by Nelson, Cara
Before long, we were both wrapped up into the moment and it was all on; make that, all off. Simon lifted me up and stood me on the ground, slowly untying the knot of my halter dress, allowing it to slip down my body and into a puddle on the ground. If his strong arms wouldn’t have been around me, my entire body might have followed. I was excited, I was nervous, and more than anything, I wanted to explore this side of Simon.
Not daring to lose our connection with each other, we made our way to Simon’s bedroom. Eagerness consumed me for everything that awaited me. I wanted to find out and I wanted to be freed by his touch.
“Are you sure…” Simon began to whisper in my ear, just steps from the bedroom.
I pulled my head back slightly and looked at him, placing my finger gently over his mouth. Then I reached down and began to take those jeans off. That was my answer. Yes, I was sure.
Chapter Sixteen:
Business of the Heart
Her soft, athletic, and alluring skin pressed against mine was more than I could take. If she was a corporation, I was about to do an invasion and take over. She’d shown that it was okay to cross the border and I was going to take advantage of the invitation.
With her in my arms now, I carried her over to my bed and set her down. Then I stripped off that last piece of clothing on her, those pink lace panties that were a color associated with innocence, but also had the allure of a sexy woman, a woman who was that way without even trying.
Combine that with smarts and wit, and I was looking at one of the most potent types of women out there, the type that could trip me up in a world where most didn’t. I looked at Jessie Martineau and I loved what I saw. She drew me in and I wasn’t going to resist. Not now.
Feelings of intense arousal sprung to life in me, making me not care about my personal protocols and reminding me that it had been too long since I’d been with a woman. I silenced that nagging voice in me that told me to use caution. Even if I would have listened, my body gave the truth away. This moment was something I wanted and avoiding it was no longer an option. I was all in.
I watched Jessie closely, appreciating the sweetness of her beautiful face when her eyes were closed, soaking in my touch and the soft moans of approval that rolled off her lips. It was genuine and not rehearsed; a true testament to what she wanted.
Kissing her softly, starting at the nape of her neck and working my way down to her breasts, my lips explored her and I breathed in the fragrance she was wearing. It smelled so fresh, like the first waft of spring air that you get when everything is in bloom. Divine, simply divine.
“You feel so good,” I murmured as I kept kissing her, now focused on her stomach. The way her muscles tensed and relaxed from my hands and my lips fascinated me, demanding my attention. With my eyes open, I kept going.
Jessie’s hands were on my back, then my shoulders, and then at her sides when she had to say something. She whispered “Simon” like I was the only one who mattered at that moment, which pulled me in even deeper.
My hand slid down Jessie’s abdomen and I began to play with her, rubbing the outside of her sweet, blonde pussy and slowly slid my fingers in, feeling her muscles clench around them. I moved in and out, gently grazing her pearl and then slowly sliding back out, teasing her and building her up, enjoying the way her back arched and her breasts were so erect, nipples darkened and excited.
The hardness of my cock was almost unbearable. It was begging me to enter Jessie just as much as she was now begging for it. “You’re good with this?” I whispered.
She nodded her head and guided me on top of her and I went into her, sliding deeply and thrusting my hips forward. Aah, it was incredible. I wanted to savor being in that place.
As Jessie thrust forward with her hips to meet mine, her hands roamed my chest and I stared at her. She’d look back at me and smile, her eyes showing the appreciation for what she felt, and as I moved against her, bringing her nearer to orgasm again, she’d close her eyes, almost like it was too much to bear. It was beautiful, simply beautiful.
I started to come closer to orgasm, not able to block out how amazing it felt to be inside this woman. She allowed me to relax and go to a place that I hadn’t been for a long time, maybe ever, and I wanted it. Leaning down, I kissed Jessie tenderly on the lips and then as I realized that I was about to release, my back arched. She moaned, “Yes.” It was a confirmation of her pleasure. A single word that best summed up the intensity and necessity of the moment. She’d wanted me and given me something that she didn’t easily surrender and I couldn’t have been more pleased. It was enough to make me come that second. It hadn’t been work to be on the same page, in perfect sync sexually, and I saw it as a sign that it could be the same with business, too.
Eventually, I had to slide out of her and I rolled off her to the side, looking at her and brushing her lose blonde tendrils to the side of her face. She was quiet, staring at the ceiling and looking at me through the corner of her eyes. I put my finger gently on her chin and had her turn her head to face me.
“You still good?”
“Good…and speechless. Wow,” she said. She was flushed and had a grin on her face that showed her excitement. “And you? You good?”
“I am,” I said.
“I’ll admit, I don’t know what came over me. I just felt compelled to kiss you.” Jessie said this almost like it was a confession and it was not necessarily for me to hear.
“This may sound strange coming from me, but I’m not about to analyze it. Maybe it was meant to be. No complaints here.”
“None here, either,” she said.
“You’re welcome to spend the night.”
“Do you want me to?”
“You’re welcome to spend the night,” I repeated.
Jessie looked at me and shook her head in exasperation, but she couldn’t hide her smile. “That’s right. You don’t offer things that you don’t mean. I think I will. We can continue on with our business…if you want.”
