First Class to Portland

by Aj Harmon

  “Remind me never to piss you off,” he chuckled.

  “Matt, seriously, are you ok? I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Janie was worried.

  He grabbed her wrist and kissed her elbow. “You think this could do serious damage to a man like me?” he quizzed. “You think that I’m not tough enough to take a little tap from you?” he laughed.

  Janie grinned and watched him flex. His biceps doubled in size and his pecks popped from his chest. Her eyes got big and she mouthed an O. Matt grinned and in a split second had her pinned on the bed unable to move.

  “Umm…okay, you’re stronger than me,” she conceded. “But I still didn’t mean to do that.” She looked at his lips and unconsciously licked her own. He could physically overpower her in a second. He’d just proved that. But she knew he would never harm her and the weight of his body crushing her to the bed only aroused her.

  “So you elbow me in the face and now want me to pleasure you?” he asked.

  “Yes please,” she replied, chewing on her cheek.

  “Sweet Janie,” he grinned. “Your wish is my command.”

  Matt thrust his tongue into her mouth and tasted her. He had her wrists pinned on either side and he released them so he could entwine his fingers in hers. Her breasts were smashed against his chest and he could feel her nipples harden and her back arch up to him. He kissed her chin and her neck and her shoulders and Janie moaned with pleasure.

  She pulled her hands from his so she could grab his ass and pull him into her, his erection poised at her entrance. She didn’t even need foreplay; she just needed him inside her. She bucked to him and tried to pull him in but he jerked up and she could see the frown on his face.

  “Did I do something?” she whispered, lowering her eyes.

  “Janie, no, I desperately want to fuck you this second but I have to grab a condom. I won’t risk you getting pregnant.” And he jumped off the bed and went into the bathroom.

  “Ah, the baby thing,” she said to herself, sitting up and pulling the sheet over her. She hadn’t used birth control in a couple of years. This condom thing was going to get old.

  Matt appeared with a box and removed a foil wrapped condom before throwing the box on the nightstand.

  “My next investment should probably be in Trojan,” he grinned.

  “Matt?” Janie looked up at him. “I don’t have HIV or anything. I was only ever with one man, well before you, obviously that’s what I meant.” Janie chewed on her cheek again.

  Matt sat on the edge of the bed. “I don’t have HIV either,” he said. “Or anything else. I have always been extremely careful. There is no fear of me giving you something, Janie.”

  “Oh, no! That’s not what I meant,” she added quickly. “I just thought maybe I could go get a patch, or a shot, or something and then you…we wouldn’t have to worry about those,” she said nodding at the packet in his hand.

  “No,” he shook his head. “You can have a patch or a shot or a pill or whatever you want, but I’ll still be wearing these.” He was dead serious.

  Janie pursed her lips and realized this was all about Suzanne, the first ex-wife who had trapped him into marriage by becoming pregnant, and then keeping her miscarriage a secret from him. Yes, this was all about her.

  “Matt,” she whispered, a sad smile on her face, “I am not her.”

  “Not up for discussion Janie. My little swimmers stay with me.”

  Janie smiled and scooted over next to him on the edge of the bed. “Okay,” she whispered and kissed him on the shoulder. “Why don’t you get some coffee and I’m gonna jump in the shower?” Janie walked into the bathroom and shut the door, leaning back and exhaling. She knew she was going to have to deal with this if she was going to be in a relationship with him. And not having a baby wasn’t a deal breaker for her. She was forty-two! Actually, she would be forty-three in six days. She wasn’t thinking about any more babies. She hadn’t thought about that in the last twenty years. But Matt was making decisions based on a selfish woman who had hurt him more than fifteen years ago.

  Janie started the shower and the hot water felt wonderful flowing over her skin. She didn’t know exactly what her future looked like, but if he would let her, she needed to help Matt work through this.

  *****

  Matt watched Janie close the bathroom door and grabbed a pair of running shorts from his suitcase in the closet. That was not how he intended the morning to start. Yesterday had ended perfectly. He had fallen asleep with Janie in his arms, physically and emotionally satisfied. She had accepted his apology and explanation and had expressed her feelings for him. All was well in the world.

