by J. A. Rawls
Nora blushed from ear to ear, “Thank you sir, just doing my job.”
“Nora, Charlie’s right they're perfect, both the dress and the shoes, and I’ll take the matching clutch as well. Now we need some men’s items, can you help us with them as well?”
“Yes, I can, what exactly are you looking for?”
“We need a couple of shirts, one that matches this dress with a tie and hanky to go with it. Then we need a shirt for Charlie here, and a tie and hanky as well, and he also needs a pair of dress shoes.”
“I will meet you down in men’s apparel. I want to put your dress into a carry bag and get your shoes and purse bagged as well. It’ll take me about ten minutes.”
“Not a problem, we’ll meet you in the men’s shoe department.” Charlie took Jana’s hand and led her to the escalator. “That wasn’t too bad at all. You bought a dress, shoes and a purse in less than twenty minutes. That’s got to be a first,” he laughed.
Jana laughed too. “You are so cute. Let’s see if you can pick out shoes, a shirt and tie with that same time line.”
The limo took them back to the Venetian. Jana hoped Mike would like the items she bought for him.
The driver walked around and let them out. “Thanks for everything,” Charlie said as he dropped a tip in his hand.
“You know, Charlie, you have the right idea. I think I’m going up and take a nap too.” Shopping bags in hand, she walked to the elevator. “See you at the wedding.”
Jana’s head barely hit the pillow when she heard the door open.
Mike quietly entered the room, not knowing if she was there or not, and if she was there whether she was sleeping. They’d both been up quite late last night, and if there was a God he could use a nap as well. His meeting with Brandon hadn’t gone bad, but he had no idea if his company was accepted or not. Sami Brandon gave nothing away; that was for sure.
As he walked into the room, Jana opened her eyes, “Did you just get back?”
“Yes, mind if I join you?”
“Only if you intend to sleep,” she murmured into her pillow.
“Yes, I need a nap too.”
“Okay then, you can join me,” she pushed a pillow at him; “you stay on your side.”
“Yes, ma’am!” Within minutes they were both asleep. Mike didn’t know how it happened, but when he went to turn over he found Jana asleep in his arms. He cuddled into her and went back to sleep.
*****
With a nap behind them they both felt better. Jana ran a comb through her hair and decided it was fine for now. She would have to do it from scratch before the wedding but for now it would do. “Let’s get some Mexican food.”
“Sounds great, is there a place here?”
“Yes, there’s a place downstairs, the Taqueria. It has a lot of the flavors of Old Mexico. If we get lucky we might be able to get seats along the Grand Canal. There’s some terrific views of the Venetian streetscapes and the passing gondolas. They have things like Chile rellenos, tacos al carbon or shrimp quesadillas. You should be able to find something you like. Does that sound like it meets your needs?”
“It meets mine, what about yours?”
“Believe it or not it’s one of my favorite places to eat, and I like the fact that it’s casual dining. Besides that I love Mexican food and their Margaritas are great. Let’s go.” Hand in hand they left the room.
“Jana, did you get my suit taken care of for tonight?”
“Yes, it’s hanging in the closet all ready to go.”
“Great.”
“How’d your meeting go?”
“Not sure. Ms Brandon, Sami, didn’t make any decision today. I just have to be patient. It would be great for my company, but it’s not a show stopper by any means. I’m just pleased she gave me a chance to compete.”
As they approached the restaurant, Jana asked, “Well, what do you think?”
“Looks good, I’m starving.” Mike asked the hostess for a table for two and along the water if available. She escorted them to a table.
A waiter quickly appeared to take their drink order. “I’d like a margarita please,” Jana said.
“I’ll take a Corona, thanks,” Mike added, “Can we get chips and guacamole too?”
Jana narrowed her eyes, “Did Charlie tell you I liked guacamole too?”
“Actually no, I like it and I was hoping you did too.” Mike smiled, “Did you see Charlie today?”