“That would be fine, or we can just talk,” I offered. There the two of us were, completely naked and our pressed together tightly and I didn’t want to talk business. That had to be a first.
“Sure, did you have anything in specific on your mind?” Jessie said, turning to her side.
“Getting under the comforter, maybe. I’m cold,” I said, laughing. “Did you want a t-shirt or anything?”
“That would be great. Thanks.”
I got up and put on my boxers and went to my drawer to pull out a t-shirt for Jessie to wear. It was a soft blue t-shirt with a Blue Marlin fish on it. I watched Jessie slide it on and it transformed her back into that more pure vision I’d had of her, the Samaritan who had a heart of gold.
Chapter Seventeen:
Recalculating the Equation
I couldn’t believe the way my night had transpired and the day had gone. I’d come out to LA with a fiery mission and ended up sleeping with Simon. Don’t get me wrong, I had no complaints. And now here I was, lying in his bed, wearing his awesome t-shirt and chatting with him as casually as if we were at the library for a study group. Wow!
“Favorite movie?” I asked, fluffing a pillow so I could lean up against his headboard.
“Blood Diamond,” he answered immediately, grinning as he propped himself up on one elbow.
“Really? I would have pictured you being Citizen Kane,” I said. I was only half joking, really.
He sat up. “You still think I’m a ruthless business guy?”
“Yeah,” I said, but I couldn’t meet his intense gaze. That’s how he caught me by surprise when he kissed my shoulder, as softly as a butterfly landing.
“Well, there is more…” he kissed me again, this time on the cheek. “At least I hope there is.”
I smiled. “I definitely know that there is more to you.” The way Simon smiled back at me made me horny again, but I wasn’t going to act on it this time.
“And what’s your favorite movie? Gorillas in the Mist?�
�
“Touché,” I said, laughing. “For your information, I am a real sucker for RoboCop, the original, not the remake.”
“Really?”
“I love action adventure films; it’s a nice break from reality sometimes and I can just watch. Maybe wish that I could do some of the things they do occasionally.”
All in a rush, he lunged for me, grabbed me, wrapping both his arms around me.
“Well Jessie, we’ll be in West Africa in five weeks. Maybe you’ll find your adventure there,” he whispered into my ear.
“One does always seem to pop up when least expected,” I said.
“Indeed,” he said, and kissed me.
I’m not even sure when it happened, but I eventually drifted off to sleep and woke up to the morning light streaming in through the small holes in the blinds of his bedroom. Simon wasn’t next to me. I adjusted my eyes and got up, wrapping my arms around my waist. I couldn’t help but smile at my night shirt. I loved the t-shirt, so soft and warm, the slight scent of Simon’s cologne on it.
Stopping for a quick bathroom stop and to hope he had some mouth wash, I made my way out into the living room, where I saw a sight that was one I could easily enjoy waking up to every morning. Simon was on the ground doing push-ups, going up and down rapidly.
Shirtless.
His back muscles rippled with each movement. I felt like a peeping Tom but I wasn’t about to turn away. After all, it might not be safe to startle him in the middle of a set. That’s what I told myself and I was glad to believe it.
“Hey,” Simon called out, moving up and down.
Now I felt silly, busted by my silence. “Good morning.”
“Just a second.” He kept going, pounding out twenty more and then he stopped, got to his knees and jumped up, doing a burpee. He looked real good.
Simon turned and looked at me, breathless. “Did you sleep well?”
“Great, and you?”
“Pretty decent,” he said. I saw him glance at my legs and I suddenly wished that I had my sundress back on, which was silly, of course, because it showed my legs, too. Just maybe not quite so much of them.
“Hopefully I didn’t take up too much space in the bed,” I managed to sputter.
“No, you were fine. Just had a lot on my mind.”
“I understand that,” I said.
“Why don’t you sit down?” Simon asked, gesturing toward the couch. “I’ll go make us some toast and coffee or something. Sound good?”
“Sure, if that’s what you have,” I said.
“I’m a predictable breakfast guy. Toast and coffee…and the newspaper. That’s what I like.”
“Wall Street Journal?” I asked.
“Of course. Hunter actually turned me on to reading it when the band first got together.”
“Really?” I realized that sounded kind of snotty. “I wouldn’t have guessed,” I added.
“Why would you?” he asked.
“Good point.”
I sat there and watched Simon. Part of me wanted to go up and give him a huge hug and kiss, maybe see if there was something else stirring inside of him. Thank you, Scope! The other part of me thought it was best to talk about what happened last night so there were no false expectations. I couldn’t risk anything coming in the way of the project now that it had moved up to such a grand scale.
*****
Simon handed me a plate with two pieces of toast on it and a mug of coffee. “Thanks, the coffee smells great.”
“So, what time are you headed back today?” he asked as he headed back to this kitchen.
“My flight leaves at 4 p.m.”
“Do you need a ride to the airport?”
“I don’t think so. I’ll take a cab or Brynn can take me.” I could have kicked myself. This would have been the ideal time to state my desire: yes I do need a ride to the airport and I need it from you.
