by Vi Keeland
I still had a light tan from our trip to Hawaii, so I picked a light blue sequin dress that was form fitting. The front was simple and had a V-neck that showed some cleavage, but couldn’t be described as plunging. The back, however, was the showstopper. It plunged deep into my back, barely covering the top of the crack of my ass. It was beautiful and sexy, yet elegant and classy. The sales clerk had assured me that the sequins would reflect the stage lights and dazzle the audience. The color reminded me of the strapless dress that I’d worn in Hawaii and I smiled, thinking back to Jack’s reaction when he’d seen me in it.
I watched from the side of the stage as the ballroom filled up with men in tuxedos and women in beautiful ball gowns. It struck me as odd that an annual shareholder meeting would be so formal, but the fancy clothing gave the ballroom a magical feeling and the celebration was, after all, for a high-end hotel group.
When the MC announced my name, I suddenly thought it might have been a mistake to pair the dress with five-inch stilettos, but I made it to the microphone unscathed. I knew the ballroom was packed, but the size of the crowd never bothered me. The lighting usually blinded the audience from me anyway. Something about being unable to see people’s faces made it easy for me to get lost in a song and allow myself to feel the music through my body.
I performed two songs at the beginning of the meeting and then the final song was a repeat of the Aretha song that Mr. Heston had requested, and it closed the meeting. The crowd was gracious enough to give me a standing ovation, but I figured they were also anxious to get up from such a long conference.
Backstage, the conference producer looked way more relieved than she had a few hours earlier. She was laughing and smiling and finally had that awful headset unglued from her head. All of the stage crew and the MC gathered backstage and opened a few bottles of champagne to celebrate the success of the conference. I was mingling with some of the lighting crew, enjoying my post-show high with a glass of good champagne, when I felt a hand on my bare back.
“Sydney, you were fantastic tonight. Thank you for putting on such a great show on such short notice.” Mr. Heston spoke with impeccable grammar that screamed expensive private schooling, and it made me stand a bit straighter.
“Mr. Heston, thank you very much, that is very kind of you. I had a great time and it looks as though your conference was a rousing success.” The hand holding my champagne motioned to the crew, happily celebrating.
“What. The. Fuck?” The growl came from behind me and sent my body into an instant frenzy. I didn’t have to turn to know it was Jack, but I was suddenly desperate to catch a glimpse of him again. I turned and saw the beautiful creature stalking towards us. At first I didn’t even notice the woman following behind him, struggling to keep up.
Mr. Heston turned with me, his hand still on my bare back. For a second I thought Jack might leap forward and attack the poor man. Jack came to a screeching halt before us and his eyes shot daggers at Mr. Heston, tracing the hand now pressing harder on my bare skin. Was he jealous? The man had made no attempt to contact me for almost three weeks and now was showing up where I was working to make a scene like a raving lunatic.
“I’ll ask one more time. What the fuck are you doing?” Jack spoke directly to Mr. Heston and his tone made me nervous about what was about to happen.
I finally found my voice and it was more than a little angry. “Jack, this is Mr. Heston. He owns this hotel and hired me to sing tonight.”
His eyes never left Mr. Heston’s when he spoke. “He owns HALF of the voting stock of the hotel. And I don’t know what kind of game you are playing, but maybe you should remember who owns 51% and who owns 49%, Dad.” Jack uttered Dad with so much hatred and disdain, it was as if a blow had physically been thrown.
“I don’t know what you are talking about, son.” Mr. Heston spoke low in a cool as ice voice. He was obviously concerned with people hearing, as Jack’s tirade had already caught the attention of most of the crew backstage.
Their words took a moment, but finally registered in my stunned brain. “This is your father?” My voice trembled as I spoke.
Jack took one step forward and spoke in Mr. Heston’s face. “Get your filthy fucking hands off her now.”