“Yes, he took me shopping. I asked him to join us for dinner, but he wanted to have a hamburger in his room and watch the ball game.”
“Damn, there’s a ball game on and here I sit. There are three, count them three, televisions in the room and I’m down here.”
“You can go up any time you want.” Jana blew him a kiss across the table. “I’ll meet up with you later and you can tell me how the game ended.”
Mike laughed, “No, I’m here with you. I’m sure Charlie will share the score with me later and I can always catch it when they rebroadcast it tonight if it was good. Truly,” he smiled, “I want to stay here with you, really I do.”
“Hmmm, I’m not sure I believe you, but I’m glad you’re staying. You can catch the end of the game when we go up to the room. The wedding doesn’t start until seven so we have lots of time once we’re done here.”
“Let’s not talk about sports anymore. How was your shopping experience, where did you go? What did you buy?”
Jana leaned back dipped a chip in the salsa, “A sudden interest in fashion? Do you really care, or are you just making conversation?”
“I do care; and I truly want to know.”
“We went to the Fashion Show Mall and I bought the prettiest camel colored Dolce & Gabbana stretch satin bustier dress with exposed boning. I picked up shoes and a clutch to match. You’re going to love it.”
“I’m not sure I know what all that means. Can you break it down for me? What exactly is a Dolce & Gabbana?”
She smiled, trying to figure out if he was pulling her leg. “They are two designers from Italy.”
“And the bustier, boning thing?”
“I know you’ve seen women in a bustier, and I’m sure you’ve noticed the firm lines that surround it. In a quality bustier these firm lines are maintained with spiral steel, where in the early days they used whalebone, thus the term boning. Today they use mostly plastic, but in some garments they still use ivory, wood or cane as the stiffener. Most of the boning is under the surface of the garment. In the dress I bought today it’s exposed, adding an accent to the dress.” Under the table she ran the edge of her high heel along his leg and watched him shiver. “Exciting, yes?”
“I have this image in my mind. We’ll just have to wait until you get dressed this evening to see how close my imagination comes to the real thing. Why’d Charlie go with you?”
“Actually his mom called and woke me up and told me she’d done the same to him a few minutes earlier. I called Charlie, woke him again, and invited him to breakfast. I sort of pressured him to go with me. He says he hates it, but he has good taste and I love going with him. Besides that he needed a couple of things too and I was more than happy to help.”
“Let’s go back to the room and relax before we have to go to the wedding. We have over an hour to get ready. Will it take you long?”
“Probably about an hour, I need to do my hair since I took a nap. I don’t want to have bed hair at the wedding.”
“You don’t have bed hair,” his eyes looked into hers, “you look great.”
“I still want to shower and freshen up before we go. I know I’d feel better.”
“Can I wash your back?” Mike asked, more of a plea than a question.
Jana shook her head, the guy is relentless. “Only if we hurry.”
Mike signaled for the check, signing the bill. He took Jana’s hand and they went to their room. Mike noticed the light flashing on the phone indicating there was a message. “Why don’t you check that out while I go to the bathroo
m?”
Jana pressed the button and heard a message from Sami asking her to call her in Charlie’s room. She dialed the room and waited.
Sami answered, “Yes, can I help you?”
“Sami, its Jana what’s up?”
“Jana, good of you to call me back, is your young man there?”
“Yes, not exactly standing next to me, but in the room, why?”
“Well, I’m going to hire him, but I don’t have time to talk right now. Do you want to tell him for me?”
“No, you do it tonight after the wedding, I’m sure you’ll get a few minutes to speak to him.”
“Thanks again for coming Jana; I know you weren’t planning on it. Charlie said you made him take you shopping for a new dress.”
“You know that boy of yours is lying through his teeth. He practically begged me to take him along.” She laughed, “See you tonight, Sami.”
As Mike entered the room he heard her last comment. “Was that Sami?”
“Yes, she was giving me a bad time about making Charlie go shopping with me today. I didn’t force him, he wanted to go.” She laughed as she began to unzip her cropped pants, wiggling them down her hips.