“Oh, well let me know if you need one. I’m happy to help out,” he said.
I looked at him and thought I sensed a bit of disappointment. That was huge! Not that I wanted him to be disappointed, of course. It was the thought of him maybe liking me. I realized I didn’t just want to be his business partner. I really wanted him to like me. For this to not be a one-time thing.
In those few minutes Simon was gone, banging around in the kitchen, my mind went on a full-out alert, making me think about things I really didn’t want to. Why couldn’t I just enjoy a moment? We could have sex one time and still go about our project in a professional manner, right? Damn me. Now I had to bring it up. If I didn’t, I’d dwell on it and end up Skyping about it or something lame like that. Face to face was the best, but it was so hard!
Poor Simon walked back into the room and I must have had an odd look on my face to alert him because he immediately asked, “You okay?”
“I am, but I was just thinking about something. We need to talk about last night, just for a bit, maybe.” Oh, real smooth. I’d practically said yes, no, and maybe in the same sentence.
“Okay, what’s up?”
I looked at Simon, who sat back down next to me. Why did he have to be so close? It would have been less awkward if he was sitting in that chair on the other side of the coffee table, a safe distance away from me.
“Well, I just want to make sure that last night doesn’t come between the project and everything we have going on. I’d hate for things to get awkward or cause any problems,” I said. I breathed in and waited.
“I absolutely agree. We’ll be fine. After all, we’re adults. Our team is about West Africa now, nothing else. No worries.” Simon got up and went to refill his coffee and I don’t mind admitting that I was a bit bummed out about his answer. I was so mental! He’d given me the answer I thought I was looking for, basically mirroring what I’d said to him, but now it bummed me out a bit. I wanted…I don’t know, to feel like he’d feel lousier without me in his life on a more personal level.
My phone beeped and I sprung up to get my purse from the corner, where it had been since I’d arrived last night. Digging through it, I pulled out the phone and saw that it was a text from Brynn. I was thankful for the diversion so I could recompose my face and hide any signs of disappointment lingering there from Simon’s answer.
Brynn: Thought you would be back home. Hmm…
Me: Me too. I’ll be home in a bit.
Brynn: Need me to pick you up?
I really didn’t know. I had to turn around and look at Simon now. He was reading his paper, acting like he didn’t have any concern on his mind except the stock market. Lucky bastard! “Hey, should Brynn come pick me up?”
“If you can wait an hour, I can drop you off on my way to Blaze Line.”
“Okay, I’ll have you do that,” I said.
Me: Simon will drop me off…about an hour.
Brynn: Excited to interrogate you.
Me: I’ll never talk. ;)
Then I put my phone away. “Well, I’m going to get dressed. Then I happened to catch sight of the table where we’d eaten the night before. It was all cleaned up.
“When did you clean the table up? I really should have helped.”
Simon glanced up at me and smiled. “After you fell asleep.”
“Was it driving you crazy?” I felt kind of bad.
“Not until I couldn’t sleep, which is pretty rare, actually.”
Okay, I think that was a twisted kind of compliment. I’d take it!
“Well, thanks for picking it all up. I wouldn’t have minded helping.”
“I know,” Simon said. “Well, if you’ll excuse me. I’ve got to take a quick shower and get ready. Make yourself at home.”
He walked off and I was left standing there. I wanted to get dressed, but decided to wait until I heard the shower going in Simon’s master bathroom. Then I went into the room to grab my sundress, where I’d noticed it was tidily placed on a hangar on a hook. Simon had picked that up, too.
To my shock, he was standing in there with a to
wel wrapped around his waist and I got completely embarrassed. “Sorry, I thought you were in the shower,” I said, not able to stop looking at him.
“Still warming up, it kind of sucks that way,” he said. “Well, see you in a bit.”
He walked into the bathroom and shut the door.
I got dressed quickly and then walked back out into the living room and decided to check my email on my phone until he got back out. It was something productive to do, at least.
An hour later, in a completely punctual fashion, I was holding the door handle of Simon’s car, saying my goodbyes and receiving a sweet kiss on the cheek…a friendly kiss. And that was okay, kind of. Better than a brush-off, I supposed.
I walked into the apartment to be greeted by an overly cheerful Brynn. It was almost suspicious. “So, late-running business meeting?” she asked, laughing right away.
“You don’t waste any time, do you?”
“Nah, what’s the point?”
“None, I guess.”
“So, how did it go?” she asked.
“We’re going to West Africa,” I said. That would get her attention focused on the mission, not my love life.
“What? Seriously? How did that come about?” she asked.
“Well, whoever his people are, they started thinking they could pull this concert off in Sierra Leone and it’s happening, I guess.”
“You’re good with that?” she asked.
“Oh yeah,” I said eagerly. “I’ll get to be right there where the people need help most, understand the environment, have access to the rain forest. It’s quite a long list, actually.”
“Well, send me the details because if I have anything to say about it, I’m going to try and get that assignment for The Rift. Sounds fascinating.”
“They have you on the radar,” I said. “I have five weeks until I go there; that’s a lot of work.”