Mr. Heston immediately removed his hand from my back, which I had forgotten was even still there. The two men stared at each other for a moment in silence, unspoken threats passing. Then Jack put out his hand to me. I looked at his face and knew I didn’t have a choice, even if he was scaring me. I put my hand in his and he clamped his long fingers around my hand and turned to walk.
He said nothing as I trailed behind him, my hand cupped so tightly in his that my fingers began to get numb. When we passed the woman that had followed him backstage, he spat at her, “Go home, Jenna.” I eyed her as we passed. She was wearing a red dress that was incredibly revealing and her huge obviously fake breasts looked as if they might burst out at any second. She was attractive, but in an odd, overly made-up sort of way, the kind of look that is done on purpose to stand out and scream that you aren’t the girl next door.
Jack raced through the hallways with purpose, only slowing enough to let me catch up so that I wouldn’t fall on my face. Men in tuxedos passed as we walked by, each trying fruitlessly to catch Jack’s attention or exchange a greeting. Jack ignored them as if they didn’t exist. We arrived at the elevator banks and waited in silence. As the car arrived, Jack put his hand on my bared back to direct me forward and that jolt of electricity I hadn’t felt since Hawaii ran through me. He put a key into the elevator and I watched as he pressed the button for the penthouse.
The elevator doors opened directly to an apartment and Jack attempted to lead us inside, but my feet were frozen in place. I still hadn’t looked at him. “Where are we?” I whispered, needing assurance about something.
“My apartment; I live here.” He stood in place behind me and waited with the elevator doors open. He wasn’t going to force me inside. I hesitantly stepped forward and out of the car.
I stayed just in front of the elevator doors as they closed behind me. My head was reeling and I was confused at all that had happened. Jack’s father was Mr. Heston? Jack clearly hadn’t known I was performing at the conference, so was it just a coincidence that his father had hired me? Somehow I didn’t think so. And why was Jack so angry? I felt like a pawn in a game that I had never agreed to play.
Eventually Jack walked around me and into the open space. I looked up to see where he was going and watched him walk into a huge open modern kitchen. He leaned against the island counter, his hands behind his neck, clenched. My eyes took him in, I hated that I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful he looked in his tuxedo. His wide shoulders filled the black jacket and I knew that hidden beneath was a thick strong muscular body that I wanted to touch.
After a few minutes in silence, he looked up at me. His green eyes piercing straight through to my heart. He studied my face, as I studied him. “Did you know he was my father?”
“No.” My voice was merely a whisper. “Isn’t your date going to look for you?”
“I only brought her to piss off my father. It’s what I do.” Jack’s voice was filled with regret.
He took a deep breath in and studied me for another minute. I watched as the battle within his mind played out on his face. He was angry and struggling with something. He stalked to me and picked me up, lifting me at the knees into his two hands, and I let him. Neither of us said a word as he carried me and kicked open his bedroom door and laid me on the bed.
Jack’s face was still angry and tense as he hovered over me. I wanted to tell him to fuck off, and ask him why he hadn’t tried to contact me for three weeks. But every nerve in my body was electrified, a traitor to my brain. I wanted to ask him if he had missed me as much as I missed him, but I was afraid of the answer.
I couldn’t take his intense stare anymore, I knew I was ready to break. Emotions were flooding me fast—anger, confusion, and the worst of th
em all, lust at the sight of the gorgeous man. I turned my head just as the first tear escaped. I suddenly wanted to run away from him and not let him see me that way. But just as I turned my head away from him, he turned his too and his mouth closed the inches between us and covered mine. It wasn’t a soft building kiss, it was gas meeting fire. The outpouring of all the pent-up emotions in one hair-raising, hard, frantic kiss. Somehow we managed to pull off each other’s clothes without breaking for air. The minute my hands touched his bare back all thought escaped my mind, except having him inside me.
I trailed my nails down the skin of his hot, sleek, hard back, digging in to bring pain. I don’t know why, but I needed him to feel me, feel my pain and my pleasure. I had never had the urge to bring pain to another person before, but I couldn’t control myself. I felt his mouth tense as I scarred his back and he bit into my lip in response. The pain sent pleasure down to my throbbing clit instantly.