“Charlie’s a big boy, if he didn’t want to go I don’t think you could have made him.” Following suit Mike removed his clothes. They entered the shower and Jana turned on the water. Both of them were pressed against the walls waiting for the water to turn warm. Laughing, they came together under the warm spray.
Jana wet her hair and reached for the hair wash, her breasts sliding across Mike’s skin.
“Can I help you with that?” Mike asked.
“No problem.” Jana leaned back so Mike could wash her hair. He turned her slightly and gently pulled her head back as he rinsed the soap out. He took the cream rinse and applied it to her hair working it in as he’d seen her do earlier.
“Mmm,” Jana moaned, “that’s divine. Would you wash my back?”
“Sure!” Mike lathered up his hand and worked it slowly from her shoulders down her splendid tapered torso. She leaned slightly forward and tensed when his hands cupped her breasts. Mike knelt behind her and gently soaped her bottom, going down and up each leg. He turned her slowly and moved up her body washing every space he could, and some he probably didn’t need to, but washed a second time just for fun. Mike questioned softly, “Is it my turn?”
Jana faced him, her eyes focused on his semi-rigid erection. “Definitely, I think you missed a spot, but I think I can fix that.” She took the soap from his hand and knelt down. She slowly lathered his manhood and found there was nothing semi-rigid about it now. It had become an impressive cock. She finished washing his legs, turning him around to wash his back, “How’s that?”
“You’re a little tease, but you know that already. I think since you created this monster you need to enjoy what it has to offer.”
“Well bring it on big boy! I’ve been waiting for you all day.” She locked her arms around his neck and let Mike lift her off the floor while he separated her legs. She was primed and wet, and Mike slid into her easily. She reached around, locking her legs behind him, and began to move with him, intensifying the interaction.
Mike pushed her against the shower wall, taking her hands from around his neck and holding them against the wall, making her his prisoner of lust as he continued to make love to her.
Jana was consumed by the action. Mike’s every movement increased the intensity ot their sexual coupling. She felt her release building and suddenly it swept through her, she convulsed in orgasmic release. Jana jerked her hands free and ran her fingers through Mike’s hair.
Mike didn’t want it to be over, and continued to plunge in and out of her.
Jana was tiring and leaned forward, pressing her breasts against Mike’s chest. They kissed deeply, their tongues probing and twirling.
The pressure in Mike’s loin was building again, and he knew Jana could feel it.
She sensed it, and began rotating her hips as he pumped up and down.
Mike exploded, grabbing her roughly, growling, his eyes shut tight and his toes curling. As he continued to drive into her, Jana came again, quivering and gasping. It was a long, satisfying orgasm for both of them. It took a minute for reality to return. Mike questioned softly, “Are you okay?”
“I’m better than okay,” Jana gasped, “but I think I need another shower.” She unhooked her legs and slid down Mike’s muscled torso. “Tell you what, you stand in the corner and behave yourself while I get cleaned up. Then you can shower and we can get dressed for the wedding. Go on” she urged, “in the corner, hands behind your back.”
Mike backed into the corner like a good little boy, and clasped his hands behind his back. Still, his biology betrayed him. Jana’s domineering tone and her soapy, glistening naked body had his cock fully erect.
Jana turned, and her eyes grew wide at the sight of his erection. She reached out and slapped it, an act which made Mike wince, but not from pain. “THAT,” Jana said, “is not going to come out and play now, maybe later.” She smiled and winked at Mike as she left the shower, “Your turn.”
Mike reached over and turned on more cold water. I need to get control here, or I’m never going to be able to get dressed. I feel like I’m in constant heat around this woman. I can’t remember when I’ve been so turned on. Watching her towel off through the shower glass he turned the water to completely cold. As she walked from the room, Mike sighed as he finished showering. What a woman!
