyes. “I’m leaving tomorrow, Aud, and my flight’s right before lunch. I’d ask you to drive me to the airport but you’re a busy woman so I’ll make do with sleeping in the same bed as you so please stop grilling me about why I’m suddenly leaving for Irving.”
“Is that what you were talking about on the phone earlier?”
“One of the things,” he murmured, his voice thick with sleep, “Everett wouldn’t stop asking me about the trip he’s planning for him and his girlfriend.”
“And Everett is…?” Julian talked about his brothers all the time but I usually lost track. I mostly remembered Milo since I’d met him and his daughter, Violet. But as for the other two, I usually mix them up. “Is he the photographer that got back with his ex?”
Julian chuckled. “No. Everett’s the forensic scientist that finally landed himself a girlfriend.”
“You make it sound like he’s a loser when it comes to girls.”
He laughed even harder. “Oh, if only you knew. But you know what, rather than asking about my brothers, I’ll have you meet them when everything settles down.”
“You think they’ll like me?”
“I think they’ll love you,” Julian was quiet after he said that and my heart fluttered, wondering if he was going to add more to that but Julian didn’t say anything else, instead, he kissed me on the shoulder and then whispered, “so can we please go to sleep, love?”
I let out a soft sigh and nodded my head, turning to face him and then snuggling closer as he wrapped his arms around me and I finally allowed myself to close my eyes and let sleep lull me. For some reason, it was always easier for me to fall asleep when Julian slept right next to me and when I was snuggled in his arms.
Maybe it’s easier because it’s with someone slowly stealing your heart.
By the time morning came, I was alone in bed but I could hear Julian downstairs. It seemed to be a usual thing that went on between the two of us whenever he spent the night with me. Every morning, he would cook breakfast for the both of us- it was a liberal breakfast spread too- and leave once we’re both done, leaving me with the dishes although I didn’t mind since he did make the effort to cook for me.
I quickly brushed my teeth, put on underwear and then wore one of the shirts that Julian left that I washed the other day. His scent lingered in his shirt and I couldn’t help but smile as I happily went down the stairs. Julian was in the kitchen, only in his boxers and apron and sometimes it made me wonder if he did that on purpose to tease me.
“Good morning,” Julian greeted me as he stirred the pan that had scrambled eggs in it. He knew I liked fluffy and creamy scrambled eggs and he did a great job making sure that I got what I wanted, “and good morning to my shirt too. I’ve been looking for that for nearly a week.”
I smiled at him sheepishly as I sat on the counter stool, leaning closely in the counter to peek at what he’s cooking. “What’s for breakfast?”
“Nutella French toast,” Julian replied casually as he gently added powdered sugar on a heavenly looking French toast and then added the scrambled eggs to the side and slid it to me with a grin. “You’re welcome.”
“I’m going to be fat before the month ends,” I complained but attacked the food the moment Julian sat next to me with his own plate. For a while, it was quiet between the two of us as we ate our food and I glanced at Julian slightly, remembering how confident he was in getting a yes from me after going on two dates with him.
Julian suddenly stood up, before I could even finish my food although his plate was clean. “I should go.”
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “I haven’t finished my food yet.”
His eyes darted at the nearly empty plate and rolled his eyes as he tugged at the shirt and pulled me closer, pressing his lips on my forehead. “My flight’s in three hours and I hadn’t packed anything nor have I gotten Max the pennyboard that I promised I’d buy him. Leo texted me earlier to remind me and I think I should really duck out even if I don’t want to.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “You’re a good uncle, you know that?”
“I’ll be a good daddy too,” he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and I blinked, unsure of how I was meant to respond to that when Julian laughed and pulled me in a bigger hug, resting his head on my shoulder. “You okay with this?”
I pulled away from him, confused. “With what?”
He spread his arms wide and shrugged. “Sometimes I’m going to leave for tours and you’ll have work and sometimes we’ll only talk and sometimes we won’t. I may be a rockstar but I’m human too, Audrey. Sometimes it’ll be boring even when it’s with me.”
I stared at him and he stared back at me in earnest. Julian was far from the man I painted him to be, the idea of a villain in a story that I created in my mind who evidently turned out to be my hero. I knew what he was trying to say and there were this feeling inside of me that I knew needed to be acknowledged but I hadn’t fully assessed them nor had the courage to do so.
But instead of replying, I placed a hand on his cheek and gently patted his face and then lowered my hand to his and held it in mine as I pulled him to the front door. “You’re going to be late, Jules.”
Julian refused to budge and I turned back to look at him. “I’m not dressed yet.”
I closed my eyes and laughed as Julian chuckled and then let go of my hand and climbed up the stairs to change while I decided to finish my food and begin to wash the dishes that we had used. Before I could finish, Julian was climbing down the stairs and wearing the clothes he wore last night. I met him at the front door and he looked at me pouting.
“I’m going to miss you.”
I made a face. “Don’t do that.”
Julian chuckled as he opened the front door and I was ready to wave at him and say goodbye when he suddenly turned back around, pulled the edge of the shirt that I was wearing and smashed his lips against mine, pulling me out of the house and pressing me against the wall outside. I moaned into his mouth and my hands were laid flat on his chest.
His taste was intoxicating and when he pulled away, I felt dizzy with desire but Julian restrained me when I tried to kiss him again. “That’s meant to be a goodbye kiss so you’ll crave more of me while I’m gone.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “I guess I’m not going to wish you goodbye.”
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nbsp; He laughed and kissed me softly on the cheek before leaving, jogging to his car and I watched as he zoomed away before disappearing back inside my house to get ready for work.
Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad if we made this real. Maybe we could work out.
For the rest of the day, I buried myself with work and tried to ignore the thought that I wouldn’t be able to see Julian tonight. I’d gotten so used to spending my days with him after I became his assistant that it made me feel as if my day wasn’t complete if we didn’t get to see each other which was honestly not the kind of thing that I expected I would ever feel.
He sent me a text before lunch that he was already in the airport and was waiting for his flight and that he’d send a text after he landed. It was cute, to be honest, how he seemed to think that I needed to know all of these things when technically, there wasn’t anything too serious going on between us. But then again, I didn’t think that this unofficial period would last very long.
During lunch, Theo suddenly burst into my office, looking slightly panicked. My eyebrows shot up in amusement as I closed my laptop. “You didn’t have to make that kind of entrance, T, I would’ve gotten out of the office to have lunch with you.”
Theo let out a shaky breath and shook his head, pacing a hole in the middle of my office. “I didn’t think that it would get this out of hand once the media gets a hold of the story.”
I looked at him confused. “What are you talking about?”
“Outlook Daily just made a post about you and Julian Hudson,” Theo answered me after a moment of silence and then crossed the short distance between us, opened my laptop and then typed in the link of the news outlet on the browser.
On the first page were separate pictures of me and Julian and then the next one was a picture of the two of us kissing in front of my house earlier this morning. I sucked in a sharp breath and then read the headline, feeling my heart sink: JULIAN HUDSON AND AUDREY FINCH: PRODUCER-CLIENT WITH BENEFITS.