  And then he had fucked it up this morning by his ingrained distrust of women. It’s not that he didn’t trust Janie, because he did, completely. But he hadn’t had sex without a condom since Suzanne. He would never run the risk of getting someone pregnant. He would not bring a child into this world. End of discussion.

  He opened the bathroom door and stepped into the steam. Janie was in the shower. He pulled back the shower curtain and she was washing her hair. He watched for a moment and then reached out and ran the backs of his fingers down her back. She twisted to look at him and smiled.

  “I’m going to go run in the gym.”

  “That would explain the outfit,” she grinned.

  “Men don’t wear outfits!” he scoffed. “Order breakfast and I’ll be back in a bit.”

  Janie smiled and nodded and turned back to rinse the shampoo from her hair. Matt watched the suds run down her back over her ass and down her legs. She truly had no idea how beautiful she was. And she was all his and he was not going to fuck it up again.

  *****

  Janie had used a washcloth and toothpaste to brush her teeth. She had loosely braided her hair and had applied mascara and blush to her face, the only makeup she had in her purse. She was sitting on the sofa, dressed in a hotel robe, talking to Tyler on the phone. She had missed their text the night before telling her they had arrived at their grandmother’s house.

  “Please pick up after yourselves,” she begged. “And I have something to tell you,” she added. “I still have to talk to the realtor today, but it looks as if the house has sold.”

  “Seriously?” Tyler replied. “That was super fast.”

  “Yes, it was. I’m not sure what’s going to happen but all of yours and Adam’s stuff may get put into storage until I can find a place to move to. Katy has offered me to stay with her for a bit if I need to, but I won’t be able to take much with me.”

  “Mom, just do whatever you need to. Adam and I are fine with whatever. That’s kinda cool and kinda sad, you know?”

  “Yeah, I know,” Janie agreed.

  The door opened and Matt walked in, hot and sweaty. Janie grinned and pointed to the phone. He nodded and headed for the bathroom.

  “So, we need to make plans for your birthday, huh?” Tyler said.

  “Oh, no, it’s fine. Forty-three isn’t a big milestone or anything. I’ll probably just stay in.”

  Matt overheard her and smiled. He would never have thought she was forty-three. She wore her age incredibly well.

  “I’m sure you have much better things to do than hang out with your mother on her birthday,” she laughed.

  Her birthday! The realization of the conversation dawned on Matt. She was having her forty-third birthday. When?

  Her purse lay on the table behind her and he quietly stepped into the room and grabbed it, returning to the bedroom. He found her wallet inside and opened it, not proud he was rummaging through her private possessions but desperate to find her driver’s license.

  May 20th, he read. That’s this Saturday! Fuck! I’ll be back in New York!

  Matt replaced her wallet and snapped her purse shut and laid it on the bed. I’d better come up with a plan, he decided.

  *****

  After Matt’s shower and breakfast, Janie called her realtor, Amanda, and officially accepted the offer made on her house.
It was bittersweet; so many good memories, but that’s all that was left. She was very excited for the next chapter of her life, especially now that Matt was a huge part of it. Amanda wanted her to swing by the office and sign the paperwork and then she just had to wait for the home inspection to be completed and the house was as good as sold.

  “But my car is here,” she frowned, as she and Matt were preparing to leave together.

  “We can get it later,” he laughed, as the valet pulled in front of them in his Lincoln rental car.

  Matt opened the door and she slid in the front seat. “But you have no idea where we are going,” she continued.

  Matt tipped the valet and jumped in the driver’s seat. “That’s why they made a navigation system,” he pointed to the GPS on the console.

  “Ok,” she conceded. “We are going on the I-5 south to the I-205. Then take the second West Linn exit.”

  Matt maneuvered the car into traffic and made his way through downtown Portland. “You know, I come here about twice a year,” he said. “I’m not a complete stranger to your city.”