He rolled us until I was on top of him, one leg straddling each side of his thick thighs. I sucked in his lip and bit down. I was so engrossed in the kiss that I didn’t see his hand coming. His large right hand connected firmly with my ass, making a loud smack. The sting made my eyes water but my body reacted to the pain without warning. I was on the verge of an orgasm and I needed him inside of me so badly it hurt. I rubbed my swollen clit over his long hard cock, desperately seeking friction. I tried to reach down and grab him in my hand so that I could put him inside me, but Jack grabbed my wrists and flipped us again so that he was back on top.
With my arms pinned to my sides by his weight, his head dipped and his mouth greedily covered my nipple. His tongue lashed and swirled and he bit down hard, elongating my already swollen nub. I moaned in response and tried to grab at him, but my arms didn’t move under his strength. He licked his way over to my other nipple, applying the same torture. He bit down until my breath caught, and then sucked in deep. He didn’t release me until it started to burn and I was panting uncontrollably.
He buried his head into my neck and rammed himself deep into me without warming. I gasped. He was so hard and deep, but it still wasn’t enough. I wanted more. I needed more. He pulled almost all the way out, leaving just the tip inside of me and then slammed into me hard again, his balls slapping into my ass. I was desperate for more of him and grinded my hips up to rock into him, but he pinned me back into place with his body. He slammed into me over and over again until our bodies were dripping in sweat and we were both panting for air.
He reached around and lifted my ass into his thrusts, adjusting the angle to go even deeper. His cock rubbed that place inside of me that cried out for him, until my body tightened and I began to climax. I shuddered at his words, “Look at me,” as my body spiraled longer and harder than I ever imagined was possible. Jack watched me intently as he drained every last reflex from my body before allowing himself to empty inside of me.
I have no idea how long we laid tangled in each other’s arms. I was exhausted and my body and mind were bruised and battered.
The next morning I woke with an aching feeling in the pit of my stomach. I reached to my side and touched the cold bed. Jack was gone. I laid still, listening for signs that he was still there, but my heart knew the answer before my brain caught up with it. After an hour of allowing my mind to pretend that Jack had only gone out for breakfast for us and was coming back, I dragged myself out of bed. The only thing I had to wear was my evening gown from the night before, so I found Jack’s tuxedo shirt from the night before and put it on. It hung to my knees and I stupidly allowed my senses to take in Jack’s smell as I closed my eyes.
I walked through the penthouse. It was all unfamiliar from the night before, except the kitchen. I knew there was no note, but I allowed myself to look for one so that I wouldn’t spend the next month beating myself up that there could have been one that I missed. It was almost 11 o’clock on Sunday morning and even I couldn’t convince myself that Jack had ran out for pressing business.
I snooped around for a little bit, amazed at the expanse of the place that he lived. There were three bedrooms and five bathrooms. Why would one man possibly need five bathrooms? The master bath off of his bedroom was larger than my apartment and had a view of Times Square. I remembered that Jack’s friend Tyler had commented that Jack was wealthy, but I couldn’t have comprehended the magnitude of that statement at the time.
I searched in his closet for something to wear, dreading the thought of doing the walk of shame through the hotel in my evening gown on a Sunday morning. I decided on his tuxedo shirt and a pair of black compression shorts to make my escape. Luckily I had packed flip flops in my purse, knowing it might take me a few blocks to find an available cab in Times Square after my performance.
I didn’t have a problem hailing a cab right in front of the hotel and I even made it out without too many odd looks. Walking around Times Square in a man’s tuxedo shirt and compression shorts, while holding an evening gown, didn’t even raise any eyebrows compared to the really crazy looking people out there.