Jana was dressed when Mike walked from the bathroom. “Wow,” Mike gave his best wolf-whistle, “that is some dress, and no it isn’t what I pictured, it’s better! I almost wish I’d been in Charlie’s place today.” Mike turned and rummaged in the closet for his shirt. “Did you send my white shirt out to be laundered?”
“No.”
“No? Did you want me to go without a shirt?”
“No,” She reached behind her and brought out the soft camel shirt with the tie and hanky, “I bought you one to match my dress.”
“Jana, my white shirt would have been fine.”
“I know, but I wanted us to be a couple tonight, and these types of things make me feel like we are, humor me, lover.”
Smiling, he took the shirt and slipped it on. It was the softest thing he’d ever felt. “This is really nice, what’s it made of?”
“Egyptian cotton.”
“That explains it. It’s very nice, thanks. It feels great against my skin and the tie is nice too.” He saw exactly how the shirt and tie matched, and yet contrasted her dress. “You’re right; we look like we planned to be at this wedding together. By the way I love your shoes, they’re hot.” He licked his lips, “You know, if we don’t get out of here we aren’t going to make this wedding; that I can guarantee you.”
“Then let’s go; I don’t want to disappoint Sami or David.”
Mike led the way to the door, but stopped short, turned and took Jana’s hand in his. “I know you heard me last night when I asked you to marry me, didn’t you?”
She bit her lip and looked away. Shit! I was hoping this wouldn’t come up. “Yes, I heard you.”
“Will you marry me, Jana?”
“No, Mike I won’t. I love you, but not in that way. Wanting you physically is not enough to build a marriage on, though I know many couples who have tried. We’ve been together less than a week. That isn’t enough time to really know each other.” She saw him try to hide the pain of her words. “I know from that look that you don’t agree. But please, on this one give me the benefit of the doubt. You’re starting a new job here in a week. I live a four hour flight from here. This is not the basis of a good marriage. For now good friends is what we have to accept, and in the future, if this develops into more, we can take it from there. Please, this isn’t a conversation for the hallways or elevator of this hotel. Can we please put this on hold until we get back to the room?”
“Yes, but the discussion’s not over.” He held her should
ers and looked into her eyes. “I don’t disagree with you Jana, but I want to fully understand where we go from here before we leave this weekend.”
“I agree, and we’ll talk it through, all night if you want and all day tomorrow. But right now we have a wedding to enjoy.” She closed her eyes knowing this wasn’t going to be easy for either of them.
“Okay,” Mike pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
When he broke the kiss Jana backed up and took a deep breath, “Stop that, or we aren’t going to any wedding.”
“If that’s an alternative for the evening,” Mike grinned, “all you have to do is give the word.”
“You know we can’t do that, now behave yourself.” Jana pushed Mike’s hands down to his sides. “Be good!”
“Always,” he laughed.
As they approached the wedding party Mike took Jana’s hand once again. She smiled at him and winked.
*****
The wedding, though only intended for close friends and family, appeared larger due to the venue. There were people milling around, watching the vows being exchanged. Sami’s off-white, off-the-shoulder gown accentuated her long neck and spiked red hair. David’s eyes never left his bride. They acted like they were the only couple ever to marry. The ceremony was brief, but it didn’t take much to make it official. The hotel atmosphere that recreated Venice made it more elegant than could be imagined from such an open venue. Many people, tourists and hotel guests, joined in the festivity and wished the couple well.
As the wedding party got ready to leave Sami hugged her son. “Thanks for coming on such short notice, Charlie. I’m really happy you’re here, and so is David.” Sami gave Jana a big hug. “Thanks, Jana, I’m glad you’re here too.” Sami took Mike’s hand, “I’m glad you’re here as well young man. It makes you more part of the Brandon corporate family than you realize.” Sami handed a check to Mike, here’s your retainer. I hope the amount is correct. If not we can fix it next week when I return from my honeymoon.” Mike took the check for $500K, glanced at it briefly, smiled, and placed it in his pocket. “I look forward to working with you.”