  “What business do you have here?” she asked.

  “A couple of high-rises and a few malls. When the real estate market crashed a few years ago, we were able to scoop up some really good deals here. We were fortunate to not have been hit hard in the recession. Mark was amazing locating some really good acquisitions in the northwest.”

  “Is he running things for you while you’re here?”

  “Actually,” Matt confessed, “I have made him a partner. He now owns thirty-five percent of MEL Holdings.”

  “Wow!”

  “And you were the reason why.”

  “What?” Janie was shocked. “How?”

  “Well it started at the Yankees game. When you were asking Mark about working for me, I realized that I have never thought of him as an employee, always a partner. But I started the company and when the legal entity was all set up it was just me. But not long after, Mark started working with me and I never really thought about it. And then when I was going to…well, when… anyway, I decided that if I wanted to step back a bit I needed to make it all official, so the papers were all signed last week.”

  Janie was confused, but didn’t ask any questions. “That’s amazing. You’re amazing.”

  “No, just ready to start a new chapter in my life.” He reached for her hand and lifted it to his lips. She smiled as she watched him kiss her palm. It sent shivers down her spine.

  “Which exit?” he asked.

  Janie navigated him to the realtor’s office and they pulled in the parking lot.

  “If you don’t mind, I’ll just wait here for you,” he grinned.

  “Hmmm. Probably a good idea. We might just avoid a nasty catfight if you’re not around,” she giggled.

  Janie jumped out of the car and ran into the office. Matt took the opportunity to call Angela while he was alone.

  “Yes Angela. All is good here.” He grinned at his secretary who never, ever got involved in his personal life until now. He guessed she saw the real thing in Janie too. “I need you to book a ticket for Janie on the return flight with me on Thursday please. No. One way. And there are a couple of other things I need you to do too.”

  A couple of minutes later he’d hung up the phone and Janie came out of the realtor’s office, Amanda at her side. She was talking to Janie but when she looked up and saw him she turned and waved, tilting her head and smiling like the Cheshire Cat. Matt frowned and reached across the seat and opened the passenger door for Janie. She climbed in and slammed the door shut.

  “So it’s really going to be like this for me all the time?” she whined.

  Matt laughed. “I only have eyes for you, Janie Anderson!”

  *****

  Matt and Janie pulled up in front of her house. They had decided to visit the Japanese Gardens and Janie wanted to get changed first.

  “I’ll just wait out here,” Matt offered as he put the car in Park.

  Janie tilted her head as she turned to him, forehead wrinkled.

  “First off, we won’t ever make it to the garden if I come in,” he winked. “And, if I was to be perfectly honest, I feel a little uncomfortable being in your house.”

  “Why?” she asked. “Not big enough for you?” she laughed.

  Matt was serious. “No. It was the house that you shared with your husband and, I don’t know, it feels kind of weird being there.”

  Janie nodded. She had shrugged off the same feeling the other night when he was there. But she had pushed it aside and chalked it up the difficulty of the situation.

  “Okay,” she smiled. “Should I pack a bag then?” her eyebrows rising.

  Matt grabbed her hand and kissed her palm. “Definitely!”

  “Ok, be right back.” Janie jumped from the car and ran to the garage door. She punched in the code and the door opened. Janie ran inside and into the house.

  Matt watched her go in, thrilled that she wanted to stay with him while he was in town. He checked the text from Angela that had appeared on his phone. Yes! The upcoming weekend he had planned was all falling in to place. Now he had to get Janie to agree to come to New York with him.

  Matt put the phone in the middle console of the car and walked into the garage. There were several boxes stacked in a row, the top one open. Matt looked inside and found an old photo album. He picked it up and flipped through the pages. There were pictures of little boys, obviously her sons. They were playing Little League and Pee Wee football and there were school pictures too. He saw pictures of a young Janie and he smiled. She hasn’t changed a bit. And he saw photos of their family; in front of a Christmas tree, studio portraits, casual shots of them all squeezed on the couch. They all looked very happy. Matt stared at the pictures, the realization hitting him like a tidal wave that Janie had been very happy with Robert. They looked like the perfect family. She had what he had always wanted but didn’t realize it till right at that moment. I want this, he thought. I want the beautiful wife and the kids running around, don’t I?