Chapter Fourteen
My days off were usually Sunday and Monday, so I had two full days for my pity party. I spent the balance of Sunday going over the last twenty-four hours in my head. Monday morning I was convinced that Jack was my destiny and I needed to find him, needed to confront him and make him see the light. By Monday evening I had decided that he was a bipolar sexual deviant and if he ever tried to come near me again I would get a restraining order. Needless to say, I was confused and distraught and I was left with no choice but to fess up to Sienna and seek counseling.
All it took was one simple text. Had a bad night Saturday night … saw Jack, slept with him, he disappeared again. She was at my door in less than half an hour with a bottle of tequila, two quarts of Ben and Jerry’s, and her guitar.
“Spill, babe, and start from the beginning. We have all night.” Sienna grabbed two shot glasses from the kitchen, which were, incidentally, also the housewarming gift that she gave me when I moved to New York last month. She plopped herself down on the couch, cracked open the tequila, poured us shots, and I started at the beginning.
As I told my tale, I added in bits and pieces about Jack’s relationship with his dad that I had learned on our trip to Hawaii. By the time I was done, and we had analyzed everything that had transpired, we were both convinced that Jack’s dad had known who I was somehow and was using me in some sort of demented game he was playing.
There truly was no better friend in life than Sienna. She was pissed at anyone who didn’t adore me, and hated anyone who screwed with me, without question. I found it interesting that my best friend knew more about my relationship with Jack, that had transpired over an eight day period, than she did about my relationship with Michael, which had lingered over seven years. Why did I share so much about Jack with her, yet I’d never felt the need to talk about Michael, even after a fight?
I started to wonder why my eight day relationship meant so much more to me than my seven year relationship with the man that I had planned to marry. Had I ever really loved Michael, or was he just my safe place? As I rewound time in my head I realized that Michael had never taken my breath away. He’d never made my heart beat out of my chest so loud that I thought the whole world could hear it. And he’d certainly never made my body quiver uncontrollably with just a kiss. Jack did, and the realization tore my heart out.
Chapter Fifteen
The week went by slowly and each day I walked into the Heston it got harder. The hotel reminded me of Jack and what we’d had together. What I had lost, again. Luckily, Lyle didn’t find out what had happened backstage after the conference. Or at least he didn’t mention it to me if he had heard. He did, however, tell me that Mr. Heston’s office had called to tell him that I did a great job and that Mr. Heston was very satisfied. I really didn’t care what Mr. Heston thought, but I was grateful his call seemed to make Lyle happy, which meant he left me alone all week.
Friday night the hote
l club was extra busy and the band convinced me to stay an extra hour past the end of my normal shift to keep the crowd partying. I was drained from the long week without contact from Jack, but agreed to stay anyway. I was becoming good friends with the guys in the band and we seemed to have found our stride together. The drummer, Travis, and I had even had lunch together twice, and when we were working he established himself as my resident bodyguard.
Travis Toomey didn’t look like a typical hotel club band drummer. He had long dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, a goatee, and what could only be described as dark brown almond-shaped bedroom eyes. His arms were covered in tattoos and he was physically enormous. He towered above most people with his six foot six frame and shoulders that spanned the width of two regular-sized men. When I first saw him sitting behind the drums, I remember thinking that he made the full-size drum kit look like he was playing a children’s set. His handsome face was marred by a deep scar going the length from just beneath his eye to his chin. He looked like he just gotten out of jail and had ridden to the bar on his motorcycle to find a woman, club her over the head, and drag her out the back door, unconscious. He looked the epitome of the phrase dark and dangerous.
But the truth of the matter was that Travis rode a bicycle to work and was married to Tom, a man he had been with for more than ten years. He didn’t care what people thought and I was pretty sure he liked people to think that he was a rough and tumble badass. It worked for me because I had seemingly become a magnet for drunk single men who thought I would be sufficiently impressed by their slurring pick-up lines. Travis always kept an eye out for me and would come to my rescue by putting his arm around my shoulder and calling me babe. Every man quietly disappeared with his tail between his legs within thirty seconds of Travis’s appearance.