  Matt hadn’t known a tear had escaped until it fell from his cheek and hit the page of the album. He wiped his face with the back of his hand and closed the album and replaced it in the box. He slowly walked back to the car, trying to understand the desires that had just hit him straight on and noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye. There was someone behind the bushes at the side of Janie’s house. Matt strode across the lawn to the edge of the house. He found a man crouching in the flower bed. Matt grabbed him by the shirt and slammed him against the siding of the house in one quick shove.

  “Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?” he spitted out, teeth gritted, fist clenched.

  “Whoa, hey, I’m Danny. I’m Danny, Janie’s neighbor. Who the hell are you?” he shouted, trying to free himself from Matt’s iron grip, but to no avail.

  “Why are you slinking around her house?” Matt was not letting him off the hook.

  “I, ah, thought I saw a rat so I came over to investigate,” he mumbled.

  “Yeah, I saw a rat too,” Matt shoved him into the house. “I don’t want you sneaking around Janie’s house. Got it?”

  “Matt!!” Janie yelled.

  He turned to see Janie running across the grass. “Do you know this asshole?”

  “Matt! Let him go! It’s just my neighbor, Danny.”

  Matt released his hold on him and stepped back. “Got it?” he glared at Danny.

  “Got it,” Danny sneered and stepped over the flowers and walked back to his house.

  “What was that all about?” Janie asked, watching him go.

  Matt took the bag from her and entwined his fingers in hers. “Where is your bedroom?” he asked.

  Janie’s mouth opened wide and Matt realized she misunderstood him.

  “Which window is your bedroom?” he clarified.

  Janie pointed at the one right in front of them. Matt’s heart sunk. Danny was a pervert; he got off on wa
tching unsuspecting women in their homes. He had been watching his Janie! He felt ill and pissed off he had let him go before he beat the shit out of him.

  “Janie,” his teeth were gritted. “Don’t let him anywhere near you if I’m not around. I don’t want you within fifty feet of that motherfucker. And keep your curtains closed!”

  “Matt! I have known him for years. He’s harmless!” Janie was stunned at his outburst.

  “Please, Janie. Do as I ask.” He pulled her hand to his lips.

  Janie was terribly confused, not understanding what had just happened, but she nodded and he looked visibly relieved.

  *****

  After returning to the Hotel Monaco and unloading her bag, Matt and Janie had dinner in the hotels’ restaurant, The Red Star Tavern. Matt usually ate there when in Portland; the food was great and it meant he didn’t have to leave the hotel. But it was Janie’s first time. He loved the way she studied the menu, weighing her options.

  Grinning, he watched her eyes travel down the list and then back up. She looked over the menu and caught him gazing at her, his eyes twinkling.

  “I am captivated by you Janie. Even reading a menu you turn me on.”

  Janie blushed and lowered her eyes back to the choices in front of her. “What are you having?” she asked, changing the subject.

  Matt chuckled and read his selection in front of him. “Strip Loin.”

  “Hmmm. That does sound good,” she agreed. “I can’t decide between the spinach salad and the duck breast,” she frowned.

  “That’s quite a contrast,” he smiled. “Well we can always come back tomorrow and whatever you don’t choose tonight you can have then.”

  “Eat here tomorrow too?” she asked.

  Matt nodded, “If you would like.”

  “Ro…we rarely ate out. I am not used to this,” she tried to smile.

  “You can say his name, Janie. I accept that he was your husband for a long time. It’s okay to talk about him if you want.”

  Janie couldn’t believe her luck having found this incredible man in front of her. “Thank you Matt. I never want you to feel uncomfortable.”

  Matt reached for her hand and caressed it with his thumb. “I am confident that I am your future, Janie. Your past doesn’t make me uncomfortable.”